SavvyV's check-in

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:51 pm

Day 1: I am anticipating SUCCESS- but, I'm not sure if I've already failed as I caught a flight this morning and in my rush out the door, grabbed a banana. Then around 10 am I had a bowl of cereal. .Does that count as a snack and then breakfast?

Anyway. . .I'm determined not to be too legalistic with my approach to this method. It's now after 10 pm. . .and my eating for the day is officially over. It was rather tough, as a flight attendant, being that I am around snacks all day long. . .and there really is no official "break" for meal times.. . just eat when you can. For me to pass on the in-between snacks, says a lot! Hope I can keep it up!

I am off to a good start. I did not eat snacks and stuff between "meals" today like I normally would have done. Day 1 was indeed Successful! Yaa Me!!

Spook · Post by **Spook** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:30 am

Welcome! Don't worry too much about breakfast, I (personally) wouldn't call it a fail. The 'advanced No S technique' is to imagine the banana and cereal together on a 'virtual plate', just so you can be sure you're not overdoing it.

But it's definitely best not to be legalistic, because that destroys the beautiful simplicity of No S!

Good luck today!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 3:47 am

Day 2- - SUCCESS!!
I really DO like the simplicity of this. . . and the funny thing is that when I am not snacking at all during the day, I begin to look forward to a decent meal. Eureka

(I think that is the whole point of this method!) Also, it's easier for me to remember what I ate when I don't snack.

Breakfast: Yogurt . .cereal. . applesauce, coffee w/ cream (no s)
Lunch: 1/2 cheese sandwich, spinach, dorito munchie mix - -ok I ate those With lunch, not as an extra snack (fresca)
Dinner: Black pepper chicken, Broccoli (compliments of Panda Express- - -that stuff is awesomely good! (Or maybe I was just hungry!)

(diet coke, fresca)

I have to say this. . .as a flight attendant, I rarely have a lay-over with a hotel room that has a Microwave oven and a refrigerator! Tonight I have BOTH in my room! Am I tempted to pop the popcorn that is in my bag? You bet I am! BUT. . .I'm not going to because I want my success to stick! ! !

howfunisthat · Post by **howfunisthat** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:33 pm

Welcome! Sounds like you're off to a great start. Snacks are amazing, aren't they? It's as if they became invisible....I just snarfed them up without ever really seeing them or tasting them...well...until they showed up on my hips! Just being aware of snacking is such a huge part of this plan.

Hope to see you around here often...it's a great place to stay encouraged.

Welcome again...janie

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:51 pm

DAY 3: Is not officially over yet. . .but again, I'm ANTICIPATING SUCCESS. Lots of canceled flights, so I'm here in the hotel hoping that I am done for the evening. . .you never know. Too much free time to think about food. . .any other time, I would have scarfed down a dunkin donut just for the heck of it.

Breakfast: Yogurt, Kashi cereal, orange juice, coffee with cream (no s)
Lunch: Chicken noodle soup. . .popcorn (not as a snack, but as part of a meal. . .(hey, I'm a quick study!)
hot tea, lots of water

Dinner: I haven't eaten yet, but I plan on having chilli later on w/ 1/2 cheese sandwich

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:33 am

Update for Day 3 . . .Wednesday. . .Definately a SUCCESSFUL N day. Winding down now with a bit of camomile tea.
I am still getting used to this. . .it's like why didn't I think of this before? ? I'm looking forward to my S days. . .there's a slice of pumpkin pie. . .and a coconut donut that has my name on it! My idea of moderation used to be "whenever I felt like it" and that usually equated an unlimited amount of sweets and snacks all day long . . .but this method actually puts a much needed fence around my crazy sweet tooth.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:57 pm

Day 4
I'm trying to imagine a "virtual plate" that has popcorn and sun chips and dorito munchie mix on it. . .maybe what I'll do is check the "serving size" on the bags and use 1 serving because even the "small" bags may have more than one serving in them. . .and that reminds me of an article that I read recently that "serving sizes" have gone up significantly..

Maybe. . .I'll just focus on filling my "virtual plate" with much healthier options.

Wouldn't that be a novel idea!

Bottom line is I really need to monitor another S, which is my salt intake. . .

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:38 am

Day 4 SUCCESS
I got home this evening to find an empty pie plate in the sink. Hubby had polished off the pie! ! !

Oh well, so much for looking forward to a nice little slice on my S day. . . and I decided against buying a coconut donut to have on my S day. . .it would probably be stale by the time I got around to eating it. . .Hmmm. . .less temptation for me to have to think about!
Seriously, I am thinking about moving all food that even looks like "junk" food to an S day. You know the saying you can't eat just one. . .it's better not to tempt my palate than to try to exercise extreme restraint on having just one serving. I do realize that I don't eat enough vegetables and fruit anyway. . .time to stop thinking about donuts and pie

Breakfast: Strawberry yogurt,Kashi cereal (just a little bit left) bagel,
Lunch: 1/2 egg salad sandwich on whole wheat wrap oj, tea
Dinner: Wendy's baked potato with cheddar and bacon and my home made chilli.

Beverages today
coffee with cream (no s)Water, Green tea, Grape juice, Orange juice

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:01 pm

I kid you not! I'm down four pounds and I haven't even implemented my exercise portion of my program yet! Still getting the hang of "no S"ing. . .
It's little successes like this that make it worthwhile! Being at home on a N day will prove to be a bit of a challenge. . .I can do it. . .I can do it. . .I can do it. . .the key for at home is to have meals just a little bit later than usual. . .(Just had b'fast and it's almost 11:00). . .and I know later on this evening we are going to get together with friends and there will be an abundance of SNACKS around. I'm sticking to No sweets today for sure!

I don't want to take an S day today. . .because I know Saturday and Sundays are always crazy. I do most of my cooking on the weekends for the following week, since I'm never home during the week (I'm a flight attendant).

It boggles my mind that I am actually down 4 pounds! !

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:56 am

Day 5 SUCCESS
Breakfast Kashi cereal/skim milk and a clementine

Lunch chicken soup ,yogurt, 1/2 sandwich, potatoe chips

Dinner: Broccoli, baked potate wedges, meatballs

Beverages: Water Green tea, Grape juice

LoriLifts · Post by **LoriLifts** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:19 pm

Congratulations! You're doing great!

Besides having a sweet tooth in common, we both travel alot for work. I'll be interested in reading your updates.

In the meantime, have a terrific weekend.
Lori

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:25 am

Day 6 and Day 7
S days. . .not too radical. Took the liberty to have a couple of my dark chocolate snacks, made another pumpkin pie, allowed hubby to cut me a tiny sliver. . .he can have the rest for the week coming. I found that if I take about 1 tablespoon of the the baked pumpkin pie filling and mix it in vanilla yogurt, that it tastes like pumpkin pie cheesecake. YUM! I don't consider that a sweet, so I'll be using that in my vanilla yogurt this week.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:38 pm

Day 8 SUCCESS
(This was actually yesterday)

Breakfast Vanilla Yogurt with a tablespoon of pumpkin pie filling mixed in/Total whole wheat Cinnamon cereal /clementine
Lunch 3 Stuffed shells (parmesan, spinach, ricotta cheese)/clementine/ cranberry applesauce
Dinner Turkey Sandwich wrap (spinach, monterray jack cheese, mayo and dijan mustard) fritos/clementine

Beverages during day lots of water, coffee, tea, juice.

When I was working a flight, I began to get really hungry (right around lunch time. . .so I drank a lot of water and tea. Green tea is also good. It really helped to subside my hunger until I could get to a point where I could actually sit down and have lunch- -(didn't actually get to each lunch until 3pm).
On a funny note, when I got to the layover at our hotel (about 9 pm), they gave us a snack that had fritos and chocolate kisses in it. I'm a chocoholic and I admit it! In that I had not had dinner yet and did not want to officially ruin my successful N day with chocolate kisses, so I gave the chocolate to my pilot. When I got to my room I realized there was one little chocolate kiss left behind in the bag. I wasn't even remotely interested in eating it! I'll be saving that kiss for the weekend! Or maybe leave it on the night stand.

This got me to thinking about other hotels. . . for instance. . Doubletree. . .those awesome warm chocolate chip cookies. . .I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I know last week when I started posting, I was considering moving all foods that remotely looked like "Junk" food to an S day. I have decided against that. The one serving limit within meals is definately a better option. I don't want my S days to be an excuse to binge. What would be the purpose of that?!?!?

When I talked with my hubby over the phone, he said my NO S book had arrived in the mail! ! ! Now, I can hardly wait to get back home!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:50 am

Day 9 SUCCESS
BreakfastBreakfast Oatmeal/peaches
Lunch Parmesan pasta with bacon and green peas/clementine
Dinner turkey sandwich with spinach, monterray jack cheese/peanuts/1 tablespoon baked pumpkin pie filling mixed with a little whole grain cinnamon cereal
Beverages water coffee tea
Exercise Yes I did. . .Walk Away The Pounds (DVD got jammed in my laptop, so I came up with my own version of it.. . .mind you. . . while watching the Young and Restless . ..worked up a sweat, even thru the commercials!

Over the years of packing my food to go with me on trips, I've learned a few tips that have actually really saved the day. After I ate my sandwich tonight, I was still hungry. . .normally I could have had a salad or chips on the side, but alas, no time to pop in the airport, which, incidently no restuarnts were open anyway- - -(that particular terminal is being phased out so all the restuarants were closed. My number one thing is to always always always include a Fiber enriched Dry cereal keeps me full for a very long time. When I finished eating dinner tonight, it felt like I was "done". . .the hunger was gone. . .thanks to my little cereal trick.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:04 am

Day 10 UNSUCCESSFUL
I saw someone drinking a mountain dew and that was it. I had to have one. Never mind about the high frutose corn syrup that I really want to try to avoid. Rationalizing in my mind. . .ok this was one of those big old 20 oz drinks. . . one serving is about 8 ounces. . .so I'll just drink 8 ounces and save the rest. Hmm. . . that did not happen. Once I started drinking it I knew I was going to finish it off, despite my efforts not to. Oh well.

Breakfast yogurt/ cereal
Lunchbeef stew
Dinnerbeef stew/cornbread/clementine
Beveragescoffee/water/mountain dew

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:14 am

Day B1 SUCCESS
No snacking between meals. . .no funny stuff. . .NO MD (mountain dew)
And here I was worried that a little chocolate kiss would do me in. I got blind sided by that MD. On the other hand, I am kinda amazed at myself for not snacking between meals. This NO S program is really a confidence builder.

Breakfast: Oatmeal/peaches
Lunch: turkey wrap with spinach/ monterray jack cheese/chips
Dinner: chicken curry/orange/pumpkin filling (1tbsp) /half of whole wheat wrap
Beverages: coffee/ water/ tea (herbal and regular)

I think one of my next goals after I make it thru the initial 21 days is to tweek my diet just a tad. Ideally, I'd like to include more fresh veggies. At one point in my dieting career I did take up becoming a vegetarian because I wasn't getting enough vegetables in my diet. That lasted maybe 4 months. . .because I began to miss having bacon. And BBQ. .

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 2:19 am

Day B2 SUCCESS
What a week! I'm finally home! Got my book too! I didn't feel like cooking anything special tonight, so I just ate some chicken soup and call it a night.
Breakfast: Oatmeal/ orange
Lunch: McDonalds chicken sandwich/fries
Dinner: chicken soup/cornbread/clementine

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:00 pm

Days B3/B4- S-days. Uneventful. . .nothing out of the ordinary
N-Day B5 (yesterday) SUCCESSFUL
It was a challenge to be home on an N day but I made it thru- -even when my hubby was teasing me with the last bite of his of key-lime pie. That's ok, I told him, I had already brushed my teeth and was done eating for the night. I made the pie. . .I knew what it tasted like and I enjoyed a slice on my S- day. No need to pine over what I won't be eating on N days.

For Today. . .anticipating SUCCESS. . .
N-Day B6. . .it would have normally been DAY 16- -and JUST five more days before joining the 21 day club. . . had I not given in to that mountain dew. Wow what an eye-opener. Anyway live and learn. . .and do NO S.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:11 pm

How many times have I passed an advertisment, and allowed it to sink into my mind without thinking about it? ? ? Probably more than I care to know! ! !

For example, while walking thru the airport, I looked at the advertising sign for Auntie Annie's pretzels which stated :

SPOILING DINNER SINCE 1988

Just being aware of the sabatoging efforts of snack food companies to pad their bottom line with bucks, while padding my bottom with fat and excess calories. I would say that is NOT A FAIR TRADE!

I think it's time to get justifiably

ANGRY at what has been happening to us at the expense of our health and start to FIGHT BACK! !

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:54 am

N-day B7 SUCCESS
What I had:
Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch: homemade pasta with parmesan & Bacon (YUM)/apple/hand full of peanuts
Dinner: Turkey sandwich with spinach & monterray jack/apple sauce/kashi/crackers
Bev: coffe/tea/juice/water

I know. . .I find that I pretty much eat the same thing almost all the time. I love to cook and do so on the weekends. I really need to eat more veggies. I found an awesome chocolate suffle recipe for Valentine's day that I'm going to try.

Today (Thursday) is N-Day B8 anticipating SUCCESS today
I plan on having yogurt and cereal for breakfast/ egg salad sandwich on whole wheat wrap for lunch/spahetti with meat sauce for dinner/ beverages- lots of juice as I am feeling a tad bit under the weather/ water/tea/coffee?

howfunisthat · Post by **howfunisthat** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:17 pm

Just look at all the green!!!! You're doing great!

janie

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:23 pm

Most of you have already heard by now about the flight that went down in Buffalo. I'm a flight attendant and I was on a different aircraft going into Buffalo that was just behind that flight when it went down. Wow, talk about hitting home! This is a truly a trajic situation which claimed all the lives on board.
Needless to say, I'm a little shaken up today, but I just wanted to post. - Thanks for listening.

howfunisthat · Post by **howfunisthat** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:05 pm

Oh Savvy...no wonder you are shaken. What a horrible situation...words just don't do it justice. I'm heartsick for anyone who had a loved one on board.

It must have been so shocking for you to know you were on a flight right behind them.....

Hugs to you Savvy...janie

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:34 pm

Thanks Janie. . yes It's been a very emotional time here, it's just so hard to believe. . .all so hard to take in. . .

I haven't had much of an appetite and also, I'm trying to ward off catching a cold with this new product called Zicam. At the first sign of cold symptoms, you're supposed to take it. I had a sore throat and now it's gone! So I think it must work.

LoriLifts · Post by **LoriLifts** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:04 pm

Savvy,
Take care of yourself.
Hugs,
Lori

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:11 pm

N-Day B8- SUCCESS
S-DAYS B9/B10

Today is N-Day B11- Anticipating SUCCESS, because I had my MD fix over the weekend! And chocolates. . .and. . .oh well, that's what weekends are for, right!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:09 pm

N-day B12 SUCCESS
N-day B13 (Wednesday) Anticipating SUCCESS

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:31 pm

Today is Thursday N-Day B14 Anticipating SUCCESS
I really want my heart to be in this. I've proved to myself that I can change my habits, but can I change really wanting No snacks, sweets or seconds as a way of living my life? ? ? I really wanted a cookie yesterday and not having one drove me bezerk! That's really the heart of the matter for me. Not wanting stuff.

I made this cool weight tracking ticker, but couldn't figure out how to display it here. . so for now, it's just on my google page.

Anyway, vacation time is coming up and I have a few more days before offically entering the 21 day club on my second attempt. (Thanks to that 20 ounce Mountain Dew) That sugary sweet stuff can be addicting! I'm switching to orange juice mixed with club soda and lemon. It won't have the caffeine kick, but I get plenty of that with tea and coffee.

I've calcuated that if I stay on plan, my 21 days will be up next week (Thursday). Right in the middle of our vacation!

The thing about it is, even if I were not on vacation, I'd still need to attempt to stay on plan. Vacation is no excuse to let my guard down. (I say that now so that when the time comes, I can look back at what I wrote and say, "You go girl"!)

Not that there is any real virtue in going just 21 days on plan besides an incredible sense of accomplishment and ingraining a really good habit of not eating between meals. Well, I guess that's virtuous enough in and of itself. Last year I did 40 days of no dessert and continued it while on vacation much to my hubby's surprise! I also blogged everyday on Sparkpeople about what is really "sweet", using inspirational passages from the Bible.
If you'd like to read about it here. . .here's the link

my.sparkpeople.com/SAVVYV

Anyway I said all that to say this. . .one lilttle cookie almost set me back AGAIN! ! ! I wanted a cookie yesterday, but I did not eat it!(How childish I sound!) But I really wanted that cookie!
So N-day B13 was a SUCCESS!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:25 pm

Well, I'm getting geared up for vacation. . .down to sunny florida (well last I checked it was in the 50's with lows in the 30's in Destin where we're going. So, it's not going to be too warm, but much warmer than where I am! And no snow to boot!

Much needed - overdue break!

I've be reading thru a lot of blogs here (if you would call it that) and one post just seems to really hit home with me about no s-ing:

It just feels very sustainable to me because I feel like my mental mindset isn't one of deprivation.

Oh, I wish my mindset was like that. . .

Here I was yesterday, wondering how can I sustain this - especially the no sweets? I just don't get how I can justify the NO S author's thinking that it's ok to put sugar in my coffee, then denying myself a tiny cookie? ? ? I can't even rationalize a good answer for that. But I did not eat the cookie. . . AND I had sugar in my coffee.

In my thinking...sugar is sugar, no matter how you get it. Last time I checked, sugar is sweet.

Part of that answer for me is in how I define myself. And right now, it feels like I'm looking at myself thru fuzzy lenses. Bottom line is if the NO S purpose here is to cut sugar out of my diet- -and definately not using nasty sugar substitutes- -or fake chemical foods - -then it is not working for me because I feel myself teetering around convictions that should already be established. Later on I felt guilty for using sugar in my coffee, so I put splenda (which is a big NO NO )in my tea.

Just last month I threw out a whole 5lb bag of splenda because I was scared of what that amount of fake stuff would do to my body. . .why can't I do the same with sugar?
Because in my mind, it is not a NO NO in small amounts.

So am I making SUCCESS in one area while derailing and sabotaging my progress in another? Probably.

I've got to stop thinking that sugar and sweets has this magical stronghold on me that somehow makes me feel good. I am NOT going to go bezerk if I don't have a cookie. . .just a little over-the-top

So for me, I have to define what will work for me. . . and all I really am convinced of is this:

I will bring back my original pre NO S focus of: ABSOLUTELY No Sugar substitutes (or cookies/fake foods that contain them including "diet" beverages)

In No S terms, yesterday (N day Bn14) was a SUCCESS but I don't feel very successful in battling the sugar cravings.

la_loser · Post by **la_loser** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:55 pm

From your post. . .

Bottom line is if the NO S purpose here is to cut sugar out of my diet- -and definitely not using nasty sugar substitutes- -or fake chemical foods - -then it is not working for me because I feel myself teetering around convictions that should already be established. Later on I felt guilty for using sugar in my coffee, so I put Splenda (which is a big NO NO )in my tea.

(The No S Purpose is NOT to cut sugar out of you diet. . ."!)

Don't be so hard on yourself. It sounds like you're doing pretty well. . . and honestly--the real rules for No S are only the three. No Snacks, No Sweets and No Seconds. . . if you look at the main NO S homepage you will see this: http://nosdiet.com/

I'm not telling you to give up sweets completely. I love sweets. But I love them even more on S days. That way I can love them unreservedly, without also hating them for what they do to my body. On S-days, I make sure to pick out something really nice, to make it count. Sweets weren't designed for daily, routine consumption, physically or spiritually. Deserve your desserts. They taste much better that way.

And right after that Reinhard suggests that he's not a big fan of artificial sweeteners. . . but those are not deal-breakers if you're following No S. . . if they work for you and don't cause you to crave the real thing, my understanding is that it's not that big a deal. There are those gurus out there who have all kinds of things to say about Splenda, etc. , both good and bad, but for me, it's all about, once again, moderation and using good sense! i.e. eating sugar-free candy defeats the purpose of No S. Now if using the fake sugar sets up craving those cookies and stuff, that's when the problem might come in. For me, I use Splenda in my coffee and drink some (not a lot) of diet drinks, mostly Crystal Light. I've never ever felt a twinge of guilt about No S using those. But then I don't drink a Diet Coke and think, wow, I'd rather have the real thing! Sure I'm guessing our bodies might be better off without anything but pure unadulterated food/drinks but that's not the issue here.

The sweets notion really has to do with whether or not you would consider something a dessert or a topping, etc. And regarding whether one little cookie would matter. It's not like you would have taken a spoon and eaten that whole bag of Splenda by itself, once you had a little. But I know that for me that I've had that one little cookie before, then it led to another then oh, look at the half cookie all lonely there and boom-where did all the cookies go--oh, yeah--in my mouth. That just doesn't happen with a little sugar used as a sweetener.

So in the words another poster often uses--be gentle with yourself. Hope this helps. Gotta go have a little diet Coke!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:19 am

I have to admit I am a bit over the edge with working this "diet" out in my head. . .It's the No Sweets. . .part that gets me. The dividing lines are way to fuzzy.

And I do realize that my focus is a bit off. . .instead of focusing on what I "can't" have, I should focus on what I can and the one thing I really need to UP in my diet is veggies. So, the mod for me is I get a green SUCCESS when I have had veggies that day. I won't count it as a failure if I do not eat my veggies, only as a success when I do.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:46 pm

N-day B15 SUCCESS
S-day B16(Vacation officially began) exempt
S-day B17
N-day B18 SUCCESS
N-day B19 (Today Anticipating SUCCESS)- - As vacations go, so do "regular meal times"- -sometimes we just have breakfast/brunch and dinner- -but I'm not going to worry too much about the timing of meals, just making sure I get those veggies in. So far, no chocolate or ice cream or goodies like that. I'll be taking an extra S day this week for birthday celebration.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:46 pm

N-Day B19 (Tuesday) UNSUCCESSFUL

I guess that means starting over. . .attempt C- -Day 1 (wed) UnsuccessfulAttempt D - Day 1 (Thurs - Unsuccessful)
Friday - NWS
Saturday/Sunday - Sdays - at least now, I'm back from vacation
String of unsuccessful days, including today. (Attempt E)
I'm skipping letter F. . . (it just beggs me to Fail. . .)On to the G attempt!

Anyway, here's to finding my way back on track.

caroleann · Post by **caroleann** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:58 pm

Don't give up. Remember what you said, focus I what you can have and not what you can't." that really is good advice and I think I will use it!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:56 am

G attempt (Day 1 Tuesday. . .Unsuccessful)
I'm not giving up. Getting back on track is very important to me. I think I read somewhere that we need to get a string of unsuccessful attempts under our belt anyway. . .mind you, I did not intentionally plan these unsuccessful attempts. . .I just didn't PLAN my meals this week very well. . .and we all know if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail.

So here's to my H attempt. H is for HOPE. . .

May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with HOPE through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Roman 15:13)

(I just wanted to add that in! I hope that verse encourages you as much as it did me!)

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:37 am

Day H1- Success

New S's that I'm including in my mods are:

No Self-indulgence behaviors (even on days that begin with S)
No Self-loathing

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:55 pm

N-day Thursday H2- Unsuccessful, although I did have lots of veggies - but I also ate a donut.

I have a few days off, now I can take a breather and actually plan out my meals a little better, and draw up an exercise plan for myself. Vacation derailed me a bit, because I got a little sick when I was there and should have probably taken some sick days off from work when my vacation was over. . .but they frown on stuff like that. . .so I went straight from vacation and back to work.

It amazes me how much time and energy I actually put into getting and keeping a few pounds off, yet constantly end up derailing my efforts. No wonder the "diet industry" loves people like me. I think I've bought into the lie that in order to look good I must be rail thin. This is vanity. But on the other hand, if I don't watch what I eat then I would probably gain a ton of weight. . .so I can not just ignore the fact that some type of plan must be in place.

The truth, is I have to begin to see myself as God sees me, and keep that vision always in the fore front. Not obsessing about my outer person, but working on the inner person - and keeping myself free from the world's contaminations.

What I like about the No S diet, is that no foods are forbidden. . .just not eaten every day. This idea resonates deeply within me. . .I can truly agree to it. And when I actually have time to plan and prepare my meals, I can do it with an incredible sense of variety.

For today,to make it to the 21 days on habit (since I ate one donut last night with my hubby) I have to start at day one again. Moving on down the alphabet to letter I.

I plan on having a successful N day full of veggies and fruit, lean protein and lots of water.
Here is my updated version of how I will implement the No S diet. . and what I will focus on.

No Sweets: Focus on limiting desserts to weekends and special occassions

No Snacks : Focus on eliminating any food in-between meals which means that meal-time must have a definite beginning and an definate ending. . .(like prayer (beginning the meal) and brushing of teeth/ mints/ prayer (ending the meal). This is true for no matter how many meals I have for any given day.

No seconds: Focus on one portion

No self-indulgent eating behavior- even on "S" days (Focus on pre-planning meals and exercising self control at all time)

No self-loathing (Focus on seeing myself as God sees me- even if I mess up)

So here's to the I attempt Day 1 of my No S adventure!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:31 pm

I have to remind myself of former blog entries (from another website)when I did not eat sweets for 40 days. These posts can help me carry over to the NO S (sweets portion). So, for the next 21 days, I'll repost portions of my blog entries to help me along here.

REMINDER: Day 1: Sweeter Than Honey
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Next 40 days. . .no sweets (desserts cookies, cakes, pastries, chocolate, pies, etc)
For each of the 40 days, I will write in my blog a Bible scripture relating to sweets to give me something "sweet" to meditate on.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
PSALM 119:102-104

I Am Richly Blessed Beyond Measure
Comment: When I think about this scripture, it REALLY puts me in checkMATE! Thank God for continual second and third and fourth and fifth chances and the ability to wipe the slate clean and get my sweet tooth completely once and for all UNDER HIS CONTROL! It is my hope that I DO really value the sweet taste of the Word of God MORE THAN sweets baked goods, desserts and chocolates. I did a baseline study of my attitude toward chocolate a couple of weeks ago. . . and discovered that I lasted about 4 days before going completely bonkers without my chocolate fix. THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS!(Not to mention I am brave enough to start this challenge during that crazy TOM and all it's cravings). With God's help, I pray to completely change my attitude and thinking towards sweets. ((As the old saying goes, when you pray for rain, take your umbrella. . .in this case I will be physically moving myself away from tempting sweets))
Others have kicked their sweet tooth by their own sheer will power and determination. So, with God on my side, I HAVE NO EXCUSE!

I am praying for success in completely kicking this habit (which for me the uncontrolled/portioned incidently is THE true sabatoge of my healthy eating/living efforts.

Sweets have ALWAYS been a part of my life. . .and I usually steer away from the artificial sweeteners (for the most part- -ironically I am afraid for what they could do to my body in the long run . .GO FIGURE. . .sugar record is just as bad AND it has been proven to be more addicting than cocaine ). So that leave my recipes with carb calories coming from sugar, even if it in small amounts.

We all know SUGAR LOVES FAT. So, for the purposes of this challenge, I will be focusing on the large amounts of sugar found in desserts and baked goods. Eventually I will challenge myself to completely kick sugar out of my diet.

Ancient Chinese saying: When the student is ready. . .the teacher will come.

The Teacher has always been there. . .patiently waiting. . .

Today, March 6, 2009, it's time to pull it all together.

LoriLifts · Post by **LoriLifts** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:46 pm

Hi SavvyV,
How did you feel after giving up sugar for 40 days? Were you more in control after the 40 days?
I'm thinking of abstaining from sugar for 21 days. My hope is that I'll at least partially get out of the dessert habit, then I'll bring it back for S days.
The no desserts rule on N days has been my downfall. I want to make No S my lifetime way of eating, I know I need to gain control of all this sugar consumption.
Lori

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:37 pm

Oh. ..yes, I was pretty amazed with myself for sticking it out for 40 days (so was my better half!) Most of all, it increased my awareness of my attitude (which can times be childish and bratty when it comes to sweets). So, for the most part, giving up sweets really wasn't for my health benefits at the time, but more for a spiritual reflection of my attitude. And I decided that it was TIME TO GROW UP! ! !

During those 40 days, I did not elimate sugar per se (much like the NO S approach), but more specifically DESSERTS. . . baked goodies candy, soda. . .and especially anything chocolate and anything that could be categorized as a dessert food (with the exception of fruit, which by the way, makes an excellent "natural dessert" choice). And I was on vacation during some of those days as well. I became an avid label reader. It was during that time that I did a lot of research and found out that HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) was found in a lot of stuff, like coke, and my beloved mountain dew . . .and even yogurt, of all things). HFCS is bad news to my body. Sugar, when combined with FAT (as in icecream, cakes, pies, cookies, etc) is extremely bad news to my body and my waist-line.

I do intend on trying to give up sugar completely - maybe attempting for 21 N days- that would be a really gradual approach but I would substitute molasses, honey and stevia as my natural sweeteners.

Talking about all this has made me hungry!

Anyway. . .yesterday was
DAY I 1 (YES I "won")

SUCCESS

B- 1/2 bowl Kashi/1/2 banana/skim milk/ mini bagel with honey
L - tuna salad/crackers
D- salmon/broccoli/egg roll
Bev- water/juice/milk/ green tea
Ex - 30 min on bowflex
Attitude:

GB: at least ONCE.. .YES
I have found that I lose weight when I wait long enough for my stomach to growl at least ONCE per day! GB is for growly belly.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 2:45 am

SDays I- 2 and I- 3

Sat and Sun. . .nothing out of ordinary. . .which is good.

Gearing up for this week. . .5 (N)ormal days ahead. Travelling down days (I-4 thru I-8)
I'm beginning to sound like an interstate! This time around. . .No pit stops! No detours! Here's to arriving at my destination (which means not having to go to attempt J.) :lol:

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:27 am

SUCCESS

B- kashi/grapes/mini bagel with honey
L - tuna salad/crackers/chips/veggies
D- lasagna roll-ups/steamed veggies/salad/yogurt
Bev- water/juice/milk/ green tea /coffee
Ex - 60 min on bowflex
Attitude:

GB: at least ONCE.. .YES

Here is my re-post for additional encouragement:

REPOST Day 2:

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Warning to the wise
Proverbs 9:17
"Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!"
Proverbs 9:16-18

I Am Embracing Good Habits

Comments: The truth is as a Christian, I am BOMBARDED everyday in my daily walk with Christ to conform to the ways of this world, without putting up a fight. . . .it's called Spiritual warfare.

This is the BOMB of complacency, that comfort zone of doing what feels and tastes good ALL THE TIME. Nevermind, what others are thinking. . .this BOMB is aimed toward my heart- -and unless I am guarded- -it has the potential to completly catch me off guard and ruin my life (health, relationships, testimony).

Then there is the BOMB of being so self-centered that others have no use for you. (In Christian terms- --this is like being so Heaven Bound that you are no earthly good)

Have I taken questionable behavior way too lightly and in the process THOROUGHLY allowed my conscious to be seared.

You bet I have!

Even now, as I think this through, my own mind is at battle:

What's the big deal, I ask myself?!?!?!
The big deal is, the more I compromise my actions and behavior, the more I bang on a door that has been and will forever remain sealed and locked. This rebellious behavior is NOT IN STEP with my Christian walk. The words and meaning of the Bible are not going to change. God is not going to change His mind and say it's ok for me to be totally complacent and self centered. The only thing that can change is my WILLINGNESS TO keep my life endrenched in the Word of God, so much so that I'm dripping with kind words and a compassionate, Godly wisdom that has transformed my heart.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:50 am

Spent the day cooking- - not tasting! That's a BIG SUCCESS! ! Back to work in the morning, this time for a 4 day trip.

For today. . .it was. . . . . (drum roll please. . .)

SUCCESS

B- cream of wheat/grapes
L - turkey/cheese on toasted English muffin/chips/applesauce
D- baked chicken/angel hair pasta/marina sauce/broccoli
Bev- water/milk/ green tea
Ex - 60 min on bowflex
Attitude:

GB: at least ONCE.. .YES

Here is my re-post for additional encouragement

Day 3: Rx for inner cleansing. . . and it's FREE
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:23-25

I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

Comment: Ok. . .I know you were probably expecting me to blog about the newest colon cleanser out there or link to some website promoting vitamins and minerals. But consider this: With all the additional stuff we can do to our bodies to make them function better, there is a healing available that often goes unnoticed, and unappreciated. I would even venture to say that particular healing has been completely overlooked and under-rated.
The healing comes from Pleasant Words. . . .hmmmm. . . .HEALING BEGINS IN THE MIND. And we all know the mind is a terrrrrrrrrrible thing to waste. So, I would say that if you want to take full advantage of this healing, then begin every day feeding your mind with pleasant words.

(Hint: if the first thing you do to yourself in the morning is step on the scale and start complaining about your weight. . .then you may want to forgo stepping on the scale for a while - at least until you realize that the scale is only an UN-EMOTIONAL TOOL that gauges your body weight. That is fact. Don't allow this tool to become the catalyst for beating up on yourself unnecessarily.)

Believe me, it's not as easy as it sounds. It takes a certain level of consistant mature thinking to heal your mind with pleasant words.

In fact. . .these ancient words of Wisdom says it best:

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. (((((Who among us can make that claim))))
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
(JAMES 3:2-10)

****************************************
*********
So. . .what should I do???!?!?!
I truly desire the inner healing of speaking pleasant words to myself and others.
****************************************
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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirableâ€”if anything is excellent or praiseworthyâ€”think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in meâ€”put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
(PHIL 4:4-9)

***********************************
O.K. . . .there I have it. A free Rx on how to heal my mind and body. I truly believe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:45 am

SUCCESS

B-yogurt/kashi/grapes
L - lasagna rolls/grapes
D- chicken noodle soup/turkey sandwich wrap/chips/ apple
Bev- water/ green tea/coffee
Ex - None but pedometer registered 17, 994 steps
Attitude:

but I am now offically battling a cold. So much for zicam.
GB: at least ONCE.. .YES

Here is my repost for additional encouragement

Day 5: Trust me on this one.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
Proverbs 20:16-18

I Am Truthful

Comment:

On the surface, the meaning is quite clear - -if you cheat when you eat, you'll wail on the scale. So be truthful to yourself by all means! It will make you more accountable!

Watch out for binging behaviour. . .it will come back to bite you - every time. Again. . .the truth must reign. There is no substitution for it!

Or take the scripture at face value. . .if you steal your food, you may get this adrenaline rush while you're eating it, but later may realize what is in your mouth is actually disgusting and JUST NOT WORTH IT!

Likewise, I have to have the same adverse reaction to any "food gained by fraud".
Bear with me. . . there is a MUCH MORE spiritual level to ponder here and I will go into in a later blog.

(((Hint, if you want to run ahead of me, check out the following scripture.
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. John 4:33-35)))

I will end this on a positive note from a former blog- - -Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones!

Bon Apetite

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:43 am

SUCCESS

B-yogurt/kashi/grapes
L - turkey wrap/grapes/apple/chips
D- minestrone /pizza/chips/
Bev- water/ green tea/coffee /juice
Ex - pedometer reading 17,619/7129 aerobic steps (due to dancing in my hotel room)
Attitude:

GB: at least ONCE.. .no

Here is my repost for additional encouragement:

Day 7:Sharing What I Know

Sunday, August 31, 2008
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:9-11

I AM Naturally Eating Fresh Wholesome Foods.

Comment: It's always a good idea to know the context of Scripture. . ."for all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law."

So. . .when was the last time I bawled from listening to a sermon? Ironically our sermon today in church was on emotionalism. . .either people display too much or too little. The fact is, you can't walk away from the Wisdom from the Word of God without some type of emotional reaction taking place inside you. You either get it AND FALL IN LOVE WITH IT or you don't.

On a pratical note and for the purposes of keeping in the theme of my blog. .
I have always known somewhere deep inside that when we are eating, it conversely affects our mood. This scripture attest to that fact. . .ENJOY CHOICE FOOD AND SWEET DRINKS. . . . .the second part is just as important. . .SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE WITH OTHERS ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE NOTHING PREPARED.
This is a Godly challenge!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:14 pm

Yesterday: SUCCESS

B-oatmeal/handful of peanuts
L - minestrone/lasgna roll-ups
D- barbque sandwich/greenbeans/coleslaw
Bev- water/ green tea/coffee /juice
Ex - officially none, but pedometer was over 17,000 steps for the day.
Attitude:

Still battling cold
GB: at least ONCE.. .yes

Today and Tomorrow are
Sdays, day 9 and 10

So I made it thru the week without much, if any, detours.

Y Goddodin · Post by **Y Goddodin** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 6:28 pm

I like this log... interesting reading. Well done on the 10 days of success.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:00 pm

Thanks Arjuna!

I just lost everything I was typing. . .

that is quite frustrating. . .
Anyway, for the past few N days I have not posted my progress. . .coming up off of the leniency of the S days, and being home, due to taking a few sick days from work, I'm just going to say the past 3 days were success for the most part- -not perfect but manageable. Also, anytime I can sit in front of my tv and not snack on the chocolates in the bowl in front of me is a BIG SUCCESS!

I also am working on mapping out a strength training program. . .something that can fit in my schedule and lifestyle.

For today: N-day 14 I am Anticipating Success b/c I am back at work and have packed all the food that I plan on eating for today. My personal challenge is to log at least 17,000 pedometer steps.

B-yogurt/kashi/banana
L- minestrone/crackers/orange
D- turkey and veggie wrap/chips/
B- water/coffee/tea/juice
Ex: pedometer reading: over 27,000

Here is my repost for additional encouragement:

Day 8: Delayed Gratification

Monday, September 01, 2008
A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
Proverbs 13:18-20

I Am Bouncing Back, Joyfully, and Courageously

Comment: It strengthens me when I practice being patient. . .like the saying goes "good things come to those who wait". This is so true. I'll be meditating on this verse today and already, I am intensely blessed. I know that when all is said and done, I must continually be patient with myself, especially if this longing of mine - - to lose weight and keep it under control - -will ever be realized.

It has been said that one definition of insanity is doing the same crazy thing over and over again and expecting different results. Change MUST occur, and before I lose a ounce of weight from my body, I need to lose a TON of unproductive self-sabatoge thinking from my mind.

I Can Do It!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:31 am

Good thing today and tomorrow are S days. . .I feel my resolve beginning to weaken again. . .

Yesterday N-day 15 Success- for the most part. . .

B-kashi/pancake/banana
L- pizza/salad/chips
D- refrigerator raid. . .stir-fry/meatloaf/baked sweet potato
B- water/coffee/tea/juice
Ex: none

Repost for additional encouragement

Day 9: Lord, Sweeten My Water!

Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

Exodus 15:25

I AM drinking 8 glasses of water a day.

Comment: Again, the best way to explore this scripture is thru the light of it's context. Believe me. . .I hope you will be as surprised as I was!

The Ancient Words of Wisdom says that:

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

Exodus 15:24-26 (New International Version)
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Reading this brought chills down my spine and entire being! Not only is the Lord able to heal our bodies and broken spirits, HE IS ABLE TO PREVENT DISEASES, ILLNESSES AND BROKENESS FROM EVER HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE! ! !

PRAISE BE TO GOD! ! THE LORD WHO HEALS US!

So, exactly how does He heal us?? Keep in mind, that the Israelites were wandering around aimlessly in the desert for 40 years. Their stubborness and lack of faith and inability in these 4 areas separated them from all that God planned for them. . .ultimately Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Mental healing.

These are the 4 areas they were tested in:

1. LISTEN to God,
2. DO what is right in His eyes,
3. PAY attention to His commands,
4. KEEP His decrees

As a Christian, I am also tested daily in these 4 basic areas. Christ IS LIVING WATER! Drinking from His cistern on a regular and daily basis will keep my life flushed out from the impurities of this world.

Water is an absolute necessity for life. And LIVING WATER is an absolute necessity for ABUNDANT LIFE!

Lord, sweeten my water! !

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:42 am

Tomorrow is Day 21!!!

Looks like I'm finally going to get over the 21 day hump. . .Do I feel like no S is an ingrained habit?!?

Not yet. It may take some people 21 days to nail this. . .but I feel like for me, its more like 21 weeks!

Seriously, though, I truly am getting to the point where it does seem strange to eat outside of mealtimes. I was talking with my sister over the phone who casually mentioned she was going thru a driving thru to get a milkshake. . . .I would have thought nothing of that a month or so ago. (pre- No S) . .but now my thinking is slightly different. I feel more in control and aware of what is going into my body.

That is a good thing!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 4:27 pm

Ok. .I've made it over the 21 days. . .! Now my goal is to get my weight completly out of the 160ish range. . .for me, anything 160 and above is my HORROR weight. At 5"4',My normal weight range (according to charts) is the range between 125-145. . .I probably have a tendency to linger towards the higher range. The last time I weighed 125 I was 12 years old-

But, still its a goal I've ALWAYS wanted to reach as an adult. . .you never know!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:57 am

Getting those daily priorities in order is very important! There are much more important things in my life than trying to lose weight. . . . such as learning to be content, Contentment is just one of many Godly tastebuds that takes a lifetime of discipline to aquire.

I refuse to wait until my weight becomes a "real problem". . . . meaning. . .just living an undisciplined life that reflects itself in my eating habits. . .then trying to take off even more weight than I am currently faced with. This would certainly not be in my best interest. Therefore, it's best to err on the side of caution and just develop overall good habits when it comes to my nutrition and exercise even when losing weight really isn't my very first priority.

So. . .now the real work begins! With the No-S approach, all I have to do is report whether or not I was successful on any given day. No lengthy analysis as to why I did or did not meet my goal. Just the cold hard facts. In fact, this approach STARTS at the maintenance level and works itself down to the point where you just naturally want to make the good personal choices to succeed. 21 days at a time. . .developing habits that you can be proud to call your own.

Of course, I still have to plan my meals, and plan my exercise and plan my time wisely- -especially in light of my irregular work schedule. In fact any plan that takes that vital responsibility out of my hands is pretty much a set up for failure in the long run. My plan is a highly personalized one, that fits my life and my lifestyle. And when we fail to plan. . .we all know what happens. . . we plan to fail.

Life is too short to live it in regrets of repeated failure. It's time to SUCCEED! And to build on past successes!

For the next 3 months (April May June) I am challenging myself to answer the following yes or no questions each day:
1. Did I SUCCESSFULLY study my Bible?
2. Did I SUCCESSFULLY pray and feast on God's word?
3. Did I No-S SUCCESSFUULLY according to plan?
4. Did I SUCCESSFULLY exercise according to plan?
5. Is my weight lower than 160 (my personal horror weight)?
6. Is my Resperate unit registering 40 or more minutes?
7. Am I planning and expecting SUCCESS for tomorrow?

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:09 am

This is pretty close to what I ate today:
Breakfast: Kashi cereal/skim milk/apple/blueberries
Lunch: Turkey and Pruscuitto on buttered whole wheat English muffin
Dinner: Steakum prepared with assorted bell peppers and onion on toasted bun/ broccoli/ oven fries/ strawberries

SUCCESS

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:10 am

Success (April 1)
shock:
Being the geek that I am. . .why am I still up? Knowing that I have to report at work at 5:40 am?

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:15 am

Ok. . .even though I've made it thru 21 days on habit. . .I guess I should still count my days on habit. So this is

N day 27- Success
B- kashi/instant peach oatmeal/
L- curry chicken/cornbread
D-spaghetti/green peas/high fiber granola bar
Beverages- In order of occurance

Water juice water/ coffee/afternoon tea/water/water/water/water(I grabbed a 1.5 liter bottle and it is almost gone)
Exercise: None- -I am off track with my workout

This week I have been on a 3-day trip with very early report times in the morning. My morning time is usually reserved for exercising. I had to forgo morning exercise these past few days. I do not like early reports, mainly because I don't get my exercise in and I feel wiped out from lack of sleep. When I get to the hotel, all I can do is play catch up on my sleep. (Even now, I should be sleeping, knowing that I have an early report time in the morning- -I just felt the need to post)

Anyway, one more day of this and I'm back to a more sustainable work-out schedule. It used to be that I'd stay up late at night just to be on the internet and I'd be snacking. Word to the wise. . .staying up late can lead to unneccessary snacking. So, I'm going to turn in!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:07 am

Junior-manned today at work due to flight cancellations. My 3 day trip is now officially a 4 day trip. . . BUMMER ! ! Allow me to vent. . .

. . .so I'm stuck in this hotel. The only good thing is that the hotel is pretty nice. They gave us a dinner voucher for 12 bucks. When I went to redeem it, all they had was bakery items, chef salads, and fruit cups.

So here's what I ate today: And I almost forgot to add today was
SUCCESS- -b/c although I bought a danish, I won't eat it until the morning- S day!

B- vanilla yogurt/kashi/mixed fruit
L- black pepper chicken/ mixed veggies (from Panda express)
D- chef salad/fruit cup
Bev - water, coffee/tea/ juice/ more water
Exercise: Dare I say. . .NONE

I have been an exercise rebel for the past 3 days and today has not been any different. I just wanna go HOME! Maybe, I'll defy my rebellious attitude and suprise myself by getting up to exercise. It's a great stress reducer. . ."they"say.

Seriously though, I have been so rest-broken on this trip, it won't much matter if I decide to stay up all night. I'll still be tired at 4:00 in the morning, when I have to get up again.
Anyway, I desperatly need a dose of motivation and encouragement. . .so here goes:

Sunday, September 14, 2008
Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue. . .

I Am Hidden In Christ

Comment: Let's see the rest of this scripture in context!

"Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;
it will become the venom of serpents within him.
He will spit out the riches he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit them up.

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*****
A little "som'in som'in" doesn't look to good here, now does it? What was sweet in his mouth? Evil. . .Take a good look at the word. It just looks well. ." evil." . .

I am willing to take a guess that you have probably never considered this before, exactly what is "evil": It is "LIVE" spelled backwards. . .in other words, evil is backwards living.

MINING THE SCRIPTURES
"Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue, though he spares it and does not forsake it, but still keeps it in his mouth," -- Those were the words of Zophar, one of Job's three friends who came to "comfort" him during his suffering (Job 20:12-13). Although it is evident that Zophar was not inspired by God, his comment about the attitude and behavior of wicked men is certainly true.

Who has not, at one time or another, savored the taste of a favorite food? We held it in our mouths so that we could enjoy that delicious flavor as long as possible. Zophar suggested that some people savor the pleasure of wickedness in much the same fashion. Like some succulent morsel of our favorite food, sin can fill our senses, carrying us along in its destructive path and causing us to want to continue in its practice. The sinner wants the exhilaration of sin to last as long as possible and Satan is always ready to "serve us another portion."

Of course, the reason that men often savor sin is that it is indeed frequently pleasurable...for a time. The author of Hebrews tells us about the choice of Moses: "By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaohâ€™s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward" (Hebrews 11:24-26). Moses understood that the pleasures of sin were "passing," that is, temporary, and he was more interested in an eternal reward than a few brief years of self-gratification here in this life. It has been said that one sign of maturity is the ability to forego present pleasure to obtain that which is more valuable in the future.

We did not, however, allow Zophar to finish his thought. He continued, "Yet his food in his stomach turns sour; it becomes cobra venom with him" (Job 20:14). Zophar affirmed that no matter how sweet evil might taste now, the time will come when it will become bitter and will accomplish our destruction. What a vivid way of illustrating the truth that sin is pleasurable only for a short season! This world is full of people whose sins have ceased to be "lots of fun," and have instead "soured" their lives. They were deceived, thinking that the "sweetness" would continue and instead they have experienced such bitterness as to make them miserable. We do not, however, have to learn the hard way. The Word of God warns us that sin will poison our lives and murder us spiritually (Romans 6:23 - "The wages of sin is death..."). The final bitterness is when sin causes a person to be separated from God for eternity. We need to beware lest we come to like the taste of evil!

When evil comes knocking on our door, it's best to know where to hide!
A topic this deep, becons our further study!
Here is the link to the above article!
www.teachingtruth.org/articles.php?article=89

Wow. . .was that deep or what! I seriously need an attitude adjustment!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:07 pm

Ok. . .weekends are as weak. .ends are (I wonder why they don't call them "Strongends". . .that would do wonders for my morale- --maybe I will just call my "weekends" "strongends"!)
Anyway, here's a brief update on my progress. Bad attitudes from work kinda spilled over into my dietary habits. After being junior manned to work another day, that left me with only one full day at home (Sunday) to go back on the job for another 4 day trip on Monday. Not much time to prepare and plan for the weak (did I say that!) I meant week.
Needless to say, I have been failing left and right due to lack of preparation and focus! I really need to get back on track. Have I been exercising? Don't even think about it! That seems to be the very first thing to go when "trouble" rears its ugly head. Maybe I'm just bone lazy when it comes to exercise

Maybe I'm just temporarily having a setback and can't see the forrest for the trees.

Speaking of trees. . .Can you believe we got SNOW in April! Just when you think winter is just about gone for the season and spring is beginning to bloom and flowers blossom. . .BAM. . .here comes another snow. Oh well, who am I to complain?

Anyway. . . here goes. . .

Day 29 -S day - Exempt (still in hotel)
Day 30 -S day - Exempt (Home. . .my only day off from work)

Day 31 - N day Failure- (Started a new 4 day trip today with benefits of have a layover in my own city, so I went home. for the night instead of the hotel . .(the thing about being at home is that I get too relaxed. . .and I got to snacking on a bag of chips in front of tv and didn't put them down)

Day 32 - N day Failure-"pms"ing AND . . ."perma-snacking" craving carbs. . .had a cookie. . .two mini bagels and a large croissant with jam. . generally speaking, my meal times don't fit neatly into "3 square meals a day" because I'm OTJ at "dinner-time"[/color]

Day 33 - N day Anticipating Sucess - gonna try to get back in the groove of things. . .especially with exercise

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 12:05 am

A glimpse in my personal Journal for writing down what I eat and why. I have not necessarily been sticking to NO-S.. . which translates to FAILURE, but since I'm on this board, I should try a least to stick to the basics, and learn to be consistant.. . Anyway, here goes. . . .

My Journal for writing down what I eat and why. Putting in calories and portions sizes is not necessary (yet), but it is a BONUS! ! !

This is a template of what I have been using to record my activity:

B-Breakfast
L-Lunch
D-Dinner
Beverages
Approx total cal in:
Days Between Workouts-a personal challenge-
I included this to challenge myself to never go 24 days without exercising again!
Exercise: (My current challenge is on the bowflex)
Total Calories out:
Motivation: Any outside reading material that is conducive to helping me stick to my program
Godly Tastebud: Spiritual insights that keep me grounded and rooted in the Word of God.

04/27/09
B- 3 mini- blueberry pancakes
L-yogurt/cereal/strawberries
D-homemade pizza/salad/grapes/tortilla chips/grapes
Bev-water green tea grape juice
Approx total cal in:Days Between Workout (DBW)-1
Exercise:Bowflex 3.0 for 3 miles
Total Calories out 700+
Motivation: Do It Anyway! Learn to focus on your actions, not just your feelings. On days youâ€™re not in the mood to exercise or eat right, you tell yourself DO IT ANYWAY. Identify a task you donâ€™t feel like doing, and do it anyway! Ok. . .Thatâ€™s easy. . . I was resistant to writing in my journal today as part of my plan, but I did it anyway!
Godly Tastebud:
And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the groundâ€”trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9

04/26/09
B-yogurt/blueberries
L-toppings off of two pizza slices/meatballs/ veggies/1 slice lemon cake/ 1 slice bâ€™day cake/(luncheon at church)
Snack: sun chips, grapes
D-chicken soup/salad/ 2 brownies
Bev-coffee green tea, water, grape juice
Approx total cal in: ??
Days Between Workout (DBW)- 1
Exercise: None
Total Calories out??
Motivation: Are U interested or committed? The one thing I did today to show that I am truly committed to this plan is I ate my vegetables no matter what. I had placed them aside and completely forgot about them, but I had no problem eating the cake! I ended up eating them later. . . Also, I did this actually before I read what I was to do for motivation today! So on some level, I really do believe that I am committing myself to better nutritional habits. Sure, I have a lot of bad habits to break. . .but thatâ€™s why Iâ€™m here! My diet is pretty SAD. . .Iâ€™m really thinking about going vegan or vegetarian or â€œflexitarianâ€. . .thatâ€™s a term that means mostly vegetarian, but little meat added in here and there.
Godly Tastebud: Gen 1:29-30 Then God said, â€œI give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground â€“ everything that has the breath of life in itâ€”I give every green plant for food.â€ And it was so.

04/25/09
B- heart to heart cereal/banana
L-sun chips, Â¼ cup applesauce, chicken noodle soup,1 carmel candy 2 dove chocolates
D- pizza
Beverages: Coffee with cream/ water (how many glasses?)
Approx Total calories in:
Days Between Workout:(DBW) 24-
Exercise: Bowflex challenge 2.5 miles (2 -30 min or sessions)
Total calories out: 645 calories
Promise to self that I will not allow 24 days to pass anymore between workouts
Motivation: Give yourself a new ending. . .I used to (old behavior). . . but now I. . .
I used to want to eat because I see other people eating. . .namely hubby. . . but now I count to ten, and listen to my body to see if it is really hungry.
Godly Tastebud: And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1: 6)

04/24/09
B â€“ half bowl of wheat squares with skim milk
Blueberry pancake with bananas and maple syrup
L-? ? ? snacked on crackers. . .because they were in sight
Snacked on sunchips and grapes
Feeling â€“ a bit weird. . .sad. . .unmotivated. . .did not exercise yet. . .
D - Italian â€œTorpedoâ€ from Quiznos/ a salad with mozz and feta cheese/ brownie
Godly Tastebud: If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel you will be devoured by the sword.â€ â€“ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 1:19-20

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:05 am

3 month challenge- - it takes 3 months to permanently begin to change habits. . .
I've slipped for just as long. . .time to get a grip!

Bushranger · Post by **Bushranger** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:47 am

SavvyV wrote:3 month challenge- - it takes 3 months to permanently begin to change habits. . .

That long? I've always understood habit formation to be 21-28 days of continuous practice/success. And Iâ€™ve read and heard that figure numerous times from numerous sources. I would imagine the habit would be well and truly ingrained by 3 months (90 days).

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:25 am

I've always understood habit formation to be 21-28 days of continuous practice/success.

Yeah, me too! I've always heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit.

Mimi

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:10 am

Yes. . .progression is the key. 21 days is a good place to start, but I know from my own experience that my new habits will not be ingrained after 21 days. They just won't. (Just speaking for myself) Maybe you guys are more focused and disciplined and thus more likely to exceed your own expectations!

So for me. . . A 3 month challenge to have completely new and better habits is not too much to ask.

What I'll be focusing on is only one task:
1. "Eating Only At Meal-times".

What this will eliminate for me is the habits of
Snacking between meals, and late night snacking. . .mindless munching in front of tv/and or computer!

Bushranger · Post by **Bushranger** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:40 am

Good stuff SavvyV. Go for gold!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:27 pm

How soon I forget. What makes a good life-time habit worthy of striving for? Truth is, I really just stopped trying to do NO-S because I was too impatient with myself. Now, I am so off track and the scale is moving in the wrong direction! I realize, I MUST do something to stop this gain! Well, I read thru a few blogs here and I am convinced that people have lost weight with this method but most importantly, they have developed good HABITS that will kick them in the butt if they try to venture too far from them. It's the good habits that you develop that will keep you on track. I have to be more patient with myself. That is a habit worthy of persuing!
Since today is Sunday, (and I've had my epiphany

). . .I'll restart my No-S journey tomorrow as day one. And oh, by the way, my deadline to have my NO-S habit ingrained is the end of the year.

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:33 am

This is harder than I thought it was going to be. Yesterday I went to Sam's club where little old ladies are offering food samples galore. . .and I did not resist the temptation to sample.

Today I am on a layover in a hotel that is offering a FREE FULL SERVICE BUFFET (casino is attached so of course the hotel has an ulterior motive to drain our bank accounts). . .and I did not resist the temptation to have dessert but I did resist the temptation to gamble.

So I am off to a rocky start for October.
I have promised myself to look on the bright side- -which is being more aware of situations that catch me off guard and taking note. . .and being a bit more prepared for the unexpected. By the time October is over, I will have compiled a list of fattening habits based on my NO-S failures.

October stats:
N-day 5-Fattening Habit #1 (Sampling stuff at Sam's Club)
N-day 6-Fattening Habit#2 (Chocolate cake with whipped cream and chocolate sauce flowing from a chocolate fountain)(I'm a total chocoholic. Forget glass celing for alcohol. . .I need a chocolate allowance during the week!

)
N-Day 7 Fattening Habit #3: Thinking about the chocolate I ate last night . Had a chocolate chip cookie
N-Day 8 Fattening Habit #4: Having another piece of chocolate cake- - and another cookie
N-Day 9 Fattening Habit #5 Snacked munchie mix . . .procastinating about exercise
S-Day 10 I stepped on the scale and was down 1 pound
S-Day 11

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:03 pm

I just finished reading the latest podcast transcript from Reinhard. . .
and I have to say that after reading it, things began to click for me.

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:13 pm

That was an unusually good podcast, wasn't it?

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:45 pm

Going to try something different this week. A seven day soup veggie and fruit detox diet that is to be eaten throughout the day. Lots of water. Also fiber cereal and skimmed milk. http://www.osteopath.com.au/fat.htm
Oct-12-19 NO S Exempt

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:29 am

I'm beginning to love love love my veggies and fruits now! Just finished day 2 of my detox plan and my energy level is thru the roof! Naturally!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 11:20 pm

Although this past week I've exempted myself from NOSing to go thru a detox plan, I must say this. . . during this dietary detox,my desire for sugary or salty snacks has dimished tremendously! The important thing to remember while detoxing is to not allow your self to go so long between meals that you get too hungry.. . .you have to eat (the soup) in order to clean out your system. One thing I have noticed (and this may be TMI) but this has indeed cleaned my system out. . . and has served it's purpose well! I highly recommend this detox if you are at a plateau and need to get a handle on excessive snacking, and boost your nos weight loss success.

I haven't had any crazy cravings for CHOCOLATE! (Which is a miracle in and of itself!)

For me what I am learning to do is to make wise food choices- -food that my body needs. Not what I selfishly want to feed it!

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:44 pm

DAILY Hunger Scale-
Before eating anything, I'm going to track and rate my hunger on a scale from 1-10.

10- STUFFED TURKEY- Where I don't want even one more bite, don't want to be around food. . .the sight, smell of food begins to turn my stomach

9 - DEFINATELY NOT HUNGRY. . .yet eating mindlessly, snacking mindlessly

8 - ROOM FOR DESSERT OR SECONDS. . still room to eat yet hunger has subsided,

7- JUST ATE ENOUGH- SATISFIED. . .ROOM FOR MORE

6 - FILLED UP ON LIQUIDS, Belly still growling for just a little bit more

5- BELLY GROWL- -true hunger has arrived!!!!!YAAY!!!

4- HEAD KNOWLEDGE OF LAST MEAL (paced about 5-6 hours ago)

3- UNDENIABLE HUNGER PANGS, headache, strong urge to eat anything available

2- FASTING ZONE- Physical hunger has ODDLY subsided, body is in survival mode

1 ABOUT TO PASS OUT. . . NO ENERGY
*********************************************************
And I'll Keep track of the time of day that I eat

And from that data see what personal patterns have emerged. My goal is to eat only in my ranges of 4, 5, 6, 7

SavvyV · Post by **SavvyV** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:07 am

OK- - -I know I'm a wholehearted outlaw when it comes to devising a plan of attack on my excess weight. My body is not a prison AND I REFUSE TO LIVE LIKE A PRISONER IN IT.

My body is the temple of GOD. How I treat it and dwell in it must reflect this fact. Any habits worthy of acquiring will magnify God's presence in my life. Even (especially) on S days.

I like the No S approach for helping me develop acceptable habits of WHEN to eat. There are plenty of plans to tell you WHAT to eat. However, I think what is lacking in all diet plans is HOW to eat. Not one diet plan that I've read about tackles the heart of the matter of gluttony and that is the sin involved in the disgusting habits that dethrones and/or replaces Jesus in my heart. Face it. Do you think that food can be idolized?

Do we think more about the created than we do of the CREATOR? Do we find more joy in eating than we do in soaking up God's Word?

There is a lot of subtle idolatry in this world and FOOD because it is something that the body needs to survive, ranks in the very TOP.

So I've come up with my New S Diet that demolishes my sinful, shameful, and senseless habits.

I say YES to the HOLY SPIRIT that dwells in me.
I say YES I will honor his presence and guidance over my life
I say YES to my faith in God to sustain me
I say YES to the humility of my desperate need for God to fill me up in every area of my life

My new S diet is to
Share my God
Share my acceptable thoughts
Share my food
_________________