Everyday Systems

Could I use Wednesday and Saturday as my S days or do they have to be consecutive? I would much rather break them up than use two in a row. I'm super disciplined and have been losing weight since December so I will be able to stick to it with no problem. Just wondering if there is a reason besides the S days starting with S as to why they are right next to each other. Thanks!!

I do Fridays and Sundays, so I give you permission. It's not technically "vanilla" NoS when we do this, but I don't think anyone is going to excommunicate you. Whatever works, right?

I think the argument in favour of the default 5-then-2 pattern is based on the workday vs. weekend distinction, and some may find that having a good long stretch of N days in a row helps ingrain those habits more deeply than breaking them up. It might also be the case that you start to saturate on S's by the second S day in a row, so you end up eating less by having two in a row than you would be breaking them up. I've not found either of these things to be a problem, for me. I like having a slightly shorter gap between S days, and I like having one S day during the work week.

Thanks Dave! I am also going to have two fasting days in there too. My week is going to look like this. Mon-N, Tueday-fast, Wed-S, Thurs-fast, Fri-N, Sat-S, Sun-N. This will be the first week that I try all that. Hopefully the fasting won't kill me since I work out hard 5 days a week! We shall see.

jessiecpt wrote:I am also going to have two fasting days in there too. My week is going to look like this. Mon-N, Tueday-fast, Wed-S, Thurs-fast, Fri-N, Sat-S, Sun-N. This will be the first week that I try all that. Hopefully the fasting won't kill me since I work out hard 5 days a week! We shall see.

interesting... let us know how it works out!

I recommend Vanilla No S for the sanity and training of normal eating, but I occasionally try to get a jump start by fasting a day here or there. It usually backfires though. I've often done a few days of just one meal for a jump start also. Much more doable and successful.

keep us updated.

What is vanilla no s?

Vanilla No S is basic No S:

No Snacks
No Sweets
No Seconds
Except (sometimes) on days that start with "S"

without any personal modifications.

I'd go with the trading S days only if it's consistently a regular day off work. That is, you always work on Sunday and always have Wednesday off. I wouldn't consider any other modifications at this time.

I should note, in the interest of full disclosure, that I only shifted to the Friday-Sunday thing after (*checking HabitCal*) about eight months of Monday through Friday N days.

DaveMc wrote:I should note, in the interest of full disclosure, that I only shifted to the Friday-Sunday thing after (*checking HabitCal*) about eight months of Monday through Friday N days.

And I went to my floating S events after 3 years of No-S.

I thnk that clarity is important to me. Saturday and Sunday "S" days are clear. I considered changing my S days because I work 2 Saturdays a month and have the Thursdays before off. The deciding factor for me is that I don't have overeating problems on my days off and work Saturdays are the hardest because the shift starts an hour early and the caferteria is closed, so if I don't brown bag it's either stuff I have in the locker or stuff out of the machines. So it makes sense for me to keep my work Saturdays as exempt (so I don't feel guilty candy and stuff out of the machines). Do whatever you need to in order to develp clear habits. Every body is different and you can modify the system but do it to make things easier not harder. Fasing is not no S, so I can't comment on that practice. I prefer vanilla no s for me.

"I'd go with the trading S days only if it's consistently a regular day off work. That is, you always work on Sunday and always have Wednesday off."

I don't work but I would make this a permanent thing and not change the S days.[/quote]

I wouldn't make any modifications to Vanilla No-S for at least three to six months.

jessiecpt wrote: I don't work but I would make this a permanent thing and not change the S days.

I would definitely switch the days if that is what you want to do on a permament basis. From the very beginning I had Friday and Sunday as my S-days because that fit into our family's lifestyle much better than the Sat/Sun combo.

The real question to ask yourself is: what am I gaining/losing by switching my S-days?

From your original post, it seems like you were anticipating not liking two days in a row and wondering if that aspect of S-days was important. Reinhard chose the original S-days because they were the weekend and he wanted to relax and socialize and include some S's on those days; they fit his lifestyle best.

Are you *sure* that you wouldn't want to relax the rules a bit every weekend with friends and family? Is there any particular reason to relax the rules on Weds. as you propose? Is that a day that you get together with others or have a date night or ???? If it isn't, I don't think I would choose Weds. as an S-day.

There is no *rule* that says you have to pig out all weekend if you kept Sat and Sun as your S-days.

I suggest you think through your typical week/lifestyle very carefully and make a decision re: S-days based on your actual circumstances. And then once you've decided, stick with it for 3 months, then re-evaluate if need be.

HTH,