So maybe I don't have it all figured out...

xJocelynx87 · Post by **xJocelynx87** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:26 am

Some of you may remember me. I used No-S about two years ago to jumpstart my eventual 35lb weight loss (5'8, 168 down to 135). I only used No-S for a few months until I eventually adopted my own plan and went on to lose the weight (I just received my Bachelor's in Nutrition, so I have some knowledge). I was probably eating too little at some points, but for the most part I lost the weight slowly and in a healthy way.

Since graduating and coming home from school, I have backslid somewhat and gained about 5lbs, despite my daily 45-60 minute workouts (about 140lbs). As much as I know this isn't a big deal and that 140lbs is a perfectly reasonable weight for me, I am bothered, alot more than I should be. I could lie and pretend like I don't know why I've gained a few pounds, but the truth is: While I've trained myself not to snack and pretty much stick to three meals, I eat dessert every night. EVERY.NIGHT. And, I don't move around nearly as much as when I was skadaddling all over campus as a student.

Those two things being said, I want to take the opportunity to prevent any further weight gain so that I can stay in a healthy place. I plan to do this by re-adopting Vanilla-No-S, continuing my daily workouts (Monday-Friday when possible), as well as only weighing in once per week on Friday mornings (I weigh myself every morning and am incredibly emotionally vulnerable to what I see on the scale). My hope is that voicing my intentions will keep me accountable, especially tomorrow night when I get the dessert craving!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!
Thanks for listening.

Jocelyn

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:55 am

hi jocelyn

it's a great thing that you've figured out what is causing your gain. you are right, NoS is a wonderful maintenance plan.
good luck with handling the nightly sweet tooth. you can do it!
treats really do taste better when you have them in limited amounts.
during the week, why not get yourself some really nice sweet fruit as dessert? a bowl of cherries? some melon? etc.

xJocelynx87 · Post by **xJocelynx87** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:07 am

Thanks Deb - the fruit is a good idea, I've considered it. Problem is, I have a hard time eating fruit WITH dinner....it just feels strange to me (even though I have it with breakfast and lunch). So, I would have to eat the fruit AFTER dinner, which makes it a snack. Hmmmm.

Too solid flesh · Post by **Too solid flesh** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:04 pm

You could always "virtual plate" the fruit: leave space for it on your plate, and eat it after your main course.

Good to see you back here, and best of luck.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:00 pm

random, unplanned, opportunistic, and unconscious snacking is what we are trying to eliminate jocelyn.. if you know you will crave a sweet each night after dinner, either virtual plate it like two solid flesh suggests, or just allow yourself one planned fourth "meal" of fruit and treat it as that.
another thing i read once about sweet cravings, is that sometimes they are tied to a lack of vitamin b.. you might want to increase the kinds of fruits and veggies which have a lot of beta carotene in them, like carrots and cantaloupe and sweet potatoes.. all of those are very high in vitamin b and are also all sweet.
have a nice week

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:01 pm

Welcome back. If you can get used to not eating a dessert, I would think you might get used to a fruit at dinner. Or just skip it. After all you've been through, I think you must have seen that it's usually just a matter at getting over the first few hurdles. It isn't as if you're suddenly going low cal. I bet in two weeks of no desserts, you'll almost forget that you felt you had to have it or anything after dinner. It's just fake hunger! And fake hunger is best ignored, IMHO.

xJocelynx87 · Post by **xJocelynx87** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:06 am

Thank you both for your responses!

I think the part of No-S that I struggle with at this point is convincing myself that it's actually necessary. I'm a healthy weight, I work out alot, I don't drink much at all, and I know that JUST eating a small dessert each night will not cause me to gain weight. It isn't THOSE days that make me see a jump in the scale. It's when I start slipping down the slope and allowing dessert after lunch, before I know it I'm eating afternoon snacks, and by the time the weekend gets here I'm practically binging. I just have to keep telling myself that I really DO need this structure, which shouldn't be too big of an adjustment since it's ALMOST how i eat anyway.

NoSnacker · Post by **NoSnacker** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:50 am

I have been on no s only since the beginning of June and do eat fruit after 2 of my 3 squares, keeps me feeling satisfied longer and takes the sweet tooth away. If I want something else I have a piece of sugar free gum, and it tastes terribly sweet. I also added some green tea during the day that helps to.

xJocelynx87 · Post by **xJocelynx87** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:20 pm

Well, I caved last night and I had a small bowl of granola with skim milk before bed. I'm posting it here for accountability's sake, but let it be clear, folks: this wasn't emotional eating, this was gut-wrenching hunger. Just for the heck of it, I did a quick mental tally of my calories for the day and I got about 1350 total, with 420 burned during my morning run. Uh...I see the problem. I'm not eating enough!

Since I really enjoy my current meals and don't really have the desire to change them, I think I may need to dial down the exercise a little bit in order to keep my appetite in check. And, as unfortunate as it is, I tend to lose more weight when I'm just watching my diet and not exercising because I'm not gaining muscle and my metabolism isn't all screwy from all the extra calories being burned. I'll never stop exercising, but I'm thinking maybe 3 days per week instead of 5. We'll see.

jellybeans01 · Post by **jellybeans01** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:51 pm

hey girl at 5'8" and 140, you are very slender. Just to be totally honest, if I was able to maintain that while having a little dessert everynight I probably would. Anyway if you feel better at 135 then i'm sure that the vanilla no s is a good way to do that.

xJocelynx87 · Post by **xJocelynx87** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:58 pm

Thanks, Jellybeans!

I know that I'm fine at 140, but I've always been a little neurotic about my weight, since i grew up heavy (we all have our issues, I suppose). I'm not crazy, I know I look fine, but I do feel slightly more confident at 135. I might try to get there while still having a small dessert each night. I'm still considering it all, since I slipped up last night. I'm giving myself until Friday (since it's July 1) to make up my mind, hopefully for good.

jellybeans01 · Post by **jellybeans01** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:21 am

Did you lose all your weight with No s? Can you let us in on your plan? by that I mean size of your meals, etc. I love hearing from the real trim ones.

xJocelynx87 · Post by **xJocelynx87** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:46 am

No, actually.

I lost some of it on No-S (probably 10-15lbs) before caving and adopting my own plan. Being a senior in college with a very demanding course load, my classes were all over the place timewise and were just not conducive to 3 squares per day. I also worked part time as a waitress and was on my feet ALOT, which definitely helped. I can honestly say that I went from 168 to probably 132 at my lowest without any conscious exercise, just being very busy, and eating less. Probably 2 meals per day with some snacks thrown in and some lenience when I had some free time on the weekends to eat more. Don't get me wrong, I thlought about food ALOT and was very consious about my food decisions, but instead of trying to micro-manage it, I made it the goal to eat LESS each day, whatever that meant for that particular day. Trail mix for a meal? Sure. A smoothie for lunch because that's all I had time for? Sure.

All that being said, I have a ridiculous sweet tooth, so I know that I can maintain on No-S, and would probably even lose a few pounds. The goal I've had in my head is 130 as my 'perfect' weight, but I don't know if I could get there in a healthy way, probably not.

Hope this indulges your curiosity!