How old are you? (anonymous option)

Doran · Post by **Doran** » Sat May 08, 2010 12:09 am

Hi folks,

I'm curious about the range of ages represented here. Admittedly, part of my interest has to do with whether, like me, there are those past 40 who find that weight loss/maintenance is much more difficult now, in mid-life. Another part just wonders.

If you'd like to elaborate on your age/weight related experience, that would be grand. Otherwise, the poll will shed some light on a topic of interest for me.

Cheers!

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat May 08, 2010 2:53 am

Okay, I'll jump in.

Not just past 40, but had a baby in my 40's, just as my metabolism slowed! (Plus there was suddenly NO TIME for exercise at the levels I was used to)

In my early 50's now, and the metabolism continues to drop...

(Most people guess me younger, because of the age of my kid, lol!)

Doran, I think there is a wide range on the board, with a good proportion of the past-40 set.

Graham · Post by **Graham** » Sat May 08, 2010 7:26 am

I am over 50 and find gaining weight easier and losing it harder than when I was younger - however, I do have 3 very skinny friends who are all the same age as me - but they eat very differently to me.

They all followed a Japanese diet for many years, they all eat fairly low-fat and 2 of them are now on about 50% raw foods and looking/feeling pretty good on it, except for an increased sensitivity to the cold.

I have tried to copy their diet - I had "Green Smoothies" - (as devised by Victoria Boutenko & family) every morning for a while, but somehow I just didn't take to it, though the image of the slim, vibrant, energetic person I could then be is tantalising.

No S isn't causing me to lose any weight yet - and I'm wondering, is that more likely as the metabolism ages? Does No S work equally well for all ages?

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sat May 08, 2010 1:33 pm

Interesting. The majority of people here are in their fifties, as I am. Personally, I think it is because younger people haven't worn out trying traditional dieting. Though we have a few blessed folks here who are absolute diet newbies, the majority are those who just can't stand the thought of the restrictions of the old way. The ironic thing for me is that my N day meals greatly resemble the meals I had on diets and I'm very happy with them. I was never a hamburger-and-French fries kind of person. Sweets and lots of them was my schtick. I'm astounded sometimes that I've had so few red days from sweets, although yesterday was one! But I didn't binge on them, as I used to do.

bluebunny27 · Post by **bluebunny27** » Sat May 08, 2010 6:01 pm

I'm 38 y/o, that's in my signature below ...

I've only dieted twice in my life, both times I lost weight. Once I have my mind set on doing something - - I don't quit. The toughest thing is to get started really, then you are on your way and there's no turning back no matter what.

First time in the early 90's I was 19 (?) and I lost 35 pounds within 100 days (One long summer !)

I was maintaining pretty well until 2000 ... then I started putting on weight due to a lack of exercise and overeating. + 90 pounds within 8 years.

2nd time ... Lost 90 pounds within a year. Nov. 2008 - Nov.2009

3rd time ... Huh, not gonna happen hopefully !

Cheers !

Marc

38 Years Old, 5'10" Tall
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Nov. 1st. 2009 : 190 Pounds
(1 Year : - 90 Pounds)

Current Weight : 195 Pounds

idontknow · Post by **idontknow** » Sat May 08, 2010 7:51 pm

I'm 45 and was a very skinny child. I have put on weight gradually during my adult life - especially after my second child. I've done ww a couple of times and lost weight but always put it back on over time. The problem for me is that the end of a diet I go back to my old eating habits. I also resent paying out money to ww and boosting their profits. I need to find a way to regulate myself. I tend to lose weight quite quickly when I try. My basic meals are healthy, balanced and reasonable portions, but I snack and pick too much and love sweets. This is my second time at no s - my first time failed because I ate too much!? I'm in my second week of my 2nd attempt and pleased with my progress so far - sort of combining ww theory with the self-discipline of no s. I am determined to make this work this time.

LoriLifts · Post by **LoriLifts** » Sat May 08, 2010 8:22 pm

I'm 53.
I was I could blame my age or hormones (or lack thereof) to the extra weight I'm hauling around. Or maybe my thyroid is conking out!
In my case, eating more food than I need + watching more tv than usual = tight pants. It's a simple equation for me.
This year staying active + No S + intermittent fasting is taking the weight back off.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Sun May 09, 2010 3:13 am

43... normal until college. Gained the freshman 50. Lost the sophomore 50. Gained 70 pounds with each of my 4 children, loosing most in between by dieting. Developed hypothyroidism and went terribly undiagnosed for maybe 10 years. Slowly gaining the whole time.

I had around 70 to loose. I lost 20 on No S then Christmas came and I gained it back. Then I lost 26 and Christmas came again and I gained most of that back again. I'm starting to loose again but I still have 50 to go. Writing this right now really makes me see how I gain so so fast! I really am a compulsive food addict. No S seems to be the most sane diet I've ever seen. Thanks Reinhard! I just need to keep plugging away and it will become the way of my life. I need to build that ring of fire around the Ses.

marygrace · Post by **marygrace** » Sun May 09, 2010 2:52 pm

I'm 23. I was a little bit chubby as a kid because I liked to eat sweets and junky food (I've been 5'5" since I was maybe 11 or 12. Was pretty chunky when I went through puberty and by the time I hit high school naturally lost a bit of weight, but was still about a women's size 8, which was bigger than most of my peers). At the beginning of my senior year in high school I started getting serious about my health and weight (a blood test revealed I had super high cholesterol, and I was just tired of feeling "fat"). I started exercising and eating lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc. and cut out the junk food and got down to a size 4, which was probably about 115-118 lbs. Throughout college, I fluctuated between a size 4 and 6 depending on how much I was exercising and how vigilant I was with my eating. I found NoS the summer before my senior year of college when my weight was starting to creep up due to way too much snacking ("healthy" snacks, but just too many calories!). With it, I got back down to a size 4, about 118 lbs--the weight I feel best at, and now have a pretty good relationship with food and my body.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Sun May 09, 2010 2:57 pm

I'm 61. I was a chunky pre-adolescent, but lost all the weight one summer just by walking. My weight stayed pretty stable until about 10 years ago when my activity level decreased due to different responsibilities at work. Then my health prevented more exercise. My eating had never really changed, but now I have to be conscious about eating less..

Doran · Post by **Doran** » Mon May 10, 2010 1:55 am

Hey, look! We have a nice bell-like curve.

I'm on the downhill slope of the curve, but barely, at nearly 48 years old. It seemed that somewhere just past the age of 40, weight and body proportions began to change pretty markedly for me. For a few years, I remained in denial, and for another few, I just worked to ignore, thinking it was "just a phase."

Now, aware that neither method will get me into the shape I'm desiring, I'm trying my best to hold onto No S. Hard work, I must admit, but it feels so very, very sensible.

Thanks for the replies, all.

ThomsonsPier · Post by **ThomsonsPier** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:42 am

I'm thirty and have been doing this for about four years (No-S, not being thirty). I've never tried any diet, as they all seemed extremely stupid.

oliviamanda · Post by **oliviamanda** » Mon May 10, 2010 12:24 pm

I'm 34. I was a very boney child, a thin adolescent, then I met my husband in my early 20's and gained lots of weight due to my changes in diet and exercise. I tried No S in 2006 and successfully lost all the weight I wanted to. I came to a point where I was in a work environment that I could not maintain No S. I have since left that work environment and had a baby. In my 30's I am finding it difficult to lose the baby weight (or that last 10 lbs, except I need to lose an additional 15 lbs gained). I am determined to lose it through No S and exercise. Then, hopefully, I will have a second child. Because I am working out I am finding that my dress sizes are decreasing but the scale isn't so much. I may not lose any more weight, but as long as I am actively controlling my diet and exercising I am doing the best I can.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon May 10, 2010 1:37 pm

ThomsonsPier wrote:I'm thirty and have been doing this for about four years (No-S, not being thirty). I've never tried any diet, as they all seemed extremely stupid.

The "no-s, not being thirty" made me laugh.

When my son was in first grade, I turned 50 (having had him in my 40's). Of course, I was one of the oldest parents! So when he wanted to know how old I was, I told him "I'm 35, with 15 years of experience."

That worked until he learned math.

Doran · Post by **Doran** » Mon May 10, 2010 2:04 pm

ThomsonsPier wrote:I'm thirty and have been doing this for about four years (No-S, not being thirty). I've never tried any diet, as they all seemed extremely stupid.

KCCC wrote:I told him "I'm 35, with 15 years of experience."

Thanks for the chuckles!

ShannahR · Post by **ShannahR** » Mon May 10, 2010 2:40 pm

I'm 29. I was of normal weight until my second year in graduate school, but then the stress/unhappiness started to dominate my life and heavily influence my eating habits. I've been dabbling in different diets since 2004. By dabbling I mean I do them for 1-2 months and then quit. Of course, this sort of yo-yoing makes you gain quite a bit of weight and I did quite a bit of damage during those 6 years.

At the beginning of this year I was looking for a diet that wouldn't be a burden. I hate low calorie diets because you're hungry all the time and know you'll never be full. I hate low carb because I don't really love meat and eating that way has a really bad effect on my moods-basically it triggers depression. I was looking for something radically different from what I had done before and I found No S: 1) Not overly burdensome 2) I don't have to change all the foods I eat 3) I can eat healthfully without my fiance even noticing.

Aleria · Post by **Aleria** » Wed May 12, 2010 8:18 am

I'm 18. I've always been overweight, though it's mostly muscle and proportional fat (butt, chest). I have a very hourglass shape, and I'm just on No-S to lose a bit of stomach and hopefully some thigh fat.
It's my first diet, because it sounded reasonable whereas no other diet ever has.

Swarah · Post by **Swarah** » Wed May 12, 2010 10:41 am

I'm 43

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed May 12, 2010 12:25 pm

[quote="Aleria"]I'm 18. I've always been overweight, though it's mostly muscle and proportional fat (butt, chest). I have a very hourglass shape, and I'm just on No-S to lose a bit of stomach and hopefully some thigh fat.
It's my first diet, because it sounded reasonable whereas no other diet ever has.[/quote]

Lucky you! Don't make the mistakes many of us did. Whether you eventually decide to count calories, as some here do, or not, I'm convinced this is the best foundation if you decide to to be more strict. You are going to be around a lot of craziness for years to come. You'll be the lighthouse.

Post by **reinhard** » Wed May 12, 2010 3:42 pm

This is very interesting, hope we get even more responses.

Maybe at some point I should post a survey that collects a bunch of different pieces of information, sex, age, weight, height, time on no-s, weight loss on no-s etc.

Reinhard

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Wed May 12, 2010 4:02 pm

I snack, but I have been doing this since 2008

, when I was 23. Wow!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed May 12, 2010 9:44 pm

No need to be in a hurry to gain weight. Most of it comes later in the pregnancy. Congratulations!

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Thu May 13, 2010 3:17 pm

I'm 35. I was 33 when I first discovered No S.

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Thu May 13, 2010 4:15 pm

oolala53 wrote:No need to be in a hurry to gain weight. Most of it comes later in the pregnancy. Congratulations!

I'm not in a rush... I'm trying my best to gain weight slowly.

Too solid flesh · Post by **Too solid flesh** » Thu May 13, 2010 6:34 pm

Where are all the silver surfers?

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Thu May 13, 2010 6:48 pm

I'm 39. Later this year, I have to decide if I'll turn 40, or if I'm going to continue being 39 indefinitely.

Too solid flesh · Post by **Too solid flesh** » Thu May 13, 2010 9:12 pm

DaveMc wrote:I'm 39. Later this year, I have to decide if I'll turn 40, or if I'm going to continue being 39 indefinitely.

Either way, you stay inside Doran's 34-41 age band. But if you turn 40, you can have a party.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu May 13, 2010 10:20 pm

DaveMc wrote:I'm 39. Later this year, I have to decide if I'll turn 40, or if I'm going to continue being 39 indefinitely.

Go for 40! Some of the best things have happened to me since 40. I wouldn't want to be much younger than I am now. It just keeps getting better.

Happy Cooker · Post by **Happy Cooker** » Sun May 23, 2010 6:40 am

I'm 53, been doing noS for almost 2 years. Sure wish I had found NoS or thought of it myself when I was in my teens or 20s and was tormented by food obsessions and weight problems. I think my life would have been far different and much happier. No S is so sane.

I don't see anyone here who is a professional cook, and I wonder how No S works for them, because you do have to taste what you're cooking for seasoning and balance. I love to cook and had a food business for about a year in my late 20s, during which I became the heaviest I've ever been. By the time I tired of the delicacies I was turning out, the damage was done. It took some boring time on an exercise bike to lose most of that weight.

I discovered Geneen Roth's ideas in my mid-30s and was sensibly slim (not anorexic) for a few years. Though that didn't prove sustainable in the long run, I still respect her approach. The down side was that if I ate more than two meals a day, I gained weight slowly but inexorably. The arbitrary limits of No S work for me, although in times of stress (like right now) I can overdo it on S days. It all comes out in the wash: after a few N days I feel fine again.

Doran · Post by **Doran** » Mon May 24, 2010 2:04 pm

Happy Cooker wrote:...because you do have to taste what you're cooking for seasoning and balance.

I'm not a professional at it, but love to cook, too, and couldn't possibly do a good job of it without tasting. I've decided to not worry about it. Sure, if I'm following No S rigidly, I'd have to count any taste as a snack. Instead, I consider it part of the upcoming meal, since I don't tend to cook way ahead very much, rather find myself prepping food within minutes of the next meal. That's just my personal "solution" and may not work for everyone.

Funny, though, that you bring this up. Last Friday, we had dinner with friends, and as a gift for the hosts, I decided to make caramels. It was my first attempt, thus required sampling to test for consistency. And, then...well, you can imagine. Friday became my first SERIOUS failure day since I started this process. Guess I'll try to limit caramel making to weekends...or swap out a No S day for an S day if it comes up again in the future.

Happy Cooker · Post by **Happy Cooker** » Mon May 24, 2010 3:14 pm

Doran, I too sometimes taste what I'm cooking for a meal, but I'm careful to keep it to a taste. And I usually bake or make desserts on weekends, for just the reason you mention.

What a welcome gift! Caramel is the food of the gods. A few weeks ago I made a rich caramel sauce that we ate on vanilla ice cream topped with toasted pecans.

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:33 am

Am I going to be the oldest person posting? One year, while teaching 5th grade, the students asked me how old I was. I told them to figure it out..I was born in1943. One boy looked troubled and said, " Wow! You were born only a bit after Columbus discovered America!"
Come on someone..help me out here!!

Doran · Post by **Doran** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:42 pm

Grammy G, I think it's great that you've rounded out our bell curve. Thanks to you, and everyone, for posting.

There's probably a way to tell this from the main bulletin board somehow, but do we know how many total members there are here? We ended up with 68 replies to the poll.

Too solid flesh · Post by **Too solid flesh** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:01 pm

Doran wrote:do we know how many total members there are here? We ended up with 68 replies to the poll.

There are currently 4977 people who have registered (click on Memberlist near the top of the screen, and go to the final page, currently p. 100). So there will soon be a 5,000th member! A lot of people come and go, though.

lbb (Liz) · Post by **lbb (Liz)** » Wed Jun 16, 2010 5:00 am

I'm 30.
Just discovered "NO S", and I love it.
Not necessarily using it as a weight loss tool, but as a way to get past obsessive food thoughts.
It's working. There is such a new world out there!

Everyday Systems

How old are you? (anonymous option)

How old are you?

How old are you? (anonymous option)

caramel and tasting