Imogen's Daily Check In

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 7:14 pm

Moderate breakfast, small lunch, dinner bigger than usual, though still on one plate. Small cups of coffee, milk, and cocoa between meals (I was feeling snacky, and needed to kill my chocolate cravings). 14 minutes of bodyweight exercises before work, 2 mile workout in the afternoon, plus the usual purposeful walking. SUCCESS.

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:11 am

That sounds like a good day!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 11:10 am

Hi Imogen,

I haven't posted on your thread in a while but wanted to let you know that I'm following it with interest

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:41 pm

Nice to see you both here! I haven't been active in other threads as much as I'd like - some extra work to do, and picking paint colours, furniture, etc. for my new flat keeps me occupied (I wouldn't have guessed how much!). Plus, my friend is going through a difficult breakup with somebody who threatens and abuses her, and we're trying to keep her safe by spending a lot of time with her. Not much time to post.
I'm still doing pretty well. Moderate breakfast, small lunch, overloaded dinner plate. I was dying for something sweet, so I added some challah bread with strawberry jam to one of my plates. My jeans are getting a little looser, I have tons of energy (thanks to fasting between meals and increased physical activity). SUCCESS.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:13 am

Imogen,
your NoS success sounds amazing! I am delighted for you. If I want something sweet, I often add sweet fruit or coconut rice so I don't consider that cheating

As for your new apartment: very exciting, although it also sounds like a lot to do.

I find it wonderful that you are looking after your friend. What a terrible situation! It might be better for her to move maybe.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:07 pm

FAIL. I was going on a coffee date with a friend, and had my heart set on iced coffee (borderline S for me because of the usual extras they serve it with, like whipped cream). Got one, then decided I would make it an S-event, and "somehow" daquoise appeared on our table - all on empty stomach. I had to take a detour and go to McD for a cheeseburger, the cake was so HUGE and sickeningly sweet! I always crave protein after too much sugar. To minimize the damage, I had wanted to call it my dinner, but I ate a plate of savoury food after returning home.
I'm starting to think that meals are so much more satisfying than desserts. I mean, a good dinner when I'm legitimately hungry fills me up in a way that no dessert in the world could, and sugar on empty stomach always makes me feel just yucky. Maybe I'm going to shift my weekend focus from sweets to more decadent/larger meals?

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:03 am

Imogen, it definitely sounds like you have a lot going on! Good for you, for helping your friend! I definitely know what you mean about preferring larger, more decadent meals to sweets. While I haven't quite gotten to the point of giving up sweets during the week, I have also found that I need protein with my sweets, or I turn into a real witch. Your idea for S days does sound interesting. Would you still have some sort of dessert with a meal, or are you just going to focus on nicer meals? I'm curious, because I really am trying to cut back on sweets, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do it.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:39 am

I'm not going to make any drastic changes at this point. What makes it easier for me to stick to vanilla No S is the permission to eat as much sweets as I like after each weekend meal, just avoid all snacking like the plague. I think I'm going to focus on quality of my meals, make them as delicious as possible, and just observe if this diminishes my hankering for sweets, which is driven by the fear of deprivation anyway, rather than by real cravings. But if I want dessert, I'm going to have it, in obscene amounts if need be

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sat Jul 05, 2014 7:56 pm

Friday went okay. SUCCESS.

Saturday - S-day - not so much. I did snack between breakfast and lunch, and ended up eating peanut butter straight from the jar. Where there's no real hunger, there's no real satisfaction either. Weigh-in: 52.4/115

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 5:56 am

Sunday was fine - no snacking, but a lot of cake and chocolate after dinner. Only two meals. Because of the heat wave I haven't been walking as much as I used to, though.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 4:35 pm

Monday - SUCCESS.

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:16 am

Good job!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 2:33 pm

Tuesday - SUCCESS. Still not working out much, it's just too hot for any kind of vigorous movement, but I still do 14 minutes of bodyweight exercises in the morning. I'm glad I'm doing so well on the habit front!

I can clearly see the enormous difference in my own behaviour and mood when I'm not snacking. And don't get me started on how much I love slight hunger just before meals. Everything, even the plainest dishes, taste wonderful, and are immensely satisfying.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 2:34 pm

Wednesday - SUCCESS. Is there something like half-assed success? Because I did have three meals without snacks, just milky and sugary coffee in between, but I piled my dinner plate sky high. I'm feeling bloated and heavy. Damn humidity makes me think I gained weight!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:14 am

I'm glad things are going so well for you with the eating, and with forming habits! You may want to tweak your plates a little bit, if you're feeling bloated, but otherwise, it sounds like you're doing great!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 2:49 pm

A string of sick days since Friday (tummy problems)

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:53 pm

I hope you feel better soon.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:03 am

Quick update: small snacky (sneaky!) fail on Monday, green Tuesday. I'm not craving sweets anymore. Clothes are fitting better, but weight stays more or less in place - all that strength training, even if it's just 14 minutes on N-days, made me gain some muscle. Yay!

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 1:13 pm

Good job! Remember those positives regularly and keep on going! We sometimes forget that we really are different in good ways even if the scale does not always reflect it.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:50 am

Sweet and snacky FAIL yesterday. I'm not too mad about this, but rather determined to keep the rest of my workweek green.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:52 am

Hi Imogen! So when are you coming over to the UK?

I had some Fails yesterday but when I read your thread I think it is commendable that you barely seem to give into the WTH effect anymore/ much less bingeing it seems?

Well done!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Fri Jul 18, 2014 6:22 am

It sounds like you're doing well! Yes, strength training is great!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:50 pm

I fell off the wagon again

Perhaps a higher number on the scale (muscle wieght!) somehow influenced my subconsciousness and in consequence led to a week-long WTH effect spree? Anyway, my weight is up, and my habits all over the place. Restarting.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:25 am

Good restart!

Muscle weight is a tricky one as I would get discouraged too but as long as you are aware of it maybe factor in 1kilo or 1/2 more

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 5:29 pm

SUCCESS. Vanilla No S, 14 minutes of strength training, 2 mile workout.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:47 am

Yay! Well done!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 11:49 am

Good job getting back on track!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 10:11 pm

*sigh* Mega fail on Friday. Today was binge-y too.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:09 am

I have to admit to having a huge compliance problem for the last year. I mean, really enormous.
I listened to several NoS podcasts yesterday, and browsed through my check-in posts, and also my livejournal entries to see what worked in the past NoS-wise. Here are some problems I've identified, apart from the vague "I can't commit for longer than a week".
1. Premature optimization. That's a big one. Only having "vanity weight" to lose, I often let my diet-head get the better of me, and I want to see results (read: some arbitrary number on the scale) FAST. I pile up extra rules or undereat, with catastrophic results.
2. Counting calories. Exceeding my self-imposed limit always makes me prone to WTH effect, and undereating works for a couple of days before I snap and binge.
3. Skimping, not eating enough at meals. Very much related to #1.
4. Not trusting the whole process enough. NoS is like a tough parent giving me very clear boundaries - for my own good.
5. Coming up with S-days rules, which leads either to feeling of deprivation and/or binges. Rules are not the answer. What I need are speedbumps, fancily named "precommitment devices": little tricks to minimize mindless/binge eating on S-days, but not obtrusive enough to make me feel too restrained. For example, not bringing home any sweets before the actual S-day so that my willpower doesn't go into overdrive. Or vowing not to eat straight from the packages. Or taking only as much cash as I need to buy my chosen treat. That way, I still can eat as much as I want on weekend, but my laziness will be working against me.
6. Trying to minimize the damage by eating only two meals on the weekends. Bad, bad idea.
I also need to get back to posting my meals here - especially on S-days.

B: 2 frankfurters, Hungarian lecso, slice of bread, milk/coconut granola (in a little ramekin, perhaps 100 ml of volume), 2 pieces of cherry pie
iced coffee
D: fresh cucumber soup, turkey roast with a mountain of Greek salad and potatoes, about 6 pieces of cherry pie (they're about 2x1 inches, but it's still a lot)
binge: 1 piece of cherry pie, 1 cup of plain pasta, 3 T peanut butter, 1 cup ice cream, some Greek salad, 1 cup of cappuccino

Marianna · Post by **Marianna** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:48 pm

thank you for posting your observations--I can't tell you how many of them I identified with!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 12:18 am

Yes! I identify with a lot of those, too! I think it's all about finding balance.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 6:30 am

B: 2 frankfurters, Hungarian lecso, slice of bread, peach, 1 t pb
small coffee au lait
L: tuna/mayo/black olive/cucumber/arugula salad, 1/2 spelt bread roll, small apple
D: couple bites of plain pasta, 1 cup couscous/vegetable salad

SUCCESS. 14 minutes of strength training in the morning. My boss brought chocolate, and I had to get rid of the large piece he pushed on me, but I wasn't tempted to eat it.
Weekend idea: I either need to have two meals with unlimited sweets but ONLY after breakfast/lunch, or three meals with portion-controlled treats. My black and white thinking is in favour of the first option now. I want to avoid snacking as much as humanly possible on S-days, it makes me feel so yucky.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 6:14 am

B: tuna/cucumber/arugula/black olive/mayo salad, 1/2 spelt bread roll, peach
L: 1 cup couscous with chicken and vegetables, 8 small plums
D: 6 hashbrowns (oof!) with sour cream
cup of cocoa

SUCCESS. Dinner plate was really big, though. 14 minutes of strength training. Needed a cup of cocoa in the evening to keep me from snacking.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:25 am

Great job resisting that chocolate! I know how hard it is when someone literally puts something on your desk and says "this is yours". Nice work on the strength workout too

Imogen Morley wrote:Weekend idea: I either need to have two meals with unlimited sweets but ONLY after breakfast/lunch, or three meals with portion-controlled treats. My black and white thinking is in favour of the first option now.

On Sunday you mentioned that trying to minimise weekends by going for only 2 meals was a bad idea - is your new 2 meal idea here any different, or is it still going to trigger deprivation thinking?

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:04 am

Imogen, I find your insights very helpful! I can see that this will work now when you put them to use

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:54 am

Ironchef, I can do my two weekend meals two ways:
- either I eat brunch and dinner, and have unlimited sweets after each one, as much as like, which obviously keeps me full (and psychologically satisfied) for the rest of the day
- or I have two meals with limited amount of dessert, and the sense of deprivation kicks in soon afterwards
Last Sunday it was the latter, and this is why I binged in the evening - I felt as if my freedom to eat whetever I wanted was taken from me. Sure, I had a lot of pie, but wanted ice cream too, and didn't allow myself any. Hope I made myself clear on the distinction.

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:40 pm

I am amazed how hard it is to stop eating sweets once I start. Because of this, I eat my sweets carefully. Even on S days, I assess whether I really want that certain sweet, and I reserve my sweets for only the favorites. I know this could be considered a mod, but to me it is just my way of practicing moderation.

Your list of problems you identified all hit me as familiar as well. I have cycled through many of them during this No S journey.

I think I have finally realized that I will never get to a comfortable weight without moderating my daily plates and my weekends. I have no set mods or regimen for increased moderation. I just resist when I can, and I have become a pickier eater. It took me 3.5 years to get to this point. I can do it now without feeling deprived because I have developed a much better relationship with food with No S.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:48 pm

r.jean, that's my goal, but it's still somewhere far down the road. What I know for sure is that sweets, even in industrial quantities, don't do as much damage to me as snacks. The cornerstone of my moderation would be therefore avoiding all snacking, on N-days and S-days alike.

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:54 pm

We all do have our nemesis! Right now eating out is my biggest challenge. But the positive thing is we are moving forward slowly, very slowly.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 4:04 am

Ok, so 2 meals with no limit on size, versus two limited meals on S days.

What is it about 3 meals on S days that doesn't work? Is it that you sleep in, and push breakfast too close to lunch?

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:16 am

With three meals I need to consciously downsize my treats... which I rebel against. And three meals on weekends mean no hunger - in result, I feel sluggish and spend most of my day glued to the laptop, whining that I have zero energy for chores or fun.

B: 2 frankfurters, 3/4 cup mixed vegetable salad with mayo, 1/2 ciabatta, some watermelon
L: porridge with pb, 15 pretzel sticks, 1/2 apple
cafe au lait with sugar
D: meatball, 1/2 cup buckwheat, cucumber salad, sweet&sour beetroot salad
SUCCESS. I'm already looking forward to my planned weekend splurges - ice cream, and perhaps some kind of pastry.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:48 am

Ah, makes sense. Yes, a day without ever feeling hungry for a meal is not much fun - I've definitely had plenty of weekends like that.

I hope this week continues well, and your weekend plan is satisfying!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:24 am

B: 2 savoury french toasts, tomato, 4 plums, 1 cup homemade vanilla pudding (was it an S? I dunno! It was definitely less sweet than your typical yogurt cup)
L: 1 cup ww pasta with quark, butter, a little sugar, 5 plums
small cup of cocoa
D (late and VERY big): 2 T pb, green salad, 1 meatball, 1/2 cup brown rice, cold apple soup with angel hair pasta

SUCCESS. Oh man. I struggled so much between lunch and dinner! I wanted to snack my away through the afternoon.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 6:14 am

B: squash/tomato ratatouille, 1/2 ciabatta/butter/cheddar/ketchup, peach
L: 1 cup brown rice, milk, sugar, 8 almonds, peach, 10 pretzel sticks
D: cold apple soup/angel hair pasta, buttered string beans, potatoes, fried egg

SUCCESS. I'm so happy it's Friday! I've managed to keep up with my strength training routine in the morning this week, plus vanilla No S, and today I did 2 mile workout as well (we're having a temporary break from the recent African heatwave, so I could exercise without risk at last).

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 5:43 am

Wow. My weekly weigh-in showed 53.3 kg/117 lbs, that's almost 2 kg/4 lbs difference since last week!

I must be clearly doing something right. I've already noticed much less jiggle here and there. Yay! And the best part is, my friend who has recently started her workout program with a personal trainer achieved more or less similar results in more or less the same time, but she spends 3-4 hours weekly in the gym, whereas I just walk a lot, keep NoS-ing, and work out for 14 minutes in the morning with a resistance band. Guess who's got better chances to keep up that routine forever?

S-day!

B: open-faced ham sandwich (1 slice of bread), 3/4 cup baba ganoush, 3,5 biscuit
snack 1: 2 pralines, 1/2 oat biscuit, 1 T pb, cafe au lait, French cruller (mmm!)
snack 2: 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt with homemade cherry preserves
dinner: 7 apple pancakes (seconds!), 1 T pb
snack: 2 scoops ice cream

Snacking ruined my appetite for meals, but I didn't binge at least.
EDIT: My body is NOT happy. I feel sick from all the sugar, especially pancakes. Bleeeeh.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:58 am

Great to hear! Keep up the good work

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:20 am

S-day!

B: root vegetable/fish stew, 2 small slices of bread, peach, chai latte
D: 2,5 cabbage roll in tomato sauce, borscht with egg and dill, 9 pieces of plum cake
late evening snack: 2 T rolled oats with milk and sesame seeds

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:09 am

B: root vegetable/fish stew, 2 slices of bread, peach
small cafe au lait
L: small apple, small piece of smoked salmon, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 ciabatta, 20 pretzel sticks
small cafe au lait
D: 2 cabbage rolls, 1 slice of bread

SUCCESS. But getting back on track after the weekend was tough!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 5:54 am

B: porridge with caramelized plums and walnuts
small cafe au lait, 20 pretzel sticks
L: small piece of smoked salmon, 1/2 ciabatta, 1/2 red pepper, peach, 10 pretzel sticks
D: impromptu dinner in town (4 pieces of pizza), coke

Oatmeal for breakfast = predictable results... FAIL. Just not as terrible as usual.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:40 am

Thank you for that article Imogen!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:31 am

It sounds like you're doing great!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:26 am

B: 1 cup strawberries with some sugar and condensed milk, ham/egg/mayo salad, tomato, 1,5 slice of spelt bread
L: homemade vanilla cream cheese, 12 almonds, bowl of blackberries with sugar, 20 pretzel sticks
D: 2 cabbage rolls with buckwheat and mushrooms

FAIL. Some bad news

I numbed myself by eating chocolate, halva, almonds, and chocolate croissant right after dinner.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 6:19 am

B: smoked mackerel, 1/2 graham roll with butter, banana, 1/2 tomato
L: small apple, whole wheat pasta/mozzarella/tomato/arugula
D: cheese sandwich with ketchup, vegetables salad with greens, tomato, fava beans, 1/3 cup milk, 2 T pb

SUCCESS.
What I learned yesterday (and what triggered my binge eating episode) was that I needed to severely limit my intake of sugary foods and drinks for the sake of my teeth - so there you go, Last Supper syndrome. My doctor didn't only mean desserts per se, but also anything sticky or even remotely sweet, like fruit juices, sweetened beverages like coffee and cocoa, and carb-heavy foods (pancakes, porridges etc.). Of course, there are ways to still enjoy my treats and minimize their impact on my teeth, but if I lose my last remaining baby teeth (at the ripe old age of 29 I still have one!), I'll require long, painful and costly procedure to pull my permanent fang to its natural place, without any guarantee for success. What a bummer. Thankfully, NoS is very teeth-friendly and absolutely compatible with my doctor's recommendations, although it will require some additional strictness, like sticking to unsweetened coffee or planning my meals with extra care. "No snacks" I can live with, and sweets are going to be consumed once per S-day (quantity doesn't matter as long as dessert is consumed in one sitting) to limit the exposure to acid, and then followed by some dairy and lots of water.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 5:55 am

B: egg salad, 1/2 graham roll with butter, peach, cucumber
L: 2 vegetable crepes, banana, 12 almonds
sugarfree cafe au lait, some extra milk
D: apple/cinnamon/pasta casserole (moderate plate), 2 T pb

SUCCESS. And tomorrow - Lindt dark chocolate with salted caramel!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:59 am

S-day!

Weekly weigh-in: 53.6 kg/118 lbs

B: 1/2 mozzarella ball, leftover sweet casserole (couldn't finish it all), 4 small pieces of plum cake, 4 squares salted caramel dark chocolate, 12 almonds, 1/3 cup milk
L: more casserole, 12 almonds, 1 square of chocolate, 1 nut bar, 1/3 cup milk
snack: 1 piece of plum cake, chai latter
D: broad beans in cream sauce, potatoes
snack: bowl of poppyseed/honey/rum/walnut porridge, open-faced sandwich with ham and ratatouille

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 6:03 am

There's nothing like a health-related wake up call to change your eating! Yes, Mo S is very compatible with preserving teeth. Some of your meals sound so interesting! What is an apple/cinnamon/pasta casserole?

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 7:40 pm

Hm, that's kind of a traditional dish in my family - layered casserole made from pre-cooked angel hair pasta and stewed apples. Tastes very much like apple pie, but we eat it for dinner sometimes, leftovers become dessert.

S-day today, as wild as you can get.
B: 2 frankfurters, ratatouille with a slice of cheddar melted on top, 2 small slices of sourdough, peach
chai latte
snack: some casserole, a few bites of plain pasta and rice, 1 T peanut butter
D: tomato soup/pasta, rice/chicken stew/cucumber salad (+ seconds of rice with sauce), LOTS of apple crumble
iced latte with evaporated milk

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Mon Aug 11, 2014 4:36 am

That casserole sounds very interesting! The lattes sound good. I would love to try a peach chai latte, sometime!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:33 am

Overeating + latte after 4 pm = lost sleep. UGH!

B: 2 frankfurters, slice of sourdough, mixed vegetable salad, peach
small cofee au lait, no sugar
L: 1/2 camembert, 1/2 spelt roll, 1/2 red pepper, apple
another coffee, Peanut Butter Kit Kat bar, 2 pralines (my brain is desperate for some fast-absorbing energy)
D: tomato soup/pasta, chicken with rice, cucumber salad

FAIL. Though not as terrible as usual.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:46 pm

Quick update:
- Tuesday: FAIL. Snack - big handful pretzel sticks.
- Wednesday: FAIL, same as above.
- Thursday: dinner in town - big plate of pasta carbonara, and one scoop of ice cream. FAIL.

I'm slowly getting disillusioned. Vanilla NoS is not a magic bullet. At my height and weight I can't have anything-goes, unlimited S-days without gaining a little bit of weight week after week. My current weigh-in: 54.4 kg/119 lbs. Yeah, I have had fails throughout the week, but they were not my usual binges - probably because I was toying with the idea that vanilla was not for me, and I needed to move on to some more flexible plan, which eliminated the need to stuff myself silly because "my next chance is on Saturday!". I figured I could have something sweet tomorrow if I truly wanted.
Vanilla is SO difficult for me. Even after several months of near perfect compliance I was always overeating on weekends, not in a relaxed, enjoyable way of having extra 500 calories per day, but regular bingeing. In my case, prohibition fuels desire BIG TIME. Is there any long-term solution for moderation which doesn't involve "treats on schedule"? Perhaps floating S-events?

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:28 pm

That is frustrating about the S days. After reading other people's check-ins, there are definitely a bunch that bend the Vanilla rules and become successful - figure out what works for you. What do you usually binge on during the weekends? Snacks, sweets, etc? Maybe implementing S Events only on the weekends would help. For example, no grazing, only one snack between meals. Or, no seconds period - and limit your plate to what you would normally have during the week, or a small dessert after dinner and no more. You could also try to have a snack or sweet during the week with a rule of just one on any day (including S Days).

I've only had a few S Days since starting (or re-starting from before when I never really started), so I am no expert by any means! I am thinking of adding some rules for S Days, but it's hard to give up the safety net of not failing on an S Day.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 4:57 pm

B: 2 open-faced sandwiches with butter and sprats in tomato sauce, tomato, small banana
chai latte
L: potato/onion/red pepper fritatta, peach
D: 1 cup of pasta marinara, sprinkle of parmesan
sweet: cup of homemade chocolate pudding (so yummy, and actually good for you)

4 mile walk, and enthusiastic housecleaning. I definitely feel much calmer when I allow myself sweet/snack as an option once per day. The key might be choosing homemade rather than store-bought stuff as often as possible. Kinda Pollan-ish...

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 3:59 pm

Much walking today!

B: quark with chives, 1/2 peach, bread/butter
snack/sweet: 2 scoops ice cream (peanut butter!!!)
D: larger than usual plate of cinnamon&sour cream rice pudding

snapdragon · Post by **snapdragon** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 4:31 pm

Hi Imogene thanks for stopping by! A Plutot is a cross between a plum and an apricot they are also called dinosaur eggs and they are devine!
Looks like your doing well....happy for you!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 5:21 pm

Determined to make vanilla work for me, I binged last night. Ironic, isn't it? In my case, I need to stop restricting before I stop bingeing. There's no other way.
1,5 hour walk, 2 mile workout. I absolutely adore walking! I had planned to skip dinner, because my lunch was unusually heavy (and included 5 squares of dark chocolate), but in the end decided against it, as it would've been precisely the kind of bartering I associate very strongly with dieting. I want to avoid snacking as much as humanly possible, though, because being slightly hungry for meals is infinitely pleasurable. Sweets are okay, as long as they're part of my meals.

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:29 pm

Hi Imogen,

I love to walk also. I'm a lIfelong avid hiker that got sidetracked by motherhood so I use walking the neighborhood as my stopgap measure.

I also love snacking; it's my personal nemesis. Would you be able to just not buy any snack foods so they aren't In the house to tempt you? I've started only buying salty snacks on the days I'm allowed to eat them so if I want them I first have to go to the store and buy them. The kids and husband have all adjusted to the new system and don't even fuss about it. Although, initially there were a few somewhat dramatic conversations regarding the lack of anything "nice" in the house.

You are doing great! Just keep learning and changing and you will get to where you want to be.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Aug 18, 2014 4:33 pm

Three meals, scoop of ice cream after dinner, small cafe au lait with sugar after lunch. Funny, I prefer having only one scoop at a time - waiting to have the first taste of the second flavour somehow reduces the enjoyment I derive from the one I'm eating.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 4:42 pm

Three moderate meals, 1x coffee with milk and sugar, no sweets today. Still enjoying the peace of mind. Tomorrow I'm getting together with my friend, either for coffee or lunch - we'll see what happens.

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:58 pm

You'll do great with your friend tomorrow! Just focus on the company, and don't worry about the eating - it usually helps me if I don't stress about it. And if your friend suggests a snack or a sweet, just say no thanks - it's usually that easy.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 6:08 am

Actually, now I'm in favour of big fat YES when somebody offers a really heavenly dessert

Allowing myself something sweet with one of my daily meals has so far reduced binging on store-bought junk.

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:01 pm

Great thinking! I know my worthy fails are usually my favorite ones. Either way, just enjoy!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:00 am

Three meals yesterday, snack (3 T pb, dinner was seriously delayed), dessert (homemade chocolate pudding).

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Aug 21, 2014 5:13 pm

Today: three meals, unsweetened cafe au lait with Nutella croissant (needed a quick pick me up between breakfast and lunch - I didn't sleep too well last night), fun-size Snickers with my lunch. I walked quite a lot, running errands, and enjoying how comfortable my jeans are getting. Clearly, I'm not cut out to do vanilla No S, just like Anoulie. Optional treats after meals and avoiding snacking as much as humanly possible is enough to keep me on the right track.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 8:21 am

Well Imogen, if your jeans are getting comfortable again you are doing something right

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:36 am

eschano, I've always wished I had so much success with compliance and NoS in general as you had. But apparently, "no snacking" is far more important to me than "no sweets". And I firmly believe that in order to stop bingeing, one first needs to stop restricting.
I certainly haven't been perfect this week, as I've had a couple of snacking episodes. There's room for improvement!

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 12:05 pm

Whatever you're doing is working, even if it isn't strict NoS compliance! The rules are arbitrary, and you should adjust them to what works for you. If having a sweet treat even on N Days works, then do that. I tend to get into a habit and just eat the treat because I can - I'm trying to focus on really enjoying the treats and only having it if I really want it.

Actually, now I'm in favour of big fat YES when somebody offers a really heavenly dessert Allowing myself something sweet with one of my daily meals has so far reduced binging on store-bought junk.

This quote is the perfect attitude, and whatever stops the binging is a success, even if it isn't vanilla NoS!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 12:26 pm

aspencer27, have you read Willpower by Tierney and Baumeister? I have huge respect for them (and for Kelly McGonigal) and their research. Their impression is that for lasting weight loss, itâ€™s almost more important not to binge than it is to diet. I do think they have a point!

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:13 pm

Personally, I will have a piece of my favorite homemade desserts when offered regardless of the timing. Usually it is offered during some sort of special occasion, even if that special occasion is just a dinner with friends. I do not give in to everything, but a small piece of Texas sheet cake or homemade ice cream is heavenly.

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sat Aug 23, 2014 8:05 am

I think my thinking on eating is very similar to yours. I don't snack too often and I rarely get seconds, but I can't seem to give up sweets. I would honestly rather allow myself a small amount of sweets each day than restrict them and end up bingeing on them. The bingeing is something I'm still working on. Anyway, it sounds like what you're doing is working for you.

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:33 am

Hi Imogen,
Thanks for stopping by my check-in thread. I often read your check-in thread with interest to see how you are doing with the sweets issue, and also with keeping binging in check. I struggle with both of those, too. (And also want to take good care of my teeth!) I appreciate that you are honest about your struggles and that even though you get discouraged from time to time, you do regroup and carry on with NoS, perhaps with a tweak or two.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:18 am

Vanilla NoS yesterday. I overdid sweets on Sunday, but not in the usual desperate, pathetic fashion.
I'm having a fling with Weston A. Price diet, spending too much time on Stephan Guyenet's blog. WAP recommendations are very similar to the diet I remember from my childhood, and the way my grandmothers ate - everything made from scratch, lots of full-fat pastured dairy, fermented foods, pre-soaked beans and grains, butter, meat, fish, local raw honey, sweets only on Sunday, and all of them homemade... It was quite delicious in itself, but as my country grew affluent and westernized, processed crap full of sugar, trans fats, and suspicious pseudo-ingredients became widely available, and drove away traditional cooking skills. Ah, a real trip down the memory lane

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:59 pm

Dangerous territory

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 6:36 pm

Yeah, I know what you mean! Although WAP focuses more on what to eat than when, so it's totally compatible with NoS. Still, it's only a phase.
Vanilla again today, but I had a really big Italian dinner with my friend - focaccia with butter, slice of her pizza, and my own lasagne plate.
I'm getting better at avoiding sugar in my drinks. I almost never drink soda, because I don't enjoy its taste, but when feeling snacky, I often have coffee with full-fat milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Not anymore! After two weeks sans sugar lactose in milk tastes sweet enough without any added sweetener.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:59 pm

Three meals, 2 scoops ice cream, 4 pralines today, some coffee with milk and sugar.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:10 pm

Vanilla No S + a small treat yesterday, stress-induced binge today. What a bummer.

worth it · Post by **worth it** » Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:40 am

Hang in there, girl. I know exactly how you feel. Just had one right before I started up my third try with No S. I was on a fasting diet and just couldn't handle it. I binged for 3 days in a row and felt awful.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sat Aug 30, 2014 6:45 am

I'm sure you'll have a better day tomorrow.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:12 am

Saturday: 10-hour train ride, yuck. I had a typical breakfast (egg salad, sourdough, fruit), then coffee with cream and sugar and lunch on the train (sandwich, banana, peanut butter Kit Kat bar), and an entire medium pizza in the evening, about 30-cm in diameter.
Sunday: late brunch, lots of permasnacking (biscuits, wafers, cereal, croissant, ice cream...), big dinner of pasta bolognese, and an entire 100-gram bar of hazelnut white chocolate. In the evening I managed to get out for an hour to walk near the woods. I'm not happy about my weekend, but oh well.
Monday
B: 3 pieces of leftover pizza, slice of fresh pineapple
L: open-faced sandwich with goat cheese and butter, cup of hot chocolate
D: pasta bolognese

I'm technically on vacation, but still wrapping up some projects from last week. At least I'm in a different city. Going to keep the week N.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:30 pm

I hope you had a great holiday!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 7:15 am

Whew! I managed to keep Tuesday and Wednesday GREEN, though my plates have been a bit on the heavy side lately. I'm enjoying myself SO much here, and on Sunday I'm going to start a two-week Croatian holidays. Lots of unique, yummy food - wondering how I'm going to handle it.

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 7:48 am

Hi Imogen,
Congratulations on 2 green days! I think every little unit of them we manage to link together has a real impact on the big picture. Habits form one action at a time... (yeah, I know, it doesn't always feel like that to me either)...

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 9:28 am

Well done!

Croatian food is yummy but thankfully their sweets are very different so you might go green.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:04 pm

I'm already looking forward to Bajadera pralines... Any ideas on how to keep NoS vacation-friendly?
I've stopped calorie counting, and I'm working HARD to stop obsessing over potential caloric excess of my three daily meals. Being so short, I definitely can't eat as much as my taller peers without gaining some weight, but in the worst case scenario I'll either maintain or put on 2 kilos. Habit first.

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 1:55 pm

I rarely gain more than a pound or two on vacation even when we take all you can eat cruises. One key for me is to walk every where and seek out physical activities whenever possible. Another is to stick to 3 meals a day but allow one special sweet each day, usually dessert after dinner. Of course I do not eat all out at each meal, but I indulge on things I really want and tone it down when the choices are less appetizing.

Because you are small, it has to be harder. Portion sizes in restaurants are made to satisfy all sizes.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Fri Sep 05, 2014 4:01 pm

Full-blown RED on Thursday, and RED EVENT today. Picking myself up. Snacking on sweets always end badly!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 5:58 am

I hear you on the sweets. That is still a challenge for me, too. How tall are you? I'm 5'1, and I have to watch my portions more, too.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 6:55 am

I got some excellent tips on handling vacations on this thread when I went on my first "No S" vacation.

Above all, I hope you enjoy yourself!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 1:09 pm

clarinetgal, same here. NoS is no silver bullet, and the whole weight management problem really does boil down to "calories in vs. calories out". Taller folks can get away with more.
Today has been pretty decent so far. I filled my lunch plate to the brim, though. Three scoops of ice cream as snack/sweet, but I didn't finish it all, realizing halfway through that it wasn't as good as I'd expected. There's going to be a small pizza party in the evening, and I'll try to stick with the small dessert plate.

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 6:24 am

Yes, I think you're right about it boiling down to calories in vs. calories out. It sounds like you had a good S Day!

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:36 pm

Hi Imogene,

I went on a 5 week vacation and managed to stick to No- S. (More or less) It helps a lot if you can preplan your day and/or your week. Not every day has to be filed with vacation food because you're also going to be having lots of vacation activities. So, If it Is a day you know you are going to have a special eating event then schedule in an S-meal or day but if it is really just going to be a relatively normal run of the mill vacation day enjoy it as an n-day.

For me, preplanning was key and I came home 3 pound lighter than when I left.

Most of all of course; Enjoy your vacation and to quote whomever wrote the book, "don't sweat the small stuff"