Everyday Systems

Okay, I just wanted to START. Finally! So today is my first day, and I had breakfast - tomato and bread, and a cup of coffee. I need to know if it's okay to have a cup of tea halfway through the morning or afternoon, I drink my tea with no sugar or anything else. And I hit the workout room before work. Nice to meet you all.

Welcome!

A cup of tea or coffee any time is fine if you want it. With milk and sugar if you like (remember it is "no sweets", not "no sugar").

Glad to have you on board! How's it going so far?

I did well yesterday, the thing I am proudest of is that I did not snack. I think my dinner was questionable, it was on One Plate but it was kinda crowded. I did not get my exercise in this morning - I have a very noisy downstairs neighbor, he snores so loud it wakes me up. So I wanted that extra hour of sleep instead of a workout . I could go tonight. Maybe.

Thanks for asking!

oops. Failure. I'll start again tomorrow.

Okay, here I start again. I made it to the workout room this morning, and managed a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. I forgot my lunch though...I'll have to find something to eat in our high class cafeteria!

So the hardest part for me? When I get home at night, after my dinner. That was always the time for a piece of candy or six or eight. Or a piece of cake. Or..or...What do you do when faced with something like that? I know after awhile I'll be used to it, but I find that the hardest part. Seriously.

halfmoon_mollie wrote:What do you do when faced with something like that?

Hi Mollie,
Welcome to the NoS boards.
I do best when the cake and candy is out of the house (or is there but is clearly "somebody else's"). It's much easier to resist such things in the grocery store than in the kitchen, and I can always get something on the next S day.
I like a cup of herbal tea when I'm in the mood for "something", or a cup of decaf coffee with milk if I'm actually hungry. A hot soothing drink can take the place of a snack under a lot of circumstances, especially if there's nothing else available, and some herbal teas actually taste a little bit sweet without any sweetener added.

Ah, thanks. That makes sense!

I'm still new to NoS and still struggling, but what helps me to make a new, NoS friendly ritual, such as tea as suggested, or perhaps a cocktail or glass of wine---at any rate, some daily treat that takes the place of the candy. The other thing that helps me is to engage in some of my hobbies that don't go well with eating, so I've been working on building a minature room box and sewing. It's harder for me to mindlessly snack when my hands are busy, and when I get really involved in the project, I really do forget about food.

And here it is a horrible Thursday and people are sorely tempting me. There are bagels in the kitchen here, and a whole bucket of candy as well. I had my oatmeal for breakfast (with raisins and Brown Sugar) and I brought my lunch. The problem is that I'm having a bad emotional day, and food has always been what I reached for. oh, and I did 25 mins on the recumbent bike today too. I'd hate to destroy all that hard work by screwing up.

You can make it through! All of that stuff just isn't an option to have - no questions.

You are doing great with the bike today, keep it up!

Did well yesterday no snacking. This a.m. got up and did 30 on the elliptical, and I've done well today.

Tuesday. Doing okay. Made the workout room today and yesterday, and there is a pie in the (work) kitchen calling me but I'm resisting.

I s anyone here?

I go through periods of time when I am so pleased with myself, I manage to roll out of bed in the am. and go to the exercise room, get 30 mins in on the elliptical or the bike and then rush like crazy to get everything else that hss to be done before I go to work, done. I've made sure there is oatmeal at work.

My hardest time is after dinner. I love to eat while I'm watching tv at night so the hardest thing. I've found if I brush my teeth after dinner, it...doesn't help much, but it helps some.

I've been doing well.

I had a low calorie hot chocolate after dinner tonight, I honestly think it saved me from a binge. I've been stuck in a terrible rut of evening bingeing, but with this hot drink I was able to have a 'green' day. Maybe sweet drinks like hot chocolate would be counted as Ss by some people, but if it prevents a binge I am sticking to it for sure.

Thanks again for stopping by my thread, and keep up the good work!

I was a permasnacker in the evenings before No S. I would eat all evening. I am lucky that some sort of new diet willpower got me through at first, and I gutted it out the first couple weeks before the habit amazingly just went away and never came back. I do eat my dinner later now than I used to, and if I am hungry, i have a healthy beverage such as milk or tomato juice.

I am not saying that I did not have plenty of red days (and still do). After four years, I still know how easy it would be to slip into those old habits. Evening eating was only one of my bad habits, but it was the biggest problem for me.

I believe sipping beverages gave me some sense of fulfillment while getting away from "solid food" in the evenings.

Yeah, the 'eat your dinner later' thing works for me too! of course, so does not keeping those things in the house.

Made it to the workout room AGAIN this morning, that's 4 days in a row.

Good luck. It is hard but sooooo worth it in the end.

Good job on the working out!

Evening snacking is the hardest for me, too. I'm with r.jean--something enjoyable to drink really helps.

I won't get on a scale yet because I can be guilty of obsessive scale behavior. But I got dressed this morning after successfully working out the fifth day in a row (that's it for the week, I don't work out on my S days.) and I think my pants fit differently. They certainly are not loose yet, but I'm going to take this as a positive sign.

good for you!

mmmm. lunch! I had a triple berry salad with goat cheese, and cider dressing. The most healthy thing I've had since I started No S and all legit. I'm afraid my system is going to go into shock with all those veggies and fruits.

Ooh! That salad sounds delicious. Goat cheese is so good.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. And it was a really good salad.

You're doing really well!

This is a bad day after a bad weekend. well, my S days were fine but I am in a state. There's family stuff and work stuff and all kinds of stuff that I don't appreciated at all. I know when I get like this it's 'stuff everything in the kitchen into my face' time. I had coffee and a bagel for breakfast and pizza and two apples for lunch. I did my workout this morning, got that darn elliptical all the way up to 12. But I am NOT having a good day, I"m angry and would like to scream.

I hear you. Monday's been bad for almost everyone. Mercury going retrograde or something? Scream if you must, just find some time to appreciate NoS as that one uncomplicated thing in your life.

actually mercury just went direct after several weeks of being retrograde, but it seems there is something in the air! i had a horrible day sunday... i'm sorry you had such a bad day mollie! relax and tomorrow is a new day... don't beat yourself up about having a bad day...
hugs!

Thanks. I had a piece of pizza in the middle of the afternoon, so I suppose I have to count today as a failure. But...it could have been so much worse.

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement.

that's such a small slip... don't beat yourself up!
if it were me, i would have had a whole pie!
relax tonight and restart tomorrow!

Don't beat yourself up. Your "failure" would be "success" in my book - stopping after one screw up is something I'm still learning to do after 4,5 years of NoS.

Failed. BIG TIME failed. Last week our temp was leaving so I took an extra S day on Friday - all perfectly legal, "Special" day because I knew there was going to be cake. That piece of cake threw me all off everything. Monday was hell on ice at work. I ate candy. I had seconds. I did everything I"m not supposed to do. Tuesday I had to be on the bus early, no workout. And another H.O.I. day. Everyone but everyone wanted me, and I"m supporting 27 professors to say nothing about the students. Yesterday, my supervisor came back. The chemistry isn't exactly wonderful there. CANDY again last night. And today? I ate most of a Hershey with almonds bar. I'm angry with myself - oh, no workout this morning either. I am furious with myself. I guess all that remains is to wait until Monday and start again - because Big Family Stuff going on this weekend.

I know it isn't true, but I feel like a worthless failure.

Sounds like you've had a tough day!! Week?!

Is there anything you can do to make it less easy to access sweets/snacks at home or in work? Or have some default non food 'treat' to turn to when you are feeling stressed out and want to reach for candy?

In any case, be kind to yourself, it's tough to change any habits and sometimes you'll have a bad week rather than a bad hour or day. It absolutely does not mean that you as an entire person are a worthless failure! Keep at it, it's quite normal for a change in routine no matter how small to throw you off for a bit, it happens to me all too frequently