Amazon recommended the book to me (they know how many diet books I’ve bought!) and, in the course of reading the reviews, I could feel my body relaxing, with a silent, “Well, of course.†The irony now being that Amazon will never sell me another diet book! I actually feel like I’ve heard of the book or website before, but must have been in the midst of some high-tech diet “miracleâ€, and likely pooh-poohed the idea of moderation as a quaint, old-fashioned concept that was way too slow with results. This time I was ready for the message.
I started on Monday, July 4, 2011, which in itself is unheard of, not being the first of the year, the first of the month, a Sunday, or even an N day. That outraged my perfectionism immediately! I love that my personal freedom is tied to this date forever now.
I’ve dieted on and off my whole adult life, with a steady gain of 100+ pounds to show for it. I remember weighing 116 in high school and thinking it should be 108. I’ve mostly favored low-carb, with its emphasis on good & evil foods. But, even more unhelpful, was the emphasis on eating all you wanted of the good foods. The concept of calling just one plateful of food per meal has been a revelation. I did make the switch to 9†plates several years ago, so that’s my fence around the law for this requirement.
By far the biggest change for me has been the elimination of snacking, meaning that I actually allow myself to get hungry before a meal. I eagerly anticipate my meals now and appreciate every bite. And I’ve really started to demand they be delicious, satisfying bites. I want no mediocre food on my plate anymore; that real estate is too valuable!
I haven’t counted carbs or fat grams or calories for years, but my perfectionism was outraged (again!) by the idea that I didn’t need to keep a food journal. It turns out that Habitcal is just right as a way to document my forward progress, in just a minute or so of time. Love to see those greens!
Just as my inner child loves the Habitcal reward each day, she also secretly loves the boundaries set by No S. Children may whine and complain about the boundaries their parents set for them, but they know in their hearts that having rules and limits placed upon them means that their parents love and care for them. I have felt very loved and cared for by my inner parent as I’ve learned the No S way of eating.
Over the years I’ve concluded that eating is very personal, and it’s almost never useful to comment on what or how others eat, or to talk about one’s own plan or choices. In the case of No S it’s hard to stay mum, as I feel nearly evangelical about the ideas. As the results become more obvious and people begin to ask what I’m doing, I’ll share the secret of my success to the degree anyone wants to listen. This is the sort of great idea that can reach a tipping point, I think, and I feel so fortunate to be a part of the change.
Thanks to all of you for your postings to this board. I’ve gotten great support from my reading here each day, and many a laugh-out-loud moment! I’ll be back in touch soon.
