A question for the ladies

[Donna O]

I think that this question has been asked before, but would one of the ladies mind to post your food plan for a typical S day ?

I am either starving or binging, and i am having a difficult time figuring out
what qualifies as moderate..

1 plateful of food is a wonderful guide-- i would just like an example
of what another middle aged woman like myself puts on her plate

Thanks !!

Donna O

[Jammin' Jan]

Age 54: This is my "model" plate: 1/2 of the plate is fruit/vegetable/salad; 1/4 of the plate is a starch, such as noodles, rice, potatoes, etc.; 1/4 of the plate is a protein, such as a piece of chicken, beans, an egg, cheese, glass of milk.

Meal examples:

Breakfast: egg, toast, orange juice
Lunch: macaroni and cheese (half a plate, since it is both starch and protein); green beans
Dinner: pork chop, mashed potatoes, broccoli

I eat off of a regular-size dinner plate. I tried cutting back to a "luncheon" plate, but it was not satisfying.

Hope this helps!

[Donna O]

thank you ms jan !!

wow !! you eat like a bird

i am used to eating like a farm hand

i appreciate your response so much, it will be helpful

have a great day !

Donna O

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi Donna, good luck...
I'm almost 39... I eat about two eggs and a slice of bread, and maybe some cheese if I have it, plus a piece of bread... Some times, if it's later in the day, I'll also have a fruit...
Lunch or dinner is pretty much either a few pieces of chicken or some kind of meat dish, like a hamburger... Or a few pieces of pizza...

I have about 3 cups of coffee a day, and that usually makes me feel pretty full too...

If I have pasta or rice I usually have around 1.5 cups or maybe, if I'm really hungry, 2... With lots of sauce, or chili or whatever on top...

Seriously though... Every day is different and we all are different people here... Don't compare to others...
Jammin Jan is around 105 lbs and I'm 205! LOL...

We are all unique and I say, just use the three meal plan with *normal* sized plates, not giant deep dish 12 inch wide bowls, and no matter what food you eat, you will lose weight over time...
Eat what you like, and save the S's for S days!

Peace and Love,
Deb

ps... Exercise is really important for life long success and health, so make sure you find something you like, and do it at least five days a week!

[Donna O]

i think that i like your idea of moderate better than ms jans's idea--

for some reason, grateful deb, i get the feeling that you are tall--

i myself am 5'8"-- maybe that is why what you eat sounds more in line

with what i need...

thank you guys both !! it has been so helpful

and than you for the reminder the exercise.... 5 days a week-- wow !

thats a lot more than i have been getting.. but if it means bigger meals

then it is soooo worth it

you guys are great !!

Donna O

[Jammin' Jan]

Well, I am only 5'1" and 104 pounds, so you wouldn't expect me to eat like someone much bigger. I think that if you could actually see what I eat every day, you wouldn't think I "eat like a bird". My plates are FULL! I love to cook and eat. Maybe that's why I enjoy working in a grocery store! Also, I really enjoy my S-Day treats on the weekends. Today's treat was dessert...some Starbuck's Coffee Fudge Brownie ice cream...mmmmmm! Lots of good food during the week and some fun on the weekends; sounds like moderation to me.

[Donna O]

Ms Jan !!

You sound pretty fiesty !!

I think that the reason that your food sounds like not much to me is because i have practicing gluttony for so long...

... did No S get to 104 pounds ?

... are you comfortable during the day ?

... do you ever feel the need for a 4th meal/snack in the afternoon ?

your story gives me such hope !!

thanks again !

Donna O

[Jammin' Jan]

I lost most of my weight on the McDougall Program. That was fat-free vegan. I did that for three years and it worked well for me. But then I decided that I needed more flexibility and variety in my diet. I tried Jorge Cruise, but I didn't like the junk food he included in his program, and the main emphasis for him was weight loss, whereas I was at that point on maintenance -- just as difficult but mostly overlooked by "diet" programs. Then I happened on No-S. I lost another 5 pounds while eating everything I wanted and am having no trouble keeping my weight stable. I did, however, keep the basic idea of Jorge's "Cruise Down Plate," which is what I originally described to you.

The McDougall Program allowed endless snacking, so long as it was program-friendly foods. When I began No-S, there was a period of adjustment as I tried to get out of the snack-habit. I was hungry between meals, but it was as much in my head as in my tummy. My solution in the beginning was to really pile my plates. It was kind of disgusting, looking back on it. But that really didn't last too long. Then I got ambitious and tried to reduce the size of my plate, but that wasn't satisfying either, so I returned to a normal size (I'm eating off Corelle) dinner plate. Then a while back I got the idea of returning to vegan foods, but there were some problems with that, too, mostly due to middle-age changes in digestion.

So now I am content. Three meals on a Corelle dinner plate. The amount of food on the plate at any given meal really depends on what I am doing that day. If I have 14,000 steps on my pedometer, the plates get very full! If I am working at the grocery store on a full shift, a meal will be split in half and eaten on breaks, but then I will usually have a little something when I get home, too, because I am starved. On a nice at-home day with just housework and homeschooling and Church stuff to occupy me, my plates just have a reasonable amount of food on them and it is satisfying. But no matter how I am eating, I try (more or less) to stick to the protein/starch/veggie proportions. I find that this keeps me from getting hungry between meals because all the nutrients are present: starch which is immediately satisfying, protein and a little fat which takes longer to digest, vitamins and minerals for overall health.

Yes, depending on my activity (and sometimes stress) level, I will get hungry between meals. My solution for this, at least when I am thinking clearly, is to drink a glass of orange juice (the real stuff, not a sugary substitute) or maybe a glass of V8. Sometimes I'm not thinking, and I just blow it, plain and simple! Oh well, keep going!

Mostly my advice to you would be this: this program works and it is sustainable. Gather up all your enthusiasm and jump into it. Plan your meals so that they are satisfying and nutritious. Plan your S-Day treats, something you can really look forward to! This is mostly about forming a new habit, which is always a little tough in the beginning, but if you are enthusiastic and patient and persistent, you will achieve your goal.

This reply turned out longer than I expected, but I hope it is a little bit helpful to you.

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi Donna
I'm not tall at all! LOL...
I am 5'3"

I've been gaining muscle for the last year and a half, so that makes my weight a bit more than anyone my size... I have a 36.5 inch waist, and went down from a 41.5 inch waist back when I started NoS in August of 2004... For most people who lost inches through diet alone, that might represent about a 35 or 40 lb weight loss, but as I said I have been strength training with a little Shovelglove, and also, mainly, I have really increased my muscle through Yoga this last year... I'm also a massage therapist so my work is fairly physical..
So my pounds lost here are unknown, as I didn't really have an accurate scale when I started.. But I think it's somewhere around 20-25 lbs overall since the beginning...

I'd love to lose about that much more this year! Even if I lose 10 or 15, I know it will never come back to bite me in the "you know what" because NoS has totally changed my perspective on what healthy weight loss is, and conversely, it has also taught me what *un*healthy weight *gain* is...
In the past, if I gained weight, it would go on and on for weeks and then months... I didn't even bat an eye if in one weekend, I would gain 5 lbs from a few gorgefests on Chinese food and Haagen Daaz...
Now, if I lose track and even gain 3 lbs, it's like a huge alarm goes off and red lights start flashing, and an imaginary voice (something like what I would guess Reinhard would sound like) says...

"Warning warning.... Old habits sneaking up... Time to squash them with your Shovelglove!!!!"

LOL..

But seriously... It's taking me a longer time than it ever took with crummy diets which I ultimately would go off, but not gaining back, is such a plus, that there's no comparison! How many people have lost and gained the same 20 or 30 lbs and then gained it back? Everyone!!!
Well not here.. this takes longer, but it's permanent, because you enjoy it and then stick with it for the long run!

ps.. if you want to see my pics from the last Summer, take a look back on my thread... Somewhere there are my before and "during" photos...

I'll be taking more in a few months..
Good luck again and keep on truckin!
Peace and Love,
Deb

[JWL]

Sorry to but in on the "ladies" thread... LOL

I have a thought about eating like birds, or like a 105lb woman or a 205lb woman... this thought is a variation on Ghandi's "be the change you wish to see" maxim.

Basically, pick your realistic "target weight." Let's say, for example, that weight is 155 lbs (split the diff between Jan and Deb).

Then, eat like a 155 lb woman!



Whatever that is....

[ceu]

I eat pretty full plates as I find that I am hungry if I don't. I make sure to include food with lots of fibre, whole wheat pasta instead of white, for example. This really helps.

[want2bhealthy]

i am butting in too. deb i love your posts. i admire reading about how you made this work, we sound similar. you keep me motivated. some things you write, sound like it comes right from my mouth. you are doing awesome!! even some of my measurements and weight sound like you. of course i would love to get out of the waist size from the 40s to th 30s even in my 20's i was in the 20 in waist line. i too have been working with weights so i know the weight is not the only important thing. i just dont want to be thin, i would to be in shape like i was before, i like to see definition, not just a thin body. i often used to tell women i worked with( cause i worked in daycare most of my life) lots of girls and women. that if i was that thin, i would go to the gym and shape my body any way i wanted to. this girl, when i was younger used to say to me, your legs are thinner then mine, and i would say, no they are not, they are just shaped different from excercise. i was always in good shape. ok, i need to stop rambling now, sometimes i can go on and on. everyone stick with this and we all can do it.

[pangelsue]

I am going to be 61 this year and I love this diet. My plates at night are pretty full but my breakfast and lunches are smaller. I find that because my metabolism is slower and I don't exercise that much, I need to cut back somewhere. Also, I really give it my all on the weekends. I do love to snack and go out to nice restaurants so sometimes it takes me until Tuesday to get back into the no S mode. As far as being hungry, it seems that some days are easy and some days are really tough. I have no idea why. Worst time for me is between work and supper because we eat late. Go for the 21 day thing and see how you feel then.

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks WTBH!!!
I appreciate your sweet post!
Keep it up girl!!!
You can do it!!!!!

Peace and Love,
Deb