Everyday Systems

I was once a member of 21 Day Club - in December 2011. I felt great, and lost a lot of weight. But then holidays came with lots of special days, and things got out of control. A lot of failures started showing in my calendar, and I quit No S.

Now I am starting No S again, but this time it is not my goal to be in 21 Day Club. I beleive that that club is not in the spirit of No S, since it encourages perfection. I want to be able to see failures on my calendar, and not feel like a failure. Because 'failure' of having a small snack is very different from eating everything in sight the whole day long.

It's great that you've come back. I think there is something on Reinhard's homepage about the number of times people attempt change before it sticks, so good on you for starting again.

You can have failures (lots of them), but *you* are not a failure!

At a 75% NOS compliance average since December 2010, it's evident I'm not in the 21 day club.

But with 45# lost already - 25 to go - you can say I'm a member of the fall, get up, dust-off and keep moving club.

I invite you to join me. Like my high school football coach used to say "hit and drive."

Ironchef, thanks for the encouragement.

Jethro, I like your ‘fall, get up, dust-off and keep movin’ club. Thanks for the invitation - count me in

I have never strived to be in the 21 day club either. I am more the type to take it one day at a time. I do like the habit cal which gives me a picture of how I have done over time, but I absolutely hate any other sort of tracking. Maybe this is why I went through fewer conventional diets than many others on this forum. I just could not or would not maintain the tracking.

However, everyone is different, and for those of you who benefit from the 21 day concept, go for it!

I think once you are in the 21 day club, you are always in the 21 day club. It's like hitting 500 homeruns. You may never play another basbeall game, but once you hit 500 homeruns, you are in the club. (Except for those associated with PED's.)

So stay steady...

When I have streaks of anything, it's usually something I notice afterwards. Look at that! I had 21 days! It doesn't help me much to set such goals. I get more enthused by the experience as I go.

I hope you stick with this. The odds are nothing else out there will get you where you want to be [and stay there] any faster.

BTW, in case it applies, I've been listening to audiobooks and reading on this whole topic and it sounds to me like one of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to eat all healthy foods right off the bat. If someone has been eating a hamburger, fries and a shake for lunch, it seems to me the best lunch on No S would be a hamburger, fries, and iced tea. And enjoy every bite.

I prefer the terms compliance instead of success and non-compliance instead of failure.

I hear you. And I agree that the habitcal is a much better way to track compliance than merely counting up successive successes. But I think for some people the mini-goal of a small streak of "perfection" can be helpful and fun, kind of like one of those "badges" various games and apps award. Sounds like it might have actively hindered you though -- sorry about that! Maybe I should stick a warning of some kind there not to take it too seriously and pointing to the habitcal as an alternative.

Reinhard

reinhard wrote:I hear you. And I agree that the habitcal is a much better way to track compliance than merely counting up successive successes. But I think for some people the mini-goal of a small streak of "perfection" can be helpful and fun, kind of like one of those "badges" various games and apps award. Sounds like it might have actively hindered you though -- sorry about that! Maybe I should stick a warning of some kind there not to take it too seriously and pointing to the habitcal as an alternative.

Reinhard

Not only do I use habitcal to track compliance and count up successive successes, I use it to pin point my screw ups and take future necessary corrective action.

Jethro wrote:At a 75% NOS compliance average since December 2010, it's evident I'm not in the 21 day club.

But with 45# lost already - 25 to go - you can say I'm a member of the fall, get up, dust-off and keep moving club.

I invite you to join me. Like my high school football coach used to say "hit and drive."

Thumbs up. This is where I belong to though I haven't loss the weight you have.

snapdragon wrote:

Jethro wrote:At a 75% NOS compliance average since December 2010, it's evident I'm not in the 21 day club.

But with 45# lost already - 25 to go - you can say I'm a member of the fall, get up, dust-off and keep moving club.

I invite you to join me. Like my high school football coach used to say "hit and drive."

Thumbs up. This is where I belong to though I haven't loss the weight you have.

I ain't no hero. It's just that I had more weight to lose.

oolala53 wrote:BTW, in case it applies, I've been listening to audiobooks and reading on this whole topic and it sounds to me like one of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to eat all healthy foods right off the bat. If someone has been eating a hamburger, fries and a shake for lunch, it seems to me the best lunch on No S would be a hamburger, fries, and iced tea. And enjoy every bite.

As someone still in her first 21 days (though I'm focused on lifetime -- I haven't thought about the 21 day marker that much), this was helpful and affirming to hear.

Welcome back freegirl. I like your handle.

oolala53 wrote:BTW, in case it applies, I've been listening to audiobooks and reading on this whole topic and it sounds to me like one of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to eat all healthy foods right off the bat. If someone has been eating a hamburger, fries and a shake for lunch, it seems to me the best lunch on No S would be a hamburger, fries, and iced tea. And enjoy every bite.

There's a temptation to try to fix everything you don't like about your diet in one fell swoop. That almost never works. Think about New Year's resolutions. How many people do you know who have successfully changed a lot of habits as a result of New Year's resolutions, and kept it up past January? Most of us could count the people like that we know on the fingers of one foot.

It's better to divide and conquer. Work on one or a few bad habits at a time. Then, once you've kicked one bad habit, work on others.

snapdragon wrote:

Jethro wrote:At a 75% NOS compliance average since December 2010, it's evident I'm not in the 21 day club.

But with 45# lost already - 25 to go - you can say I'm a member of the fall, get up, dust-off and keep moving club.

I invite you to join me. Like my high school football coach used to say "hit and drive."

Thumbs up. This is where I belong to though I haven't loss the weight you have.

Jethro, snapdragon, YES, I'm part of y'alls club!
_________
Heddi

I am a fan of the 21 day Club. I like mini goals.