Selcazare

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Selcazare

Post by Selcazare » Mon Jan 08, 2018 5:12 pm

I am finally creating a post for checking in. I've got a lot going on (okay, I've got a case of mono going on) and not a lot of time so I'll be back with more concrete goals and info.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Fri Jan 12, 2018 9:15 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Post by Octavia » Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:14 pm

Hi Selcazare, just thought I’d say hello and best of luck with everything. You come across as a really thoughtful person who understands the psychological side of eating very well. And you know yourself well, too! That’s got to give you a head start. It sounds like you’ve found a sensible modification, allowing sweets to be part of your plate. I’ve read of other No S folk who do that, too.

I started eating more in response to anxiety, too - though for me this happened in adulthood. I read in a book that keeping your blood sugar stable was helpful for panic attacks, and indeed, I did suffer more anxiety when my blood sugar was low. Especially if a meal was delayed, I could get quite desperate and jittery. But being concerned with my blood sugar backfired: I simply became anxious about hunger. And snacking just became a habit. No S really forces me to confront this.

Your eating style sounds a bit like mine. I don’t have big binges but I would graze on junk a lot. And sometimes do crazy meals like the one you described with the ice cream and Cheetos. Eg. Three chocolate eclairs. 😱😂!

Anyway, all the best with your new eating style!

gingerpie
Posts: 1031
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:16 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, US

Post by gingerpie » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:33 pm

Hi and welcome home. I'm glad your 3 meals are working for you. I'm curious, Do you mean you prep. and cook 2 different meals for you and your husband every day? That's an amazing level of dedication! My husband would be just plane out of luck.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Sat Jan 13, 2018 9:12 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:33 am

Your cooking descriptions are impressive to me!
Fascinating both yours & your husband's journey.

Note: I empathize with the crazy meals (for example, ice cream for dinner was nearly a staple for me at various points in my life). Also empathize with the pre-diabetes. I haven't gotten that diagnosis, but I have my suspicions.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Sun Jan 14, 2018 4:11 pm

*****

I still have to tell myself that a pint of ice cream is not a meal, and that's one of the reasons I need to stick with three meals a day, every day because my Saturday and Sundays always lead me right back to that habit. Best of luck to you!
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:23 am

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Sat Jan 20, 2018 4:00 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Post by Octavia » Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:32 pm

Wow - I just followed those links you posted, Selca. The one headed I Failed Maintenance is a brilliant argument for No S: that lady never learned any habits of moderation, and was left high and dry. And from the replies, you can see how many calorie counters have got into similar difficulties. So many people report putting all their weight back on. My heart goes out to them.

I’ve done CICO a couple of times - it worked a treat the first time, but I lapsed after a year or so. The second time it was harder and less effective. The third time, and in subsequent attempts, I just failed almost straight away! I couldn’t resist highly calorific foods, and was always trying to make space for them, rather than just cut them out for the week as you’d do on No S. Now, I feel much more able to cut out chocolate for a few days at a time. It’s a new skill for me.

Thanks for posting those links!

milliem
Posts: 1178
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2011 2:30 pm

Post by milliem » Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:06 pm

That link was really insightful - I lost a good amount of weight calorie counting, but I would 'fit in' a chocolate bar or other snack to my counts frequently, and never really built sustainable habits. Then when I got near my goal weight I just backslid and went back into the old habits of eating whatever, whenever, and put most of it back on again!

Hope you are feeling better!

Larkspur
Posts: 438
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:30 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Larkspur » Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:13 pm

Really enjoyed your history post and your experiences/thinking. There is so much that goes into this process, you could be endlessly fascinated. The three plates of anything sounds like a good mod which has worked well for others here.

At the moment I am moving back from Holiday Zone (gosh, that's hung on, hasn't it?) where I have sweets daily though not generally in what I would consider large amounts :) I save official desserts for Friday/Saturday. I have done the clean eating 6 days/ cheat 7th day in the past which can be made to work, but does heighten the glamour of sweets. I think I do better sort of soft-peddling them during the week and then looking forward to/preparing some nice dessert or brunchy treat on the weekend. I do want to tighten up my practices but I think I will do that by getting myself to fix a plate rather than eating any old how, which I tend to do especially at lunch.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:43 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:41 am

Hi there!
Can you tell me a little more about Happy Scale? I suppose I can just google it, too, though -- so don't feel obligated to expound. :lol: :wink:
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:20 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:23 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:32 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Merry
Posts: 1658
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:14 am

Post by Merry » Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:57 am

Great review! Awesome to have peace of mind around food AND losses too.
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Post by Octavia » Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:03 pm

Fantastic progress, Selca! Interesting to hear about your mod.

Lilybug
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 13, 2017 11:46 am

Post by Lilybug » Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:24 pm

Congratulations! I can see how staying to most of the esses, even on the weekend, could be helpful. Snacking has been the worst of the esses, for me.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:11 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Selcazare
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:06 pm

Post by Selcazare » Thu Mar 08, 2018 5:07 pm

*****
Last edited by Selcazare on Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Octavia
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 8:01 pm
Location: UK

Post by Octavia » Fri Mar 09, 2018 3:28 pm

Hope you’re feeling better, Selcazare! Good luck for March. 🙂
Interesting feature, by the way!

Post Reply