Everyday Systems

Who else has done this? I'm UP 4.6 lbs from last Friday. Ugh....any encouragement?? I only started this diet last Thursday, but had lost several lbs last week. Hate to think it's all back!

It's most likely not all back, Alice -- don't weigh again until Friday and it will be gone, and maybe another pound with it! I made the mistake of weighing on a Monday about a month ago and thought I had regained 5 of the 15 pounds I had lost to that point overnight! Something about sugar and baked goods and salty snacks makes you retain fluid, which you then slowly lose over the course of the N week. Don't worry!

Oh my! I was thinking of stepping on the scale to check this morning. I think I need to stay off! I am new too so I don't have a lot of advice. However, what you did last week seemed to work and must be motivating. You can't undo what you did this weekend. Maybe have a super healthy Monday. Good meal choices and sneak in some exercise. I bet you will be feeling better by the end of the day. At least that is what I am telling myself.

Good luck!

Thanks!! Just what I needed to hear! I am very motivated to be good the rest of the week. The bad thing is, I didn't even enjoy my S days all that much...too much full feelings. I also have a mini trampoline and will try to get my 14 minutes of exercise on it this week. Even small bouncing will be better than nothing, right?

Try not to be paying so much attention to your weight now. Think of it more like learning to play the piano. You're not going to get much satisfaction until you've had a lot more practice. Getting on the scale is a bit like playing for a recital. Be honest with yourself about "practicing," and things will get better.

No S is about learning to eat less over time. Weight loss is actually secondary.

I'm half tempted to just put my scale away for a while...and get back to it after I've had a month or two to get things down better.

To get some major No S perspective, try doing a search of the general discussion boards for the word 'scale.' Lots of members have weighed in (sorry, couldn't resist!) on how often we should be stepping on those scales. The general consensus seems to be that, particularly, at the beginning, we should avoid the scale altogether and focus on HABIT BUILDING. Once your habits are in place - and that may take months - you might think about weighing. A much better indication is to be aware of how your clothes are fitting.

What makes No S more sustainable and logical that all those SAD (substance accounting diets) is that we no longer have to obsess over any number - other than three! See Oolala's signature, " I count plates, not calories. Three a day." And that's it for any number crunching or obsessing we have to do. If you are looking fior a quick fix, this isn't it. Patience is the key. So many have concerns like yours at the beginning and often don't let it have a chance to work, then strike out on some other new fad, only to come back after realizing the inaneness of crazy restrictive diets that you just can't sustain.

So see for yourself-pour over some of those old posts and see some old-timers have to say! And hang in there - remember this ( I think it's someone's signature...) this is a marathon, not a sprint! And you have us!

After almost a decade of rarely weighing myself, for the last year or so, I've been weighing daily (on two scales!) simply to get a better sense of my range (and more empathy for all you scale steppers out there). I don't think I've seen a single weekend where I didn't have at least the fluctuation you describe.

Out of curiosity, what's the difference between the two scales? And do you have a habitcal for that habit?

Wanted to offer my story of when I started noS. I went from 132 to 141 in 2 months. Then, bi slowly lost weight. Now after being on this for 9 months, back at 136.6. I was skeptical too. Eventually I didn't go crazy on weekends. I don't track calories and I dont feel deprived. And this is so much more sustainable and mentally healthy for me. No more food binges for over 7 months.

MJ7910 wrote: No more food binges for over 7 months.

Sounds like a true success to me! Congrats!