am i the only one?

[want2bhealthy]

am i the only one that even after sticking with this and making it through the 21 days and losing weight,still isnt cutting portions by now?? it feels like after i have lost the initial 16/17 lbs that this is a maintance program cause i still cant cut portions. some people i have read about on here said that it would come naturally. and when it didnt, i starting doubting myself and this program. so i did what i always did and went diet hopping. i thought after seeing success on this plan i would never do that again. i really do want to stay here and do this, how do i stop the yo yo dieting?? any and all advice, is appreciated. i dont get offended easily. my recent post said i wasnt going to do this anymore, but after the third day on carbohydrat addicts diet, i know i cant eat like that for life. oh i am so confused , frustrated and getting tired of fighting.

[Hunter Gatherer]

Do not despair! People are different. Some take longer to "naturally" cut down on portions, some never do it without conscious thought and planning.

So, were you still losing weight even though you hadn't cut portions? If so then it doesn't matter. If not, then try changing the contents of your plate, not the size. Not restricting food, just lowering the proportions. Say you crave a fatty, cheesy slice of quiche. Go for that quiche! just take a smaller slice and up the veggie portion of your plate to fill you up. It can still be a big plate.

My portions vary. Sometimes I have a tiny ammount, sometimes a huge repast stacked all over the plate. Back when I first started I "panic plated" huge meals because I was afraid of being hungry. Now I don't do that so much, but like I said, SOMETIMES......

Personally I don't think portions are such a big deal. Just follow the rules and be patient. If you hit a plateau, add some exercize and don't worry about the portions.

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi!

Well, when I wrote that it happens naturally, maybe I didn't put down that it happened after about 7 or 8 months of doing NoS.... Not 21 days...
My best suggestion to you is to concentrate on some sort of exercise to lift your spirits, and tone you up and be happy with your loss for now...
If you stick to it (longer than just 21 days, which, by the way is just a generalistic time frame for *habit building* not losing weight) and you exercise and keep going... Somewhere down the not so far line, after you have maintained your initial loss, you will start seeing the scale budge down in spurts... Maybe two months from now, you'll drop three more pounds...
Reinhard lost the first 20 lbs in about 2 months... Then he lost his last 20 lbs over more than a year.... This is a very realistic pace...
Better to increase activity than fool around with food choices to the point where you are driving yourself nuts... You aren't the only one, so don't worry! I had overloaded plates for, at least the first 7 months.. Now, 18 months in, if I ate the same amount at each meal, I would feel totally overfull...

Stay happy and keep the faith!!!

Good luck
Peace and Love,
Deb

[mstevens]

I've been cutting down my portions slightly, but I haven't found mine are decreasing much lately either.

[reinhard]

Sorry you're feeling frustrated, want2bhealthy, but HunterGatherer and Deb give excellent advice.

Just to recapitulate:

1. Instead of adding restrictions, make a positive resolution to crowd out dense, fattening stuff with healthy, bulky fruit and vegetables. You've been building the association of "plate empty, eating over," I think you'll be surprised at what an effective stop signal an emptied plate is, even with fewer calories.

2. 21 days (more or less) is what it takes to build the habit of "mealing," not necessarily (or even probably) portion control. That can take a bit longer. The good news is that "mealing" is the harder and more important part, and you've got that down. Try the above (and/or the below) for now if you're feeling impatient for "natural" portion reduction to kick in, though I am pretty confident that in time it will come anyway. Of course, if you can't wait till that "in time" because you're demoralized by lack of progress, it's not going to help you any, so we need to find something to keep you motivated.

3. How much exercise are you doing? If not much, it's going to be a lot easier to add a little on this end than risk what you've accomplished so far by unmaintainable dietary exertions.

Hope something here (or elsewhere) helps. Keep us posted.

Reinhard

[reinhard]

"Panic plated" is great, HG. May have to use that (with attribution) on the home page.

[doulachic]

hang in there, Want-to-be...I know exactly what you are going through in the posts you have recently put up, i am also having the same frustration...i have fallen off the NoS wagon for a few months now due to hectic lifestyle and stress, but am seriously thinking of returning now that life is calmer. I have considered other "diets", but as usual can't get past the first day of them because of the huge mental problem it causes in my head! (deprivation = binge eating...at least for me)

anyway, i think i will start noS again on Monday. something i am considering doing is the "Plate Method", which basically is just that you fill your plate with half veggies/fruit, 1/4 protien, 1/4 good carbs (whole grains, like brown rice). There is also another method of 1/3 of veggies/fruit, 1/3 protein, 1/3 good carbs. anyway, just a suggestion to help cut cals, but still have a full plate...plus veggies are good for you!

i also plan to start walking as a way to exercise since i haven't been doing anything lately. a good friend of mine wants to start walking so i think i will join her.

anyway, this is still the best life long way to eat, so stick with it! you can do it!

[want2bhealthy]

thanks so much to you all. the great advice and ideas to help me are really great. i am gonna stay here and up my excercise . you really got me motivated again. starting fresh again on tuesday. i know i should have started today but it is memorial day, so it counts as a special occasion?? so technically i have started. i love the support here, it is wonderful that you guys care so much to help someone get to their goal.