2017 check-in for Allisonmeg

[Allisonmeg]

----- 2017-----
January
01 07
08 14
15 21
22 28

February
Mo Tu W Th Fr Sa Su
30 31
11 12
18 19
21 24 26

March
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
05 11
12 18
19 25
26 01

April
Su Mo Tu W Th Fr Sa
02 08
09 15
16 22
23 29


Count the positives!
{January: x18} { February: x15} {March: x14} {April: x13}



*****NUTS ARE A SNACK**** no matter how they are measured. Reserved for S days only.
~ ONLY cereals under 4 grams of sugar are acceptable on N days.~


***I would also like to continue working towards S days being an event and not an all S day gone wild***

[babybird]

Hey Allison. I assume they are all green days! If so well done. You're on fire!!

[Allisonmeg]

----December 2016----



🤧



Hi Babybird, I hope at the end of January that WILL be true.... I'm making a complete mess of this last week of December!
(Halloween check-in for Allisonmeg)

[Allisonmeg]

Today is the last day of 2016. My intentions for this S day: Keep first 2 meals the same, don't snack during day, and drink at the party I'm dreading.

Update: Party was just the very nice couple. They made so much food for us that I didn't feel like eating but felt obligated to. Still did not interfere with me getting (possibly embarrassingly) toasted.

[oolala53]

Following you now.

[threewhales]

Hey Allison,
We will do this together. Happy New Year!
Cynthia aka threewhales

[tobiasmom]

We can do this!!

[Allisonmeg]

Hi guys! Happy happy new year!! We ARE all in this together and I appreciate all your support, reading your blogs and just knowing we're a team.
I mostly read other people's posts and don't say too much but I do have something that could be important in the year's journey.
Last year in January some really awful things happened in our family. I had been merrily writing along in my blog since October I think. Anyway to make an extremely long story short, I stopped writing my blog. I abandoned No S BECAUSE it felt too superficial that I would write about my food intake when I had life/death stuff to deal with. I actually felt guilty for wanting to keep No S. In retrospect I would have stayed with it because it was the only thing in my world I had any control over. With me, the lack of structure made everything else spin even further off course. This entire year seemed like it was falling apart but as I started No S and posting again, I felt a semblance of control come back. My advice is to keep at this no matter what life brings you this year. It's about a lot more than food. Keep writing it down and stay accountable. Also I had written what happened on my old post and I just couldn't bear to see it written down when I got on...Solution, start a NEW post. I find that starting a new check-in is a good marker for chapters in my life. Good luck to all of you this year and thank you for being here!

[Allisonmeg]

Today I started with oatmeal and had cream of chicken soup for lunch. Then we took family to Mexican for last jaunt out before school starts back. It's a very early dinner so I do have many hours left of not eating. This first day back is pretty easy after all the hideous eating I did all through Christmas. The cookies that get me every day are all gone and finally that cheesecake is out. I am very stoked to start a new year!
Will try to log meals each day.

B-Oatmeal
L- Cream of Chicken soup
D- Taco salad, shell and all

[MaggieMae]

I admire your strength and positive attitude about this being a new year, Allison meg! I'm hoping this year brings only wonderful, positive things! I have early dinners a lot, and I rely on a cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate to get me through the evening. I know some people consider hot chocolate an S, but I make mine myself. 8 ounces of hot milk, and then same part sugar to unsweetened cocoa powder. Two teaspoons tastes good,but I'm trying to adjust down to just one teaspoon. It keeps me from raiding the pantry. Haha.

[Allisonmeg]

I love the herbal teas at night and I sometimes have a cup of broth or a packet of Cup o Soup if I'm having a craving. I love the idea of homemade hot chocolate and I am trying it the next time I can't stay away from the pantry!
So hubby flew to see his mom, today's the last day of winter break, and amazingly my spirits are lifting. I'm not sure why I get so crabby and depressed starting around Thanksgiving, but it was particularly notable this year.
My oldest texted to tell me she just weighed in at 140, 3 months after birth! I am highly motivated to get our weights closer together. We've always been about the same. She sent a pix of the scale and I could just feel how happy I'd be to be that weight!

End of day now, doing well but actually full on hungry!

And this little guide was an AWESOME complement to Reinhard's philosophy:
http://jamesclear.com/habits. Wow I really took some good info from that.

I'm about ready to work on the nut intake. My husband and I eat nuts most every day, which doesn't sound bad but I think IS bad for 2 reasons.
It's TOO snacky; even though I ration it out, it makes me rather obsessive for more (of anything). Two, I believe I'm actually eating almost 600 calories by eating one heaping cup which is totally insane considering it only feels like a small snack.
I know they are healthy and all that good stuff but they are a definite trigger. So I'm going to put them on the No S No Nuts traffic light.
The fact I had nuts for lunch AND then dinner says it all: Allison, NUTS ARE A SNACK.
From this day forward nuts are reserved for a special treat on the weekends.

B-Oatmeal
L- Honeybaked turkey with guac, nuts
D- Nuts, cup of chix soup

[Allisonmeg]

Aahhhh first day kids are back in school and hubby is away. Nice alone morning of shopping. Stopped and got a salad from Mcdonalds and of course a Mcflurry for my son when he gets out of preschool. I think I'm strong against it today (many red dots start with Mcflurries).
Update: Conquered another Mcflurry with much more ease!
Had a "snackish" dinner to eat before I make kids first dinner for back to school

B- Oatmeal
L- Chix salad w/ xtra nuggets added, pineapple chunk
D- Toasts w/ guac, and a "dessert" w/ a peanut butter one

[Allisonmeg]

I had my dinner very early so it will be another tough night, though I actually like feeling a hunger pang!
Also came very close to the nuts at 11am so made the soup super fast.

B- Oatmeal
L- Tomato soup with lots of crackers
D- Fish sandwich, 6 fries

[oolala53]

I love hunger pangs for about an hour or two!

Just remind yourself that the body is made to go without food for a lot longer than we're used to, especially if we can sleep part of the time away! I find promising myself a big breakfast if I really want it can keep me from breaking the habit at night, and I never want the big breakfast when I wake up!

[Allisonmeg]

This is one of the most stressful days I've had in a while. I'm trying to remember my own advice (to keep NoS going) when bad things happen. Judging on the past year, I believe things will get worse before they get better. I need to lay the groundwork and stay strong now.

B- Oatmeal
L- Gyro at Mad Greek
D- Cream/Chicken soup, cup blueberries/ strawberries
S- * see below

Update: On top of this stressful daughter relapse, my estranged sister randomly showed up at the door last night with her boyfriend (that she recently left husband for) to introduce him. She and I are an extremely toxic mix and this reintroduction after 12 years put me over the top tonight.
Had a total binge at 10:30. Chips/dip, nuts, ice cream, muffins. I'm pretty sure there's more I'm not thinking of now. Oh and did it all very sneaky with hubby 2 feet away watching a movie.

[oolala53]

No joke. I went through some of my toughest years at work (and they are all tough for me) in my first years of No S. Gosh, life was unpleasant (mostly in my mind, but still), but I could depend on those meals to be a source of satisfaction and pleasure enough of the time that sticking to the plan was a fair trade off for putting up with the intense discomfort. I was mentally miserable a lot of the time that did affect my physical feelings, but at least I knew it wasn't also from overeating. There was some white-knuckling, but I wouldn't do it any differently if I had it to do over again.

[Allisonmeg]

Thanks oolala. I always read your daily check-in. You have always been inspiring to me because you DO struggle, yet keep chugging along. You show me to come back each day no matter how hard it gets.

Today is Saturday, but because of my binge last night, I am keeping it strictly green today. Second day of going up to make sure dd was ok in morning, which is mind-blowingly hard to steel myself for. Been feeling close to a panic attack which I haven't had in years. Also said something rude and not take-back worthy but true to dh.
Had a slightly rough time turning down daughter's homemade cinnamon bites and had to get on here to write in order not to go in for a second slice of fresh Italian bread. Huge snow day!

B- Oatmeal, slice of cooked bologna & salami
L- Minestone soup with crackers & 1/3 of a croissant
D- Hanky panky (sausage/velveeta) with chips and piece of bread
S- finished son's minestrone and ate 3 of those cinnamon bites

Not green after all, but that's ok. It helped me eat like a normal person through the day!

[Allisonmeg]

Sunday off to an S start with Honeycombs grazing. My son ate half my oatmeal so I ended up eating other son's cereal, which has lead to many more handfuls. Church today because of snow, so must not eat the Mcdonalds we'll get afterwards.

B-Oatmeal
S- Honeycombs, with & without milk
L/D- cup of nuts, 2 bread/butter, hot cocoa, 1/2 meatball
S- Donuts

Update: Didn't go to Mcdonalds but bought leftover donuts at the store, had a bite of all

[osoniye]

Church today because of snow, so must not eat the Mcdonalds we'll get afterwards.

Did you have church? Ours was cancelled due to weather... I'm visiting my aunt in Reidsville, NC. Where are you?

[Allisonmeg]

Hey Sonya, I'm in Oak Ridge, not too far at all! Been up that way many times!

[Allisonmeg]

Redundant dinner today because nothing sounds good yet had massive urge to eat. Tomorrow is dd anniversary and very stressed after talking to her this morning.

B- Oatmeal
L- Tomato basil soup w/ton of crackers, 5 chips w/ guac
D- Oatmeal with nuts

[Allisonmeg]

I also want to reinforce the idea in you that eating according to No S can be a great comfort. I can tell you from the other side that eating sanely is a great balance to emotional turmoil. Ironically, it does "feel" better to give in because food delivers the drug, but it's absolutely worth the discomfort to tolerate the desire without getting the relief. I've NEVER been sorry I held out, even when it was uncomfortable.

These are words of wisdom from oolala53 last year when I was struggling. I go back and read them often.

Today is one year ago that my daughter attempted suicide. A few days ago, her friend killed herself (shortly after talking to my daughter). As you can imagine, the combination is unbearable for my daughter, and yesterday she flat out told me how badly she still wants to be gone. Anyway I will try to keep it light now but I needed to share.

I have to keep this NoS as part of my daily focus. I need the control it will give me in the upcoming year. I just lived through this last year and I will live it better this year. I know I need a focus no matter how bad it gets. It can't be with food and it can't be with alcohol and it can't be with blame.

B-Oatmeal
L-Gyro at Mad Greek
D- big bowl cereal

[Allisonmeg]

A complete copycat of yesterday. Kids are still out of school so hubby and I went out to greek again. Had the cereal early so will be a long stretch of no food! And I can totally tell stomach is going down, hopped on scale for 149.0 on the strict one. But I can tell it's going to be better than that.

B- Oatmeal
L- Gyro
D- big bowl of cereal

Update: Went up to bar with hubby and had 2 glasses of wine

[oolala53]

Allison, so sorry. Honestly, I've been the one who wants to be gone at times. My mother never knew how deep it went. I seriously know what it's like to have thoughts and feelings that make that sound like that's the only way. It is not a light thing. It is not like bouts of discouragement. I can't say it isn't completely out of the question for me, though most of me says that I know it would not be a necessary solution. I was able to get the right kind of help at my worst time, and have seen so many times that the desire is just temporary, except that it comes back over and over. I wish I knew what to tell you to say or do. Is there any kind of support group for parents in that situation?

I affirm that your daughter finds the place inside herself that she can curl up when she needs to until the storm passes, and whatever else helps her.

[lpearlmom]

Big *hugs* Allison. I remember you posting last year about your daughter. I hope this year brings some peace for you and your family.

[Allisonmeg]

Thank you guys for the support and candor, I really appreciate it.

B- Oatmeal
L- Tuna and 13 Ritz
D- Gyro

Easy day today

[Merry]

(((Hugs))) Oh Allison, I'm so sorry, what a difficult time for you and your daughter. Praying for her--so painful.

[Allisonmeg]

Thank you Merry, always feel supported knowing you're here!

Dh left on a trip at noon, one son still getting over fever. I got a happy meal for little one today and almost slipped on the fries. I was off in thought and just put a handful in my mouth, BUT spit them out. I have definitely felt a new comfort level with NoS this week (3 and a half months to get comfortable ). Peanut m&ms hubby put out on display did not even phase me.

B- Big bowl cereal
L- Tuna salad sandwich
D- Tomato soup with lots of crackers

[Allisonmeg]

S day! I'm a little worried about it. I had a stellar week which makes me feel like I could go wild today. Also had a hard time last night not eating so made a sugar-free 25 calorie hot cocoa, which was a HUGE help!

B-Oatmeal
10am-2 bowls Honeycombs, bites of kids' pancakes
2pm-1/2 Atkins bar/w handful of nuts, vegetable soup w/ton of crackers
7pm- corn nuts, 10 pringles, h/f chex mix, bite of tuna

Dabbled in snack food after coming back from church/grocery shopping. None of it was even good; just ate because I could. Really losing the sweet tooth though, the go-to seems to be salt now.

[bunsofaluminum]

oh sweetheart I can relate, as my son attempted suicide a few years ago, too. It is a frightening thing, and very difficult. I pray your daughter finds peace. May she come out of that darkness into a place of serenity.

[Allisonmeg]

Thank you for sharing that buns. I hope that your son was able to find peace. It is so difficult to get through and I'm not sure when it ever gets easier.

[Allisonmeg]

Sunday wasn't too bad. My S days are getting a little better. Lesson learned this weekend is not to get Corn Nuts. Haven't had them since 19 and I could not stay away from them until bag was gone. Definitely a trigger food on a weekday. I also had a couple of cashews, Honeycombs, yogurt bite...samples of whatever I was giving kids.

B-Oatmeal, 1/2 pancake
11- Big bowl of Corn Pops
1&3- Tuna salad, Ritz crackers
6- Corn nuts

Update... Banana nut bread right before bed, and in a sneaky way. Not cutting a piece, just ripping right off loaf soon as dh went to brush teeth.

[oolala53]

It can all ebb and flow. Sane N days are the foundation. It takes different people different amounts of time to "get comfortable." We're here for the long haul.

[Allisonmeg]

Red dot at end of day because I had Moravian cookies my neighbor brought over. And then because I did that, I had a WTH moment and ate chex mix as I packed it for kids' lunches. I had a stressed out morning. Stress usually seems to cause this random eating even more than boredom.

B- Oatmeal
L- Taco Salad, and the ENTIRE shell
D- cup of pineapple
S- cookies, h/f honeycombs, chex mix

[Allisonmeg]

148.6 on scale this morning! Now I'm really annoyed with myself for flubbing last night. I actually finally am not seeing the 5s that I dread!

B-big bowl cereal
L- gyro
D- Salad, slice bread w/ butter, 1/2 c Kraft macaroni

[lpearlmom]

Yay! 😍

[Merry]

Congrats! And don't beat yourself up from the flub--learn from it and move on .

[Allisonmeg]

B- Oatmeal
L- Gyro
D- Salad, cup blueberries

And an easy NO to both a Mcflurry AND a frosty today!!

[Allisonmeg]

148.0 So basically a pound a month, which is just fine with me!

B-oatmeal
L - 2 p pizza from Sam's Club
D-bowl cereal, cup blueberries/grapes, 10 pistachios, more pizza, half big croissant

Ugh another red dot today. 2 in the same week. I tried to eat cereal in order NOT to eat more pizza since I had it for lunch. We had a slice at Sam's and then brought a whole pizza home for kids. Then I had pistachios, not even thinking I had a no nut rule (because at the time I was thinking deluxe nuts). Also this happened while I was 'casually' talking to my daughter which makes me get anxious. So when it dawned on me I ended up eating a sliver of pizza, and because I ate the pizza, I had to sample the fresh croissants, and then of course I had more slivers of pizza. Anyway it all started because of the stupid pizza that wasn't even good to start with, doughy, old dried up looking cheese,grrrr

[Merry]

Aw, sorry the day went from bad to worse!

I try to have a thought strategy in place for days like that--to "minimize the red." Instead of saying, "well, it's red, what the heck," and letting everything cut loose, I think, "Well, this one slip, while it makes the day red, won't really derail my overall progress in trying to lose weight, so I might as well keep the rest of the day green and have a mini-success."

Sometimes that works, LOL!

[Allisonmeg]

Thanks Merry! That's very sound advice.
I think I have to go back to my other way of marking my days. When I'm not marking it on here, I use the calendar on my phone and mark small slip ups a little differently (instead of 4 green bugs, one bug is yellow and green striped). That really changed my mentality and I was able to mark it and move on. Now that I'm back to strict green and red, I seem to have slipped back into WTH. Though even in saying that, I believe strictness is key in making NoS work.

B- Oatmeal
L- Gyro
D- 1/2 bacon, egg, cheese croissant; bowl of cabbage soup w/crackers

Also I have to mention that by making my oatmeal ready the night before, I have really established a habit of eating it each morning without question. Before this I usually had a disastrous morning and would be "out of calories" by 11am. So this has been a very healthy and easy way to NoS .

[Allisonmeg]

S day. I loved doing it this way...keep a normal day all day long and just eat something yummy at the end of the day!

B-Oatmeal
L- Tuna on croissant
D- Shredded wheat
S- 1/2 egg roll, fortune cookie, ice cream cone

Reading a very insightful book called Thin From Within.

https://www.amazon.com/Thin-Within-Powe ... rom+within

Another great companion to No S dealing with breaking habit and learning moderation.

[Allisonmeg]

S day

6- Oatmeal
8- bite waffle, 2 turkey sausage
11- Tuna sandwich
12- dry Honeycombs h/f, Great Grains h/f
3- 1/2c Pistachios
Evening- Atkins bar, bite of pasta, etc. seems to have gone a bit wild

Starting this week, I'm going to start tackling my cereal addiction. I am not going cold turkey like originally planned, but making major cutbacks. I went through the pantry looking at sugar contents after buying a "healthy cereal" that ended up having 8 sugars. I was trying to find a good number of sugar grams to be under, discovering that of 15 (yes 15 ) cereals in our pantry, only 2 even came in under 5 grams (Cheerios, Rice Krispies). I'm making a new declaration that only cereals under 4 grams of sugar are acceptable on N days.

[Allisonmeg]

I hope this week will be much better than last week. My dr. appt. in less than a month now so I really need to keep it green. I bought some Lean Cuisines to see if that will help me have an actual meal at dinner. First Monday with everyone gone and rainy out so it already feels like it's going to be a white knuckle morning.

B- Oatmeal
L- Lean Cuisine, 4 pita chips
D- Southwest salad, hh

A long time til bed, this will be a hard one; only day I've eaten like a diet!
Update: had a 25 calorie hot cocoa when it got a little hard

[Allisonmeg]

B- part oatmeal, part cereal (made a disgusting oatmeal I couldn't eat).
L- Lean Cuisine
D- 3/4c Grape Nuts, 3b watermelon
S- Golden grahams *ambien induced middle of night thing (counting for Wed)

[Allisonmeg]

B- small bowl grapenuts
L- gyro
D- 3 chips w/ dip

I am counting my middle of the night golden grahams binge as today because I had a stellar day yesterday and the incident messed me up for today. My excuse is taking an Ambien. I do not know why it has this effect on me, but if I stay up after I've taken one, I always end up eating. Usually I don't even remember it until I see remnants the next morning.

[Allisonmeg]

My goal for today is NO S SPOON licking!! I've noticed a trend in licking spoons creeping back in lately and it's time to STOP. Fence around the law!

B- Grapenuts
L- Gyro
D- Small salad, croissant, 1/2 apple, 1/2 c Kix

Dinner was all about the croissant which I could barely wait to eat. Another thing I should probably not buy. But no spoon licking!

[Allisonmeg]

B- Grape Nuts (1c)
L- Mcdonald's salad
D- Crispy chix strips w/ buffalo, blueberries

Managed not to eat a croissant this timel

[Merry]

B- small bowl grapenuts
L- gyro
D- 3 chips w/ dip

I am counting my middle of the night golden grahams binge as today because I had a stellar day yesterday and the incident messed me up for today. My excuse is taking an Ambien. I do not know why it has this effect on me, but if I stay up after I've taken one, I always end up eating. Usually I don't even remember it until I see remnants the next morning.

Ambien is scary. My husband took it for a short time, until he woke up driving once!

[Allisonmeg]

Omg Merry, that's terrible!!! It is weird because it'll look a maniac hit the kitchen. Once I woke up with dirt in the bed. Completely baffled, I went outside and found that I had planted weeds around the mailbox! (The day before I had commented how pretty the flowers on the weeds were). This means I did this in total darkness (no street lights), don't remember a thing, and have always hoped a neighbor didn't see me! Definitely bad stuff.

[Allisonmeg]

S day. I weighed in at 147.7 this morning, yay me! It's very slow going down (just as it was slow going up), but still about 6 pounds lost since starting! So this I hope will motivate me not to go insane today. I already started getting into things at breakfast.

B- Grapenuts, pie crust, bite waffle, sausage
L- Kix cereal, few bites of apple pie
D- 2 h/fs nuts & pistachios , h/f Cheetos

Now I just need to be done! Very Essly, but not exactly out of control either.
Update: hubby and I went out last night, fun time! 2 Margaritas and more

[Allisonmeg]

S day. I had super high caloric intake today and various little tastes throughout the day. The pizza was amazing though!

B- oatmeal
L- Hanky panky w/ tortilla chips (3 meats, Velveeta, Rotel)
D- Jet's pizza x3

[Allisonmeg]

Ahhh I love starting back on Monday. I noticed my sugar intake really dropped this last S weekend. I'm actually not craving ice cream or sweets so much (finally)

B- Grapenuts
L- Gyro
D- tuna salad on Ritz crackers

3 months into No S! Today was easy.

[Allisonmeg]

B-Grapenuts, 1 plain pancake
L- Gyro
D- Salad, cherry turnover, onion rings, bite of Honeycombs.

Clearly a big fat FAIL

Started with a bite of turnover. Well no, it started at the grocery store when I showed my husband how yummy they looked on the fresh bakery markdown (for 1.99)!. So in other words, I completely did this to myself with no excuse of my husband wanting it. Anyway snuck a little bite and spit it out; went back and took another little bite claiming to myself that it was part of dinner. Then remembered it was still breaking the sweet rule. So declared the bite I ate wasn't sweet, lol. And then of course ate the whole thing, sunk it in with about 6 onion rings and a bite of my son's Honeycombs. I think it all started with that dang pancake this morning that I felt slightly wrong about since it obviously was NOT floating around in my grapenuts bowl

[Allisonmeg]

I had Grapenuts first for dinner because I already had a binge-y feeling about the pizza. It did help as I only had one piece; still got that freaky must-stuff- my-face feeling though. Got short with kids when it came out of oven, which is indicative of an unhealthy urge. Still I made it through so a success I guess.

B- Grapenuts flakes
L- Gyro
D- bowl Grapenuts, 1p pizza (had g/n to not go crazy on pizza)

If anyone practices the mod I listed in the first post, will you please let me know how it's going for you and anything extra you do or don't implement?
This closely mimics the way I work out. I do cardio 5 days a week (generally taking the weekend off) no matter what and I think eating this way could be successful as well. I'm 149.8 on scale so honestly, nothing is happening after 3 months and I'm ready for my first trial mod. I feel that if I eat a fill-in-the-blank in the middle of the week then why on earth do I "deserve the dessert" again on Saturday? Anyway that's what I'm doing. I'm not listing on the monthly challenge this month while I check this out.

[Merry]

If anyone practices the mod I listed in the first post, will you please let me know how it's going for you and anything extra you do or don't implement?

I don't, but I hope it goes well for you. It took me a few months to start having less crazy S days. One thing that helped for that was to plan on a specific treat to look forward to. Then I wasn't as likely to go crazy all out (sometimes I do, but not as much).

Mainly though, I just focus hard on green days. I started noticing that I was eating until stuffed (something I did all the time before No-S but never really realized it). There was a post awhile back with a link to a rating system of how full you are, and it made me start to think about when I'm comfortably full, when I'm borderline, and when I'm so full I regret it. When I focus on just eating until comfortably full, I lose easier than when I eat until stuffed for most meals.

My first time around with No-S (in 2008), I tried a similar concept to what you are suggesting though--I thought of it as a "floating" S day (so if I took one on Wednesday, I wouldn't take one of the S days that weekend etc...) It didn't work well for me at all (I think that's one of the reasons I gave up on No-S), but I hope it works better for you! I think having the days spaced out (like a Wednesday and a Sunday) meant that I tended to eat more on my S days than I would if they were back to back (that second S day when they are back to back, I usually don't feel like eating as much, but when they are spread out, I eat a lot both days). I do my S days on Fridays and Sundays, and I find I have to be conscious of that possibility.

You might consider what makes you have red days, and whether any strategies would help you have less of them. If it's really special, it could be an NWS day. You can have up to 2 per month. When I do one of those, I usually try to have S events rather than a whole S day--depends on the reason I'm having an NWS day.

I hope you find tweaks that work for you!

[Allisonmeg]

Hey Merry, thanks... a lot of good stuff to ponder, and congrats on your newest stats! I think I've got to put a bit more focus on green days as well. I tend to go until stuffed and feel deprived if I don't. There is a rating system in Thin From Within that may be the same one you mentioned
I've gotten breakfast and lunch almost down but dinner is still a constant push/pull and weekends are still really hard for me not to go wild. I was sure it would be better by now but no such luck. I want my brain to GET an S event but I still get in a frenzied state every single Saturday and feel like I have to get it all in.
Your floating S was much the same as the mod I'm going to try. I'll try it for a month and see if it works for me this Saturday! I can easily see it backfiring if it makes me less resistant on weekdays though.

B- Grapenuts
L- Gyro
D- Salad, croissant, 1/2 smoothie (Fresh Market)


The fence around the law is a little rickety today...spoon licks creeping in again.
Update: RED after all. Hubby and I ended up going out last night and had so much fun! (red wine)

[Merry]

I hope it does work for you!

And, I hear you about struggling to get an S event. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't! Today I thought I'd have an S event--meeting with a friend who hasn't been able to come to church for awhile. I took her a Peppermint mocha & had one myself. She made blueberry scones for us--they were AMAZING! She sent some home for my family and I had another one tonight, plus another treat at her house, plus a cappuccino at home--my event grew wings, LOL! But, I did think it was worth it today. Sometimes I don't think that.

[Allisonmeg]

B- Kix
L- Gyro from Mythos
D- Lean Cuisine

White knuckle day!

[oolala53]

I ate dinner an hour early because of my knuckles...

[Allisonmeg]

Lol oolala!

B- Grapenuts
L- Tomato soup, croissant
D- hodgepodge

Went to Rody's for drinks (rum& diet), oh and huge: bought a Bowflex Max trainer today!! Kicked my butt as much as the Treadclimber.

[Allisonmeg]

B- Grapenuts
L- Hanky panky on French rounds
D- Jet's pizza, 4 squares

I did it, I got a green on Superbowl Sunday!! I didn't think I could do it, but I rule!!!! (Calories on pizza a disaster though ).
So week one of my experimental mod has been a success.

[Allisonmeg]

B- Grapenuts
L- Gyro
D- 1 1/2 p leftover pizza, salad

Another teetering day where a red dot may come into play. Reading my habit books again. Basically I need this Jet's pizza to be gone and there's another whole one in fridge, ugh.
UPDATE: Red dot day Kept snacking on the pizza
2nd UPDATE: Turned into one of those bad WTH days. I need a new day!

[Allisonmeg]

I got on the scale, ugh, and back up. I've got to get focused. I didn't realize it before but my oatmeal was 320 calories, whereas my Grapenuts with milk is 540. That's a big difference daily. I'm not changing the daily gyro though, it's the best part of my day.

B- 1/2 c Grapenuts with water, splash milk (gross)
L- Minestrone soup, 8 French rounds
D- Everything pretzel w. cream cheese, some more rounds, one bite of homemade pasta, 2 broccoli florets, a h/f of chex mix, 1 bit o honey

Obviously another fail. So everyone, this is what happens with a new mod...excitement of using days early. Doubtful this mod will make it into March.

The pretzel place was a totally unexpected stop where they fresh make it on the spot. We kind of got railroaded into it and spent 4 bucks, so I felt the obligation to eat it. It was going to count as dinner, but then I had to try one freshly made ravioli, and of course as usual, had to sink it in with a little chex mix and piece of candy.

[LifeisaBlessing]

Allison, maybe consider changing out the Grape Nuts for All Bran Bran Buds? The consistency and crunch are similar for A LOT less calories, plus a ton more fiber. You'd still get the "sink your teeth into something solid and crunchy" satisfaction, but for less calories. Plus IMHO Bran Buds taste better!

[Allisonmeg]

THANK YOU!!! I am getting it tomorrow...that's exactly what I need. And I'm a cereal fiend so this is potentially big news!

[Allisonmeg]

Ok fence around the law today. Time to get serious as I now have a long time until an S weekend. Plus my dr. appt. which I did not lose any weight for is in 2 more weeks. I ended up getting into cookies last night, which have not even been an issue for the 2 weeks they've been there. I feel comforted to have rules back in place today.

B-Oatmeal
L- Gyro
D- All Bran, biscuit

[Allisonmeg]

Had to drive to RDU to drop hubby off

B- 3/4c Grapenuts
L- Tuna salad sandwich
D- Atkins egg meal, cutie

[Allisonmeg]

The weekend was yellow so I didn't make up days. Still keeping the mod there as a choice!

[LifeisaBlessing]

What did you think of the Bran Buds?

[Dandelion]

I have been skimming people's threads since I"m so far behind I couldn't possibly read each one in full - and I came upon your emoji habitcal. I love the idea so much I'm going to copy it

[oolala53]

All bran cereals I feel were a great discovery for me on WW, of all things. I LOVE Bran Buds. All brans and cooked oatmeal are just about the only cereals I eat. I've "gotten over" all the others. I call them "particle foods," and they are often not very satisfying in small amounts, at least to me.

[Allisonmeg]

Love love LOVE the All Bran Buds!!! Thank you so much! They are totally just like Grapenuts but even better and well over half the calories!
Thank you Dandelion, glad you like! You can find all sorts of spins of it on the Monthly challenge.

[LifeisaBlessing]

Glad to hear it, Allisonmeg! I really like them, and have been having them for breakfast for years.

[Allisonmeg]

Happy for a Monday. This weekend, this whole past week was not a success. This is the exact week I have almost every time around 3 or 4 months. Then I bag the whole NoS thing because I get down on my lack of commitment, resolve and willpower. I'm pretty sure it started when I got on the scale and it was back at starting point.
Writing on here today is almost worthy of a new chapter. Making a success today is almost like making it the first day. I am hoping for the best! I'm just disgusted when I think of how I grazed through Sunday.

Monday:
B- All Bran Buds
L- Gyro
D- homemade guac, 5 chips, spoon of refried beans

[oolala53]

I gently say that disgust after the event rarely changes the offending behavior. It actually often subtly perpetuates it. See if you can cultivate a more rational sense of, "Boy, eating all day ends up being uncomfortable and unsatisfying. The food is attractive over and over, but the pleasure is over really fast, too. The body keeps asking for a result it never quite gets. I'm going to push to hold out against those impulses." You might not be ready for cold turkey, but maybe choose ONE meal gap, say between lunch and dinner, when you do allow for a snack or two. You can still choose to skip them if the time comes and you'd rather save your appetite for the next meal, but you'll still have the safety valve effect

But you'll figure it out.

You are at a great place. Research on long term loser/maintainers shows that most had dieted and quit multiple times before their final attempt. One of the main differences the time that "worked" was not letting slips lead to completely giving up. They just kept going back to their eating plans, sometimes adjusting them to make them easier to follow, and getting better at getting back on plan even before the end of day (avoiding WTH). It took practice, but we know what the alternative will likely be. Might as well practice.

[Allisonmeg]

Thank you oolala. I love when you inspire me with your words of wisdom. I hear exactly what you're saying and I get it. I also feel encouraged that I didn't give up and just got right back on S train, so thank you again. You are wonderful at making me and so many others feel encouraged!!

Feeling good today! Made it fine through yesterday and feel like I can succeed today.

Tuesday:
B- Cracklin Oat Bran
L- homemade veggie soup w/crackers
D- Cream cheese bagel 1.5

[Allisonmeg]

I have a cold and it's mostly IN MY EYE. This is new and looks horrible and is just a dripping mess, ugh! So I don't plan to be seen too much today. Hubby leaves on trip so no gyros for the week.

Wed:
B- All Bran Buds (1c)
L- 1.5 cream cheese bagel
S- salad bites
D- Egg roll, chicken fried rice

I got a red dot today. If I can keep it minimal now, I will consider it a successful fail. I was planning on the bites of leftover salad to be my dinner, but then started sampling the rice I was making. Then finished my son's eggroll. Then more rice. I have to pull myself out of this slump.

[Allisonmeg]

I started reading about Overeaters Anonymous and have learned that they also implement 3 meals a day with no snacking or sugar. I bought a couple of books to read while I work out. I would love to go to a meeting but I can't even imagine telling my husband that. I answered almost every question yes on their questionnaire! Anyway just reading helped me get a revived feeling today and a stronger resolve.

B- mix of Grape nuts & buds
L- 1 bagel w jalapeño cream cheese (nixed that xta half)!
D- Lean Cuisine Spring rolls

Nice strong N day

[Allisonmeg]

Still going well today despite getting up at 3:30 and eating breakfast not long after.

B- Buds
L- Crab roll sushi, 1/2c banana chips
D- Cream cheese bagel, 1/4c banana chips

Banana chips were for daughter (who asked for them); I can see those would not be a good thing to buy again. Very triggerish and though not exactly sweet, def bordering on something bad and obsessive...thankfully gone!

[Allisonmeg]

Saturday and 147.6...moved down!

B- Oatmeal
S- Sushi, spoon of oil
L/D- Sushi, nuts, chopped salad, tangelo, large croissant
S- Latte

@2000.
I'm going to go back to counting calories this weekend so I feel a little more in control.
Listened to whole book Thin From Within; (read old fashioned way the first time). Hubby got off trip which is when I started the lupper graze.
My intention for the rest of the day is to be finished eating, and NOT to eat whatever we get after church.[/quote]

[Allisonmeg]

“It’s all right to fail because I can make up for failure later. You think you’re just paying off a debt, but you’re also, and more importantly, opening up a line of credit".

Thank you Jen1974 for reminding me of Reinhard's statement in another post. My mod falls directly into this category and shows me exactly why it bombed last week. So back to vanilla to me. I was definitely opening up a line of credit!

[Allisonmeg]

Sunday @2000
Made a big pot of vegetable/cabbage soup to sip on rest of day (and week)

B-Quaker oat squares, pancake bite
L- Oat squares, sesame sticks, h/f popcorn
D- 4 meatballs, soup
S- cookie, 8 pretzels, tootsie roll

[Allisonmeg]

B- Buds
L- Gyro
D- Salad, soup

Went out tonight and had 2 margaritas. Today was kind of fuzzy edges with a spoon lick of refried beans and major obsessing, but not engaging in, Chocolate shamrock shake, pizza, bean burrito and other stuff. Even broccoli was giving me a hard time!
Tomorrow is the dreaded pap/mam weigh in day. Plus I get to show off the skin cancer all over my legs and see how bad dr. freaks out.

[Merry]

B- Buds
L- Gyro
D- Salad, soup

Went out tonight and had 2 margaritas. Today was kind of fuzzy edges with a spoon lick of refried beans and major obsessing, but not engaging in, Chocolate shamrock shake, pizza, bean burrito and other stuff. Even broccoli was giving me a hard time!
Tomorrow is the dreaded pap/mam weigh in day. Plus I get to show off the skin cancer all over my legs and see how bad dr. freaks out.

Sounds like the day turned out okay! So...have you tried the chocolate shamrock shake? I haven't yet, just heard about them the other day. I'm so curious! Might have to try one on my next S day!

[oolala53]

I'd bet your doctor has seen it all, and besides, I think they see things differently than we do, and in a good way. It's more clinical for them. It's just a condition.

Congrats on not answering the food calls.

[Allisonmeg]

Taking today as a Special day because I've been working up for this appointment for 4 months now and just very happy to be done with it and thrilled to come in under the big 50. I weighed 148 on the dr. scale and last year's appt. was 145. I showed him my leg even though I brought knee high socks to hide it....kind of like a confessional and victory to finally show a doctor. He of course, said he's getting me into a dermatologist appt. soon. Went over the lack of period/menopause thing and he had me do blood tests to confirm tomorrow whether early menopause or stress related.

[oolala53]

So you're holding your own. I can't remember: had you gained some previous to the four months you mentioned?

[Allisonmeg]

Hi Merry, I don't know about the shake...my preschooler didn't go for it, but my husband said it was good but not better than the original! I think it's definitely worth an S day treat!

Anyway I had gotten up to 154 this past year, so all I wanted at dr appt. was to get back into the 40s. I made appointment a week from today with dermatologist...hubby is already on me to cancel it even though he was the one originally pushing it. He has a major cancer phobia so I have to ignore him and keep it. (I am one of those lifetime tanners and it's blatantly obvious that bad things are going on on my legs).
Red dot day in one of those not-caring-so-much-because-after-weigh-in days. But am going for a successful fail!

B- Fiber 1
L- Gyro
FD- 4 leftover Wendy's nuggets (fake dinner)
D- Cheap pizza that embarrassed I even ate

The gyro days are coming to a close I think. We finally are getting tired of them.

[oolala53]

Love the FD classification. Nice complement to FH: fake hunger.

[Allisonmeg]

B- Buds
L- 1/2 breakfast sandwich, 1 1/2 bagel thin w/ cream cheese
D- Grapenuts, raw broccoli dipped in buffalo sauce

2 glasses of wine at half price day at Tripp's. Was rather obsessive on what everybody around me was eating.

[oolala53]

Allison, below your post on my screen were ads for Bran Buds instead of diet books!

P.S. When I first posted this, the ads went back to diet books. I hope it helps Reinhard make some money or at least break even. Can't believe he's never asked us for even a token donation.

[Allisonmeg]

lol oolala, mine is showing Buds too!

B-Bagel w/ cream cheese
L- Gyro
D- 1/2c spaghetti, bagel thin w/ cc
S event- piece coconut crème pie for daughter's 17th bday

The S event kind of spiraled and also had chicken fried rice and half an eggroll. We are having the entire interior painted beginning tomorrow at 8am, so painters will be here for the next two weeks. Kind of dreading it, but super excited for a change after 11 years of super dark colors.
Planning to have a green Saturday after 2 S days and a failure this week.
Oh and btw, I am totally in menopause says the blood test

[Allisonmeg]

Painting day...I'm pacing around not sure where to go! I'm definitely staying green today though

B- Buds
L- Bagel w cream cheese
D- Lean cuisine w rice

[Allisonmeg]

B- Grapenuts flakes
L- Bagel & thin half with cream cheese & tomato
S- piece of coconut crème pie
D-Lean cuisine southwestern rolls, Brussel sprouts (later)

Spent entire day cleaning master bathroom and emptying closet for painters on Monday.
Did some random grazing early evening

[Merry]

BTW, I tried the chocolate shamrock shake. Not bad but not "wow" either. But I hadn't had a shake in a long time and it was a nice treat!

[Allisonmeg]

Red day out of the shoot. Thankfully the pie is gone now! One of those moments I didn't think first and just crammed in mouth

B- Grapenuts, last 3 bites of coconut crème pie
L- Bagel thin w/ cream cheese, buffalo pretzel bits, tastes of Mcflurry, taste of broccoli salad


Good to know Merry... I'm glad you at least got to treat yourself!

[oolala53]

Boy, I remember very clearly when just seeing certain foods meant I would eat them. Such as finding a candy bar in my desk at work. It was just a done deal as soon as I saw it. I also still remember after some months of No S coming across candy in the same situation. I still felt the rush but it was irrelevant. I forget what I did with the candy, but it I didn't eat it on sight.

[Allisonmeg]

lots of painters in the house today. Everything is all covered up so I can't get any food except the pantry stuff that's on the dining room table. Took boys to Wendy's but wasn't tempted by the frostys or fries!

B- Bran flakes
l- Gyro
D- 15 sourdough pretzels (all I could get to)

Green day but slightly fuzzy

[Allisonmeg]

B- Fiber 1
L- Saladworks greek salad, 1/2 roll
D- Pretzels, 2 granola bars....only thing available during painting
S- hippo and bite of cereal

The dreaded dermatologist visit coming up in an hour. Oh and we gave up our daily Greek for Lent! eesh

Dermatologist visit ok! Psoriasis. Had to eat snacky again for dinner just because we only have pantry food available

Fail.I think I'm just out until the painting is finished. They're all like S days because it's impossible to eat normal with the entire house under wraps and 6 random guys