Everyday Systems

Let this be a warning to all of you newbies who've maybe done a few weeks and think you've got it nailed I've been sailing along on the no s journey having one or two wild s days but otherwise doing very well then today on day 59 I woke up and immediately felt off balance emotionally. And guess what? Have been eating all day for no good reason. My point is, no matter how well you think you're doing, don't forget that it's too damned easy to fall off the wagon. Strangely I feel like I've gotten something out of my system and am ready to start again (well I've already started - that's the beauty of no s - it's not about starting from tomorrow). What have I learned? That this is such a long term thing and that I need to be able to live with red days now and again. Oh and also that being smug is sooo unattractive!!

mbell wrote:Let this be a warning to all of you newbies who've maybe done a few weeks and think you've got it nailed

For what it's worth, getting right back on the wagon IMMEDIATELY as you did is part of having it nailed.

JMHO, but I think you've a right to feel like you're doing well.

As I've said before, there are three kinds of No S dieters:

1. Those who haven't had a failure yet, but are going to.
2. Those who have had their first failure, and are going to have another one.
3. Liars.

Well, as I've said before, you're going to have good days, you're going to have bad days and you're going to have downright awful days. That's normal. Perfection isn't normal.

wosnes wrote:Perfection isn't normal.

And any diet (or plan of any kind, for that matter) that requires perfection to be the norm is doomed to failure.

And as Reinhard says, there is no such thing as before and after. There is only before and during.

One of the articles in the National Weight Loss Registry reports that "Once these successful maintainers have maintained a weight loss for 2-5 YEARS --caps mine--, the chances of longer-term success greatly increase." Not to scare anybody, but that means that there are plenty of examples of successful losers who relapse in the first 2-5 years who never recover. (I'm surprised that they allow people in who have kept off a 30 lb. loss for only one year. It seems they should be stricter.)

However, just knowing this should actually be heartening. Many give up because they assumed their failures meant they would fail forever, instead of understanding that it was all part of the process. If you fall down on the track, you still get up and run or walk to the finish.

Again, a beautiful aspect of No S is that we are not returning to torture, as some dieters are. We are just returning to moderation. Delicious, satisfying moderation.

mbell wrote: What have I learned? That this is such a long term thing and that I need to be able to live with red days now and again. Oh and also that being smug is sooo unattractive!!

Hear you.

I still have red days, and don't like acknowledging that. But... they pass. I've learned that I can have a failure withough being a failure. And that we all have ups and downs, and it's okay as long as we don't spiral off-track because of one "down."

I'm actually surprised I've not had more red days since starting NoS!

I think a reason why they feel easier to handle is that NoS is about habit building, and it's very reasonable that habits will take a while to build and maintain. Plus, as long as you don't have the 'I've failed=I'm a failure=lets give up now' mentality then it is very easy to get back on track

milliem wrote:I'm actually surprised I've not had more red days since starting NoS!

I think a reason why they feel easier to handle is that NoS is about habit building, and it's very reasonable that habits will take a while to build and maintain. Plus, as long as you don't have the 'I've failed=I'm a failure=lets give up now' mentality then it is very easy to get back on track

Even when habits are solid, there are going to be bad days. It's to be expected.

Mbell, have you been doing No S longer than the 2 months you have a been a member of the message boards? I waited six months of doing No S before joining to tell "everyone" of my wonderful success. In that time, I did lose a lot of weight. I steadily lost and kept my weight down. I was thrilled! This was what I was going to do for the rest of my life... it's the only thing that ever worked.

But then, my circumstances of employment and ability to exercise changed to the point I found it impossible to stay away from sweets and impossible not to snack. I didn't get the walking in every day that I was getting previously to help burn calories because I didn't get the long walk from the car to the job or the half hour break to take a power walk. Instead, due to my job, I became stationary and too tired after work to make an effort to walk. And every day was a red day until I just gave up.

When I was ready, No S was here for me. It always will be. And while I have several modifications, I know what I need to do to lose weight... and if I don't lose it, it's my own fault. I choose what goes in my mouth and when, and I choose to be active (or not). I enjoy hearing success stories... I find them to be motivational. I use No S as a framework, and I probably have more red days than most people... I am not using my HabitCal right now, but I am keeping a food and exercise journal. And I am finally losing weight again.... slower this time, but I know No S will get me there and there will be red days in my future... but it's okay.

oliviamanda, I've been toying with no s on and off for about 18 months with more false starts than I care to remember, but I felt confident enough this time to start posting. I guess I'm still in the 'failiure is not an option' mindset, so will feel every red day acutely. Hopefully this will wear off and I will become more accepting that a minimum level of compliance is good enough. Doesn't help that I'm a perfectionist!! You sound like you're in a good place with no s now - isn't it amazing and frightening how we can backslide in the blink of an eye

Agreed! It didn't take me very long to regain the 10lbs I originally lost on No S....just a dessert every evening over the festive season. But my goodness, now I've been back on No S since January and it doesn't seem to want to budge!