Everyday Systems

Well, I am off work for today and tomorrow because I have strep-throat. It hasn't hurt my No S plan because I barely have an appetite. I figured today would be a good day to start a journal. I appreciate all the people who shared their wisdom on my other post. I feel optimistic. Monday didn't go well, but Tuesday was great. Today, I have only had a little coffee and two eggs. I just can't eat much.

I hope you feel better soon. It's great that you've started a check-in thread.

Thanks Rawcookie.


Today is day 5. It was a major SUCCESS.

B- bacon, egg, cheese, coffee
L-salad (lettuce, ham, cheese, salami, mustard dressing), lime yogurt with pecans
D-ground beef, guacamole, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, flour tortilla

Tomorrow is my first S Day. I am kind of excited!

Day 6 SDay
B-bacon, egg, cheese, hash browns, coffee
L- milkshake (homemade), few fish sticks
S- pumpkin seeds
D- steak, bread, salad (lettuce, tomato, carrots, onion, cucumbers, avocado)

I like S days

Day 7 S Day

B-sausage, waffle, coffee
S-finished pumpkin seeds from yesterday
L-yogurt, raspberries
S-crackers
D-milkshake (homemade)

I enjoyed it all, but feel a little guilty now.

I really think those guilt feelings are undeserved. You are sticking within the guidelines of the plan, well done. Your D say snacks seem very restrained and reasonable, hardly a blow out. I think you need to congratulate yourself (if anything that seems like very little food - were you previously on a very restrictive diet?)

The guilt is probably a leftover from diet head. I noticed in my case it was also related to the physical sensations of being too full. There was a sense of regret over not feeling comfortable that got mixed up with self-judgement. When I could distinguish them, it helped me be less dramatic about it, which is more effective in creating the new habit. If guilt worked, we'd all eat moderately!

You are just getting going. There will be lots of experiences. Almost no one has it just go without hitches or getting through times when s/he doesn't feel as excited any more, which is typical of long term loser/maintainers.

You are right on track.

Hello Skycat. Thanks for the encouragement. My life long struggle has always been sweets...even when I wasn't fat I at too many of them. I cycle between giving up sweets completely to month long binge sessions. I felt guilty after having the milk shake on Sunday. There was a voice that said "You know you shouldn't have eaten that."

I get the hang of it.

oolala, I like what you said in my other post about calmly making changes. I will remember that if I hit a snag later on.

Day 8 FALIURE

B-bacon, egg, toast, coffee
L- salad (lettuce, cukes, green beans, ham, salami, cheese, ranch); corn chips
chocolate bar, crackers
D-chicken fillet, broccoli, rice
roll, banana

I did manage to take a brisk walk for about 20 minutes.

Yay for the walk. As for the failure, OK that happened. Sending you hugs and wishing you the best for getting straight back onto another green day. We all have failures some days. Perfection is boring

Day 9 FAILURE

B- bacon, egg, coffee
chocolate
L-ham and cheese sandwich, yogurt
chocolate
cheese and crackers

Are there nutrients in chocolate? hehe

I left work late so didn't get to walk.

There are certainly nutrients in chocolate. Reinhard recommends that if you want the health benefits, have it like the Aztecs did- as a hot, unsweetened beverage...

I'll have that right after the cod liver oil. (Which isn't a bad idea.)

Day 10 FAIL
Day 11 FAIL

Sometimes contemplating easing yourself in instead of cold turkey makes it easier, and even gives you the oomph to get more compliant. For instance, instead of setting out to go all in all week, do only TWTh the first week, then add the Monday or Friday, etc. Or allow a snack during the morning or afternoon for a week, whichever gap is hardest. (I don't recommend evening because there's often too much history of people being "good" all day and then eating explosively all evening.) But you get the idea. Just be honest with yourself and stick to whatever decision you make for the week.

On a daily basis, there is success and failure, but overall, there is only adjusting or adjusted. There is plenty of room for adjusting.

Thanks oolala. I am so glad you said that. It's weird because I was thinking about the very thing you mentioned before I logged on. I think going cold turkey is too hard for me right now. Tonight I will think about what might be a reasonable change. Thanks again!!

**Warning! This is a long post.**
I came across this interesting website called Eat Like A Normal Person. This woman's idea is that we binge on sugar and junk food because we lack proper nutrition. We eat and eat and eat because we need nutrients. The junk provides calories but no nutrition. She believes the solution is to eat 3 highly (or semi) nourishing meals a day until you are completely full. Once our bodies get the nutrition it wants then we no longer binge on junk because the brain knows it's junk and the body doesn't need to seek more and more calories in an attempt to get proper nutrition. Once this happens you can eat sugar and junk on special occasions along with nourishing foods and you won't be compelled to binge.

It totally makes sense to me. It falls right in line with No S. I am going to see if this approach works. I just need to let go of the idea that I have to restrict my portions of healthy foods right now. I also have to let go of the idea that if I eat a not so healthy food with a meal that I have failed. I have to eat 3 satisfying meals until I am totally full (not 80% full). I want to see what happens.

This morning I encountered the mental struggle. I look at my plate and thought "This is a lot of food" and part of me wanted to take some away, but I continued to eat until I was full. I didn't finish everything. I just stopped when my stomach was completely full.

http://www.eatlikeanormalperson.com/how ... vereating/

If this works, I will be forever grateful to this woman. If it doesn't work, I will have to try something else.

The only thing you can do is test it out. Authors make promises all the time. Eat this and you'll be satisfied. Do this and you won't get hungry. Don't worry, it won't be hard. They absolutely cannot promise this for any individual, though they may have many people who do have the experience they claim. But most of them haven't kept records.

What I liked about Reinhard is that he didn't say it was going to be easy. Just reasonable AND with a track record of generations! But because we have developed other habits, it may take some adjusting to get it to be the default, and by that I mean some mental power to resist the urge of the pattern, an effort that people in those cultures who have never overstepped the bounds don't have to exert. I agree that eating meals is an excellent foundation, not because it will make the urges go away, but because it's such good evidence when they come that they don't arise from any real need.

The good news is it pretty much fits with No S. Commit to your green weeks and let the chocolate chips fall where they may for a few months. It may be all you need and mazel tov to that!

BTW, "long post" is a relative term. I think I beat you with my response. And you never have to apologize for the length of a post on your thread!

This week was interesting. I had a few good days and a few bad ones. I think the idea that I picked up from that website works. I just have to find the right combination of foods to keep me full (that also fit my budget and schedule). I can't follow all of her food recommendations. I still think it makes sense. I am going to continue with it and see if I can make progress.

There's nothing else to do BUT experiment. Research on long term maintenance shows that relapse doesn't decrease to below 50% until people have gone through a series of adjustments--meaning adherence, slips, recalibration, etc.-for a minimum of two years. Some people luck out and have it all fall into place faster, but you can't really tell if that's happened until it plays out. The good news is that it's not all torture along the way! It can be fun, as long as you don't keep wishing it was faster when it isn't.

Enjoy every bite!

Thanks oolala. I do intend to keep experimenting. I realize now that I had been limiting my portions at meals (maybe subconsciously thinking that it would help me lose weight) and then I struggled to make it to the next meal. The only problem with snacking is that it was hard for me to stop. I would start with a few crackers and end up eating a whole row of crackers, grabbing some cookies, picking up a banana, a roll, etc. In less than one hour I would eat all of that. Crazy.. I know!!!

Now, after trying this method if I eat until I am full then I can make a logical choice not to eat a snack/sweet even if I have a craving. But that was only on the days where I actually did eat until full at lunch time.

You aren't the first to "careen" with cutting too much and overdoing it later. It's all part of the learning. Very few tennis players get good at serves without a LOT of too long, too short, and too wide of shots. All you have to do is get really good at them on N days for now!

I have had a hectic couple of weeks. I really want to start checking-in daily again. Things have calmed down so I should be able to do it.

I definitely haven't had an all green week yet, but I haven't given up.

My goal is to have a full green week!

Today I had a big ole bowl of pudding as a treat. It was yummy.

Green

Remember that goal. Imagine how great it will feel to be able to declare a green week. Are you using habitcal?

Green

oolala, I haven't been consistent with HabitCal. I need to use it.

I don't use it consistently, either. Maybe that can be a June addition.

Red

Red

On Habitcal?

carlaD wrote:Green

oolala, I haven't been consistent with HabitCal. I need to use it.

It's amazing to me how much getting to click and fill in one of those little boxes can motivate me if I'm having a tough day! Hang in there!

Two green days this week. Next week I will aim for three or more green days. Baby steps.

That's as valid a way as any to develop the habit.

Monday Red
Tuesday Red

YOu still have a chance for your three green days.

Still hanging on. I have only been able to get two Green days weekly. I haven't given up though.

Do hang on. That's two saner days a week than you were probably eating before.