Recommitting to simplicity and consistency in 2014
Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:40 pm
So, it's early January, that magical time of year when it seems that life can begin anew!
My weight is up a few pounds and I would like to bring it back down, so my 'big' New Year's resolution is to be firmer in my commitment to No-S, which in my mind is following a very simple yet consistent (ie, habit-based) system of eating.
No weight loss is 'easy,' but I feel that No-S is the best system around. And I am speaking as someone who reads weight loss forums and articles on nutrition as a kind of hobby.
What is amazing to me these days are the firm 'camps' that have emerged in the dieting world, each praising one set of food while demonizing others. The comments in various forums (low-carb, paleo, whole foods plant-based, etc) are from people who seem convinced that they have found the best way of eating. Some of the behaviors seem extreme to me: low carbers drink 'bulletproof' coffee (with butter and coconut oil instead of half and half, which has carbs) and go on 'fat fasts' when they hit a weight-loss stall; paleo people avoid wheat as it if were poison while touting the benefits of eating like humans who lived 100,000 years ago; and WFPB people (vegans) bring their own food to potlucks and restaurants to avoid consuming even one stray gram of animal fat. I think that the Internet has brought us 'confirmation bias' on steroids. People can seek only the evidence that confirms their own beliefs and avoid anything that does not reinforce their worldview, whether it has do with diet or other issues.
There are, of course, more reasonable diet forums out there, such as those that focus on eating all foods in moderation while counting points or calories. However those approaches still include a lot of accounting and don't seem sustainable in the long term.
On all the diet forums I've read over the past several years I've always felt like an alien from another planet who is fascinated by the strange behaviors I see described but not interested in pursuing them.
THIS forum is different. Reinhard's approach truly seems like an island of sanity in a sea of extremes and/or unsustainable plans.
So I'd like to start the New Year by complimenting him for his system, which involves the crucial components of moderation, simplicity, and consistency.
Here's to No-S in 2014!
My weight is up a few pounds and I would like to bring it back down, so my 'big' New Year's resolution is to be firmer in my commitment to No-S, which in my mind is following a very simple yet consistent (ie, habit-based) system of eating.
No weight loss is 'easy,' but I feel that No-S is the best system around. And I am speaking as someone who reads weight loss forums and articles on nutrition as a kind of hobby.
What is amazing to me these days are the firm 'camps' that have emerged in the dieting world, each praising one set of food while demonizing others. The comments in various forums (low-carb, paleo, whole foods plant-based, etc) are from people who seem convinced that they have found the best way of eating. Some of the behaviors seem extreme to me: low carbers drink 'bulletproof' coffee (with butter and coconut oil instead of half and half, which has carbs) and go on 'fat fasts' when they hit a weight-loss stall; paleo people avoid wheat as it if were poison while touting the benefits of eating like humans who lived 100,000 years ago; and WFPB people (vegans) bring their own food to potlucks and restaurants to avoid consuming even one stray gram of animal fat. I think that the Internet has brought us 'confirmation bias' on steroids. People can seek only the evidence that confirms their own beliefs and avoid anything that does not reinforce their worldview, whether it has do with diet or other issues.
There are, of course, more reasonable diet forums out there, such as those that focus on eating all foods in moderation while counting points or calories. However those approaches still include a lot of accounting and don't seem sustainable in the long term.
On all the diet forums I've read over the past several years I've always felt like an alien from another planet who is fascinated by the strange behaviors I see described but not interested in pursuing them.
THIS forum is different. Reinhard's approach truly seems like an island of sanity in a sea of extremes and/or unsustainable plans.
So I'd like to start the New Year by complimenting him for his system, which involves the crucial components of moderation, simplicity, and consistency.
Here's to No-S in 2014!