Everyday Systems

Hello fellow NoSers,
I’ve spent the last several weeks reading your posts and have found inspiration to forge ahead with my goal of finding moderation. I am not at all used to sharing online with strangers. Your sweet, wise, informative, and supportive posts have encouraged me. I’m hoping that by posting, I’ll not only give and receive support but also be more accountable to myself. This is the beginning.

7/06/19 164 lb. 5’7” 56 yr old

Well hello Lemonie! What a great user name. My kiddos love Lemony Snickett.

I think you'll find that many of us are not all over social media, actually. We just particularly love this forum and all our online friends.

Here's to your new beginning!

Welcome, Lemonie! Assuming you're a woman, we're pretty similar: I'm 53, 5'6" and weigh 155 lbs. So it's possible we may be dealing with some similar challenges. I look forward to "walking" alongside you.

Thank you automated eating and Candace! I am so encouraged by you. Candace... yes I am female!

Welcome! Look forward to following your NoS journey!

Thank you lpearlmom!

Welcome and good luck on your journey

Jx

I successfully made it through this S day The real challenge starts tomorrow. We are on a mini vacation to go on a college tour with my daughter. The town has a bakery and and ice cream parlor!!! We are planning to go on a few hikes as there are waterfalls nearby which will be so nice and provide me with some exercise. Wishing all a successful Monday tomorrow.

Remember vacations can be S days. I know you just started and it may be a bit early to take an S day on a weekday but just make sure you set yourself up for success. Maybe one plan treat for you plus the normal 3 plates. Whatever you decide to do, you've got this!

Enjoy!

Linda

I second what Linda said. Vacations can be S-days. I liked her suggestion of holding it to one treat in addition to the three plates, since there's a bunch of them in a row. Good luck and have a great trip!

Thanks Linda and Candace,
I think I was trying to put on brakes by starting No’s before leaving for the college visit trip. Not the best plan. I appreciate your ideas about how to approach my eating on the trip. I was not as disciplined as I would have liked but definitely better than I would have been without NoS in the back of my mind. Now that we are back home, I am motivated to do better.

If you were better on the trip than you would have been if you hadn't started No-S, then I think it sounds like it *was* a good plan! We can never be perfect. My objective is just to be a little better than in times past.

Hi Lemonie - I agree with Candace; NoS thinking helped you observe more carefully your "typical" vacation behavior. Calm curiosity, collecting data.

And I strongly disagree that "waiting" until after a vacation to start something like NoS would have been necessary. The very foundation of this program is that you take it with you. Its long-term success depends upon your acceptance of imperfection and days that are not perfect. Part of the process is learning to forgive yourself, to accept that you don't have to force this change. As you become more in-tune with your true deeper needs and desires for food, nourishment, and a strong body, the willpower aspect of NoS will decrease and you will find a rhythm that fits your style, your uniqueness, and your body.

Candace & Auto- thank you for such beautifully written thoughts. It is helpful to be reminded that the journey to moderation ( and weight loss) is not an all or nothing process. The “oh well I messed up so I’ll do my free for all today and start again tomorrow” approach has been my modus operandis for years.

Wishing you all wellness in all aspects.

B- lite English muffin. Hb egg, half slice cheese
L- salad with chicken, orange
D- stir fry with baked tofu, non alcoholic beer

NoS all the way

About recovery when we mess up on N-days: I read in "The Thin Commandments Diet" by Dr. Stephen Gullo that one of the biggest determinants of whether we succeed in our overall weight loss goals is how we handle things when we inevitably slip up. Everyone slips up. It's to be expected. He wrote that once we slip up, we're extra vulnerable for the rest of the day we mess up plus the entire next day. That's when most of us just decide to abandon good eating habits, basically punishing ourselves for our mistake. And then once the junk is in the system, the cravings take over. If we can make it through that time period without continuing to eat things that are bad for us, our odds of success go way up.

I took that to heart and discovered it's really true. Once I make that mistake and eat that sugary food, it can just snowball. Reading that particular passage in that book made me extra aware of the vulnerability to the snowball after a mistake, and gave me motivation to try and not fall into that trap. I can't say I've always been successful, but the knowledge has definitely helped.

Thank you Candace..I think that I have been handling slip ups as “ well I haven’t really started trying to do better yet so tomorrow will be day one.” Unfortunately, tomorrow ends up being another tomorrow and so on. It’s a game that I play with myself. I will definitely think about this notion of how to handle the slip up in a way that it does not erase all the other good things that I have done for my body that day. Tomorrow can be today with imperfection... this will be helpful..

B- lite English muffin, pb, oatmeal cookies (3)
L-tofu leftover stir fry, orange
Cashews ( handful), slice of cheese
D- 3 small slices Paul Newman pizza, orange, kombuchi

Not a success but no snowball either

Unfortunately, tomorrow ends up being another tomorrow and so on. It’s a game that I play with myself. I will definitely think about this notion of how to handle the slip up in a way that it does not erase all the other good things that I have done for my body that day.

Eventually, it occurred to me that "tomorrow" was far too late and I tended to incur an awful lot of damage in the intervening time. So I worked on switching my thinking to "I just messed up but I can start again right now." It helps get me back on the path again without too much self flagellation. Not 100% perfect of course but it helps.

Best of luck to you on your journey!

Don't let lack of scale movement deter you. I had the same in the beginning. To the point I went to the Drs for a check up. I was hungry at meals sticking to plan and knew from past experience it should have been going down,

All was ok, I think my age had something to do with it but it's not been straightforward. My weight went up and down despite being pretty consistent with eating.

Look up whoosh effect on Google.

I lost a stone in 8 months

Jx

Thank you Soprano and Gingerpie... Im grateful for your thoughts and ideas. I went on another college trip with my daughter and was a bit liberal with the plan. However, I was still very much aware of the NoS plan and had a bite of treats instead of my own order. When I weighed myself this morning, I was down one pound! So.., small steps added up . Wishing you all peace.

Lemonie wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 2:01 am

Thank you Soprano and Gingerpie... Im grateful for your thoughts and ideas. I went on another college trip with my daughter and was a bit liberal with the plan. However, I was still very much aware of the NoS plan and had a bite of treats instead of my own order. When I weighed myself this morning, I was down one pound! So.., small steps added up . Wishing you all peace.

Isn't it great to just take a bite of someone else's instead of having a whole dessert? I like to share with my husband. My usual rule is I get three bites of whatever it is. Sometimes I have more though, if it's big, like the delicious bread pudding that four of us shared on Sunday. I think that very much helps limit the damage of S-days, while still affording lots of enjoyment.

Hi Lemonie! Just swinging by to say hello. Hope those college visits are going well. What type of environment do you and your daughter think will be the best fit for her? What does she want to study?

Hello friends,
You may have noticed a subtle change in my topic line. I’m finding it difficult to do a daily check in every single day so I took out “ daily “. Not slipping just keeping it honest. Candace- yes so much more fun to share a dessert- eating small bites! Auto- My daughter has been wide open in terms of her college preferences. It’s hard to know how much assistance to give her. I have been an educator- school psychologist, adjunct professor, and more recently special ed administrator- for nearly 20 years. I’m working on resisting my urge to take over the process. Trying to find healthy balance in all areas of my life. Truth be told, she needs no major help from me. She has worked hard and any college campus would be lucky to have her ( ok I’m a biased mom). Yesterday we walked through steps of determining which variables mean the most to her( so she can whittle down her list). I have to go now but more later. Thanks for asking.

Still have not been able to follow NoS for more than 2 days in a row. I am back to work after a long summer break and have a difficult time focusing on myself when I am busy. I’m not feeling discouraged which is new for me. I am just trying to be a little healthier each day.

Hi Lemonie -
That is so great that you are not discouraged and instead just focusing on the healthier choices you are making!

As far as stringing more days together, some practical thoughts I had are:
*Consider which part of the day/routine is the most difficult for you?
It might be that stretch between lunch and dinner? Or after dinner? Or is it that you aren't sure what to make and you are just starving come dinner? Or is it that certain meals need to be packed and eaten out of the house? Or do friends or social events derail you?
*Focus on just the top "derailers" (rather than try to fix everything) and come up with a "toolbox" of options that can be used to help you navigate your workdays and weekdays.
*The lovely thing here is that then the weekend comes and you can relax. No need to menu plan or worry about social events or hold off on a meal if you are really hungry, etc. You can recharge and make plans for the upcoming week (while snacking, lol).