Everyday Systems

This thread is for sharing some moments where you think you've done a good job of eating moderately or resisting temptation. No triumph is too small. (Supportive comments only, please- we're not here to put down each other's achievements)

I was at a Thai restaurant with my in-laws, on an N day. We had ordered several dishes, and I had finished one plateful of food. There was a little left of each dish, and no one else was taking it. Before No S, I would have finished up what was left. Instead, I left it, and we got it boxed up to take home. It tasted extra good at breakfast the next day.

Last night, Nicest Husband and I went to a Mexican restaurant that I really like, but that tends to serve oversize portions, as many Mexican restaurants do. (Last night's dinner was an N meal for me, since I start my days at dinner time so I can have seconds at Shabbat dinner on Friday night) Instead of chowing down on chips and salsa before dinner, and then ordering a combo platter that is served on multiple plates, as I would have done pre-No-S, I managed to resist the chips and salsa, and ordered two cheese enchiladas. They came on a reasonably-sized plate.

Let's hear about some things you've done that you're proud of.

Hmm ... Early on in NoS, maybe a month or two in, I took a five or six hour N-day train trip with my daughter, and the train was delayed, so we got in about an hour later than expected. I'd eaten lunch before we left, and dinner seemed like an *incredibly* long way away by the time we arrived, and there was food available right next to me because my daughter was snacking. But I held out until dinner, no snacking, feeling like Odysseus lashed to the mast, only without the singing women. It was tough, but it was a real "I can do this" moment.

(Interestingly, the length of time between that lunch and dinner would no longer cause me any trouble *at all*. For any newcomers: you really do get used to waiting to eat!)

What a nice idea for a thread!

(Speaking of "nice" - I smile every time I see you refer to "Nicest Husband".)

At this stage, I sometimes MISS important achievements. For a long time, I'd trip over work-meetings-with-food-I-didn't-like-for-meals-plus-junk-set-out-all-day. I'd usually white-knuckle through the meeting, then have an epic fail later in the day. It was as if I'd TOTALLY exhausted my willpower. And that used to be a regular occurance.

But lately, I've been much more resilient in that kind of situation. I've learned to plan around it with things I do like, maybe bring fruit (since a lack of fruit/veg at meals makes me feel unsatisfied). Even if I don't/can't plan ahead, I don't collapse afterwards in the same way.

It took me a while to notice the shift... I actually missed it until someone else commented on my daily thread that I'd done well in a particualarly difficulty version of that situation. Oh. Yeah, I did. And I wouldn't have a year ago.

Yesterday was my finest hour. I had a "snow day". So, I had no structure from work, and sat around the house while winter pummelled outside. But, I ate three meals, no snacks.

I'm in the same boat today. I'm keeping busy.

My finest hour(s) was probably on one of the many occasions when I've resisted the attempts of multiple small children to pry candies between my lips. This requires not just willpower, but also considerable physical strength, and a certain amount of finesse and humor to keep the situation from degenerating into a screaming fit.

Reinhard

My parents visited for Thanksgiving. They're inveterate snackers, and pretty much the only time I buy snack foods is when they're coming to visit. This time, I bought a big jar of mixed nuts from Costco for them. I managed to eat nuts from this jar between meals only on Thanksgiving day, and, what's more, to keep to my rules about putting them on a plate and sitting down to eat them, rather than eating them while standing next to the jar (as my parents were doing).