Everyday Systems

I was feeling really great and doing three meals a day and lost a little but Christmas just rolled around and let me tell you...I definitely binged yesterday on Christmas Eve. I just feel afraid because each time I really binge, it adds about 3 pounds on me and I never seem to get them off so I am afraid if I really do Vanilla No S. I will gain about three to five pounds each weekend instead of lose. I want to automatically put in the three meal structure on weekends/s days too before even taming my N days as people talk about.

Reinhard wrote:There are just three rules and one exception:

No Snacks
No Sweets
No Seconds
Except (sometimes) on days that start with "S"

There's nothing about vanilla No-S that says bingeing is allowed on the weekends -- or any other S day, for that matter. The S days are a time to relax and enjoy yourself a little. There's nothing that even suggests that you should eat everything that doesn't eat you first.

My personal feeling is that there are only a few days yearly when it's okay to throw caution to the wind in terms of when, what and how much I eat. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are included. Technically I include the other major holidays, but usually only eat at meals on those days, though I can eat as much as I want.

If you're worried about overeating on S days, you might consider one simple modification which will automatically cut own how much you eat. No matter if it's an N day or an S day, eat only while sitting at the table. No eating in front of the TV, no eating in the car -- ONLY at the table.

Actually, Reinhard says more than once in the book that overdoing it on S days is common and not to worry over excessively.

"..I have heard from plenty of people who anticipate this (binging) being a problem, burden themselves with weekend restrictions to prevent it, and then crack during the week because it's too much. S days are a necessary reward and safety valve." p. 100

"Don't Stress About S Day Overeating.
Overeating is going to happen on some weekends, especially at the beginning, when your body hasn't become habituated to eating less. Don't let this upset you too much." p. 102

"Keep the Focus on N Days.
The best way to compensate for an excessive weekend is not to add extra rules but to redouble your vigilance about adhering to the existing rules during the week. ..So don't be discouraged if you have a really excessive S day now and then. It will happen, especially at the beginning. Discouragement is the real danger." p. 102

Given that the holidays can be really challenging even for thin people, I highly recommend you just go back to N days as well as you can and commit to compliant N days from now throughout January, at which point you can reassess. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to have reasonable S days soon. I don't know if I could have limited my S days sooner, but I didn't and I feel it has worked out well for me. (And I used to wait until midnight on Friday, open a bag of Hershey's kisses, and start chomping. That wasn't the end of it on a weekend, either. I took giving myself free rein seriously! But you won't necessarily be a wild as I was for as long as I was.) Realize that it takes time for your body and mind to adjust. Being in a hurry is the most common mistake most habit changers make.

A similar question was asked in October (and many times before, but that's the most recent one.) http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8921
I know you know me from Sparkpeople. I hope you don't feel I'm bogarting the discussion. Maybe not so many people are online right now? Browse around some of the daily check in threads and testimonials. And remember OA used to have the motto: three meals a day and life in between. I know I've had to learn to put my attention on other concerns even after I've found more peace with food.

And on that note...

Oolala I hope you never stop responding to posts by me or anyone else as I always value and respect your opinion. I do think that everytime I try to add a mod, I get confused, don't follow any rules and then get stuck back in the diet trap. Thank you for your encouragement again and I will once again worry about solid green N Days over everything else.