Everyday Systems

That is great on skipping the sweets! It's always the little things that just add up. Good luck on the 21 day / 66 day challenge, I'll be here rooting you on!

Yay! Yay! Yay!

Well done Tessy and welcome back!

I always concentrate on one meal-period at a time. It's overwhelming to think longer. But I CAN do Breakfast-Lunch, Lunch-Dinner, Dinner-Breakfast without eating. And I make the meals as delicious as possible so I enjoy them as well!

Thank you , thank you dear fellow travellers. It means so much to have your support.
Today another green day. Hooray been a while since that happened.
I realise I have a sort of Scarlet O'Hara syndrome ( from Gone with the a Wind). I keep allowing myself to fail because part of me says ' tomorrow is another day'!! Just like Scarlett did. So I am now working hard to remind myself that things did not turn out well for Scarlett and tomorrow is not the answer. It's today that matters. Sorry this must seem like nonsense to anyone who did not watch or read Gone with the wind as a child. Anyway, it is a key insight for me. So must just run with it
Breakfast - fruit - plums and fresh cobnuts - yum. The season is nearly over I shall miss them
Lunch - homemade celery soup, home made bread with nut butter, and some raw Calabrese ( this bit sounds weird but I dipped it in my soup and it tasted ok! Just tryin to keep my green stuff up also an apple and 2 dried peach halves.
Dinner - jacket potato, hard boiled eggs and large mixed salad, mayonnaise

I'm trying to make more things. I was very very tempted by sweeties again this afternoon, especially with Scarlets voice in my ear about starting again tomorrow!! But I held out so very pleased.
LAM - I went in the garden when I got home from work and picked all my apples from my little tree. So we can have them for lunch boxes in the week. It was beautiful late summer evening. I'm very lucky.

You're definitely right, that it is good to start today, and not put it off until tomorrow. Good job on the green day! All of your fruits and veggies sound delicious!

Yay - another green day! And plucking your own apples sounds like a dream to me! I'd love a fruit tree but it would take all of our garden space.

Yummy food too!

Thanks Clarinetgal, glad you like my food, I love fruit and veggies in fact in my family I am considered half woman/half fruit bat
Awww eschano, I would love you to have an apple tree too. I know I am so lucky - hence the LAM

So how are things so far today
Breakfast - porridge, small drizzle of maple syrup and soya milk
Lunch - jacket potato, beans and salad. ( not as big as it sounds!!). Also have bought 1 small packet of sesame seed snaps, which I love. I have eaten half ( the packet is very small, and am now waiting to see if I can last the afternoon without eating the rest. Risky I know, but I really want to start to feel ok around food. So here goes, my fingers are crossed - which may coincidentally stop me unwrapping the rest of them

Hooray - another green day!!!
Also I managed not to eat the rest of my sesame snaps. That is a major breakthrough.
Dinner - Calabrese, peas, potato and cheese sauce.
LAM - nice walk in the sunshine. Listening to old Beatles records on my phone and picking up conkers. Feeling a bit healthier, how exciting

Yay Tessy ! Three days is awesome! I'm so thrilled for you! See what happens when you don't give up?

I guess you finally put your inner Scarlett in her place. Just remember to harness your inner Rhett & tell Scarlett you don't give a d*mn!

Keep up the good work!

Linda

I love your LAMs Tessy! And well done on the third day!

Thanks Linda. Yes trying to channel my inner Rhett
Eschano, you are my LAM trendsetter. I have learned so much from your lovely LAM treats. I have recently read a book called the last best cure. About trying to awaken healing in your brain through joy, meditation, exercise and other wonderful things. So I am trying to eat really nice food. Do lots of home cooking and plan my food.
It's working too!! A green day again today
Breakfast - fresh figs from garden, fresh cobnuts - yum
Lunch - whole meal cheese and home made plum chutney sandwich, blackberries, an apple and the second half of my sesame snaps
Dinner, fried eggs, fried potato and mushrooms, a very small bowl of fresh raspberries, cream and a half teaspoon of vanilla sugar - yummy. This would all have fitted on one plate.
LAM - I have started a ceramics class once a week. Tonight was my first session. I was a bit worried about my joint pain. But it was so wonderful. I almost forgot to breathe, so pain much less noticeable. Is this the power of joy

Hi tessytwinkle!

You're doing great!
You're a green machine!
Good for you!

Yay tessy, very inspiring

PS what is a cobnut when it's at home?

Well, you are my LAM hero! A ceramics class? Sounds like so much fun! It reminds me that I want to sign up for a crafts class. It's out of my comfort zone but they make me so happy.

Also, your garden sounds divine - fig trees too!

Hi Lori thanks for dropping by. Ironchef thanks for your support so welcome. By the way a cobnut is an English type of hazel nut. They are bigger and longer if cultivated and small but very tasty when they grow in the wild. I adore them.
Eschano my garden is quite long but not really large. I just have apple trees, plum trees and a fig because organic fruit is so expensive and I am a fruit bat
Today another green, how brilliant it is just starting to feel possible that I could change my ways. Today I was a little lax at dinner time and had a little pinch of grated cheese before dinner. But everything else was steady and so I am not going to punish myself for it. No binge resulted. It was fine. Just ordinary little cooking nibble. In the past if I had been as hungry as I was tonight I would have eaten half the grated cheese once started! So was quite pleased really
Breakfast - brown rice honey puffed cereal and soya milk, an apple
Lunch - smoked haddock poached in soya milk. Figs
Dinner - roasted root vegetables with melted cheese and Calabrese. A few cobnuts.
Tomorrow is S day yipee I am planning to make doughnuts. Saw them made on Great British Bake Off and have wanted them all week. Never made doughnuts before - exciting.

Yay!!! I'm beyond thrilled for you! Your meals sound divine. In college we had a fig tree in the front & an avocado tree in the back. That was heaven!

I've always wanted to make donuts too. Let us know how they come out!

Linda

Oh my goodness what a wild S day. A day full of doughnuts!!!! It started ok with my usual fruit and nuts plus a weekend treat of frothy sweet soya milk. But then made bread and doughnuts and a cake to take to a friends. The doughnuts were completely divine. I had them hot tossed in sugar then cold sandwiched with home made mixed berry jam and whipped double goats cream. Utterly delish !! As I cannot have cows milk products I had not eaten doughnuts for years and years. I sure made up for it today I will have a very quiet day tomorrow I hope. I am scared I will not get back to good habits Monday. I did so well last week I can't bear to mess it up now and fail my 21 day challenge.
I'm off to read the podcast S days gone wild for some guidance !!
LAM - oh dear I think my LAM might have been doughnuts. Only joking, my LAM was a long rest on the bed this afternoon listening to desert island discs ( trying not to notice my somewhat doughnut filled tummy )

No need to stress about S days yet! It's normal to go a little wild on unstructured days at first & pretty much par for the course when you start having a string of green days. Kinda like when you first go off to college and go a little crazy with your new found freedom. But that gets old after awhile & so will wild S days so don't worry about it. I know you know this but it bears repeating.

I'm sure next week will be great. If there's one upside to wild S days it's that you look forward to your N days even more!

Enjoy your Sunday but try not to punish yourself for today. That usually backfires in a big way.

Linda

Mm, donuts! Linda has a good point. I'm sure your future S Days will calm down soon. Your LAM sounds really nice!

Gentle enjoyable Sunday as per your instructions Linda I feel ready for next week. Determined to keep going now I have a green week behind me. Clarinetgal, I love listening to the radio quietly, I find it very relaxing. If I can't get to sleep at night instead of reading I listen to podcasts from the radio.
Breakfast - toast and marmalade, hot frothy sweet soya drink.
Lunch - tomatoes grilled on toast
Snacks - lots through throughout the day. Apple, figs, nuts and dried peaches
Dinner - home made cheese and roast vegetable pasty, Calabrese and hot beetroot
Followed by yummy sweet garden figs baked with a little maple syrup and a rosewater, eaten with plain sheeps yoghurt.
A good day as I did not eat cake or feel out of control for sugar - what a relief
LAM - long lovely chat on the phone to a very dear friend - we go way back.
Next week must be green, I am determined to get to 21 days. Onwards

All of your fruits and tomatoes sound great! I must try baking figs sometime. That sounds absolutely delicious! Great job on keeping the sugar under control!

Oh dear a failure today. Too much pressure at work. Still I must just mark it and move on. But need to go back to day one for my 21 day challenge. Oh well I got one week sorted so I should be able to do it again
No LAM as I certainly did not look after myself today. Only good news is I managed to stop myself going right off the rails and I started again at dinner time. So that's progress

Avoiding the WTH effect is also cause for celebration, in my opinion!

No worries Tessy! Fails happen but it's how you handle it that matters (I had one today too). You did amazingly well keeping it all contained. You're making great progress.

Linda

I'm with auto - avoiding WTH is LAM

Thank you for the kind words. Had another fail. Someone had Turkish delight and it is one of the few candies I can eat. I had one little bit. She is very generous and then gave me a little box full. I then ate lots in my room on my own I hate it when I do stuff like that. I don't even like it that much. I have been doing so well. Also time is ticking by and if I can't get my weight down and feeling healthier I will have to start some very strong medications to stop me becoming badly disabled with my joints. Still a new day today.

Doh! It's tough when someone pulls out your favourites. Most of my remaining fails these days are "social" fails.

As you say, today is a new day. Hope you have a great day!

Perhaps try practicing a "polite, but firm" standard answer to give people who push stuff on you in those situations. It's hard, but there are polite ways of letting food pushers know you won't be moved. Also, it puts you on autopilot so that you don't have to think about. "That's so kind of you, but I've had plenty", or "I really enjoyed that, but one was enough". This hopefully will also mean that next time they'll be less likely to make that little box up for you.

I had a fail yesterday as well. Remember that over the long run it doesn't matter. Today is a new day and every between-meal-period you're on target makes a difference.

I am working through not binging by myself, too. Some days it is really easy and others I either struggle through or give in. Just get back on track right now, we can do this!

Eschano - great advice - this is just one tiny fail in the grand scheme of things.

Good luck with your weight and health, I hope you start feeling better soon.

I'm still working on that as well. Tomorrow is a new day, so you can definitely get back on track.

Hope you're feeling a little better about things Tessy!

I cannot really put in to words how important to me the kind posts to my thread have been over the last day or two. Many thanks Ironchef, Eschano, aspencer, clarinet gal and Linda. Each of you have gently understood and encouraged me. And it has made a difference. Yesterday was still a struggle but today was green I had one little extra snack of raspberries but I feel that was ok. Everything felt much easier and more settled again. Phew !!!
Breakfast - honey rice pop cereal and soya milk. Grape juice
Lunch - Indian pakoras new potatoes, cauliflower and Calabrese.
Planned snack - fresh raspberries
Evening - tomato sandwich, fresh figs baked with little maple syrup and rosewater and plain yoghurt. Small bowl but very nice
LAM - went to my craft class. So delightful

Yay! What a lovely, balanced day! Keep on truckin'!

Yay, back to green. Go tessy! Yum, fresh raspberries - we don't really get great berries here. I am envious

You are doing well! Hang in there!

Weill not a very successful Friday
But now is weekend. I am going to gather my thoughts and set out my plans again so I can go forward. I had a plan. It's gone to pot!! Start again

I'm starting fresh tomorrow, too. You can do it!

I'm signing up to a crafts class thanks to you! You're such an inspiration.

Let's all hold hands and get through this holiday season together! Every compliant N day will help us remember we CAN eat delicious food without S's so that they play the special role they should on Thanksgiving and beyond.

How lovely to come back and find such kind messages. It is like coming home. Thank you.
So, I am starting again, have flirted with 5:2 dieting, not for me, and struggled badly with my weight. But I have started to really get to grips with my eating and made some significant changes at work and this is helping me. I feel clearer in my mind about food at the moment and seem to have reached a secure point. Such that I now want/need to start to lose some weight. NoS is the answer for me I am sure. So here goes.
My plan - vanilla noS and not too heavy on the refined carbs. Exercise most days. Meditation for health every morning (this is really helping me health wise and is rather brilliant).
I weigh more than ever. 15stone. I am writing it here because I must be honest with myself. My weight is going up. My health can't take it. Things must change.
My first goal is one green day.
My second goal is one green week, my third goal two green weeks, then 21 days. Then...... ' to infinity and beyond'!!!!

Hello

I've just joined the forum and so we are pretty similar.

What are you eating today?

Hey, Tess! I, too, am back and trying to make it 21 days too 😊

Hey Tessy so glad to see you back and ready to tackle this again. I've eaten so much this week that I'm afraid to get on the scale but if I did weigh myself, I'd want it to be in stones. Sounds so petite!

I'm glad you're working on your stress. I think that will really help.

Anyway, looking forward to reading your posts!

Linda

Ok, 21 days not happening for me yet. But must stay calm about it. I think I am close to understanding my inner munchkin and I am working hard to rebalance my eating. Today not so green day but surprisingly steady. I am calling an S day tomorrow as I have guests but Monday I'm hoping to start trying for greens again. Funny I feel like I could succeed. Been thinking a lot about mindfulness and doing meditation for health. It is definitely steadying me. So back on Monday

Wavin' atcha Tessy! Thanks so much for stopping by my thread and giving me a boost. Enjoy your weekend with your guests! Savor those moments. See ya back here Monday!

Hi Tessy! Thanks for stopping by my thread.

I do believe completely in Vanilla No S as a way to have a sane relationship with food. It is the only sustainable eating plan that has worked for me. There is a big HOWEVER coming up. If losing weight is a goal (as it seems to be with the majority if people on this forum), then we cannot load our plates with anything we want for every meal. I lost pretty easily at first because cutting out snacks, sweets and seconds was enough to cut my food intake down. However, when I got to a certain point, I stopped losing. I was pretty content then to just maintain at still overweight but not obese because I was not ready to change further. This year I decided I was ready to look at what I was putting on my plates and to indulge less. The fitness tracker was a great tool to help me realize which foods to limit and which to increase. It was a jumpstart to losing the last of my weight but never intended to be more than a temporary tool.

Since No S, I still indulge, and I still love food, but I enjoy it more.

I also believe exercise is essential. For some people this may be as mild as stretching or slow walks, but something is better than nothing.

I hope you find your peace with food as well. My journey continues and is still developing.

Hi, Thanks for stopping by my check in! It sounds like you're starting to find some peace with your eating, and that's great! I hope you have a good week!

Tessy where are you? I'm back and hoping you'll be back soon too!😀

Ok. I'm back - phew!! Flirted with some other things including 2 day fasting. None suitable for me. So now new phase of trying noS. I have some brilliant role models here and I want to try and turn my life around this year. I had a dreadful couple of years. But I have now come to terms with my chronic pain and inflammation and am determined to give my disability only a very very little space in my life. I feel full of hope that I can get much better than I am in a more natural way. So here goes. Thank you Linda for being here to encourage me on my return. It means a lot as does all of the kind and loving support I have had here on this thread. It's where I feel safest. Both to succeed and to fail.
So here goes : plans are vanilla if at all possible. If I can fast - which it seems I can - then surely I can go a while between meals too I will also take heed of r.jeans advice about smaller portions.
I need to exercise every day. Swim or walk or both. These are my exercises of choice. I need to be mindful when I eat. No scoffing at my desk!!! I need to stay cool at work. My life and health much more important than whatever storm in a teacup is brewing in the corridors of work! I need to stay away from any foods that are likely to give me an allergy and sadly I really do need to lose weight. Because my body is constantly inflamed I must cut down my overall weight as waist fat is very inflammatory and extra weight on my poor swollen joints is very bad for them. But I want to do it slowly the noS way, carefully treading in the paths of those who have gone before. I thank them for their example. My inspiration come from these threads and the testimonials.

Sorry for long post if anyone has ended up reading it all I just needed to get a good start point down to remind me later. I'm currently 210lbs so plenty to get to grips with I feel rather excited about it all though so onwards
To my first 21 day challenge

Welcome back Tessy! I too am back. We've got this...one step at a time.

There's a few of us here mostly in the SAME boat. Let's do this together! Keep each other accountable.... and celebrate! A year from now we should all be quite a bit better than today! I'm not sure what health problem you're suffering from, but I, too, suffer from a joint autoimmune disease. I totally get it. No excuses, though. Getting our eating under control can only help! I know a year or two ago I really felt great on this plan. I let my emotions and constant military moves and health and kids take over! No more......

Thanks for encouragement ZippaDee and tobiasmum.
We can do this.
Hooray first green day yesterday
Breakfast - porridge oats, soya milk, small tsp maple syrup.
Lunch - roast cherry tomatoes mushrooms and a fried egg. Plum
Dinner - roast root veggies, quinoa, parsley, cheese and Calabrese

One day down 364 to go

Welcome Back Tessy (((((((((((((((Hugs)))))))))))))

I am glad that even though some of your experiments have not worked, they have taught you that you CAN make it between meals! Every time you succeed is more motivation for next time, so focus on one meal at a time, one day at a time and before you know it you will have a week under your belt!

((((((((((Hugs)))))))))))

Hi Tessy! To a new year!

Good job! You can do it!

Thanks for dropping by dear friends. Thank you Merrykat for big hugs. I really needed them today. Tiring day but a green day - yay
Breakfast - whole meal toast, nut butter and frothy soya milk
Lunch - sweetcorn and blueberries.
Dinner - fried eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes. Plus fresh cherries and a dried pear half

You look so good in green Ms. Tessy!! You go girl!

Fresh cherries....YUM!

Doing great!! You're inspiring me!

Aw thanks ZippaDee and tobiasmum it's so good to be travelling this road with you.
Today an S day. I enjoyed the morning then felt out of control and kept eating this afternoon. Strange though I did not feel so destructive this time. In my head there is a strong voice saying I don't want this any more. I really want to give myself this year. So I am hopeful for tomorrow. Although I am travelling a lot over the next few days which always makes me anxious and liable to over eat. So it is going to be a very testing time. But I realise I cannot stop my life to do this. I have to learn to care for myself more and learn to cope without food. No matter what happens. Bit like smoking I stopped many times but always started again in a crisis. But one day I had a terrible crisis but no longer reached for my cigarettes. That's encouraging for me. I wanna get to that stage food wise.
Breakfast - plain sheeps yoghurt left overnight with chia seeds, then hemp seeds, blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum
Lunch - homemade humous, carrots, peppers, cucumber, celery, olives. And dukkah
Afternoon - macaroon
Snacks, dried peaches, dried pear, piece cheese, nibble nibble nibble ...........
Dinner - Jacket potato and baked beans and a cheesy potato tartlet - I did not enjoy this. It needed some salad.
Snacks - roasted pecans and a small caramel soya desert pot.
There I've put it all down and I don't feel good about the afternoon at all. This accountability thread is hard
But tomorrow will be a better day. I can do this!!!!

Ps. This time for the first time in months and months I have lost some weight. Phew

Yay Im here cheering for you!

Hi Tessy, I'm delighted your doctor gave you good news.

I completely understand about your nerves about going back to work. It probably won't be as bad as you're expecting.

As for the 21days - I wouldn't stress about it. Reinhard says he barely makes it and I just happened to make it the second time in all my time on NoS. By complete accident. The only way for me to make it was to concentrate on every meal. And patting myself on the back big time every in-between-meals period I didn't succumb to temptation.

Hi Linda and Eschano soooo good to have your support and wise words about 21 day challenge. I've never managed it but for me I really feel I would gain huge confidence if I did. But not stressing. In fact I had an S afternoon yesterday to accommodate random eating far from home I have been really focussing on having no food allergies and it is really helping my health. So that's my main aim while I'm away. I feel pretty strong overall though. I'm heading home tonight so trying really really hard to have a good green day today. One mod will be 2 dried peaches in the car if feeling queasy on the long journey back. Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed with you!

You are strong Ms. Tessy! Hope your trip home went well! You've got this!

Well not my best day. Perhaps too early in the game for me to be able to manage a trip away. I always get anxious about food. Ah well mark it and move on. I really do want to do this.
Dear Eschano and ZippaDee your encouragement is so precious. Many thanks. Back to a green I hope tomorrow.

Yes, yes...don't wreck the car. Mark it and move on. There is always right NOW! I'm cheering for ya!

You can do this! One day at a time.

Goodness thank you for your encouragement ZippaDee and tobiasmum. I need it a lot today. It is a long afternoon here. I'm off sick but really really trying to get a green day. I must hang on.

I hope today went well!

Remember even if you don't do it perfectly, you make some positive changes in the right direction. 😃

Phew a green day yesterday which was very good considering I was feeling pretty poorly and off sick. I am also having a good day today so hoping to keep it up.

I think I am relaxing much more in to this at the moment because I am just focusing on the three meals not what I am having, nutrition can be sorted later. I am also keeping a diary now about what I eat each day, I think that will help me see what I am doing that might cause me a problem weight wise in the future but for now just logging my food and moving on. I am also really really trying to sort out my food allergies and this is really helping I think.
Onwards

It sounds like you're making great progress! I think just focusing on the 3 meals for now makes a lot of sense. I hope you're able to get the food allergies sorted out soon.

Yay! You are doing awesome! Hope you are feeling better. I too am simply focusing on three meals. No fuss about what is on my plate!
GO

You hanging in there, Tessy?

Hope you still doing well!

I think the hardest thing we all face when starting No S is forgetting the what we eat for a while. If we do just focus on 3 meals a day it makes such a huge difference (emotionally, mentally & physically) once that becomes a habit. Then we have time to start worrying about the what.

I know this has been true for me. Every time I just focus on the habit I am successful; the moment I start complicating my life with what I fall off the wagon. The amazing thing is that for me a lot of the what just solved it's self as I found which meals filled me up and which didn't. I would repeat those that did and gradually my meal content changed and settled into a comfortable routine.

Where art thou?