Everyday Systems

Fresh start, shiny new thread.
I keep coming back to No S because I know that for me it's the path to food sanity.

I find that No S frees up so much time, I focus a lot less on food ie what/when/how/whether to eat. With No S I know when to eat, I know what to eat in terms of sweet vs savoury depending on an N or S day. I don't have to count anything, track anything, weigh and measure except for recipes. I also find that it really does cut my grocery bill when I'm following No S.

My slipping point is when I start to feel the need for fast weight loss. ie by way of a conventional restrictive diet plan. I need to lose at least 50 pounds, as my weight is affecting my health. So a strict diet can be tempting sometimes. Sure, I can lose 6 pounds in a week if I follow WW strictly, but within a couple of weeks I'll have gained it all back as a result of post-diet binge eating. Plus I'll gain a couple more pounds too, for good measure.
It's very hard to resist the desire to diet. This is what I need to be working on - losing the desire for fast and ultimately ineffective, weight loss.
My knee injury is now much better and I can start to introduce some exercise again.

What's different this time? I have a few resources that I'll use to support myself.
Books such as The Beck Diet Solution, Brain Over Binge, Dieting: A Dry Drunk. Also SMART Recovery. OA isn't for me, but SMART resonates with me and fits well with No S. Plus, I've really learned some of my weak spots in the past 3 years or so, and I'm prepared to keep on trying.
But most of all, I am now very much READY to do this.

Skelton wrote:But most of all, I am now very much READY to do this.

That's the right attitude to have. Wishing us both a good, solid NoS week!

Best of luck!

I totally get it. This really is the most sane plan. My plan is to try to stay off the scale for a while. The thought of sticking to any of those diets in the long-term just makes me want to run

I still can't get a run of more than 2 Green days together.

I don't know what to say, I just feel like ranting against diets and the pressure to be slimmer that I felt when I was young. And slim !! Part of the reason I'm struggling is because i'm feeling so much pressure to lose weight, at the top end of obese BMI, sore joints, high BP, no energy etc etc. Any pressure to lose weight just makes me binge

I'm struggling so much and don't want to be Debbie Downer around the board because it's so supportive here.

May go to the General board at some point soon and ask for help, but honestly I've asked for help so many times and get great advice. I just struggle to follow it.

I posted for transparency. I'll come back soon. I'm going to get the Beck book out and work on the 'reasons' card that Dr Beck suggests.

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time. Perhaps trying to re-frame your thoughts around no-s? For example instead of "I'm following no-s in order to lose weight" try " I'm following no-s to help my joints heal and to increase my energy." The weight loss then becomes a secondary issue. I have found in the past that the way I frame an issue can really influence how I look at the solutions.

I'm not sure what the Beck "reasons" cards are but I'm guessing they are to help you focus on the reasons you want the change. Perhaps you can use them in conjunction with re-framing to help alleviate the pressure to be slim.

Good luck and warm regards. Remember to be kind to yourself.

Oh, and don't forger that 2 days of green is still way better than 0 days of green. Give yourself credit for what you have achieved.

gingerpie wrote:I'm sorry you are having such a hard time. Perhaps trying to re-frame your thoughts around no-s? For example instead of "I'm following no-s in order to lose weight" try " I'm following no-s to help my joints heal and to increase my energy." The weight loss then becomes a secondary issue. I have found in the past that the way I frame an issue can really influence how I look at the solutions.

I'm not sure what the Beck "reasons" cards are but I'm guessing they are to help you focus on the reasons you want the change. Perhaps you can use them in conjunction with re-framing to help alleviate the pressure to be slim.

Good luck and warm regards. Remember to be kind to yourself.

Oh, and don't forger that 2 days of green is still way better than 0 days of green. Give yourself credit for what you have achieved.

Hi gingerpie, thank you for your post. it helps.

Yes the Beck "reasons" cards are things just as you suggested, eg , I'm following No S to help with my joints. I can't remember the actual name she uses for the cards, but you list reasons for sticking with your eating plan on an index card and read the card a few times a day to reinforce motivation.

I believe you're spot on with this. If I can reframe from weight loss itself, and focus more on health benefits, I'll find this easier.