WW lifetime member thinks this might be MAGIC

[runlibby]

I am a lifetime WW member, and not overweight. However, I have been counting points, on and off, for the last 12 years, and just finished the No S diet book, and am on day 3 of this "diet". I have not counted points at all, and I cannot believe how freeing this has been. I know that I was only spending maybe 15 or 20 minutes a day actually recording food and counting points, but it feels like I have added several extra hours to my day, to spend with my kids, doing much needed work, and spend with my husband. Today, I made a menu/grocery list for the week, and sent my husband to the store to do the shopping! I have not done this in years!! Now that I'm not searching for several different diet foods/snacks for the week, it has freed up my grocery shopping time. I have committed to doing the S diet for the summer, to see how it goes. I'm not trying to lose weight, but I am interested in not being so obsessed with food...thinking about it, recording it, finding it...etc....so far I feel like a new woman! My every thought is not about food. I will keep checking back in, but so far I feel like a great weight/burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Surely, eating cannot be this easy?!

[JayEll]

Welcome, runlibby! I am relatively new to No S also. My weight went down the first week, but then it went up the next. The good news is that it hasn't gone up beyond where I started, even though I'm not counting anything.

I'm sticking with No S for at least a month--and also, I realize that right after S-days is probably not the coolest time to weigh... LOL I'm going to cut that down to weighing once a month if I can.

Yes, it is very freeing to someone who can't envision having to keep a ledger sheet the rest of their life!

[runlibby]

JayEll, do you exercise? And if so how much? I have always exercised 40 to 60 min. 5 to 6 times a week, so it will be interesting to see how that shakes out as I try this No S diet. So far it hasn't been a problem, but I wonder what other people, who have been on the diet longer, say. I understand Reinard does 14 minutes a day, but what about folks who are used to doing more?

[mimi]

I exercise, on average, 2 1/2 - 3 hours each week - alternating between Zumba and "urban rangering."

Mimi

[JayEll]

I am someone who used to exercise 5-6 times a week at the gym for an hour and a half each time. And then after a couple of years I started to have injuries. Arthritis flared up in my back, bursitis in my shoulders, and so on. So after a point I realized that constant daily exercise at the level I was doing it was not going to be sustainable--any more than counting forever was going to be sustainable.

I am now aiming for the gym a couple times a week. I'm also doing the shovelglove routine, but I need to work up to daily, and so far I should not use any weight over 4 lbs. (I use an actual garden shovel.) I do some walking every day, too. I expect that at some point, I may give up the gym membership, but I'm not ready to do that yet.

I'm hoping to add Tai Chi as well.

[oolala53]

runlibby, 12 years is a long time! Okay, if you're honest, you have to know by now what a decent plate of food looks like. You still have to be honest with No S, whether you're measuring with your eye or a cup. and unless you were morbidly obese and are one of those people who really never feel full, I think you know when you are hungry and when you are full. No S doesn't work if people consistently aren't hungry for meals or overeat.

I think you're ready.

[Angology]

I am with you on how freeing this can be. I was on WW before No S, but was starting to get obsessed with food. I hated journaling. I had lost about 20 lbs while on WW, but I have managed to lose 6 more pounds since then. It may not be as fast, but I am so much more relaxed about food.
I have kept up with my workouts because I want to keep losing. I have cut them back a little since I am not trying to earn points, but only slightly. I guess I am more relaxed about that too!

[joasia]

I did ww and it really works. But it takes an iron will to stick to it. It makes you miserable and obsessed with food night and day. It really is a crappy way to live. I know it works for some, and more power to them, but I couldn't stick to it in the long run.

[ziggy]

I am a lifetime WW member, and not overweight. However, I have been counting points, on and off, for the last 12 years, and just finished the No S diet book, and am on day 3 of this "diet". I have not counted points at all, and I cannot believe how freeing this has been. I know that I was only spending maybe 15 or 20 minutes a day actually recording food and counting points, but it feels like I have added several extra hours to my day, to spend with my kids, doing much needed work, and spend with my husband. Today, I made a menu/grocery list for the week, and sent my husband to the store to do the shopping! I have not done this in years!! Now that I'm not searching for several different diet foods/snacks for the week, it has freed up my grocery shopping time. I have committed to doing the S diet for the summer, to see how it goes. I'm not trying to lose weight, but I am interested in not being so obsessed with food...thinking about it, recording it, finding it...etc....so far I feel like a new woman! My every thought is not about food. I will keep checking back in, but so far I feel like a great weight/burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Surely, eating cannot be this easy?!

I left wwers after a lifetime in and out of meetings. Saw Mad Men throw other night and Betty was going to seers (in the 60s when I started.) It was weird seeing and hearing the same things by members and leaders. If it really worked for most folks by now the would have no repeaters. But almost everyone in a meeting is a retreads.