Everyday Systems

Here's my probably-not-quite-daily check-in thread!

I started the No S Diet 1/5/15, and so far, so good! Down 2 lbs (although I'm also injured and haven't been working out, so some of that is probably muscle), and I haven't missed and N day yet!

I am heavily using "virtual plating" right now since I find it somewhat inconvenient/embarrassing to put all my meal on one plate. As long as I'm making progress, I'm fine with that. I'll get more rigorous with the one-plate deal if I don't make progress over, say, 4 weeks of no-miss N days.

I'll try to remember to check-in here semi-regularly to journal my experiences!

Sounds like you're off to a great start.

That embarrassment is part of why NoS automatically becomes portion control I think it's wise to worry about that part later on.

Checking in again.

I had a bowl of cereal for one of my meals yesterday; it's Trader Joe's version of honey nut Cheerios. It's quite sweet, so I cut it with unsweetened shredded wheat as recommended in the No S Diet book. It's a borderline sweet, but like the book also says, if you have to think about it too much, it's probably not worth sweating. And I rarely eat cereal for breakfast anyway.

Still haven't missed a day!

eschano wrote:Sounds like you're off to a great start.

That embarrassment is part of why NoS automatically becomes portion control I think it's wise to worry about that part later on.

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll see how the easiest version goes over the next 2-3 months and then start worrying about optimizing if there's no change in my weight. I'm weighing myself almost daily at the same time every morning before breakfast, and am using a program that smooths the trend so I'm not distracted by noise.

Another check-in. Still haven't missed any days, but made a couple of slips that could be an issue for habit formation yesterday.

The first was that I didn't fit in three meals due to a busy day, and only had two: breakfast and dinner. I got hungry toward the middle of the day, but it abated with dinner, and surprisingly I didn't get hungry after that, as it was a small dinner, too. I'll try not to skip meals in the future, but it's good to know that skipping one didn't lead to ravishing hunger.

Also, because it was a stressful day, I ordered food that included a fruit shake without thinking about it. I don't think it counted as a "sweet" as it wasn't one of those super-sweetened kinds of drinks, but it was mildly disconcerting to catch myself drinking it only to realize that I did so almost unconsciously. I'll try to be more mindful around meal time.

Another check-in.

January's over, and I'm down 2.9 lbs so far. I am sticking with my current approach, which is semi-virtual plating instead of single physical plating and not worrying too much about it, and will reassess at the end of February.

No N days missed this month, although I only had two meals on 2 N days.

Overall, this has been really painless! I get mildly hungry sometimes, especially at night, but it doesn't really bother me. And I've noticed the habit carries over to S days. I have to remind myself to actually get a dessert now!

I'm mildly impatient concerning the slow rate of weight loss, but I'm sticking it out. I'd rather have something sustainable than yo-yoing. I'm still injured and so quite inactive, so perhaps the rate of weight loss will increase once I get back to my normal exercise routine.

You're doing very well - a great inspiration! Stay patient - it will pay off.

Thanks, eschano!

Another brief check-in. Today was an almost slip-up day. I was at the doctors and they were drawing a lot of blood and offered me graham crackers, and without thinking, I said "yes." I caught it afterwards, and ate them and counted it as one of my meals, and am not hungry as I go to bed - my other two meals were fine. I don't think they quite count as a sweet, either, since they didn't have anything on them, and I almost never eat them anyway.

So, while I almost slipped today, it's also comforting that I caught the slip soon after and was able to adjust for it.

Had my first real craving for a sweet last night (ginger ale) since starting the No S Diet, and held out until my S day today! Still no S days missed!

Sweet Sassy Malassy!! You are doing great. I wish I had your fortitude. The most number of days I've been able to string together is 10 so I'm very impressed by your ability to adapt so quickly.

Good luck with the coming week.

Well done!