It Probably Isn't No-S Anymore, But... (EXTREME mod)

[Imogen Morley]

Hey guys! I've been away for a long while, experimenting, going on and off No-S, struggling with S-days, and trying various fad diets. And now the prodigal daughter returns... sort of.
S-days have always been a serious problem for me. So I've tried a really, really EXTREME mod - which works! I eat three square meals a day, one moderate plate each... but if I want to include something definitely sinful in one of these meals, I do. I just add some healthy source of protein or fiber, to make the meal more substantial. Nutella sandwich? No problem! With a glass of milk, piece of fruit and 10-12 almonds, it sustains me until lunchtime. I don't do S-days, but I certainly have S-meals - on average, 2 or 3 a week.
I realize this may not be the healthiest diet known to mankind, but I think it does much less damage overall than weekends spent on bingeing, just because it's an S-day and "I can!". I definitely prefer normal, well-rounded meals, with complex carbs, protein and veggies, but some days, I make one of my meals fairly junky, and it pretty much eliminates the problem of eating sprees during the weekend.
This isn't No-S anymore, but can I visit you guys from time to time?

[wosnes]

I think that sounds great (although I'm one of those people who don't particularly care for Nutella! ) and it's similar to what I do. Personally, I'm less likely to overdo with a daily S than I am with S days.

[BrightAngel]

This isn't No-S anymore, but can I visit you guys from time to time?

Sounds like modified No S to me.
You are a forum member, and don't need permission to be here.
Your modified No S, is closer to the original than mine,
and I'm a regular member of this forum who's here all the time.
We aren't all the same...nor should we be.

[Katie]

Just YESTERDAY, I tried this and was also wondering if this was a "mod" or just a completely different thing altogether. I am going to try vanilla again, since it has worked for me in the past. If it doesn't work (I have a different lifestyle these days), then I may try this. Keep us updated on how it works out for you!!

[wosnes]

By the way, I don't think your mod is extreme at all. I think it's moderate.

[clarinetgal]

That sounds very similar to what I do, when I'm really on top of my eating. I'll eat 3 meals a day, and I'll include a small portion of dessert on my lunch plate, but I'll balance it out with something healthy like a salad with protein; a sandwich, an apple, and some carrot sticks; or something else along those lines. Vanilla No S didn't work for me, either, but I follow enough of the other No S behaviors that I still consider myself a No Esser.

[Imogen Morley]

And I thought I was so original...

To all of you who're doing (more or less) the same thing: please keep us updated on your progress! I know what Reinhard says about mods (premature optimization and all that), but after 6 months of idiotic S-days, I think I'm finally home. Of course, I don't use this particular mod to stuff myself silly with ice cream or marzipan at every single meal, but it allows me to enjoy my favourite (I was tempted to say "guilty") foods whenever I really want them, and I can still control any potential excess pretty easily. Yay! So happy!

[DaveMc]

Hey, whatever works! It sounds to me like your approach has all the key features of NoS: regular, moderate meals, no snacking, limited sweets, and a safety valve to keep you from missing those sweets so much that you give up. Some people do well with that safety valve being S days, but others find that this doesn't work for them, for whatever reason (the S days being too "wild" being the most common problem, I think) -- in which case they need to try something else. Glad to hear that this modification is working for you! Best of luck.

[clarinetgal]

The one plate rule is what helps this mod work so well. It's hard to overindulge too much, when you're limited to one plate. Sure it wouldn't work, if you had dessert with every meal (unless you really limited the healthy stuff), but it really helps me to be able to enjoy a little bit of dessert everyday without overindulging.

[reinhard]

I agree with the others -- this sounds very moderate and sensible. And it's certainly sufficiently no-s-like (2/3 of the rules "No Snacks, no Seconds") to claim kinship with the mother system, if that's important to you.

If you can keep the sweets down to a reasonable level (as it sounds like you're doing) that's great.
One difficulty which you may not have run into yet is dealing with holidays etc. where it becomes very socially challenging to stick to the single plate. One technical solution to that might be to preserve bring back the "NWS" subset of S-days (So the full system would be: "No snacks, no seconds, except on days that start with CAPITAL S" .

Best of luck, Imogen, and keep us posted,

Reinhard

P.S. have you been following the plastic vs. glass jar Nutella debate? Don't tell my mother in law (who procured me a glass jar) but I can't tell the difference.

[clarinetgal]

Reinhard, Thanks for the idea about holidays. That was something I hadn't figured out how to handle yet.