I did NoS for a while lots of years ago and thought it was great, although I can't remember how long I did it (at least several weeks) or whether I lost any weight. Now I'm giving it another go, prompted by a gain of a few pounds after a fabulous vacation, but generally seeking a middle ground between eating whatever sounds good at the moment (which is generally a midafternoon sweet snack and a dinner comprising several snacks rather than a balanced meal) and obsessing over food.
This is day 3. I have two successes behind me. I'm surprised by the size of the breakfasts I seem to need to make it through to lunch, but that's fine with me. I'm finding food immensely satisfying so far, which is interesting.
This morning I had blueberries mixed with lemon zest and a tiny bit of sugar, topped with plain yogurt and a sprinkle of granola. I put that in a ramekin and set it on my plate. (Ramekins are my best friend when NoSing.) On the side I had a piece of 12-grain toast topped with a slice of cheese and two scrambled eggs. It was an awesome breakfast and I actually didn't think about food for about five hours afterward. Amazing!
Anyway, I'll try to check in daily here, at least for a while.
syim's daily check-in
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Wednesday - SUCCESS! Had the weirdest dinner last night. Leftover rainbow chard, Trader Joe's pork potstickers with teriyaki sauce, and leftover boiled potatoes with shavings of Spanish cheese. The chard and the potstickers went well together... the potatoes, not so much!
I'm surprised by the huge breakfasts I find myself eating, but I am noticing some positive changes (not related to weight). I'm cooking much more, planning meals ahead, and eating more fresh fruit and veggies. Plus I'm saving money by bringing lunch to work... although I don't have to, strictly speaking, I know that I don't get dessert unless there's fruit on my lunch plate, and buying fresh fruit downtown is super expensive!
While waiting for my lunch to finish heating, I poked around the vending machines and saw "Aquafina FlavorSplash" raspberry flavored water in the machine for $1. It said it had zero calories, so I figured it was unsweetened like those flavored seltzers and bought a bottle. Ack... it's full of sucralose! Tastes crazy super sweet. I'm making myself drink it anyway because I spent the money and it's good for me to keep hydrated (I struggle with that normally). But... ew.
I'm surprised by the huge breakfasts I find myself eating, but I am noticing some positive changes (not related to weight). I'm cooking much more, planning meals ahead, and eating more fresh fruit and veggies. Plus I'm saving money by bringing lunch to work... although I don't have to, strictly speaking, I know that I don't get dessert unless there's fruit on my lunch plate, and buying fresh fruit downtown is super expensive!
While waiting for my lunch to finish heating, I poked around the vending machines and saw "Aquafina FlavorSplash" raspberry flavored water in the machine for $1. It said it had zero calories, so I figured it was unsweetened like those flavored seltzers and bought a bottle. Ack... it's full of sucralose! Tastes crazy super sweet. I'm making myself drink it anyway because I spent the money and it's good for me to keep hydrated (I struggle with that normally). But... ew.
Thursday - SUCCESS! I surprised myself by not being hungry all afternoon after a smallish lunch. Had a delicious grilled cheese sandwich for dinner with a side of blueberries and yogurt. At my poker game, there were tons of snacks (almonds, stuffed grape leaves and cherries) that looked delicious, but I actually wasn't tempted to eat them. Afterwards I thought about the number of calories I would have taken in if I had snacked at poker. Couple of grape leaves soaked in olive oil, handful or two of almonds, handful of cherries... easily 500 calories. And I would have done it without a second thought because those are "good snacks."
Anyway, today on the scale I was down at least a half pound (I have a crummy analog scale, so it's hard to say exactly). Feeling great. I've noticed that sweet foods actually do taste sweeter (already!) and I've also noticed that I've actually been finishing all of my fresh fruit and vegetables before they go bad!
Anyway, today on the scale I was down at least a half pound (I have a crummy analog scale, so it's hard to say exactly). Feeling great. I've noticed that sweet foods actually do taste sweeter (already!) and I've also noticed that I've actually been finishing all of my fresh fruit and vegetables before they go bad!
Friday - SUCCESS! Interestingly, I was ravenous when I got to the airport for my evening flight and ordered a combo meal at the Chinese place, but I only ended up eating maybe half of it. I missed having fruit at lunch and dinner. Guess I've gotten used to it.
Today is an S-day, and I plan to enjoy it, but not go out of my way to indulge. I've started the day with a cup of hot chocolate. Hooray for an all-green first week!
Today is an S-day, and I plan to enjoy it, but not go out of my way to indulge. I've started the day with a cup of hot chocolate. Hooray for an all-green first week!
I was out of town for a couple of days visiting family, but I'm happy to report that Monday and Tuesday were both SUCCESSES. Also, my first weekend of S-days was quite nice. I enjoyed hot chocolate Saturday morning, a piece of coffee cake at Starbucks, ice cream with my boyfriend on Saturday night, and carrot cake with my family on Sunday. Otherwise, my eating was pretty normal. Obviously it's sweets, not snacks or seconds, that are my vice!
Wednesday - SUCCESS! This was the first no-S day I can remember on which I didn't get hungry at all in the afternoon, although I was starving by the time I got home around 7. I had half a sandwich and two kinds of salad for lunch (one Greek and one with lots of fruit and poppyseed dressing). For dinner I made ridiculously delicious spicy orange garlic shrimp and ate them with pork dumplings and steamed green beans. No sweet cravings so far, although I'm sure I'll really enjoy them this weekend.
Thursday - SUCCESS! I had no trouble resisting the unexpected spread of bagels and fruit that appeared in our kitchenette. At lunch I discovered that the free samples of Yoplait Delights yogurt, which I had decided would be permissible with lunch because they are artifically sweetened, are WAY too sweet, to the point that they don't taste good. I used to love this kind of yogurt! I found myself wishing it were plain yogurt instead. Dinner was tilapia, mac & cheese, and steamed green beans. Altogether a good food day.
Friday was a SUCCESS, and after a weekend of moderate S-days, I had to take an NWS day yesterday... the Sick kind. I switched medications on Sunday and felt awful yesterday, so I figured whatever I could stomach would be fine to eat (I couldn't even manage black coffee). Therefore, Monday I was EXEMPT. Back to the routine today with peanut butter and honey toast and a peach for breakfast. As of Saturday morning, I was down three pounds in two weeks (136 on my scale). I'd love to see numbers in the low 130s again (I'm 5'3"). I do feel like No-S is something I can do indefinitely, so I'm not in any rush.
Tuesday - SUCCESS. Kind of a weird day. Had a turkey club and some carrots for lunch, and for some reason I wasn't ravenous when I got home like I usually am. I went for a two-mile run and felt fine. Afterwards had a glass of chocolate milk (I do not count this as an S if I'm hungry or am drinking it because of exercise). Half an hour later felt crummy and could not at all handle the idea of eating dinner. Around 10:00 I decided that my blood sugar would be a mess in the morning if I didn't eat, so I heated up some leftover pizza that I had no desire for, but that tasted fine once I started eating it. I think these appetite changes/stomach upsets/food aversions are due to a medication change over the weekend. Hoping my body gets used to the new meds and I can start feeling normal again.
