Everyday Systems

Making a Fresh Start today adopting LifeisaBlessing's modified No-S plan, quoted below.

Plan to check in randomly, and very hopeful this is the FINAL fresh start for me!

LifeisaBlessing wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:25 pm

How I achieved and maintain success:

1. Modify NoS to include any food (sweets included) at all three meals, and eat that way seven days a week.

I wish you luck and will be interested to follow your progress.

Jx

Hi April! Nice to see you on the boards, and happy holidays!

Blessings and best wishes on your fresh start, April!

Thanks so much for the kind shout-out. I still vouch for this modified NoS plan--it has enabled me to comfortably maintain going into my 4th year, and is so doable around the holidays--I love it!

A bonus tip: keep your NEAT up! Even if you're not into formal exercise (I'm not), it is SO easy to incorporate more movement into your day where you can achieve many of the same benefits (calorie burn, fat loss, muscle strengthening, etc.) as longer formal exercise plans, without making extra time for it. Obviously if you are training for a sport or another fitness endeavor, you'd need to set the time aside to exercise for it, but for better general overall health, increasing your NEAT is an easy way to do it!

Thank you all for the encouragement!

Blessings, I love the NEAT reminder, so true! Great to hear you are still having long term success, very encouraging.

Day 1: SUCCESS

and -

Day 2: SUCCESS

B - Boiled Eggs

L - Salad with grilled chicken, French Fries and few bites of ice cream

D - BIG garden salad (lettuce and lots of shredded raw veggies, plus dressing), slice of quiche, 4 little christmas cookies...FULL!

Feeling great today! Slept better than I have in a long time!

Black coffee (half-caf) and LOT of water between meals has been a great remedy for "head" hunger between meals. I am CHOOSING to take 5 minutes to sit and relax and take a few breaths to let that "need to eat now" feeling pass, knowing that 3 meals is adequate fuel for each day. I am accepting the fact that this will take some time to adjust to, but feeling strongly that this is going to be the best plan for me.

(I swear I posted my 1st day meals and "success", but its not here!?)

Day 3 - SUCCESS

B - Veggie Scramble

L - Chicken Salad Sandwich, Tomato Soup, Kit Kat Bar

D - Green Salad with Balsamic dressing, Salmon, 2 Dinner Rolls with Butter

During my morning coffee hours each day, I plan to re-read the No-S book, and French Women Don't Get Fat (which is completely in line with LifeisaBlessings Mod that I am using), and also read more posts from LifeisaBlessing and others who use the same mod, seems as if there is enough of us now to start a club LOL...

Looks like you're doing wonderfully!!

Thank you Alene!

Day 4 - SUCCESS

I "virtual plated" today as I did not eat anything but my veggies at lunch, and did not finish my supper either, so I thought it was perfectly acceptable to eat something at bedtime as I was very hungry by then from not eating much at all for the 2 previous meals.

B - Ham and Eggs

L - Large serving of coleslaw. Did not want anything else, FULL! (what??) put the remainder of my meal back in the fridge (roast beef and potatoes)

D - Broccoli and mushrooms, few bites of a buttered baked potato, 3 bites of steak, it just was too rich/heavy tasting (odd for me), then 3 Hershey's miniatures - again FULL, couldn't finish my meal.....What is happening here? I was tummy rumbling hungry when I sat down to eat, but got full fast on very little.

Bedtime, very hungry, had a PB & J.

Calling today a WIN with 4 smaller meals instead of 3 normal meals.

Coming in toward Christmas going strong!

Wow, there so much encouragement here, thank you!

Day 5 - SUCCESS

B - Cheese Omelette and Oatmeal

L - Broccoli and FIsh Sticks, 3 oreos

D - Butternut Squash Soup with Leeks, leftover steak, one slice of french bread

Days 6 & 7 -

Skipped breakfast both days as we were traveling, but added a mid afternoon meal, so still total of 3 meals each day.

“Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge.”

— Winston Churchill

Love this quote I stumbled on. Intense complexity (insert fad diet names here)=INsanity, intense simplicity(NoS)=sanity!

Still mostly on plan, with two holiday parties definitely was in the seconds and thirds although still sticking to 3 meals a day.

2020 here we come!

My pants are looser in the waist, and scale says I am down 6 pounds...

Still on plan 90% of the last couple weeks, some days have been having larger "brunch", then a light late afternoon "mini-meal" (handful of nuts and a piece of fruit or something similar that would fit on an appetizer plate), and average size supper instead of 3 regular sized meals.

Two days ago food:

9 am: 3 hash brown patties. (Yep-no balanced meal here, just the carbs please. Still a better choice by far than 3 donuts LOL)

Noon: Pizza, garden salad, 3 hershey's miniatures

6 pm: Small Steak (3-4 ounces estimate), buttered broccoli, baked potato


Yesterday's food:

11 AM brunch: apple, banana, turkey sandwich, fried potatoes, Starbucks Mocha

4 pm "mini-meal": handful of pistachios, apple

6 pm supper: chips with salsa and two tacos

Between meals I have been sticking to ONLY water, black coffee, and unsweetened plain peppermint tea. Trying to drink at least two-three 12 ounce glasses water between waking and before breakfast (or brunch). Just started this rather strictly about 10 days ago. Prior to that, I was sipping on a latte (no sugar) or a vitamin drink (with sugar) frequently between meals at least once a day. I also rarely have a caloric drink with my meals, just water except for maybe once/twice a week a lemonade or soda. And sweet coffee instead of dessert sometimes.

I am finding I think I sleep better if I keep my sweets/desserts to my lunchtime (or sweet coffee with breakfast) instead of dinner time. Don't know if it's true or not, but if it keeps my dinner healthier I will keep believing it is.

Way to go, well done you

Jx

I have been observing that my sleep scores are better - more deep sleep & fewer awakenings, specifically - if I eat a very early, very low-carb dinner. That's just me, though, because I have blood sugar issues. But it does slightly make me wonder if you are experiencing some blood sugar swings that might be affecting your sleep.

Thanks Auto, Soprano - that is what my Chiropractor said too! She actually suggested Keto JUST for better sleep but not trying that again - NOT for me at all.

Rough week, 4 red days on a row. Ugh, this shouldn't be so hard.

Sometimes it can be difficult if other life stressors get in the way.

What is making it red?

Jx

What is making it red.......

Seconds and 3 pm snack attacks. And...my meals have been very off-balance lately too, not making quality meal choices, which leads to increased appetite.

Ex. Veggie sub and cheese with fries = still hungry: add more fries, and then ice cream, and then hungry again mid afternoon! Opposed to a turkey sub with tomato soup and a couple hershey's kisses = totally satisfied. Lack of protein/meat sure increases my appetite, but sometimes I just don't want it. And I am not a big fan of vegan protein sources, and I can't digest yogurt well at all.

Today is another chance to get it right, trying not to feel discouraged! So thankful for all the success stories on this board to keep me motivated to keep going.

Scale holding steady.

April, I've also learned the importance of protein for keeping me happy.
I'm sure you will find some more great combos (like your turkey sandwich) that can be nice options.

Protein and fats can really help reduce hunger.

Hope today goes better, once you get a green Day you'll feel better

If still struggling work on one thing no seconds or no snack.

Jx

Thanks for the encouraging words both of you!

It's been almost a month since my last post. I have been frustrated with my weight stalling out, which made me have a lot of RED days if I had even a small slip (what the hell affect, anyone?). Then after the remorse....trying other unnecessary restrictive tweaks (I need to stop looking elsewhere for new shiny diet ideas).

SO---I have been tempted to jump ship (again), but then decided to go back and look over my first post on this thread and am reminded of how much success a SIMPLE plan has been for many of you here, whether straight up vanilla or a slightly modified NO-S.

Making a Fresh Start today adopting LifeisaBlessing's modified No-S plan, quoted below.

Plan to check in randomly, and very hopeful this is the FINAL fresh start for me!

LifeisaBlessing wrote: ↑

How I achieved and maintain success:

1. Modify NoS to include any food (sweets included) at all three meals, and eat that way seven days a week.

Thanks again, Lifeisablessing, for sharing how you made No S work for you!!

Note to self: Keep It Simple, there is NO reason add any more complicated rules, don't prematurely optimize. Just stick to the basics, get back on the horse every time you fall, and BE PATIENT...

Happy to see you here, April. Horse out of the stall, I like that.

It's not a fast way to lose but consistency will pay off...


Jx

April wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2020 2:13 pm

SO---I have been tempted to jump ship (again), but then decided to go back and look over my first post on this thread and am reminded of how much success a SIMPLE plan has been for many of you here, whether straight up vanilla or a slightly modified NO-S.

Making a Fresh Start today adopting LifeisaBlessing's modified No-S plan, quoted below.

Plan to check in randomly, and very hopeful this is the FINAL fresh start for me!

LifeisaBlessing wrote: ↑

How I achieved and maintain success:

1. Modify NoS to include any food (sweets included) at all three meals, and eat that way seven days a week.

Thanks again, Lifeisablessing, for sharing how you made No S work for you!!

Note to self: Keep It Simple, there is NO reason add any more complicated rules, don't prematurely optimize. Just stick to the basics, get back on the horse every time you fall, and BE PATIENT...

Hi April! So glad you find my advice helpful. But honestly, your “Note to self” above should be a sticky for everyone! It perfectly describes the spirit of NoS, summarizing everything beautifully and positively. You’ve got it!

Thank you all for your continued words of encouragement .

Random check-in! After some ups and downs (on the scale and sticking to plan) I have been very consistent for about 2 full weeks (yay ). Down one more pound, so total of 7.

One thing that has changed is my breakfast. I have had eggs for breakfast at least 4 out of 7 days a week for YEARS, and suddenly cannot tolerate them. I thought it was just a fluke but it has become very apparent that they are literally "off the table" for a while...they don't bother me when in something but JUST eggs make me feel, well, icky.

So... I have been having homemade soup for breakfast almost every morning now. It's actually quite comforting to have something warm and easy to digest for breakfast. I think I will continue with it, especially since it seems to keep my satisfied, and is healthy and scale is moving slightly!

Yesterdays' meals:

Breakfast: Chicken Vegetable Soup (made with homemade bone broth)

Lunch: Panda Express Bowl: super greens and orange chicken, small apple, frosted cupcake

Dinner: Italian Beef Sammy with a garden salad and green beans

Although I don't do intermittent fasting (accept fasted between meals as I try to only do only non-caloric beverages), I have been LOVING listening to Kayla Cox's podcast "six miles to supper" and also her "living outside the box" podcast. Love her attitude and approach to how to make weight loss as easy as possible for yourself and also her bits and pieces of great advice she has gleaned from self development books she has read.

Great update! And happy to hear that you are making your own bone broth! That sounds so delicious and nourishing.

Auto - thank you and homemade bone broth is a staple in our home, been making it for years. There IS NO substitute! I have tried every brand they make that is shelf stable and there just is no comparison.

I use the same recipe always:

Gerber's Amish rotisserie roasted chickens, remove the meat (that I freeze away in food saver bags) cover bones with water in large stock pot, simmer 8-12 hours with carrots, onions, celery, dash of cayenne, a bay leaf, salt to taste and then strain over fine mesh sieve, discard all remaining solids. A

After cooled, remove layer of fat from top if desired and save for making gravy or for pan fried potatoes. Broth should have the consistency of jello when cooled if it cooked long enough, the longer the better. I have a relative that cooks it a full 24 hours, but I won't leave my stove on overnight, and the crock pot just doesn't make it taste quite as good IMO.

Thank you for your recipe! I find myself intimidated by the concept of making it (and the mess, to be honest). I currently use Kettle & Fire bone broth but it is SO expensive. I really need to take the plunge and start making my own.

Yes, it makes a mess...I only do it once a month, maybe two!

Meals from yesterday:

B - Chicken and Kale Soup

L - Watermelon, Big Scoop of chicken salad on top of a garden salad, Whole Grain Garlic Toast, 2 white chocolate strawberry Lindor Truffles

D -Steak, Broccoli, Baked Potato

Between meals today: Black coffee and water and an Emergen-C vitamin packet mixed in water (25 calories)

Random check-in - still on plan!!! Took one SPECIAL intentionally, family travel day (right before pandemic panic set in) AND another .5 lost, total of 7.5. I stared using a spreadsheet which shows a seven day running average, so I now use daily weighing. So now I know if I go up and down a bit, it still averages out over a week and continues to trend down! I never thought I weigh every day but it is working for me. Purposely skipping a day here and there to prove it is not going to be obsessive.

After reading Kayla Cox's book on fasting (although I am still doing 3-MAD/modified NO S) I think keeping "rules" more relaxed will be key to keeping me on plan. That means taking a break once in a while and not being dogmatic about things, having a fancy coffee between meals once in a while, having rich dessert or a overindulgent fast food meal now and then, etc. Being KIND to myself! This mindset shift has really helped! I am more and more really enjoying my meals!

Yesterdays meals:

B - Cup of Watercress soup (bone broth pureed with steamed watercress)

L - Big bowl of peach slices, veggies and dill dip, pulled pork sammee, one chocolate truffle

D - Cesar Salad and cheesy chicken potato casserole

Love your renewed hope!

Good work!

Just want to say that even though this bone broth recipe sounds heavenly, when I was eating chickens, I would always save the bones (cooked turkey legs all year, too.) and just the bones, water, salt, and sometimes dried lemons made a serviceable base broth. For anyone too intimidated by the process. It was probably because my father always made soup from the turkey carcass every year, and broth from chicken giblets. Now that I say that, I wonder why he never thought to make broth from the chicken we had nearly every Sunday.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Oolala, yes there is nothing better than homemade bone broth, and I LOVE the chicken salad that I make from the meat that is removed before I make the broth - mayo and diced celery and adding dried cranberries and a pinch of cayenne pepper, mmmmmmmm. That will have to be today's lunch! The "stay at home order" will allow me to cook even more, silver linings! Unfortunately my part time job has been put on hold, but hubby can still work so that's good!

Another random check in. Weight holding steady, up and down between 7 and 8 pounds lost. Still on plan with 3 VERY red days since last check in in March.

Thoughts: Really enjoy lunch being my biggest meal, breakfast late morning and very light, and supper with a focus on produce and protein keeps the hunger at bay til the next mid to late morning.

More thoughts: Adding raw veggies really helps with fullness. Carrots and dip at the beginning of my meal plus a cooked veggie like steamed broccoli with butter has some real staying power. Add in a nice piece of chicken or steak with a smattering of mashed potatoes and tummy is completely satisfied!

A well balanced meal means happy and full for hours.

Random Check in.

Very fatigued most days as lots of sleep troubles lately due to perimenopause setting in like a hurricane the past few months. Also gotta love the clumsiness and short term memory loss. Lots of "Duh" moments and things dropped on the floor...

Stress has been way up at our house since the riots have been in the news. This seems to have rattled me (and hubby) much more than the COVID situation. Having trouble lately sticking to the plan, and have had several "what the hell" moments of eating too much at meals. Up 2 pounds. Glad it's only 2 pounds. Back on the horse!

B Watermelon, Hash Browns
L Chicken Breast, Salad, 1/2 bagel with cream cheese
D Ham, Green Beans, Baked Potato

Hi April!

It's been a rough spring, that is so for sure. Here's hoping for a calmer summer for everyone.

Thank you, auto. I am SOOOOOO looking forward to going back to work, that has been very hard as well. I LOVE my job and am finally able to start up (but with reduced assignments) next week I am very excited!

I am hoping that will instill some normalcy back into my life and will help me stay on track!

How have you dealt with these uncertain times?

Feeling relaxed and motivated today. Read over some posts from others that are really inspiring. It is so encouraging knowing most of us have had varied reactions to the lockdown. Also, knowing many have struggled and strayed, and yet keep coming back to NO S, for the simplicity. I don't know why I keep wanting to overcomplicate this. It must be in my DNA.

So today, happily continuing with lifeisablessing's modified No S plan of 3 meals everyday, anything on my plate.

Today's 3 meals:

Sunday Brunch: Chicken Salad on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, Baked Potato, Cupcake
Sunday gouter: bowl of fruit with cheese and crackers.
Sunday Supper: Excited to try a new recipe for homemade tomato sauce over meatballs with garlic bread and salad

April, glad to see you posting again. That’s great that you’ll be able to work a bit again and even greater that you love your job. It’s definitely a stressful,, uncertain time. The riots are scary but also exciting to see people are finally waking up. Hopefully we will see some positive changes from all this.

Thanks for stopping by my thread. I love your quotation too.

What is your job that you happen to love?

lpearlmom - thank you!

auto - my job is a "secret" i.e. I perform anonymous compliance audits and performance evaluations for banks and other financial institutions, car dealerships, and (some) retail establishments. Otherwise known as mystery shopping. I work as an independent contractor for several market research companies who hire me to complete those jobs, so technically I am self employed. I am still waiting (almost 60 days now) to see if I will qualify for Pandemic Assistance. As this is only a part time gig, I am thankful Hubby makes the lions share of our income and his job has not been affected by the lockdown.

Ughhh....scale not moving Clearly I am filling up my plate for a lumberjack lately, not for the five foot one perimenopausal 49 year old I am

Time to re-evaluate the plate, there has been way too much and too often lately of:

Hefty Servings
Deep Fried Foods
Heavy Starches

and too little of:

Salads, green veggies, fruits

Moving forward with thinking about better food choices and smaller serving sizes without feeling restricted.

Down one more pound (total of eight). Still struggling with meals being to big/calorie dense, but working on it. Having trouble digesting proteins during and after being on oral antibiotics (augmentin) from a terrible eye infection. It's hard to get full with no meat on your plate, and dairy is giving me tummy issues as well....But I will gladly take the one pound

I wonder if you try fermented dairy (yogurt or kefir or something) if you could possibly do a bit better with the protein digestion? It might be worth a try.

Auto, so sorry for the very late reply - I tolerate hard cheeses very well, but yogurt gives me stomach aches, but thank you for the tip! Now that I am done with the Augmentin and it is FINALLY out of my system I can eat protien again with no issues, thank goodness! Taking a very high quality probiotic helped a lot as well.