Everyday Systems

starting my new log for 2014...
i'm thinking of posting my success/failure updates before going to bed, because my old habit of eating at bedtime has reared it's ugly head big time this year and it's totally out of control... that's the only time i "snack"...
i don't know why i'm doing this, but i want to nip this problem in the bud now!
maybe if i post if i've had a successful day before i go to bed, that will help my resolve to not mess it up with night time eating? i'm gonna try this and see how it goes...
i hate putting this down, for all to see, as i'm completely ashamed that i've let myself get this heavy, but right now, i'm 272 lbs, at only 5'2"...
i'm really unhappy about this!
i'm hoping that i can lose at least 40 lbs over the course of the year, and then reevaluate and take it from there...
realistically i just have to take it a day at a time... but i can't keep gaining and need to lose...
i'm gonna start my re-commitment to NoS with the 21 day chalenge, so here goes!
my only tweak of the NoS rules is that even on S days, i don't want to be eating food right before bedtime... if i do, then it's not a success...
i'll post again before bed, to remind myself of this!
i'm very glad to be back here, and will try to check in on the general discussion and other peoples check in's as much as i can...

Great to see you back! I have been on the boards for years. I haven't left.... but I haven't actually stuck to the plan for longer than a week or so at a time. I, too, am aiming for close to 40 pounds this year and then reevaluating.

Let's do this!!

Just take one day at a time. I know easier said than done.

thanks tobiasmom and habit!

Welcome back! I know you can do it

thanks so much eschano! i appreciate your support and encouragement! so far things are off to a great start!

so far i've got 5 good days since restarting, with only 2 extremely minor breaks in the rules, so i'm gonna let them all count towards the 21 day challenge...
feeling really great and much more in control again!
so happy to be back on NoS!

yippee!!! Well Done Debs!

thanks mo!!
just updating... i think i'll be doing that on friday evenings, as a weekly summary thing...
so, this week i had 2 s days, followed by two successful n days, and a non weekend s day yesterday, my son's high school graduation... i was pretty good at the restaurant and though i did have a slice of cheesecake, it wasn't that big... but when i got home i had a pint of chocolate ice cream... not that pleased about that...
today, was a failure because i ate a cherry turnover for breakfast...
so, all in all, my first week back was pretty good! i still feel very much in control aside from eating the whole pint of chocolate ice cream last night and the turnover today...
not planning on doing anything restrictive this weekend to "make up" for those days... i think that kind of mentality isn't helpful...
so i am hoping to enjoy one s on each day... i'm not sure if i want to restart my challenge towards 21 days monday or just continue on and just do my best from week to week... i'll see how i feel next week if i can get on a roll
i haven't yet started doing daily exercise this week... it sounds like an excuse, but i actually wanted to focus only on diet habit first to get a foothold for a little while... i feel i have that now, and will begin doing exercise on every n day, next week... most likely it will either be dancing, or walking, or bodyflex...

so my weight this morning was 269.6 lbs...
i've lost 2.4 lbs since re-starting last saturday, and that's including two S days and an additional non weekend S day at a restaurant...
i'm really happy!! i feel so much more in control again and my motivation and willpower are back!!
yay NoS!!

That's some fast results Deb! Good for you - but then you already know a lot of tips and tricks , which you so helpfully posted when you were around the first time. Thanks so much!

Well Done Debs!! It always amazes me how quickly my body responds to getting back to routine as well!

Enjoy the feeling of control!!

thanks a lot mo!!
have a great week!!

well, had a very overindulgent S day on july fourth... not that happy about it... i don't know why it's ingrained in my head that i'll "enjoy" myself if i overdo eating, because i never do and i always regret it...
also, gained back 2 lbs of the 4 i lost in the first week back on habit, as well as got myself sick the next day...
this won't happen again...
just wanted to make a note of it, but now i'm moving on!
looking forward to introducing exercise again this week...
i thought i'd focus on just NoS for a little while, but i am fairly sure i can do both at this point, since NoS has been fairly easy to get back into..
will update again on friday...

latest update, and weekly weigh in...
i'm down 6 lbs since restarting!!
yay!!!
i have had some failure days too, but the failures weren't terrible... i just want to be honest about it, and mention it, especially when it's something like snacking, which is easy to say "i'm virturally plating this" and then keep reinforcing that habit...
anyway, i'm very happy!! will update again next friday

Well done!

Great! Keep with it!

thanks a lot eschano and r.jean!

last week i wasn't too good on NoS or exercise... i gained then i lost, then i gained and lost for several days in a row... anyway, i'm now glad to be on a new week!
i wanted to post to keep myself honest and not start getting into a bad habit of having a bad week and then just letting snowball...
fortunately, i've only gained back about a pound or two, so no huge irreversible damage... here's to a good new week!
will report back soon...

Hang in there Deb! The short term rollercoaster is tough, but it's the long view that matters.

Here's to a great week this week.

thanks a lot ironchef! that's what i'm trying to focus on, or i'll do my own head in...
have a great week!

wow, i had a terrible week this week... really i need to get serious again... i gained back about half of what i lost as well, since i restarted
glad it's the weekend, but come monday i'm gonna be very strict about the rules... just posting because i don't want to let myself just have a bad week and then pretend it didn't happen...
back on the horse again!

I am refocusing as well. Gaining back half still leaves you with half off and I bet that other half will disappear quickly! I always notice that one week is easier to lose than a couple of months' gains.

thanks a lot eschano! good luck refocusing too!
you were right, i've lost again and am now only one pound away from my previous low weight... what a relief!
this week is off to a pretty good start...

I love how that works!

thanks eschano! i appreciate your support!
well, i've been totally off habit for a few weeks and have had a pretty bad month so far... i don't want to blame my failures on this but i was sick for about 10 days and then went on antibiotics for a week... so i have a lot of sick days, but even after i started to feel better, i screwed up a lot with a lot of binge type snacking and total lack of activity...
i'm sad to say i gained back all six pounds that i lost in my first few weeks back...
oh well, i just have to get back on my horse this week...
on the good side, i finally got a job after being unemployed for a very long time... and it's at a fitness club, doing massage, and i'll have free access to the whole gym! that starts next week and i'm very excited!
i'm planning on swimming and going to yoga and pilates classes and i'm looking forward to getting in shape again!
i'll post again soon...

Hey Deb, sorry to hear you've been sick. I find sickness really knocks my eating around too - so it double sucks.

Fantastic news about the job, I am envious!

That's great news about the job, congrats! Being sick is definitely hard, but it's all over and done with - in the past. Just focus on right now, that's all you can do, anyway.

We'll do this together!

thanks aspencer and ironchef!
well, the job ended less than 2 weeks after it started
oh well...
i have two interviews set up for tomorrow, so hopefully i'll be earning again soon...
i went up to settle my son into the dorms last week and spent two days driving and eating fast food... but surprisingly, i only put on about 4 lbs... usually when i go away, i normally put on about 7-10 lbs because of over indulging... so i spent the week this week trying to be better and i've managed to lose that weight again... but as for the rest of august, well, i have had so many failures and then i just stopped keeping track by mid month...
i'm starting again tomorrow! both diet and daily dancing! that's something i actually enjoy and so i'm pretty sure i'll be able to maintain it...
i wish i had some better stats to report, but at least i'm not just flat out giving up... consider these last few months a few "false starts"
i'll get there! even if it means starting over an infinite number of times!

Hi Debs,

I know your struggle with having been sick - I had the same thing and ended up deciding for a NoS break. Now I'm delighted I feel good enough to get back into it again

I love autumn so I'm happy it's September too (though technically summer there's definitely the clear chilled air in the mornings now that I so crave).

Daily dancing sounds brilliant!

ok, i've taken a few detours the last few months which have gotten me pretty much NOWHERE!...
i haven't been tracking NoS at all...
that's it!! i'm done completely with ANY kind of "diet" diet, even if it's "healthy"...
i'm back to NoS for good and will post daily as well as keep my habit cal...
i need to stick with this and not worry about losing faster... this works and i know it, and i just have to stick with it!
a bit mad at myself for blinding myself to what i already knew, the last few months, but relieved at my decision to just get committed here again completely...
will post daily, even if it's just a little post, to get into the swing of things...
once i have a few months down which are good, i may go to weekly posting, but i've been letting myself slip too much and the old bad habits are back in full force...
restarting today at 273 lbs... i will be weighing daily as that's what i'm used to now for several years and it's too hard to not weigh...
but i have no expected "lbs lost per week" in my mind... just going to focus like crazy on habit again!
thanks for being here for me all these years NoS! i hope i can make it stick this time!

Welcome back!!

thanks eschano! you're very nice!
well, yesterday was a failure, so false #1...
i could have had a good day but i screwed up by forgetting to take a water bottle with me to work... i was very thirsty and not feeling well, while on the road, and out of desperation i ended up stopping and getting a mocha coolatta, and then caved in and got a donut too... of course, i COULD have had water at dunkin donuts too, but well, i didn't! lol...
today is gonna be green or else!
will report back tomorrow

yesterday was a very borderline day, but i'm erring on calling it a success... just my portions were pretty big and i ended up eating both lunch and dinner in the same sitting because it was a very busy day and i didn't have time during work, so it really felt like i was breaking the "no seconds" rule...
but it wasn't a free for all, and i avoided snacking and sweets, so just this time, i'm giving myself a green, and will be making sure to not make the same mistake again...
also, i danced for the first time in a long time and it felt great! i also got about 40 mins in of walking during work, delivering packages throughout the building, so success for exercise!

you're doing just fine!

thanks mollie!

had a good day yesterday... success for exercise and no sweets or snacks... i did, however end up eating two meals in one long sitting again, because of the way the day worked out... i'm not gonna beat myself up though...
i can see my weight shifting in a downward direction already, so i'm very glad about that! will do an official weigh in once a week... i started at 274, and now i'm 272.8... i'll update that again next friday
looking forward to a sane and enjoyable S weekend...

***applause**

aww thanks mollie!

ok i weighed myself yesterday and after a pretty moderate week with a few days of exercise, and only a few small technical failures, like last night eating about a cup of unsweetened apple sauce after dinner because i wanted something sweet (not the end of the world!) i've gone down to 271.6... i'm very happy about this! my hope is to lose an average of one pound a week, if possible, and i've reached that goal this week!
the key here is not to lose sight of my long term goal...
i could easily lose and gain the same 2 or 3 lbs week after week, but i don't want to do that... so i'm really trying!
will post again next week!

Well done. Sounds like a great plan.

Well Done on your loss Deb!!!

thank you guys! i appreciate it!
i'm sad to say though, that since this weekend, i got my period and my weight has gone up 4 lbs!
i am completely gutted!
i know it's probably temporary, but nevertheless it feels HORRIBLE to take so long to lose weight only to have it pile on because of some water retention... i'm just hoping that it will go away very soon... i feel terrible

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

Sadly that is a normal part of life as a woman and we have to accept and accommodate some water gains. I am quite sure that if you stick with your routine which has helped you loose in a couple of days you will have lost the water weight and possibly even be down a bit.

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

thanks mo, i hope so! i guess i really have to wait till the weekend because i am still retaining...
hugs and thanks!

mo, you were right! thankfully most of that water weight has dropped now... i went up to 275.8, and a few days later i was 273.2... what a relief!
my body is extremely salt sensitive and i seem to retain water a lot... i'll have to figure out how to get around this... chinese food usually will make me go up 2 to 3 lbs as well, because of the msg...
anyway, even though the gain is usually temporary, it sets me back 5 or 6 days, and i end up feeling just physically horrible! i'm gonna try drinking gallons of lemon water to see if it helps and just try to avoid salt at my time of the month...
will check in again next week

ughhh!! three days of failures in a row, and yesterday's was pretty bad... i ate an entire bag of terra chips, and had some cheese and fruit around bedtime, actually eating it sitting in my bed!
then i woke up and found i'm right back up to 275.8 again!!
not surprised at all by the gain... i don't want this to keep happening...
i wish i could figure out why i am sabotaging my own success??
i really don't know why and it's very frustrating...
i am still going to take S days today, because i don't believe in punishing myself, but they will be very moderate, and i have GOT to figure out a way to curb my impulses to binge... sigh... feel so frustrated and mad at myself now
ok i'll just get back on track!!

have gotten back on track thankfully... been really trying...
yesterday and today were both good and i've dropped a few pounds already in response to it...
i'll just have to keep vigilant for a while... these bad habits are really harder to break than i thought they'd be...

I am soooo in your boat. This binging thing is a royal pain! I just can't seem to get myself in check either! We CAN do this!

thanks tobiasmom! good luck to you! we CAN do this!

enjoying my S days off but looking forward to monday and restarting AGAIN... it's been a horrible month, due to a highly stressful situation at work... fortunately i've left that job now and can regroup and restart...
i've gained back all i've lost again, and i'm up to 276.2... my exercise has gone to hell and i've had a lot of prepared foods, which were quick and convenient but terrible choices...
going back to square one again monday and will be preparing my own food and only having take out, once or twice a week, as opposed to every day, like i had been...
will report back in a week...

after having a slice of pizza and a large eggplant parmesean hero last night for dinner, my weight is now 279 lbs... up nearly three pounds from yesterday... further evidence of how i just don't do well when ordering out food instead of cooking for myself... i have got to turn this trend around IMMEDIATELY... it's totally getting out of hand...
i never imagined in my wildest nightmares that i, a 5'2" person would ever get so heavy...
gonna really hunker down this week and get serious... will have a nice meal on thanksgiving, and i don't plan on weighing myself after that either, but other than that, i will be preparing as much of my food at home as possible...

had a much better day yesterday, and did some walking... i feel back on track...

thanks lori! same to you! glad to see you here!

........

ok, here i am and it's the first day of the month...
i am SO happy to start the month off with a blank slate on my habit cal!
i will be posting here every week for the month of feb, and keeping my habitcal totally up to date and honest...
i'm finally feeling like hunkering down and getting serious... no more side tracking myself with other diets or fasts or whatever...
i plan on being ultra strict with the NoS rules, and i am also now doing exercise again... i am dancing again, and will do that every N day...
current weight now is 280... i'm not happy about it but, it is what it is...
will update my thread here on friday mornings from now on...
my S days will be friday evening thru sunday morning...
i feel very good and hope i'll be able to have a really successful month!!
will report back on friday...

ok, i am off to a good start... i wanted to eat last night but thankfully, there was really nothing i could snack on in the middle of the night... so that saved me! i'm gonna really just try to keep things that way, because until i form a habit to NOT eat at night, i feel like i can't trust myself very much...
i'll bring food in for meals and stuff i have to actually cook...
i would have totally downed a few bowls of cereal or something similar, had it been available... but somehow the idea of cooking scrambled eggs at 2 am, didn't have the same appeal...
this will be a good tool for success... simply, keep my cupboard and fridge very very bare! lol
i was very very busy yesterday so i got quite a bit of exercise at work walking around... i'm already down 2 lbs so i'm really happy!
i always knew that if i did a bit more exercise, and didn't eat at night, i'd lose and it's already happening
be back in a few days...

Wonderful news, glad it's working. Not having things at home has helped me too.

Assuming you don't live in a very remote location, keeping extra food out of the house is a very workable idea. If you are so inclined, it helps to have a menu plan made up then shop off the menu plan and don't buy extra.

One mistake I've made is to buy something"for my husband" or "for the kids". Well, you know who really wanted it right? Even if they do want it, they don't need it either. I've noticed everyone in the house is eating significantly less junk than they did a year ago Just because I don't buy it anymore.

Congratulations on your success.

I agree. many times the difference between my snacking and not has been the fact that my cupboards were empty.

thanks guys!
haha yes, i've done the "i'm buying this fill-in-the-blank food for my son" numerous times... thankfully, he's back at school now!

i am happy to report that after a fairly successful week, both on NoS and exercise, a combination of dancing 4 times this week and lots of snow shoveling, and running around at work, plus, NOT eating at bedtime (my nemesis) i am now down 4.2 lbs since last sunday!!
i'm so thrilled about it!! i'm really putting my effort into it this time...
i just hope and pray i can stay focused and stick with it long term...
will report back again in about a week...
my weight now is 275.8...

Congratulations that is great!!

Of course you will stay focused and stick with it. Because you know it is the best thing to do.

Congratulations Deb! Have a good week.

Doing great, Deb !

I agree that there is a moment, a "click" in time - when it does become easier, even fun to face the challenge and know that you can win!

The key for me has been to keep the house stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, I hate to waste food so I know that I will eat the fruits and veggies if they are around.

You go girl !

Woo!!! Hoo!!! Well Done Debs!!!

That is fantstic!! It is thrilling and encouraging to see the scale go down.