gingercake, checkin' 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.

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gingercake
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Location: western U.S.

gingercake, checkin' in

Post by gingercake » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:49 pm

I've been doing this a couple of months now, and at first I resisted making my own check-in thread because it felt very food-loggy, which represented everything I wanted to escape. But now that I've been at this awhile, I would like a way to note the nuances in the red days (like, I ate a pint of ice cream and a whole pizza vs. I had an extra scoop of macaroni). Also I'd like to note the nuances in exercise. Like, a gym workout vs. strolling about town.

so for Monday, July 14:

Food: success
Family was in town. Ate out at both lunch and dinner. Not ideal, but all things considered I'm proud of myself, especially considering that dinner was pizza - one of my weaknesses. I had two slices and some salad. Yay, me!

Exercise/activity:
Several hours of leisurely walking, like a tourist.
Last edited by gingercake on Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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OrganicGal
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Post by OrganicGal » Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:23 am

I understand about thinking of the daily check in as to food-loggy, which is why in mine I have never logged what I ate. I did log calories per meal briefly when I was needing to get a handle on things, but I didn't do that for long.
I use my daily check-in almost like a journal of my days and thoughts, as well as No S progress and Habitcal progress.
Creating and sustaining the No S habits are the only thing that will take me in the direction I want to go!

gingercake
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Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:52 pm

7/15/08

Food: success
Felt lousy all day - tired and headachy. Started to get the shakes a little before noon so had a glass of milk, and was okay until lunch at 1:30. It was tempting to just eat and eat in hopes it would make me feel better, but I didn't. A little bit of funny business at dinner but not a true failure.

Exercise/activity:
A lot of vigorous housework, plus round trip to the mailbox.
Last edited by gingercake on Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:13 pm

7/16/08

Food: success
Very pleased with my plates, especially dinner, which has been a little loose lately.

Exercise/activity:
Gym workout
Cardio crosstraining with treadmill hills/bike/elliptical/track + abs
HRM cals burned 346
max hr 159
avg hr 120
time in zone 17:48
duration 58:10

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:56 am

7/17/08

Food: Failure. Spectacular failure!Around 5-ish, I had a blood sugar issue that led to a snack that led to a binge. I can look over the last few days, the time of the month, and the events of the last week and understand what happened. Also, I know what to do now, so it's okay.

Exercise/activity:
Two round-trips to the mailbox - about 25 minutes of walking.

blueskighs
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Location: California

Post by blueskighs » Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:37 pm

I can look over the last few days, the time of the month, and the events of the last week and understand what happened. Also, I know what to do now, so it's okay.
Gingercake,

I think this is the key,
you are learning and growing and that is always powerful stuff!

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

gingercake
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Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:37 pm

blueskighs wrote:
I think this is the key,
you are learning and growing and that is always powerful stuff!

Blueskighs
Thanks, and yes. Years ago I binge ate several times a week - it felt so normal. Now it feels so wrong and disordered, and I'm able to have that dialog with myself when the urge comes. Usually now it's once or twice a month, if that, and almost always during the week before my period.
I can't believe that I spent so much of my life eating like that so regularly. I mean, in my twenties it was a huge effort not to turn every meal into a binge.

So now, when it happens, my biggest and hardest job is to just let it go and not lament or feel like a failure. I'm getting better and better at that!

blueskighs
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Location: California

Post by blueskighs » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:01 am

Years ago I binge ate several times a week - it felt so normal. Now it feels so wrong and disordered, and I'm able to have that dialog with myself when the urge comes.
Gingercake,

I can relate. I am embarassed to say that for me it was not years ago though, it was really pretty much until I started NO S .... aaaaaagh!

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

gingercake
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Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:24 am

7/18/08

Food: success

Exercise/activity:
Nothing to speak of. I watched the Women of Ninja Warrior on TV tonight and it made me wish I had a giant obstacle course to work out on.

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:06 pm

7/19/08

Food: S day
Note so self: I'm finding that snacking doesn't really work for me, even on S days, so I'm sticking to seconds and sweets, if I want them. Otherwise, Mondays really suck.

Exercise/activity:
25 minute brisk walk
plus a couple of hours of on-my-feet mall shopping

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Mon Jul 21, 2008 2:05 am

7/20/08

Food: S Day
Good S Day. Did 3 meals. Indulgent breakfast, then reasonable but yummy lunch and dinner.

Exercise/activity:
Gym workout - Cardio crosstraining
HRM stats -
392 cals
max hr: 175 (96% max)
avg: 128 (70% of max)
time in zone: 7:45
58 minutes duration

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:26 pm

7/21/08

Food: success
The easiest Monday in awhile. Defaulting to three meals/no snacks on S days just works better for me. I did let down on the content and amount of food at one or two of the weekend meals but it wasn't like the past few weekends have been in terms of excess.

Exercise/Activity:
Not much to speak of. I walked to the mailbox. That's about 12 minutes, brisk.

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:58 am

7/22/08

Food: success
Good day. Really enjoyed my food - everything flowed and was in the right amounts. It's so easy, and it's also so hard. I think there's something about that in the book.

Excercise/activity:
Gym workout. Cardio cross training - treadmill hills, bike, track intervals. Plus abs and stretching.
HRM cals: 505
Max hr: 177 (97% of max)
Avg hr: 140 (77% of max)
time in zone: 16:40
duration: 1:04
Really pushed myself in my workout today. I enjoy that, I have to say. I'm one of those strange people who enjoys going to the gym. Or I should say, I enjoy being at the gym. Going is a pain. As soon as they invent that teleportation device, I will be happy. Or, if I win the lotto, I'll build a giant gym in my house.

blueskighs
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Post by blueskighs » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:30 am

I'm one of those strange people who enjoys going to the gym.
me too :D

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:12 pm

blueskighs wrote:
I'm one of those strange people who enjoys going to the gym.
me too :D
In junior high and high school, I dreaded PE for all the usual reasons, but secretly I think there's an athlete somewhere inside me. I like being an adult and working out and feeling like I belong there - converse to the adolescent feelings of wishing I could crawl into a gym locker and never come out.

Also, though I like being free from counting and measuring of food, I love my heart rate monitor and seeing exactly how hard my body (or at least my heart) is working. The positive counting where big numbers are good is fun.

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Thu Jul 24, 2008 3:32 am

7/23/08

Food: success
Ate lunch out. Yummy and greasy, but one reasonable plate.

E/A:
mailbox stroll

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:29 am

7/24/08

Food: Success
1 "medically necessary" snack, as I call it when my blood sugar is crashing and it's not mealtime yet. I had half a glass of milk, 1/3 banana, and about 10 almonds, which was just right. My lunch could have been more substantial and thereby headed off the crash.

E/A: gym workout
cardio crosstraining, stretching, abs.
HRM cals: 547
max hr: 163 (89% of max)
avg hr: 127 (69%)
time in zone: 27:14
total duration: 1:23

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:01 pm

7/25/08

Food: S day
It was our annual dinner out with a friend we see once a year. I didn't really plan it as an s-day, but when it was time to maybe order dessert, there was something I wanted to try and we were all having a good time, so I went ahead. The dessert was so-so and not too big, and I didn't eat all of it. Basically I had an N-day plus half a dessert.

E/A: None to speak of

gingercake
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 5:19 am
Location: western U.S.

Post by gingercake » Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:19 am

Doing fine, was on vacation for a week. I've moved to a paper journal because I was trying to not spend much time online while on vacay, and actually really liked it. So my check in thread may die. We'll see!

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