Chris Checks In

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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Flnu
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Chris Checks In

Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:15 am

Day 1 - SUCCESS

This is a nice interface, by the way. I am a little embarrassed by checking in, but the more tools the better, probably. Also, I was glad to read the sample check in since didn't cotton to the plate-size issues.

M1 - Oatmeal. Which I love. Don't usually eat breakfast, but I'll give it a go for a month.

M2 - 3 mini turkey sandwiches (probably equivalent of 1 and 1/2 normals). Carrots.

M3 - Piece o' lasgna and green beans.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:17 pm

Day 2 - SUCCESS

Am posting directly after dinner as additional motivation not to snack this evening. Today, was fine, with possible exception of gum. I've got no problems with gum in general, except that I wanted to test the fake-sugar-keeps-you-on-the-sugar-habit theory (I think it was posited in relation to diet colas). Got rid of the gum once I remembered.

M1 - Oatmeal
M2 - White chili. Crackers. Apple.
M3 - Lasagna. Banana.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:11 am

Day 3 - SUCCESS

M1 - Oatmeal.
M2 - Chicken ravioli w/ crab alfredo. Bread.
M3 - Spaghetti bolognese. Spinach.

I would have guessed that "no sweets" would hurt the most, but so far "no 2nds" is leading the pack. Also? I seem to eat a lot of pasta.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:11 am

Oct 4 - SUCCESS

M1 - Peanut butter & honey on toast.
M2 - Grilled salmon. Risotto. Spinach. Very rich.
M3 - More lasagna. Broccoli.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:03 pm

Oct 5 - SUCCESS

M1 - Granola. Coffee.
M2 - Caesar salad with chicken and onion crisps.
M3 - Beef & chicken burrito. Broccoli.

Looking forward to Saturday. Sweets! I'm thinking it'll be in the form of a luscious pastry with breakfast.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:10 am

Oct 6 - S DAY

OK, how much fun is the first S-day? I had dinner tonight with someone on the South Beach diet, a very talkative someone, and I learned all about it. It sounds nuts; just not a long term option. My personal rule of thumb for all diets is: Can I see doing this long-term? The answer, of course, is usually no, so I haven't been on a formal diet in, I don't know, 10 years, 15? I have been able to lose weight (but not keep it off) by "eating less," which does work for me until I stop paying attention. The No-S approach is similar to what I do when I'm eating less, but reified, so I think there's a chance it'll work well for me. I had no problems sticking to it without much thought these first 5 days. S-days, I think, will help a lot in the long term.

Anyway, I enjoyed seconds and sweets today:

Brunch - Crabcake eggs benedict. Potatoes. 2 sweet rolls.
Dinner - Scallops wrapped in prosciutto. Endives. Tabbouleh.
Other - 2 diet cokes. Bowl of yogurt with honey.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:56 pm

Oct. 7 - S DAY

The thing that is so far less-than-psychologically satisfying on S-days, is that I want to snack, for example, just because I can rather than because I want a snack. I'm hoping not to get the two wants confused. So far today:

Lunch - Turkey sandwich. Coffee.
Other - Toast and honey slice. Peanuts. Crackers and cheese.
Dinner - pending.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:20 am

Oct 7 continued.

Dinner - Moon fish with papya salsa. Grilled zucchini. Wild rice. 2nds of everything.
Other - Mug o' cocoa. Basically sugared milk due to microwave mishap.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:26 am

Oct 8 - SUCCESS

I think today was a success, unless wine is off-limits. Had two glasses. Have an infestation/fumigation issue at home that necessitates drinking. I really don't like bugs.

M1 - Oatmeal and berries.
M2 - Ham sandwich. Olives. Tabbouleh.
M3 - Dum gosht. Rice. Wax beans. 2 glasses of wine.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:39 am

You look like you are really doing great!!!
Glad you enjoyed the S day so much!!
LOL :)
They are really special aint they??
Welcome and continued good luck!
Peace and Love,
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Thu Oct 11, 2007 2:31 am

Thanks for the encouragement! This is definitely the easiest, least-thought-require approach to weight loss I've ever encountered.

Oct 9 and 10 - SUCCESSES

A little bit of funny businees on the 10th. We had pizza for dinner, a traditional weakness, and I had 3 slices and a bit of salad. While I didn't actually *stack* any food, there was certainly something questionable about not being able to see any part of my plate. It's still certainly less pizza than I would have eaten pre-no-S. For me, the n-S = no-self-deception. I look at all of what I eat every time.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Fri Oct 12, 2007 12:31 am

Oct 11 - SUCCESS

M1 - Oatmeal. Coffee.
M2 - Ham panini. Carrots.
M3 - Again with the pizza...2 slices. A spoonful of dum gosht. Broccoli.

I'm going to weight tomorrow and try not to be too disappointed if I've lost nothing. I promised myself I'd focus on habits this month, and adjustments (if need be) next month.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:19 am

Oct 12 - SUCCESS

M1 - 1 slice pizza. Coffee.
M2 - Pathetic vending machine granola bar. 75 cents I paid for this 3-bite bit of sawdust. Poor planning on my part.
M3 - Fajitas. Mmm...

I weighed when I shouldn't have, but I'm still happy to report that I've lost 6 lbs since I started, putting me 6 lbs below the lowest weight I've been in the last 5 years! I know I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but still, it's nice to see so much reward for so little effort. Looking forward to an S-day tomorrow. Planned treat = dim sum, which is really an entire meal of second helpings.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Sun Oct 14, 2007 12:42 am

Oct 13 - S-DAY

Brunch - Dim sum.
Dinner - Picnic. Fried chicken, potato salad, pasta salad, rice-krispy squares, strawberries, banana bread, more potato salad.

I wasn't an *idiot* but I'm not sure I was smart.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:59 pm

Oct 14 - S-DAY

Let's just say it was fortunate that this was an S-day.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:01 pm

OCT 15 - SUCCESS

M1 - Skipped. :( Poor plannning.
M2 - Pasta bolognese.
M3 - Gnocchi & salmon. Asparagus.

Religously eating breakfast is probably the biggest change for me. Ok, that an no 2nds. Or sweets.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:39 pm

OCT 16 - SUCCESS

M1 - Oatmeal.
M2 - Sushi. Rice. Soup.
M3 - Cheese ravioli in bolognese. Green beans.

Not eaten: Cake nor cookies at work. Neither looked very good so not much of a victory, but still, probably would have had something previously.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:47 pm

Oct 17 - SUCCESS

M1 - Banana.
M2 - Pork burrito.
M3 - Curried lamb and spinach over rice.

I've got to get some breakfast bars or something. The problem (in addition to years of habit) is that I'm always in a hurry to get out the door in the morning and "don't have time" to eat.

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:47 pm

Excellent start!

Cold cereal is remarkably quick.

But even better is setting the alarm clock a little earlier and making time to eat. A reasonably leisurely breakfast is such a pleasure -- it's worth it.

Reinhard

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:46 pm

Heh. Baby steps...that I've eaten breakfast on all but one no-S-day is a major, major change. But I will look forward to a leisurely breakfast as a possible future goal. Thank you.

Oct 18 - SUCCESS

M1 - Oatmeal with berries.
M2 - Croque monsieur. Blue cheese salad.
M3 - Lasagna. Zucchini. I would very much like seconds of the lasagna, please. Sigh.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:48 pm

Oct 19 - SUCCESS albeit grudgingly because I would like ice cream now and not tomorrow.

M1 - Oatmeal with berries.
M2 - Chicken-salad sandwich. Chips.
M3 - Little bits of left-overs: Lamb & spinach over rice. Cheese tortellini. Asparagus.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Oct 23, 2007 1:31 am

Oct 20 & 21 - S-DAYS

Oct 22 - my first FAILURE

Husband made chocolate chip cookies after dinner. Smelled so lovely.

M1 - Yogurt. Coffee.
M2 - Club sandwich. Carrots.
M3 - Chinese dumplings. Green beans.

Failure - Chocolate chip cookies (and batter).

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:16 pm

Oct 23, 24 FAILURES

I was undone on the 23rd by a work lunch at an Ethiopian restaurants that literally had no plates. In retrospect, I should have created some alternate rule, like, no more the 3 pieces of injera, but instead I took a little (a lot) of liscense to cheat. And then extended the liscense to the 24ths.

Have been back on track since then, up through this weekend (Nov 3 and 4) and hopefully can get back in the daily-posting habit.

My weight has held steady since last post (ie, didn't regain any of the 8 lbs lost in the first few weeks -- yay!).

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:08 am

Day 1 - S-DAY

Ok, I stopped checking in although I didn't stop no-s-ing but I've certainly been slipping a little more. So, I'm going to go back to daily check-ins, with a 21 day goal. Felicitously timed for after the holidays. I'm also going to add shovel glove exercise. I'm less sure that this will work for me just because it doesn't appeal much, but hopefully I will turn out to like it.

M1 - Coffee.
M2 - Turkey sandwich. Banana.
M3 - Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Cranberry relish.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:06 am

Day 2 -Diet, Success; Exercise, Success

M1 - Coffee. Yogurt.
M2 - Burrito.
M3 - Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Broccoli.

Misc. - This time I'm not cutting out the diet cokes, because it makes me feel too deprived. 2 diet cokes.

Ex - 14 min of broom practice (haven't purchased hammer yet), but want to get the habit rolling.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:50 am

Day 3 - No-S Succes; Ex Success

M1 - Coffee. Peanut butter and honey on a piece of toast.
M2 - Chicken alfredo. Apple.
M3 - Leftovers: 2 slice of quiche. 2 mini-burritos.

Still shugging with broom to build habit while awaiting sledgehammer.
Last edited by Flnu on Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:09 am

Day 4 - Diet=SUCCESS; Exercise=SUCCESS

M1 - Coffee. Breakfast burrito.
M2 - Decaf. Chicken wrap.
M3 - Curries and rice.

Flnu
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Post by Flnu » Fri Nov 30, 2007 1:43 am

Day 5 - Diet, Success; Exercise, Failure

M1 - Coffee.
M2 - Chicken alfredo. Piece of bread. Decaf.
M3 - 3 tacos. Chips and guac. (All fit on the plate though.)

Exercise for sure tomorrow; I am just exhausted tonight.

Flnu
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Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:16 pm

Post by Flnu » Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:04 am

Day 6 - Diet, FAILURE; Exercise, FAILURE

Oh, dear. But the diet failure was a handful of raisins after dinner. The exercise failure is more troubling. Next week: No failures of exercise or diet.

Day 7 & 8 - S-DAYS

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