Everyday Systems

Thanks gk!

I was doing really well and then had a reality check yesterday when I had a red day...began with an irritating faculty meeting which lasted well after 5:00 and it just went downhill after that...when we see tables laden with homemade cookies, brownies, and chocolate candy bars, we know it's going to be a lo-o-o-ng meeting.
But today is a brand new day and it will be a green one.

mimi wrote:....and it just went downhill after that...when we see tables laden with homemade cookies, brownies, and chocolate candy bars, we know it's going to be a lo-o-o-ng meeting.

Holy cow, talk about a table full of kryptonite! How can anyone resist all that without imploding?!?

Just popping in to say hi. Hope all is well with you.

Thanks for stopping by gk! Yes, I imploded, sadly to say, but it's okay now.

It's been quite a week...weather in the mid-to-high 60's - certainly not January or February weather. That makes middle-schoolers crazy - they think school should be over and they should be out! I've had some real eye openers with regard to my eating.

After my overeating on Monday, I had a good rest-of-the-week. The Wellness Coordinator for our county's school board initiated a 10-month wellness incentive challenge that began on Wednesday, the first of the month. The gist of the challenge is that participants can earn points for keeping food logs, exercising, getting health screenings, and various other health related options. Anyway, individual calendars are turned in monthly, and, if at the end of the 10-month challenge you have over a certain number of points, you get a $75 Visa gift card. That's the top prize...smaller cards are given for fewer points.

My daughter and I decided to take part in the challenge. She has a trip to Hawaii coming up for her anniversary in July (we get to keep the kids while they're gone - can't wait!) and I just want to be accountable - especially over the summer, and continue to lose weight, and, not to forget - maintain my health.

The catch to keeping the daily food logs is that you also have to keep track of calories consumed each day. I didn't really like that part of it - being a calorie accountant once again, but I thought I could combine it with NoS just as many others have done on these boards. I have been using myfitnesspal.com which has turned out to be very informative for me in a number of ways. It's also very easy to use and makes keeping track very easy. I don't have a smart phone, but I use my iPad and laptop to access the site.

The real eye opener for me is that even though I haven't been eating sweets all week, I have been over in my sugars! Basically from fruits and yogurt. And it seemed to be on the days where I thought I had eaten reasonably healthy...go figure. I've also been over in my carb intake as well. So using this app will help me to adjust what I eat and how much of it. I haven't counted calories in so-o-o-o long that my portion eye has gotten out of whack! I eat more that I think I do...

After reading so many of oolala's posts where she mentions Judith Beck's book The Beck Diet Solution, I decided to get it and look into it since she has had so much success in changing her thinking. My thoughts are what mess me up in the end and cause my weight loss downfalls. It's a six-week program where you choose whatever eating plan you want (with a second back-up plan) and then work on a prescribed task each day. I'm up to day 4 and the book makes a great deal of sense and sounds very promising so far.

So that's my update for now!

Saturday, Feb. 11

This has been a crazy week at school - two early release days for kids, one of which continued on for us with parent/teacher conferences until 7 that night...that was a lo-o-ng day! Yesterday was a county inservice day - no students, but meetings. I've managed to maintain green days in spite of everything, which pleases me. I've also kept a list this week of things I've done each day which have contributed to my green days and my weight loss progress. That has been really helpful for me because I know that stress often times derails me from NoS.

I weighed this morning and am down 6 pounds since the holidays...I'm sure that's probably what I gained, more or less. I am continuing to incorporate NoS with some calorie counting (as I mentioned previously, it's part of our wellness challenge). It has really been good for me. Using the online program makes it very easy and I'm not spending a great deal of time fixating on it. I do plan meals for the day, but I do that anyway to avoid eating things I shouldn't and also avoid the problem of overeating. I also want my meals to be composed of foods that I enjoy and are therefore satisfying. That goes a long way in keeping me from snacking in between.

Big revelation through paying attention to calories? My portions have gotten decidedly larger over the years and I haven't paid attention to it. No wonder I've gained weight steadily as I get older. Perhaps because portions are larger everywhere, but also throw in menopause and such - not a good scenario...anyway, I have scaled down my portions, but am still keeping to one plate three times a day.

I am continuing Zumba classes twice a week and have also started riding my exercise bike for 20 minutes several nights a week.

I know I've mentioned my NoS jewelry (rings with green stones that I've found online) on here before that I wear to serve as reminders of what I'm trying to do...well, I'm in the process now of making an inspirational bracelet to wear for motivation. I made a trip to Michael's last weekend to get beads while they were on sale and yesterday I sat down and ordered the rest of what I needed from fusion beads. I'm excited! It will have three strands made of black glass beads, antique silver beads, and silver alphabet beads. I also ordered a little silver turtle charm (slow and steady wins the race!) to hang from the toggle clasp. The first and second strands will have my current motto: progress, (2nd) not perfection. The third strand will say "perpetual persistence." All of the silver beads are silver-plated - sterling would be way too expensive. The order has shipped - now I'll just have to wait to get it and then get busy making it. Maybe I'll post a picture of the finished product. Maybe folks will think I'm really dorky...

Going shopping with my daughter later this afternoon...in the mean time, there's some laundry to finish up, a piano to practice, and some papers to grade. Hope everyone has a great week!

Mimi

CONGRATULATIONS on your success, Mimi!

6 lbs down since the holidays!@! - Absolutely GREAT!!!

Hi, Mimi! I love your bracelet - what an inspirational choice!

Thank you Roxy! You're most kind. I'm workin' at it!

I'm so glad you like my bracelet idea KCCC! Actually I saw an idea on one of the jewelry making sites I like to frequent for a pretty mother's bracelet using silver alphabet beads to spell out the children's names. That gave me the idea to make a bracelet with inspirational phrases on it. I can't wait to complete it. I think it will be very pretty as well as motivational...hope so, anyway, on both accounts!

Saturday, Feb. 18

Well...no weight loss this week - but no gain either, so that's good. I was a little disappointed at first, but then got my mind out of that gutter by reminding myself of all the good things I did this week that will eventually contribute to weight loss. Just yesterday the students in FCCLA made a dessert table in one of our conference rooms for teachers to partake of. I didn't go near that room! Added to that I picked up a huge sheet cake for about 30 students before school and had it in my room all morning. I toyed with the idea of eating a piece after I served the students...there was a good bit left. But I didn't, in fact, I got it out of my classroom. I took it down to the teacher's lounge with a sign to help yourself.

Today, I got a small cup of vanilla ice cream at Dairy Queen instead of a Blizzard or larger cone. I also took a 40 minute walk - it was gorgeous out. I can't believe we're supposed to get up to 4" of snow tomorrow! I also did two hour-long sessions of Zumba this week. I feel good about my progress.

Oh! My supplies came and I started working on my bracelet...got one strand completed! The "progress" strand! Two more to go. It's going to be very pretty, I think.
Hope everyone has a good week - a green week!

Mimi

Hey Mimi,
I agree, any week without a gain is a GREAT week

As hard as it seems at times, I do try to live by the mantra that we can't go wrong if we are doing right so it eventually pays off. Regardless of what the needle says (as you so kindly reminded me on my thread), it is just a number. If we are eating clean and exercising, we HAVE to be helping our body live a longer, healthier life.

I envied you getting to walk outdoors, it has been either too cold or windy or rainy around here on the days that I had the option. However, once the weather stabilizes that is my daily plan for my lunch hour at work. I am blessed to be able to eat at my desk (we work in a big old converted Victorian home (law office now) with a full kitchen, etc. so we more or less eat at will whenever there are no clients around). Therefore, my lunchhour is mine to do as I please.

I have heard such good things about Zumba, no classes around here but I might investigate further.

Just keep on staying the course,

Saturday, Feb. 25

Perseverance pays off! No weight loss last week, but 2 pounds more gone this week! Yay! Down 8 pounds since the holidays. That's probably what I gained, so from now on any weight loss will be to the good! I'd like to lose about 15 more pounds by summer (July) and I think that's doable...we'll see what happens.

I am really enjoying reading The Beck Diet Solution and using it in conjunction with NoS. I have two cards that I wrote that have saved me more than once...one simply says, "No Choice!" The other one says, "Hunger is not an emergency!" I have several sets and keep them in my purse, at home, and at school. That way I can look at them whenever I need to. I also have a list of 15 different reasons why I want to lose weight. It has been extremely helpful to look at those daily too. These are all components of Judith Beck's cognitive therapy, which seems to be helping me. Of course, keeping vanilla NoS is certainly helping me too!

Haven't worked on my bracelet this week - too much going on. Next week we have revival at church with a brilliant chalk artist, so it will be a jam-packed week again. I ordered more materials for a bracelet and earrings I want to make my daughter for Mother's Day...I have ideas for all these projects, but just need time to do them! Today I will be grading papers all morning and then this afternoon three of our grandchildren are coming for a sleepover. We'll have lots of fun.

Am trying some new frozen veggies in cheese sauce for lunch today at Strawberry's recommendation...only 135 calories for the entire bag! The only thing that concerns me about them is the sodium content, but since I don't have any blood pressure problems, I guess they will be fine to eat occasionally...everything in moderation

Hope everyone has a great week coming up - can't believe we will be in March!

Mimi

A little success story...

I finished my inspiration bracelet last night and am wearing it today and it helped me avoid a temptation and what could have been a failure. I love it! I'll try to post a picture of it tomorrow, but back to the story. It has three strands with the words "progress, " "not perfection," and "persistence." I also hung a little turtle charm on it to symbolize slow and steady weight loss is the best kind - just keep plodding along!
Our team had a reward for good behavior today involving about 40 students and it was taking place in the classroom next to mine. In walks a student into my classroom carrying a big bowl of chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream on top and smothered in chocolate syrup and gives it to me telling me the teacher sent it over for me. I looked at it (just for a second, mind you), looked at my bracelet, and said, "No thank you! I don't think I'll have any today."
I felt so good afterward. If I had eaten it, I would be miserable right now. As Judith Beck points out, every time you say no, you are strengthening your resistance muscle - and Reinhard would reinforce that with the fact that you're also building good, lasting, habits!

AWEsome!! What a wonderful idea and I can't wait to see the picture of your inspiration bracelet, Mimi! I think I need to make one for myself!

Have a great weekend!!

Here it is! For some reason, the light reflection from the flash I guess, makes some of the little alphabet letters look gold, but they're not! It's silver and black and my materials came from Michael's and fusionbeads.com
The picture doesn't really do it justice. I think it looks prettier on!

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Your bracelet is positively gorgeous!!!! Nice job and what a great reminder to you!

Thank you so much, Laura! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Most people wouldn't even notice the words when I'm wearing it...but I know they're there!

Saturday, March 3

Weighed this morning and saw another 2 pound loss - I'm tickled! That's a total of 10! What has really been helping me is paying attention to portion sizes. I eat what I want to at meals, but I eat less of it than I had been. It seemed like I was maintaining for so long and not seeing any loss at all (of course that was before the holidays ) The bottom line before any weight loss can occur is that you have to take in less calories than your body burns...there's no way around that. I think the closer you get to your ideal weight, the more you must pay attention to how much you're eating too. Even with just three meals a day you can easily go way overboard with calories. I used my fitnesspal.com to see how many calories I actually needed to consume to lose weight and then I tracked what I ate for a few weeks. That was a real eye opener for me! Even though I thought I wasn't eating much, my portions and calories were more than what I needed to lose weight - thus the reason why I wasn't losing any weight...duh!
Anyway, enough rambling. Everybody is different and their bodies handle food differently as well. I think at my age, my metabolism has slowed down a great deal.
But I'm happy that I am on the weight loss wagon once again - no, I take that back - I'm ecstatic!! I'd like to lose about 15 more in time for summer. We'll see.
Everyone have a great weekend!

Mimi

The bracelet is gorgeous. Would match some hematite I own.....

Congrats on the weight loss, it is good to be back on track isn't it? I got out of control over the holidays but have recovered it seems.

Keep on keepin' on....

To your health,

Strawberry Roan wrote:The bracelet is gorgeous. Would match some hematite I own.....

Congrats on the weight loss, it is good to be back on track isn't it? I got out of control over the holidays but have recovered it seems.

Keep on keepin' on....

To your health,

Thanks, Berry! I have lots of hematite and onyx jewelry pieces - and I wore it with hematite on Friday! Great minds think alike, huh?!

Yes, I got out of control during the holidays too, but I'm tickled to be on the losing track again...it's been awhile!

To your health as well!

Mimi

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saturday, weigh in day! No weight loss this week...but that's okay - I'm sure it's in the making and will show up next week, or the week after. (Actually, there was a very small loss - 2/10 of a pound.) I've had a good week with meals and exercise, so I'm feeling good. My habits are growing stronger with each passing week.

The weather is supposed to be warming up again beginning today and nearing 70 tomorrow and later in the week. Maybe I can get out for a walk today. All the family is coming tomorrow after church for our monthly "pizza fest" as the kids call it! We order pizzas from Dominoes, fix salad and chips and someone brings dessert. Just fun for everyone to get together. My youngest son lives the farthest away (about an hour) so it's nice for him and his wife to see everyone...it's hard to believe that this time last year we were getting ready for their wedding on the 19th! Time really flies!

I have a student teacher that started this week (her first day on Monday was cancelled due to snow!) and by the time she leaves school will be almost over! It's been a rough year - hopefully next year will be better.

Don't forget on the East Coast clocks need to be set forward this evening - springing forward! Everyone have a good weekend!

Mimi

Saturday, March 17

I keep plugging along, and it's slowly paying off...down a pound this morning. That's the first loss in two weeks for a total of 11 pounds. I'm satisfied! I know that I am more likely to keep these pounds off as long as I continue this lifestyle and keeping my habits strong.
There were several times this week when I felt discouraged knowing that I've been exercising and having green days - turning down treats at school (and really good ones too!) from colleagues - but not seeing any weight loss for all my efforts. This morning a loss showed up. We all know that living the NoS lifestyle of eating and dealing with food situations does not produce quick weight loss, but it eventually comes off if you keep at it.
I made some neon colored cards for a quote someone said on another thread recently:
I don't just want a thin body. I want a thin person's thoughts!
I am going to read that several times a day along with my other cards. It's going to be a beautiful day out today, but unfortunately I will be in a class until 6 this evening.
Hope everyone has a great week!

Mimi

Just dropping by to say hello, and I'm back!!

Sounds like you're doing wonderfully! Keep up the great work!

Have a great day.

So glad you stopped by, Gk! Missed you! And so glad you're back and restarting NoS! Remember to take baby steps - you know your mind and body the best and what mods will be most sustainable for you...that's the key - finding whatever will work for you long term, not just until you rid your body of the extra poundage!
We'll keep each other inspired! Rooting for you...root-a-toot-toot!

Mimi

mimi wrote:Remember to take baby steps - you know your mind and body the best and what mods will be most sustainable for you...that's the key - finding whatever will work for you long term, not just until you rid your body of the extra poundage!

Oh my....if I just would have learned that to begin with, I'd have saved myself alot of time and grief in my attempts at No S. We're all different and need to remember that when we try things like this. Thanks for the reminder - very helpful!!

Saturday, March 24

It has been feeling like summer here all week - temperatures up into the 80's the last few days, but today is a rainy Saturday...looks like it's settled in for the day.

Had a good week - green days for both eating and exercising...went to my two hour-long Zumba sessions, but that was it for exercise. Our instructor is coming to our school on Monday afternoons now too, but I don't think I can do 3 hours each week. Monday (except for faculty meetings) and Friday afternoons are the only free afternoons I have.

Had an upsetting meeting with our principal yesterday morning about next year's teaching assignments for our team...not good news. Without going into great detail about it, I left the meeting dreading school for next year. My first reaction was to eat something, but I didn't. My husband and I had already planned an outing for the afternoon ( I had taken 1/2 day personal day) and then we ate out last evening. I kept to my one plate, but I did have some low-fat frozen yogurt afterward. I am proud of myself for not giving in to the eating urges - ultimately, it would not have solved anything about the issues with my job next year, and only made me feel more miserable.

I stepped on the scale this morning for my weekly weigh-in and was rewarded to see another pound gone. That made me feel very good about how I handled yesterday. Twelve pounds is a significant weight loss and some people are starting to notice.

So for me, three plates a day - there's no other way (weigh?)

Mimi

Mimi---GREAT JOB on not resorting to food to make you feel better about next year's school year. The fact that in the moment you recognized that it would not solve anything about the issue and only make you feel worse is a MAJOR accomplishment.

Also, the fact that you've stuck with diet and exercise, and are 12 lbs. down is amazing. Congrats!

Keep up the great work. You're very inspiring!!!

I love your quote here "If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!" Sometimes it sure feels like hanging onto a knot, the muscles get week and we fall off. So muscle building it is.

Congrats on the 12lbs...that is awesome.....

deb

Thank you both for your kind and encouraging words. A great deal of my changed thinking has come about from reading and incorporating many of the strategies from Judith Beck's The Beck Diet solution. I discovered her book through one of the posters on this board. Beck is a cognitive therapist who believes any diet plan can work if you change your thinking along with it. In a nut shell, she's right. It's well worth the time and effort invested in reading and carrying out the daily to-do lists in the book. I bought my copy used and it was fairly inexpensive.
Each day that goes by that I stick to my 3 plates strengthens my resolve to continue and make this my lifestyle. I discovered after losing, then gaining weight back, and then maintaining for what seemed like forever, there comes a point where you have to look at portion sizes on that plate if you want weight loss to occur. I think that's particularly true if your desired weight loss is not a great amount, but maybe 20-30 pounds. I have read other posters on here who have come to the same conclusion. Quantity matters on those three plates a day. That said, so does quality. I am careful to choose good food, and make tasty dishes from my favorite recipes and cookbooks. I plan what I am going to eat. That goes so far in keeping my contentment going strong from day to day.
We're all in this together and I learn so much from everyone here. I just hope I can pass along what is helping and working for me, without sounding "preachy," so that someone else can experience the success that they desire too.
Thanks again, friends, for your support!

Thanks for stopping by my thread! Will have to keep the jewelry making idea in mind. Sounds like fun!

Quantity matters on those three plates a day. That said, so does quality. I am careful to choose good food, and make tasty dishes from my favorite recipes and cookbooks.

I agree with you Mimi, quantity and quality matters. I've been trying to control that by counting weight watchers points (with not much success). I'd like to be able to control quality and quantity by just making better choices (I hate counting). I have at least 50 lbs to lose and I know it won't happen without some kind of control and planning.

Thank you for the advice on writing down the reasons why I want to lose weight -- I'm going to try and read them regularly to see if I can brainwash my head to actually stick to something long enough to see results.

I agree with you Mimi, quantity and quality matters. I've been trying to control that by counting weight watchers points (with not much success). I'd like to be able to control quality and quantity by just making better choices (I hate counting). I have at least 50 lbs to lose and I know it won't happen without some kind of control and planning.

Then stop counting, Butterfly! If you hate it and you're not experiencing success, why are you doing it? The beauty of NoS is that the only counting you have to do is to count three "reasonable" plates each day. You can control quantity on your plate with other methods - just eyeballing your portions, for starters. Since you've been counting, you already have the advantage of knowing what a serving size of the food should look like. Many people successfully use the divided plate method: one-half the plate filled with fruit and veggies, one-quarter grains, and one-quarter protein...and no vertical stacking allowed!
Start eating savory dishes that you will look forward to and feel satisfied with afterward. For me, that goes a long way. That empty feeling, you know, the "I still need something else to eat" feeling is not there if I take time to do this. Hope this helps a little.

Mimi

Saturday, March 31:

No weight loss today, but that's okay. I've had a successful week with moderate eating and two days of exercise. More importantly, I had a few instances where I entertained thoughts of straying from my eating plan of no sweets and no snacking on n-days, and I was able to overcome them by telling myself, "No choice!" The weight loss will show up eventually!
I order two books by Susan Albers, But I Deserve this chocolate: The Fifty Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. They both arrived yesterday afternoon and I'm anxious to begin reading them. Hope to report any significant or striking findings or discoveries as I read or what I think might be helpful for us all.
Looking forward to a week off from school next week...lots to look forward to. Two of the grandchildren are staying over Monday night and part of the day Tuesday...that always makes me happy. Then, of course, we have Easter Eggs coloring and hunts coming up next weekend. Fun!
My daughter and I are off to the spa this morning for massages thanks to my very thoughtful son and his new wife who give gift certificates for birthdays and Christmas! It will be a very much needed massage after a very stressful testing week!
I'm also looking forward to making some of the jewelry pieces that I have ideas and supplies for, but haven't had the time!
Have a great weekend everybody!

Mimi

Sunday, April 1 - beautiful day in the Valley! Hubby and I went for a ride after church today. Everything is so pretty and green and all the spring flowers and trees are in bloom. Stopped at a Dairy Queen on the way home and had a small hot fudge sundae. That was it for my S-treats besides some popcorn later while watching TV. Walked for 30 minutes outdoors this evening. Enjoyed it so much!

Monday, April 2 - another beautiful day in the Valley... a tad bit chillier and windy, but still beautiful. I went for a 30 minute walk this morning, and then my daughter and I loaded the kids up and took them shopping for new Easter shoes. Made a quick run through Walmart after that and then off to a park. We brought a picnic lunch along which we enjoyed tremendously. The kids played afterwards and then we were off to visit a lavender farm. They have rabbits, goats, horses, sheep, and alpaca there for kids to pet and feed and a lovely gift shop. I bought some lavender face cream, essential lavender oil (which is good for everything!) and some lavender candle tarts. So glad to be off for Spring Break. Oh, we stopped at Sue Bee's and had some nonfat yogurt on the way home...vacation, it was okay!

Hi Mimi,

When you mentioned the Beck Diet Solution book, it rang a bell but I wasn't sure where I had heard it. Yesterday I went through a box where I have the many diet books I've bought over the years (when I had put them in the box I was ready to throw them all out -- I was so frustrated from all the different diet books, diet plans, etc that I had tried). All that to say, I have the book (now I'm glad I didn't throw out the box). I pulled it out and I'm going to re-read it. Thanks!

Butterfly

butterfly1000 wrote:Hi Mimi,

When you mentioned the Beck Diet Solution book, it rang a bell but I wasn't sure where I had heard it. Yesterday I went through a box where I have the many diet books I've bought over the years (when I had put them in the box I was ready to throw them all out -- I was so frustrated from all the different diet books, diet plans, etc that I had tried). All that to say, I have the book (now I'm glad I didn't throw out the box). I pulled it out and I'm going to re-read it. Thanks!

Butterfly

Butterfly,
I heard about the book here and have used it very successfully in conjunction with NoS. I am slowly losing weight once again. As I mentioned, there are several strategies that have made all the difference for me.
Repeating the phrase "No choice!" is one she recommends using when diet head rears its ugly head and tries to derail you. I find myself using it for many things - not just against diet head! I also have it on a card in huge letters!
I hope rereading the book is helpful for you. Make sure to take your time as you work through it. Good luck Butterfly - keep me posted!

Mimi

Spent my day today working on some jewelry pieces. I made two pairs of earrings and another inspirational set that I've been wanting to get to - a turtle locket/pendant and turtle earrings...I love my turtles! I can also wear them with my bracelet which has the same little turtle. I am going to make my daughter a set also, but I'll make it a little differently from mine.
I had a great "green" day! My hands were busy all day, and I really didn't even want to take the time to eat, but I did!

Saturday, April 7: I have totally enjoyed my week off! My daughter and I spent the day Thursday shopping for all of the April birthdays we have coming up. Went to all the stores we ordinarily don't have time to go to. Got to spend some good quality time with all 5 of the grandkids this week - two spent the night Monday and stayed until late Tues. afternoon. I spend the day yesterday with the other three while my husband and son worked on the finishing touches of an old crawler tractor they've worked all winter restoring. Yesterday it ran!

Managed to have all green days this week and took three 30-minute brisk walks. It's paying off as I did my Saturday weekly weigh-in this morning and discovered I'm down 2 more pounds for a grand total of 15. I can now tell that my clothes are fitting much better. It's been slowly coming off, little by little and that's what I want.

While we were out on our shopping trip the other day, I picked up a little spiral-bound book of index cards and rewrote all my Beck cards into it (They were looking a little shopworn!). I also went through the NoS catch-phrase glossary here and added the ones that hit home with me...and there's so-o-o many good ones. I recently found another one online somewhere that made me laugh, but also rings true...bigger snacks mean bigger slacks! Anyway, now when an eating urge hits, or I'm feeling discouraged, I can get out this little card book and read through all the thoughts and sayings that help to keep me on track. That was time well spent. I also found a little plastic cartoony-looking turtle character, actually I bought 2 of them, one to sit in my kitchen and one to sit on my desk at school. They will remind me to take it slow and steady to win this race. Just seeing the little fellow sitting on my microwave makes me smile and remember what I'm doing! I know...I'm a dork...

This morning we're off to an Easter egg hunt and then the annual tradition is to come back to my house and all the grandkids color eggs. I was busy last night cooking eggs - cooked 4 dozen for them! Should be a fun weekend! The weather is beautiful - a little chillier than it has been, but sunny and perfect for egg hunting!

Hope everyone has an awesome week ahead!

Mimi

Okay, really bummed this morning...did my weekly weigh-in this morning and not only did I not see any loss, my weight actually increased .4 of a pound. Not what I wanted to wake up to, especially after knowing I've had such a terrific week. Green days all the way, and lots of exercise...what's the deal?! So discouraged!
So I got out my little book of notecards and read through them all and came across the one dealing with "slow and steady." I grabbed up my little turtle friend, snapped a very debonair picture, and posted a silly little thread on the general discussion board - mostly to encourage myself! If I'm having discouraging days, I know others might be too.

I'm going to walk a 5K this morning that our school's wellness program is sponsoring...lots of door prizes, snacks and other things for participants. Should be fun, and the weather is supposed to be beautiful today.
Tomorrow we're celebrating my son and his wife's birthdays with a baked potato bar and ice cream cake from Dairy Queen...yum.
Next weekend I'll be attending a yearly women's church conference in Durham, NC...looking forward to that. I know I'll leave there encouraged!
The last weekend of the month will be spent celebrating the birthdays of my husband, son, and son-in-law...seems like everyone in our family was born in April. My daughter and I refer to it as Christmas Round II when we plan to shop!

Okay, enough for now...my discouragement is dissipating...on to a great day and an even greater weekend.

Happy Saturday and S-day everyone!

Mimi

Very nice piece of jewelry. Do you just make for yourself or sell them as well?

NoSnacker wrote:Very nice piece of jewelry. Do you just make for yourself or sell them as well?

Thank you, NoSnacker, you're most kind. I make pieces for friends and family as gifts and just because, but I don't sell mainly because still working full time I wouldn't have the time to keep up. I've thought about having an Etsy site...maybe after I retire in a few years!

mimi wrote:Okay, really bummed this morning...did my weekly weigh-in this morning and not only did I not see any loss, my weight actually increased .4 of a pound. Not what I wanted to wake up to, especially after knowing I've had such a terrific week. Green days all the way, and lots of exercise...what's the deal?! So discouraged!

The very same thing happened to me a couple weeks ago......was doing so good, sticking to the rules, feeling GREAT and then I weighed myself.....gained a pound. It turned my mood completely upside down and I found myself in a binge soon after.

I'm now only weighing once a month.....maybe less frequent than that. You figure, if we know we're doing good, that's all that matters. If it bums us out to see a different number than we want, even though we're doing great and feeling good, why subject ourselves to it? Just my lil' ole' opinion.

And you know......since you're doing so much exercise lately, it could very well be .4 lb. gain in MUSCLE.

Keep it up with your good No S habits - you're doing great!

Oh, btw, nice jewelry!

Thanks for the encouragement gk! I could use a little muscle! I hope that's what it is. You are so right in acknowledging that if we know we've been doing well, that's all that matters! The scale has always been my nemesis, but lately I've felt I've been doing better with it. I certainly don't want to fall back into old patterns where I allow a number on the scale to dictate my mood, eating behavior, or color what kind of a day I will have. Why subject ourselves to it...you're so-o-o right! Perhaps weighing less frequently is a good idea for a while!
Thanks again!

Mimi

Mimi-

Thanks for your note on my thread. It was encouraging to hear how you stuck with N Days first and let the S Days take care of themselves later. As you know, I've tried every modification under the sun as well, and you're right - never works.

Hope you have a wonderful week - have fun makin those GREENS!

Didn't get to post over the weekend because I was attending an annual ladies' church conference in Durham, NC. We had a wonderful time, had great fellowship, and heard lots of wonderful speakers who were uplifting and encouraging. I always leave this particular conference feeling like I can take on the world with God on my side...and it's so true.
I did not get to weigh on Saturday morning as usual, so I decided to weigh this morning. I almost cried because I have dropped into a new set of numbers - I haven't been in this set for 10 years - since my daughter got married - and they will celebrate their 10th anniversary in July. Of course I was at the bottom then, and I'm at the top now - but I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be where I am. I was so discouraged last weekend with no weight loss, but it has shown up this week. I am now down a total of 18.7 pounds.
So I'm here to say to all those who beat themselves up for failing, quitting, restarting, wash, rinse, repeat - over and over - DON'T GIVE UP. I have quit, tried other diets and weight loss methods, only to restart NoS more times than I can count, but, for whatever reason, this time seems to be the time that's sticking and working - maybe because I have not only worked on my eating habits, but I've worked on my thought habits as well. And that has made all the difference.

Hooray! What an inspiring story!
Thanks for the encouragement!

Thank you for your encouragement...it means a lot. I hope I can be helpful for others here.

mimi wrote:I hope I can be helpful for others here.

Oh, you are! And congratulations!

Thank you Renee! You so encourage me too! And you make me smile.
We can do this.

MANY CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, MIMI! FANTASTIC!!

Your jewelry is gorgeous btw, you're really turning me on to turtles in a big way!

mimi wrote:So I'm here to say to all those who beat themselves up for failing, quitting, restarting, wash, rinse, repeat - over and over - DON'T GIVE UP. I have quit, tried other diets and weight loss methods, only to restart NoS more times than I can count, but, for whatever reason, this time seems to be the time that's sticking and working - maybe because I have not only worked on my eating habits, but I've worked on my thought habits as well. And that has made all the difference.

First congrats on your weight loss! Second, this is so motivating...this is my second attempt, left No S first time after a few months to come back heavier and feeling defeated..

This so is the only way to be sane with food..

Thanksss...needed to read this!

Just read your not on the reasons one might want to lose weight and you mentioned you made a dr. appt. That is great.........

Just read your note on the reasons one might want to lose weight and you mentioned you made a dr. appt. That is great........

Thank you NoSnacker...yes, I made one and I'm going no matter what I weigh. There is absolutely no sense in avoiding taking care of myself (beyond what I can do on my own) because of what I weigh.

MANY CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS, MIMI! FANTASTIC!!

Thank you Roxy! I keep pushing forward - one day at a time, one meal at a time. Great to hear from you! I got a chuckle out of turning you on to turtles! I recently bought a new ring...take a look at this guy! I got him on sale and when they had a free shipping weekend.

http://www2.palmbeachjewelry.com/produc ... -50230.cfm

First congrats on your weight loss! Second, this is so motivating...this is my second attempt, left No S first time after a few months to come back heavier and feeling defeated..

This so is the only way to be sane with food..

Thanksss...needed to read this!

First of all, never feel defeated - just brush off and begin anew. This is the only way to be sane with food. And keep up with your Beck book....that helped me so-o-o much. I carry a little index card booklet with me in my purse full of my cards I wrote while doing Beck and also all the great quotes and inspirations that I've collected over the years. Now they're all in one place and leafing through that little booklet really, really gets me through some difficult times.

Thanks so much everyone. Have a great day!

Mimi

A beautiful morning, but rain on the way for this afternoon...busy weekend ahead.
Weighed this morning. Another 1.5 pounds gone. Total: 19.5
Because I knew I had several "eating" events this week (breakfasts, banquets, etc.), I scaled down my lunches and other meals. I looked to an old African proverb I ran across in a D.C. museum recently, "A little food to keep life going." I ate cottage cheese and frozen mixed berries (Kirkland brand, yum!) with a handful of pretzels every day for lunch and reduced portion sizes at other meals. This allowed me to enjoy my special events without guilt or weight gain...and I did! We have more birthday celebrations tomorrow, so there will be more cake and goodies. Thankfully it's an S-day!
My BMI is now 27.8. It needs to be 25 to be in the normal range, but I am getting closer! Remember that turtle...slowly, but steadily wins the race.
Happy weekend to all!

Mimi

Hooray! Congrats to you on another 1.5 pounds gone!
I love how you knew yourself enough to scale down on one front in order to be able to enjoy on another! Now THAT'S real-life-no-s-ing!
I like that quote, "a little food to keep life going". Great reminder.
Take care and enjoy your busy weekend!

Congrats!!!

Wow! Congratulations!

Thanks, Butterfly!
And now I'm back this morning after my Saturday morning weigh in to report that I am up a pound - ugh!
I know I've been compliant and exercising, so maybe too much salt this week. Ate fast food Thursday evening and popcorn yesterday. I'm not going to let it throw me because it's just a number.
I've been reading the blog that ibb posted about earlier this week "Can You Stay for Dinner?" I really liked her post about maintenance because that's one aspect of weight loss that I've never been able to accomplish. I think I've always tried to reach low scale "numbers" that were not feasible for me to maintain long term. This time I'll be approaching it from a much different perspective. It's going to be a weight that is healthy, foremost, followed by a weight that allows me to eat things (sweets, desserts, etc.) from time to time (not just on weekends) without gaining weight. Well, haven't reached that point yet, so for now I'm marching on with vanilla No-S.
Had two of the kids spend the night last night while daughter had Relay for Life. We had a movie night - Sleeping Beauty and popcorn (yes, I ate a few handfuls but it was part of my late supper). This morning they were up bright and early and we've already played several games of Candy Land and Disney Princess Memory. Think we're going out now to ride trikes for a little.

Mimi

This has been a rough week, at school that is...the kids are already in "vacation mode" and we still have all of our state testing to get through. All three of my tests are next week - on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You all keep us in your prayers. I have 7th graders who read on 3rd grade level, and it will be a miracle for them to pass a 7th grade reading test. I also have to take a personal day next Thursday to appear in court for a speeding ticket that I got back in February - the first ever in my entire life. I was completely devastated, so I attended a driving clinic right after getting the ticket. Hopefully that will count for something. We'll see.
I have had green days with meals and exercise. Today will be an hour of Zumba and I had an hour on Tuesday as well. Monday evening I walked for 2 miles. Saturday morning I'm going to walk in a 5K - hopefully the rain will be gone by then!
Got this in an email yesterday and really liked it, so I'm posting it here as a reminder...



So, thinking of everyone here and wishing you a great finish to the week.

Mimi

Saturday, May 12 - Started the day out with an absolutely decadent Mother's Day breakfast prepared by my son-in-law for my daughter and me. He fixed strawberry cream cheese stuffed French toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, coffee, and juice. It was incredible, but I only ate one plate! They also gave me a gift card to Kohls. After that my daughter and I walked a 5K at a local park sponsored by the Wellness Committee of our county school system. I'm sure we put a dent in that breakfast! It took us 50 minutes to walk the three miles (or 3.125 miles to be exact )
I was down 2 pounds this week at my weekly weigh in...last week I was up one, but my overall total is 20.6. I'm so tickled!
Bad week coming up - all three of my SOL tests are being given (Mon., Wed., and Fri.) and I have a court "date" on Thursday. I must be very aware of emotions and responses this week to avoid binges and unwanted eating. Maybe I'll get out my little index card booklet and start reading cards today - in advance.
Going out to eat tomorrow at one of the famous buffets with hubbie, both my sons, and their families for Mother's Day. I will enjoy the time spent with everyone.
Wishing all the mothers on the board a beautiful Mother's Day!

Mimi

Congratulations on the 20 pounds! Sounds like you have a tough week coming up - I hope things go as smoothly as possible. Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

Thank you so much Amy! For the many starts and restarts I've had with NoS, this time seems to be the one that's working for me. The weight loss has been slow, but it's coming off. I know these last 10 pounds will more than likely come off even more slowly as I get closer to the weight that I want to maintain. I think the difference this time has been that I worked very hard and continue to work on my thinking and internal talk. For me, it's taken both approaches.

Mimi

Had a wonderful weekend! After the Mother's Day breakfast with daughter and family followed by a 5K walk, my husband and I spent the day together taking a long drive and doing some shopping. He had a gift card left from Christmas at a store that we don't have in our locality. We ended up eating hot dogs in Costco (gave him half of mine) that evening and sharing a Berry Sundae...I probably had 2/3 of it! Worked for me!
Yesterday we met with our sons and their families and ate at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I fixed one plate of salad and one plate of hot foods (mostly vegetables). I had one dessert afterwards -a chocolate brownie with cheesecake frozen yogurt and strawberry syrup with a little whipped cream and nuts sprinkled on top. It was just special looking and sweet enough to satisfy me. It was mid-afternoon when we ate, so I wasn't hungry at all for another meal later on. I walked 2 miles last evening and finished out the day with a bowl of popcorn while we watched the finale of Survivor. I am so-o-o happy with how my S-days have evened out. Sometimes I can hardly believe it's me. It takes much less food to fill me up than it used to and the gnawing desire to overeat with sweets is gone. I know it's the head work paying off for me. My S-days are not much different from my N-days. I eat the same types of meals, but include a special dessert at least once each day and usually an evening snack of popcorn. Where popcorn used to be a daily staple, it has now become a weekend treat.
I am seeing a big difference in the fit of my clothes - and the bulges hanging out over the waistband (sorry if that's TMI) are gone. A few pairs of pants are looking too big. You don't know how that thrills me, not to mention gives me incentive to continue doing what I'm doing. BUT...
My biggest concern is my blood work which I am having done in June. I have lost 20 pounds, I am exercising regularly, and eating pretty healthy. I am hoping my cholesterol and other tests will be within normal ranges. I haven't had them tested in a lo-o-o-ong time because I didn't want them to see how much I weighed at the doctor's office. That is so terrible, but I'm working on changing that.
I have one test down today - and two more to go. The kids seemed to take it pretty seriously and took their time. Hope court goes as well on Thursday!

Mimi

mimi wrote: I am so-o-o happy with how my S-days have evened out. Sometimes I can hardly believe it's me. It takes much less food to fill me up than it used to and the gnawing desire to overeat with sweets is gone. I know it's the head work paying off for me. My S-days are not much different from my N-days. I eat the same types of meals, but include a special dessert at least once each day and usually an evening snack of popcorn. Where popcorn used to be a daily staple, it has now become a weekend treat. I am seeing a big difference in the fit of my clothes -

Wow! Congratulations Mimi. Well done. You encourage us, inspire us, and model for us the perseverance that we all need. Thank you!
I may even copy this to my page for encouragement.

Renee, I think the turning point for me was when I decided to work The Beck Diet Solution and one of the first things to do was complete a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight.
I had to ask myself, "Do I really want to work and lose weight, or do I want to try to wish it magically away by continuing to search for the perfect, easy diet while I continue to overeat whenever and whatever I want?"
I did some soul searching, and decided that I really wanted to lose weight this time. Then I had to come up with the reasons why, no matter how silly or trite they seemed. One of the reasons on my list was so that I could take care of my health by having necessary tests done periodically and not being afraid of going to the doctor's office because I was ashamed to have them see how much I weighed. There are 13 other reasons on that list and I look at them frequently.
I'm thankful if I can inspire anyone...it's a hard journey, isn't it?

Mimi

Thanks for the inspiration! I think I'm going to get my copy of the Beck book off my shelf and re-read it - there really is some great advice in there and all of it is No-S friendly. I still have my card with reasons laying around some where - time to get it out and update!

I've made lists too, but I had more like 50 reasons. I think I could stretch it out to 100. This time around I have some much better reasons to jump start me, and it seems to be going better than my other starts. Loss is incentive in itself. Keep it up Mimi!

Keep going renee! You can do it! You seem to lose at a much faster rate than I do...look at what you've accomplished up until this point! Bravo!

Saturday, May 19 - Whew! What a week - stress was at an all-time high. Tested my students on Mon., Wed., and Friday. In my collaborative class there were only four who didn't pass. I was ecstatic! In my gifted/high ability class they all passed - four with perfect scores.
The best part of all, however, was a little boy who, up until yesterday, had not passed a state reading test yet (and they start in 3rd grade). We have worked so hard, and I knew he really had a chance of passing this year. My principal hand delivered the score to me yesterday - he thought I would scream when I saw it...but I didn't scream, I cried. Not only did he pass, but he almost passed advanced. I can't tell him until all the tests are finished - how will I stand it?!
My speeding ticket that I went to court for on Thursday was dismissed. I had to pay $61 court costs. God has been shining down on me!
At my Saturday morning weigh-in this morning I was down 2 more pounds! That makes a grand total of 22 to date. There are no words to tell how thrilled I am over that.
Got all my flowers planted today. Hubby helped me and we were done in no time. I love flowers! My peonies are just beginning to bloom because they froze a few weeks ago.
Going to a graduation/piano recital tonight and my daughter-in-laws graduation barbecue tomorrow afternoon.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Mimi

Wow, Mimi, so many good things in just a few days - that is wonderful! I am really happy for you!

Thank you Amy! Yes, it turned out to be a great week after all! BTW, I love your signature line! Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoyed all the celebrations this weekend...there was a delicious meal following the graduation/piano recital on Saturday complete with a scrumptious cake. Was served a small piece and I was pleased to receive that over a huge icing-laden end piece!! In the past I would have been seeking one of those pieces out!!
I made pretzel crust peanut butter brownie bars and pasta salad to take to my DIL's barbecue yesterday. My daughter made pretzel treats and cute little cupcakes complete with graduation hat tops (chocolate graham cracker cookie sitting on top of a peanut butter cup with a little M&M on top - she's so crafty!)
I ended up bringing home about a dozen and a half brownies last night and the first thing I did this morning was to immediately wrap them up and put them into the freezer. Out of sight, out of mind! Weekend indulgences are over!
Got to school and found graduation cake galore in the teacher's lounge...fixed my coffee and got out of there! Whew! Temptations everywhere you look - it's that time of the year, I guess! Be strong!

The mysteries of life! How can a person gain .6 of a pound when I have had all green days and 3 hours of exercise over the course of the week?! I don't get it...but it doesn't matter! I have really come to terms with the scale and its numbers. A bad or less-than-desirable weigh-in used to send me into a downward spiraling tailspin and eating frenzy, but no more. I view it as a measuring device with no special powers. I am much more attuned to how I look and feel and how my clothes look and fit...a much better direction to focus my attention!
It's amazing how much my thinking has changed, and thus the reason for the success I'm finding these days. It is all about what goes on in our heads...food really has very little to do with the battle of weight gain/weight loss. It's all about what we tell ourselves we can and can't do, or what we will or won't do. The Beck Diet Solution was instrumental in helping me achieve this change, and I never would have known about it had I not read about the book on these boards. Now I see that others are finding it helpful as well. I believe that The Beck Diet Solution and NoS are the perfect "marriage" of systems.
I am going to my little 4 year old granddaughter's first dance recital this evening with other family members and then out to a very famous (in our area!) homemade ice cream place afterwards. Should be a fun evening. Tomorrow after church we are taking all 5 grandchildren camping overnight. My daughter is coming along too while her husband goes kayaking. We should have a good time, although temperature are predicted to be in the 90's! Hope everyone enjoys their weekend too!

Mimi

HCG consists of four stages. First phase is introductory phase and in second phase dieter is advised to eat anything or everything.

No thanks, jenna...I think you're a spambot anyway!

Back from our camping trip - everyone had a ball and everyone was worn out when it came time to leave! The kids all brought their bathing suits and we had big water guns for all of them, so they didn't mind the heat. My daughter even brought their golden retriever along and he was in dog heaven! Rode the side-by-side and four wheelers, popped popcorn over the campfire, and made the kids glow-in-the-dark bubbles last night.
We got in plenty of walking yesterday and today. Played lots of ladder golf and ball with the kids. Oh, yeah, and multiple games of Candy Land! Son and DIL came this morning and spent the day - brought their dog along too! So we had lots of good family time and good food. Nothing over the top for me, except for the enjoyment!

Mimi

Sat., June 2 - Beautiful weather in the Shenandoah Valley! Had terrible thunder & hail storms last night, but the skies are clear and beautiful today! What a terribly stressful week last week - oh my, it's getting so hard to contain the kids! I am just completely worn out when I get home. Next week we work until 5 each evening so we don't have to work on Saturday...not looking forward to that - although the kids leave at 1:15 Tuesday, Wed., and Thursday, the last day. Tuesday is our team's all-day field trip to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. It will be a long day and I'm not really looking forward to it. If I was going with friends and family it would be different.
Going camping with all the kiddos again next weekend - that's something to look forward to.
Hubby asked me to go out to eat tonight, so I'm looking forward to that to!
Okay, now down to business...as far as eating goes this week - had all green days, but boy, the urges to pick, snack, and just plain eat were rearing their ugly heads. I know it was due to all the stress. I got out my little card booklet and read through all my cards...more than once, and it really kept me from eating something I would regret later.
I've had a gift card since Christmas for Barnes and Noble, so I stopped in there one evening this week to get a book for summer reading and I also bought the workbook edition of The Beck Diet Solution. I plan to work in select parts of it this summer and I will be able to write in it. I found that it has already made cards in the back that you can just tear out...nice!
Had two sessions of Zumba this week - and that was our last until school starts up again...kind of sad. I've really enjoyed it. Other than that I haven't done any other exercising.
This morning my daughter and little granddaughter and I completed the last 5K that our county wellness committee sponsored. It was a beautiful morning for it and I'll feel fine having a nice dessert tonight.
Had my usual Saturday morning weigh-in. Down .8 for a total of 23.5 pounds. Slowly, but surely...it's coming off. I'm content to be a turtle!



Mimi

Tomorrow is our field trip to Hershey Park and I'm going with a plan. I have planned my breakfast and packed my lunch and a supper for the bus ride home. Because I don't think I can go to Hershey without having either chocolate or ice cream, I have planned an S event to have one or the other. This way I will prevent a fail or worse. I will get lots of walking in tomorrow - many miles, I'm sure! I'm happy with my plan - and it is a special occasion...we've planned this trip all year! And Thursday is the last day of school - hooray!

Mimi

The last day of school has finally arrived...emotions are at an all-time high - lots of changes still happening even in these last days...some are good, some aren't.
There's a huge Hershey bar, a tall glass full of M & M's, and a container of homemade chocolate covered toffee sitting on my desk...pray for me!! I know my students mean well...
NO CHOICE until Saturday.

Mimi

OMG! Be strong, Mimi!

Amy3010 wrote:OMG! Be strong, Mimi!

Thanks Amy! It was hard! But I waited and then had a small piece of the toffee today. It tasted so much better knowing that I waited. I'm taking it camping this weekend for everyone to help eat. We will have the 5 little guys overnight tomorrow, but my son and DIL and my daughter and SIL will be cooking out with us after church tomorrow afternoon and they'll help eat it. It won't last long!
Yesterday was our teacher workday and final faculty meeting/potluck dinner. Ate a reasonable plate and a small piece of some kind of yummy butterscotch chocolate pie...called it an S-event.
The faculty meeting lasted for 3 hours because we had 3 teachers leaving, 2 retiring, and our principal leaving as well. Whew! As a result, I didn't finish getting my room packed up. My wonderful husband went over with me early this morning and we were finished in an hour and a half. Otherwise, it would have taken me at least half the day. Have to love him!
Weighed this morning and am down a half pound...a total of 24 now. Little by little...

Mimi

Hi, thanks so much for the encouragement...I'm going to do my best to stay focused on my habits not my weight...big issue for me.

I agree, I totally took S days to the max, when Reinhardt said they would taper in time, I believe like you said doesn't apply to emotional eaters...like you I believe it can be done, but longer than normal.

So for today I'm hanging on....

Maybe I'll start logging my food on here, seems to keep my accountable.

But then, I want to stop focusing on what I'm doing...

Darn if you do, darned if you don't.

Have a great weekend.!!!!
_________________

Sunday, June 17 - Father's Day! Have had a busy week and equally busy weekend. Had a wonderful time camping with the kiddos last weekend. My daughter and I took them peach picking in Charlottesville on Thursday. The peaches are delicious...but the real peaches are in my arms!



The "little guy" turned three on Wednesday and we celebrated his birthday yesterday with a pirate party. What fun! Daughter and SIL took us out for a Father's Day breakfast in the morning at Wood Grill.
Today we had a Father's Day luncheon at Golden Corral.
My daughter and I have devised a plan for dealing with all-you-can-eat buffets. Yesterday, for instance...here's how we handled it...they don't open until 9:00. We had two plates - one for breakfast and one for lunch. We didn't eat again until last evening.
Today, I had a bowl of oatmeal and peaches for breakfast. We went out to eat midafternoon around 2:30. Again, I had two plates - one of food, and one of salad. One was "lunch" and the other "supper." I had a small serving of dessert too.
I didn't eat again until this evening when I had a bowl of popcorn. We don't eat out that often at these places, but this seems to work for us when we do. I really think you have to go in with a plan.

Had my weigh-in yesterday morning and was down .9 of a pound - so I'm almost at the 25 pound mark.

Tomorrow I go for my physical and blood work, so I will have to fast all morning. My appointment is not until 10:15. Not looking forward to it at all! More later...

Mimi

What a lovely picture!

You've been doing so well - especially with all the end of the school year upheaval. Thanks for sharing how you handle those buffets, it sounds like a really good strategy!

Good luck at the doctor's office!

Saturday, June 23 - down 2.7 pounds at this morning's weigh in. What did I do differently this week? Nothing that I can pinpoint except had more exercise...went swimming two afternoons, walked 2 miles on three evenings, and one night when it was raining I did 30 minutes on my fitness glider. I was also up and down my basement stairs a zillion times over the week. My dear hubby built me an entire wall full of shelves in my laundry/scrapbooking room and I was decluttering and reorganizing down there. It's really nice now, but I'm not quite finished.
My blood labs came back on Thursday and everything was fine except for my cholesterol levels...total was 248, HDL was 41, LDL 162 and triglycerides 175. My doctor told me to continue with my weight loss and it should come down. She said we would check it again in 6 months. I hadn't planned on losing much more weight - I just wanted to get into a healthy BMI range. The most I am willing to lose is 12 more pounds. At my age, anything more than that would make me look really bad.
So, now what to do? My husband said that exercise helps to lower cholesterol...I will try to increase that and be more consistent with it. I've decided to eat oatmeal, oat bran, or Cheerios at least 3 or 4 mornings each week. Anyone have any other suggestions? We don't eat much red meat, mostly chicken and fish. Our dairy products are lower in fat - 1% milk and 2% cheese.
It's always something, isn't it...I'll keeping working at it.

Mimi

Good for you on the weight loss, Mimi! I know what you mean about wanting to get in the healthy BMI range - that is my main goal, too.

I'm sorry to hear about your cholesterol levels...I had in the low 200's a few years back, and then I went very strictly vegan and got it down to 180 within a few months. I know that might sound drastic but I'm not so strict now - basically eat low fat vegan when I have control over what I am eating, and vegetarian when I don't - and very very occasionally a bit of chicken or fish nowadays (maybe once a month).

There are a lot of great books/websites out there you could google if you're at all interested - Engine 2, Happy Herbivore, Eat to Live, McDougall, Fat Free Vegan - that explain how to do a healthy low fat vegan diet for health reasons. (Because it is possible, of course, to eat a vegan diet that is really unhealthy, too.) Actually a blog I read regularly just had a big post on cholesterol and how you can lower it with diet: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/hap ... bites.html

Hope this is helpful to you! In any case, good luck with it - and thank goodness your other numbers were good!

Thanks so much for the encouragement, and web links Amy...I don't know that I could ever go completely vegan or vegetarian, but I can certainly make changes and improvements.
We are vacationing down in the Smokies (one of our favorite places to go) and I will investigate when I get home and have more time. In the mean time, NoS is easy to keep to and we are getting lots of exercise. We plan to do some hiking in the Smokies today where it will be cooler. Looks like it's hot everywhere this week!
Thank you again for your support - I really appreciate it. My sister told me to make sure I eat almonds (they helped her - they help to lower cholesterol?), so I am making a point to include a small handful each day.

Mimi

You're very welcome, Mimi!

I hadn't heard that about almonds so I just looked it up in "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" (my bible - it's by Phyllis Balch and tells you what foods are best for all health conditions).

For high cholesterol, she does indeed say that almonds are indeed good - they've been shown in studies to reduce cholesterol by 16 points over a four week period. She doesn't specify how much to eat though, but I think a handful a day is probably a good amount.

Other foods she recommends for lowering cholesterol are: apples, bananas, carrots, cold water fish, beans, garlic, grapefruit, olive oil, plenty of fiber (oat bran and brown rice are best). And she says to avoid all saturated fats, animal products (low fat dairy and poultry with moderation), processed and refined foods - things you already know, I am sure!

Sounds like you are having a wondeful vacation in the Smokies!

Thanks again Amy for so much more helpful information!
We had a wonderful time while away, only to return home Friday evening about 20 minutes before a horrific storm with 80mph winds hit and knocked out all power for miles around. It really created havoc in our state. Fortunately for us and all of our children, there was no real damage or injuries - just huge yard messes to clean up and a couple days of "inconveniences." I count my blessings. All of our power has been restored except for my daughter and her family. They're hoping to get it back maybe today. In the mean time they've been coming down to our house to shower, etc. Our cable TV and internet was just restored this afternoon, so I have a lot of catching up to do.
I had a gain of 9/10 of a pound after vacation, so I count that as good! Hopefully it will be gone after being back on track this week.
My oldest son is having everyone over for an annual 4th of July get-together tomorrow. Should be lots of fun. None of the local communities are having fireworks, though. Don't know if it's too dry or too much expense. Bummer!
Everyone have a safe holiday!

Mimi

OMG - I heard about that storm - I can't believe it took so long to get the power back on! Glad to hear you all were okay.

Saturday, July 7, 2012 - I'm back down one pound, so vacation gain is gone - yay!
I have lost a total of 28 pounds, so I rechecked my BMI which is now 26.6 placing my weight in the 46th percentile...I would like to lose another 10 pounds to put me in a normal BMI range...right now I'm still "overweight." Ugh!
Extremely hot here in the valley, as it is most everywhere in the states - temperatures expected to reach over one hundred again today. Another storm expected for this evening...let's pray it's not as severe as last week's. Most everyone in our area is experiencing life as usual and we'd like to keep it that way!
Had a wonderful time celebrating the 4th with family...no fireworks as I mentioned, so my husband stopped at a local stand and bought a boxed assortment so the kids would have something to watch. Granddaddy to the rescue!
Will stay inside and do some cleaning - want to steam clean my kitchen floor and bathroom...that'll work - better than being outside.
Everyone have a wonderful weekend - and stay cool!

Mimi

Just popping in to say hello! Sounds like you're doing wonderfully with No S - great job!

Thanks GK! It has been going very well - but I think this time I went about it in the right way for me...I took time to analyze what and how much I was eating each day (tracked actual calories consumed using myfitnesspal.com - which is very user friendly and easy to implement...plus they have a huge data base for foods) for several weeks to get an idea of portion sizes and what the amount of food should look like that I could lose weight with. I also, as I've repeated many times here, worked with The Beck Diet Solution to change my "stinkin' thinkin'." I still use my cards frequently. And then I continued to live and incorporate a NoS lifestyle. It has served me well and resulted in weight loss - I now weigh less than I have in 15 years. I'm more concerned with health now than I am with numbers on the scale. I want to get to a healthy BMI and I also want to lower cholesterol without resorting to taking meds if I can avoid it. I made up my mind that this what what I was going to do back at the start of the year, and I have been successful. Do I ever have a red day? Yes...
Do I ever overeat? Yes...
But I recognize the occurances and get right back on track - and they have become fewer and fewer as a result.
I am so glad to see you back! We've missed you on the boards. Best wishes in finding what works for you with NoS and going with it.

Mimi

Saturday, July 14, 2012 - update after weekly weigh-in...down 1.7 this week - total lost 29.7...getting closer to that healthy BMI figure...and then comes the hardest part of all - maintaining that loss. I have a plan in place that might help me since I have never been successful in maintaining any weight loss - ever.

I am once again going to consult myfitnesspal.com, enter in my final weight, and see how many calories I can consume daily to maintain that weight. Then, once again, I will track my calories for a few weeks to get a feel for the volume of food at each meal that I may consume. I will also figure in my weekly exercise routines. I don't plan to change my three meal habit or my S-day routine, just increase the portions to fill the plate a little fuller at meals. This short tracking approach worked to help me use NoS to lose weight. Now I will be looking to it to help me maintain the loss.

I will post during the process to let anyone interested in knowing how it works - or doesn't work.

My husband and sons are having a "guy day" today - off riding four-wheelers. I made a list of things I want to do today - "me time" things included! I've invited all the kids and their families over tomorrow after lunch for a pizza-fest since daughter and SIL are leaving for Hawaii on Wednesday and my youngest son and DIL will soon be leaving for a vacation in Alaska. It will be nice for everyone to get together.

Did I mention that we will have the two little grandchildren (3 and 5-year old) for the 12 days that they are gone? Looking forward to it - just hope they don't get homesick or start missing their parents too much...They've never been away from them this long.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead!

Mimi

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Had my weekly weigh-in yesterday morning, but no loss...in fact, had a tiny gain - 3/10 of a pound, which is hardly enough to mention, but I have recorded it. Had green NoS days all week, as well as exercise, so I'm not worried. Weight loss has really slowed down as I get closer to my goal.
We are having so much fun with the kiddos! Yesterday was jam packed - took them to a local Children's Playhouse to see a performance of The Velveteen Rabbit. They really enjoyed that! Then in the late afternoon it was off to a lawn party/carnival where we met up with cousins. They had a ball riding all the rides and, of course, the cotton candy we got before leaving!
Son and DIL are away on vacation as well, so we need to go spend some time with their two cats this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow we can just spend some down time and get a little swimming in.
Hope everyone has a green week!

Mimi

Whew! Where is the time going?! Was so busy with the kids and enjoying them so much the time just flew by...they both cried and cried when it was time to go home this past Sunday, so I know they enjoyed themselves too. It was hard for me not to cry...but I did on Monday when I was all by my lonesome! After having the two little munchins 24/7, I really missed them! Even my cat Boo wandered around lost without them. They wore him out every day playing and he missed them too! I kept them each a little journal and wrote in them each day recording what we did and funny little things the 3yo said and did so Mommy could see what they did on their "vacation." I also printed out all the pictures I took while they were here and made a little photo album for them to take home with them. My daughter was thrilled as she had a hard time leaving them for so long. We tried to Skype each day, so that was helpful.

I weighed this past Saturday morning as usual and found two more pounds gone. I was thrilled, to say the least. I'm having so much fun trying on clothes that I haven't worn in a long time and finding that they fit. I had a doctor appointment yesterday to talk about and schedule a colonoscopy (ugh...my first) and for the first time in years, I didn't mind stepping up on the scales. They scheduled it for Sept. 21, a Friday, very early in the morning. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to this at all, but know that it is a very necessary screening for cancer.

Exercise has been going well...I've been swimming and walking regularly. Eating has been going well too...love this time of year with all the fresh fruits and garden vegetables. We've been enjoying corn, cucumbers and tomatoes all week. Yum!

I've been experimenting with making overnight refrigerated oatmeal this week and my first round was pineapple coconut...delicious! Today I made mixed berries with mini chocolate morsels. I only made two and I'll eat them over the weekend! Here's the link if anyone's interested:

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal



I am altering my food selections and trying to make changes that will aid me in reducing my total cholesterol. I've been eating almonds every day - my sister swears by them to keep cholesterol at a healthy level.

Anyway, enough about me. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Mim

Whew! Where is the time going?! Was so busy with the kids and enjoying them so much the time just flew by...they both cried and cried when it was time to go home this past Sunday, so I know they enjoyed themselves too. It was hard for me not to cry...but I did on Monday when I was all by my lonesome! After having the two little munchins 24/7, I really missed them! Even my cat Boo wandered around lost without them. They wore him out every day playing and he missed them too! I kept them each a little journal and wrote in them each day recording what we did and funny little things the 3yo said and did so Mommy could see what they did on their "vacation." I also printed out all the pictures I took while they were here and made a little photo album for them to take home with them. My daughter was thrilled as she had a hard time leaving them for so long. We tried to Skype each day, so that was helpful.

I weighed this past Saturday morning as usual and found two more pounds gone. I was thrilled, to say the least. I'm having so much fun trying on clothes that I haven't worn in a long time and finding that they fit. I had a doctor appointment yesterday to talk about and schedule a colonoscopy (ugh...my first) and for the first time in years, I didn't mind stepping up on the scales. They scheduled it for Sept. 21, a Friday, very early in the morning. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to this at all, but know that it is a very necessary screening for cancer.

Exercise has been going well...I've been swimming and walking regularly. Eating has been going well too...love this time of year with all the fresh fruits and garden vegetables. We've been enjoying corn, cucumbers and tomatoes all week. Yum!

I've been experimenting with making overnight refrigerated oatmeal this week and my first round was pineapple coconut...delicious! Today I made mixed berries with mini chocolate morsels. I only made two and I'll eat them over the weekend! Here's the link if anyone's interested:

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal

I am altering my food selections and trying to make changes that will aid me in reducing my total cholesterol. I've been eating almonds every day - my sister swears by them to keep cholesterol at a healthy level.

Anyway, enough about me. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Mim

Hi Mimi! Thanks for the pointers on the cholesterol. Not happy to know you are in the same boat, but happy that you are willing to share your knowledge! I actually had read about the health benefits of almonds a while back and added them to my diet. I will eat them everday now. How many do you eat daily? Never heard of chia seeds? Where do you get those? I've never been a fan of oatmeal, but will have to learn to be. I think I just need to find a way to fix it like a like it. May take some experimenting. Just looked at the link you posted with the oatmeal and yogurt in the jars. Now that looks good! Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with questions. I'll stop there.....for now.

Btw, you are doing absolutely awesome with NoS. Congratulations!!! Wishing you a happy day today. Sounds like you are missing your grandbabies. boo!

ZippaDee wrote:Hi Mimi! Thanks for the pointers on the cholesterol. Not happy to know you are in the same boat, but happy that you are willing to share your knowledge! I actually had read about the health benefits of almonds a while back and added them to my diet. I will eat them everday now. How many do you eat daily? Never heard of chia seeds? Where do you get those? I've never been a fan of oatmeal, but will have to learn to be. I think I just need to find a way to fix it like a like it. May take some experimenting. Just looked at the link you posted with the oatmeal and yogurt in the jars. Now that looks good! Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with questions. I'll stop there.....for now.

Btw, you are doing absolutely awesome with NoS. Congratulations!!! Wishing you a happy day today. Sounds like you are missing your grandbabies. boo!

Hi Zippadee!
Yes, I'm missing the little munchkins very much, but they came to visit Saturday evening and ate with us and then I spent the day with my daughter and them today. This morning we played at a place that has the huge inflatable slides and obstacle courses, etc. What a difference losing 30 pounds has made for me! I could actually play on everything and keep up with them!
Okay, let's see if I can try to answer some of your questions...I have been eating one 100-calorie pack of dry roasted almonds each day with my lunch. I also bought some almond butter and eat that on toast for breakfast sometimes.
I have just started making the refrigerated oatmeal and really enjoy it. I use flavored Greek yogurt (my daughter used plain and found her oatmeal was bitter). I also use Splenda instead of honey. My daughter tried a tsp. of honey and found it difficult to mix, plus it wasn't much if you like sweet oatmeal.
The basic recipe is 1/4 c. rolled oats, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup of milk (coconut, almond, or regular - I use almond, vanilla unsweetened), 1/4 c. fruit, 1 1/2 tsp. Chia seeds, and then any added flavors, spices, chips, syrups, etc. My daughter made homemade crockpot (very lightly sweetened) applesauce and gave me a container, so my next oatmeal jars are going to be apple cinnamon. I have some Yoplait apple cinnamon Greek yogurt to use in it. I'll let you know how it turns out! We thought about adding a few butterscotch chips in it - not enough to make it a sweet though!
I bought my Chia seeds (same things that grow Chia pets! Remember them?!) at a local health food store. You can buy them from Amazon and other places online. I wanted to try them first before I bought a huge amount, so I bought from the bulk bin and two big scoops cost me less than $4.00. They were $8.69 a pound - but a pound of Chia seeds would be quite a lot!
You can google them, but here is a good site:

http://www.chiaseedrecipes.com/chia-see ... h-benefits

Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement...I have been trying very hard and feel I finally have developed strong habits and good tactics for when discouragement and old diet head makes an appearance! For whatever reason, NoS has just clicked for me this time around after so many other starts and restarts. I guess I just decided that this time I was going to do it. Period.

Mimi

It sounds like things have been going really well - and you had a lovely time with your grandkids, that is so nice!

You are brave to have scheduled that colonscopy - I'll be hitting the age where I need to have my first one in a few years and it scares me to death, so I totally get why you would have put it off for a while...

Hey Mimi! Thank you so much for all your help!! So happy that everything has finally clicked for you and you are doing so well! HOORAY!! Have a happy Wednesday!

Thanks ZippaDee! I enjoyed my last week of summer before returning to school next week. On Thursday my daughter hosted a birthday tea for 5 little 5/6 year olds for my granddaughter's birthday. In previous years we celebrated at a local tea house which sadly closed this past Christmas, so we had our own...so much fun! All the little girls dressed in their little Disney princess dresses and the moms wore prom/evening-type dresses. I wore the dress I had for my daughter's wedding and it actually fit better than it did on her big day...a few months ago it wouldn't have fit at all. We finished the afternoon with swimming.
My little granddaughter also had a "food fight" listed on her summer bucket list (where did that idea come from?!), so on Wed. my daughter made up bowls of vanilla and chocolate pudding, cherry and grape jello, and a big tub of Cool Whip. We put on our swimsuits, went into the back yard and threw pudding, jello and Cool Whip at each other. Actually, it was quite fun...we laughed at each other until our sides hurt - the kind of laughter that's good for the soul! The pictures are priceless - not posting any here, that's for sure!! My little 3yo grandson was the only one with any sense...he put his in a cup and sat and ate his "food fight!" Afterward, we hosed off and went swimming. My hubby couldn't believe I did that!
Had my weekly weigh-in this morning...don't think I posted last weekend...I'm down a total of 34.6 pounds as of this morning...I'm so amazed and so thankful. I feel so much better and I know my clothes fit so much better. It's just such a good feeling to be rid of the excess weight that's been creeping up for the last 10 years. I just know in my heart of hearts that I will do everything within my power to keep it off this time. I haven't suffered at all throughout this transformation - just learned to eat moderately. Such a simple concept - but not simple to achieve...well it might be for those who don't carry extra diet baggage with them - and I had trunkfuls to get rid of!
I work Monday and Tuesday as flex days and then our first official day back is Wednesday. We also are hosting a Meet the Teach/Back to School Event that evening. It will be a long, exhausting day. I will prepare ahead for it by picking out good, nourishing meals - making sure to include some good ol' comfort foods in there.
I hope everyone has a great week!

Mimi

Sounds like a wonderful end to the summer! Hope the transition to the school year goes well.

What a fun way to end the summer! Good luck with back to school...

I just read what you wrote on Bright Angel's thread about your plan to figure out how much you'll need to be eating for maintenance...and you mentioned you did the same thing at the beginning of No-S to figure out how much you needed to be putting on your plates for weight loss - that is a brilliant idea!

Yes, Amy - and it has worked for me. I've finally lost almost 36 pounds. I didn't think I was eating much on my three plates in the past - but I was eating too much to sustain a continuing weight loss for a woman of my age, size, and lifestyle. Plus weekends were really undoing all I had accomplished during the week and my weight loss stagnated. Now my S days are the same as my N days with an occasional dessert, treat or bowl of popcorn thrown in. Following the method that I used really opened my eyes to portions and the calories they contained...after all, in the end it is all about calories in and calories burned. NoS isn't a magic solution to weight loss - it just makes it easy to form and control eating habits...and it also helps with food and eating disordered types of thinking.
I have about 4 more pounds to go and then I will evolve into the maintenance phase of my journey...I think if my method worked so well in the losing phase that hopefully it will work equally well in the maintenance phase too...we'll see.
I was sick all last week during our first week back, so it made it really easy to drop 2 pounds...I didn't have much of an appetite - just a horrendous sore throat and flu-like symptoms. Today is the first day I haven't taken any ibuprofin in over a week! Ugh!
Thanks for the drop-in and well wishes! Hope everything is going well for you too. I need to check up on your thread - haven't been on the boards much lately.