Question for long-time No S'ers

gk · Post by gk » Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:43 am

Have any of you tried starting No S with one S for 21 days, then adding another, and then the last S? Or maybe you added each one after only a week or so? What were your thoughts on that approach? Did you find that it made it easier at all or that you might as well have just started with vanilla No S?

I usually crack after a week or so on vanilla No S, so considering different approach. Did great for the first 2 months on vanilla and then have been struggling ALOT for the last 6 months.

Thanks for any input!

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:12 am

I thought I remembered someone posting that they'd been very successful with the "one S at a time" approach, and sure enough, I found a link to it from the main NoS page:

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6287

Reinhard's comment on the front page is:

"I've often thought that gradually progressing one S at a time might be a good way to become a full no-esser, say start with no sweets for a week, then add no seconds the next week, then no snacks on week 3 (or go even slower and give each the full magic habit-building three weeks). That way you could build willpower and habit even more incrementally. Unfortunately I'm not aware that anyone has successfully done this [ update: it seems like someone has (and rather successfully!) ] . I think the trouble is that even full no-s is slow in terms of yielding measurable results, and lack of patience is an even bigger problem for most people than lack of short term willpower."

(and the link via "someone has" is to that post, above)

If full NoS keeps being a problem for you, I don't see any reason why trying one S at a time wouldn't make sense! The whole idea (well, a lot of the idea) is to take steps that seem individually easy enough that you can get started with them right away ("just eat three meals a day", "just hold off to the weekend to have desserts", "just eat one plate at a time"). Some people find that doing all three steps at once is still within that "this seems easy enough" range, but of course we all take steps of different sizes (and not just while walking). So if doing all three at once is proving to be a deal-breaker, then yeah, why not phase them in one at a time?

Which one do you think would be the easiest for you to do? I'd say start with that one.

gk · Post by gk » Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:36 am

DaveMc:

Thanks so much for your reply! It was very helpful!

I think I will definately phase in my S's one at a time. Three weeks per S seems pretty long to me, but my eating habits are SO outta whack that I think I need to learn patience and do this in a way that will give me the stability that I need to be successful with this. I'll start with seconds, then snacks, then sweets.

I think I'll also re-read my No S book. I did so good right after reading it the first time. Maybe I just need a refresher course.

Thanks again!!

SpiritSong · Post by **SpiritSong** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:51 pm

gk wrote:I think I'll also re-read my No S book. I did so good right after reading it the first time. Maybe I just need a refresher course.

I am currently re-reading my No S book again. Every time I read it, either something new or something I've known but haven't followed finally clicks in my brain.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:08 pm

Not about phasing in, but I had a fantastic first three months last year when I started, then floundered for months and months. I'll be writing a testimonial soon. Suffice it to say for now that no matter what you do, don't give up on getting to Vanilla No S. I'm still not to goal weight, but I really don't believe anything else but No S and mods is going to get me there anyway. Don't be in a hurry but do be honest about when you start to need less food.

gk · Post by gk » Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:10 am

oolala53 wrote:Not about phasing in, but I had a fantastic first three months last year when I started, then floundered for months and months. I'll be writing a testimonial soon. Suffice it to say for now that no matter what you do, don't give up on getting to Vanilla No S. I'm still not to goal weight, but I really don't believe anything else but No S and mods is going to get me there anyway. Don't be in a hurry but do be honest about when you start to need less food.

Thanks for your advice - very encouraging!

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:07 pm

When I started No S, I was waiting for a job offer to come through and my kids were in school. I literally had nothing to do but to endure the hours between meals. There is a famous experiment by a scientist called Pavlov who would feed dogs immediately after ringing a bell, and he measured additional secretion of saliva after the bell had rung but before the food was given to the dogs. I am now able to go 24 hours without food and without any sort of problem or experience of hunger, and I'm thinking that the frequency of eating is what triggers the experience of hunger. Personally, I think of this as the S Diet: SANE!

My dive in approach to No S worked because I had two months in which I wasn't working, wasn't jobhunting, and had kids in school. Even so, it was torture to adjust to the simple rules of No S. I'd recommend adjusting slowly by adding one S at a time.
Kathleen

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:27 pm

I think it depends on what you can handle and what you want out of No S. Personally, I've found that the stricter I am with vanilla No S, the stronger my habit becomes, the easier it becomes and the more success I have overall. I think adding in an S at a time would have made the process a lot harder and the adjustment a lot longer. However, if you are struggling and think adding an s at a time would help without creating a slippery slope, it might be worth a try.