Struggling with motivation.

Minkymoo · Post by **Minkymoo** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:06 pm

A serious case of diet-head and feeling sorry for myself going on right now. I guess I am just used to expecting serious weight loss results by now on a diet. Especially as I feel that I'm doing well and sticking to the plan (I have only had 4 fails since the start of November).
I have a dress that I use as a test to see if I'm loosing weight and it seems that it is just as tight as ever! So fed up.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:16 pm

That must be tough. I've gone through some long periods of time not losing much but not while I was ever really compliant.

Being compliant since November would seem like long enough to tell if No S with no mods is going to do it for you.

BTW, are you consistently hungry for your meals? That as a prerequisite is never brought up, but it certainly is implied in the book.

Have you considered any mods? Smaller plates for any meals? Why not look through the mod thread and see if anything makes sense?

I actually had a mod from the beginning. I use the plate quadrant idea for most lunches and dinners. Plus, the last 6 months or so, I've had to decrease my serving sizes of protein and starch in order to get hungry for meals. I've never consistently had much more than an ounce of fat at most meals, MAYBE two. Most meals, not all.

HOpe you find something that makes a difference. (BTW, what is your BMI now?)

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:17 pm

Before No S, would you have maintained your weight through the holidays? Be honest. If the answer is no, then staying the same weight is progress.

This is a hard time of year to lose weight, at least in majority-Christian countries in the northern hemisphere. There are lots of parties and holiday treats around, and the weather makes it harder to get outside to exercise.

Minkymoo · Post by **Minkymoo** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:19 pm

I'm feeling hungry now, and yes I am usually hungry for meals, although I guess I could go further in this direction.

I have started using side plates for breakfast and lunch and a 9 inch plate for supper. I haven't made any mods yet though, although its pretty clear I will have to at some point soon.

My BMI is 34 so I definitely have lots to loose, I accumulate weight on my stomach too so I need to loose for health reasons.

I would have previously gained weight over Christmas, so yes maintenance is progress, I guess I just wish I was one of the lucky ones who can loose on Vanilla no S and I'm having a bit of a sulk as it is just proving to me that I will have to go further than that.

Thanks for your encouragement and advice... I will stick with it!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:19 am

Nicest makes a good point. Perhaps you were eating richer foods more often at your meals between Thanksgiving and New Year's? That would slow things.

I will admit that I have been quite hungry many times on No S. Perhaps if I ate different foods, I wouldn't be, as some claim that they find combinations that allow them to feel quite content for hours and hours on a very small amount of food. I equate having to experience some bona fide hunger with losing weight, but that seems reasonable to expect. My results are good enough (for me) for now not to look for that perfect combo, esp. since I greatly enjoy the foods I do choose. But I like getting hungry now.

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:18 am

Winter is hard. I've been doing this long enough to realize that my weight pops up a bit in the winter and then, if I'm compliant, falls in the spring and summer.

Have your sulk for a bit and then move on.

The only other suggestion I have is to start some weight training exercise.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:33 am

[quote="Minkymoo" I guess I just wish I was one of the lucky ones who can loose on Vanilla no S and I'm having a bit of a sulk as it is just proving to me that I will have to go further than that.
[/quote]

I could be wrong, but I don't think there are very many people who lose weight quickly and consistently (like a pound or two every week) on No-S. No-S is definitely a "slow and steady wins the race" kind of plan.

We do tend to eat heartier meals in the winter.

Minkymoo · Post by **Minkymoo** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 7:51 am

You're right, I was being unrealistic in my expectation! Sulk over, thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!

I've woken up in a much more practical frame of mind and ready to get on with it. Also thinking of starting the 'no solitary snzcking' and only eating when 'sitting at a table with a plate' mods over the weekend from now on.

Deep down I know that my problems with overeating are deep-seated and will take time to fix, but this diet is the only way I can see that I might fix them for good.

I think in addition to unrealistic expectations of how fast I can loose weight I also have unrealistic expectations about how much food I need, so what feels like restriction is actually plenty enough!

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:34 am

Minkymoo wrote:You're right, I was being unrealistic in my expectation! Sulk over, thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!

I've woken up in a much more practical frame of mind and ready to get on with it. Also thinking of starting the 'no solitary snzcking' and only eating when 'sitting at a table with a plate' mods over the weekend from now on.

Deep down I know that my problems with overeating are deep-seated and will take time to fix, but this diet is the only way I can see that I might fix them for good.

I think in addition to unrealistic expectations of how fast I can loose weight I also have unrealistic expectations about how much food I need, so what feels like restriction is actually plenty enough!

Bravo!

Another great aspect of NoS is that it encourages just such kind of rational thinking and growth in understanding which is the absolute best kind of antidote for "diethead thinking."

Progress, not perfection!

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 1:25 pm

wosnes wrote:I could be wrong, but I don't think there are very many people who lose weight quickly and consistently (like a pound or two every week) on No-S. No-S is definitely a "slow and steady wins the race" kind of plan.

We do tend to eat heartier meals in the winter.

A lot of the diet advice says that a pound or two is a slow and sensible rate of weight loss.

On No S, it's more like a pound or two every month for a lot of us. However, those are pounds that are lost without deprivation or unsustainable tracking. They go away and never come back.

Well done Minky on getting through the sulk. It happens to all of us.

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 2:47 pm

What an inspiring turn around! I think your new actions will pay off, if nothing else than in new refinements.

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:16 pm

Minkymoo wrote: I think in addition to unrealistic expectations of how fast I can lose weight,
I also have unrealistic expectations about how much food I need,
so what feels like restriction is actually plenty enough!

This is the case with MOST of us.

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:34 pm

BrightAngel wrote:
Minkymoo wrote: I think in addition to unrealistic expectations of how fast I can lose weight,
I also have unrealistic expectations about how much food I need,
so what feels like restriction is actually plenty enough!

This is the case with MOST of us.

This is true. We've all gotten a totally distorted idea of what a normal and reasonable portion of food is. Maybe restaurants are to blame, though I suspect that looking for someone to blame isn't what we need to do about this.

I do the NEP mod (No Eating without a Plate) on S days, and it works well for me. It keeps me from grazing and ending up eating all day.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:39 am

Blithe Morning wrote:A lot of the diet advice says that a pound or two is a slow and sensible rate of weight loss.

On No S, it's more like a pound or two every month for a lot of us.

I'm one of the "lucky ones" for whom vanilla No-S works. I worked out that I've averaged less than 1/3 pound loss per week. That's average - so a lot of weeks I lost nothing at all. I also had a complete plateau, no loss at all, over Christmas holidays, and while I was on vacation on September.

Minky - glad to read your update! Keep chipping away