Harmony's Habits

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Harmony's Habits

Post by harmony » Thu May 22, 2014 9:12 pm

I am not new here, but it's been a while. I pop in from time to time, start a check-in, last a week or two, then disappear. Unfortunately, it seems that every time I disappear I gain 20 pounds, so I would like to avoid that! I started to check in at Spark People, but I would really like less focus on diets and good foods/bad foods.

I am doing Vanilla No-S for the most part - 3 meals a day, no seconds, no snacks, no sweets. At the present time, I start my S-days with Friday night's dinner (pizza night) and treat Sunday night's dinner as an N-day meal, but once school ends I am considering moving pizza night to Saturday. (I like to have a pop with my pizza, so I usually plan it for an S day.)

The other habit I am tracking is walking. I have been walking about 2 miles a day as many days as the weather permits.

So far this week:

No-S

Monday - Green
Tuesday - Red (It was Sesame Chicken and I scraped the leftovers right into my mouth after dinner :oops: )
Wednesday - Green
Thursday - Green
Friday (until dinner) - Green

Exercise -

Monday - 30 min walk + 45 min walk
Tuesday - 45 min walk
Wednesday - 45 min walk
Thursday - very, very short walk
Friday - mowed the lawn
Saturday - 40 minute walk
Sunday - 30 minute walk
Last edited by harmony on Tue May 27, 2014 1:44 am, edited 5 times in total.
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automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Thu May 22, 2014 11:06 pm

I love the check-in name: Harmony's Habits! :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2
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eschano
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Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Fri May 23, 2014 9:39 am

Welcome back!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Fri May 23, 2014 12:31 pm

automatedeating wrote:I love the check-in name: Harmony's Habits! :)
Alliteration is awesome. 8)
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Fri May 23, 2014 12:32 pm

eschano wrote:Welcome back!
Thanks. :D I hope I stay for a long while this time.
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Dividing the day in three blocks

Post by harmony » Fri May 23, 2014 5:23 pm

I kind of like to divide my day into three blocks so that even if I slip up a little, I can still see how much I DIDN'T slip up that day as well. Also, if I am curious, I figure I can look back and see where I need to adjust my meals more to help me make it through to the next block better.

So, for Friday 5/23/14

AM (Breakfast to Lunch) - GREEN
PM1 (Lunch to Dinner) - GREEN
PM2 (Dinner to Bedtime) - YELLOW

Exercise - I walked all over the place at my daughter's track and field event. Later, I will be mowing the lawn which takes me around 40 minutes to an hour.

So far I have survived an ice cream run (in the AM) to celebrate a successful track and field day for my daughter. It wasn't bad. I guess I am not as tempted by ice cream as I usually am when it is still before noon.

*** I just finished dinner - hamburgers on my new indoor grill, potato chips, and fresh fruit salad from the deli. I had a few more chips than what would have fit on my plate, and I had a hard cider (which is technically "legal" even for N-days).

One thing I notice is that after a week of behaving myself, I feel full a lot sooner than I used to. Not too long ago, I could have eaten two hamburgers instead of one, along with the extra chips. Now I'm sitting here and, admittedly, it feels a bit uncomfortable. I can tell I ate too much. I have desert waiting, and I am not sure I will be hungry for it.

The trick is to not let this freak me out and trigger PANIC mode - panic because there is only a limited time for me to fit in all of these treats! In the past, I ate through fullness just to satisfy this need to get it all in. So, we'll see how this weekend goes. There is always tomorrow (and perhaps even Monday), or *gasp* a smaller portion size.
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Sat May 24, 2014 5:37 pm

I had started a thread in the General Discussion area about refreshing summer drinks that were N-day friendly. I realized that I had a vague idea of how to make iced tea, so I just did a search and came up with this:

http://www.theyummylife.com/Cinnamon_an ... r_Iced_Tea

I like the idea of making it is quart jars and not having to boil water in the heat of the summer months. I may have to track down some jars this weekend.

The good news for today is that I tried to drink a Pepsi with my lunch today and I still have yet to finish it. It was too sweet. In the past, I would push through and just guzzle the rest down (wouldn't want to waste precious, precious sugar :roll: ). Today, at least for this moment, I decided to listen to my instincts and leave it. The brownies are a different story...

Update: I'm tasting the tea right now. I think it will work great.
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clarinetgal
Posts: 1709
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:16 am
Location: Western Washington State

Post by clarinetgal » Sun May 25, 2014 7:00 am

I'll have to try this for some iced tea! I am a huge tea connoisseur. :D
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Tue May 27, 2014 1:43 am

Sunday (5/25/14)

PM2 - RED (but I forgive myself - I really hadn't decided if I was going to take Monday as an S-day at that point.)

Monday (5/26/14)

AM - GREEN
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - GREEN

Exercise - 35 minute walk

Breakfast - 2 fried eggs and 1 piece of whole wheat toast
Lunch - Spring Mix lettuce salad with red pepper, spiced brown rice, tuna, and a Greek vinaigrette. milk to drink.
Dinner - fajita chicken, brown rice with salsa, green beans, milk

I have been drinking the tea throughout the day as well. At first, I was nervous about how many tea bags I was using and what the cost would be. Then I did the math of how much I usually spent on pop every week, and I decided that it was okay. I could drink my tea with abandon if I wanted to. I am well hydrated right now. :) Currently, I have three quart jars of tea that I cycle through. When I finish one, I rinse it, renew it, and put it at the back of the line. By the time I get through the other two jars, the third jar is ready to drink. I suspect that my tea drinking pace will slow down as the excitement wears off. Right now, it sure is nice to have this beverage option available though.

On Wednesday, we have an extra person in the house with us until Sunday. Chaos will likely reign (he is a whirlwind sort of person). It will be interesting how it all turns out. I have been trying to eat healthier as well as stick to the No-S basic rules, but it is comforting to know that I can eat less healthy fare and still have a GREEN day in the end.

Oh, yeah... I am almost 5'7" and I currently weigh 197lbs. (I figured that I would post this for record's sake.)
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eschano
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Post by eschano » Tue May 27, 2014 1:21 pm

Definitely - if there's a guest then I go with minimal compliance and don't think about what I'm eating. If there's no guest I do whatever I want :)
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Tue May 27, 2014 5:03 pm

Tuesday 5/27/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - GREEN

Exercise - I got in a 30 minute walk in between rain showers. I only got a little wet. :D

Breakfast - same as yesterday
Lunch - same as yesterday, but with leftover chicken instead of tuna
Dinner - meat tortellini, spinach, tomato sauce, garlic bread, milk to drink.

I am using my upcoming guest as motivation to keep up the healthier food. I actually enjoy eating this way. My family, not so much though. lol. (they tolerate it for short periods of time) It has turned into a game to see how many healthy meals I can fit in before he gets here. Plus, it gives me a half decent excuse when my son suggests that we go out to eat. I can say "let's save it for when so-and-so is here". And he usually concedes.

But, yeah, minimal compliance once the guest arrives. :D He is showing up Wednesday night after dinner, so I only have two N-days to get through before the weekend comes to the rescue - plus Friday night is still my designated start of the weekend. I just have to remember to NOT order pop if we go out to eat.
Last edited by harmony on Thu May 29, 2014 4:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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harmony
Posts: 268
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Location: MN

Post by harmony » Wed May 28, 2014 7:31 pm

Wednesday 5/28/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - RED
PM2 - RED

Exercise - 30 minute walk

I am keeping it short today. Our guest is suppose to come tonight, and yesterday I discovered my daughter brought home head lice from school! :shock: :( :cry:

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I also discovered the ants decided today was the day to invade the kitchen (they come every Spring). I am off to kill some bugs, do lots of laundry, and endlessly vacuum.

The other day I was wishing I were more motivated to clean... be careful what you wish for. lol.
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clarinetgal
Posts: 1709
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:16 am
Location: Western Washington State

Post by clarinetgal » Thu May 29, 2014 6:59 am

You're doing great! Ugh, on the lice. I dread the day when one of my sons brings it home from school. Good luck on getting rid of the ants.
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automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Thu May 29, 2014 10:13 am

Oh, no! Eek! Lice!

Clarinetgal, since we just have boys lice will have one simple solution: buzz cut! :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Fri May 30, 2014 3:06 pm

It seems the bug problem is under control and the hard part is over. Thank goodness. Usually, I bait the ants, but this time I just sprayed the perimeter with killer/repellant. As long as I don't see them this weekend, I'm okay. So far, so good. I haven't seen an ant for a while.

This is my first experience with lice, so it has been a little nerve wracking. I never got them as a kid, and neither has my 13 yo son. Thank goodness for the internet and YouTube! I ended up getting a lot done, and my daughter was very cooperative. Stage one is complete, my daughter is clean and clear for now.

Yesterday was GREEN! Thankfully, I was able to bounce back from the day before.

There may or may not be an S-event today. My daughter has her school music program this afternoon (yeah! I got the bugs out of her hair in time!). This is a big event for her. She has been super excited about this for a while now, so we might do ice cream afterwards. The program is a musical all about swamp life. Her music teacher said they could dress up as swampy things if they wanted to. So this morning she put on this fancy teal green flower girl dress she wore last summer and said she was dressed as slime. lol. The prettiest slime I've ever seen. :D

(Luckily our guest prefers really, really short hair, so he didn't mind too much about hanging out with us. It's been a crazy couple of days, but it all worked out great.)
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Fri May 30, 2014 3:09 pm

Friday May 30, 2014

AM - GREEN
PM1- RED (I had the ice cream)
PM2- YELLOW

Exercise - 35 min. walk

Still holding steady at 197.
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:48 am

6/1/14

PM2- GREEN

Exercise - Lots of rain this weekend and terrible mosquitoes. I dusted off my Wii Fit and used my mini trampoline to jog in place for the WiiFit run. 14 minutes worth. This will be a nice alternative for when I can't get in my walks.


6/2/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - RED
PM2 - RED

Exercise - 25 minutes WiiFit Free Run on my trampoline

It seems that I have trouble saying no when offered dessert, and today I was offered dessert twice, and gave in both times.
Last edited by harmony on Tue Jun 03, 2014 2:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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snapdragon
Posts: 701
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:43 pm
Location: midwest

Post by snapdragon » Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:31 pm

Hi Harmony! I am back again too. Funny, I do the same as you but seems like we keep missing each other. Well here I am back again!. I will start a new check in later when I go in the home computer. Have a great sane day of eating!!
Starting weight 185
Healthy BMI 139
Willingness without action is fantasy
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Tue Jun 03, 2014 12:54 pm

6/3/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - RED (Chinese food is awfully tempting. I took a few bites when I was putting away the leftovers.)

Exercise - I went shopping and walked around until it felt like my legs were going to fall off.
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Thu Jun 05, 2014 12:34 pm

6/4/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - RED

Exercise - nothing official


6/5/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - RED

Exercise - walking

Today is the last day of school for my kids. Tonight summer officially begins in our house. :D :D :D

Despite all of my REDs this week, I still lost weight - almost a whole pound. The scale reads just a hair above 195.
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:51 pm

6/9/14

AM - RED
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - RED

Lots and lots of new stress happening. Some of it is the good kind. :) I am also adjusting to the new summer schedule. I confess that I momentarily forgot that yesterday wasn't a weekend!

I suspect that I will have more reds for a bit. I'm working on being okay with that and just not quitting and going back to my old way of eating.

6/10/14

AM - GREEN
PM1 - GREEN
PM2 - RED
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harmony
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:29 pm
Location: MN

Post by harmony » Sat Jun 14, 2014 9:57 pm

It was a red week.

Most days weren't terrible - they were still better than I normally would have eaten without No-S guidelines. In general, I kept to 3 meals, but sugary drinks snuck their way in. I tend to crave sugary drinks when I feel stressed.

I will keep aiming for vanilla No-S. :)
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eschano
Posts: 2642
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:17 am

If your week was better than pre NoS then YAY!! Progress is progress no matter what.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021
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