Everyday Systems

Hello All,

This is my first post, although I've been using the No-S principles for the better part of 18 months to maintain a 45 lb. loss initially achieved through low-carb dieting.

A little about me:

1990-1994: Active Duty, United States Marine Corps - Infantry (MOS 0331) and Security Forces (Secondary MOS 8152) Lean, athletic physique at around 165-170 lbs.

1994-1997: Got into enduance sports and ended up with more of a skinny-fat physique at a lower bodyweight.

1997-2004: Got bitten by the iron bug and eventually got into powerlifting. And eventually added a lot of sloppy weight to push my numbers up.

June 1, 2009: After years of deluding myself that I was still carrying more muscle than fat on my 238 lb./5'10" frame despite the fact that I was training haphazardly, had not competed in a powerlifting meet in years, and was otherwise sedentary after starting my career as an attorney in 2004, I dove into Atkins Induction and was down to 197 by late August. (I had successfully used ketogenic diets a few times to drop down a weight class for powerlifting meets and knew that my body responded well to the diet.)

I've held steady around 195 from September 2009 to the present, using No-S as my primary way of eating with occasional, short periods of low-carb dieting to strip away excess bodyfat. I'm now ready to take it to the next level, and this time instead of turning to carb restriction, intend to use No-S as a weight loss tool instead of a maintenance plan. For me, this means real adherence to the "No Seconds" rule. Not snacking is pretty much effortless for me, and foregoing sweets isn't that hard, but I do like to eat BIG at mealtime.

Why No-S?

Several reasons. First, although I generally consider myself an enlightened male, I have some masculinity issues with "dieting." Right or wrong, I tend to subscribe to the view that "real men don't diet." The day I hear one of my sons say "My Daddy can't eat that - he's on a diet" is the day I'll consider castrating myself. Daddy's never "on a diet" on No-S, just eating like a reasonable person.

Second, and somewhat related to the first, is that I want to be a good role model for my sons in terms of moderation, self-discipline, and delayed gratification. A particular food is neither inherently good nor bad, but is appropriate or inappropriate based on context. A weekend treat is appropriate. Scarfing down a box of processed Little Debbie snack cakes on a random Tuesday night is not.

Third, I've seen the No-S principles work in real life. My dad ate three squares a day, never snacked, and treated sweets like the occasional treats they were meant to be. Would he eat 10 chocolate chip cookies on a random Tuesday night? Never. Would he eat 10 homemade chocolate chip cookies at my aunt's house on Christmas? Maybe, maybe not. But it didn't matter because N-Days and S-Days were as intuitive to him as brushing his teeth and he ate normally 95+% of the time. He did 200 push-ups a day and had visible abs at age 70.

The same goes for my experience in the Marines. Sure, after Boot Camp we generally had access to more food from the PX or whatever, but most of us just ate 3 squares a day in the chow hall and saved our money for beer. With very few exceptions, we were all lean and athletic. Granted, we had a much higher physical activity level than most people, but I believe that 3 squares a day with no snacks and limited crap went a long way.

Anyway, a bit long-winded, but I wanted to introduce myself and participate in the forum.

Regards,
Stack

Welcome, Stackdiesel!

My ex-husband and his father both ate like your father (no pushups, though). Though they certainly wouldn't eat 10 chocolate chip cookies on any given night, they would eat a dish of ice cream or a bowl of popcorn if offered. But that was it. They did that from the time my ex was a youngster. While my former fil died earlier this year, I've known them for nearly 40 years. I've never known either one of them to be overweight. Both developed a little, and I do mean little, belly after 55. My ex blames his on quitting smoking and some medications he takes.

Hello,

Our numbers are a bit similar, although I was never in the military. (Thank you though for being a Marine, my brother was in the Gulf War.) I graduated from high school at about 135. When I got married I was 165 (5' 9"). Between high school and marriage I had discovered Nautilus and put a very nice 30 pounds on my body.

When I turned 30ish I discovered power lifting. I went from 165 to about 210 in a year. When I was 35 my uncle came up for Thanksgiving. The first words out of his mouth upon seeing me were, "Hey Butterball!"

I was a bit embarrassed. I got back down to 165 for awhile. I have been up to 195 since then, and I now go back and forth between 175-183. I have done the running thing and been skinny fat (at about 171).

This last Spring I hit a low for a couple of years at 172. (This from using No S and a Schwinn Airdyne.) No S has worked quite nicely for me.

Currently I am no S-ing, and do a once a week Super Slow workout. I am around 176.

Good luck

Great intro Stack, and welcome to the forums! I like what you said here:

"A particular food is neither inherently good nor bad, but is appropriate or inappropriate based on context. A weekend treat is appropriate. Scarfing down a box of processed Little Debbie snack cakes on a random Tuesday night is not. "

Great comment, and really says a lot about where we are as a society and our need for instant gratification.

Good luck!

Thanks for the welcome, wosnes, Over43 and Samurai. Good luck to you as well and I look forward to "talking" with you on here.

Welcome!

Welcome aboard, Stack.

Stackdiesel wrote:A particular food is neither inherently good nor bad, but is appropriate or inappropriate based on context.

Yep, I think that's a very important point! It also serves as the answer to a question I've often asked myself over the years, when I've seen skinny people at McDonald's or Dairy Queen: "How can these skinny people eat *here*?" Answer: "Infrequently". You can eat (almost) *anything* in moderation, as long as you're not fooling yourself about what moderation means.