Retrogirl check in

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 5:58 pm

Weight: 143#
Goal: 135#
Day 1 N day
Last ten pounds seem impossible to lose. Gonna give this my all.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:15 pm

It's great you're on here.

lin47 · Post by **lin47** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:14 pm

Your starting and goal weights are about the same as mine. I figure it will take me a while to lose, but an equally important goal for me is to create habits that will be sustainable for a lifetime.

Good luck to you!

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:24 am

Day 1: success

I listened/read some material and discovered I should be more focused on behavior vs. results....oops, my bad. My teenagers yesterday were feeling particularly generous and insistently offered me their candy again and again. I declined with a "no thanks." My son wanted me to watch "Space Balls," with him last night, but I was exhausted and I knew no good would come from it, so I declined. The night before we watched "Major League" (he's on a retro movie kick) and I ate an entire bag of popcorn and had to have my hubby help me to bed-didn't want a repeat of that.

I have noticed that I mindlessly do things socially. If my husband suggests a horribly unhealthy restaurant-why not, if he goes to our favorite candy store and offers me candy-sure, if my kids want me to watch a movie marathon and be zombies all day, I passively agree. This works in the positive as well, if my son wants to run 4 miles with me, I go along, if my daughters want me to choreograph their show, I agree, if my husband wants me to take a walk with him or make him his favorite healthy meal, I comply, and if our chocolate lab wants me to play endless games of tug-o-war with her, I go along. I just need to learn how to use my passiveness for good and not evil.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:04 pm

Congratulations on a successful Day 1.

You made some great choices by avoiding past negative habits. Keep it up and I'm sure your husband will change his ways.

Keep going strong.

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:54 am

Day 2: success
Exercise: 6 hours spring cleaning with family
Challenges: taming sweet tooth of me and my kids. Find it easier to go without sweets if I have a really good meal and if I'm not making the goodies myself. Kids disappointed I didn't make sweets. Guess they will start no s or else learn to bake.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:28 pm

Congratulations on a successful Day 2. That is a great start. You're on your way to making a new habit.

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:18 am

Day 3: success
Exercise: 14 min. mile + some dance
Challenges: already can see that I will need to implement some changes in my routine to be able to do this permanently.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:35 am

Congrats! 3 success days in a row. You're doing great.

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 12:43 am

Changes for no-s or for the exercise? Your doing great so far.

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:32 am

Gingerpie, my goals are for both because I have a tendency to go to extremes in regards to exercise and diets and I want to avoid that in the future.

Day 4: Success/14 min exercise and No S

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:46 am

Congratulations on another successful day! Slow and consistent is much better than fast and erratic. Keep going!

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:02 pm

My first S day-yippee! Had five successful N days with food and exercise. Lost a little over a pound so far and hoping that the S days do not undo that. Hope everyone enjoys the weekend:)

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:05 pm

Congratulations on a great week. I am also concerned that I don't go overboard this weekend and undo this week.

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:12 pm

Hi retrogirl. No worries.

you'll do fine. And even if you do go wild a little . . . It can be a learning experience.

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:33 pm

Great progress Retrogirl! Enjoy your S days!

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 1:53 am

Think I over did sugar. Even thinking of sugar makes me a tad nauseous

Hopefully that will translate into not desiring it for the next week.

I want to log some thoughts so that I don't forget for the future.

Effective strategies for N days: make palette satisfying meals to curb sugar cravings, cook during week and bake on weekends, have a good book handy to read in evenings to avoid late night snacking, TV=mindless eating, do 14 minute exercise first thing in the morning, oatmeal helps curb hunger pangs, baking treats during week will sabotage efforts, have one meal with chips during week to satisfy palette, do something that makes you happy daily to distract from mindless eating, don't keep tempting food in house

Just in case I regained all weight lost, here is to remind me of other less tangible reasons to not quit.
Positives of No S: no special baking or recipes required, no counting anything, no exercising to injury, no carving out ridiculous amounts of time for diet or exercise, helps to obsess less with body, food, and exercise, I am eating way more fruits and vegetables effortlessly, I am drinking more water without trying, it cuts my food preparation time in half, my kids have learned to bake, they are eating less sugar, I have read more, I am watching much less TV, no bad health side effects, I feel more in control, generally getting more done and spending more time with family without too much extra thought

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:20 am

So....I gained a pound from my starting weight which means I gained 2 pounds since Friday. I guess I was an "idiot." I listened to Mr. Engel's podcasts, and I remember him saying you needed to try to over do it on S days. I think he greatly underestimated the power of the sweet tooth, or at least MY sweet tooth when he said this. So, yes Gingerpie, it was a learning experience. I learned much about myself. I know I am not supposed to modify this early on, however, if I keep gaining weight, I will quit. Next S day I will force myself to choose on S option; sweets, seconds, or snacking-but not all 3 options.

Back to N day

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:20 am

Don't get discouraged. I too have no desires for sweets after this weekend. I also overdid the sweets and snacking.

Look at all the great results you got from last week. Keep going strong. Think about it this way. You had one weekend that burned you out on sweets. Before I started doing this I could have went through one weekend and then kept going strong (but not in the good way)

cyndimay · Post by **cyndimay** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:37 pm

Retrogirl wrote:Think I over did sugar.

This is definitely my struggle and my biggest fear. I like the strategies you listed to help.

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 1:17 pm

Retrogirl - I would not worry about the 2 pounds. Sugar = carbs, and carbs hold a lot more water than protein or fat. If I weighed myself today, I am sure I'd be up too. Have you ever weighed less on a Monday morning than a Friday morning? Not me, lol!! You will lose the extra water weight in the next day or two. Also, to gain 2 pounds of fat, you would have had to overeat your maintenance calories by 7000 calories!

jbgnos · Post by **jbgnos** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 2:21 pm

I think the key is patience, here. I know for me it will take some time to get the S days down. The N days are almost easier - no thinking involved and if you follow it, it's easy enough. But S days I think will lose their "go balls out" appeal after a while.

I opted not to weigh myself today, smartly, I think

I will weigh in every Friday a.m

Happy N week

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:46 am

Thanks everyone for all of the encouraging words:). I think the idea of weighing in on Friday or Saturday morning is right-thanks everyone for the tip. Had a great N day yesterday! I think I am going to start weighing on Fridays/Saturdays and checking in at that time. I hope everyone has a great N week!!

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:17 pm

Great idea Retrogirl! You have a fabulous N week as well!

gingerpie · Post by **gingerpie** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 10:17 am

Hi retrogirl,

You're doing great.

I think weighing in on Fridays and Saturdays is a great idea.

Keep in plugging along and it will ask come together in the end.

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:40 pm

I have had 3 successful N days this week, for a running total of 10 successful days on habit. However, I am writing today because I am feeling overwhelmed with temptation. I'm not sure why, but I want to eat seconds, snacks and sweets. I am really hungry, and I have noticed I haven't been eating much meat at all lately..... Don't know if there is a connection. Could also be emotional. I have many commitments within the next couple of months which perhaps I am unconsciously trying to procrastinate diving into? Anyway, I hoped this "journaling" would be therapeutic.

Exercise: 7 miles running/3 miles walking/45 minutes arms-so far this week.

Trying to remember over exercising caused serious injury this time last year. Need to stick to program.

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 4:36 pm

My suggestion would be to make sure you are filling up your plate so you don't feel any deprivation. I keep reminding myself that this plan is "systematic moderation" as Reinhard says. It isn't deprivation and it isn't over-indulgence, unless we turn it into that.

Funny you bring up meat. This morning when I was swinging my kettlebell, I had a craving for a big ribeye. I thought huh, maybe I am low on iron or something since I'm specifically craving red meat. I'm definitely going to satisfy that craving for supper tonight!

I hope the rest of your day goes well!

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:05 pm

I don't know how the whole mind body connection works, but I would say if you're still hungry to eat what you're craving at meals. Hopefully that will fend off the temptation.

Keep going. You're doing great!

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:46 am

Weight: 141#. Down 2# since start weight, 1# since last week weigh in
Habit: 12 days successfully on habit; successful week 2
Exercise for week 2: 7 miles running, 4 miles walking, 1 hour dancing, 1 1/2 hours arms, 6+ hours cooking/cleaning including kneading yeast dough

Positives: sugar cravings are reducing, much more productive (trying to distract from snacking), kids are getting pretty good with baking, family is more active, enjoying food more, less tv, more reading, feel in control-more peace

Challenges: weight loss is slow and can be undone, there can be temptation to quit or over restrict if focused on weight (l listened to S days gone wild-fabulous), need to find other way to comfort myself when angry or blue or overwhelmed since snacking isn't optional.

cowboy · Post by **cowboy** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:56 am

Congratulations on this week. I'm glad it's Saturday because Friday's sure are tough. Knowing you're so close yet trying to stay strong.

Keep going, you're doing great!

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 12:48 pm

Excellent job Retrogirl! I really like how you are able to find the positives in this process. I especially like that you are feeling in more control and peaceful. And it sounds like your family is getting involved too, that's wonderful!

Have a great weekend!

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 1:15 pm

Thank you Cowboy and Kittson; and congratulations to both of you on your personal successes. Maybe we can all hit the 21 day mark together? That would be fun:)

Kittson, I am very lucky my kids are hopping on board. They are probably relieved that mom isn't on one of her insane diets or exercise kicks again. I was beginning to get worried about passing on my disorders to my daughters, but I didn't know what to do about it. I mean, I had head knowledge, but the putting it into practice was lacking. I would feel good if my daughters started eating this way, and that's how I know this is the right path. They both are dancers like me, and I worry that if a healthy option isn't presented, the pressures of the dance world will overtake them. I'm glad I found this program:)

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 2:25 pm

Total agreement on passing on behaviors to children. I have a son and I worry about transferring my food crazies to him. In the No S book, Reinhard wrote about how in the past, people wouldn't eat because it would spoil their appetite and sweets/treats were saved for special occasions. I can honestly say that I heard "NO" from my mom hundreds of times before supper. I would be so hungry but she would not allow food before meals. A light bulb went off for me when I read that from Reinhard. I thought, oh yeah, just like my mom used to do. Lol.

I do give my son too many treats, and I believe it is to compensate for the lack that I feel as a parent. Like me being a full-time working woman and also raising a son, I have a constant guilt that I'm sure all other parents experience (I am lucky and thankful that I am married to a man that is an extremely involved father, he makes life much easier for me). I have tried to compensate that guilt by giving my son sweets/treats when there really is no reason for them. I've been thinking about it a lot the past week, and how I plan on saving treats for him for the weekend too.

One thing I will say that I am careful with is never having my son clean his plate if he doesn't want to. That is one thing my parents made me do. Now I've had that habit forever and it's crazy hard work to break it.

Oh how fabulous! Your daughters followed your footsteps with dance! I'm glad they have you to gently lead them in the healthy direction. What kind of dance do they/you do?

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 4:03 pm

Kittson, we all do lyrical, ballet, jazz and color guard flag. I also do lindy hopping and color guard weapons. When I was in my prime, I was told I needed to have a BMI of 18 or less to perform at college or professional level. Even with severe eating disorders, I was only able to get to a BMI of 18....some illegal drugs were suggested to help me, but I refused, thank God. I went into choreography instead. I hope things are different now, but I suspect they aren't since my very talented cousin can also not get a gig and she is at a healthy BMI:(. I hope my daughters will just do dance for fun and not get too deep into it honestly.

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 5:11 pm

That sounds really intense and scary. Yes, hopefully they dance for the love of it and don't get pulled to the dark side!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:42 am

Yikes! I read a book about a prima ballerina and the extreme dieting that went in was pretty intense/extremely unhealthy. I guess it's all true. :/

Retrogirl · Post by **Retrogirl** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 12:40 pm

lpearlmom, I know some genres of dance are much more forgiving than others, and as I said, I am OLD, so many things have probably changed since my prime, but I am very protective of my daughters and I am trying everything to thwart off possible eating disorders, and I believe NoS is a great tool for teaching moderation.

So glad to be back on N days. I like N days better than S days. I tried to focus on rewarding myself, but caught myself going into the "better grab it while you can" mentality. Hopefully that will go away. Had a great weekend doing color guard with my nieces and daughters. My brother and dad wanted to learn color guard rifle, which was hilarious....my family is so fun. I went shopping with my daughters and binge watched Netflix tv shows with my son, that's how we bond, that and running. Noticed that when given limited opportunity, I don't really want chocolate for a treat, but would rather have fruit or fruit flavored dessert or licorice? I find that interesting and I am curious as to why.

I hope everyone has a wonderful N week.

Kittson · Post by **Kittson** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:19 pm

It sounds like you had a great weekend with family! I'm ready for N days too. Here's to a week of green!

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