I've been lurking here for years--since 2006, I think--and had several good months this spring and summer during which I actually lost a little weight (about half a pound, which I was excited about). I'm 61, 5'1", and a woman; in addition, I've been dieting all my life. There seem to be a lot of folks just like me on this site. I'm pretty active, walking 3-5 miles a day and lift weights a little, but have a sedentary job. So you can see that for me weight loss is always going to be slow.
Then school started, and I began eating larger meals and stressing out more, and I began gaining weight. I've decided to get more public in order to convince myself to try again. My dad, who's a healthy 94, lost about 40 pounds by eating no sweets, no snacks, and no seconds (ever) when he was about 65--he's kept his weight off for 30 years. No S is common sense. But despite trying Dad's system numerous times, I've never been successful.
I guess the question is what success looks like. Is it losing weight, or losing my obsession with food? I've read the No S boards and blogs long enough to know that's one of the program's most attractive features, and it's worth the effort required. But I would love to lose the ten or twelve pounds I need to stop being "overweight," not to mention the twenty I would like to drop in order to feel less lumpy.
starting over
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
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blueskighs
- Posts: 1787
- Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:11 am
- Location: California
whatpartofno,
honestly just want to say I really beleive you can lose BOTH on No S, an unhealthy relationship with food AND 10 to 12 pounds.
That being said the unhealthy relationship with food may just need to be the first to go. I am in my 8th month of steady nosing and am being able to reduce the size of my meals more effectively. IN the beginning all three meals were pretty huge, but now when I am not so hungry I can eat a sandwich and coffee for lunch and be completely satisfied. I NEVER could have done that in the beginning ... would not have even tried!
But over time as my relationship with food has healed, it grows more and more uncomfortable to NOT GET HUNGRY before a meal. I almost just can't stand it ... but this is time and patience and not being in a hurry, just building HABIT.
I think your dad's story is great. I suspect if you stick with this, you will have some long term success too. Give it a year ... what do you have to lose?
WELCOME BACK,
Blueskighs
honestly just want to say I really beleive you can lose BOTH on No S, an unhealthy relationship with food AND 10 to 12 pounds.
That being said the unhealthy relationship with food may just need to be the first to go. I am in my 8th month of steady nosing and am being able to reduce the size of my meals more effectively. IN the beginning all three meals were pretty huge, but now when I am not so hungry I can eat a sandwich and coffee for lunch and be completely satisfied. I NEVER could have done that in the beginning ... would not have even tried!
But over time as my relationship with food has healed, it grows more and more uncomfortable to NOT GET HUNGRY before a meal. I almost just can't stand it ... but this is time and patience and not being in a hurry, just building HABIT.
I think your dad's story is great. I suspect if you stick with this, you will have some long term success too. Give it a year ... what do you have to lose?
WELCOME BACK,
Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
thanks
Thanks, Blue. (I hope I'm doing this right, and that my reply goes to your msg.) I have long admired your blog--it's beautiful--and also your thinking. You're quite right that there's no downside here: while I may not lose any weight or achieve a better lipid profile (another goal), I will have some peace where food is concerned. That's huge.
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
checking in
Day 1, Success:
Breakfast--oatmeal, yogurt, home-canned plums, tea
Lunch--pbj, carrots, banana
Dinner--salad with cottage cheese and ranch dressing, toast and butter, apple, hot chocolate
Hot chocolate is a grey area food, but I'm still calling the day a success. At least it wasn't chocolate-covered almonds!
Exercise: an hour on the bike at Gold's
Breakfast--oatmeal, yogurt, home-canned plums, tea
Lunch--pbj, carrots, banana
Dinner--salad with cottage cheese and ranch dressing, toast and butter, apple, hot chocolate
Hot chocolate is a grey area food, but I'm still calling the day a success. At least it wasn't chocolate-covered almonds!
Exercise: an hour on the bike at Gold's
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
Day 3: Success
NWS Day, Halloween
Breakfast: cereal, milk, banana (This sounds like nothing, but it was a lot of food!)
Snack: Halloween cookie at work
Lunch: cup o'soup, crackers, apple
Snack: handful of tamari almonds
Dinner: peanut butter toast, carrots, 2 hazelnut wafers, 1/3 of chocolate bar
Exercise: 4.25 miles on the treadmill at Gold's--that's an hour at 4.0 mph plus 5 mintues cool down.
I weigh every Friday or Saturday morning first thing, and today I weighed 136.4 lbs.
Just writing down what I've eaten and publishing it is helpful because despite being an NWS day, today was pretty typical: too many carbs and too much fat, not enough protein, snacking at work to amuse myself. Hmm.
NWS Day, Halloween
Breakfast: cereal, milk, banana (This sounds like nothing, but it was a lot of food!)
Snack: Halloween cookie at work
Lunch: cup o'soup, crackers, apple
Snack: handful of tamari almonds
Dinner: peanut butter toast, carrots, 2 hazelnut wafers, 1/3 of chocolate bar
Exercise: 4.25 miles on the treadmill at Gold's--that's an hour at 4.0 mph plus 5 mintues cool down.
I weigh every Friday or Saturday morning first thing, and today I weighed 136.4 lbs.
Just writing down what I've eaten and publishing it is helpful because despite being an NWS day, today was pretty typical: too many carbs and too much fat, not enough protein, snacking at work to amuse myself. Hmm.
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
Days 4 & 5: S Days, Success
Day 4, Saturday:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and buttered toast
Lunch: pepper jack cheese sandwich, red pepper, mango/macadamia bar
Snack: little snacky things--all involving pastry--at a reception
Dinner: salad, grilled halibut, baked potato
Day 5, Sunday:
Breakfast: bagel and cream cheese, scrambled eggs, apple juice
Lunch: salad, 1/3 bagel, chocolate chip cookie, tapioca pudding, apple
Dinner: Swiss steak, carrots, mashed potatoes, green beans--best meal of the week.
Exercise: 3 mile walk outside with husband on Sunday, nothing on Saturday
Lots of tea with sugar and milk--joy of my existence--both days.
Really interesting how disappointing most of the stuff I eat actually tastes; I keep eating in the hopes that something will be good. Occasionally, it is. Right now, apples are excellent, and so are carrots from our garden. Eggs are good because we get them from a farmer, and beef, too, for the same reason. (Not the same farmer.) We canned a lot of tomatoes from the garden this year, and they taste rich and full--they made Sunday's Swiss steak extra-yummy.
Old-fashioned "regular" food is really satisfying, even though I worry about the eggs and my already-unpleasant cholesterol numbers. I'll probably eat the eggs for a while and then do a cheap cardiac panel to check, then make adjustments if I need to. Secretly I think that if I eat two eggs every morning for a while, I'll eventually decide one every morning is enough--and surely that's ok.
Day 4, Saturday:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and buttered toast
Lunch: pepper jack cheese sandwich, red pepper, mango/macadamia bar
Snack: little snacky things--all involving pastry--at a reception
Dinner: salad, grilled halibut, baked potato
Day 5, Sunday:
Breakfast: bagel and cream cheese, scrambled eggs, apple juice
Lunch: salad, 1/3 bagel, chocolate chip cookie, tapioca pudding, apple
Dinner: Swiss steak, carrots, mashed potatoes, green beans--best meal of the week.
Exercise: 3 mile walk outside with husband on Sunday, nothing on Saturday
Lots of tea with sugar and milk--joy of my existence--both days.
Really interesting how disappointing most of the stuff I eat actually tastes; I keep eating in the hopes that something will be good. Occasionally, it is. Right now, apples are excellent, and so are carrots from our garden. Eggs are good because we get them from a farmer, and beef, too, for the same reason. (Not the same farmer.) We canned a lot of tomatoes from the garden this year, and they taste rich and full--they made Sunday's Swiss steak extra-yummy.
Old-fashioned "regular" food is really satisfying, even though I worry about the eggs and my already-unpleasant cholesterol numbers. I'll probably eat the eggs for a while and then do a cheap cardiac panel to check, then make adjustments if I need to. Secretly I think that if I eat two eggs every morning for a while, I'll eventually decide one every morning is enough--and surely that's ok.
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
Day 6: Failure
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, apple juice, buttered toast
Lunch: cup o'soup, apple, wheat thins
Snack: tamari almonds, kiddie energy bar
Dinner: tossed salad, hamburger patty with pepper jack cheese
Exercise: 4.25 miles on the treadmill at Gold's
Not enough lunch, so I snacked. And also, I had snacks in my desk--never a good idea for me. No snacks there now, though!
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, apple juice, buttered toast
Lunch: cup o'soup, apple, wheat thins
Snack: tamari almonds, kiddie energy bar
Dinner: tossed salad, hamburger patty with pepper jack cheese
Exercise: 4.25 miles on the treadmill at Gold's
Not enough lunch, so I snacked. And also, I had snacks in my desk--never a good idea for me. No snacks there now, though!
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whatpartofno
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:47 pm
- Location: USA
Day 7: Success (or I guess it's back to day 1, right? Anyway. . . )
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, buttered toast, apple juice
Snack: nonfat decaf latte, but that's ok
Lunch: homemade veg soup, Wheat Thins (a lot), apple
Dinner: banana, bowl of cereal
Lots of tea as usual.
No exercise--a lot going on, and it was cold outside. Time to begin my winter exercise program, most mornings at the gym.
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, buttered toast, apple juice
Snack: nonfat decaf latte, but that's ok
Lunch: homemade veg soup, Wheat Thins (a lot), apple
Dinner: banana, bowl of cereal
Lots of tea as usual.
No exercise--a lot going on, and it was cold outside. Time to begin my winter exercise program, most mornings at the gym.