Great login name, btw.
Let me say I am definitely not a NoS-expert. I've tried the plan a couple of times and struggled every time, except this time. Its only been five days, but I'm feeling very good about it, so I will go ahead and share what I think has made NoS easy for me to follow this time (so far!
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
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I was a diet-Nazi the first couple of times. I was too strict on myself and made NoS harder than it had to be. I tried to make do with smaller portions, no food hanging over the edge of the plate, no caloric beverages, and eating food I didn't really want or crave just for the sake of eating because it was a pre-ordained meal time.
Now, I eat a plate full of food and have taken to eating a little more or adding more to the plate to make sure I eat enough to make it through to the next meal without getting too hungry. I am eating MORE this time around, not less, and I think that has been one of the keys to my success. Its all on one plate, but its a full plate!
I had a real problem with drinking too many sodas. At my worst I was probably putting away about two liters or more of Pepsi per day. When I tried No S in the past, I tried to go cold turkey and give up ALL sodas, even the diet versions. This time, I'm allowing myself diet sodas. Its killing the cravings, I find I drink less diet than I did regular soda before, and its helping me stick with the plan. I don't think they're healthy, and I do believe that as I get more used to this I will eventually drop them almost completely. But for now, diet beverages have been a key to my success.
If you normally purchase or obtain foods by habit, like hitting vending machines as mentioned previously, or like me, grabbing a candy bar along with a soda once or twice a day while on the road, play the Delayed Gratification Game (TM.) Tell yourself that you can have that candy bar on Saturday. I found that once I realized I couldn't have it then, I no longer wanted it. It lost its appeal to me because I wanted that bar to satisfy an urge to buy and eat something, not because I wanted that particular candy bar. I don't really desire candy bars now that I realize what itch they're scratching. That has been a key to my success. If you have the same habits, maybe it will help you, too.
Don't weigh yourself daily. I was absorbed in the minutiae of dieting: following rules, monitoring my compliance, and checking my level of success daily. Too, too much! Enjoy your food, practice temperance, and let the pounds come off naturally.
This isn't a diet per se: I think of it as a way of restoring normal eating habits for people who no longer know how to eat. No S is like a repairman who fixes your busted 'eating thermostat.' It resets the food thermostat to 'Normal,' and provides the mechanism whereby you can maintain that setting.
If you don't stick to the rules for a day, don't quit! Just readjust for the next meal, the next day, and keep on going. Pay attention to the factors involved that caused you to momentarily drop from the plan, and make a mental note of them so you can be more aware the next time that situation arises.
Good luck!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)