Everyday Systems

When I was reading the forum, I noticed that some people initially gain a few pounds on NoS. Just wondering what happened after they persisted with NoS for a while.

Were you able to lose weight with NoS?
Did you have to add mods?
How long did it take?

Thanks.

Bump... I'd love to hear some responses on this one.

Anyone?

Bumping again. Really curious about this answer.

So far I'm gaining a pound a week and want to know that there's hope.

I didn't gain when I started No-S. I lost slowly and consistently. All the mods I've added have actually made No-S more liberal, not more restrictive.

My hunch is that many people eat more than they need when starting No-S. It could be because they're coming from a more restrictive diet program or because they're afraid of being hungry between meals or any one of a number of other reasons. Sometimes I think it's just the ability to eat what you want.

For whatever reason, they load their plates and/or eat more of more calorie dense foods. I recently heard (can't remember where) that most people eat about 400 calories more at dinner than they need. It doesn't matter how much we need, we eat more than we need.

I don't think further restrictions are needed. But you might look at your plate. If it's full or if there are large servings, you might need to put less on the plate and have smaller servings of more calorie dense foods. This is especially true if you're a smaller, less active person.

It is not the 3 meals a day that mske you lose weight, it is that this is one way people find it possible to lower their calories without having to count points, carbs etc. Are you kidding me I would never stay on a diet where I was gaining weight. though there are people who will tell you this. Sounds like you need a modification. msybe smaller plates or something. The only time I would say to wait it out is if you are coming off a restricted diet like a low carb diet.

If you gain a pound a week there are two possible reasons:

- You came from a very restrictive diet that really messed up your metabolism (Loss of muscle-mass, hardcore starvation-mode).

- You still consume around roughly 3500 kcal. more than you needed.

There are a lot of reasons for both cases. I fear it isn't possible to figure out the reason with more information.

A friend of mine had this problem and i gave him three tipps:

1. Move! Exercise! Sweat!
2. Try 2 Weeks without any S-days: If you lose weight, you should implement the "except (sometimes) on days starting with S" in you No S diet.
3. Watch what you are drinking. Try to drink water for 2 weeks (except on S-Days).

germanherman wrote:If you gain a pound a week there are two possible reasons:

- You came from a very restrictive diet that really messed up your metabolism (Loss of muscle-mass, hardcore starvation-mode).

- You still consume around roughly 3500 kcal. more than you needed.

There are a lot of reasons for both cases. I fear it isn't possible to figure out the reason with more information.

A friend of mine had this problem and i gave him three tipps:

1. Move! Exercise! Sweat!
2. Try 2 Weeks without any S-days: If you lose weight, you should implement the "except (sometimes) on days starting with S" in you No S diet.
3. Watch what you are drinking. Try to drink water for 2 weeks (except on S-Days).

Thanks for the advice. I'm not coming off a restrictive diet, so I know that's not the issue. I'm eating less than I did before No S and I feel good, so I'm just bummed that I'm gaining.

As for your tips:
1. I just (re)started Couch to 5K. I've done it before and liked it, but stopped when life got stressful. My husband is a really great motivator for me and will go run with me. I just started 2 weeks ago, so maybe some of the weight is muscle? I don't know.

2. You're right about S days. This past weekend was labor day and went to my uncle's house two days in a row (1 for family cookout, 2 for eating leftovers from said cookout since we live nearby). Probably ate and drank too much. I'm just starting out on my new No S journey (only on my third week) and am hesitant to go super strict on my s's. Most weekends are how I ate prior to No S.

3. Thinking about it, when I lost on No S before I was drinking a lot more water. I've never been a huge liquid consumer and I have to make a conscious effort to drink. I'm currently downing a bottle of water . My diet has been a little salty lately too, so I should watch that. Maybe the weight is water retention.

I just need to keep on keeping on and try to make healthy meal time choices. It's such a struggle to keep positive which so much prior food/weight related issues.

Again, thanks!

Another little tip: make sure you are eating the amount of food that you end up hungry before each meal AND before bed. I'm working on that last one
I tend to overdid dinner

Give it time. I was still overeating initially but truly am starting to normalize a bit.

I lost 2 lbs after the first month, but gained it back the 2nd month.(( Sigh))

I still think this is the way to go, I think I ate too many sweets on the S days.
Today is Sat, and I find myself being conscious about this and wanting to change....I had only one "sweet". But whoever said people are not conscious about how much they ARE eating BEFORE they start No S.

Here's to September!!

people are not really thinking they are eating THAT MUCH. LOL

I think it does take some time to feel good about eating less and it IS starting to carry over to S days. Just one sweet is what I'm aiming for. I think the first 2 months I had 3 or 4 sweets for the whole weekend! LOL

I gained a couple pounds the first couple months (really it was like two pounds) because I allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted within the vanilla rules. I purposely did this, knowing that if I were on a "diet" I would lose and then gain weight. Once I saw the upward trend, I took a good long look at my plates and recognized they were unhealthy. Too many calorie-dense foods, not enough fruits and veggies. So I began to make sure I get from 1-3 servings of "freggies" for every meal. I also look at portions and make sure I am not fooling myself.

A good question to ask yourself before you bring that plate into the dining room: "Would I eat this much at one sitting if my mother in law was here?" (or insert whoever works for you: high school boyfriend, boss, skinny judgmental friend, etc.) Shame can be a bad thing, but seriously, if we aren't able to look critically at our own behavior, sometimes imagining someone else looking can make a difference. Are you piling high? I want my plates to look like the plates of a healthy woman, not like the seven oddly proportioned plates of everyone at the local food buffet restaurant. I am what I eat. That's what's great about three one-plate meals: there can be no mystery.

Good luck -- I am sure if you stick with No S you will learn moderation. Unless you have a big physical problem, in which moderation is too much. But that will become apparent if you take a good look at your plates.

Thanks everyone!

I'm starting to see the scale go down a little. Thank God!!

I'm consciously drinking more water and trying to exercise more. Cardio 3x a week and am playing around a little with shovelglove (although I still need to buy a sledgehammer, right now i'm using a golf club and trying to get a feel for the movements).

The big thing that I've done is to use the plate quarters technique. Half the plate as "freggies", 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch. Its not always yet and is mostly at dinner, but its helping. My goal is to make it an always for dinner, then try to apply to lunch, etc. I know that I was still eating too much at meals. I'm still learning how much to eat to be hungry for the next meal. Hoping I can figure it out.

You all are great encouragers!