JD4's Check 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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JD4
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

JD4's Check In

Post by JD4 » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:26 am

I'm worried I'm going to start bothering people over in General Discussion soon, so figured I could use a thread of my own :wink:

Today is Day 10 and we'll call it a
SUCCESS,
although only by the skin of my teeth and with some virtual plating.

Part of me is bound and determined to make it straight through to day 21 with no failures, and another part thinks doing that will entail making myself entirely crazy by then.

The crazy-making comes from (a) weighing myself too often (I've always been a frequent weigher, but it's only now an issue with the whole New Plan thing making me even more vigilant about it), and (b) too much junk food this week. I'm in this cycle of quasi-rebellion where I react to not being able to have things I want (sweets and snacks) by loading my meals with other "bad," but technically allowed, food, which then backfires because even though it's "allowed," too much junk food makes me feel icky. Which puts me in a bad mood which makes me even less happy about not having the snacks and sweets I'm used to. This was a lot easier last week when I was eating healthier meals.

Jamiebf
Posts: 102
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:50 pm
Location: Elmira NY

I agree

Post by Jamiebf » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:53 am

I too use to have a problem with the scale. I asked my husband to hid them, he did and I feel one more thing is gone that I use to obsess about. Better food choices are best for all of us. We just have to get to a place where we really want those good things to eat. I know I am working on it but we all have years of bad habits to change.
Hang in there you are doing great!!

JD4
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:15 am

Day 11

FAILURE

I tried playing around with the timing of my meals and it didn't work out, leading to snackage between lunch and dinner. *sigh* It's almost a relief to have that first red day, though, since I wasn't struck down by lightning or anything :D

Back on the wagon tomorrow.

JD4
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:33 pm

Day 12 was a SUCCESS.

And today is an S-DAY, so I think it's failure-proof.

JD4
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:37 am

S Day, again, of course. Although these have been a couple of "idiot S days" for sure. No one needs 7 cupcakes in 2 days :oops: But soon the idiocy will be out of my system and the weekends will probably get better.

AND...on the plus side, in between the overeating failure on Thursday and my weekend S days, I had a day of totally normal, on-habit behavior. I didn't tell myself I "may as well" mess up for a second day in a row. That's actually kind of a big deal for me, so despite everything, there's a victory for this week.

Jamiebf
Posts: 102
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:50 pm
Location: Elmira NY

Post by Jamiebf » Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:07 am

Congratulations Jd4, You have the right attitude. Last week I blew it Wed night, then Thursday night oh then Friday night. This after 23 days for straight success. I did overeat on my S days but tomorrow I will be back on track. I refuse to give in to the old habits of failure, anger and quitting. Nope not me this time. I know this can work long term, it just makes sence. Have a great day tomrrow :D

JD4
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:57 am

Yep, no more quitting in anger!

Yesterday, which was Day 15 was a SUCCESS. It was surprisingly easy to get "back on the wagon" after the weekend.

Today I took a NWS day because it was Ben & Jerry's free cone day (silly, I know, but it's a tradition/brings back good memories and I'd been looking forward to it since well before No S). I was having a pretty normal day except for the ice cream, but then I drank a bit too much coffee and aggravated my acid reflux. Since it was already an S day and I'm not a great fan of pills, I tried to use food to help (certain foods supposedly help absorb acid), which technically would count as 2 small snacks. Didn't work, ended up taking medicine anyway. Lesson: lay off the coffee.

JD4
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Thu May 01, 2008 5:46 am

Day 17 SUCCESS.

We had a day off from classes to study for a big exam tomorrow, and I was worried about how it would go because I'm used to snacking through these study days. It turned out well, though. The structure of having discrete meals, of getting hungry then eating then being full then getting hungry again, was actually kind of reassuring on an otherwise unstructured day. I had to politely decline a lot of snacks and sweets offered by the friends I was studying with, but nobody made a big deal of it.

JD4
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Fri May 02, 2008 5:58 pm

Yesterday, day 18, was also a SUCCESS.

JD4
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Sat May 03, 2008 5:11 pm

Day 19 was a SUCCESS.

20 and 21 are S DAYS, so the hard part of getting to day 21 is over! I've had one red day, one idiot weekend, and we'll see how this weekend goes but I think it will be okay. Next goal is 21 days on-habit, which will be 12-ish days from now.

JD4
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Mon May 05, 2008 5:30 am

Yay, day 21!

This weekend has been pretty decent. I had one "emotional eating" moment on Saturday, but all it amounted to was one fast-food ice cream thing, and I've done a heck of a lot worse than that before! Today I spent what would normally be my lunch and dinner time at a friend's house, watching tv, snacking, and having dinner with dessert. I could have eaten a few less chips or a little less dinner, but I didn't honestly go overboard and it was really nice to feel I didn't have to monitor and/or feel guilty about every bite. This is how S days should be, in my opinion.

JD4
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:57 am

Post by JD4 » Wed May 07, 2008 9:22 pm

I'm taking a hiatus from posting and from strict No S-ing for a few days. My grandmother passed away unexpectedly yesterday, and my brain can't handle anything extra right now. My interest in food is diminished, so excess isn't a big issue and I'm definitely not falling all the way back to permasnacking, but I'm not really holding myself to the rules either. A string of red days it is--that's life.

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