Everyday Systems

Starting my check-in today, although I am currently on day 4 of No S-ing. I'm quite proud of myself. I'm not as cranky as I thought I would be, but that not eating at night thing is crazy. I have been doing hot tea and hot low-sodium chicken broth. One warm cup of something in my tummy seems to ease the hunger pains. Man, it's rough going on that nighttime noshing. I never realized how it was such a huge part of my day. If I can move away from that without any permanent scarring, then I'm in. So, I will see you tomorrow--with a happy, positive response, of course.
Sincerely, Denise

Hey Denise!!! Great work so far!!!
Night time eating, whether in front of tv or whatever, is, I think, the hardest part of any diet, NOS or otherwise...
I believe many of us have struggled with that at the beginning, so you are not alone...
Heck if you break down a teeny bit and have a small portion of fruit and veggies, like celery or an apple, you won't be killing yourself..
Still far better than sitting down with a bag of Cracker Jacks and washing it down with a gallon of Ben and Jerrys....
Good luck, just keep trying......
I have had many "failures" in my attempts, but the attempt is just as worthy as the actual success.. keep going and it will all fall into place, with very little effort, if you do it long enough.. Get down your habits!!!
Love,
Deb

hi denisems,

I feel your pain! And I did not have ( ::pounds fist on table:: ) sexual relations with that woman!

(pardon the bizarre Clinton reference...)

But yes, I totally get nighttime binge eating, the bane of my existence for years!

So to combat that, I had to institute a strict no-eating after 9pm rule. Try that for a while. It's hard when you start, but eventually you get (more) used to it, and it's easier to recover from backslides if/when they happen...

Okay, my check-in isn't so daily, but I have go great news! I did five days (Monday-Friday) of No S-ing and now I'm on my weekend. The only snack I've had today was a slice of deli turkey. I just didn't feel the need to go further. I will be going to lunch and I promised my kids we'd go out for ice cream. I refuse to get on a scale. I have an idea what I weighed before I started, but I don't have an exact number. I don't want to be tied to the scale. It disappoints, scares, frustrates, and pisses me off. I will go by how my clothes fit and how I feel. By the way, my clothes feels a bit looser and my energy is incredible. I've done loads of laundry today, and I am ready to do more. It's so cool. I survived my first week with no permanent damage. I can do this and not suffer. I am pleasantly surprised. See ya. Sincerely, Denise

Great job Denise!!!
Enjoy your earned S's this weekend!!!
Love,
Deb

Freakwitch,

You are a riot!!!! And that is one of the highest compliments I can pay a fellow human being.

Peetie

peetie, thanks for the high compliment. All politicans are fair game in my reality, whether they are repubocrat or demlican.

and denisems, you rock! Your experience is very similar to my own; when I started eating less, my energy levels went through the roof. And it didn't even take long for that to happen, the first week I noticed it.

And how I felt was immediate confirmation that I was on to something with No S. Enjoy your increased energy levels, but you should also mentally budget for the fact that those levels with taper off and fluctuate some. Stick with it! It's healthy!

Re: nighttime/bedtime hunger -- I find it very hard to get to sleep when hungry (not to mention, it just does not seem normal and healthy to go to bed hungry) -- so I made an allowance (by "virtual plating") for a cup of hot cocoa at bedtime. The milk has a good amount of protein, which seems to stay with me all night, and the hot drink made me pretty sleepy.

Of course, right at the moment (August), hot drinks seem very unappealing. But maybe you could find something else that's fairly healthy and will stick to your ribs, like peanut butter on apple wedges, or a couple of cubes of cheese.

WOW!!! Had a great, eye-opening weekend. I did some night snacking on Saturday night and I didn't feel too swift. The only sugar I had was an ice cream bar and it was just okay. I do like the freedom that the weekends bring, but in some instances I felt like I went out of my way to overeat. I get it now, I don't have to. Overall, my choices were decent, I just overate a bit. Now I don't have to. I'm glad this weekend happened. Doing great Monday and today.
Cheers, Denise

Open eyes rule!!!!!
Awesome news Denise! Glad you had a nice weekend eating brown rice and beef jerky with Strawberry shortcake!!!
So, don't you love NOS?!!!

Keep up your enthusiastic attitude!!!
Love,
Deb