ceo418 check-in

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sat May 23, 2015 9:49 pm

Hello. I've been lurking around this forum for several months and actually have been following No-S for about two and a half months. I don't know how regular my check-ins will be, but it's nice to find a place where I feel I have some support.

A brief history: I started becoming overweight around the age of 9 and made many vows throughout my adolescent years to lose weight, although I never actually did any of the major fad diets that have sprung up through the years. At my heaviest I was about 250, and after being diagnosed with PCOS almost eight years ago I started taking Metformin, which I believed helped me to lose about 40 pounds. After that, it seems like I gradually lost a little weight over the past few years by making other small changes, although I was still often snacking and eating lots of sweets. Last fall, after I had decided to devote myself to an Intuitive Eating program, I came across the No-S website through a search engine and started reading the posts, thinking that it sounded good but there was no way I'd want to give up my snacks at work or the concept of eating every time I was hungry. As the months went by, I noticed that because I was letting myself eat whatever I want whenever I felt the least bit hungry, I was actually tiring of some foods. I even noticed that I had lost a few pounds.

In March, I finally came back to the No-S website one night, and after reading it through again I decided to give it a try. I was tired of always trying to figure out what to eat mid-morning at work that might or might not leave me hungry at lunch and trying to fight the feeling that maybe I enjoyed the muffins down in the cafeteria a little too much. So, I went a day without snacking or sweets and only eating three meals. The hardest part was that mid-morning work time, but once I got through that I told myself I could do it again. And here I am, enjoying the benefits of not having to worry about snacks. I'm already noticing that my S-days are calming down. I lost about 6-7 pounds at first, gained a little back, and am ready to see results over the long haul. My clothes are fitting better, and I love that I can do this program without having anyone notice any big change in my eating habits.

I've had a few red days, and I am under no illusion that there won't be more. This way of eating has made me feel calm about food for the first time in my life, and I feel I can more easily ignore all the advertising for other diets that I see and feel good about the decision I made. I can't deny that the Intuitive Eating program did help me to curb some of my sweets cravings, but it's No-S that has been pivotal in helping me to end the secret shame I often felt in snacking or eating lots of chocolate, cookies, and cake while being alone in my apartment.

I don't really have a clear weight goal in mind, although I have lost about 65 pounds since I was at my highest weight many years ago, and would probably like to lose about 20 more from where I am now. I do exercise fairly regularly (usually walking/aerobics 5-6 days a weeK) and am no longer taking the Metformin because I feel better without it now. So here I am, committed to No-S, and looking forward to reading more of the stories from people on here who have committed to it as well!

NoS-er · Post by **NoS-er** » Sat May 23, 2015 11:00 pm

_______

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sun May 24, 2015 6:59 am

Welcome!! I relate to a lot of what you're saying--dieting at a young age, intuitive eating helping me making food types more neutral, and also how intuitive eating wasn't a good long-term solution.

NoS is great on so many levels. For me, the first benefit was the reduced guilt. Eating just 3 meals a day definitely isn't overeating so even if I didn't lose weight right away, I at least felt like a normal eater which was huge for me.

Anyway sounds like you're in a good place and that nos will be a good fit for you.

Gl!

Linda

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Sun May 24, 2015 10:53 am

Welcome. I hope you find success here!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon May 25, 2015 1:52 pm

Thanks for the welcome! My S-days this Memorial Day weekend have been ok. I went to a Chinese buffet for lunch yesterday and recognized how much food would make me full versus how much food would make me feel overstuffed, and made my choices accordingly. Other than that I've snacked on some cookies that I bought and cookies that I've made. Much better than other S-days in the past!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed May 27, 2015 12:36 am

Well, back to the N-days. I've had a pretty good month so far with only one failure. I don't plan to post my meals often, but this is what I had today:

Breakfast: Honey bunches of oats cereal, banana
Lunch: tuna sandwich, single size bag of Doritos, and an apple
Dinner: chicken barley soup, crackers, yogurt

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Wed May 27, 2015 8:58 am

ceo418 wrote:I went to a Chinese buffet for lunch yesterday and recognized how much food would make me full versus how much food would make me feel overstuffed, and made my choices accordingly.

Hi, ceo418- I think that's great. It's what I would love to be striving for on S days!... moderate and satisfying, rather than full of overeating and feeling sluggish.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu May 28, 2015 7:12 pm

So today was a red day, although not a big one. I gave in and had some of the cake that was brought in for a birthday, along with a cookie. But when I started thinking at lunch that I wanted another one, I told myself "No, you already had one. That's enough" and was able to get through the rest of the day. So that's a plus for me, even if it did come with the feeling that I shouldn't have eaten the cake in the first place.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 3:37 pm

So, after a brief period of time when I thought the weekend S-days were calming down, I went somewhat wild yesterday. Saturday was not too bad, I had a few cookies with lunch and a handful of peanut butter M&Ms later in the afternoon and a decent dinner. Sunday was okay until dinnertime, when my boyfriend made pasta and I had two large servings of that with four pieces of garlic bread and regular root beer, then went home a couple of hours later and had more cookies and some chocolate. It's a good step that I recognize that as being too much food, but really I could have done without the cookies and chocolate and been fine from dinner. This morning I felt hungry as usual, though, and just had my usual cereal and banana and am feeling fine now that lunch is only an hour away. There's a nearly seven-hour time frame between breakfast and lunch for me on workdays (5:45 a.m. or so until 12:30) and I'm amazed at how often I really am able to ignore my hunger, or sometimes not even really feel it, until just before it's time to go eat. That was probably one of the biggest positive changes for me, stopping the mid-morning snacking. The after dinner snacking is pretty much under control except for the few failures I've had, and even those were small.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:03 pm

This week has been good so far, although last night I did have a fail. My boyfriend came over for dinner and I didn't eat much for some reason. After he left, I went straight to the kitchen and put four cookies on a napkin and brought them back in front of the tv. After I ate the cookies, though, that was it. I briefly thought about the M&Ms or the Kit Kats that were waiting in the kitchen, told myself they'd still be there on Saturday and Sunday, and put the napkin in the trash. So a controlled failure, and one that does not make me feel too guilty, as it could have been a lot worse!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:25 am

Well done on not giving into the WTH effect!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:41 pm

I had more nibbling of cookies this weekend, along with handfuls of M&Ms. However, I did also allow myself an ice cream treat on Sunday night. I've discovered over time that it's better for me to have smaller ice cream treats available because otherwise I'll put way too much in a bowl. Sometimes I do buy a flavor that's not available in a smaller treat, but for the most part I've managed well. I'm hoping for an entire row of green days this week, since I've had a failure day once a week for the past few weeks. It's entirely within my control, and I know I can do it!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:40 am

After a green week last week I actually had a pretty good weekend. I had some chocolate treats with my lunch on Saturday, a couple of cookies with lunch on Sunday and then enjoyed a piece of "Oreo dream extreme" cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory after a dinner of their Chinese chicken salad. I felt good and actually not overstuffed as I have in the past after eating a meal there, probably because in the past I would have already had several other treats that day and tried to convince myself that they didn't matter. I've been slow with exercise in the last week because of some muscle spasms in my back, but they're getting better and I've tried to keep up with at least the walking part of my exercise, and the one time that I did an aerobics video (Leslie Sansone is great!!) I've kept my arm movements small. So I have some reasons to feel good about No-S right now, because the food obsessions I used to have are still slowly disappearing.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:41 pm

This week has been a success so far! I was so tempted to get a snack while at the movies last night, but instead I used the new soda machines at the theater to get a diet root beer, which was satisfying enough. I was careful to stick to my one plate at dinner, even though it was earlier than I usually eat because of the movie time, and I fought off the temptation to have some chocolate (didn't matter what kind, could have been cookies or M&Ms or Hershey kisses) after getting home from the theater. I've also noticed that I don't even really miss the morning snack I used to have at work every day. It's a long time between breakfast and lunch (almost 7 hours) but if I get hungry I either drink water or more tea and just do my best to wait until lunch. I did buy some small boxes of apple juice to store in my desk for those occasional days when it just becomes too overwhelming, so at least my mind knows that there's an option. I also often go out to the parking lot for a walk mid-morning which helps with the urge to eat. I'm still very glad to have found No-S!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 1:08 pm

Doing well!!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jun 25, 2015 1:31 am

This has been a good week so far, although I do think I overdid my sweets/snacks on Sunday especially. Because of an earlier dinner time tonight I started to get hungry around 9, and had a small glass of milk. That should hold me until morning! I'm considering a mod in which I let myself have a piece of fruit with dinner, if I want it, even if it doesn't fit on my plate. I find myself craving fruit more these days and it can be hard to make it fit in the day outside of breakfast sometimes. I've also been lurking around other weight loss forums, reading what other people do especially on the calorie counting sites and I think it's been messing with my head. No-S is simple and sane and something I can easily work into my life, and I want to stay with it. I know I'm not the only one on here who has gone through a similar inner argument, and I've been looking into books to help with the emotional side of eating and weight loss.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 11:42 am

I had two decent S-days. Some cookies with lunch on Saturday and seconds (which is usually the S I'm least concerned with) at dinner. On Sunday I had a chocolate bar with lunch and a few cookies after dinner. Then, while grocery shopping yesterday, I passed by the ice cream and one particular flavor called out to me: Party cake. So I bought it, and about an hour after dinner I placed a couple of small scoops into a bowl and ate it. I guess you could call it a "planned failure." I could have just let the ice cream sit for a few days, but I really did want it and decided it was worth my time to have a little bit. It's a very sweet flavor, and I even noticed how almost overly sugary it was. Perhaps my taste buds are adjusting now.

Meals for the past couple of days:
Sunday:
Breakfast: 4 microwave pancakes with peanut butter and syrup
Lunch: small dish of past, apple, Snickers bar
Dinner: chicken salad at a restaurant
Dessert: 3 sugar cookies

Monday:
Breakfast: Honey Nut Chex cereal with milk, banana
Lunch: Yoplait Orange Creme yogurt, Ritz crackers, baby carrots
Dinner: 2 slices pepperoni pizza, lettuce salad with cucumbers
Dessert (red day): Party cake-flavored ice cream

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:21 am

I find my taste buds are adjusting as well. Although, it took me a lot longer

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 2:07 pm

I decided to take a non-weekend S day tomorrow (the 3rd) because it's a work holiday and I have the day off, so I am going to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants and planning to order dessert! I'm sure this weekend will be full of food and I'm going to try to be sensible but enjoy what I can because of the S days.

I went over to an IE site yesterday to look back at the message boards and was reminded once again of why I turned away from that program. Any talk of actually desiring weight loss on there seems to always lead to statements like "You need to learn to be satisfied with the body you have now" or "That's diet talk and it's a trigger for me!" Sometimes I feel like the word "trigger" has really been showing up all over the message boards/social media I've looked at lately, and while I understand there are some people who have difficulties with certain topics, I also feel that simply saying "That's a trigger for me" can stifle what could otherwise be a helpful discussion. Anyway, reading the posts frustrated me because yes, I have learned to try to not hate my body, but I do want to change it and lose weight and that's why I turned to No-S. I've found a lot of peace with food here, and support on this message board, and I know it will be a slow process and I'm fine with that because I'm keeping my goals small (about 5 pounds at a time). I'm glad people here don't try to say "Don't talk about losing weight" and simply acknowledge that it's a slow and hopefully more permanent process than any others out there.

Sorry for the rant. I figured I'd do it here on my check-in page and not start a new topic on the main board because it's mainly just a way for me to sort out my feelings.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:14 pm

You are in the right place to rant

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:19 pm

Thanks eschano!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:57 pm

ceo418 wrote: I've also noticed that I don't even really miss the morning snack I used to have at work every day. It's a long time between breakfast and lunch (almost 7 hours) but if I get hungry I either drink water or more tea and just do my best to wait until lunch.

I'm only on my third week, but this is one of the biggest, and most amazing things, that I noticed myself!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:48 pm

OK, so the last few days haven't exactly been the best. I had failures on both Wednesday and Thursday (small ones, though) and then let myself enjoy lunch out with dessert on Friday.

Then Friday night was a bit wacky, as I had some cereal around 6:30, then my boyfriend came over and we drove to his parent's beach house and had a late sandwich/chips/cookies meal there. Then Saturday came and I think it was decent until dinner at a pizza place along the boardwalk. I think each slice of pizza might have been about 9 inches long and 6 across, something I didn't see until they were brought to the table, and I ate 1 3/4 of those with frozen custard for dessert later. Sunday was more relaxed, but after dinner and dessert I came home and once I was alone I ate a small bowl of ice cream and several Mint Oreos. Today is a new day, though, and it's back to N days and the support they provide for me.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:23 pm

I had another decent weekend. Saturday started off with some waffles with butter and syrup. I had two cookies with my lunch, then later on at a baseball game I had cotton candy and peanut M&Ms. (Haven't had cotton candy in years, forgot just how easily it melts away in the mouth). Then Sunday my one treat was the Mile High Mud Pie at Red Robin. Yumm!! Last week was all green and I'm hoping to do the same this week. I'm not weighing myself until the end of the month, but I will say that I've noticed some small changes in the shape of my body and I am happy with that progress. I do have to buy some more pants for work soon, which will be difficult because the store at which I purchased my current favorites (Fashion Bug) closed down several years ago and I haven't really found any good substitutes for those. Overall, I'm happy with the way my eating thoughts and patterns have been going lately!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:04 pm

You're doing well.

I saw you were looking for a book about emotional eating and weight loss - One I like is 100 Days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle - she also has a very good website with lots of resources.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:53 pm

Thank you for the recommendation!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:24 pm

It was another decent weekend for me S-wise. On Saturday I started off with two donuts, and then noticed that my stomach felt kind of icky for a time after that. I had a light lunch and then had a big dinner at a steakhouse (although my boyfriend looked at me a bit strangely for ordering a salad and some mac 'n cheese, and I realized later that I could have done with just the salad because of the appetizer). On Sunday I had a light breakfast, then lunch with a few cookies afterwards, then at dinner I had some seconds of macaroni salad and later on had some ice cream for dessert. Not over-the-top, and yet today I am struggling to leave the snacks in the break room at work alone. I guess Mondays are often going to be a hard day for me. I just need to remind myself that I had a good breakfast (eggs, toast, and banana) and that lunch will come sooner than I think.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:15 pm

Last night was a test of these new habits for me. At some point after dinner I started thinking that cookies sounded good. I took three out of a container in the freezer and put them on the counter, then moved them to the table next to the couch along with my mug of tea. For the next hour and a half, I watched tv and kept glancing at the cookies, wondering if I was going to go ahead and eat them and then change the day to red on the Habitcal. Finally, I took the cookies to the kitchen and placed them in the garbage can. When I sat back down, I realized that just five months ago I would have not only eaten those cookies, I would have eaten about three more and probably gone for some chocolate in the cupboard. I also would have eaten my usual handful of M&Ms right when I got home from work and not worried about whether I'd still be hungry enough for dinner. It's amazing to see how much my thinking (or not thinking, as the case may be) about food has changed since I started No-S!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:35 am

My S-days were a little more calm this weekend than they've been in the past. On Saturday I had a handful of M&Ms with lunch. Then, I went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and had a relatively light dinner so I could then get the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. I pushed aside the whipped cream that they serve with it and just ate the cake itself, and it was very good. At the end of the meal, I felt full but not overstuffed. Yesterday my only indulgence was a piece of chocolate cake from the grocery store bakery, but even as I was eating it I realized that it didn't taste as good to me as it did in the past.

I weighed myself over the course of three days last week and discovered that I am holding steady, which is progress in itself, and that I have lost a few pounds since starting No-S. I have definitely noticed it more in the fit of my clothes, though, as all the pants I was wearing to work have definitely become too large and I was able to buy a pair in a smaller size, so I know I can go back and get other pairs in different colors. I've always had difficulty finding pants that fit me the way I like, so I don't enjoy shopping for them all that much. Tops, to me, are easier. I've always liked loose-fitting clothes but now I've noticed even some of my current shirts are almost hanging off of me. I guess it's good that fall is coming, because I can shop in bits and pieces for a new wardrobe!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:05 am

so, big failure today. I guess I kind of thought something like this would happen. I had a cupcake at work today and thought that was going to be it. Then I came home, made dinner, saw a package of 6 Oreos in the cupboard and gave in to the WTH effect. Had the Oreos with dinner, then ate 5 of the miniature Hershey bars. Now I'm sitting on my couch actually not feeling well (never used to happen when I'd do stuff like this) and realizing that the only thing I can do is pick back up tomorrow to stay on habit and not punish myself by giving up an S-day this weekend. Kind of feeling low, because I was doing so well. =(

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:28 am

You are doing well! Having a red day now & then is perfectly normal & will not impede your overall success with NoS as long as you don't make a habit out of it. Now you have valuable info. Red days don't feel as good as green days so better to wait for S days for your treats.

Mark it & move on. You got this!

Linda

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:44 pm

Looking back over my S-days, I think they were fairly calm. Saturday I had breakfast out, then had a small lunch with some M&Ms after. Saturday night my boyfriend and I went to Joe's Crab Shack, and he asked me on the way there if I wanted to share the same dessert we've had every time we've gone there, and I agreed since I had been looking forward to it myself. We ordered an appetizer, I had my entree, and the dessert was absolutely worth waiting for. Sunday I had some M&Ms (can you tell those are one of my favorite candies?), a Mint Oreo, and then at dinner I had seconds and thirds on garlic bread. I had bought a Milky Way bar on Friday because I thought I might want it this weekend, but now it's still in my cupboard waiting for the next S-day that I am craving chocolate and caramel!

I noticed even before I started No-S that seconds weren't a problem for me most of the time, especially when I was eating at home. Out at restaurants I'd often have more than one piece of bread or serving of salad (if it was offered in a bowl like at Olive Garden), and buffets were usually two or three trips (although not always with loaded plates). So when I do indulge in seconds at home, it feels strange to me. The sweets and snacks were really what I needed to work on the most, and I think I've come a long way in reaching some food sanity through No-S!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:05 am

I realized last night that I've now been following No-S for a little over five months. Although in total I've only lost a few pounds and would like to see more weight loss, I must admit that my clothes feel better and the older clothes I was often wearing in a slightly larger size are all too loose now. That's one way to judge the effectiveness of this new life, I guess. I've had to face the fact that I need to buy new clothes that will actually fit me, and I'm actually happy about it!

What's even better, for me at least, is how I deal with food now. Having been overweight since around the age of 9, and turning 37 this past April, I realize that I've been using food for comfort all my life, and eating more because it seemed like it was expected of me in various situations. Now that there are rules in place about when I should eat or not eat, and how much I can have (one plate) I feel more freedom to think about other parts of my life. There have been a lot of struggles internally with No-S, for sure, but it's something I can do quietly and without making a lot of major changes that I wouldn't be able to sustain.

That said, I still have some wild S-days. They're getting better, and I enjoy the fact that I'm learning what "too much" feels like and starting to choose my S-day treats more wisely. That's not to say that I don't enjoy chocolate or cookies anymore, but I've learned that excessive treats don't make me feel good. I've only told one person that I'm following No-S, and I think she was a little surprised to hear that I was actually doing something with the word "diet" in it because I've always been critical of other so-called "fad diets" in the past.

I have confidence that I can follow No-S for the rest of my life. Of course I'll have red days. Of course I'll have times when I just want to eat to comfort myself. I've learned that it's okay to have a failure and move past it, that I don't have to be perfect but can still keep some sanity around food. I'm currently in a period of committing to 21 days of vanilla No-S, with no modifications or lame excuses that I've had recently such as "It's alright to start on Friday!" or "As long as I have just a couple small pieces of chocolate I won't count it." I want this to work, and I want to lose more weight with my new lifestyle. Most of all, I want to keep this peacefulness that I've been having with my food choices and know that I'm doing something good for myself and my health!

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:25 am

Terrific changes! Congratulations on all the positive changes.

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 3:47 pm

Hi, ceo418- Sounds like you really have your head fully in the game, and that is so important. I'm glad NoS is working well for you!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 11:13 am

This weekend my S-days were good. On Saturday my boyfriend and I went to the dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (2nd time this month for me, which is highly unusual) and it was mid-afternoon so I was able to order their lunch size salad and try a piece of the carrot cake cheesecake. That was the only indulgence on Saturday. On Sunday I had a Twix bar with lunch and then later on in the evening I had another treat, and that was it. Yesterday, I decided to make it an S-day because I donated blood and enjoyed a little package of Oreos and some pretzels after the donation, then stopped and got a chocolate shake for dessert later. It was a yummy treat, and one that I haven't had in a long time. So, off to another string of N-days before the weekend!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:08 pm

This morning I was outside walking around the parking lot at work (I do that quite often as a morning break) and a woman walked by and said "You're looking great. You've lost a lot of weight." I smiled and said "Thank you" and actually did feeling a glowing feeling. I think part of it is because despite what the scale says I really do feel lighter these days, most of the time anyway, and I've also started wearing more clothes that aren't baggy and hanging loosely off my body.

This weekend was not bad at all. I had waffles Saturday morning, a cookie with lunch, and then some ice cream Saturday night. On Sunday I had a handful of M&Ms after lunch, then nothing until dinner when I enjoyed two chocolate chip cookies and two blonde brownies. I had baked that afternoon and thought it was a good time to enjoy the "fruits" of my labor. They were delicious, and now all the other cookies and brownies are in the freezer for future S-days. I also noticed how easy it was to not eat anything between meals on the weekend. Habit is good.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 5:14 am

You're doing great! Hope the rest of your week went well too!

Linda

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:02 am

I've stopped marking the Habitcal for now because I know I am having success with mostly staying on habit. The only red day I've had in the past few weeks was when an unexpected dinner out opportunity was presented to me in the form of a birthday dinner for my boyfriend's niece last night. It was enjoyable, and I did not feel overstuffed afterwards, but I did have dessert and pieces of several appetizers that would not have fit on my regular plate. I've also discovered that certain chocolates (Hershey) have started to taste odd. Thankfully the M&Ms are still tasting good! =)

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 3:35 pm

Wow, I didn't realize it had been almost three weeks since I last checked in here. To be honest, not a lot has changed. I'm down a couple more pounds. Last Tuesday was a red day because the power went out at work and they sent us all home, and later that afternoon I decided to try baking a new kind of cookie and sampled four of them! I was having a period of time last week when I probably had more "S" days than I needed. I went down to Atlantic City (a two hour drive) and enjoyed an extended weekend vacation with my dad and his wife (and my boyfriend). I didn't snack as much as I thought I might, and we did get plenty of walking in up and down the boardwalk, especially going to restaurants and casinos. I only felt overstuffed one time, and it was worth the enjoyable dinner and and conversation. Then I came back Saturday and had more for dinner/dessert than usual, and on Sunday it calmed down a bit with just some cookies around lunch and dinner. I can definitely note a change from this time last year, when I already had my plastic witch cauldron filled with Halloween candy that I had to refill mid-October because I had eaten most of it. I'm buying treats to give out, but I can resist them now and have a few on the weekends to enjoy. What a great feeling!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 7:28 pm

Well, everything has still been pretty much on track. I did have a red day this week, which consisted of two cookies with tea after dinner one night, but I stopped myself from going after the Halloween candy sitting in my covered candy bowl and I'm proud of myself for that, because last year I know I would have eaten three or four of those little chocolate bars! I keep the dish covered during the week and open it on weekends, and there's only a few bars in there anyway so I don't fill it again until it's empty.

This weekend I'm going down to Amish country for a short trip to buy some wine and indulge in a few treats I enjoy down there, including a buffet restaurant. I think I can keep my portions fairly small so I don't feel overstuffed yet still enjoy the foods I want!

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 2:52 am

Hi, ceo418- Wow, you have a lot of self discipline, if just putting a cover on a bowl of candy keeps you out of it. For me, I really have to keep candy out of the house, or it just magically gets eaten!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:02 pm

Oh believe me, that surprises me as well. There's still sometimes a mental struggle, but it's nowhere near as strong as it was when I first committed to No-S back in March!

I was looking for a sweatshirt to buy this weekend and I noticed that all the XL options just looked too big. That's the first time I've ever thought that! It might also be because I generally prefer the "men's" options vs. the "women's" due to the fact that I've never liked the form-fitting nature of most women's t-shirts, but in this case the options were pretty much unisex. So I bought a Large and took it home, and when I tried it on yesterday it fit comfortably. Not too tight, and not hanging on me like the XL probably would have done. I haven't stepped on the scale in awhile, but obviously some changes have been happening to my body. Now if my mind can catch up in terms of looking at myself in the mirror, that would be great!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:46 pm

Well, the end of last week had a couple of failures. My boyfriend was taken to the hospital (mental health unit) and I found myself deciding to turn to food to comfort me, although I did set limits and stuck to them. On the weekend I indulged in chocolate and made some frosted sugar cookies (always a big project) and then let myself have some of the cookies after all the rest had been put away in the freezer for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Yesterday was back to a green day, although I wasn't able to get in touch with my boyfriend there in the hospital (they have a couple of phones on the floor for the patients, but either the lines were busy or no one answered). I think this is the first time I've faced an emotional difficulty like this and not kept turning to food. After last Thursday and Friday I knew I needed to get back on track, and it was actually surprisingly easy last night, probably in part because I just made some tea and was so tired that I nearly fell asleep on the couch watching tv.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:53 am

Oh no I'm so sorry!!! I think you did well considering. It's normal to turn to food for comfort and fine as long as it's occasionally.

*hugs* and hope he's better soon.

Linda

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Oct 21, 2015 6:42 am

You have done REALLY REALLY well to apply the No S 'brakes' to eating to cope with emotional upset.

And I am so happy for you about the sweatshirt experience - I hope that wearing that sweatshirt feels like the loving hug you need.

I sincerely hope that you are soon able to make contact with your boyfriend, and that he is getting the best possible care to help him over this episode of mental illness - it's such a hard thing to deal with - for both of you.

much love - keep on keeping on - you're doing great and your success will give you great emotional strength.

xxxx

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:09 pm

Thanks for the support! He's doing very well now and is going home today. I was able to see him last night, which helped a lot emotionally. I had to eat dinner earlier than usual in order to get there for visiting hours, so when I got home I was still somewhat hungry, and chose a banana instead of the cookies I had been thinking about on the way home. I figured it would have fit on my plate earlier, and it was comforting since bananas are pretty much a daily staple for me (usually at breakfast).

So the past couple of days have been good No-S wise, and I am very glad to see that I have been able to keep it up despite the temptations lurking in my freezer and cupboard.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:27 am

Wow, I am feeling almost physically ill after an out of control S-day, which hasn't happened in awhile. I really can't find a reason as to why I ate so many cookies and chocolate bars today, except that I made some cookies and then realized how much I had overstocked for Halloween next week. Saturday was good. My boyfriend and I went on a scary hayride and I enjoyed some delicious apple cider at the hayride. Today I pulled out my copy of the No-S book and decided to read it again, and also looked back at the strictness podcast in anticipation of the coming week. I do know that despite some successes I need to tighten up some behaviors.

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:34 am

We all have days when we revert to old habits. It's good that you recognize how bad it made you feel. Now, just acknowledge the mistake and move on tomorrow (as you have planned) progress not perfection is what your looking for. Good luck. I'll be thinking of you.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sun Nov 01, 2015 9:04 pm

Well, the first S day of the weekend went fairly well for it being Halloween. I had three cookies with lunch, nothing more until we ordered pizza for dinner (and I just had one plate for dinner) and then two more cookies along with three little chocolate bars. Oh, and some spiced apple wine. Today has been very moderate, so maybe I'm learning from last weekend. I do know that I'd like to focus on my S-days this month to implement the "sometimes" part of No-S. I also went for a 30 minute walk in a park yesterday and did a 30 minute workout video today.

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Sun Nov 01, 2015 10:14 pm

It sounds like a lovely weekend. Enjoy the rest of it!

MaggieMae · Post by **MaggieMae** » Sun Nov 01, 2015 10:34 pm

Hi, ceo! I am planning on starting No S tomorrow and just read your thread. Sounds like you're doing great at forming the habits! I hope I can pull it together and have all green this week.

Good luck this week!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:08 pm

Thanks MaggieMae!

This weekend was actually not bad S-wise. On Saturday I had two distinct meals for breakfast and lunch with no snacking in between, and then we went to P.F. Chang's for dinner and I enjoyed an appetizer and sharing a dessert. It was enjoyable, and I did not feel stuffed afterwards. On Sunday I did have a few cookies in between meals, but it was nothing like what I had been eating the past few weekends. I now realize I definitely had some crazy S-days through September and October!

I got some blood test results back yesterday and discovered that I'm low in Vitamin D and my doctor recommends a supplement. I'm fine with trying that out, as I've also been doing some reading and finding that there may be a link between Vitamin D deficiency and PCOS. I've put my PCOS on the backburner for awhile, but it may be time to start doing a little more to treat that. Starting with a vitamin supplement is probably one of the more low-maintenance ways to go, and I already exercise regularly. Now that I have no-S in my life, I think I just need to start paying a little more attention to what's going on my plate. Thank goodness I have this way of eating to turn to!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:18 am

So, the holiday week already involved the addition of another NWS-day. Today I had the chance to go to the Mall of America, something I enjoy doing when I visit my relatives in Minneapolis. Here's a review of the day:

Breakfast: French toast, banana, small glass of orange juice
Sweet: free chocolate truffle sample at the Lindt store
Lunch: clam chowder, Caesar salad, diet Pepsi
Snack: two chocolate chip cookies, diet Pepsi
Sweet: free sample at See's candies
Dinner: sloppy Joe's, corn, milk

Although I was tempted to just say WTH and have a couple of the chocolate truffles I bought after dinner, I decided to take back control and not eat until breakfast tomorrow. I also thought about buying a fancy cupcake at the mall, but I knew I wouldn't be hungry for dinner if I did that. So I guess I've learned at least some self control.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Nov 26, 2015 4:03 am

Well, while I can't say this week has been a success so far, I can say that I haven't gone wild and I've discovered that I do have more control over my eating than I thought. Yesterday I stuck to just three meals, then had chocolate covered caramel corn for dessert. However, I took a portion and placed it on a napkin, then sat down at the table to eat it. Today was similar, with three one-plate meals and then dessert, but eaten at the table. I am looking forward to no restrictions tomorrow, and also to having a piece of the pumpkin pies I made today! Then it's another N day while I travel back to New Jersey and two S-days.

I'll confess, lately I've just been thinking that I'm tired of food in general, of having to think about it and needing it to survive. Sometimes it all just seems too complicated. But I've been noticing good signs of weight loss on my body and I know I made a good decision to follow No-S.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Nov 30, 2015 2:28 am

Now that I'm back home, my S-days were not too bad. Today I had 3 meals, and even though I made a lot of Christmas sugar cookies, I did not have any until after dinner (at which I had small seconds). I think that's pretty good considering what some of my past S-days have been. Even though I wasn't as strict during the week of Thanksgiving as I had planned to be, I know there was a change from the previous year. I even managed to do 30 minutes of exercise several days, which is my goal most days. I am glad to be going back to routine, and trying to stay strict for the next 21 days. I'm hoping that staying on habit will help me to continue that during my next trip.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Dec 01, 2015 12:08 am

Breakfast: 1 slice of toast with peanut butter, milk, banana
Lunch: mixed berry yogurt, crackers, apple
Dinner: 2 slices pizza, salad, 1 breadstick

Even though the scale was up this morning, I don't think I really gained the weight that I seemed to. I should know better than to weigh myself after two S-days!

I am probably going to go back to tracking on the HabitCal for a bit, just for a little extra motivation.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:17 am

Breakfast: Cheerios, 1% milk, banana
Lunch: tuna casserole, cucumbers, Diet Coke
Dinner: taco salad, two tortillas with cheese melted inside, wine

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:37 pm

Breakfast: Golden Grahams, 1% milk, banana
Lunch: Turkey sandwich, carrots, chips, seltzer
Dinner: Chicken and vegetable stir-fry, rice, yogurt, diet root beer

I've noticed that if I drink a mug of tea shortly after I arrive at work, I tend to get hungry earlier than if I wait a couple of hours to have the tea. I'm not sure why that is, but it's never stopped me from choosing to have the tea earlier in the morning! =)

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 3:40 am

I don't know why either but now I'm craving tea! ☺️

Looks like you're doing well!

Linda

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 1:02 pm

Hi Linda! Thanks for the encouragement!

Yesterday:

Breakfast: Golden Grahams, 1% milk, banana
Lunch: leftover chicken and veggie stir-fry, diet Coke
Dinner: Burger and fries at Buffalo Wild Wings (came on one plate, but was a lot of food...I didn't finish the fries!), diet Pepsi

Today:
Breakfast: peanut butter on whole wheat toast, milk, banana
Lunch: chef salad with French dressing, Diet Coke
Dinner: sesame chicken, rice, egg roll, seltzer

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 10:59 pm

S-day!
Breakfast: waffles, sausage, apple, tea
Lunch: taco, 3 chocolate things (2 brownies, 1 piece fudge)
Dinner: sweet and sour chicken, rice, tea
Dessert: Peppermint bark cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Dec 07, 2015 2:07 am

S-day!
Breakfast: honey bunches of oats, milk
Lunch: turkey and cheese Lunchable, Coke Zero
Dinner: Cheese ravioli in tomato sauce (had seconds)
Dessert: 2 sugar cookies, mint brownie, 2 pieces of fudge

The cheesecake last night did not make my tummy feel good, but I enjoyed it while I was eating it. I didn't have any fruits or veggies today, but I did exercise. Now I'm done eating for the weekend and looking forward to another week of green N-days.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:16 am

S-days:
Saturday
Breakfast: golden grahams, milk, banana
Lunch: Chinese buffet, pudding for dessert
Treats: fudge, honey roasted peanuts
Dinner: vegetable beef soup, crackers
Treats: York peppermint snowflake, Hershey chocolate Santa, five Hershey kisses

Sunday
Apple
Breakfast: at Perkins: 2 eggs, four sausage links, hashbrowns, two slices of toast, hot chocolate
Donated blood, snacks after: water, pretzels, orange
Lunch: honey nut chex, milk
Snack: chocolate covered almonds, mint brownie
Dinner: ham, ramen, peas
Treat? (maybe): cookies

Looking at this weekend, I've had wilder days. For some reason I haven't felt very hungry even for meals, but I still kept to that routine to fuel myself.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 3:58 pm

We had a holiday breakfast here at work this morning. Our department went down a little before 10:00. Since I always have breakfast in the morning before I get here, and I eat around 5:45, I was a little hungry. However, lunch is coming up in about an hour and a half, so I just took a container of orange juice and sat at a table with some of my co-workers for awhile. It felt good to know that I had the strength to pass up the food just because it was there, and no one questioned the fact that I wasn't eating.

I'm already starting to envision what my Christmas Eve food situation will look like now that I know our plans. My thinking is that I'll put some of the appetizers on one plate and eat that, and then wait for dinner so I can still enjoy the meal when it's served. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are most definitely S-days, but I am finding that it will be smart to go in with a plan.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Dec 18, 2015 6:15 am

Great job! Having a plan is always key for me with these things too!

Linda 😀

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Fri Dec 18, 2015 7:48 am

ceo418 wrote:Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are most definitely S-days, but I am finding that it will be smart to go in with a plan.

That is a really good idea! It will probably help so much!
Good for you, at the work breakfast!! I find those social situations to be a real challenge!

wahine · Post by **wahine** » Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:51 am

We had a work Christmas breakfast this week and I was completely out of control! One of the reasons I decided to start the NoS system.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:34 pm

S-days this weekend:

I took Friday as an S-day to enjoy any treats that came my way. I had a Snickers Christmas tree at work, then later on after I got home from shopping I indulged in a cookie and a few other pieces of chocolate

Saturday:
Breakfast: 2 donuts, hot chocolate
Lunch: cheeseburger, fries, diet coke
Snack: cookie, 2 pieces of chocolate
Dinner: Outback steakhouse. sirloin, fries, 3 pieces of bread, salad, shared a Bloomin' Onion with my boyfriend, Castaway cocktail

Sunday:
Breakfast: Cheerios, milk, orange
Lunch: ramen with hamburger mixed in, carrots, apple
Snack: four cookies
Dinner: Joe's crab shack. bowl of clam chowder, Caesar salad, Bahama Mama cocktail, shared their Campfire S'mores dessert with my boyfriend.

I think this was a good weekend. I've definitely been more indulgent in the past. I had been looking forward to the donuts Saturday morning, and since it's been awhile since I've had them I really did enjoy them more than if they were still an every week occurrence. I did some unplanned baking Sunday morning but only tasted one of each kind (holiday chip cookies and M&M brownies) and then packed away the rest to go to three different locations. Today is a travel day for me so I'm looking forward to really trying to keep it an N-day with the idea that if I need ginger ale or mints to help my stomach, I'll have them.

wahine · Post by **wahine** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 8:46 am

That weekend eating looked like fun! I have to go and Google snickers Christmas trees now. Hope the traveling isn't too bad.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:35 pm

My travel day yesterday went well. I flew from New Jersey to Washington State. I had three meals, and allowed myself a small snack on the second flight to help my body adjust to the time difference. So I'm counting yesterday as a green, and now I'm looking forward to the rest of my vacation!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 3:51 pm

Yesterday, NW-S day:

Breakfast: cereal, milk, banana
Treat: peppermint hot chocolate
Lunch: at Red Robin. Tavern double burger and fries, diet coke
Snack: peanut butter cup, cookie
Dinner: salad with chicken, mandarin oranges, and crispy rice noodles, 2 pieces of bread, wine
Treat: small glass of rum and eggnog, 2 cookies

I walked 5 miles with my dad yesterday.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Dec 25, 2015 4:51 pm

Enjoy your vacation !

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:41 pm

Well, Christmas S-days could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse. On Christmas Eve I overindulged a bit on appetizers and dessert, but still enjoyed the meal. On Christmas day I probably could have done without the seconds, and I had a red day while traveling on Monday when I ate two leftover cookies from Mrs. Fields, which I had bought on the previous S-day.

However, I did learn an important lesson about how much excess my body can handle versus this time last year, before I started No-S. That is worth a lot to me. Although I did reach for and eat that second brownie on Christmas Eve, it was not enjoyable to me, not like the chocolate-covered peppermint Oreo and the first brownie. I should have bought only the first two cookies at the mall. I did manage to stop myself from eating too many of the little sweets that were around my dad's house, though. Yesterday, I bought a half-price bag of mint M&Ms to enjoy bit by bit over the next few weeks. So some good information about myself and how I still need to work on some habits came out of this season!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 1:02 pm

I weighed myself this morning and saw that I had gained a few pounds, although my body looks a little thinner to me. Not sure whether to trust the scale, and I know I've been on it way too much lately. So I'm going to hold off on weighing myself until the end of January. I don't foresee any NWS-days coming up in January, so it will be a good time to once again focus on the No-S habits and getting back into the pattern of No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds on weekdays.

I'm trying to not make any New Year's resolutions, but this year I think I am going to try monthly resolutions, some food-related and some not. No beating myself up if I don't follow them exactly, but it will be more of a "I'm going to try to do X this month" or "I want to cut back on eating X this month and see how I feel." I finally found the key to the fitness center at my apartment complex this morning after my cat hid it by pushing it under the stove, so in addition to the Leslie Sanson videos and my outdoor walking I have that asset on my side. Last year at this time I made the resolution that I would not be at the same weight. The scale this morning said that I had not kept that promise, but I know inside that the good changes in my life from No-S will help that number to move down again if I really focus on the habits.

This board is such a good place for support! I enjoy reading other people's journeys and can see my own thoughts reflected in a lot of posts on here. In January I am going to try to limit my time on Facebook (really the only social media I use other than this message board and looking at a couple of other wellness sites) because I know it's going to be full of people proclaiming goals to change their bodies and promoting diets I have no interest in. Even over Christmas I heard my sister-in-law talk about how she's starting her "clean" diet this week. She's already gluten-free and probably sugar-free, so I don't know how much "cleaner" she can get, but I just smiled and nodded. Only one other person in my life knows that I am doing No-S, and although I'd talk about it if someone asked me, I prefer to keep quiet about what I'm doing for weight loss and eating sensibly.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 2:25 pm

Good for you for sticking with what will work long term and not jumping on the bandwagon for quick weight loss through extreme methods. We all know how those end. Nos may take some time but you're body will settle on a weight that's right for you.

So funny about your cat but glad you found your key finally. Also I notice sometimes it'll take a bit for the scale to catch up with my body so I'd go with how you're feeling over what the scale is telling you.

Have a great new year & I've been taking a break from social media too. It's incredibly freeing so enjoy that!

Linda

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Fri Jan 01, 2016 4:57 pm

Happy New Year! I weighed 190 this morning. My current goal, with no set time frame, is to be at 175 consistently. I reached 178 briefly earlier this year shortly after starting No-S, so I know if I can get back into solid habits that it's not a terribly hard goal to reach.

I'm taking today as an S-day because it's a holiday, but I don't have any big treats planned. I'm hoping that I can continue to find some calmer S-days in the coming months, and to be strict about my N-days. Saturday and Sunday are S-days, and that doesn't include Fridays at 9 p.m. I'm going to try to plan my treats instead of picking up whatever random snacks are in the house. Also, this month I want to limit the amount of fried chicken I eat, including Chinese food.

I'm looking forward to a full year of No-S sanity and keeping up the habit!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 2:14 am

I managed to overcome temptation today. I must not have eaten enough at lunch because I was already hungry again when I left work. When I got home, I took a cookie out of the freezer and went about doing other things. When I was putting my dinner plate together, I looked at the cookie intending to make this a red day. And then, after I was done eating, I ignored the cookie and immediately marked a green day on the Habitcal. The cookie is still on the counter, waiting for Saturday. I think marking the Habitcal helped, because I didn't want to go back and change it to red. I'm still a bit hungrier now than I am on most evenings, so I might have some milk before bed. Otherwise, it's been right back to N-day habits for me.

Queenie · Post by **Queenie** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 2:58 am

Way to go!

Giada · Post by **Giada** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:52 am

Great story, CEO!

Some people mark their habitcal in advance - I think there's a lot of motivation in that: It is green, why spoil it now and also, the hassle (and embarrassment?) of having to turn it red after a fail.

Good luck for today!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 1:23 pm

Well, I had my first week of solid green days in quite some time! Yesterday was a fairly tame S-day for me, as well.

Breakfast: honey nut chex, milk, banana
Lunch: leftover hamburger helper, salad, 2 pieces of garlic bread
Sweet: 4 caramel delite Girl Scout cookies
Snack: hot chocolate from Starbucks
Dinner: TGIFridays. Shared chips and salsa with my boyfriend, ordered their new smaller portion chicken fingers entree, and ordered their half-portion of Tennessee whiskey cake. Good meal, and I felt comfortably full when we left.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:20 am

Today was also decent.

Breakfast: honey bunches of oats cereal
Lunch: cup o noodles, apple, chocolate peppermint cookie
Snack: fun size Milky Way
Dinner: egg roll, 1/2 large plate of beef fried rice, tea
Dessert: frosted brownie
Snack: several mint M&Ms

Since I've been trying to examine my S-days, I have to say that this weekend was good in that regard. I never felt overfull, and I planned most of my treats. The only thing I might have done differently today was leave out the Milky Way.

Yesterday I exercised for 40 minutes on a stationary bike, and today I worked out for 45 minutes with a Leslie Sansone video.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 12:51 pm

Saturday S-day

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, almond poppy seed muffin, banana, tea
Lunch: orange chicken, rice, egg roll, diet Coke
Sweet: 3 Hershey chocolate hearts
Dinner: Applebees. Shared mozzarella sticks, 3-cheese chicken penne, iced tea
Sweet: 4 caramel delite cookies

I thought a couple of times yesterday about having more sweets, but then I remembered that dinner would be coming soon. It was quite a revelation to realize that I'm slowly coming out of the "get it while you can have it, everything in sight" mentality on S-days.

Sunday S-day:
Breakfast: honey nut cheerios, milk, banana
Lunch: ramen, turkey sausage, peas, diet coke
Dessert: slice of carrot cake from grocery store bakery
Snack: 2 banana raisin oatmeal cookies, freshly made
Dinner: noodles with tuna and garlic bread, seconds of each. 2 glasses of wine
Sweet: 3 Hershey chocolate hearts

Today was leaning more towards previous S-days. The carrot cake was planned; the cookies were not because I decided to make them mid-afternoon. It was still a better day for me than many I've had in the past few months.

Exercise this weekend: 40 minutes aerobics Saturday, 30 minutes today.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:56 am

I had my first red day of the month yesterday (hopefully the only red day of the month!). After dinner I decided that I really wanted the Lindt truffles that had been in my cupboard since returning from my Thanksgiving trip. So, I got out a napkin and placed the two truffles along with six iced animal crackers on it, then sat on the couch and ate them with a cup of tea. A failure, yes, but a controlled one. I didn't go for anything else after that.

Meals yesterday:
Breakfast: honey nut cheerios, milk, banana
Lunch: vanilla yogurt, carrots, Ritz crackers, orange, diet Coke
Dinner: meatloaf, salad, tater tots
Sweets: 2 Lindt truffles, 6 iced animal crackers

Queenie · Post by **Queenie** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:35 pm

I like that term, Controlled Failure.

It's a choice, it wasn't being out of control.

Nice perspective.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:05 pm

S-day on Friday

Breakfast: honey nut cheerios, milk, banana
Lunch: turkey sandwich, Doritos, orange
Sweet: 1/2 regular size Hershey bar
Dinner: Outback restaurant. Shared a blooming onion and bread, ate the steakhouse mac and cheese and salad for main course, had a chocolate mousse dessert shooter.

We made it back to my apartment just before the snow started.

S-day Saturday:
Breakfast: 2 brown sugar and cinnamon poptarts, orange
Lunch: summer sausage, cheese, and crackers.
Dessert: 2 brownies
Snack: 2 Hershey's hearts
Dinner: 2 tacos
Dessert: Reese's pb cup, 2 Lindt truffles

S-day Sunday:
Breakfast: 2 brown sugar and cinnamon pop tarts, banana
Lunch: meatloaf, corn
Dessert: brownie
Snack: orange
Snack: several mint M&Ms
Dinner: chicken breast, spaghetti, garlic bread
Dessert: 2 caramel delite cookies, 3 Hershey chocolate hearts

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Thu Jan 28, 2016 2:01 pm

I realized last night that, for some reason, my N-days have been very easy this week. I haven't had any thoughts of having sweets during the day at work or at night after I get home. Even that time frame between getting home from work and waiting until dinner has been free from thoughts of food other than "what am I going to have for my meal?" I can't pretend that every week is going to be like this, but it's been really satisfying to realize that I can think of treats to have on the weekend without also feeling like I need to give in to them right at the moment. I opened the cupboard where I keep most of my chocolate and thought "that should last me for a few weekends now." It's been a good few days, and I hope that my mind continues to realize that I'm changing my habits for good. I really do believe that this is a way I can eat for the rest of my life.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:13 pm

S-day Saturday:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, banana
Lunch: ramen, salad, diet coke
Dessert: 2 Hostess cupcakes
Snack: tea, chocolate chip cookie
Dinner: TGIFridays. Shared pot stickers and chips and salsa. Jack Daniels burger, fries, diet coke. Was feeling full so only ate half of the fries.

S-day Sunday:
Breakfast: honey bunches of oats cereal
Lunch: ravioli, broccoli, diet coke
Sweet: small bag of M&Ms
Dinner: Houlihans. Fettucini Alfredo, roll, diet coke
Dessert: 2 brownies, 3 Hershey hearts

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Feb 08, 2016 1:23 am

This past week was the second week in a row where I didn't even think about eating after dinner. The long time between breakfast and lunch has become automatic as well, although I do often become hungry earlier than I'd like and take care of that with tea or sometimes apple juice. I've been keeping track of my S-days recently and I'm happy with the direction they're taking.

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Mon Feb 08, 2016 4:16 am

ceo418 wrote:I've been keeping track of my S-days recently and I'm happy with the direction they're taking.

That's great, ceo, I'm glad to hear it! Sounds like you're really finding your way here. I think contentment with S days is a really good sign, as that can be very challenging for a lot of people!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 1:26 pm

S-day Saturday:

Breakfast: 1 chocolate glazed doughnut, 1 brownie batter doughnut, tea
Lunch: leftover ramen mixed with ground turkey and veggies, Triscuit crackers, seltzer
Dinner: Cheesecake Factory. Bread, Chinese chicken salad (I ate about 3/4 of it, that salad is huge!), Oreo dream extreme cheesecake (I set aside the whipped cream and large cookie shell they serve with it to focus on the cake), iced tea.

I did a Leslie Sansone workout and did not realize until bedtime that I had not eaten between meals. Maybe that was why I felt full after dinner and not overstuffed.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 2:32 pm

That's interesting, isn't it? not eating between meals - but enjoying a yummy S day!

Awesome!

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 12:06 am

Lots of temptation today! Someone brought in cookies for a celebration at work (store bought) and while I really wanted one mid-morning, I actually took two and set them aside for this weekend. One is a carrot cake cookie with white cream frosting and the other is chocolate with chocolate frosting. And then, on the way home from work I did my grocery shopping, and when I was standing in line I put a large Hershey bar with the rest of my food. After a couple of minutes, I put it back on the candy rack and decided to have better treats this weekend!

I had a red day on Tuesday, but other than that I've been keeping a solid habit.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:50 pm

After almost a year on No-S and reviewing my S-days over the past several months, I've come to the conclusion that I may need to implement a mod for the S-days. It will be simple: I want to limit myself to 3 S's on the regular weekend S-days. There are a lot of those in the year, and since I'd like to start losing a little more weight I need to have a limit in my mind.

On birthdays and holidays, I won't fix a limit for myself (but I'm guessing that habits will carry over). Since the actual number of birthdays I spend with close friends and family are fairly limited, I think this will be a good idea. If I want all 3 S-type treats on a Saturday, though, I'll go ahead and let myself have them. I'm not going to deprive myself of treats. I just want to have a little more control over what I'm eating on the weekends, and putting that into words seems like it will help me make it into an action.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:51 pm

We had health screens done at work today, and I was mostly happy with the results. My cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting glucose numbers all fell within the results they recommended. The area where I knew I wouldn't meet the recommended results was, of course, weight and BMI. Maybe it's time to get a new scale, because it seems like mine always has me at a lower weight than other places. The scale they used showed me 5 pounds heavier than I weighed three hours earlier at home. I did have clothes on, so maybe that made somewhat a difference? It didn't really make any difference as to the health screen, since the weight was well over the normal BMI range.

After two extreme red days last week, I decided to take a few steps back. Starting this past Monday, I am doing another 21-day challenge of Vanilla No-S, with one modification of choosing up to three S's on S-days. Looking back at my initial weight loss on No-S lost year, it seems like that is more in tune with what I was doing back then. I've also read my past posts about what I had on S-days and I realized that it's a lot. A lot more than I thought at the time, to be honest. No-S is the way I want to live for the rest of my life, so I might as well take some time to experiment with a few limitations.

Queenie · Post by **Queenie** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:38 pm

It's good to read how you're thinking this through.

I've noticed that I rarely have snacks on S days. Not by design, just by (new) habit.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 2:40 am

S-days:

Saturday:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, banana, tea
Lunch at Olive Garden: 3/4 plate salad, 2 breadsticks, spaghetti with meat sauce
Dessert: black tie mousse cake
Dinner at TGIFridays: chips and salsa. 2 pot stickers, cheeseburger, fries.

Sunday:
Breakfast: honey bunches of oats, milk, tea
Snack: Ritz crackers with peanut butter
Lunch at Houlihans: chicken chop chop salad. I ate about half of it
Dinner: leftover pasta, green beans
Sweet: cookie, Hershey treats

Saturday I consider I had two S's. Dessert at lunch and chips at dinner. Sunday I had three. Snack, and then the cookie and a serving of cookies and cream Easter eggs. I feel good that I was able to keep to my goal of no more than three S's each day.

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 5:08 pm

S-days:

Saturday:
Breakfast: waffles with peanut butter, sausage, tea
Lunch: light yogurt, banana
S: jelly beans
Dinner at Outback: split an appetizer (S), salad, steak, macaroni and cheese
S: cookie

Sunday:
Breakfast: golden grahams, milk, banana
Lunch: cheeseburger, French fries, diet coke
S: 2 cookies
S: M&Ms
Dinner: shell pasta with sauce and ground turkey, garlic bread
S: Klondike bar

ceo418 · Post by **ceo418** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 1:40 pm

Once again I am having almost an effortless week of N-days. I don't think there's a real pattern, but it seems like I'll have 2-3 weeks where 3 meals a days and no snacks, sweets, or seconds on N-days is pretty easy, and then I'll have a week where it becomes struggle for a couple of days. At least I do have the knowledge that if I have a red day, it's not going to completely destroy my habits. I can just go on with the day, and the next day, and realize I'm human and sometimes I'm going to want a cookie on a Tuesday. And to be honest, sometimes having that cookie helps me keep the rest of the week green. As long as I don't give in to the WTH effect, a red day is simply just another day on the Habitcal.

Tomorrow will be my 1-year anniversary on No-S. I admit, I haven't lost the weight I thought I would, but there are a lot of other benefits, like positive changes to my mindset around eating and the loss of a few pounds, enough for some people to notice and to make me realize that this is a safe way to lose weight, even if it's slow. And now that I am comfortable with the habits, and paying attention to S-days, I can also really start taking a look at my plates and changing what's on them if need be to satisfy myself and my health.

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Wed Mar 09, 2016 2:06 pm

Wow, ceo418, that's great! Happy 1st NoS anniversary! It's great that you're seeing so many other benefits, as well as moderate weight loss. I hope you'll stop over and post something on the testimonials page!