Elegant Portions Check In

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
elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Elegant Portions Check In

Post by elegantportions » Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:20 pm

Quick Summary:
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2013 Beginning BMI = 26.7 Time to "do something" about my weight
Feb 2014 Found this site & began lurking, joined in May
Dec 2014 BMI = 24.7 Vanilla NoS works
2015 = 23.1 Good compliance, whittled portions
2016 = 25.8 Lots of Red Days
2017 = 27.2 AWOL
2018 = 25.8 Vanilla NoS works


Wed Mar 07, 2018
Oolala wrote:Am I making an attempt to fill up on other pleasurable or productive tasks? Am I liking life better?
Maybe musing here counts as productive?
At least I am not eating.

Yikes!
Last night I did further research on health consequences of obesity, and some of the things I discovered scared me big time. I hope the fear is real enough to keep me motivated...

We all know that weight is not necessarily a good marker to watch. But I have a 36-year habit of weekly weigh-ins, so I am not likely to stop now.

I was looking around to see what else might be better. I decided that for me, waist circumference (WC) might fit the bill. My body type is definitely in the apple category. I have large breasts, but from the front I look like a ruler. How does one even measure a non-existent waistline??? I did my best and measured several times, coming up with a range of 98-102 cm.

Just for reference, my hips are 98 cm and almost never change, meaning my W:H ratio is 1 or greater. Okay, so my W:H ratio is always going to look bad, just sometimes more bad than others. Don't think I will bother with tracking that.

But WC itself is on a larger scale, meaning that variations can be noticeable, assuming of course that I ever manage to get decent readings!
So I will begin to record WC the first week of every month.
I constructed this chart for quality control purposes:
Waist Circumference Categories for Women
72-80 cm Normal
80-90 cm Overweight = moderate increase in health risks
90-100 cm Obese = high increase in health risks
100-110 cm Extremely Obese = flirting with death

How depressing! Obese, with small hope of ever seeing Normal.

But I'm not sure I am totally convinced that all my belly fat is the worst kind.
1) My ancestral family was full of "apples" who lived well into their 90s.
2) At least some of my waist fat is right under the skin.
3) At least a tiny portion has to be re-arranged muscle & internal organs. I have never been the same since pregnancy even when the scale was lower than pre-pregnancy.

However, I will agree that no matter where excess fat is located or what kind of fat it is, it is best to lose it.

On the bright side, I discovered these encouraging remarks:
Waist reduction of just 5 cm significantly reduces risk.
Fat is lost from high-risk sites first.

I am especially encouraged by Guidelines for the Leptin Diet:
1. Fast at least 11 hrs. between dinner & breakfast.
2. Eat 3 meals/day with 5-6 hrs. between.
3. Eat slowly & stop slightly less than full.
4. Include protein with breakfast.
5. Reduce carb intake.

And this article by John Douillard:
Dangers of Frequent Eating

Following Vanilla NoS guidelines should help re-set healthy hormone levels and remove excess fat from my body.

Calorie Destinations:
Immediately burned for energy 1-3 hours after eating
Short-term fat stores around the waist unless I burn them 4-6 hours after eating
Long-term fat storage

Three hints:
Ingest fewer calories at meals.
Take a walk or move around within 3 hrs of eating to burn off those short-term stores.
The longer I wait to eat again, the longer I keep burning fat.

Enough for now. Time to go live life.
Last edited by elegantportions on Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 08, 2018 9:06 pm

Elizabeth 7 wrote:Eating is a nurturing, life sustaining activity. Not something else to feel bad about.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 08, 2018 9:07 pm

automatedeating wrote:It's probably somewhat normal to be a bit crazy during serious life change.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 08, 2018 9:32 pm

Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of at least 3 of the following:
abdominal obesity
high blood sugar
high blood pressure
high triglycerides
high LDL cholesterol
low HDL cholesterol
These factors occurring together greatly increase my risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 08, 2018 9:50 pm

oolala53 wrote:...wanting to help avoid dementia affects what I put on my moderate plates. Hey, you middle agers! What you do now has a profound effect on dementia later.
This is one of my biggest motivators.
Based on family history, dementia is my number 1 health risk nightmare. Many relatives developed it, and my mother needed 24-hr care beginning at age 60. I am already living on borrowed time...
When I think of the quantities of Mountain Dew my mother drank, I can't help but believe it was a major contributor. When her blood sugar went through the roof, she switched to the diet version rather than quitting. Don't get me started on artificial sweeteners.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Fri Mar 09, 2018 3:33 pm

Why I choose NoS rather than Intuitive Eating
1. "Is it time to eat?" is easier for me to answer & answer correctly than "Am I hungry?"
2. "Is my plate empty?" is easier for me to answer & answer correctly than "Am I full?"
3. "What is the whole family eating?" is easier to answer & prepare for than "What am I truly hungry for right now?"
4. I am convinced that a night fast of at least 12 hrs. is a healthy habit for me. If I happen to get hungry some night after dinner, just going to bed anyway would not fit IE at all. I am flirting with the possibility of making No Snacks after dinner an absolute rule; however, for now I won't push it on S Days. It is much too early for me to be making mods. NoS Phase 1
Last edited by elegantportions on Fri Mar 09, 2018 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Fri Mar 09, 2018 3:56 pm

Success from sometime in the last couple of years:
We seldom eat out, but it was someone's birthday and we went to Olive Garden for a celebration meal. Of course, that means an S Day, so I could eat whatever I wanted. But I consciously thought about it first!!!

DH & I decided to split a meal, which we often do. But then the wonderful thought flitted through my mind, "I wonder what would happen if I split that in half?" So I did, and you know what, that was absolutely the most perfect elegant portion for me. I was slightly fuller than normal, which a celebration meal should be, but not uncomfortably stuffed, which was my old normal for celebrations. And I also took home a doggie bag filled with two delicious lunches.

I know restaurants are notorious for huge serving sizes, but prior to NoS, if anyone had ever told me that I would be happy with 1/4 serving, I would not have believed them in a million years!!!
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Fri Mar 09, 2018 7:31 pm

Encouragment to Exercise

I need to learn to fidget nonstop. Hey, I bet typing on a keyboard counts!
Maybe I am not totally wasting my time by coming here...

from The Economist on the dangers of sitting and the importance of activity:
"Changes can be reversed by small amounts of fairly relaxed activity."
"Even just standing up counts."
"Breaking up prolonged periods of sitting with two minutes of walking every 20 minutes made a big difference."
Hmmm...not sure I completely agree with conclusions from the 1953 study of bus drivers vs. conductors. In addition to sitting vs. standing, I would think that being a driver is inherently more stressful than being a conductor.

An excellent book on the subject is Sitting Kills, Moving Heals by former NASA scientist, Joan Vernikos. She also has some informative videos on Youtube.

"The harm to leg arteries caused by sitting for hours can be easily reversed with hourly 5-minute walks." Medical News Today

A Guide to Rucking
Fun article from a Small-Town Ranger with a backpack
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

Whosonfirst
Posts: 538
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:32 pm

Re: Elegant Portions Check In

Post by Whosonfirst » Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:05 pm

elegantportions wrote:
Oolala wrote:Am I making an attempt to fill up on other pleasurable or productive tasks? Am I liking life better?
Maybe musing here counts as productive?
At least I am not eating.

Yikes!
Last night I did further research on health consequences of obesity, and some of the things I discovered scared me big time. I hope the fear is real enough to keep me motivated...

We all know that weight is not necessarily a good marker to watch. But I have a 36-year habit of weekly weigh-ins, so I am not likely to stop now.

I was looking around to see what else might be better. I decided that for me, waist circumference (WC) might fit the bill. My body type is definitely in the apple category. I have large breasts, but from the front I look like a ruler. How does one even measure a non-existent waistline??? I did my best and measured several times, coming up with a range of 98-102 cm.

Just for reference, my hips are 98 cm and almost never change, meaning my W:H ratio is 1 or greater. Okay, so my W:H ratio is always going to look bad, just sometimes more bad than others. Don't think I will bother with tracking that.

But WC itself is on a larger scale, meaning that variations can be noticeable, assuming of course that I ever manage to get decent readings!
So I will begin to record WC the first week of every month.
I constructed this chart for quality control purposes:
Waist Circumference Categories for Women
72-80 cm Normal
80-90 cm Overweight = moderate increase in health risks
90-100 cm Obese = high increase in health risks
100-110 cm Extremely Obese = flirting with death

How depressing! Obese, with small hope of ever seeing Normal.

But I'm not sure I am totally convinced that all my belly fat is the worst kind.
1) My ancestral family was full of "apples" who lived well into their 90s.
2) At least some of my waist fat is right under the skin.
3) At least a tiny portion has to be re-arranged muscle & internal organs. I have never been the same since pregnancy even when the scale was lower than pre-pregnancy.

However, I will agree that no matter where excess fat is located or what kind of fat it is, it is best to lose it.

On the bright side, I discovered these encouraging remarks:
Waist reduction of just 5 cm significantly reduces risk.
Fat is lost from high-risk sites first.

I am especially encouraged by Guidelines for the Leptin Diet:
1. Fast at least 11 hrs. between dinner & breakfast.
2. Eat 3 meals/day with 5-6 hrs. between.
3. Eat slowly & stop slightly less than full.
4. Include protein with breakfast.
5. Reduce carb intake.

And this article by John Douillard:
Dangers of Frequent Eating

Following Vanilla NoS guidelines should help re-set healthy hormone levels and remove excess fat from my body.

Calorie Destinations:
Immediately burned for energy 1-3 hours after eating
Short-term fat stores around the waist unless I burn them 4-6 hours after eating
Long-term fat storage

Three hints:
Ingest fewer calories at meals.
Take a walk or move around within 3 hrs of eating to burn off those short-term stores.
The longer I wait to eat again, the longer I keep burning fat.

Enough for now. Time to go live life.
Kudos to you for taking this approach involving waist size. I believe some of our armed services here in the U.S. use that approach over the weight/height ratio to addressing BMI. We have a saying in engineering, that you can't address or solve a problem without first taking measurements, whatever they might be. Also very brave of you to share that info. so I get a feeling that description of you is probably pretty accurate. Good luck with achieving your goals. Looking forward to your posts. Trace
https://twitter.com/SipeEngineering
Current weight(9/2020)-212 lbs.
Goal Weight- 205 lbs.
NoS Goal: >= 80% Success days

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Mon Apr 09, 2018 3:21 pm

Yay! March was perfect green & yellow with 1 legitimate NWS day.

But toward the end of the month, we got a new foster child, and sleepless nights became the norm. That's what happened last time I went totally off the rails, so I am trying to be super diligent. I need to remind myself when I am feeling tired, that what I need is either to let off steam (translate exercise), or take a nap, NOT eat more food.

UGH, April is being a real slog...
Of course, Easter was S-day easy, but Monday 04/02 I stayed in eating mode. I had fruit salad as a side rather than making room on my plate by taking smaller portions of ham and potatoes. And then I took a 2d deviled egg. Seconds means red-day fail. Mark it & do better tomorrow.

I managed to white-knuckle through the rest of the week, being generous on my single plates with not-sweet comfort foods I REALLY wanted, but, alas, on Friday I once again succumbed to a second burrito. All in all, a week of too much junky food, just too much altogether. But I DID avoid snacks, I ate at home, & I resisted all the leftover Easter sweets.

Here's to a new week of opportunities to practice all 3 habits.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Post by Soprano » Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:13 pm

Sounds like you did ok, I treated Easter Monday as an S Day as in the UK it is a bank holiday.

Don't forget when we lose sleep it can make you crave food
http://news.berkeley.edu/2013/08/06/poo ... junk-food/

Knowing it's a natural reaction might make it easier to cope with....

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:37 pm

At least at this point in my journey, Intermittent Fasting is definitely not for me. I look at some of the other check-in threads for people who have a short eating window, and when they DO eat sounds like a recipe for disordered eating for me.

Yesterday, I met a friend for lunch and savored the social interaction instead of food. Great. But then around mid-afternoon the growlies hit. I should have had a glass of milk, but self-righteously white-knuckled through until dinner. Unfortunately, by that point all discipline was out the window. I took hefty seconds of calorie-dense cheese tortellini in a rich creamy sauce. And I wanted to keep on eating more and more! It wasn't until the wee hours of the night that acid reflux kicked in & I began to feel that "that was too much" feeling.

And to top it all off, I was STARVING for breakfast by morning.

Hopefully, lesson learned. Eat enough earlier in the day to have "just enough" evening hunger.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

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

Post by automatedeating » Thu Aug 23, 2018 1:28 am

Hey - nice to see you on the boards! :-)

Sorry about the heartburn. I totally have experienced that when I overeat.

Also, I'm a big fan of the glass of milk to hold us through to the next meal. It's what I make my kids do too. :lol:
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

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Post by lpearlmom » Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:12 am

Intermittent fasting is definitely not for everyone but it does not lead to disordered eating in my opinion. It’s does take 3-4 weeks to adjust and then your hunger and satiety signals will be working better than ever. I often do a 1-2 hr eating window and definitely do not overeat. I eat till comfortably satisfied.

Sounds like NoS is a better fit for you though. GL!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:18 pm

Kudos for me!
Last night was a class with catered dinner.
I arrived with hearty appetite and growling tummy (No Snacks).
I had one reasonable plate.
The cookies barely tempted me, but in the past I would have had one anyway just because they were there... (No Sweets)
When they pushed seconds, I almost succumbed to peer pressure, but realized I really had already had enough. If I took more it would be for reasons other than even mild hunger.
The words, "No thanks" rolled off my tongue as smoothly as anyone could ever hope for. (No Seconds)

Mark the HabitCal green and keep it up another day!
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Post by ladybird30 » Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:56 am

Kudos indeed!!!
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Post by lpearlmom » Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:39 am

Nice job! 🎉
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Sat Oct 27, 2018 10:32 pm

Ever since getting serious again about NoS in February of this year, I have struggled quite a bit with actual hunger. Many days I did not eat enough at breakfast & lunch, meaning that by supper time a VERY full plate was not completely filling.

October has been a real struggle.
I have been concentrating on making my meals more satisfying.
For the most part, I do okay with my normal routine, but any social evening is difficult.
After 3 red days at the beginning of this week, I experienced a breakthrough of sorts on Thursday: at lunchtime I realized I had had enough with several bites still left on the plate! And supper was wonderful.

Friday I experienced a few more feelings of "enough".
Dare I hope that my appetite has actually adjusted to a more elegant amount???

Here's hoping for all green next week...
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

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

Post by automatedeating » Sun Oct 28, 2018 3:29 am

Here's hoping for "elegant adjustments"! :-)
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

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Nov 01, 2018 6:29 pm

Oolala53 wrote:But no matter what, it boils down to when am I more unhappy, in the moment when I have to hold out against the desire to eat, or later, when I feel too full and I'm wishing I hadn't eaten as much?
Think I will "codeify" to
This or fat?

where "This" = whatever discomfort I am feeling in the moment & "fat" embodies all that regret I will suffer later.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Fri Nov 09, 2018 12:01 am

Yesterday was actually a tinge pink since I licked a yogurt spoon during clean-up.
But since that is a rare thing for me, it is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
On the other hand, I had a real SUCCESS in that we had a dinner guest and I was barely even tempted by the dessert everyone else had. My one plate of No Sweets & No Seconds was very satisfying. Savor the moment!
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Post by ladybird30 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:25 am

Good on you!!
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

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

Post by automatedeating » Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:47 am

Always a great feeling!
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

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Post by Soprano » Fri Nov 09, 2018 5:51 am

Love the tinge pink rating for the day :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:13 pm

Th Nov 8 was another HUGE success.
I had a meeting with catered dinner, managed to stick to my one plate & resisted the nothing-special cookies.
NoS is hard sometimes, but compliance sure feels good!
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Post by Soprano » Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:23 pm

Well done

Have a great weekend

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:23 pm

Mon Nov 12 was a huge fail.

Another dinner meeting, only this time dessert was pumpkin pie with whipped cream. And then after I got home I continued permasnacking until bedtime.

It actually is pretty scary how not-habit the NoS guidelines are for me. I just decided I was going to have the pie, with hardly any head talk at all!

OK, so it is marked red.
Time to move forward & keep the rest of November green or yellow!
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

December 2018

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:48 pm

I managed to white-knuckle through November with only one Fail.
Hope I can hang in there for December.

24-31 is all Vacation & my house is overflowing with special treats (not my choice). I will allow myself to count those days green if I have no more than 1 S per day. I want to avoid going completely Stupid.

:) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops: :mrgreen: :)
:) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :)
:) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops: :) :)
:) :oops: :) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :)
:) :)

06 = Fail = half of a triple-chocolate muffin. Yes, it was yummy but definitely not S-worthy.
18 = Pink = eggnog on my breakfast oatmeal + tiny smidgeon to "coerce" toddler to try a new food (her lunch time, so Snack? for me)
19 = Pink = lunch "protein bar" from a friend that was WAY sweeter than anything I would have chosen
20 = Fail = total pig-out on Christmas goodies
21 = NWS = special dinner party
24 = Fail = too many goodies
25 = NWS = Christmas Day
26 = 1 S = slice of pecan pie leftover from yesterday
27 = 1 S = small dessert with dinner
28 = 1 S = small extra helping at dinner
31 = NWS = more of a party day than tomorrow should be

My 1 S mod for the last week definitely helped me remain sane.
I am VERY happy with only 3 NWS days.
Last edited by elegantportions on Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

January 2019

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:53 pm

How embarrassing to have such a pathetic performance!

30 31 01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31 01 02

Blue = S Day
01 = Fail = Last night's party was supposed to be the end...
07 = Fail = small sweet fruit bar with dinner
11 = Fail = dinner with friends included lemon pie for dessert
15 = Fail = 2d bowl of soup plus 3 squares of chocolate
AiYiYi! Time to get serious. Here's pushing for 2 1/2 weeks with no more reds...
21 = NWS = son's birthday
22 = Fail = piece of birthday cake
24 = NWS sick = fluids being sipped all day included a can of regular soda
Let's see if I can keep next week Green so next month's calendar is clean.
Success! Last week is fully Green.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

February 2019

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:56 pm

27 28 29 30 31 01 02
03 04 05 06 07 08 09
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 01 02

13 = Fail = dinner dessert with a guest
22 = Fail = Conference dinner dessert
28 = Fail = cookie with dinner meeting
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

March 2019

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:58 pm

24 25 26 27 28 01 02
03 04 05 06 07 08 09
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

05 = Fail = second sandwich
06 = Fail = hot fudge sundae
13 = Fail = apple crisp dessert provided by guest
14 = Fail = milkshake, began celebrating a day early
15 = NWS = 35th wedding anniversary
18 = Fail = chocolate cream pie provided by dinner guest
UGH! I really need to develop some social backbone.
Last edited by elegantportions on Thu Mar 28, 2019 8:04 pm, edited 5 times in total.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:16 pm

Today I copied recent monthly challenges here to have them all in one place.
Reviewing them reveals that one of my major problems is social eating, giving in to dessert for all those dinner meetings or when we have guests...I need to figure out how to handle those.

Lately I have been too much turning to food "for a treat".
I need to refresh my list of non-food "treat myself" ideas & post it somewhere highly visible.

My goal for NoS Year 6 is to solidify the habits with elegant (not over-sized) portions.
Perhaps I will overlay some IE on top of the NoS structure, practicing mindfulness while I am eating.
It would be marvelous to lose enough bloat that I can wear my wedding ring again, but I am focusing on behavior rather than outcome.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

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

Re: Elegant Portions Check In

Post by automatedeating » Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:58 am

congrats on that anniversary! 35th! Wow!
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

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:43 pm

Thanks, Auto.
We went away for a couple of days and had a wonderful, quiet, relaxing time for just the two of us.

I have been musing on social eating.
I think one of my biggest difficulties is that part of me rebels against "having" to follow NoS (any) rules.
I tell myself that I should be able to have an occasional dessert and somehow make up for it at other times so that it has insignificant impact on my weight. After all, my always-healthy-weight daughter does it all the time! Grrr.
But, alas.
History's evidence reveals my over-appreciation for yummy food, meaning that I too-seldom get around to "making up" for those extra calories.
If I want to have an elegant body, then I must somehow cultivate the elegant appetite to match (like my daughter), or convince myself to accept the fact that I need the rules to restrict the consequences of my not-so-elegant appetite.
I really need to work on savoring without gorging:

Savor = enjoy fully, relish, take pleasure in, luxuriate in, appreciate, value, cherish, tickle the palate
Gorge = stuff, cram, surfeit, devour, overeat, be a glutton, eat out of house and home

Time to knuckle down and get more green days under my belt!
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Re: Elegant Portions Check In

Post by oolala53 » Fri Mar 22, 2019 9:59 pm

And if I may say, savoring savory foods more and keeping sweet ones more celebratory. Sure, if you had been raised in a culture that was reasonable about sweets, things might be different. But I think most of us are over-attuned to sweets.

Patterning ourselves on the exceptions (e.g., your daughter) in their freedom rather than their moments of natural restraint is risky!

That said, I've been going through a lot of rebellion. There are days I am just so tired of it all! But today is going pretty well, and I'm glad to have the tribe to join with.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Tue Mar 26, 2019 8:53 pm

Oolala, thanks for stopping by.
I always appreciate your comments.
Sorry to hear things are being rough for you.
I am enjoying the sunshine and longer days after mountains of snow.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 28, 2019 8:30 pm

Since the first of the year, I have been trying to rein in overspending as well as overeating.
The overlap between the two is interesting.
Reinhard's comments about habit vs. will-power apply to both.
Guess I should re-read those sections in the NoS book...

I really am focusing my energy on just adhering to the NoS habits, but I also have been taking a tiny peek at what is on the plate, and lately I see WAY too much junk. For April, I think I will try 2 mods:
1. One after-dinner mint is not an S.
I think that will give me freedom to signal "done" without resorting to a handful of nuts every night to end dinner. Most of the time a drink does the trick, so I don't foresee it becoming an every day thing. If it does, I will re-think.
2. Chips & salty clearly-junk foods ARE an S.
My default lunchtime plate-filler needs to be more fruits & veggies, fewer carbs.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

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

Re: Elegant Portions Check In

Post by automatedeating » Thu Mar 28, 2019 10:53 pm

I did a "NoSpending" System for awhile. I literally didn't spend money Monday - Friday. All shopping on the weekends. Even online stuff. It was too hard to keep up with as the kids got more involved with school activities, but I still track my Spending. My loose goal is to shop only once a week.
Anyway, I absolutely agree that there are overlapping themes between overeating and overspending.
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

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:26 pm

Joined April Challenge.
As I was preparing my calendar, I realized that I have a work conference 16-18 and vacation starting on the 27th.
Not a good month to try my no-salty-junk mod.
Will work on it informally here at home, but not worry about caving under out-of-the-ordinary social/travel conditions.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

Post Reply