* * Team Vanilla * * for May

[~reneew]

The challenges were starting to make me feel like an idiot looser when I couldn't even make my own challenge, so this is more of a support team. Everyone is welcome!!!

This is for anybody seriously following the vanilla No S plan that needs encouragement and accountability. After all, the world can see this. We will all keep tabs on eachother. If you want to join the team for the month and you have a mod, just state it. Think of this as your own little cheering section.

- *Remember* to only post once at the top and edit that first post all month.
- Please re-read that last one, some people don't get it.
- after May 2nd we will continue posting at the bottom for encouragement and fun.
-This team is meant for all of us to give support, so lets try hard to do that.
- good luck and have fun with it!

[~reneew]

I'm in! And I just deleted the April days... there's a good reason for that. Lets go May!!!



1- S day - 2 kids going to prom.
2- S day
3- green smiles mean green good day on my habitcal
4- I'm doing good... feel lousy today, but that's good when all I want is soup.
5- I ate a bit more than soup by supper time yesterday! Still feel yucky, but today will be green. I need to drink my H2Orange, or I'll eat eat eat. Besides I'm really craving orange juice.
6- I'm not counting the cough drops that I'm living on today. Cough drops and orange juice... maybe soup. Ug! Supper was a bit overboard, but it fit on my plate.
7- I'm left with a nasty cold, can't taste my food... craving salt! Drinking fluids!
8- S day, and a very nice controlled one. I tried to bank an S, but ate a few cookies.
9- S day not over the top here either. I'm very happy with my weekend! I'm working on that ring of fire around the S es.
10- I still feel cruddy. It might be mumps (outbreak here) and I'm not counting cough drops. Not exercising either... napping, coughing and blowing my nose. Yuck. Larengitis.
11- a slight feel-yucky-pity-party-PMS-binge and I didn't even care.
12- feeling a bit better and back on track. I'm also getting my voice back.
13- back on track and driven to look better this summer.
14- I have no control over seconds on pizza. I have it every Friday. I'm wondering if I should stop eating it because I have no control or eat it on Saturdays. Or maybe eat it once a month on Saturdays? Maybe just personal size... that helps me when I make homeade, but when I order it the flood gates open.
15- S day
16- S day
17- my 8 year old has it now... home sick. Hope he's better soon as I'm planning a trip with my hubby this week.
18- he's still home sick, but feeling a bit better. So, I made him cookies!!!
19-
20- vacationing
21- vacationing
22- S day still vacationing
23- S day still vacationing
24-
25-
26-
27- cake ug
28- good grief
29- S day
30- S day
31- S day


I will do better in June!



Alright, I'm straying from vanilla a bit by skipping lunch on M-W-F this week. I need a quick comeback or I'm going to quit because I am so frustrated with me lack of any control, and I gained this vacation.

I'm not a good diet traveler... or diner... or sightseer... or hotel sleeper... or vacationer at all. I tend to eat more. Hmmm...[/color]

[KareBear]

I'm in too. This is so helpful, thanks

[JulieMM]

I am in I actually started No S-ing for the very first time Monday! Since I am new to this, I am going with good old vanilla! I am 5'8", 30 years old. My current goal is to lose 110 pounds. Its gonna be a long ride, hopefully not too bumpy!

May 1:
May 2:
May 3: SUCCESS
May 4: FAILURE. I haven't posted because I have been debating this- we had a Party that night, and I could have somewhat easily been successful, and I choose to not. Also, earlier in the day I ate 4 pieces of candy. I would have continued on but my friend stopped me! Like everyone I had visions of grander. This is my first failure - it sucks. I really hate failure and I wanted to use an NWS day - but the guilt I feel tells me it was a Failure. Anyway - MOVING ON!
May 5: SUCCESS
May 6: SUCCESS
May 7: NWS - I am taking a road trip this weekend and we are leaving Friday night - I have to get dinner on the road, and what's a road trip with out a couple of goodies .
May 8:
May 9:
May 10: SUCCESS
May 11: SUCCESS
May 12: SUCCESS
May 13: SUCCESS
May 14: SUCCESS
May 15:
May 16:
May 17:
May 18:
May 19:
May 20:
May 21:
May 22:
May 23:
May 24:
May 25:
May 26:
May 27:
May 28:
May 29:
May 30:
May 31:

[mrsj]

I'm in! Thanks, Renew! Vanilla No S, no mods or tweaks. Emphasis on Sometimes. I'll jump start too.

26 April: Green. Threw in the towel. Please read my post for more info. Appetite crashed down.
27 April: Green. I feel free!
28 April: Green.
29 April: Green. Very busy as DH took the day off. Forgot to eat. T Too busy to post, sorry folks!
30 April: Green.

01 May: Here in DK it's a day off for everyone. So today is a combo of S and N day. Yellowish green? greenish Yellow? Whatever!
02 May: A mini S day. So far, my pedometer has 9421 steps and it's only 1800! Yay!
03 May: Not as active as I'd like, but still Vanilla!
04 May: Threw my back out, so I won't be active for a while. I will NOT declare a sick day as I'm not sick, just slightly defective!
05 May: Stayed Green, but was tempted to eat sweets out of boredom. I can't do anything. GAAAAAH!!!
06 May: Green. Still defective.
07 May: Green. GAAAH!!!
08 May: Still defective.
09 May: -do-
10 May: Getting better! Could do small chores!
11 May: I could vacuum!
12 May: I know it's a little early, but I know that I won't have much time to flub up today. My last chiropractor treatment today, and I'll walk to town. Then once I am in town, might as well window shop...
13,14&15 May: Back is much better, did light gardening. Planted all my bog plants.
16 May: Took an S day as the weather is so nasty. More like November!
17 May: Red. Couldn't resist cookies. Why did I cave? Waaaah!
18 May: Cookies again! "after all, tomorrow is another day..."
19 May: Finally!
20 May: Really wanted a snack in the evening, but I resisted! Consoled myself that it's almost an S day-wait!
21 May:
22May: S day!
23 May: S day
24 May: Even though it's a national holiday, I kept it an N day. # S days in a row is too much!
25 May:
26 May:
27 May: I'm SO looking forward to when no sweets becomes ingrained habit! It's hard right now.
28 May:
29&30 May: S!
31 May: Thank goodness May is over!

[mimi]

I'm in too! I have been really struggling lately as well...time for vanilla NoS! Thanks Renee - let's be strong encouragers for each other! It's so helpful.

Mimi

May 1: S-DAY
May 2: S-DAY
May 3: FAILURE Ate a sweet - half a slice of hubby's birthday cake from yesterday
May 4: FAILURE - accepted and ate a brownie baked for me by a student
May 5: SUCCESS - green
May 6: SUCCESS
May 7: SUCCESS
May 8: S day
May 9: S day
May 10: RED Hmmm...hope I'm not seeing a pattern...
May 11: GREEN
May 12: RED - worst red day I've had in a loooooong time...but I'll brush off the crumbs and push my restart button Butterfly - thanks!
May 13: GREEN thinking about summer and vacations
May 14:
May 15: S day
May 16: S day
May 17:
May 18:
May 19:
May 20:
May 21:
May 22: S day
May 23: S day
May 24:
May 25:
May 26:
May 27:
May 28:
May 29: S day
May 30: S day
May 31: S day - holiday

[kccc]

How lovely to see another "challenge!" Missed them.

I have recently re-committed to "strict" Vanilla, so this is good timing for me. (I have a tendency to fudge the boundaries over time, and have to catch myself.)

[dorothyh]

Can I join?

I just started No S two days ago. I can definitely use the accountability.
The only glitch is, we are going on vacation from May 20-28. I'll have to read up on posts dealing with vacation before then. I'm in the middle of the book, so I haven't gotten to the "how do you handle vacation" yet. Right now I'm focusing on the next three weeks, and then I'll deal with handling vacation with the No S diet. I really am a newbie at this! Also, my husband's birthday is next Monday, so I'll be taking an S day for that.

April 27 - First Day!! Success!
April 28 - Success!
April 29- Success!
April 30- Success!
May 1 - S Day
May 2 - S Day
May 3 - S Day (dh's birthday)
May 4 - Success!
May 5 - Success!
May 6 - Success!
May 7 - Success!
May 8 - S Day
May 9 - S Day
May 10 - Success!
May 11 - Failure ate 8 cookies (ouch)
May 12 -
May 13 -
May 14 -
May 15 -S Day
May 16 -S Day
May 17 -
May 18 -
May 19 -
May 20 -
May 21 -
May 22 -S Day
May 23 -S Day
May 24 -
May 25 -
May 26 -
May 27 -
May 28 -
May 29 -S Day
May 30 -S Day
May 31 -S Day (Memorial Day)

[KareBear]

I'm In! Looking forward to a month of success.

May 1: S DaySuccess
May 2: S Day
May 3: SUCCESS
May 4: Failure: Ate 4 Oreo cookies at a board meeting,
May 5: SUCCESS
May 6: SUCCESS Plus I ran 5.5 miles and walked another 2. Today was a GREAT day!
May 7: Failure
May 8: S Day
May 9: S Day
May 10: Sucess
May 11: Sucess
May 12: Sucess
May 13: Sucess
May 14: Sucess
May 15: S Day
May 16: S Day
May 17:
May 18:
May 19:
May 20:
May 21:
May 22:
May 23:
May 24:
May 25:
May 26:
May 27:
May 28:
May 29:
May 30:
May 31:

[PetVet]

i'd also like to join in!

after looking into 'mastering leptin' i am going to eat my three plated meals at B=0700, L=1200 and D=1700

i will add more protein to my daily breakfasts

on S days any additional sweets/seconds will be added at mealtimes and i'm going to work especially hard to cut out the S day after dinner snack

will weigh in may 1st and then may 31st and post difference... having just started no-s this month, i've actually gained a few pounds but i'm not surprised, as i was coming from calorie counting each and every bite since jan 2010... yes i had lost 22 lbs, but it was not a sustainable lifestyle habit in my world and i definately overate on my S days since starting

anyway, here i go!


May 1: S Day SUCCESS including mods
May 2: S Day SUCCESS including mods
May 3: SUCCESS (i'm going out of town for a couple of days, will update again on thursday or friday)
May 4: on the road, but SUCCESS, altho timing of meals really suffered
May 5: FAILURE - was unexpectedly taken out for a really nice dinner by a very good friend and his BF... had both an appetizer and a dessert marking it, and moving on
May 6: SUCCESS on the road home, timing of meals off again and not enough protein at breakfast - hard on the road
May 7: back home again - SUCCESS including mods
May 8: S Day
May 9: S Day "Happy Mother's Day!"
May 10: SUCCESS
May 11: SUCCESS
May 12: SUCCESS
May 13: SUCCESS
May 14: SUCCESS
May 15: S Day - eating waaaay too much on S days but feeling better on N days (not obsessing about good food/bad food, etc) going to keep with the plan for this month (probably will have a gain i think ) and work on S days next month. thanks to great post on the phases by KCCC i really have to call this an S Day FAILURE unfortunately
May 16: S Day - unfortunately had an *S weekend* and what's with pizza?!? like reneew, i can't seem to stop myself and my son loves pizza and movie night on saturdays... i told him this weekend that we were going to start making our own pizza from scratch from now on and altho he wasn't very happy about it, i really have no choice... i'm sure i ate almost an entire large stuffed crust pizza in two days! another S Day FAILURE
May 17: FAILURE had a good day, after a terrible weekend, but them ate a chicken nibbler this evening when making my son's lunch w/o even thinking
May 18: SUCCESS
May 19: FAILURE just had to have a taste of the cake my son won at his school fair - he ate a piece, saved a piece for the next day... i ate some of the icing and then threw the rest away! sugar is the devil!
May 20: SUCCESS but good thing i threw that cake out, cause i was really, really wishing i hadn't after supper tonight <sigh>
May 21: SUCCESS
May 22: S Day
May 23: S Day
May 24: S Day - Victoria Day holiday for us Canucks
May 25: SUCCESS
May 26: SUCCESS
May 27: SUCCESS it's been *really* hot these past few days, so over eating hasn't even crossed my mind... eating a tonne of plated watermelon tho!
May 28: SUCCESS
May 29: S Day
May 30: S Day - edited tonight to add that my son had his very first piano recital today and afterwards we went out for supper, his choice... PIZZA!!! another S day FAILURE I'm afraid - i have eaten 2/3 of a large pizza with supper and S day snacking i should have left the remainder at the restaurant, but didn't have the willpower at the time
May 31:

cathy

[butterfly1000]

I've been hesitating whether to join this challenge or not because I haven't been able to stick to anything lately, but I guess I've got nothing to lose in trying, so here it goes ... at least May starts on an S day, so I can't really mess that one up ...

May 1: S-DAY
(went overboard with sweets -- not too happy with myself)
May 2: S-DAY
(went overboard again)
May 3: FAILURE
Accepted a sweet from a friend at work -- wouldn't have been too bad if it had stopped there, but after supper I was out of control
May 4: SUCCESS

May 5: SUCCESS
2 in a row -- it does feel good Renee!
May 6: SUCCESS
one more green and it will be 4 in a row -- I think that's the best so far since I signed up last year.
May 7: SUCCESS
4 greens in a row -- it feels good to start having a little control over food and not the other way around -- now I just have to try and be reasonable on the week-end.
May 8: S-DAY
Had a special event, so ate a little more than I should have.
May 9: S-DAY
I knew that I was going to have a big supper with dessert at home, so when I went to visit Mom-in-law in the afternoon, I didn't take any of the cake or cookies that she put on the table (and they looked really good)
May 10: FAILURE
I knew it was going to be a failure. It was the birthday of a family member and I knew I was going to have a big supper and cake afterwards. I didn't have seconds, but I did have a big piece of cake. I guess a banked S day would have been useful here.
May 11: FAILURE
and I have no excuse. I'm feeling a little discouraged. I know that No-S is the way to go for me (long-term), but I'm having trouble adhering to the rules.
May 12: SUCCESS
Almost had a chocolate bar in the evening, but chose a glass of milk instead. I think that what stopped me from eating the chocolate was that I knew Renee would check up on me today ... thanks for the encouragement Renee!
May 13: SUCCESS
Made it through the day but man was it hard -- I don't know how many times I considered marking it a failure and binging on sweets for the rest of the day. The week-end is coming -- it's a good thing, but at the same time I hope I don't go overboard.
May 14: FAILURE
Was doing well until about 9:00 p.m., when I was watching TV and thinking about a dessert I had in the fridge...and I caved in.
May 15: S-Day
May 16: S-Day
I was hoping to bank an S day, but instead I over-ate on both days -- this more than offset the 2 good days I had during the week. I'm feeling kind of discouraged.
May 17: COMPLETE FAILURE
Don't know if I can do this.
May 18:
May 19:
May 20: Today is a new day -- hopefully a green one. No it wasn't, but I'm not giving up!
May 21:
May 22:
May 23:
May 24:
May 25:
May 26:
May 27:
May 28:
May 29:
May 30:
May 31:

[JulieMM]

Renee,

Thanks for being honest! You can do it! Don't get discouraged! May is still a day away!!!

Julie

[oolala53]

Although weight loss is not supposed to be our goal, I'm a little miffed at myself that I've been doing this 4 months and have been at a weight loss stand still for 2.5 of them. I'm allowing myself the goal of wearing a certain dress to my students' graduation on June 4. I can actually zip the dress up now, but it's tight enough in places that it would be uncomfortable to the observers as well as to the wearer to don. I actually expect the majority of change to come from exercise I'm adding, but a little bit form more sedate S days, as I've had only a few declared S days and red days in these months..

See my daily check in for further comments on daily events

May 1: S
May 2: S
May 3: success
May 4: success
May 5: success
May 6: success
May 7: failure
May 8: S
May 9: S
May 10: success
May 11: success
May 12: success
May 13: success
May 14: success
May 15: S
May 16: S
May 17: success
May 18: success
May 19: success
May 20: success
May 21: success
May 22: S
May 23: S
May 24: failure
May 25: failure
May 26: success
May 27: success
May 28:
May 29: S
May 30: S
May 31

[Sierra]

Hi Everyone,

I am in! I'm a returning newbie, and I'm trying Vanilla NoS with 2 NWS per month right off the bat because I'll be on vacation this month and have a special 'Mother's Day Tea" at my son's kindergarten on May 7th, so don't want to think I've blown it...

I've tried NoS before, but my big problem has been sugar cravings. I finally gave up all sugar for 4 months, and I just decided that's not sustainable in the long run in my life and really want to get my N days down to see if my weekends naturally sort themselves out.

Anyway thanks for setting this up reneew!

May 1 - S Day
May 2 - S Day
May 3 - SUCCESS
May 4 - SUCCESS
May 5 - SUCCESS
May 6 - SUCCESS
May 7 - NWS Day
May 8 - S Day
May 9 - S Day
May 10 - SUCCESS
May 11 - SUCCESS
May 12 - SUCCESS
May 13 - FAILURE - should have counted this as a NWS day, thought I could just eat the dinner portion for my sister's birthday...
May 14 - FAILURE - went to the store WAY to hungry after work and the next thing I knew I was eating samples.
May 15 -S Day
May 16 -S Day
May 17 -
May 18 -
May 19 -
May 20 -
May 21 -
May 22 -S Day
May 23 -S Day
May 24 -
May 25 -
May 26 -
May 27 -
May 28 - NWS Day
May 29 -S Day
May 30 -S Day
May 31 -S Day (Memorial Day)

[paulawylma]

I'm in for May. I'm doing vanilla No-S with high fiber intelligent defaults.

I'm going to mark my exempt days in advance: this month is birthdays!
Birthdays is a minor holiday unique to my family and pretty much takes up all the time from my birthday on the 26 to my nephew's birthday on the 30th (Memorial Day is always on a Monday and doesn't always occur during birthdays). Back when I visited my brother's family (brother's birthday on the 27th and nephew's on the 30th) regularly in May--birthdays was a big deal but probably not this year. There is a min-family reunion Memorial Day weekend but my birthday is Wednesday this year --the middle of the work week, so I'll probably just buy a piece of cake at the supermarket (they sell single slices) and pretend I'm not aging. I do have a local friend whose birthday is on May 25th, but I always visit him on Sundays.

May 1: exempt
2: exempt
3: Sucess
4: Sucess
5: Sucess---21 days w/o any red days!
6: Sucess
7: Sucess
8: exempt
9: exempt
10: Sucess
11: Sucess
12: Sucess
13: Sucess
14: Sucess
15: exempt
16: exempt
17: [ color=green]Sucess[/color]
18 Sucess
19 Sucess
20 failure
21 failure
22: exempt
23: exempt
24: Sucess
25: Sucess
26: exempt My Birthday!
27 Sucess
28 Sucess
29: exempt
30: exempt S Day and Nephew's Birthday
31: exempt National Holiday

[WouldYouEva]

Sounds good to me:
1=
2=
3= Green!
4= Green. I got talked into ordering Chinese food for lunch. Instead of eating the entire take-out container, I ate half, put the rest in the frig for lunch tomorrow. It's too tempting to declare one container as one serving. Also: did my physical therapy exercises while I watched GLEE.
5= Green. But I really need to make more trips to the fitness center.
6= Green
7= Green
8= Went to a party where I learned how to make margaritas, how to hula hoop, did a poetry reading, and ate deep-fried pork. Oh, and flirted with a cute guy.
9= Stopped eating when I was full, and that turned out to be after one half of my sandwich.
10= So far: GREEN but bummed my ride came early so I couldn't brown bag my breakfast and lunch.
11= Green
12= Green
13= Green.
14= Green.
15=
16=
17= Green. Weighed myself, I'm down 45 lbs. from when I started 18 months ago.
18= Green, so far.
19= Green.
20= Green.
21= Green and looking forward to the next two days.
22=
23=
24= green
25= green, even though it was an extremely sad and stressful day (why are men such dogs?)
26= yellow. Decided to eat lunch AFTER my interview and getting my disability bus pass, got horribly lost since I took the wrong exit out of Metro, wandered around for over an hour getting tired and dizzy, and ended up drinking half a Coke. Never did get my bus pass.
27= green
28= NWS
29=
30=
31= Decided to go No S on this day, so far. I'll be doing some swimming and cleaning later on. I'm still pretty depressed but know eating junk won't help.

BTW: April 15th was my 500th day on No S.

We LOSE weight to make our clothes LOOSER. Makes me crazy when people can't keep that straight.

[janieb]

I'm in too!

My mod: 1/2 sandwich +piece of fruit as afternoon snack on days I bike to work (40 mins each way).

My NWS days: May 5, May 13.

May 1: S Day
May 2:

[mrsj]

We're all off to a roaring start! Just think, with warmer weather, we're all more active. Add Vanilla No S to more activity and something good is bound to happen to all of us!

Happy Shrinking!

[idontknow]

I'd like to join in. I started no-S for the second time last week - I had 2 successful days (Thurs and Fri) and then, of course, my 2 s days this weekend. I really need this to work for me and I really need the accountability of sharing my results and the encouragement of other people. Looking forward to checking in at the end of the day!

1 May
2 May
3 May
4 May not a massive failure. Without thinking I picked while chopping veggies for dinner. I didn't quite make enough to eat and had a very small plateful so when my daughter left some on her plate I finished it off!! I could have made excuses and justified today as really being a success, but I've decided to do this properly. I also didn't go on and on eating once I had declared the day a failure. Quite proud of myself - bizarrely!?
5 May Thanks for the encouragement, reneew!
6 May
7 May
8 May
9 May
10 May
11 May
12 May
13 May
14 May
15 May
16 May
17 May
18 May
19 May
20 May
21 May
22 May
23 May
24 May
25 May
26 May
27 May
28 MayOh dear - massive failure the last 4 days. Don't know why - I just had a little rebellion against controlling what I eat.
29 May
30 May
31

[oliviamanda]

I'm in!

May 1 - S Day
May 2 - S Day
May 3 -
May 4 -
May 5 - S Day (for lunchtime only. Big annual party @work)
May 6 -
May 7 - Sometimes on Fridays, I start my weekend early and I did. I had a very small amount of danish and 1/4 dessert muffin. But I still have to mention it even though it was minimal!
May 8 - S Day
May 9 - S Day
May 10 -
May 11 -
May 12 - A friend unexpectedly stopped by with a brownie that I had a few bites of.
May 13 -
May 14 -
May 15 -S Day
May 16 -S Day
May 17 -
May 18 -
May 19 -
May 20 - S Day (my good-bye lunch @ work)
May 21 -
May 22 -S Day
May 23 -S Day
May 24 -
May 25 -
May 26 -
May 27 - (my husband was trying to cheer me up with strawberries and chocolate and biscotti. I only had a little bit)
May 28 -
May 29 -S Day
May 30 -S Day
May 31 -S Day (Memorial Day)

[carla70]

Count me in!! I need to accountablity and I am determined to do this right. I have started this a few times. This will be the last time, this does work!!!
I am offically starting today!!!!


May
3 SUCCESS
4 SUCCESS
5 SUCCESS
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

[JoanE]

I just joined, so am starting 3 days late, after lunch.
Joan

May
3- Took my duaghter out for ice cream - and had 3 bites... Otherwise good!
4-
5 -
6 -
7 - Fail - beer with dinner
8 - S
9 - S
10 - Fail - snacked on an apple in the afternoon and raisins in the evening (but have been staying away from pastries and candy put out in my office)
11 - Fail
12 - Success!
13 - Success!
14 - success
15 - S day - had a little snack at a party, then some sweets for dessert at dinner, but all in moderation.
16 - S day. Am working all night on a work issue, so have had some snacks, otherwise good. No sweets.
17 - Success!

[~reneew]

This is a nice group!!! I was just thinking that if we do very well this May that we will all look better for the summer in less clothes (I'm thinking shorts and swimsuits) So, lets go team!!!!


GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!

[mrsj]

Real motivating, Renew, but where's your edit for 03 May?

Yahoo! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers blooming...
A great day for some serious Urban Ranging!

I think I'll have VANILLA yoghurt for breakfast. Anybody have any suggestions for vanilla flavored things that comply with Vanilla No S on an N Day?

[JulieMM]

Butterfly~

You can do it! Today is a new day!

[~reneew]

mrsj... I make homeade extra vanilla-y yougurt. And vanilla milkshakes come to mind. Just blend milk, vanilla, fruit like strawberries or bananas, lots of ice and walla... yum! Also, you can add artificial sweetener if you want to.

You're really thinking vanilla aren't you?

[mrsj]

Thanks, Renew! I'll try this.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

[butterfly1000]

Butterfly~

You can do it! Today is a new day!

Thanks for the encouragement! I just recorded my first fully successful day!

[~reneew]

butterfly... I know it's tough. Great honesty going for ya! Do solid green for 2 days and you'll feel better... we'll watch for it

idon'tknow... I'm proud of you too! It wasn't a big slip, so do well for 2 days and you'll feel better... we'll watch for you too.

I think I might try to pre-bank an S day this weekend. Those really help me. If I'm successful, I get ahead of my game because I gain every weekend. If I'm not successful, I at least usually have a better s day. If I can bank one, then have a slip later, I can use that one for an S day.

[mrsj]

Renew, is banking S days vanilla? That's what got you in trouble before(lifts forefinger and frowns).

Butterfly1000, congratulations!

[~reneew]

mrsj... I think it's alright if I do it ahead of time. We'll see if I can. It seems to help me not loose control on S days, which is very definitely my biggest problem. Sometimes I don't even need to use my banked day and I just end up having an extra green day. In the long run I end up having a better day anyway.

paulawylma...woohoo! You made it to 21!! Be sure to post on the 21 day club thread!

I'm seeing a lot of successful people out there! Be sure to brag! It feels good and encourages others!

[butterfly1000]

I was scrolling down the posts, and it looks pretty green overall. Let's keep it up -- WE CAN DO IT!

[mrsj]

Congrats to all the Greens!

[butterfly1000]

8- I'm going to try to bank this day... or tomorrow.

Renee,
When you say you're going to bank an S Day, does it mean you treat a weekend day as a weekday (i.e. as a No-S Day), and you use it at some point in the future during the week as an allowed S day?

[~reneew]

Yea, actually reinhard mentioned it I think in one of his podcasts. If I'm successful, I do an N day on an actual S day like Saturday, then call it a green N day. Then I have one S day saved or "banked" for a future failed N day. I do better on my S days if I even slightly try to bank one because I guess I'm paying more attention. If I'm successful I am very very happy to have the day save ahead of time. It sometimes even encourages me to do even better than normal because I think that I'm even ahead of normal. It's taking me a while to figure out how my mind works.

[butterfly1000]

Thanks for the clarification Renee. I'm going to try that approach as well.

[~reneew]

I'm rarely successful with it, but we can cheer eachother on this weekend. Even when I just have a regular S day, they are far better.

[mrsj]

I'm posting this now, as tomorrow is a holiday here in Dk (Ascention Day) and DH has taken Friday off.

The secret to having non wild S days is to keep busy. A lot of us have families, and week-ends can be the time for the family to be together doing active things. If the kids are teen-agers and have their own things to do then it's a good time to do things with one's spouse. DH and I are working our rear ends off at our allotment garden every week-end. By the time we're done I'm just too tired to even think about goodies. If it's nasty weather then I'll do extra things in the house. I'm also trying to make "special" something non-food. Like watching a DVD film without stuffing my face. Or reading a really good book, again without constantly chomping.

As I said before, tomorrow is a holiday and we'll be working in the garden. I won't be posting until Monday, 17 May. Have a vanilla day!

[~reneew]

Yea, lots of people! Welcome Julia! I'm feeling a bit better and on track. I'm ready to go!

I see just a few sprinklings of reds. Pick yourself up, brush off the crumbs, and push your restart buttons! I did.

butterfly... use some super glue (trouble adhering to the rules) You can do it. One day at a time! I'll check on you tomorrow. Brush off the crumbs and push restart!

mimi... no, it's not a pattern, Just a slight similarity. Plan ahead for them if you see it's going to happen. (sometimes I really need to listen to my own words)

Some of you are totally green success... good going!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to copy you...

[butterfly1000]

Yesterday was a success , people on this board are so supportive, it's amazing.

Renee: You're doing fantastic, keep it up!

Mimi: I don't see any update for you in the last couple of days. I hope that it's going well, but you just haven't had time. Renee has good advice, when you don't have a good day, we have to "brush off the crumbs, and push your restart buttons".

[~reneew]

I came on here just to check on you butter! Keep it up!

I'm doing good, and I'm sure happy about it!

[mrsj]

Welcome, Julia!

I'm seeing a lot of GREENS and it warms my heart. (Does that burn a few calories?)

WouldYouEva, you are an inspiration to me.

renew, if you can't afford a real emerald, have you considered other green stones?

PetVet, pizza is a downfall. I love it too and I can GORGE on the stuff. I have it on S days, cut the lid off the pizza box and the box is my plate! Hah-no seconds!

Some happy news-I've maintained while my back was out of whack. Although I haven't shrunk a gram, I noticed this morning after I got dressed that I'm starting to get a waistline!

Have a Vanilla Day!

[paulawylma]

Ok, here's the story: I'm doing Vanilla No-S but I created some high fiber intelligent defaults in an attempt to increase the fiber in my diet to the 30 gram a day range. This weekend I didn't use many of my defaults, and I woke up about 2am with cramps which I guess was from the change from high fiber to normal fiber (I normally use 100% whole grain bread) and was concerned I'd end up constipated. But the only thing I had in the house was Milk of Magnessia and it warns not to use it if you have less than 8 hours for it to work. So I looked around for another solution and decided that I'd try half a serving of All bran. I did and it worked. Cramps disappeared after an hour or so and . . .everything came out fine in the end. But now I don't know if I should call the 2am All Bran, Sunday, an exempt day or Monday, a failure or Monday, but medicine, not food. So what do you think? I consider a day to end when I go to bed and the next day to start when I wake up for the day. I've never defined the night-time period because I'm a morning person and rarely stay up past midnight--not even on New Year"s Eve. I never get up and eat in the middle of the night--I think last night was the only time I've ever eaten in the middle of the night and I am 51 years old. I know some people do it, but frankly I don't get the concept. I am a sleeper, I am seldom conscious even during the night to do more than stumble to the bathroom and back to bed. Which is why I've never defined what the period of time when I am asleep is--other than night. Other than this, Monday has been completely green, and an easy one, no temptations at all.

So what do you guys think? Is 2am an Exempt Sunday or a Red Monday?

[oolala53]

If you hate the idea of a failure, call it a yellow S exempt day.

[~reneew]

I'd call it medicine and use it for the S day. It's not like you're starting a new bad habit, or like you could skip it. If I stay up past midnight, I still call it the day before because my day starts when I wake up for the day.

[JoanE]

I agree the day starts when you get up. I had to pull an all-nighter for work on Sunday, so needed to eat to stay awake. Just added that to the Sunday exempt.

[~reneew]

What's with all of these failures from cookies and brownies???
So many of us have been blowing the day because of those little guys!

I declare a war on cookies! Those lumpy oatmeal discs that are staring at me from in the jar should be tossed to the dog!!!! Since I can't do that because I'm too thrify and I have 4 kids and a husband that might get mad, I'm going to declare a war on those crumby things. I leave for vacation tomorrow, so if I can avoid them today I'll be fine!!!!!!!!

[mrsj]

Butterfly, you CAN do this. Just take one day at a time.

wouldyoueva: Congratulations on your weight reduction and all your GREENS!

Julialovesvanilla: Take it on the chin and have a vanilla day. Nobody's perfect.

WAR ON COOKIES, BROWNIES AND JUNK!!! Pick the weapon of your choice. Trash can, dog, blow torch, window...(open it first).

[mrsj]

Only 11 days left, including today! Yay!

Come on, folks, let's hear some chatter!

Have a vanilla day!

[PetVet]

WAR ON COOKIES, BROWNIES AND JUNK!!! Pick the weapon of your choice. Trash can, dog, blow torch, window...(open it first).

lmbfao!

trash can = check
dogs = check

also add cats, skinny friends, toilet and at one time i even tried to get the ponies to eat leftover carrot cake, but they proved smarter then that!

have a great VANILLA day all!

cathy

[paulawylma]

I can't believe I blew up after so long of good habits. Ok, I can.. Thursday was my day off (I work alternate Saturdays) which wasn't the problem. I missed breakfast because I was fighting with the bank. I ate lunch late because of other errands I meant to run earlier but couldn't because I was on the phone with the bank. Then I had to get my hair cut, so I would look good for my drivers license photo (In Ohio, your DL is good for 5 years and expires on your birthday--which is Wednessday). Well, my hair looked fine, but my DL photo makes the rest of me look so old and redfaced that, I'm not going to show it to anyone unless I get pulled over. If anyone else wants a photo ID, then they can settle for my VA ID card.
I didn't eat that much on Thursay, but I did snack a couple of times. On Friday, I was tired and needed extra energy -thinking that since Thursday was a red day and Saturday was exempt, I might as well relax on Friday. I'm looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow. Didn't snack today though iti's exempt, but I finished up the "nondiary frozen dessert" (fake ice cream) becuause next weekend I'm going to be out of town.

[mrsj]

PetVet: Good weapons! Let's remember to use them!

paulawylma: Life just happens. It sometimes happens to normal weight people too. What No S teaches us is to eat like normal weight people. Don't beat yourself up, just get back on track and continue vanilla. Life goes on...

[mrsj]

Renew, please be VERY careful skipping meals. You know what happens when we get too hungry. Maybe some lighter choices the next few days?

Welcome Home!

[shandy]

Hey can I join in? I know its a bit late in May but I really wanted to get started with no S.

[~reneew]

The more the merrier!!!!

[~reneew]

I'm going to do this team thing again for June, but I want it to be for whatever anyone wants to do... and skip the vanilla part. Any ideas? (I've been doing this for a year, I think I'm hooked.)

ideas:

"support team No S"

" support for 21"

"21 challenge"

" 'your best' challenge"

"June challenge" (but I almost forgot I feel like an idiot when I fail my own challenge!)

"June support team"

any other ideas?

or

[mrsj]

June HABIT support team?

Habit motivator? Now I'm getting silly...

[paulawylma]

I figure that these two days are going to be the hardest for me. First, my birthday was yesterday, exempt, but all I ate non-S was one cookie and one cinnomon bun (in lieu of cake). Second, my company is having their yearly "we love our employees" day--OK they don't call it that, they call it the first anniversary of the WOW program, and before that it was just employee appreciation day. When I set up my exempt days, I mistakenly though it was on my birthday, but no, it is today. However, the only thing I have to avoid is dessert--there's a free lunch but that's the only food since food isn't allowed at our work stations. But it's also my brother's birthday, but since my brother lives in a different state, there's no reason for it to be exempt. So I'm going to stick to no s today. If I suceed today then tomorrow should be easy--only one more day. If I don't suceed tomorrow--then why bother on Friday before a 3 day weekend? Of course, except for the 4 leftover cinnamon buns in the refrigheration, I shouldn't have many temptations. Hmm, maybe I could freeze the cinnamon buns.. . . that's what I'll do. Good luck to everyone on these last two non-exempt days.

[butterfly1000]

I'm going to do this team thing again for June, but I want it to be for whatever anyone wants to do... and skip the vanilla part.

I wasn't going to participate in a June challenge because I'm having too much trouble doing straight vanilla, but if the challenge is not strictly vanilla, and more of a general June support team where we each work on changing habits at our own pace, I'm in!

[~reneew]

paulawylma... I say freeze stuff. It really helps me. That is, if I can get it to the freezer!



I'll start the new one as soon as I figure out what to call it.

[paulawylma]

Hi reneew,
Thanks for the post.
I do freeze stuff. I posted on another link one day about my "treasure trove" (I love alliteration). the treasure trove is a plastic storage container I keep in the freezer, in it is candy, sometimes cookies--anything that I can't eat on N days that freeze well. And yesterday turned out to be no problem! My salvation was the fact that my company cut corners this year and went with a lower bidder for the cookout. Last year, in additon to the nonsweet food, they had cake and ice cream and I expected the same--hard to keep in the locker or even company refrigerator (though I shouldn't have ice cream anyway, milk sensitive). But the lowerest bidder--bless their cheap little hearts--only offered cookies as dessert. Now they offered my favorite cookies, chocolate chip, which I took and put in my locker, and brought home and are now in my treasure trove waiting for Monday (I'm going to KY for the weekend). After supper last night (so I wouldn't be tempted to nibble, I did what I should have done on Wednessday, I wrapped the 4 cinnamon buns individually in aluminum foil and put them in a bag in the greezer--they will go to KY with me. It's a 5 or so hour drive and I hope to leave early, so, coffee and a bun for breakfast on Saturday. A nice way to start an exempt day.

BTW, I noticed that several people haven't posted their sucesses or failures since the middle of the month. I understand being up to a week late becaue I'm not supposed to be on the computer in the morning and in the evening, the computers the last thing I want to look at. But two weeks seems a little long--I hope you guys haven't quit. IMHO, an entire month of failure is better than quiting! It's like juggling, It's impossible to learn to juggle unless you get comfortable with dropping. True, and everytime you learn a new trick or add a new number (like going from 3 balls to 5) you start dropping again--just like a beginner. this is the process of learning. To learn any new thing well, you must make mistakes--it is simply how the human brain works.

Have a great day Friday. It should be easy, if Thursday was green and even if it wasn't--it's only one more day. We can do anything for a single day, right?

[kccc]

Posting a catch-up...

Had two failure days, but otherwise a good month. I tend to put long bloggy posts on my daily thread, so don't keep up here as well. Thinking about my focus for June...

I like the generally supportive tone of this thread.

[paulawylma]

Hey Butterfly1000,
Are you still checking posts? I hope so. I haven't been reading other people's post,but today I'm trying to put off a road trip that I should already be on. Isn't procrastination wonderful? Too bad I don't procrastinate eating. . .

Anyway, the point. . .I noticed that you posted explanations, so I stopped to read some of them. And you posted a failure day that should have been an exempt day! "S" days are Special Days, not just Saturdays and Sundays, this is one of the things that make plain Vanilla NO S so great. You posted (I forgot which day) that it was a family member's birthday and you had cake--so you marked it a failure. But Reinhardt includes birthdays of family members as S Days, so it should have been exempt.
I think you should go back and change that failure to an exempt S day. According to the book, you should add extra rules or try to be extra good until you have your habits established. I also noticed that you post about avoiding cookies and sweets on S Days because you planned on dessert later. That's an extra rule and probably hurt you in the long turn. S Days are exempt days--days when the rules do not apply. Yes, it is recommended that you still follow the 3 meal (or whatever # you eat) plan and add in the snacks, seconds and sweets as desired. But Reinhardt never says (in my copy at least) to limit your snack or sweets on S Days. Some people use S events instead of S days, but in the podcast Reinhardt says that mods like that are only for people who continue to have real problems with S Days after they habe their N Days down.

Reinhardt's point in the book and podcast was not to worry about S Days until you established good N Day patterns. According to Reinhardt, by the time the N Day habit is established most S Days will no longer be a problem. Since you imply that you don't have a handle on N Days yet, I think that it will be beneficial to you to lighten up and let your S Days be S Days.

Best Wishes on the June Challenge, I haven't decided if I am going to join that one or not.

And change that faiure day to a S day!
Pauline

PS In case you've forgotten S Days are: "(your) national and (your) religious holidays, and the birthdays of (your) close family and friends."

PPS. I suddendly realized that I might sound like a hypocrite because I didn't take my brother's or my friend Bob's birthdays as exempt days, but I live in Ohio and my brother lives in KY. I won't see him until today (If I get dressed and off the computer) and I visit my friend Bob usually on Sundays (but Monday this week because I'm out of town). If I was actually going to see any of them on their bithdays then I would have made them exempt--even though that would have given me 3 non-weekend S Days in a row!

[oolala53]

Actually, it's up to you what days you regard as exempt days. Reinhard says you should allow for family birthdays and such for social reasons, as No S is about having eating work with life, and I'd say you can take such days as exempt right up to the last minute, but you can also decide you will skip dessert, as long as it's not as a punishment. If you intended to skip it because you thought it wouldn't be the kind of sweet you like most or such, and you ate it anyway, I'd say call it a failure. For one thing, a failure should not be a terrible thing, just something to avoid, so we shouldn't be afraid to call something a failure. Secondly, since we are trying to establish habits that reduce ad hoc eating or eating things we don't sincerely enjoy, I think it's more accurate to call it a failure. But in either case, it's over. Today is what counts.

Secondly, though S days are meant for free eating, most people eventually don't eat all day long nor do they eat unlimited sweets and some of them have made a conscious decision to do that. I agree than N days need to be solid, but if you read around here, you'll see that S days can still be a problem for a long time, as they are with me. I've had fewer than 10 failures in 5 months, but S days are still a free-for-all. I'm experimenting with a few limits. I'm deciding on them according to what I've learned from N days. I think that's what Reinhard implies. Don't just make rules arbitrarily. Base them on reality and long-term sustenance. However, I would never purposely let a weekend go by without something sweet at this point.

Just my opinion.

[butterfly1000]

Hey Butterfly1000,
Are you still checking posts? I hope so. I haven't been reading other people's post,but today I'm trying to put off a road trip that I should already be on. Isn't procrastination wonderful? Too bad I don't procrastinate eating. . .

Anyway, the point. . .I noticed that you posted explanations, so I stopped to read some of them. And you posted a failure day that should have been an exempt day! "S" days are Special Days, not just Saturdays and Sundays, this is one of the things that make plain Vanilla NO S so great. You posted (I forgot which day) that it was a family member's birthday and you had cake--so you marked it a failure. But Reinhardt includes birthdays of family members as S Days, so it should have been exempt.
I think you should go back and change that failure to an exempt S day. According to the book, you should add extra rules or try to be extra good until you have your habits established. I also noticed that you post about avoiding cookies and sweets on S Days because you planned on dessert later. That's an extra rule and probably hurt you in the long turn. S Days are exempt days--days when the rules do not apply.

I haven't checked posts since Friday (busy week-end). I had forgotten about Special Days, it's true -- I shouldn't have considered it a failure.

I'm having so much trouble with No-S days and going overboard with S days. If at some point in a No-S day, it becomes a failure, then I tend to sabotage the rest of the day. In the June challenge, I'm going to try and focus on physical activity in hopes that it will also affect my eating habits in a positive way.

Thank you for taking the time for your comments!

[PetVet]

I gained 5 lbs this month

For June I am going to concentrate on vanilla NoS but also not overdoing it on my S days - one S per S day seems good to me

Swap out a lot of high(er) calorie one plate meals for low(er) calorie one plate meals (as I've read here, 1/2 veg, 1/4 carb incl fruit, 1/4 lean protein)

Going to keep at it and hope June shows a loss of *any* sort, as this is the first time in my adult life that I haven't been obsessed with weighing food, counting calories, fat grams, etc., etc and it feels GREAT!

Cathy