Everyday Systems

Oh, my, I guess I have to do this. I've been trying to get going for almost two weeks now, but I've been sputtering out in the afternoons. Today a student came by with a little cup of ice cream from his birthday party and that is all it took. However, as I've said in another post, I am doing so much better than I was before I started that I am not discouraged. I can actually imagine myself saying next time, "Oh, thank you for the offer but I'm just not hungry now," or the like. I've been going the whole morning with either nothing or a beverage, and I didn't think I'd be able to, but I do eat a bit more at breakfast. Not that I'm not hungry at lunch! but I've always thought it doesn't make sense not to get hungry. Food tastes better! and I rarely want junk when I'm authentically hungry. It's just learning to find the right intensity and duration without turning into an anorexic. Fat chance, and I do mean fat.

Had a rough time late afternoon; already posted about it on main discussion board. Finishing up dinner and feeling strong. Just two more late afternoon/evening danger time zones until S days. I feel James Brown good.

Today, for some miraculous reason, I didn't feel much desire to eat after work, when I usually want to. Then I had an appointment at 5 with a kitchen remodeler. I always get flustered with those people; I want info, they want a sale, which is fair, but still flustering. By the time I was done, I was legitimately hungry and it was time for dinner! Perfect! I'm going to keep in mind that the afternoon was not a struggle, so I should show my gratitude by not eating after dinner and ruining my chance to put a nice, green square on my calendar.

I hadn't read many other check ins, but it looks like we are supposed to be posting our meals here, too.

Breakfast: fiber one, grapes, milk, walnuts, coffee with milk, sugar, cocoa powder

Lunch: bison burger, rye berries, yellow pepper, pea pods, spring mix, black berries, plain yogurt, pecans

Dinner: small tortilla with refried beans, red pepper, some chicken, soya flax bread slice with butter

Success

S day tomorrow. hubba hubba

What's this? I had thought for days about how I was not going to feel fenced in by limits on my food choices and was sure I'd be looking for a chocolate croissant or something after my moderate egg and toast breakfast, but I not only wasn't hungry, I didn't WANT anything else, either. Doesn't mean I didn't eat a silly amount later, but I wanted it then. I feel that eating a lot later is just the little kid in me asking for one more glass of water before he has to go to sleep, not the backlash from the "horrible days of deprivation." I can imagine that need decreasing over time. Hope I'm right.

Since you can't do anything wrong, S days are success days. What a relief! I also went to my dance class and sweated up a storm--Fun!

Excellent Oohlala
Good for you!
Have a good week.
Debs

I had to split my lunch (got caught up with work crises and only had a few minutes before I had to teach). Ate dinner later. No snacking. Did have a cup of coffee at the tail end of breakfast that carried into my first class. Beverage! No worries.

success

Sounds like you're doing great!!!

I'm one of those people who don't write down what I eat each day....you can do whatever you want to...whatever helps you....but you probably figured that out already!

This is such a unique plan, isn't it? I've never found myself NOT wanting to eat before...what a concept!

Just wanted to pop in and cheer you on....hope your week goes well...

janie

Thanks for dropping by! I think I'm on the honeymoon, but I'll take it. No one would stay married if h/she didn't have a few memories of bliss to fall back on, right? or the experience of a few bad dates/relationships that showed what a better deal present company is? I'll just store this up for the future rise in oil prices... hoo, nothing like mixing metaphors. I'll be a sportswriter next!

I love your mixed metaphors!

Have a great day!

janie

I fell off the wagon last night, and didn't even see it coming. Oh, well. It didn't feel like a tragedy. I hope I'm not kidding myself that I feel I am really moving toward complete compliance.

I think too many times we see the days we "fail", but we forget to see the days we succeed. I have some red days on my calendar...but I have so many more successful green days that it's silly for me to focus on the red ones. You might have fallen off the wagon last night, but the days you've been healthy most likely far outweigh them (no diet pun intended). You had a difficult night...but it's absolutely not a tragedy. Focus on those healthy days and before you know it last night will not matter in the least....

Have a great day!!!!

janie

I called Thursday and Friday exempt days. Friday I had a party to go to, but I ate crap all day long. I know it's theoretically okay but my idea of sanity in eating is just eating normally during the day and having sweets and seconds at the party. Wed. was just an out-and-out failure. I thought of trying to do an N day on Saturday, but I think I read that Reinhard recommends against that. So, tomorrow will be an N-day. I think this will count as my third try at even one straight week of nosing. Is it better for me to aim right off the bat at three weeks of strict compliance, or a week at a time? Three weeks would be nice because it would be a nice streak before Thanksgiving sets off the holiday season.

I admit I'm feeling a little scared. I had really wanted this to be the last system I had to try because it was going to reasonable to implement. These failures are starting to feel like the failures in the past. I know I just need to get a few N days under my belt, but they are looking elusive.

Oolala,

I, like you, hope for this to be the LAST "thing" I ever have to try to find success. Having begun No S early this past summer, I can tell you that it does indeed take more than a few attempts to get these habits firmly entrenched. Even now, I will occasionally grab something in the break room at work or take a second helping (or at least start to!) before I even THINK about what I'm doing. 50+ years of old habits are not going to be changed overnight or even in a few weeks for many of us. But at least it's got us THINKING about it-even if it's after the fact. I have to remind myself not to feel guilty or a failure because I know how much more in control I've been even if I haven't been perfect.

I always go back to Reinhard's comments and remember the take another look at what he says about "failures." This is from the NO S homepage:

Sometimes it takes a false start (or 12)
Some people, like me, get No S the first time they try it. It works and it sticks. But most people have a bit more trouble than that. In fact, you might do best if you assume you'll screw up the first time, so you don't get too discouraged. Consider it a reconnaissance mission, a trial run, just to feel out how hard it's going to be and where problems are going to arise. If the enemy, appetite, turns out to be such a chump that your reconnaissance mission routs him, great, you've succeeded. It might be that easy, you won't know until you try. If not, you've learned more about him, where he's likely to ambush you. You're stronger, better prepared for next time. Don't feel stupid for trying and failing. Success is the sum of many failures. This isn't just pep talk. According to a recent article I was pointed to (thanks, Valerie):

Studies show that altering eating habits for good requires 10 to 12 concerted attempts to succeed - which is to say about a dozen failures come before the eventual success. "That's not reason to despair," said John Norcross, professor of psychology at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and a researcher on self-initiated change. "If anything, it's reason to say, 'I'm not doing so bad.' "

So quit dawdling and get some failures under your belt!

Need something more inspirational than another pseudostatistic? Try Winston Churchill: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

So hang in there--and get some more failures under your belt!

Thanks, LA loser! I can get some more failures under my belt, no problem! Some of them are already there, but more are in my thighs...ha!

Three N days in a row; two more to go this week.

Made it through Thursday. Can it be I'm going to have a 5-day streak! I think so!

Ya-ha, got through my first 5-day streak. Saturday was a bit of overkill, but there are no failures on free eating day! Sunday was very nice, although I found myself frowning at myself for some late night eating. It's all good. Today is going fine, so far. I've got today and tomorrow off from work. Might make things harder. We'll see.

Yesterday a friend took me to dinner at a Greek buffet. I forgot about the one plate rule and did not load my plate up at all, as I usually take small amounts first and then get a bit more of only the best to finish off in such situations. Lots of white space on my plate at first. I checked in with my stomach after eating and made the executive decision to get a few more bites of what would have fit comfortably on my plate. I did feel a little more than full later, but I also did not eat any desserts. I called it a virtual plating experience and counted it a success. Truth be told, in a previous month, I might have declared it a special day, or even a failure, but I also would have chowed down more and eaten dessert. I really had no desire to do that after a very satisfying weekend. I don't think I can afford right now to call it a special day because I may need that safety valve for later in this holiday month, although the more N days I accumulate, the more I anticipate needing fewer safety valves. I don't want to call it a failure because I want very much to rack up three 5-day blocks of green before Thanksgiving. I think last night's experience is going to help me be more rigorous since I'm very sure I don't want to let myself get so close to the edge again. It's just not worth it.

just recorded a green day on habitcal

Yeah!!!!! What a great success you had at the buffet! There's nothing like feeling in control in a restaurant that promotes NO control!

Good for you!....janie

I was very hungry for dinner earlier than I wanted to be. I just ate a little earlier and ate a denser dinner than I usually do, so I'm pretty full, but that's all part of it. Done for the day.

done.

Another 5-day streak. I wouldn't have believed it a month ago. I even have a package of Dove milk chocolate pieces and a semi-sweet bar with raspberry flavoring sitting in a cupboard. I feel satisfied and fine. I can definitely wait until tomorrow.

Pretty much permagrazed chocolate and pizza morning and lunch time on Sat. Can't remember dinner. Better Sunday. I was in a market for bagels and there were donuts and Hostess snack cakes on sale. I didn't even want them. I'm not freaked, though. I'm confident that this behavior will spiral and decrease over time.

It's Friday and I'm about to finish my first 3 consecutive weeks of 5 N days a week! Ah, so worth it! I haven't used any special days, either. With the way the holiday falls, I'm not sure I'll need them. I like the idea of letting them go for now because the holiday is so close to the end of the month. I don't like the idea of having Thanksgiving so close to the weekend and then possibly trying to fit special days in before the end of the month. Don't worry, I'm not one to be a martyr, so I will definitely take advantage of the 2 Special days per month if I really want to. This is for the long run, after all. But I think S day Thursday, and two S days a day later will be plenty. PLENTY!

Don't congratulate me yet, though. Got to get through the day. Don't want to upset the goddess of determination with my arrogance.

I'm popping in to NOT congratulate you on almost 3 weeks of great eating....I'll come back tomorrow to do that....

janie

okay, made it through my first three weeks of N days. Ready for three N days before Turkey day. Feeling pretty darn full on my second S day of the weekend. I'm definitely ending the sweets now.

I found that Mondays were a RELIEF for a long time! But that was okay... part of the process!

Just give yourself time and be gentle with yourself on the whole S-day thing.

lots of failures since Nov. 23., today, too, but I want to start checking in daily, success or not.

Tues., 1/13 success

Wed. 1/14 success

You go girl!!!
Debs

I don't think I've had a day of success since 1/14. So.

Yesterday, success. I didn't have total success on Monday, but I was pretty close, so my body is feeling much better from not being stuffed. Looking forward to a 2-day streak.

been off the wagon. eating to the point of uncomfortable several days a week. maybe later today I'll have a different story

Keep pushing on. I see you are a teacher. I am too and I know how stressful it can be! Rather than eating, why don't you treat yourself to a nonfood item and take a mental health day far away from the classroom!

Got through the day. I popped a chocolate-covered marshmallow in my mouth after dinner, chewed twice, realized what I had done, and spit it out. Threw away the other one that was left, too. I call that a success.

Thursday success
Friday failure, but not blowout!