RAWCOOKIE's NoS Journal

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 10:13 am

Sounds like you have a really good plan in place for today, Gill. Way to get back on track!
I'm taking a NWS day today and started it out with cake (a friend's graduation). My craving for starchy things just took off from there... it's fine as it's an S day for me, but it's amazing the difference it makes if one meal is pretty much a carb based one!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:10 am

Wednesday SUCCESS

Oh boy, I struggled to resist ice-cream at work today - it was there; I was there; I had to leave the room more than once! I kept telling myself that I was in charge - not the ice-cream - and it was NOT an S day. I made it! Phew!

8 stone 7.25lbs

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:52 am

Oh! a fellow vegan Greetings

though I call myself a strict vegetarian more than vegan. My eating is whole foods, starch based, low fat. And once in a while I have an egg, from my friend's back yard hens.

I'm enjoying your journal. Looks like you're doing it!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 5:29 am

Hiya - I'm mostly vegan, but not entirely (in fact, there's cheese on toast for breakfast today) - so, I guess I'm really 'vegetarian'. However, I think of myself as 'mostly vegan' as that helps me make vegan choices. Like you, I'll have an occasional egg - in a cake, or if someone else is cooking. My goal is the same as yours - plant-based, low-fat, low human-intervention (a Jason Vale term for whole-foods - aka 'no label food'). I was quite obsessive about it until I came across No S - it makes the kind of 80/20 rule more practical - I love that I can 'indulge' a little at the weekends.

Thursday SUCCESS despite a colleague leaving a bar of very excellent dark chocolate laying around the kitchen today! Jeez! Having said that - ice-cream is on my mind BIG TIME this week and will definitely feature in my weekend treats!

8 stone 6.75lbs

kaalii · Post by **kaalii** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:49 am

RAWCOOKIE wrote: However, I think of myself as 'mostly vegan' as that helps me make vegan choices.

yes! me too!
in the past 5 years i am finding that thinking the way you do helps me choose better food in general... with age i feel i need it more...
because, although vegetarian for 21 years, my food choices were not always healthy... healthier than "average" people's... but still...
however, i never want to stop eating eggs and good cheese...

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:55 pm

Friday FAILURE

Damn!
Went well all day.
Went wild after dinner - plain taco shells, scoop of ice-cream
Damn!

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:31 pm

aww...

sounds like the raging munchies. I have SO been there. Yes, even to the tune of plain taco shells hahahaha

You'll pull it around. Slow but sure, developing new habits. Keep going!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 5:43 am

Thanks x
I learned something on reflection - I restricted myself to a tiny pizza and salad when I was really wanting something more - I should have had the 'one plate' of pizza. It would have been better for my 'habit' to have chosen a bigger MEAL than to have a small meal and be left with the munchies!

Saturday

I'm almost scared of my S day today - training wheels off - I'm scared of crashing. I don't like that out-of-control Me! I need to learn to love that Me and take it by the hand, but also to listen to what it's wingeing about! I know that any intentions for S days can go out of the window, so I'm not even going to pretend. I've packed my lunch. I have a dinner plan. In-between, frankly, anything could happen!

8 stone 7.25lbs

e-lyn · Post by **e-lyn** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 6:45 am

That's the reason I've been having my salad on a small side plate. I want to eat those nice veggies but not be left hungry and craving more food. It's hard to find the right balance.

Good luck on your S day!

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 4:05 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Thanks x
I learned something on reflection - I restricted myself to a tiny pizza and salad when I was really wanting something more - I should have had the 'one plate' of pizza. It would have been better for my 'habit' to have chosen a bigger MEAL than to have a small meal and be left with the munchies!

THIS! you hit it on the head. Plate full.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 8:03 pm

Hooray! At least I learned something!

Gosh - it's a weird learning-curve, isn't it? just when you think you have it nailed, the beast awakens and bites you on the bum!

Today wasn't TOO bad really - I managed to eat a whole packet of chocolate digestive biscuits during my 10-hr shift at work - permagrazing! I've had some chocolate this evening, and some ice-cream. Apart from that - the planned food.

What I find fascinating is how my old 'dieting' psychology kick back in too - if I've been 'bad' I feel like I need to punish myself by being even more restrictive the next day. Of course, I now understand (and trust!) the everyday systems psychology - so concentrating on getting the N days right is the key thing. So, with that in mind, I am going to go for a 21-day goal again. My last 'vanilla' month was November!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Jun 12, 2016 11:59 am

Sunday

21-day countdown: Day 1/21

I seem to have reached another transition-point with No S. I've not had any 'mods' at all during the past year. I've stuck faithfully to the system. I've used HabitCal every day so I have all my stats recorded in one place - I like that.

I've been all over the place with S days. Today I've started thinking about really using my S days to enjoy HEALTHIER snacks and sweets. I know that I CAN eat the cake or cookie if I'm in a social situation where they occur, and I want to, but, at home, I'm looking into creating some nutritionally beneficial sweets and snacks for S days.

This morning I enjoyed a croissant (yes, just ONE!) and marmalade after having been for an hour's run/walk. I haven't snacked all morning and it's 1pm - I just felt my stomach rumble and thought "I'm hungry!". I'm going to have mashed potatoes, veggie sausages and peas. I am going to make an apricot crumble for dessert (in a ramekin dish - so one portion) and might even whip up a bit of custard.

I am going to get my recipe books out later and plan for the next week - and remind myself of some of the healthier sweets I used to enjoy before I stopped doing snacks and sweets! raw truffles for example, dates stuffed with peanut butter and cocoa, baked oatmeal even?

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 6:29 pm

Monday SUCCESS

Day 2/21 Vanilla streak

right on it today - no problem!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:30 am

Tuesday SUCCESS

Day 3/21 Vanilla streak

the 21-day goal kept my habit fenced in this evening - win!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 6:39 pm

Wednesday SUCCESS

A challenge was presented today, with a croissant at 11am. My friend had bought us one each to have after swimming today. I accepted it, with a nice coffee, because this friend is a slim, moderate eater - and there is never any food-pushing in her home. I decided to make the croissant my midday 'meal' and waited until 6pm to eat my dinner. I felt a little bit hungry in the afternoon - but it wasn't unbearable - and I enjoyed dinner a lot!

Day 4/21 Vanilla streak

One again, the 21-day goal kept me on-habit - I didn't want to break the streak and have to start again - win!

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 3:33 am

wonderful! I'm glad having that goal in hand has kept you on task! way to go! and GREAT work on that croissant gift. I will keep that in mind.

e-lyn · Post by **e-lyn** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 3:59 am

Wow...very impressed by your solution to the croissant challenge! I would have really missed my lunch that day. Great job making No S work for you!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:04 am

Thanks for your comments. This particular friend has been a good 'teacher' for me in regards to eating. She and her husband eat well, but not excessively - they are both slim. Before No S, if I went to her house, I felt quite frantic about the small sizes of the offerings - like she'd have something that I'd consider 'single size' and she'd cut it into 4 pieces and we'd share it. Now that I've been doing No S for some time, I am also able to share food! When I ate that croissant with her, I cut bits off it and ate them one at a time, slowly. Previously, I'd probably've eaten it in a hungry way, and then been looking round for a second one!

It is indeed wonderful to have lost my fear of hunger - I KNOW I can easily wait 7 hrs between meals now! I do drink tea and coffee to fill the gaps - but, well, I used to do that anyway - as well as the snacks! I can't believe how much of my mind used to be taken up with thinking about when/what my next eating event would be. I always carried at least one substantial snack with me (peanuts, raisins, bananas, cereal bars, protein balls etc etc). Now I travel much more lightly - knowing if there's no food, I can wait!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 4:44 pm

Thursday FAIL

I was given a cherry when I was shopping for fruit & veg this morning - and I popped it in my mouth without even thinking. It was only a cherry - I was going to discount it.

This afternoon I did some cooking for the next few days - including a baked oatmeal (oats, pear, mixed dried fruit, cinnamon, soya milk) - and after it had cooled, I cut it into 9 squares, and nibbled the edge of one ........... then decided to eat a portion with my afternoon tea.

Damn, it's hardly a cake at all, but it fills the same space as 'cake' - and my stupid brain responded to it as 'cake. Calories were negligible - but I was really cheesed off with myself for caving into it's cakey lure!

Particularly annoying (and possibly a cause?) in that I avoided going to the Farmers' Market this morning because 50% of the stall are baked goodies!

21-Day streak starts again tomorrow then!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:37 pm

Friday SUCCESS

1 of 21 days Vanilla No S

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:20 pm

Saturday - and I didn't buy any chocolate or crisps - but, guess what? they came my way anyway!

I was so glad is WAS an S day today - I went to an activity where there was some lovely cake - and bags of crisps. I had, and enjoyed immensely!, several chunks of a chocolatey thing with a biscuity base - bit like a 'refrigerator cake' I think - it was divine! The cake I had one slice of was an almondy sponge with pears (like an upside down pear sponge). That and a few mugs of excellent coffee - I found I did not have any appetite at all for my packed lunch (what a surprise!)

And to end the day, I grabbed a bag of cheesy puffs - you know, those air-filled things like polystyrene that melt on the tongue - total cr*p! The cakes were both home-made and truly excellent!

So - I got my chocolate, cake and crisps without buying anything this weekend!

PS I forgot to mention that the reason for at least one of the cakes was that it was someone's birthday!

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 12:41 pm

This is great! hahahah I love that you ate cheese puff Styrofoam balls. did your fingers get all orange? Hee hee...

The cake sounds terrific, too. Happy for you, it was an S day, but I'd have been tempted at least on the cake, to make it an S day (for special) because of the birthday.

Kinda nice, having the freedom for the occasional treat, eh?

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:42 pm

Monday SUCCESS

Sunday I was at work - and I didn't buy any chocolate or crisps or anything like that. I really did enjoy some of the home-made sugar-free, fat-free, baked oatmeal pear cake that I made. I have a hot chocolate (just cocoa with some creamer - add water) late evening when I'm at work until bed-time - works a treat for that 'hug in a mug' need.

Today, on my way home from work mid-morning, I felt a real desire to EAT something snacky - but I came home and made a BIG mug of fresh coffee, chilled out and read for half-an-hour - and made it to lunch-time without snacking.

This evening I went for a sunset run to celebrate the Summer Solstice - then enjoyed a hot chocolate drink on the beach - not a bad life, eh?!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:22 pm

Tuesday SUCCESS

I got really bored at work today - but stayed 'on habit' - this is good.

I've been reading the threads about mods and thinking I don't have a mod, but I guess I do have a kind of 'soft mod'. I almost always have a dessert - but it's only ever fruit with or without plain yoghurt. This is more like 'virtual plating' I think, as I don't want to put the fruit on the plate with my lunch/dinner. I did go through a phase of trying to eat my fruit first - because I thought I needed to kill off the fruit-after-meal 'sweet' thing, but I've dropped that now, and just have the fruity dessert.

e-lyn · Post by **e-lyn** » Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:06 am

RawCookie, I do the same thing with fruit! I used to eat it between meals or not at all. Now I just use the virtual plate method and eat a small amount as a satisfying last course. I serve it in a small custard cup to keep the portion reasonable...and sometimes with a dollop of yogurt or cottage cheese. I like your description of it as a 'soft mod'.

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Wed Jun 22, 2016 4:30 am

I sometimes have fruit at the end of my meal, either plated with it or virtual plated. I often have an apple or orange with lunch and eat some of it throughout but always finish with a the last few pieces. I'm less likely to have fruit with dinner (I start the day with a fruit smoothie), but sometimes I like to finish with apple sauce or fruit.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jun 22, 2016 9:07 pm

Wednesday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 10:37 am

Thursday FAILURE

I am feeling like EATING today - but I know it's mostly to do with anxiety about the election that's going on.

I've had oatmeal with pineapple, coconut & walnuts for breakfast - semi-sweet soother!

I've packed a sort of Waldorf for lunch: celery, raisins, cheese, mayo, walnuts, pineapple - and a date/nut cocoa/orange Naked bar to go with it - I know I'm needing something sweet-ish

For dinner I've packed a single bread roll with cheese, onion, mayo, lettuce filling and a banana to go with it. That will be something to 'get my teeth into'

The people I support are having a kind of 'tea party' today to welcome a new person, and it will be bread rolls, burgers, sausages, crisps, cake - that kind of stuff - so I know I will need that onion in my roll to satisfy my need to 'tuck in' to something tasty!

I'm working until 10pm, and have also taken a jar with cocoa, creamer, nutmeg in to make a hug-in-a-mug hot chocolate drink at about 9pm!

I can almost guarantee my success today..... I felt and acknowledged the desire to eat for comfort....... and have catered for it in the most healthy, least damaging way I can. Wish me luck!

later: I had one small slice of a lovely sponge cake at the tea party offered by the person who had made it - I could have said 'no thank you' but I decided to say 'yes, thank you'

kaalii · Post by **kaalii** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 12:37 pm

sounds great and it is nice to see how you know yourself!
good luck, rawcookie!

knitapeace · Post by **knitapeace** » Thu Jun 23, 2016 1:29 pm

Hi RAWCOOKIE, I'm also watching the election that's going on in the UK with great interest today. Here in the US there is a lot of interesting political stuff happening, but I try hard to keep a global perspective; we all have to share this planet and all decisions can have world-wide effect! I hope whatever the results that they're beneficial to your country, and I hope the anxiety doesn't affect your eating resolve!

You can do it! Your meals today sound wonderful!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 9:19 pm

Friday FAILURE

I was gutted by the result of the election...........managed to keep my eating together all day, but went back for seconds at lunchtime (the second half of a bag of Doritos!) and later had a snack-size bag of nuts and ginger - then when I got home from work (late evening) had another snack of bread, strawberries and cream!

kaalii · Post by **kaalii** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 10:15 pm

uff, rawcookie, i understand you... on days like these im losing my faith in humanity...

hang in there!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jun 25, 2016 2:37 pm

Thanks Kaali - I've enjoyed an S day so far: toast and marmalade for breakfast, a 5k run, then chocolate for lunch! hahahahaha! oven-baked fries and baked beans for tea - then out to help run a bar at the local town hall - a Pink Floyd tribute band

I will drink beer.

kaalii · Post by **kaalii** » Sat Jun 25, 2016 9:18 pm

pink floyd tribute band - wow, that's an ambitious project for a band! awesome! i envy you tonight!

enjoy!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jun 25, 2016 10:33 pm

They were totally awesome - fantastic show!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:04 pm

Monday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 6:10 pm

Tuesday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:43 pm

Wednesday SICK DAY

had a sore throat and cough - ate cough sweets

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 2:06 am

Hope you feel better soon!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 7:15 pm

Thursday SUCCESS

Well, my June wasn't as green as I'd hoped, but, I have to say, my reds are not too bad.
I have a cold, and the

was due to needing to suck cough sweets whilst travelling on the bus to/from work. I'll be sucking a lot of those over the weekend too I expect!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 5:53 pm

Friday SUCCESS

pay day and some nice GOOD food was bought - nice

The weekend is PLANNED

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 11:30 pm

Saturday - and an interestingly different S day for me: I had three meals and two desserts. I had a lovely 40g bar of Divine 70% dark chocolate after lunch - it WAS divine too! After dinner, I enjoyed a small, single-serve lemon cheesecake - which was also lovely.

I was home late - and still on the computer at gone midnight, so I did have a snack: a handful of peanuts, then a slice of bread with margerine and mustard on! I felt hungry because I was awake 2.5 hours later than usual - actually into the next day (which is not my habit - I'm an early to bed person, when I can!)

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 3:39 pm

Sunday was equally sane: three meals, one snack, one dessert.

I made some popcorn and sprinkled it with curry powder and nori sprinkles - oh my goodness, it was a GREAT snack - I'll definitely make that again!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:34 pm

Monday SUCCESS

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Tue Jul 05, 2016 1:15 am

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Monday SUCCESS

me too!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Jul 05, 2016 9:27 pm

Tuesday SUCCESS

had lunch at a friend's house - stuck to one plate, no seconds, no sweets

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Wed Jul 06, 2016 4:10 am

Glad things are continuing to go well for you. Your popcorn idea sounds great. Will have to try!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:00 pm

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday SUCCESS

I have sucked cough sweets occasionally - for a cough

Very sane S weekend - I may have moved into a new phase, where S days are just three meals a day with some extra treats added on - usually at meal-time. Today I am going to have flapjack for afternoon tea with my friend, over a Scrabble game!

I seem to have lost the desire to EAT stuff because it's an S day........ it might be temporary, but it's interesting!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 5:32 pm

Yay that's a nice feeling I bet. Enjoy!

LifeisaBlessing · Post by **LifeisaBlessing** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 1:53 pm

Interesting discovery about your S days! Keep up the great work!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:56 pm

Thanks

Monday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 4:54 pm

Tuesday SUCCESS

Wednesday FAILURE

I was at a friend's house at 11.30am, after we'd been swimming together, and had half a croissant, and five chocolates which she'd brought home from her recent holiday in Greece. I called it 'lunch' but it was SWEET so a fail.

e-lyn · Post by **e-lyn** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 5:11 pm

Rawcookie, I appreciate your ability to simply note a 'fail' and move on. It reminds me to keep it all in perspective.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jul 14, 2016 10:38 am

Thank you. Yes, it's very freeing........... I hope you will get there too

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 7:01 pm

Friday SUCCESS

Today I sat enjoying a coffee with a friend who was enjoying a coffee AND a blueberry muffin. I had not the slightest twinge of jealousy or desire! Amazing! I did think 'if it was an S day I would choose x,y,z....' but it was a completely objective thought.

FREEDOM!

knitapeace · Post by **knitapeace** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 7:30 pm

YAAAY!!!!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 5:36 am

Monday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 6:10 pm

Tuesday SUCCESS

I have been invited out for an evening river trip on 27th July - with a picnic afterwards. It's with my friend and her husband - his choir has organised it. I have planned this as an extra S day, as I don't want to be left out of the picnic. My plan IS to 'pick' not to feast - but it will be off-habit as far as N days go. I am happy that I no longer view this kind of event as an opportunity to feast!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:10 pm

Oh fun!!!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 7:54 pm

yeah, it should be fun......

Wednesday SUCCESS

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Thu Jul 21, 2016 7:20 am

That DOES sound like a lot of fun, Gill! I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience and the company and do just fine with a reasonable amount of food!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:04 am

Thursday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jul 23, 2016 5:05 pm

Friday SUCCESS

Saturday - I'm having a rare day of eating everything but real food! cake, chocolate, crisps, peanuts, cake........... oh, I tell a lie! I had granola with peach and yoghurt for breakfast, and I had stir-fried veggies with hummus and wholemeal toast at lunchtime! How could I have forgotten that!!!

It's the first day of a 9-day break from work - and I think I've kind of just let go of all the strings today - thank goodness it's an S day!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 10:20 am

Sunday

God, I felt TERRIBLE last night!

I woke up feeling really sick at about midnight...... the feeling passed eventually (I managed not to be sick - which I will go to great lengths to avoid as I hate it!) - then I woke again about 2am with another wave of nausea. Once again, it passed, then I sat just looking at the moon for a while, hugging a big pillow!

My body was definitely protesting about my food intake yesterday. Because I don't eat sugar or snacks 5 days a week, if I suddenly dump a load of it into my system on Saturday, my body doesn't appreciate it!

I experienced this phenomenon when I was eating raw vegan a few years' ago - if I then ate anything dairy or cooked, I'd actually be sick! Like my body rejected it all.

I guess this is probably a good thing - my body not accepting an overdose of 'food'!

Sunday is going to be very 'sensible'! My 'treat' will be a fruit yoghurt!

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 11:56 am

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Sunday is going to be very 'sensible'! My 'treat' will be a fruit yoghurt!

Your body will thank you!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 5:10 pm

Thanks, Sonya - you're right! I've had pretty much an N day today! Feeling much better!

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 8:52 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Thanks, Sonya - you're right! I've had pretty much an N day today! Feeling much better!

Glad you are feeling better!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Jul 25, 2016 6:10 pm

Thanks Merry

Monday SUCCESS

I had granola at 7am, and a sandwich & strawberries lunch at 3.30pm. It's 7pm now and I am tempted not to eat again today............... but even if I do, it'll only be the third plate of the day, so I'm posting my SUCCESS now!

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:14 pm

wow, amazing how the body reacts to junk, once it's been fed decently! The same thing happens to me with dairy nowadays. But life is so much better without it, I am never even slightly tempted. I'm glad you came through it okay.

AND! what fun, a river rafting trip, and only two days from now! woo hoo! If it's just the one meal, you shouldn't go too far off course, even with it being an S day! have fun!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Jul 26, 2016 10:33 am

Thanks - I'm glad you understand/have had a similar experience. The river outing is not quite as adventurous as 'rafting' - we'll be on a kind of ferry-boat - but still not something I do every day of the week

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Jul 27, 2016 4:40 pm

Wednesday - I've taken today as an Extra S day because I'm joining in with a social outing/picnic this evening - I guess it will be kind of virtual plating - but I don't want to be thinking about it too much.

I had breakfast and lunch today - No S until dinner-time! I'm taking celery & cheese, tomatoes, cherries to contribute to the picnic. I know my friend is taking quiches. I'm sure there will be lots of bread and salad. I might even skip desserts altogether - but I have the option. The friends I am going out with are 'slim', and healthy eaters - so it shouldn't be too challenging for me to stay on-track.

PS breakfast was beans on toast, then lunch at a friend's house was beans on toast and a banana! She offered me a mini-Magnum for dessert - but I said 'no thanks'. She is one friend who is 'trained' in my No S system now - she says 'I do have these - but I don't suppose you want one?'

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 12:40 pm

The buffet picnic/party was a great success. I only took healthy things with me to share. Good rule of thumb 'don't take anything you don't want to bring home'! I saw two women struggling to put big gooey chocolatey gateaux back into containers - no-one really wanted them!

I had a healthy meal - I went back for seconds, but the first plate wasn't full, so it wasn't much 'extra'. I chose one small chocolate rocky-road tray-bake square - it was delicious! I was then able to abstain from further eating feeling that I'd had enough. The memory of feeling sick last Saturday night was a strong controlling factor too!

Today I've marked as a 'sick day' - I'm not really sick, but had a yukky eye test which made me feel very wobbly and shaky - so I had a couple of ginger cookies and coffee in Costa before getting the bus home.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 6:28 pm

Friday SUCCESS
End of the month and I'm pretty pleased with how it went. HabitCal gives me a Bronze medal for this: one red day, two extra S days.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Jul 30, 2016 6:46 pm

S day pleasures were a marmalade on my toast for breakfast.
A coconut slice with my coffee after Park Run 5k this morning - sociable experience with fellow Park Runners.
I had an ice-cream whilst waiting for the bus in the sunshine - that was a really pleasurable experience too.
A small bar of chocolate this afternoon.
And I enjoyed making some date slices for tea tomorrow - and being able to 'test' them!

It is really nice to be able to have these things on the weekend, knowing that I don't have them every day of the week. I have noticed a huge reduction in the quantities of 'treat' food I now eat at the weekend. I have to say, the things I ate today were much smaller than what I ate last week, when I made myself ill!

Whosonfirst · Post by **Whosonfirst** » Sat Jul 30, 2016 9:07 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:S day pleasures were a marmalade on my toast for breakfast.

Reading that marmalade on my toast is an S was a big Ohh for me!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:07 pm

I have a jar of home-made marmalade that I look forward to every weekend

(I didn't make it; I buy it from a local person who sells it on a little table outside her front door - you post the money through her letter-box)

Sunday was a lovely, sane day. I enjoyed a croissant (with marmalade) for breakfast. Lunch was a healthy quinoa salad bowl and a peach.
Afternoon snack was a home-made (fat-free, sugar-free!) date slice
Dinner was a small ready-made pizza with extra mushrooms, capers, tomatoes on top and a fruit-sugar sweetened yoghurt for dessert

So really, there was a bit of Sweet for breakfast, and a Sweet Snack in the afternoon - that's all. Sane. Lovely.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Aug 02, 2016 10:39 am

Monday SUCCESS

I ate very lightly today and was almost surprised. It was a first day back at work after a week off (holiday) and I could feel the desire to eat creeping in to cope with work stresses. I managed to hold it off.

Today, Tuesday, I've got a cough and headache........ I really fancied toast for breakfast, but had a spinach, banana, berry smoothie on my menu - and I stuck to that. I am looking forward to my planned sandwich at lunch-time though: left-over nut-roast, avocado, tomato, pickle

- only an hour to go...........

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Aug 06, 2016 3:50 pm

I had a GREEN week

I was particularly proud of myself on Friday because I was in town for an hour after work - there was an event going on, and it was sunny, there was a festival vibe and lots of street food vendors etc. I really fancied an ice-cream, but I bought a cheese and pesto baguette for my third meal of the day (tea/dinner?) and a bottle of lemonade (which I only drank a few mouthfuls of).

I enjoyed some lovely ice-cream for lunch today, Saturday - another sunny, warm day - I had two scoops - strawberry, and gooseberry - locally-made, good, ice-cream - it was wonderful!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Aug 08, 2016 9:12 pm

Monday SUCCESS

Today's proud event was getting held up for an hour on the way home, due to a road traffic accident. I stuck to my eating plan for dinner. I did add in a bottle of light lager - I needed something!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:22 am

Tuesday SUCCESS

I have developed a pattern of taking a kind of 'breakfast' jar to work when I'm working late, so my last meal of the day is a jar of granola/berries/yoghurt - a nice, light meal that seems to satisfy my evening appetite needs. It's a new thing for me.......... and it's working!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:42 pm

Wednesday was GREEN
Thursday was RED

Today was OK until just after my third meal when I felt I really wanted something. This is partly a reaction to having no fruit available. I have a habit of eating some fruit with most of my meals - so the lack of it left a 'space' that needed filling! I chose to eat four oatcakes (oats, oil, salt) with nothing on them - with a cup of coffee. I was tempted to put some marmalade on them or something, but figured that by having them plain I was reinforcing the No Sweets habit and not allowing myself to go too far over the line. It was a better choice than having a bowl of granola (which did cross my mind!)

I've lost weight recently, been sticking to my 9" plate, eating lightly - and I think it is also my body trying to get back to the status quo! Ha! I'm not playing that game. I am just under 115lbs at the moment - and am aiming to maintain that for a few weeks before dropping any more. Apart from anything else, I can't afford the new clothes!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:43 am

This time last year, I wrote:

RAWCOOKIE wrote: Today we had a team meeting at work - and I took in a packet of Custard Creams (that's part of the deal with team meetings!). I brought the left-overs home with me and have put them in the cupboard for the weekend (if I want them). I bought myself a packet of crisps on the way into work today, and ate them WITH MY LUNCH because I thought I would 'need' some food thing that met an emotional need after the meeting!

8stone 9.5lbs

Now, I would (a) not take Custard Creams to the team meeting - I've relinquished that responsibility! I would not (b) bring the left-overs home. This time last year, crisps (chips US) made a regular appearance with my lunch-time meal, for 'emotional' reasons. Now, I hardly eat them at all. The last packet I had was really disappointing - they weren't nearly as nice as I'd remembered! Also, I'm at least 4lbs down on last year (8 stone 4.5lbs this morning) without doing anything than No S. I'm very happy with that!

kaalii · Post by **kaalii** » Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:29 am

hey rawcookie! glad to see you are doing so well!!
and i love that you make us see the comparison of what changed for you from last year... precious!

and this!! sooo great!

RAWCOOKIE wrote:I have a jar of home-made marmalade that I look forward to every weekend (I didn't make it; I buy it from a local person who sells it on a little table outside her front door - you post the money through her letter-box)

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Aug 12, 2016 6:25 pm

Thank goodness it's Saturday tomorrow - I really WANT some marmalade now!

Friday SUCCESS

I spent the morning (11-1) in a casual get-together with coffee, surrounded by little bowls of trail mix, and then servings of panettone (not sure of the spelling) going on around me - I DID not eat a THING!

I also had to listen to someone waxing lyrical about the Blood Sugar diet - she's lost a couple of stone on it (down from 17stone plus). She's not eating any sugar, low cabs, and about 800-1000 kcals a day. (I felt so grateful to have found No S! - I didn't mention it!)

I waited until almost 2pm to have lunch. One plate.

S days are a-coming! I have marmalade and toast lined up. I bought a 40g bar of 70% dark chocolate. I have some 'bars' which are fruit/nut/crispy rice/honey. I'm looking forward to some sugar!

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Sat Aug 13, 2016 7:09 am

Congrats on your successes this week, and enjoy your toast and marmalade tomorrow

RAWCOOKIE wrote: I also had to listen to someone waxing lyrical about the Blood Sugar diet - she's lost a couple of stone on it (down from 17stone plus). She's not eating any sugar, low cabs, and about 800-1000 kcals a day. (I felt so grateful to have found No S! - I didn't mention it!)

Oy! Sometimes I just remember...it's not what they've lost, it's what they can sustain. One can't sustain that kind of routine indefinitely (well, I know I can't anyway!), and the rebound usually isn't pretty. I hope it works well for her, but for most people, those strict diets really don't. All flash at the start, but remember the long-term. I'm grateful to have found NoS too!

You've had a great year--keep it up!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sat Aug 13, 2016 3:11 pm

I don't know how I didn't know you were posting here so often.

Things are moving along trippingly! It's so sweet to hear your delight and harrumphs.

Would you mind if I sometimes post a summary of your experience on the Spark No S team? (I may have asked this before. I plead senioritis.) I know you're pretty busy there with leading the Spangle team. I'm in awe of your dedication, but when I look back on it, I was pretty regular for a looong time. And I'm STILL around here, though here I mostly respond to other members. It's so seductive! Some might call it an obsession for me. Oh, well. It keeps me out of jail and the hospital, so far.

Guess you've ended an S day. Have a great Sunday!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Aug 13, 2016 7:55 pm

I agree, Merry!

Oolala - you're welcome to quote me on the Spark No S team.

Saturday was a lovely S day.
My S days are pretty much three meals now - but I did have a snack bar mid-morning - but then a very light lunch. I squeezed a banana (!) into the mid-afternoon snack-gap. On the way home from work I just wanted some sweets, but really didn't know what. I ended up having a small Fry's Turkish Delight bar, and had a little packet of Rowntrees fruit pastilles, of which I ate the 'serving size' of 7 pastilles. I have the rest for tomorrow!
I was craving some sort of savoury snack (I saw chilli rice cakes in the supermarket yesterday, but didn't buy them - I know they'd be a problem), so today I bought a packet of BBQ flavour Hula-Hoops - and had them with my vegetable stew for dinner. For dessert I enjoyed a couple of scoops of lemon sorbet ( not ice-cream!) with some berries.

All in all, I've kind of lost my 'greedy' persona - or, at least, it's in hibernation at the moment! Smaller amounts are satisfying my cravings, and I have much more control over what I buy - I'm more honest and realistic about what I can have in the house!

The memory of feeling sick a couple of weeks' ago is still having a modifying effect on my food choices too!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Sun Aug 14, 2016 6:09 pm

Thanks for permission! I completely understand wanting to prioritize your posting.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Mon Aug 15, 2016 7:33 pm

Monday SUCCESS

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Tue Aug 16, 2016 8:43 pm

Tuesday SUCCESS

Many times today, I felt close to EATING something! I had a coffee at 11am to enable myself to hold out until the clock struck midday for lunch (I actually ate lunch about 12.30pm), then in the afternoon, I really fancied the sweets someone had left in the staff cupboard - some stupid fizzy chews - I didn't though - I had extra water and stuck it out.

Phew! It was mainly due to tiredness I think, and a sort of fed-up-ness with work. I'm so glad I didn't eat sweets or snacks. One of my colleagues said 'you need to have a little something every now and then to keep you going' I didn't reply to that...... I thought "It's an N Day and I don't need any little somethings to keep me going' It's a complete myth!

bunsofaluminum · Post by **bunsofaluminum** » Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:41 pm

mmm, I love your S day Saturday too! hahahaha

the lemon sorbet, especially sounds scrumptious. I'll have to see about finding me some for an S day soon.

Good for you, not caving to the fizzy sweets at work. They are NEVER worth it. We have candy all over the place at my job, so I feel your pain...but meh. What is so special about a candy bar...no, lemon sorbet is much preferable....on an S day.

good job!

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 4:17 am

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Tuesday SUCCESS
One of my colleagues said 'you need to have a little something every now and then to keep you going' I didn't reply to that...... I thought "It's an N Day and I don't need any little somethings to keep me going' It's a complete myth!

Ha! Love it!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 5:30 am

It's Wednesday morning, and I've just weighed myself. I found that I had a bit of disappointment when I saw I was 116.75 and the same as yesterday. How stupid is that? I am under 119lbs which was my aim. I saw 115lbs all last week, so the 116.75 seems like a 'dangerous' gain. It is much easier, seems to me, to 'slip' upwards in weight, than to slip downwards!

However, I KNOW I'm only eating three meals a day, and I KNOW I use a 9" plate, and I KNOW I am eating quite lightly. So there is only one place to look. So much easier than trying to tweak snacks and measure lumps of butter - I keep on keeping on with my three plates, and if the scale moves the wrong way, then I will have to check what's causing the 'problem'.

For now, it's not a problem, really, it's not. But I do have that slight fear of the scale moving upwards........ diet head never far a way ........ or maybe just a realist!

Wednesday SUCCESS

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:54 pm

Thanks for reporting on Spark! I love cameo appearances.

Sorry to hear the scale is rattling you, though I'm not surprised in our shared culture. I marvel only when I talk with women- their number is small- who rarely think about their weight, or ones who have gained a little and aren't the least bit concerned. I guess they just have a real faith in the reasonableness of their eating and don't seem to have any subconscious assumptions that their worth or acceptability is tied to that number. I'd trade that for just about any body out there! Oh, to be really truly content as is, to not have one fear that I would lose out on something important because of what I weighed! Besides health, which is a worthy goal, but hardly one in jeopardy at my weight,and one I think I see women claim but which I am deeply suspicious of. Would they be willing to gain a few pounds if there was real evidence that they would be healthier? (That is true for some seniors.) Just watch the gyrations!

Would you like me to promise that I will come to England and find you if it looks like you are sliding too far down the slippery slope to overweight? 'Course, I would probably insist on our having one last binge together before changing the ship's direction.

And I humbly refer you to a previous post of yours in which you talked about reminding yourself that it's not about how low you can go but what you can sustain. (I did a fast truly for an experiment and health reasons, and got pretty darn low. I knew it wasn't sustainable. But now I sometimes tell myself, as if it actually makes a difference, that that lower weight is actually closer to what my "real" body weighs, and the rest of it is mostly water. It IS mostly water! Oh, the mind games.)

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Thu Aug 18, 2016 11:29 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:It's Wednesday morning, and I've just weighed myself. I found that I had a bit of disappointment when I saw I was 116.75 and the same as yesterday. How stupid is that? I am under 119lbs which was my aim. I saw 115lbs all last week, so the 116.75 seems like a 'dangerous' gain. It is much easier, seems to me, to 'slip' upwards in weight, than to slip downwards!

However, I KNOW I'm only eating three meals a day, and I KNOW I use a 9" plate, and I KNOW I am eating quite lightly. So there is only one place to look. So much easier than trying to tweak snacks and measure lumps of butter - I keep on keeping on with my three plates, and if the scale moves the wrong way, then I will have to check what's causing the 'problem'.

For now, it's not a problem, really, it's not. But I do have that slight fear of the scale moving upwards........ diet head never far a way ........ or maybe just a realist!

Wednesday SUCCESS

I can see myself fearing an upward change too. But daily fluctuations are so normal. Maybe you need a card on your mirror to remind you? And hey, you are under your goal--you are doing great!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:04 pm

oolala53 wrote:....I humbly refer you to a previous post of yours in which you talked about reminding yourself that it's not about how low you can go but what you can sustain.

Did I say that? That's pretty good!

Thursday, Friday SUCCESS

I am really looking forward to my weekend as I'm just starting 10 days break from work - I feel like I want to celebrate. I stopped in Costa on my way home and got a Green Tea, Lime & Mint Cooler - I'm guessing it was probably as near as I could get to having an ice-cream really - but at this stage of the game, I'm counting it as a drink and OK. I remember early on, I gave myself a red day for having a fruit-flavoured bottled drink because I knew I was seeking sugar. I don't have to be that strict now - this was me trying to be healthier than having an iced coffee (which would certainly have been sweet and creamy). It was definitely a 'mood' drink - I wanted to celebrate the start of my holiday. However, these days, if I can keep it to 'a drink', I reckon I'm green. Am I fooling myself?

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sat Aug 20, 2016 5:32 pm

I enjoyed eating a whole packet of biscuits (cookies) for 'lunch' today! I haven't done that for ages, but totally relished the freedom of it being an S day and knowing it was O.K.!

I didn't have anything else to eat until my planned dinner meal - dessert is a little bit of lemon sorbet.

It's a grey, rainy day! I've even put the flame-effect light on in my electric heater to give me the illusion of cosiness!!!! I think it will be a DVD tonight, a nice cup of coffee - and, if I'm hungry enough for it, I might pop some corn!

PS I didn't make any popcorn - but I did eat some roasted, salted pistachios whilst I watched Narnia on DVD!!!!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Aug 21, 2016 5:42 pm

Sunday - and another grey, rainy day.
I went to Lidl on the bus this morning and stocked up on staples like lentils, oats, seeds, nuts, canned beans and stuff. Got some veggies and fruit. Also found myself buying some chocolate-caramel biscuits (pack of 6), and a pack of those chilli-flavoured rice cakes I managed to avoid buying last week when I was there! Funny things humans, eh?!

So - after a decent weekend breakfast of vegan cheeze and mushrooms on toast, I went and skipped lunch and just ate chocolate-caramel biscuits, drank tea, read my book.

I feel sad that I did that today (after the biscuits I really enjoyed yesterday). I listened to Podcast 34 again (S days gone wild) - and fell asleep! (I realize that exchanging lunch for biscuits isn't really 'wild' but I needed the re-programming input!)

It's 6.30pm now and I'm about to make a nut roast, served with new potatoes and pak choy and snow peas, followed by a single-portion size (ramekin dish) plum crumble and cream. This will hopefully remind me how much more enjoyable a proper meal is.

I've noticed a couple of other people saying they're feeling a bit down at the moment - and I've been feeling really 'flat' the past week or so........ I put it down to tiredness generally........ but sugar doesn't help, it really doesn't!

kaalii · Post by **kaalii** » Sun Aug 21, 2016 7:05 pm

hey, rawcookie
your Sdays sound just fine... even light...
but i like that you notice how sweets are less satisfying than expected...

im one of the people here who has had a "flat" week... now starting to go uphill, slowly... i think...

let's hang in there!

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Aug 21, 2016 8:39 pm

Hi Kaali - glad you are starting to feel a bit brighter now......... thanks for the support. The nut roast and stuff was on my 9" plate, my plum crumble didn't have any sugar in it - and I don't miss it. I'm glad I put some Good Food into my system before the day ended!