GJ's checkin

gj · Post by gj » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:09 am

I started nosing on 2005-Jul-18, after a doing a pretty strict vegeterian no-sugar/no-bread-prodcuts diet for a week.

I started at 104kg (~230 lb) on Jul-11.
On Jul-18 I was at 99.5kg (~219 lb).
On Jul-22 I was at 99kg (~218 lb).
My dream weigth is 80kg (~176 lb), but 85kg
(~187 lb) would be fine, too.

So I lost 0.5 kg on my first four days of nosing. Also, I got my sledgehammer on wednesday and I have done 3 slow shovelglove sessions.

This looks very promising, especially since I've been eating very well. My favorite this week was a risotto with lean bacon, rosemary and black beans. Delicous, but probably not surprising since the recipe is out of Jamie Oliver's 'The Naked Chef' (a book/tv-series by a british chef who pretty much started a cooking craze all over western europe. Hmmh, probably not in France/Italy, but definitely in Britain, Germany and Austria).

Now I am really looking forward for the weekend. I'll have a pizza from my favorite takeout (I treat refined flour as sugar during the week) and a rasperry yogurt! I'll only buy one yogurt, though; I loose all self control when there is fruit yogurt in the fridge.

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 12:20 pm

Good work, keep it up!

The weight loss might slow down over the next few weeks, but after two months I can say that it does continue, at slower pace.

Prodigalsun · Post by **Prodigalsun** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:41 pm

Much of your first week's loss was probably water weight. I've had similar losses when doing raw foods fasts.

gj · Post by gj » Sun Jul 24, 2005 1:13 pm

Spent all saturday in a customer's machine room with only one bottle of water and therefore the weigh-in this morning was totally bogus - still I wonder, I drank a lot of water in the evening. I must have been severly dehydrated.

Had my pizza margherita last evening, and the most expensive full-fat real-sugar bio-raspberry yogurt I could find. No-S is turning me into a food snob, it seems.

Lunch today was a zatziki-variation. Cucumber, tomatoes, red beans and surimi with plain white yogurt and lots of garlic. Very refreshing on a summer day. I planned to eat another risotto for dinner, but we'll probably eat the leftovers from lunch ... I don't think the surimi will hold all that well.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 2:19 pm

Glad you are enjoying this Juergen!
I'm sure, especially after an extreme diet, this will be a total pleasure... Keep your eyes on the prize, and don't get swayed if it goes slower than all of those other ones, because, unlike those other extreme diets, this one won't fail you "down the road" and you will not gain back the pounds you lost... Clearly you like good food... NoS is wonderful because you can have so much variety and never have to worry about whether a food is restricted (okay sugar, but that is a sweet, not a food group!)
So congratulations to you!
Peace and Love,

Deb
ps.. I love tzaziki! Do you make your own? If so, let me know your recipe please!

gj · Post by gj » Sun Jul 24, 2005 4:06 pm

No special recipe - I just grate some cucumber (and let it drain), and mix it up with plain yogurt and lots of garlic and a little bit of salt and some herbs. Authentic tzatziki calls for lemon juice and and olive oil and more salt, but that makes it too overpowering to eat on its own (vs. as sauce for grilled meat).

You're dead on about the "total pleasure". I feel like a kid in a toy store.

I don't mind if weight loss is slow. I feel much better than I have in a long time, I enjoy my food again and all this while loosing weight. Reinhard is a genius!

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:11 pm

Agreed!
Thanks for the recipe!
Peace,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:29 am

2005-Jul-26: 98 kg (~ 216 lbs).

I almost raided the fridge yesterday in the afternoon (I did not have to work. Idle hands and all that I guess). I took a walk and by the time I was back in the appartment it was time for dinner. I had a *big* plate

Is monday always harder? Or was it just me getting cocky?

I've been reading through the old group archives. Whatever happened to Dan McVicken? His website (www.danmcvicken.com) does not seem to exist any more ...

gj · Post by gj » Wed Jul 27, 2005 10:53 am

NoS and SG are going great, but I started chainsmoking. The original plan was to stop smoking after loosing weight, but now it seems that I am acquiring a 2-packs-a-day-habit along with my NoS-habits.

So I went cold turkey on the cigarrettes yesterday. I am doing ok so far; I had an extra solid breakfeast as a precaution though.

We'll see how it goes.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:31 pm

Wow GJ... Smoking and being overweight are a really bad combo!...
Good luck with quitting that successfully... I'm sure it's really got to be tough...
I have heard first hand accounts from clients of mine (I'm a massage therapist) who have sworn that accupuncture helped them quit, with no withdrawal at all...
Why not look into that?
Peace,

Deb

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:34 pm

PS... By the way Juergen,
Your English is great! I'm glad for that, since I'd have a rough time trying to speak German at this point.. I did study it for two semesters in college though as I was a music major then, and we needed to learn a few languages for singing arias, and choral pieces....
German was pretty difficult!
How do you get to practice? I would never be able to tell that you aren't a native speaker...
Peace,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm

Thanks for the accupuncture tip ... I'll keep it in mind. I don't think it will be necessary though - it's not the first time I stop smoking after all

My problem (as with the weight) was never the actual stopping, but the not-starting again a couple of months later while drunk (I don't think I was ever sober when I started again). As I stopped drinking a year ago I am quite confident this time.

As for my English, I work in IT and most of the documentation is in English. I also read a lot and I read english books in the original, not the german translation.

My spoken English is not that hot, though. I just don't speak it enough.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 8:46 pm

It sounds like we have a lot in common, Juergen. I too had trouble with excessive drinking and smoking. Each is a huge problem in its own right, but for what it's worth, I got over them all (including diet and exercise) more or less at once (same year). I hesitate to recommend the precise measures I took because I'm not sure how replicable they are, but if you're curious see this post:

http://everydaysystems.com/group/6.html

I don't know what happened to Dan McVicker. He seems to have fallen off the internet. It's a shame, because his posts were really interesting. Anyway, I make it a policy not to cyberstalk board members, so I'll leave it at that.

gj · Post by gj » Thu Jul 28, 2005 9:18 pm

I am pretty sure Glass Ceiling would not work for me, I just can't stop after 1 glass (and stopping after 2 is even harder

). Low Smoking might work (I am a moderate smoker when I am not on a diet), but I think I'll go for the 100% solution first ...

SG is going really fine, I did 4 units so far this week, and there is no soreness whatsoever. I'll start doing it a little faster.

They delivered my brand new exercise bike today. Today was the hottest day of the summer so far

Still, I did an easy 30-minute cardio program and another 30 minutes at 120 pulse. I just had to play with my new toy!

gj · Post by gj » Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:37 am

You may or may not have noticed that I don't do the Success/Failure thing. I just did not like the concept, I was like "come on, I am an adult, give me some credit".

So I have been thinking *why* I don't like it. Of course, maybe I am just rationalizing. Also, it may be a language thing - i.e. I am bringing german connotations to the english words "success" and "failure".

My first problem is that "success" and "failure" imply that something is finished. I.e. your project may be a success or a failure, but it won't be classified as either until it's over. I don't like to think about NoS this way, I prefer to think about it like the law or religion: If you get a speeding ticket, it does not mean that you can speed for the rest of the day with impunity.

My second problem is that "success" somehow makes the day special. I think keeping the three rules should be the normal, no-big-deal case. "Hey, appetite, these are the new rules, better get used to them - there will be no exceptions". On the other hand, if every day you keep the NoS-laws is a "success", what you are telling your appetite is "ok buddy, this is another special day; just be patient, things will be back to normal soon"

Of course, maybe I am just weird. For instance, I like to weigh myself; I think this keeps me honest.

And lastly, I don't mean to discourage/criticize anyone who does/likes the success/failure thing. Whatever works for you. I just want to point out why I am doing things differently.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 3:11 pm

Hi Juergen! You're not weird!
I am not a great big fan of success/failure...
I have always preferred, on target or off target.... Or especially I like the word
Setback....
Setback implies that we wish to get somewhere.... We wish to move forward....
A bump in the road is expected when you are on your way somewhere...
Part of the process of change... It's so less judgemental....
And people on the road to success have setbacks...
Only people who have no goals whatsoever, don't have them... How can you have a setback if you're not trying to change something?
Well anyway, I'm with you on that!
Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Sat Jul 30, 2005 6:56 am

Today (2005-Jul-30) I weighed in at 96.5 kg (~ 213 lbs). So I lost 2.5 kg this week! Very nice. And I have been eating big portions this week because I stopped smoking and I was afraid that might trigger "snack attacks".

I have a big milestone coming up: When I reach 95 kg, I go from being obese to overweight (by the WHO definition). I know it's just a label, still I am very much looking forward to it.

On the SG front, I increased the pace & added "Tuck the bales" and I am now ... well, let's just say I am glad it's an s-day

Post by **reinhard** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 12:15 pm

Congratulations, Juergen. You've jumped in the middle of a throng of enemies and are slashing away at all sides. Very impressive!

"Obese" -> "Overweight" might just be labels, but human beings are inordinately attached to such things, however silly they might seem to their purely rational part. Label change is a much better motivator than anything mere reason could come up with -- so milk it for what it's worth. Mere "overweight" sounds so much better to tell people and fill out on forms, and also think "statistically" how much healthier that one extra kg loss will make you -- you'll be in a whole new medical category

As for not doing the failure/success stuff, that's totally fine with me. It's a tool, just like the label business. If it helps motivate you, great, if not, or the reverse, ditch it. You're not the only one who's not doing it here. I didn't even do it when I started (admittedly, only because it hadn't occurred to me yet). It's certainly not necessary.

gj · Post by gj » Sun Jul 31, 2005 12:24 pm

Funny you should say the "throng of enemies" bit.

I was a bit bored this afternoon and so I am re-installing Diablo 2 on my computer.

This should keep my occupied for a bit

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:34 pm

Good work Juergen!!!!
Wow! You should translate all your losses into pounds from Kilos! Then you can really milk the "lables" for all they are worth!
I'm thinking of translating my inches lost into centimeters.... That should sound even better!!!!

PS... Don't underestimate how powerful your perception of your success is....Reinhard is right about using lables to your advantage, but it goes beyond that... If thinking about yourself as overweight, helps ease your daily stress, and the converse is true about thinking, all day long "I am obese!!!"
you will really benefit from that... I firmly believe that the more you can focus on a developing a positive self image, the better your health will be,
not just on the weight front...
I think you really did hit a major landmark there! Freakwitch wrote something about this year being a "pivotal" time for him, and I'm sure it will be!... Where your mind goes, your health and well being will follow...

A little anecdote... I can't remember this guys name, but he wrote a bunch of books under the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" theme...
The story I heard was that he was trying to lose weight... How did he do it? I'm not sure... But one tool he used to get psyched up to succeed was this... He had a goal weight in mind, and he just taped a piece of paper onto his bathroom scale, obscuring the weight dial, which had that number on it... Every single time he stepped on that scale, he saw his goal weight, in bold writing!... In the end (and sorry I don't have too many other details to report on his weight loss techniques, etc.. timeframe...) he reached his goal! Positive thinking is a supremely powerful thing!

Keep up the good work! Hope you are killing those "Demons"!!!

Have a nice week...
Peace,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:41 am

Deb, yes, I am slaying them left and right

. Oh, did I mention that a new patch came out? Splendid timing, they did not change all that much this time though

Other than playing Diablo II, I have been a very good boy. I am down to 95.5 kg (~ 210 lbs), so the o-word is soon to be a thing of the past for me

The training computer in my exercise bike makes me do 55-60 minutes at a time, which in combination with shovelglove seems to put a strain on my wrists. Especially my left wrist has been acting up - nothing serious, but enough to switch the shovelgloving back to ultra-slow-motion. Actually, if you do it slow enough it gets hard again - you have to controll the weight every inch of the way. It's not as much fun though.

Oh, I almost forgot: on the weekend, my special treat was strawberries with whipped cream. On both days - mmmmmmmmmmh

gj · Post by gj » Sun Aug 07, 2005 5:31 pm

On 2005-08-06 (Saturday), I weighed 95 kg (~ 209 lbs). So I am back in the land of the overweight!

To celebrate this special event, I went and had dinner at a thai place. Delicious, but I ate too much. There seems to be a pattern there, I go kind of wild on saturdays and eat even less than normal on sundays because I am still full from the day before. Oh well, it works.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Aug 13, 2005 6:45 am

Saturday 2005-Aug-13, 94 kg (~ 207 lbs). So I've lost 10 kg total so far (~ 22 lbs).

Shovelgloving is going fine, I am back to normal speed.

I am thinking more and more about my exercise bike's coaching program. It was developed by a MD and active triathlete, and I've been doing the fat loss program since I got the bike. The strange thing is that most days, the stuff it has me do is ridiculously easy ... e.g 35 minutes at 80 pulse. but sometimes (like once a week) it makes me do a program that has me yapping for mercy. I think when doing things on my own, I get too ambitious and want results NOW - and the result is that I overtrain. Hmmmm.

NoS is going fine, too. I am happy to announce that monday is an official holiday over here. No lean and hungry look for people in catholic countries

I am still undecided about what treats to get. The girlfriend is rooting for Indian takeout, but that still leaves a lot of meals open ... I'll probably have pizza again. And ice-cream. And fruit yoghurt. Kebap. Schnitzel. Steak ....

gj · Post by gj » Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:10 am

Saturday 20-Aug-2005, 93 kg (~ 205 lbs).

I was stuck at 94 for 10 days or so. I reached 93 the day after I went back
to shovelgloving in the morning (vs. in the evening). Probably just a
coincidence, still this bodes well so I'll continue doing it.

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:23 pm

gj, this is fantastic! Sorry it's been so long since I last popped in, I've been on vacation (to your part of the world, roughly, in fact).

Everyone is aware of the problem of being underambition, but overambition can also be dangerous, especially since we're not looking out for it and often catches us off guard. That's why I don't allow myself more than 14 minutes shovelglove every N day, even if I'm pumped and ready to keep going -- overambition is underambition's best pretext.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:26 pm

Sat 27-Jun-2005, unchanged at 93 kg (~ 205 lbs).

I've been sick for the first half of the week, and I've skipped SG and cardio on those days. Kept up with NoS though, did not have much of an appetite anyway.

I've been using the coaching program of my stationary bike for 1 month now. Today it had me do a performance test (25 watt increases every 2 minutes). I could complete 200 watts at around 160 pulse, when i started i could only complete 150 watts (also almost at 160 pulse, if i remember correctly). I am quite pleased with this progress - a recent hearth emergency in my girlfriend's family made us both realize how important some form of cardio exercise is.

Lastly, I have to share a link I came across in Neil Gaimain's blog:
http://glennferon.com.nyud.net:8090/por ... index.html - a professional retoucher's portfolio, showing original photographs and their retouched versions (mouse over the photos to see the original)

Lethaltoenails · Post by **Lethaltoenails** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 12:08 pm

Thank you for the link to the retoucher's site - I was intrigued - I have a 13 year old daughter who will be amazed at how these photos look B4 they are retouched, maybe that will get her to stop complaining about her (rather lovely) complexion.

Karyn - Lethaltoenails

gj · Post by gj » Fri Sep 02, 2005 8:00 am

For the next three days, there is going to be a street fair in my street. This usually means bad bands blaring worse music all day. Right now they are setting up, but the music is going to start soon. I don't think I will spend much time in the apartment the next days. As I work mostly from home, this means I get to take the day off

. Thank God the fair stops at 6 in the evening.

Anyway, Friday 02-09-2005, 92 kg (~ 203 lbs). I lost a dozen kilos! Good boy, extra treat come saturday

Now I am going to the Donauinsel (a 20 km artificial island between the Old and New Danube) and rent a bike. I am going to find a nice tree by the water and read in the shade.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:06 pm

I did not end up renting a bike, but buying inline skates. The first try yesterday was not so hot - I used to skate once upon a time but you would not have guessed from watching me

Today was a lot better. The moves are coming back. I skated about 16 km (~ 10 miles). I went slowly so it was not very strenuous but it uses different muscles than biking (the inner thighs and the muscles over the shins seem to have been hit the hardest). I will probably walk funny tomorrow.

I also bought a fantasy novel where the orcs are the good guys and the soft, pink creatures are the baddies. It's fun to read in a mind boggling way

gj · Post by gj » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:56 am

Sat 10-Sep-2005, unchanged at 92 kg.

After last weekend, I was at 94 though. 1 kg more is kind of normal, but 2? Still, it came off again easily, so I am not complaining.

I guess it's just a weekly cycle - eating more food on s-days means more food in the digestive tract for a couple of days. Also I think that the different kinds of food I eat on S-days (I tend to eat out) may cause the body to retain water. Steak and Nachos seem to retain a lot of water

Exercise-wise, I noticed a significantly lower pulse. When I started, I had 90 as soon as I climbed on the bike. Now I can bike at 25 watts with 68-69 pulse. The bad news is that maintaining a high pulse has become much more work

Also, the last couple of weeks were kind of hard diet-wise. I was not exactly hungry, but thinking about food all the time. I think that was because I changed my diet ... I ate a lot of beans, cottage cheese and fish at the start, but that grew kind of old. During the last week, I made a conscious effort to eat beans, cottage cheese or fish with every meal (well, except breakfast

), and I found keeping the No-S laws much easier.

I also have a new favorite receipe: Pasta with tomatoes, beans, spicy sausage, garlic, basilicum, rosemary, 1 chilli and half a handful of dried mangos. The mango/chilli combination gives it a spicy/sweet/sour tang. Yumm.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Sep 17, 2005 6:08 am

Sat 17-Sep-2005, down to 91 kg!!!

I am pleasantly surprised because I was on a business trip for part of the week. Actually I was afraid I'd gained.

Good omen. I'll be on the road on and off for the next three weeks.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 7:36 am

That's wonderful Juergen!!! Yay!!!
Good luck on your future trip!
It's great when your new body doesn't match up with your old mental image and presupposed, failures! (Does that make any sense!?)

We expect the worst, because it used to be so common...
I have that happen once in a while and it's the best feeling!

You are doing great!
I'm happy for you...
(What's a Kg??? LOL... Dumb American girl! LOL..)

Well whatever it is, you now have one less of them!

Peace and Love,

Deb

ClickBeetle · Post by **ClickBeetle** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:15 pm

Juergen, good going.

I continue to be amazed at your perfect English. Are you not a native speaker, and if not, can you say why your colloquial English is so good?

Just curious, because I have a long way to go with German.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:21 pm

CB, you're only saying that because you can't hear my pronounciation.

My english is mostly read & written these days, and for words I never heard spoken I tend to make up a pronounciation - usually I am way off

As for my read/written english - I read a lot of english books. Science-fiction/fantasy for entertainment and computer manuals
in my job.

Deb, that would be 200.6 lbs. Hey, that's a pretty cool milestone coming up

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:28 pm

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Juergen! Go!!!!!!!
Ausgezeichnet!
(did I get that right? LOL...)
Enjoy your weekend dude!
Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:45 am

I had to see my tax guy today (a few minor things, nothing painful), and I found an excellent little Indian place around the corner. AND THEY SERVE SMALL PORTIONS! *YEAH* I can see a lot of nice lunches in my near term future.

Just had to get this off my chest. My usual circles frown upon places that serve small portions.

Now back into the coal mine ...

gj · Post by gj » Sat Sep 24, 2005 8:34 am

Sat 24-Sep-2005, still at 91 kg.

I'll be away on business for the whole next week so there will be no shovelglove and no exercise bike. The hotel is supposed to have a gym, though.

We'll see how it goes.

Post by **reinhard** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 9:46 am

Jürgen, a decent stand-in for shovelglove when you're travelling is setting the clock for 14 minutes and just seeing how many pushcups, situps, squats, jumping jacks, seconds of "wall of pain," and whatever else you can think of that doesn't require any equipment you can bang out. Not as fun as shovelglove, but you'd be surprised at how throughly and quickly this will exhaust you.

And urban ranger can be even more fun in a strange city.

Best of luck. Stasis is progress under circumstances like these.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 9:56 am

Reinhard, sorry, I have to ask....

"Wall of Pain"??????

I'm not sure if I like it yet.... LOL..

Have a nice weekend!
Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Sat Sep 24, 2005 11:10 am

Hmm, I like the idea of staying with the 14-minutes routine.

Well, we'll see. Right now I'll concentrate on enjoying my S-days.

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:31 pm

"Wall of pain" is sitting with your back against the wall -- the pain part happens because there is no chair under you. You're sitting on "air" -- or more precisely, your quivering thigh muscles. I'd post a link to a picture but I can't find anything. I wonder if this was a term invented by my high school gym teacher?

Azathoth · Post by **Azathoth** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:54 pm

We used to do those during wrestling practices (particularly during hell week) when I was in high school.... believe it or not the "wall of pain" was actually our "rest" between other activities. The should have called our tiny wrestling room the torture chamber, tiny as hell, so much hellish activity going on for 2 or 3 hours that by the time we were done you couldn't even see across the room through the clouds of sweat and moisture, looked like a giant fog of sweat. (boy would it be nice to be in that kind of shape again)

Anyway... I reminisce, but suffice it to say that I do recall the "wall of pain" being extremely tough on your thighs.

Other good exercises to do while on the road and away from your sg are burpees, jumping rope (this can be easily packed), squats, lunges, etc.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:46 pm

Hi Guys!
Thanks Reinhard

Your coach sounds fairly Sadistic! LOL...
I do one asana in Yoga which may create a similar effect..
It's called "Chair Pose"...

Step 1. Put knees together and feet close together...
Step 2. Bend at the knees till your fingers can touch the floor with your arms hanging down at your side...That's your position to hold..
Step 3. Raise your fully extended arms in the air above and slightly in front of your body....

Hold the position your are in as if you were sitting in a chair...
I'm usually breathing like a maniac to hold this one... It's really good...
I'll see if I can find a picture somewhere...
Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Sun Oct 02, 2005 8:37 am

Sun 02-Oct-2005, unchanged at 91 kg (~ 201 lbs)

I finished the job a day early, so I am already home.

I did not do any exercises, but I've been sick all week. I did manage to infect the customer, so there seems to be a god after all

In contrast to most other people on this board, not having access to my scales drives me up the wall. We hates not knowing if we're still on plan, we hates it, my precious.

I am amazed at the robustness of No-S - I've been eating at restaurants 3 times a day for a whole week and I did not gain any weight. Mind you, I only ever had one serving but these servings could be pretty big servings and I was brought up to finish my plate. What has me puzzled is that I normally gain over the S-days - and that's pretty much how I eat on s-days. OK, I have entrees, too, and maybe dessert

Oh, I almost forgot - I have a new favorite breakfast. Tomatoes and mozzarella with pesto. Everyone knows tomatoes and mozzarella I guess, but the combination with pesto was new to me. Yumm.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:50 pm

In contrast to most other people on this board, not having access to my scales drives me up the wall. We hates not knowing if we're still on plan, we hates it, my precious.

Hey Juergen! You *do* know if you are on plan or not... Yes we all look towards the scale for validation of that, and an occasional reality check, but just always remember, YOU are doing the work.... It's so easy for us to lose confidence in ourselves after years of eating in a way that makes us not trust our decisions, but you are out of that "black land" now and all systems seem to be "Go!"...
You are doing great!!! Don't forget it!!! You should say this to yourself each time you feel the urge to step on a scale... If you had a good day, you know it in your heart...
I like the tomatoes and mozzarella pesto salad for breakfast... I think when you eat stuff with veggies and loads of flavor, it's so satisfying that you feel both full and the flavor helps too, because you can be satisfied with less (I think)...
Yeah.. Real food rocks... Eating the exact same thing every day gets really boring, so kudos to you for creating some excitement at breakfast!
LOL..
Have a great day~
Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Tue Oct 11, 2005 12:33 pm

Slightly irregular checkin, but I've been working this weekend.

Weight unchanged. Next week this travel craziness should be over. I am really looking forward to having my regular schedule back. And getting some regular exercise done. I did the 14-minutes thing a couple of times, but without the shovelglove it's not the same. Never made it into the hotel gym yet. When I was'nt working I was asleep.

I did treat myself to a 12" powerbook. Nice little machine, very compact. I am impressed how fast it resumes from suspend.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Oct 22, 2005 8:52 am

Sat, 22-Oct-2005, 90 kg (~ 198 lbs).

This kilogram took me over a month to loose. Still, the travel madness is over; it's been nice to go back to my regular exercise routine. I'm pretty beat though. Exercise was sporadic this last month, so I guess that's to be expected.

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:32 pm

A kilogram is not bad at all considering all that travel. Stasis would have been progress.

I'm thinking of getting the little powerbook or ibook when my current 3 year old 14 inch ibook dies (I'm determined to run it into the ground first).

gj · Post by gj » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:18 pm

I am very pleased with it. At home I connect it to an external screen, and it's easy to lug around.

gj · Post by gj » Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:12 pm

Weight unchanged. I think my stationary bike is trying to kill me. It wanted me to do 40 minutes at 175 watts! It would seem I overdid it at the monthly normed test ride. Oh well, if it gets to hard I can erase the data and redo the fitness assessment. Still, I'll try for another week at the current settings.

I've been doing a heavily modified "Weekend Luddite" for the last part of the week. While I am allowed to use the computer (daily bread and all), I can't surf the world-wide web unless I have to for a job. But definitely no checking of blogs or forums before dinner.

I am thinking about doing a real "Weekend Luddite" on weekends too, but it will have to wait till next weekend. Deadline on monday, and what with my procrastinating during the first half of the week, I am a bit behind schedule. Actually, I am a lot behind schedule.

Oh well, back into the coal mine.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:53 pm

I think my stationary bike is trying to kill me

Ha ha!!!

That doesn't sound very healthy! LOL..

Maybe you were on "slo-mo"...
Can you just go with a different speed each day, based on your energy levels?

Keep up the good work Juergen

Peace and Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Sat Nov 05, 2005 12:00 pm

Sat, 05-Nov-2005, 89 kg (~ 196 lbs).

Another kilo down.

"RSS Luddite" turns out to work quite well for me. It's a bit of an eye opener how much time I wasted checking rss feeds, usenet and this forum. When you do your surfin' all in one big stretch instead of spreading it out over the day, it really stands out. I guess it's the same principle as 3-meals versus constant snacking.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 2:27 pm

Congratulations on your continued progress.

I like your application of "no snacking" to distraction management. The more I think about it, the more deeply related the problems of gluttony and "busy idleness" seem to be. It works even for TV: watching a planned, discrete "meal" of a program can be very worthwhile, while incessant channel snacking makes not just our bodies but our brains fat.

Reinhard

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:29 pm

incessant channel snacking makes not just our bodies but our brains fat.

LOL!!!

I think it makes us
"Braindead"!
P&L,

Deb

kimmi · Post by **kimmi** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:15 pm

I agree. I'm the most unpopular mom in the county right now. I (well, we did have a family discussion prior to this event) WE made the decision to cancel our satellite subscription. Occasionally I allow the kids to watch a video. Our family is SO much better off for doing this, more time to play/laugh/talk/read. It's the best decision we've made!!

gj · Post by gj » Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:00 pm

Sat 12-Nov-2005, weight unchanged at 89 kg.

Started taking swimming lessons this week - I am learning to crawl. Currently, it's more flailing around and inhaling water though.

On the bike front, I think I've been overtraining. I stopped exercising this week, next week I might start again at half the previous load. Or I might give it a rest for another week.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 1:26 pm

Have a great time GJ! I love being in the water! It's so healing...
I personally love to do the backstroke

Kimmi,
We don't have cable or satellite, or even regular tv...
My son watches a few shows when he visits my work at the health club per week, and on the weekend I have my Mom tape Mad TV for us! LOL..
Yeah, we might be missing something good, occasionally, but when there's anything decent my Mom usually calls and asks if she should tape it for me..
Like that Bob Dylan special a few months back on PBS...

So we are video people too.. We are more selective and, thankfully, not bombarded by ninehundred commercials for Burger King, or Fruit Rollups every day... LOL... Or such "entertainment" as Fear Factor and other gems!

At this moment, my Son Richard is completing a word puzzle for fun, called "Sudoku" and he is fine with going on the computer for some games too, and he likes to read...
Last night we ended the evening with a major tickling match!!!
We were in total hysterics laughing~
Better than tv...
Yeh..

Peace and Love,

Deb

gj · Post by gj » Fri Dec 30, 2005 8:13 am

A little update, have not posted in a while ...

Kept the weight. I seem to have hit a bit-time plateau. Still, loosing 15kg (and keeping the weight) is not too shabby either, so while I am not overjoyed, I am pleased.

I've been taking swimming lessons twice a week since middle of november. I love it. I am so preoccupied with snapping for air at the right moment (i.e. when my mouth is over water

I never even notice that it's exercise.

Happy new year to you all,
Juergen

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:16 pm

Thanks for the update, Jurgen.

I know these plateaus can be frustrating but as you point out, it's a plateau after considerable progress, and now is the time of year when people tend to fall off plateaus altogether.

I'm a terrible swimmer (I don't breath right). I should take some lessons myself.

Happy new year,

Reinhard

gj · Post by gj » Mon May 19, 2008 5:20 pm

Hello everybody!

Grats on the book, Reinhard.

Boy did I ever fall off the wagon. It seemed I had a good excuse at the time, funny how there always is an excuse when you want one

Basically I am starting over again. Been trying for a couple weeks now, but I always got that 2nd plate. It seems I need the forum to keep me honest.

Anyway, first success today on the NoS front.

I wont report weight, dont own scales anymore and wont buy any.

Exercise-wise, I've been a good boy for a couple weeks now. Cycling, shovelgloving, a couple basic exercises. Swimming is out, it irritates a tendon in my shoulder.

The one metric I want to track: my resting pulse was at 105 before I got off my **** again. That was a month ago.

Its 90 now.

Cheers,
Juergen

gj · Post by gj » Wed May 21, 2008 9:14 pm

Tuesday success, minor failure today ... full soup, main, cake thing the only lunch option at customer site. And not eating it after paying for it was beyond my will power.

Resting pulse around 80 now

gj · Post by gj » Tue May 27, 2008 8:23 am

Very nice rewarding weekend.

Monday tough as usual, but successful.

JillyBean · Post by **JillyBean** » Tue May 27, 2008 2:06 pm

gj wrote: Resting pulse around 80 now

Nice job!

gj · Post by gj » Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:05 pm

Thank you, JillyBean!

I've been a bit lax about posting here, but I am pleased to report I am still doing pretty good on the NoS front. Now and than I lapse, but my very strict approach on the last try didnt really work long term, so I am taking it nice and easy. My belly is visibly shrinking, so its working just fine.

Got a new hobby too; me and my girlfriend bought a 2 seater folding kayak; it only just arrived so we didnt take it out yet, but we'll rent a car for the weekend and paddle some nice scenic lake. I also bought a cheap used 1 seater (it's older than me!); I did take that one out for an afternoon. It did swim despite my repair efforts, and boy was it good exercise.

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:39 pm

JÃ¼rgen -- belated welcome back and happy to hear things are going well this round. Going overboard with diet and exercise is probably THE biggest danger in both. Best of luck being firm but moderate.

Reinhard

gj · Post by gj » Sat Oct 16, 2010 3:29 pm

Hello again, my long abandoned log.

Sounds ominous, but I've been a good boy. Hey, it's an S-day, have a cookie

My 2nd No-S attempt in 2008 was a failure. My first attempt was overly strict and I failed going into maintenance. My 2nd attempt was overly lax. I shunned the scales and guess what? I am really good at bullshitting myself, the no scales approach didn't really work for me.

My 3rd attempt however was quite successful. By summer of 2009 I had eaten myself back up to 115kg (~250 lbs or so) and I was horribly out of shape. I started No-S again and hiked a lot on the weekends. I went down to a low of 98kg (215 lbs) and then maintained at around 100kg (220 lbs). That's 10kg more than on my 1st attempt but then again this time around I actually did maintain that weight.

This summer there was a minor snag, my knees started giving out when I was hiking (on steep descents, I was fine on flat ground, but hiking in the flats is kinda boring) and the weight started to creep back up.

I needed some other sport and I took up weight training. Free weights only, full body movements. This turned out to be a brilliant move. My chronic back pain (desk job) simply disappeared after a couple of weeks. I also got rid of my hiking knee pain --- I discovered I did bring the knee too far forward when hiking, a move that is discouraged when doing heavy squats. Hiking & I, we are back in business.

Since starting weight training, my caloric needs have changed and I have experimented with other ways of eating. I did an unplanned bulk up to 105kg while eating 6 meals a day. I am now back at 102kg, the weight I started training with. I am much leaner now though.

In the next year, I might actually try to gain weight (preferably muscle

). When maintaining I plan to use No-S. Thanks Reinhard, you are a genius.

Now I'll probably disappear again, but don't worry, I am OK

gj · Post by gj » Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:57 am

Still at 102kg and mostly NoSing, except on training days when I have an extra post-workout meal

Everyday Systems

GJ's checkin

GJ's checkin

Congratulations on your success

Success/Failure rant

A lost son returns :)