Funfuture Take 2

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:24 pm

Well, am back from China - a great trip, but NoS went out the window. I'm 5kgs heavier than when I left (but not back to my starting weight - a small comfort!)

So it's back to NoS starting tomorrow (Monday) and regular exercise.

I read through my old posts. It was good having all that material to review...it gave me some ideas about how to improve things this time around.

- My meals were reasonably good but towards the end there, S day foods were creeping into my diet during the week fairly regularly.
- my portions were too big. I was piling the plates too high.
- I wasn't drinking enough water.
- I wasn't exercising regularly enough - while I did at the beginning, it dropped off because work got so busy. This time I will make a commitment to a minimum of 15 mins every weekday day, regardless of how busy work is.
- I think I replaced exercise with meditation - I'd still like to meditate, but as an addition to my day - not as a substitute for anything. My stress levels probably would have been better managed if I had kept the exercise in as well.
- I was drinking too much milk. This time around I am cutting out milky coffees except as S day treats.
- I was drinking wine during the week and that undermines my resolve and my good habits.
- I wasn't really focussed on maintaining solid habits. I shifted my focus to results (big mistake). Once I did that, my eating and exercise behaviours ended up all over the place.
- I think it was a mistake to try and do Shrink Yourself at the same time. It focussed on reasons for eating (making me think about eating all the time) rather than simply working on habits (and not thinking about food all the time).

When I stuck to NoS faithfully, it worked amazingly well. So, it's back to habits - and strictly keeping them.

My first goal is to get to the end of the year (Dec 31) with strong NoS habits (eating and exercise). (A subsequent goal will be to get to June 30 2010 with the same strong habits...

I also want to commit to writing a minimum of 500 words of my writing project each week till Xmas.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:31 pm

Welcome back! You sound really ready to go!

And I'm glad to see you.

I always enjoyed your comments.

Cheers,

KCCC

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 4:10 am

Hi KCCC
thanks for the welcome back! I am looking forward to taking part again.

Am very impressed by your running, BTW.

Monday:
B: roll with eggplant dip.
L: capeseed roll with chicken and mayonnaise
D: with friends - I ate one plate of small amounts of mixed food - chicken curry and brown rice, vegetable lasagne and pasta bolognese.

Tuesday:
B: oats with mixed seeds, sultanas and yoghurt.
L: capeseed roll with mayonnaise, chicken and lettuce. Fresh strawberries.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:43 pm

Tuesday
dinner - brown rice and fish/vegetable stirfry

Wednesday
Breakfast: baked eggs
Lunch: capeseed roll with tuna and mayonnaise, plus a tomato
Dinner: minestrone soup with green salad (including avocado and some slices of tofu) and garlic bread. Also some fresh pineapple.

Thursday
B: oats with seeds, sultanas and soy milk
L: capeseed roll iwith tuna and mayonnaise and spinach. Plus a small apple
D: sushi and miso soup
After dinner - a cup of home-made chicken stock.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 6:11 am

Friday

B: Oats with seeds, sultanas, peach and soy milk.
L: roasted vegetable wrap

Haven't quite got the exercise routine sorted yet. We had houseguests and all sorts of stuff happened at work - excuses, excuses. Did do a bit of shugging this week, but not every day. So, I think I'll write up a weekly routine for exercise and try to make it work.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:23 pm

Welcome back Fun!!
China would be my downfall too!!! I would always feel hungry after dinner and want to have seconds!!

You didn't gain a *lot*, so I'm sure you will lose it back with no problem.

Debs x

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 1:06 am

Thanks, Debs,
it was more letting stress get the better of me again. We didn't spend all our time in China but had to fly back and forth. My elderly mother became very ill and we came home and helped find a nursing home for her as she now needs permanent care, but then had to fly back to china for work. Still, it was a good six months. I'm glad i was on sabbatical as it gave me the chance to fly home and spend 6 weeks with mum and help get her settled, without there being a big problem iwth work, etc.And the time in china was invaluable for my daughter who was born there and is ethnically Chinese.

This week has worked well re NOS. But yesterday's S day wasn't fun. I was okay till lunchtime and then ate all this crap just because I could. Not very sensible.

Today is also an S day but I will stick to my three meals and only have a treat if I really want one.
cheers
Fun
x

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 3:44 am

When I stuck to NoS faithfully, it worked amazingly well.

Yep, funny how that is, huh?

And sometimes it's hard and other times it's easy. Reinhard said that if you stick to it..you'll eventually build a psychological ring of fire around the Ses. That's what I'm aiming for.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:11 am

Yes, that's right renew.

Had a horrible weekend eating-wise - I think I ate half the time for the sake of it and then just got locked in old bad eating habits.

Monday:
B: oats with seeds, sultanas and soy milk
L: sandwich with mayonnaise, tuna and spinach
D: country-style soup (vegies, grain and sausage) and pasta.

Tuesday:
B: oats with seeds, sultanas and soy milk
L: sandwich with tuna and mayonnaise, plus a small apple and a kiwifruit
D: one meat rissole plus home-made potato salad (potato, carrot, pumpkin and peas with mayonnaise).

Large servings of dinner at the moment, but am hoping they'll come down as I settle in.

Am considering going cold turkey on sugar as a NoS mod...

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:29 am

Wednesday:

special N day - dinner with extended family
B: Croissant and egg
L: roll with avocado and tomato and cheese. Apple and kiwifruit
D: lamb curry and rice, strawberries with sorbet, 2 choc chip cookies. 2 glasses of wine.

Thursday:
B oats with seeds and sultanas and soy milk
L" roll with avocado, tomato, cheese and cucumber. Apple
D: baked pasta (a dish made with sausage in a tomato sauce, topped with cheese).

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 6:46 am

Friday:

Am going out tonight to a friend's birthday party. May make this an S day and swap it with tomorrow.

B: 2 boiled eggs and 2 slices of toast with butter.
L: beef and salad wrap.

I went for a long walk today at lunchtime.
Walked yesterday as well.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:46 pm

another ghastly weekend, foodwise. Out of control S days. I know from experience that that will counteract the good work I do on N days during the week, so I'm a bit annoyed with myself. Ah well. Start again tomorrow.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:44 pm

Monday:
B: oats with seeds, nuts and sultanas, plus soy milk.
L: vegetable wrap
D: soy chicken and rice plus some mince and vegetables. Strawberries with plain yoghurt.

Tuesday:
B: oats with seeds, nuts and sultanas, plus soy milk.
L; tuna and mayonnaise, plus spinach, wrap.Slices of kiwifruit and apple.
D: mince and vegetable roulade (baked in pastry).

Wednesday:
B: oats with seeds, nuts and sultanas, plus soy milk.
L: 2 x salmon sandwiches
D: Leftover roulade plus steamed vegetables (potato, sweet potato, zucchini, carrot and broccoli)

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:20 am

Thursday:
UR plus meditation.

B: oats as above
L: wholemeal wrap - ham and salad (with mayonnaise and avocado). Also some plain yoghurt and a sliced kiwifruit.
D: TBD - lentil and tomato soup. Garlic bread.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:26 am

B: oats plus seeds, nuts and sultanas, soy milk.
L: leftover soup, rye crispbread, camembert cheese and ham.
D: lamb chops (KCCC, it must be catching), mashed potato and salad. 2 glasses of preservative free red wine and a handful of bujia (sp?)

(Am starting my S day on Friday evening.)

My portions are still quite big, but I am hoping they start to settle down soon as they did last time.

Am trying a twist on NoS. Will see if I can do it and if it will work and if so, will post about it later. I find that if I post here that I will do something, I too often end up doing just the opposite.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 6:13 pm

Enjoy your chops, lol!

One trick that helps me on S-days (I still have up and down ones) is to be PROACTIVE. Still eat three meals, and plan a superb treat rather than waiting to see if something appeals. (I've learned that when I wait for something to appeal, too much stuff will quasi-appeal, and I'll eat it all and still not be satisfied!)

Have a great weekend!

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:25 pm

HI KCCC, yes, t's good advice. At the moment though, I want to bring myself back to treating S days as part of the overall NoS approach, rather than a separate time when it is ok to lose your head. Planning one special treat doesn't do that for me - I spend all day feeling deprived because I can only have one. LOL. Feels like a diet again.

Having said that, I had a v good S day yesterday. Saturday was a bit of a blowout, but with food I like and that I had cooked myself (nothing processed). Sunday, I completely forgot was an S day. Go figure.

Anyway, thanks for dropping by. It's always nice to have visitors!
Fun
x

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:30 am

funfuture wrote:Planning one special treat doesn't do that for me - I spend all day feeling deprived because I can only have one. LOL. Feels like a diet again.

I don't mean that you can only have one treat - that would make me feel deprived too! But if you KNOW a special treat is coming, something that you really really LIKE, then you'll find you don't want to spoil your enjoyment of it by eating junk. "Something wonderful to look forward to" tends to "push out" a lot of less-satisfying eating, even if the eating is still completely allowed. So, try planning a really special treat and let the rest of the day take care of itself.

Somewhere, I read that you have to indulge "your inner pig" enough that it believes you will take care of it. Re-phrased - the emotional part of yourself that is not amenable to reason needs to be reassured that it will get "enough". That just takes a while, but eventually it does kick in. I've been amazed at the stuff I pass up, and the mental thought is something like "That looks nice, but there will be nice food again." (Not always, mind you! But it's nice to see the habit taking root and growing stronger over time.)

Good luck!

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:49 pm

thanks, KCCC. I really appreciate the input. I love the phrase "mental pig" - I have a really snuffly one lurking in my psyche.

Monday:
B: oats with seeds, nuts and sultanas
L: capeseed roll with tuna, spinach, tomato and mayonnaise, plus slices of apple and kiwifruit.
D: mince roulade; chicken and broccoli casserole and mashed potato; leftover vegie stew sauce and 2 pieces of wholemeal bread.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:00 pm

Have been too busy to post for the last week, but have kept on track. Reasonable S days (Friday night to Sunday night). My NoS days have been ok but the portions are still large at night. Otherwise all is fine. Am still working on how to get daily exercise in, though.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:27 am

Monday:

B: 2 boiled eggs with soy sauce. Milky coffee.
L: capeseed roll with avocado, ham and salad. small apple and kiwi fruit.
D: Potluck with friends (at my house) - pasta with bolognese sauce, vegetable and sausage soup, potato salad, roast chicken, stir fried zucchini and red pepper.

Tuesday:
B: oats with seeds, nuts and dried fruit plus soy milk.
L; capeseed roll with avocado, ham and salad. Small apple and kiwi fruit.
D - going out to a function, so am not sure yet...

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:31 am

aagh another week's gone past without time to post!

I've ben following 3 meals a day. Haven't sorted the exercise yet. S days are fine.
All good for the moment. Don't think I am losing weight, but that's ok just now as I want to get my food habits sorted and I think that's happening.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:52 pm

Belated welcome back!

Sounds like things are off to a good (re-)start.

I hear you about the "time to post" issue... the last month and change has been very tough for me, too. (Thanks all for bearing with my temporarily diminished presence here)

Reinhard

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:56 am

HI Reinhard,
thanks so much for dropping by and for the welcome back! I really appreciate it (especially when I know how busy you must be).

This week has been ok too. No snacking but biggish meals. I've been to a natural health practitioner who has suggested removing gluten from my diet (for various reasons). I'm going to try that for a while, substituting buckwheat bread for wheat breads, etc. For the last month, I have been off sugar and sweet foods anyway, so eliminating gluten mostly just means substituting for bread and pasta with gluten-free foods.

Still working on the exercise...

Fun
x

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:23 am

I had quite a good week of gluten free foods. I am finding that without sugar or wheat, I am not interested in snacking, really. I've found a good buckwheat bread and also a flat bread. Meanwhile, I am looking for a substitute for oats. A friend has suggested quinoa, so I'll give that a try.

Unfortunately, I've done something to my back that is preventing exercise at the moment beyond a few yoga twists. But hopefully, it will be back to normal soon.

Fun
x

frugaltexan · Post by **frugaltexan** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:33 am

If you try quinoa, make sure to rinse it well before cooking. (unless it is a pre-washed variety) That'll help to make it much more tasty.

Quinoa is a great food - one of the most nutritious and natural foods there is.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 1:58 am

Thanks for the tip, Laura. I have started to use it. I cook it with chopped apple and sultanas and then eat it with soy milk. Yum. But I'll make sure I wash it properly before I cook it and let you know the results!

Speaking of soy milk. I was visiting some Chinese friends last night and they showed me a special electric "kettle' that they use to make their own soy milk. It looks exactly like my hot-water kettle, but you unscrew the bottom and place washed soy beans in a special container inside. You then fill it with water. I think that then sits overnight and you turn it on in the morning and it grinds and cooks the soy milk in the water and you pour off the resulting milk. Couldn't be purer - and I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper than the bought soy milks. I was fascinated.I didn't get to try the resulting milk, but I've asked them would they mind letting me sample some next time we visit.

I'm planning to restart posting my daily meals and exercise. I am still largely off sugar and gluten and I'm finding I have no desire really to snack. But my meals are big and I haven't been exercising, so my weight hasn't shifted. The relief of not snacking out of control (or wanting to), though, is immense. I am not really noticing S-days coming and going at the moment - which is remarkable for me.

In the spirit of starting to record meals again: -
Breakfast today was buckwheat toast with avocado and cheddar cheese, plus 2 milky coffees.

I took a long walk 45 mins plus a steep hill.

cheers
Fun
x

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:53 pm

Washing the quinoa works a treat.

frugaltexan · Post by **frugaltexan** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:14 am

Glad to know it worked for you.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:33 pm

Monday:
Breakfast: boiled eggs + buckwheat toast.
Lunch: salad with flavoured tofu, hommos and rice cakes.
Dinner: Baked lamb with roast vegetables and salad.

Tuesday:
Breakfast: quinoa flakes with plain yoghurt and cinnamon.
Mid-Morning: skim flat white coffee.
Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, left-over tuna, large handful of cashews, cherry tomatoes.
Dinner: 1 cevapici (sausage), steamed broccoli and asparagus, orange mash (pumpkin, sweet potato and potato)

shugged.

Wednesday:
Breakfast: quinoa flakes with soymilk and cinnamon
Mid-Morning. Skim latte.
Lunch: gluten-free wrap with avocado, tuna, cheese, cucumber and baby spinach.
Dinner: garlic prawns with avocado, steamed corn and asparagus, cherry tomatoes and red capsicum. 2 slices of gluten-free toast with butter. A glass of strawberries with plain yoghurt.

45-min walk.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 2:57 am

Thursday:
B: quinoa cooked with apple, cinnamon and sultanas and eaten with soy milk. Milky coffee.
L: two slices of toast topped with tuna and mayonnaise.
D: Sushi box.

Walked and shugged.

Friday:
B: buckwheat toast and banana. Two milky coffees.
L: greek salad and fruit salad
D: Smorgasbord at a Malaysian restaurant (so started the S days on Friday night).

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:04 am

I picked up my X-rays this week (have been going to a natural practitioner/chiropractor for a few different symptoms). It turns out I have arthritis in my hip, mid-spine and neck. garrumph. In a way, not un-expected, as it runs in the family. And it isn't too bad - ie not that far gone. The upside is that it has spun me back into exercise (where's the nearest yoga class?) and watching what I eat to get my weight down. Not a bad wake-up call.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:08 pm

Saturday - S day

B: gluten-free crepes with banana + coffee
L: avocado and cheddar cheese sandwich (buckwheat bread), cherry tomatoes and a packet of crisps shared with DD.
Snack: dark chocolate
D: home-made fried rice with egg, sausage and lots of vegies, plus borlotti beans mixed with lemon and avocado. (2 servings of the rice).

Long walk.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 1:44 am

Can't remember the meals over the last two days. So starting again today:

B: quinoa with apple and soy milk
L: Chicken leg plus salad, 4 rice cakes and a banana.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:05 pm

Off track today. And a bit wobbly this week. Back on track tomorrow.

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:40 am

aaggh - completely off track at the moment. My good habits went out the window when my life got chaotic with work, elderly parent and 9-year-old's birthday and family celebrations. No S went down the gurlger. I feel crap because I ate lots of gluten and sugar, but then again, it was lots of fun.

I'm a bit sick of telling myself to get back on track...however....

GET BACK ON TRACK!

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:22 am

Tomorrow is another day.

funfuture wrote:aaggh - completely off track at the moment. My good habits went out the window when my life got chaotic with work, elderly parent and 9-year-old's birthday and family celebrations. No S went down the gurlger. I feel crap because I ate lots of gluten and sugar, but then again, it was lots of fun.

I'm a bit sick of telling myself to get back on track...however....

GET BACK ON TRACK!

funfuture · Post by **funfuture** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 12:41 am

Thanks, Kevin.

I so appreciated seeing your message there when I logged in today. It's been nearly a month and I've been all over the place and not tuned in to NoS at all. I was just having one last look before chucking it in altogether - and there you were.

Thanks for the reminder, brother.

Everyday Systems

Funfuture Take 2

Funfuture Take 2

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