Everyday Systems

Thanks to both of you!

Today was GREEN with a vegan pea-protein shake and a small banana for breakfast about 8.30 am (at work); lunch was a peanut butter and green pepper sandwich, with a salad box (lettuce, tomato, red onion, cauliflower, vegan mayo) + a cashew Nak'd Bar. My third meal was grapes, kiwi, small banana in coconut yoghurt, with some seed & goji/sultana/raisin type sprinkles mixed in.

I've got a week off coming up - starting on Saturday - and I want to have a go at making some seedy vegan 'bread' that has no flour or yeast in it.

I have more or less given up on evening meals now - and almost always eat my third meal by 6 pm at the latest. So I generally have a 'fasting' period of 12-15 hrs.

The weight hasn't dropped off me (as it did when I was eating raw vegan a few years' ago!) - but I'm adjusting to eating less generally - and I'm sure that this is stopping my weight from creeping upwards as I get older.

Today was GREEN

and my weight was lower this morning

I had hi-protein bread, toasted, with peanut butter for breakfast
Lunch was a salad bowl with lettuce, tomato, green pepper, red onion, grated courgette, a couple of chopped chestnuts, vegan cheese, half an avocado, vegan mayo with 4 Ryvita and Flora Light spread, and a cashew Nak'd Bar.
Dinner was a vegan 'pulled pork' burger, and a stir-fry of onion, carrot, green pepper, courgette (can you tell I was using stuff up?!) with sesame oil and lime juice, and some Cajun seasoning. I smashed up the other half of the avocado with some more lime juice as a kind of 'mayo'; and a clemantine.

Three meals, no snacks, no sweets, no seconds.

When I left work at 6.30 pm I thought about going to the supermarket to pick up some broccoli, but I changed course and avoided the shop because I knew I was hungry and tired, and would probably be tempted to buy something else too!

It's the weekend, and I've totally enjoyed having an S day today!

It's the first of 9 days off work - holiday leave - and I kind of fell into a relaxed state. I enjoyed dark chocolate with whole roasted hazelnuts - yum! I crunched a packet of hand-fried in coconut oil organic potato crisps. I relished a cheese and marmite pasty from the bakers + an apple-cinnamon doughnut!

I went for a run this morning (5k parkrun) - and then came home and went shopping. And have spent the rest of the day just chilling - watching a film, reading, cooking.

I've baked a chocolate teff loaf - which is a recipe that I like a lot - it's made with teff flour, banana, cocoa and dates - plus some psyllium to bind it, baking powder, baking soda, lemon juice. It makes a lovely slice-able firm kind of cake/loaf which doesn't throw my system into a sugar-craving fenzy. It's also very satisfying. I think the teff must be quite high in protein.

I have entered a new phase! Over the weekend, stuck indoors for much of the time due to extreme weather, I came across 'metabolic renewal' and signed up to receive the information and exercises etc. Very interesting - so I've started paying more attention to how many carbs I'm eating. NOT KETO! I also bought the Jason Fung book 'The Obesity Code'. Both of these things fit very well into No S as they don't advise any snacks or sweets.

I used the nutrition tracker on Spark People to count my carbs today - and I had eaten about 150g - which is fine. Probably sounds horrendous to anyone doing Keto - but it's low enough for me probably. I'll see what happens at 150-200g, and take it down farther if I need to.

The metabolic renewal system of exercise is very much like shovel-glove really! It's a 'rest based' system - you 'push until you can't; rest until you can'

I did Day 1 this morning - it felt good.

I recently read the obesity code and other similar books. They are quite an eye opener.

Jx

Not keto here, either! That low carb emphasis (for decades long use) scares me. I started listening to Fung long before his book came out. He definitely has his use, but all authors have a bias. It is in the nature of the temperament of people drawn to such work to develop a perspective and share it. I do think people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic deserve something better than a life of insulin injections, if possible. And I admit I have my bias towards certain authors.

Glad you are feeling so peppy!

Still here. Doing well. I put on a few pounds since the lock-down - which are not leaving quickly - but I'm being pretty consistent with my No S diet - which is a sane place to be.

Just checked back in. I'm still jogging along as a No S-er! It's my way of life now - a firmly-established system; all my friend know it's what I do too- so no longer have any problems with people offering me cakes on week-days!


Xmas gets leaner every year - it's just a day, right?

I was really happy to see, read and listen to, the latest podcast from Reinhard about the devil/demons on our shoulders. So true! Knowing that's what's going on is helpful. And giving them 'time out' is one way to subdue them both! ie -move away from the kitchen!

Hey there girl! Nice to see you!

I also really enjoyed reading Reinhard's angel/demon podcast.

Right! I'm going to be here most days, posting how I'm doing on a regular basis. I've just started (Day 5) Bright Line Eating, which is going well. No S set me off on a good footing, having given up snacking years' ago now! But one No S habit that I need to change is my Saturday 'treats'. I've got into a habit of making Saturday the day when I can have chocolate, or biscuits, or cake, or pastry even.

I have just successfully navigated my first GREEN weekend, with three meals, no snacks, no sweets on Saturday or Sunday EVEN though they were S days in my mind!

Anyone else here do Bright Line Eating? Interestingly, with reference to Reinhard's 'angels and demons' Bright Line also has those two competing "parts" - the Food Indulger and the Food Controller.

https://brightlineeating.com/2019/06/me ... ontroller/

Hi rawcookie! Ive been thinking of making a return to No S and I’ve been dabbling in some bright line eating as well. I would love to hear your take on it, how it’s going and if you intend on following it exactly as prescribed. Thanks!

Hi Sinnie - I'm on Day 8 of Bright Line Eating, and doing well. I haven't missed things I thought I would miss. It feels very good to me. I intend to follow it exactly as prescribed. I did the 'susceptibility scale' quiz and came out as a 10. I cannot be in the same room as quite a lot of foods - and most of them do, in fact, contain flour and/or sugar!

Previously I had got myself down to xylitol, and gluten-free flours etc, but now understand that those, too, are not helpful for someone with my level of susceptibility.

The Bootcamp is expensive by my standards, but I decided to take the leap, and have signed up for it.

Bright Line Eating Day 8 - going well so far. Weight steady at 115.25lbs. No excessive hunger.

Down 1lb this morning - and have my three meals planned out for the day. Looking forward to a Bright Day!

114lbs

Pilates is on my agenda - gentle exercise. Yesterday I went for a swim.

Wow well done! If you ever feel like it or have time, I’d love to see an example of your meals

I'll see what I can do - they're not always 'pretty' meals - very simple, often 'bowl' meals!

Well, I managed to post some photos

breakfast: 1 oz oats, 3 oz frozen banana - defrosted, 2 oz peanut butter, 3 oz frozen cherries - all mixed together, put in a freezer bag in a log shape. Looks like nothing - tastes wonderful! lunch: 6 oz veg (broccoli, cauliflower, onion, mushroom) 3 oz black chick peas, 2 oz coconut milk, curry spices, 0.5 oz cashews 6oz strawberries, 2 oz soya cream

Dinner

6 oz veg: kolrabi and broccoli with lemon and hotsauce (stir-fried in water and stock)
8 oz salad: two kinds of lettuce, beetroot, radish, cucumber + 2oz vegan tunah, 3 oz black chickpeas
0.5 oz vegan mayo

Sunday - and my second weekend being a Bright Liner!

Breakfast is 4 oz boiled new potatoes, 4 oz tempeh pan-cooked in tamari and smoked paprika (no oil) + 6 oz fruit (strawberries and orange) last night I threw away more food from my cupboard - three half-used packets of savoury dry mixes for falafel and veggie burgers - they all contain flours of various kinds. I was also looking forward to a hot chocolate using my raw non-sweetened cacao - but that too is a flour, and the cacao hits the brain in the same way as sugar - so that has to go - that was pretty sad. But I'm being strict with the rules. Just as I was at the beginning of No S. No S works for my kind of brain, and I know the Bright Line Eating will too.

Love the meals you’re posting! They look delicious and healthy. How is your hunger? Has it been difficult to adhere to?

I'm finding it easy. Having been a No S person for a while, I have a flying start. No not difficult. I am aware that living alone, retired from work, and in a pandemic where social interaction has been reduced, has made it a LOT easier! I am kind of missing stopping by cafes for lunch or something - and I kind of felt sad not to be able to go and get coffee and cake at the weekend. But more of an emotional/social hunger, not physical.

Another good day. I am finding it pretty easy - except for having to shop more often for fresh fruit and veg!

Today I could only manage about 2/3rds of my lunch, and I left 2.3oz of my salad at dinner. I don't seem to need the quantity of food recommended by the BLE plan. BUT she does say you can customise your plan - as long as you stick to it.

My weight is down this morning - lowest it's been for a long time - 113.75lbs

I htought I posted a comment before. Hope it didn't offend!

Glad to hear the transition is easy so far. sounds like your body has let go of some glycogen and probably a little fat. Even if you didn't know about the weight loss, had you noticed feeling lighter? I notice when I'm being really rigorous that I can see the veins and tendons in my feet really easily. (I wasn't looking for that but saw it while on the "throne" after one of my 5-day fast mimicking bouts. But I'm okay with occasionally fluffier feet.

What is going to happen to your 100 Days team on Spark? That seemed like a really active team, by Spark standards. What a shame.

P. S. Saw you said you were in Bath. I had no idea it is such a gorgeous city! We didn't plan well and most of the great places to visit were booked for days ahead of our visit. I'm usually too cheap to pay for the touristy stuff, but I was ready to sell out! We did see Ralph Fiennes on stage at a small theater. THAT was a coup as the site said they were sold out, but we asked and got the last two tickets. It was Four Quartets, a bit heady, but still an experience. But I liked just walking around and the weather was fantastically cooperative.

Hi OOLALA - the Spark Team is ending with Spark People and people are going in whatever direction they feel works best for them. I'm directing people to Linda Spangles ELEVATE program, and she has got a helpful tracking app called Weight Loss Joy! which is working well for me.

I'm glad you had a good time in England and that the weather was nice.

There's not much weight change for me on BLE as I'm already at quite a low weight. But it's the 'food freedom' I'm after. No S certainly was a good stepping-stone. I haven't missed my S day treats yet!

My third Saturday on Bright Light Eating - and NO pull towards 'treat foods' - amazing. I was out and about from 9am and 2pm, and enjoyed a coffee sitting in the park, but apart from that - nothing. It's amazing!

Oh, I see. Yes I remember now posts about how you felt compelled to eat foods in the cupboard at work that you wouldn't likely have at home, and often after vowing not to. Very cool that you feel such peace now.

Yes, I've tried abstaining from those foods many times - but could never sustain it (or would find healthier alternatives), but learning about the neuroscience has really clicked it into place for me. I have been, basically, a very well-controlled food addict! The amount of will-power I was using was incredible.

Today is Day 20 on BLE (which is also NO S!).

I have a fear to deal with which is about peripheral vascular disease - I'm starting to get symptoms. This terrifies me. But I'm not eating over it! I did, however, decide to take some Kalms (valerian tablets)!

This morning the scale was on 111.75lbs - my lowest for several years! I have been re-reading my blogs and posts through the years, and it was leading me in the direction of 'no sugar', but the structure of Bright Line Eating seems to really work for me. I've found my way of eating for life. No S gave me a good start. It's still No S - three meals a day, no snacks, no sweets, no seconds - without the S day exceptions. It's green every day.

I'm loving it! When I get to 110lbs, I'm treating myself to a proper haircut! My pandemic strategy has just been to let it grow long; I cut about 6" off myself last summer, but no-one would notice really!

I hit 111lbs yesterday morning, but bounced back to 112.5 this morning - the trend is downwards though and quite exciting! I'm enjoying eating this way - just measuring out quantities of vegetables, proteins, grains, fats, fruit etc. It's kind of taken the hassle out of meal-creation, and become more of a mish-mash, patchwork of nutritionally sound portions. I'm liking it (did I already say that?!) What surprises me most is that I feel like I'm eating so much more than before - but still losing weight, because the grains, flours and sugars have been removed! It's amazing - I'm SO glad I came across this finally - I've tried to control my food for years!

Amazing! Good job and thanks so much for sharing. This sounds very appealing from a nutrition standpoint. Did it take some adjusting getting used to no carbs at lunch and dinner. That was a struggle for me when I tried, that by dinner I really wanted some rice or pasta with my meal. Do you tell other people what you’re doing, or how do you navigate social situations?

Glad it's working out. I know when I am not eating much of anything like crackers or "small particle" starches, " the volume food is going to go up. And I have to do more chewing so it takes longer, too.

8 June - 7 July

Sinnie - no, I have only shared what I'm doing with one friend who was interested. Otherwise, my friends and family are already used to me doing No S and saying I don't eat snacks and sugary things - so that was a help to me. I have decided that if anyone questions me, I'll say I'm avoiding sugar and flour to help keep arthritis at bay. I haven't had anyone notice my weight-loss yet - but I wear baggy clothes, and don't have many social meet-ups at the moment. No, I didn't miss grains, but I do enjoy them at breakfast time (rice cakes, or oatmeal). Grains get added back in once you want to stop losing weight. I've never lost weight so easily and eaten so much! This morning I was 110.25lbs. Lowest for a very long time. It certainly seems to suit me. My mental health is improved too - I seem much calmer generally.

Just checking in.

No S and Bright Lines all good.

I went out for breakfast today - first time I've eaten out in ages! It was scrumptious.
Baked beans, falafel, beetroot pudding (made with wheat gluten like a vegan version of black pudding), tomato, mushroom, spinach.

Very pretty!

Weight down to 108lbs this morning. This is one of the cool graphics I get from the app I'm using which shows how many days my weight went down, went up, or stayed the same, and the rate of loss on a daily/weekly basis. It's the 'dance'!

Woo hoo! for the loss and the rad app!

Thanks

It is so easy to lose weight whilst eating plenty of food on this programme! 107.2lbs this morning. I''m thrilled!

Three meals a day - yup!

No sugars, no flours, and measuring quantities. It's working a dream for me! It's like NO S PLUS!

Great news

Still doing well with Bright Line Eating (or No S Plus as I call it - No S without any S days at all!)

My weight is down to 105.75 lbs and I'm down a dress-size - it feels amazing to have finally found the key to weight management (for me).

Breakfast: 6 oz baked potato, sliced and sauteed; 4 oz tofu scrambled with nutritional yeast and turmeric; 6 oz strawberries

Lunch: 6 oz green beans and cabbage (pre-cooked and cold) made into a salad with 4 oz tofu weiner, and 0.5 oz vegan mayo; 6 oz apple

Dinner: 14 oz veggies and 2 oz Halloumi made into a curry with 0.5oz creamed coconut and spices making the sauce.

Kitchen closed. Another day done. Overnight oats in the fridge for tomorrow: 1 oz oats, 6 oz strawberries and blueberries; 4 oz Greek yoghurt, 2 oz oat milk; 0.5 oz chopped walnuts. Yum!

I love overnight oats! And well done on doing so well on BLE!

Hi RawCookie!
It's great to see you. I'm so glad BLE is working so well for you.
I am reading the book, but don't know about giving up the starches at lunch and supper. I guess I could start with the maintenance portions and see if I can lose weight slowly.
How did you like the bootcamp? Was it worth the high price tag?
In any case, I have stockpiled some whole food plant based "NMF" that I'll use up before doing anything drastic, LOL.
Best,
Sonya

My weight is now 102.5 lbs and I am feeling great.
When I started BLE I threw away TONS of stuff!
I think the Boot Camp was worth the money - the material and resources are yours forever, so you can keep going over it.
I joined the next group up which is Bright Lifers - I got a discount scholarship for that, and that's worth it to, for me anyway.
They are currently re-designing the membership structure and we're awaiting announcements!

You can totally do it without paying anything - just the information on the website, in the book, and there are a whole bunch of videos on You Tube. There is also a Bright Line Eating Official facebook group which is very informational.

Wowie! Also wanted to be sure you knew that this site might be closed to new comments or even shut down. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12589

Looking Great

Hi Oolala - yes, I read the post about that - not surprised. I am grateful for the initial No S materials that started me off kicking snacks! It's made the transition to BLE much easier.

I know, so much has been made possible by the original Vanilla plan's discipline. I'll bet if someone had told you back when that you should eat the way you're eating now, you would have thought they were crazy. We seem to have go through our own stages.

Congratulations on your success on BLE! Well done! I love how the No-S habits work so well with other dietary philosophies.

If anyone's interested in trying out Bright Line Eating for free - there's a limited-time offer for the 14-day trial at zero cost.

https://bit.ly/3w8khYT

As you know from here, I started No S at around 124lbs, and settled at around 115lbs. I started BLE in June this year at 115lbs and am now 102lbs and feeling amazing. It's worth an exploration even if you decide it's not for you.

101.25lbs this morning! My next weigh-in will be Sunday, and my expectation is that the number will have bounced back up a bit (before it goes down again) BUT I'm prepared! And on the day I see 101lbs on the scale, I'm adding the first 'maintenance step' which will be a portion of grain at lunch. I already have some roasted buckwheat and some quinoa cooked - in weighed bags in the freezer.

I hit 101 lbs yesterday - so have started 'maintenance' which began with adding 1oz rice cakes to lunch!

I put a link to the 14-day challenge with Bright Line Eating in my post a few days' ago - it's a free offer still available until 16th November. Then from 16th - 22nd November there's a special deal subscription to Bright Line Eating, in case anyone's interested. You need to use a 'code' to get the discount.

If you want to give this thing a try for just 2 weeks, Bright Line Eating has made the 14-Day Challenge free between now and November 16th only. That way you can figure out whether BLE is right for you and decide whether you want to hop into their All-Access Membership while the deep discount is available from November 16th to 22nd. If you’d like to test the waters, you can start right here: https://ble.life/free14

And if you decide to dive deeper and commit to the full Bright Transformation, you’ll need a “Bright Ticket” code. The only people who have them are Bright Lifers, and luckily, I’m a proud Bright Lifer. This program has changed my life, and for anyone out there who thinks they have some weight to release or who wants to be healthier…I can’t think of a better gift they could give themselves.

My code is mryj6f

And here’s the link to the Concierge Page where you’ll find anything and everything you want to know about the All-Access Membership (and where you can order starting November 16th): https://ble.life/brightticket

#IHAVEABRIGHTTICKET

I am still doing well with Bright Line Eating (which I see as a kind of next-step from No S for people who are 'addicted' to certain foods like me!). I remembered that it was Reinhard's wife who introduced the 'except sometimes on S days' element. This permission to have 'cheat days' served me well for several years. But also kept me stuck in a bit of a trap. The beauty of practicing the kind of abstinence that means No S + no flours + no S-days has meant that I no longer spend so much of my day thinking about food - what I'm going to eat, what I'm going to eat at the weekend etc.

Happy Thanksgiving folks - it's just another day food-wise.

Happy Thanksgiving! Glad Bright Line eating has been working so well for you! Congrats on reaching your maintenance weight!

I'm glad BLE is working for you!!
I drop in there at times, haven't followed the program consistently, though.
I assume you are still doing it plant based-?

Just in case you check in here, Hi! Miss being able to say hi on Sparkpeople. How are you doing? I went to England in 2021 and this year, and might again in the spring. I hear things are tough since I left at the end of August. Hugs