Harmony's Daily Check In

[harmony]

I am excited to find this site! I officially started yesterday (which was a SUCCESS), but I have been toying with the idea before I found this site. I am planning on buying the book soon.

Back when I was a skinny little thing, I remember primarily eating three meals a day. I would have breakfast before school. I had milk break in elementary (but just milk, no snack like they require now a days), and then I ate lunch. I did not snack after school because I was never hungry. I remember getting quite hungry for dinner. Sometimes I would want a before bed snack, but it was usually denied. I guess, according to my mom at the time, peanut butter before bed makes you dream of snakes. lol.

That was mostly during the school year. I remember that summers and vacations were less structured because a lot of the time my sisters were in charge till my parents came home from work. Some foods were reserved for special occasions, like potato chips, pop, and pizza.

So, I think of this as a return to the way I used to eat before snacking took over. Since I no longer have the structure of school to keep me busy, it is a little more challenging. (I have been out of school for quite a few years. lol.) At least I have the memory that it can work. I won't starve or fall over dead if I don't snack between meals. I just need to figure out other things to do besides eating and thinking about food.

Today (Saturday) is officially an S day. I plan on having three meals, but I am not going to exercise my willpower as hard. Last night before bed was difficult for me because I am used to snacking before bed (so that explains all the snakes. haha.) It is nice to know that I can relax and eat if I am hungry before bed.

I am 5'7" and weigh in at 174 lbs. I am down from 182 lbs since severely limiting my soda consumption.

[la_loser]

You're going to love it. While waiting for your book to arrive, take time to listen to the podcasts. They're great. You can listen on the computer or download them to an iPod or MP3 player--directly off this site or they're fee on iTunes. Just search for Reinhard's name. . . at the beginning you'll want to concentrate on the ones that deal with rules and S days gone wild. . . then later catch up on all the others.

Also, browsing through the old posts is really helpful.

Enjoy! And enjoy some S's this weekend and be ready to dive it for real on Monday!

And post often--this is a very supportive board.

[bluebunny27]

Yep, soft drinks & sodas, are definitely one of the worst things you can have, no nutrients, full of
sugar ... ewk ! If you must have soft drinks, at least pick the 'Diet' versions.

The other day I saw this TV show and they featured a woman who was drinking one 2L. bottle per day, I couldn't believe it. It was the regular kind too of course, full of sugar, no wonder she was 100 pounds over what she should have weighed, just cut the soft drinks and you lose 50 pounds in a year basically,

I rarely have soft drinks anymore, I used to buy one
2 L. plastic bottle per week, now it's probably one per month and mostly when people come over.

Welcome and good luck on your journey !

Cheers !

Marc

Disclaimer : I am following a more extreme version of the 'No-S' diet.
I made my own personal modifications to the original plan (Diet & Exercise)
What I am doing should not be misinterpreted as being a typical 'No-S' diet experience.
11/01/2008 : 280.0 pounds
07/15/2009 : 205.4 pounds
( 8 months 15 days / -74.6 pounds )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goal : 11/01/2009 : 192.0 pounds ( 1 year / -88.0 pounds )

[harmony]

wow, you guys don't waste time posting .

LA Loser, thanks for the tips. I will definitely hunt down the podcasts. I have really enjoyed what I have read on this site. All very helpful.

Marc, I was almost to the point of drinking 2L of Coke a day. I would have, on average, 6 cans a day. I can't have it in the house anymore. It is amazing I didn't gain more weight than I did. I had some today. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

I have been surprised by this first S day. I have actually been working on the no snacking rule for a few weeks before I stumbled onto this site. I haven't been very strict, but I have figured out a few things. I think, despite the fact that I have decent sized meals and I always leave the table beyond satisfied, my stomach has shrunk. I ate lunch at Taco Johns today and couldn't even finish my crispy taco combo. I noticed this at other times too, where it was easy to just stop because the idea of eating more made me sick. It has been a long time since I have been able to say no to fried potato products. I bought a candy bar and it is still in the grocery bag (that was three hours ago). I don't expect every S day to go this well, but this sure is strange for me.

I really enjoy making food from my retro cookbooks and knowing that the whole family will enjoy eating it. I have not dabbled in many official diets, but I did manage to follow one for a whole year. My poor family.

[Bushranger]

I disagree on the diet soft drinks Marc. The "diet" versions of soft drinks are no better than the regular ones. The replacement sweeteners such as Aspartame are terrible for your health. People are deceived into believing these drinks are better for them which is just not true.

To make matters worse I know of many people who drink tonnes of diet soft drinks and truly think its ok since its diet. It's the same nutritionally bankrupt junk as the regular ones and you will get just as fat guzzling that rubbish. Not to mention the added danger of potential cancers and tumors courtesy of the Aspartame.

Enjoy your soft drink in rare doses and enjoy the full flavoured regular ones. This is the whole point of moderation and the No S diet and much healthier then deceiving yourself with "diet" versions of products.

[harmony]

Well this is an easy check-in. It was interesting to see what kinds of foods I had to squeeze in today before Monday came. I wouldn't say I was even craving the foods, I was worried that if I didn't eat them that I would regret it somehow. I imagine that will straighten out in my head over time.

I have been very excited about this. I have already gotten through the hard stage on my own before I knew this system existed. The only thing holding me back was the doubt that I would actually lose weight long term. So it was such a relief for me to see the testimonials - especially the ones who check in after years of eating this way. It is also nice to have the extra structure too. I wasn't as strict on my own, but I didn't allow myself the free days to just eat naturally so I am enjoying that.

I know it is silly to weigh myself so early, but I did. I weighed 173 lbs this morning. (I probably didn't drink as much water yesterday as usual.) My weight goes all over the place give or take 5 lbs, but this is the first time in months that my scale has registered a solid 173 lbs. It pays not to drink a gallon of Coke a day.

Tonight for dinner we are having a dish called Barleyburger Stew (from an old Betty Crocker Dinner for Two cookbook), bread and butter, and a salad with Bleu Cheese Dressing. I have some cheesecake bites for dessert to have with my coffee.

Lunch was leftover casserole with some sugar snap peas and a slice of bread with butter, and a banana.

I had one candy bar and a bottle of Coke. Oh, and a few crackers (like 4).

Breakfast was a cookie with coffee.

So, I think I was heavy on the sweets today. But, I am fine with that.

[harmony]

Bushranger, I agree with you about the artificial sugars. I have resorted to them a few times in hopes of losing weight, but the whole time I knew it wasn't good. Both of my kids are incredibly sensitive to them too. If you want to take a couple of relatively low key kids and see them bounce off the walls, just give my kids something with Splenda in it. The scary thing is how often Spenda (sucrolose is the generic name, I think) is found in all sorts of kids foods. I have been surprised a few times when reading labels. You even find it in the frozen Chinese food entrees (but you wouldn't know unless you read the label).
Ofcourse, the main reason why I care is because I have to deal with the aftermath of crazy kids, but I wonder how many parents have to deal with it too and haven't made the connection. Let the grownups make the decision whether or not they want to risk it, but leave it out of the kids' foods (or at least clearly mark that it is in there).

There is my rant. I am done now.

[mimi]

Welcome Harmony! You'll love NoS and the wonderful things it does for you!
Good luck on your journey!

Mimi

[harmony]

Hi Mimi! and thanks for the message. I feel very optimistic about this still.

I know it's early to check in for the day. Out of curiosity, I weighed myself this morning. I was still that solid 173 lbs. Wow. Well, the amazing part isn't that I lost the weight while enjoying S-days, it is that I lost the weight and didn't have this voice in my head saying, "See, I told you that you can eat all that junk and still lose weight. I bet you can eat like this every day." Instead I was thinking, "Wow, I lost weight and next weekend I can eat like this again!" It was a bit different and quite refreshing. (Of course, I am still fresh into the week. I may not feel so optimistic in a few days. Then again I might. I'm sure I will write about it if it is important). I am really enjoying reading this board. Everyone seems so nice.

*****
I decided to just add on to the above post.
I am predicting that today will be a SUCCESS. I had to do some planning though. I woke up a bit later than expected so breakfast wasn't until 11:00. This usually isn't a problem except I have a class from 6:30-8:30 tonight, which means an early dinner (and a very long night). So, I decided to count 5 hours from breakfast and I toughed it out and had dinner at 4 pm. I plan on having my third meal after my class, if I need it.

I think I over did dinner a bit though. It all fit on one plate, but I am stuffed. (OK, I got out the big plates because I am still scared I will run out of energy if I don't stuff myself. I usually eat off of luncheon plates.) It is a good thing I have an extra hour to digest. My class is of the exercise variety.

The lesson I learned today is that I could probably eat larger breakfasts - especially on Monday. I usually have a big bowl of Shredded Wheat with soy milk and a banana. Most of the time that is enough to last me a few hours, but not always till lunch. Also, it will work fine in the summer when I can sleep in, but it will not be enough once school starts and I eat a couple hours earlier. I have been trying to have a later lunch. That way I can have a later dinner and the night doesn't seem so long. I have been making dinner at 5:30, but I would like to have it closer to 6:30 so I aim for lunch at 1:00 pm.

This diet makes me think of my grandmothers who are both slim and looking good for their ages. I visited both around the 4th of July. One grandmother rarely offers food. She does offer tea. She once showed me a box of Teddy Grahams she keeps around for when she gets a hankering for something sweet.

My other grandma offered cake and ice cream with coffee, but I noticed that she didn't partake in the sweets, just the conversation. She must have an iron will. lol. She used to make wedding cakes on the side, so maybe she has had too much of that sort of thing. She also told me that she never needed maternity clothes until she was pregnant with her 4th child. She just unbuttoned a button or two on her normal clothes.

I may never know for sure, but I bet my grandmas both follow similar "rules" for eating as this plan has, except they have been eating this way for most of their lives.

[harmony]

One odd "side effect" of not snacking at night has been extra sensitive hearing. It is to the point where it is almost physically painful. Regular "kid noises" seem amplified. This could also be from the coffee I had without food to mellow the effects. I may have to change my night time beverage.

My book is officially ordered and on its way. I am off to mark my day green on the Habitcal (assuming I can figure it out. haha.)

[Thalia]

Yeah, I'd bet money that it's the caffeine.

[harmony]

Yeah, I bet it is the caffeine. Without the food to "numb" my senses, everything gets a bit more overwhelming than I want it to. Too much background noise for too long can also do it to me too, but I think caffeine only makes it worse.

Yesterday, I was really hungry soon after breakfast. I really had to work hard at resisting food. I was weak and irritable and couldn't stop thinking about eating.

Today, I didn't feel that kind of hunger. I barely felt hungry at all. In fact, I cut back on the amount of food I planned to eat for dinner because I wasn't hungry enough to eat it all.

I wonder if Monday's feeling has anything to do with all the sugar I had over the weekend?

(10:30 am) I had my usual Shredded Wheat with soy milk for breakfast. I keep forgetting to eat my banana. I need to remember or they will all go to waste. I suppose I could freeze them.

(1:30 pm) I had leftover hotdogs and sauerkraut with some corn chips for lunch.

(6:30 pm) I had tomato soup (made with a little soy milk) and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Oh, I put some leftover popcorn in my soup. My daughter wanted popcorn for breakfast. For once, she didn't try to talk me into candy, so I agreed to the popcorn. (I don't give out candy for breakfast.)

I am hoping to get breakfast a little earlier. I think 9:30 might be more respectable. I have been bad about sleeping in.

I have been a little lighter on the vegetables the past couple of days. I think I am rebelling a little, because I have tried to lose weight by loading up on the vegetables. I will get back to eating them soon. I like them too much to leave them out for too long. I am just enjoying my food freedom at the moment.

Day 5: SUCCESS

[harmony]

Day 6: SUCCESS

Today was pretty painless. It was perhaps the easiest day so far. I gave myself permission to have a glass of milk tonight if I needed it, but I didn't.

Breakfast was at 10:30. I had my usual and remembered to eat the banana.

I had a bigger lunch today. We went to Arby's and I had a Turkey and Swiss sandwich with unsweetened ice tea. I ate about 1 pm.

The kids seemed content and I wasn't feeling hungry, so I managed to serve dinner around 7 pm. We had Macaroni Beef Skillet Dinner with cucumber-onion salad over a bit of romaine, and green beans. The plate was full, but half of it was vegetables. The recipes and menu was from one of my old Betty Crocker cookbooks. I think this is one of my favorite meals.

I like it that this diet seems so old-fashioned. It goes well with my old cookbook obsession. I think I am testing it out to see if I can be skinny eating from all of these older menus from the 50's and 60's. I have tried before, but always gained weight (I was snacking, making too many desserts, and definitely taking seconds.) I love old recipes because i can get all of the ingredients at the local stores. Even the "gourmet" recipes (albeit sometimes quite scary) have basic ingredients.

I think I will definitely save money eating this way. I will have to plan my grocery shopping a little better so I don't waste so much food.

Oh, I got the book and read it today. Good stuff. I am glad that I spent the money.

[harmony]

Day 7: SUCCESS

I woke up this morning weighing 172 lbs. That was a nice surprise. I am consistently weighing under 175 lbs. That is encouraging.

Today went pretty smoothly.

10:30 am I had my usual breakfast, but I forgot the banana.

1:45 lunch tuna salad sandwich with cucumber and carrot, Doritos, half an apple, milk

7:00 macaroni and cheese with hamburger and vegetables, romaine salad

I find that I am having less fantasies about the upcoming S-days. I also find I am allowing myself to think about things other than food. I didn't drink as much coffee today either. Coffee seems to be my transition beverage of choice. Instead of snacking, I make a cup of coffee.

Today the kids barely snacked and really ate well at mealtime. That makes my day easier right there.

I am interested to see how tomorrow goes.

[harmony]

I'm going to check in early tonight. I am pretty confident that I will do OK tonight. If I don't, I will report it.

Today was another easy day. I did pile my plates up a bit high, but I made sure there was a good amount of fruit and vegetables. I ate my meals at the same time as yesterday. I hope next week will be as easy as this week was. I am looking forward to the weekend.

One observation I have after my first full week of eating this way -
I never realized how much food I actually ate. I will definitely save on my grocery bill eating this way .

I lost 1 lb. this week. I weighed in at 172 lbs. this morning.

Day 8: SUCCESS

[harmony]

Day 9

I was a bit worried for a while. I had so much planned for the weekend and so little appetite to accomplish it. Luckily, the party started at dinnertime. I got in pizza, pop, AND a bit of sweet stuff. My S-day is complete .

It did surprise me, though. All day up until 7 pm, I had no desire to snack or indulge in sweets. I had a very small breakfast and lunch at KFC. I couldn't even have fun impulse shopping foodstuff at Target afterwords. Nothing looked good to me. I ordered a large pizza tonight. I almost didn't, but it was on my agenda. I think next time we could get away with a medium. It makes a difference when mom (that's me) doesn't gorge herself on it. Who knows, perhaps one day I will feel confident enough to have pizza on a weekday. For now, I am saving it for weekends.

[harmony]

I had my weekend all planned. I was going to have pizza and pop, I was going to have a dessert, and I was going to have something sweet for breakfast on Sunday. That was it. It was too much though. I didn't enjoy it and now I feel sick after practically forcing myself to eat this stuff.

Next weekend, I won't plan as much. Maybe, I just won't plan. I didn't enjoy the aftermath of the pizza, and I was barely hungry this morning (Sun) but grazed on my chocolate covered donuts anyway. I barely had an appetite for lunch, but I figured I better get something in me that wasn't a donut. I hope I remember this feeling next weekend.

I am reminded of when I was McDougalling. If I realized too late that I had been eating too many forbidden foods, I would quick make myself something healthy and EAT MORE . In my crazy mind, eating healthy food would somehow make things right. I also got into the habit of using food to try to cure any "off" feeling I seemed to have. If I had gut rot from too much coffee, I would eat a little bread; if it was upset from too much sweets, I would eat a little protein; and on and on and on.

Well, live and learn, I guess.

[harmony]

Day 11: SUCCESS

10:30 Breakfast - Shredded Wheat and Soy milk
1:00 pm Lunch - Turkey and Bacon sandwich, coleslaw (non-creamy kind), and Strawberry Applesauce, Soy milk
6:30 pm dinner - Macaroni and mixed vegetables in a butter-garlic sauce, garlic bread, and coleslaw, soy milk

Last week, chips were a pretty common lunch ingredient. I am going to work on replacing their spot on my plate with a salad of some sorts. I had the ingredients on hand for the coleslaw so that is the salad for now. Though, salty cabbage dishes aren't very scale friendly for me .

Dinner was really good tonight. I would definitely have eaten more if I weren't following the one plate rule. I had some devilish thoughts about the leftovers , but I resisted.

I still have to make it through the night at this point. But, I have a full stomach and the option of milk, so I am feeling pretty good about this.

I started another Habitcal. This is for dinner cleanup. I admit that I am a slob. Sometimes dinner dishes are still there when breakfast time comes. But, I will change my ways. I am dedicating 15 minutes a night to clear the table and get the dishes in the dishwasher (plus a few other catch-up chores in the kitchen). I probably won't report it in this thread, I just wanted to make it official by announcing it.

[harmony]

Just for the record, tonight was rough. I made it, but it wasn't pleasant near the end. I resorted to an extra cup of milk, which was the only thing that helped me keep my sanity. I had two fairly significant episodes of hunger today. One between breakfast and lunch and one now before bed. I got very, very irritable. I couldn't concentrate on much (and this is when my husband decides to call and number crunch. Argggh!).

I switched my exercise class to Thursday night because I had a suspicion that today would be a bit rough. My theory is that when my weekends level of a bit, my Mondays will be more pleasant. For now I won't mess with my S-days. I am not sure that is the real issue yet since I am still new to this. My plan is to do No-S by the book for a good month with no changes or adjustments. I think I will need to plan on having a more filling meal on Monday nights, though. I might have to get out the big plates.

[harmony]

Day 12: SUCCESS

Today was better than yesterday. The night is still relatively young and I just stressed myself out by trying to hang curtains, but I had a glass of milk and I am starting to feel better. I wonder what it is that feels so good to drink something when I'm stressed. Of course, it feels good to eat, but for me, the motions of drinking (not water) is my drug of choice. I don't drink alcohol much, so no worries along those lines. I used to grab a cola to make me feel better. Now, I guess I am trying to substitute milk. It works for now, and at least it has some nutritive value to it.

11:00am breakfast: Shredded Wheat and soy milk, coffee

1:00pm lunch: Leftover macaroni and garlic bread, cup of canned pears, water

6:30 pm dinner: Vegetable soup (from a can), bakery bread with butter, Romaine salad, a bit of Provolone, and about 6 green olives. water to drink.

Glasses of soy milk so far: 1 1/2 Cups of coffee: 3-4

[harmony]

I have developed a theory about my nighttime eating. I have been very successful following No-S. I have found it extremely interesting my reactions to simply eating 3 meals a day. On the S-days, I have done fine and had surprisingly no urge to eat sweets or snack or overeat - until dinnertime and beyond. Also on the weekdays when I don't snack, I have had issues of oversensitive hearing and trouble falling asleep.

I have been reading bits and pieces of the book The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron. Aron is a psychologist who specializes in a certain personality type - specifically those who seem to have a more sensitive nervous system (about 15-20% of the population). I bought the book after getting fed up with feeling weird and out of place. (I still feel weird and out of place, but now I know I have company - somewhere...)

Anyway, one of the things she talks about in the book is overstimulation. The fact that if your nervous system is more sensitive, it will take less for you to become overwhelmed by pretty much anything - especially if you have not built up a tolerance to it.

My theory is that I have been using food to numb my feelings of overstimulation at the the end of the day. The build up of noises - TV, fans from the computer, the AC, the furnace in the winter, the refrigerator, traffic noises, kid noises - they all add up and since I can't just walk away from the source anytime I want to (especially with the kids ), I resorted to eating.

Now that I have cut off eating, I am forced to learn other ways of blocking out the noise. Last night, the second night in a row of near insomnia, I pulled out my book and ran across a suggestion for wearing earplugs when sleeping. Luckily my husband has an enormous supply of them, so I went out to the garage, grabbed a bunch, stuck them in my ears and slept like a baby.

I have been trying to limit noises as much as I can too, by turning off the tv when it is not in use and limiting TV - waiting longer in the morning before I let the kids turn it on and turning it off earlier at night. I can also finally sneak off to my bedroom without worrying about my daughter destroying something when I'm not looking, so that is nice, but my kids still find me in there lol.

[Bushranger]

^ Interesting observations and comments you have made here. I have fairly acute hearing and other senses and find I overwhelm easily also. I find aeroplanes actually painful sometimes and I block my ears whereas most people around just seem mildly annoyed that their conversations got interrupted by the overhead noise. I also seriously dislike loud noise full stop and living near a busy road is very nasty to me. I didn't think of it much beyond simply noticing it, but now you have put a name and some further details to the condition I might have to delve deeper myself. Thanks for the insights.

Of course I think all people suffer some from loud noise. Recent scientific studies indicate our noisy society is actually quite toxic to the body, regardless of sensitivities or not.

[harmony]

Bushranger, I'm glad to provide you with insights . Just a warning, some of the exercises in Dr. Aron's book are pretty, well...strange IMHO. But, there is a lot of good information otherwise (and some people like to connect with their inner infant....) I know I found quite a bit on the internet before I bought the book, so it's out there if you're willing to look for it.

[harmony]

Day 13: SUCCESS

10:30 Breakfast - Shredded Wheat and milk

1:00 Lunch - Spicy Italian Subway with a few chips. I actually bought myself a cookie before I realized that I wasn't going to eat cookies today. The kids got an extra 1/2 cookie because of that.

6:30 Dinner - Sauteed chicken breast, toasted bread from yesterday, corn, and Romaine salad with Bleu Cheese Dressing.

I actually entertained ideas of snacking today. I didn't do it, of course, but I thought of it...

The cookie thing was a little scary, too. I wasn't even thinking. I could have ruined a perfectly good success streak for a Subway cookie! Now if it were cheesecake, that might be worth it .

My dinner cleanup has been going quite well. I give myself 15 minutes to "digest" and generally feel lazy, then I get to it. Every day I make it farther on my list of things to accomplish. My kitchen is actually looking quite respectable (by my standards atleast ).

It seems just having the simple structure of the 3 meals a day has really helped me with so many other things. My attitude has changed dramatically since following No-S. I feel a lot less overwhelmed. It is nice not to have to deal with snacks or guilt over sweets during the week. Today I took the leap and I donated 4 boxes of books that I have had for years that are just not "me" anymore. (I put as many diet books in there as I could find. ) I was a little nervous because I don't separate from books easily, but I do not regret it. I felt really good after I did it.

It's all good.

[harmony]

Day 14: SUCCESS

10:15 breakfast - shredded wheat and milk, coffee

1:15 lunch - turkey, bacon, and lettuce sandwich, cheddar kettle chips, canned pears, cup of milk

5:20 dinner - Chinese Chicken and Rice (a very unauthentic version of fried rice from an old Betty Crocker cookbook), toasted garlic bread, salad with Bleu Cheese dressing, a few slices of apple, water to drink. It's kind of an odd mix, but I was using up leftovers.

I am a little worried tonight. I have my exercise class tonight, so I had to have an earlier dinner. My nights are the worst, but I didn't want to starve myself all afternoon either like last time. So, I am giving this a try. It's only for one night after all (but it could be a loooong night). I do have my milk as an option, but the milk hasn't been sitting well in my stomach (it's soy milk at the moment). I might be a little on the grumpier side. Hope no one tries to call to have a civil conversation with me. lol.

[harmony]

I am officially finishing up my first 2 weeks of No-S. The first week wasn't bad. I had more shakiness and weakness the first week. That seems to be out of my system for now. This week seemed a little more challenging. I seem to be used to getting hungry now, but the temptation to snack is getting stronger - especially at night. But, as I have mentioned previously, I am not positive that what I am feeling is real hunger at night. I am hoping that if I stay strict for long enough that I will eventually find out what I need to do to make my nights more bearable. They aren't terrible right now, but they are the hardest for me. Night is the time that doubt creeps into my mind whether I can do this long-term.

Part of my problem might be our lack of structure at night time. I am wondering how things will be different when the school year starts and I am forced to maintain some sort of sanity around bedtime. Plus, the kids are in a habit of eating before bed. It kind of held over from when they were little and you hoped that feeding them at the last minute would help them sleep longer. So, my hopes is that a later dinner and an earlier bedtime for all may cut out the need for the bedtime snack. A girl can dream. I am hoping that one day I can come back and read this and think, "Wow, I forgot how hard it was in the beginning."

[harmony]

Day 15: SUCCESS

Breakfast : the usual

Lunch: Tuna salad sandwich with cheddar kettle chips

Dinner: French Toast with bacon and cinnamon apples

I admit that I am making a slight change to the schedule. I am going to experiment with shifting my weekend. The S-day will start Friday night after dinner and end Sunday after dinner. So, Friday night dinner is normal N-day, but later that night snacking or sweets are allowed. Sunday's dinner is S-day, but no snacking or sweets after Sunday dinner. I am not sure how to report this on Habitcal, except to include Sunday night as officially Monday. This goes better with the weekend feel of fun nights and work/school nights. And, it's really not as confusing as it sounds. If I can do it, it should even out. If I end up taking advantage of it, then I will go back to normal hours. It will be nice to have Friday movie night and be able to enjoy the popcorn.

[harmony]

Onto a new month. I weighed in at 173 lbs this morning. I stuck it out and had a successful two weeks, but it was pretty easy because I didn't have any vacation or social gatherings to challenge me. This new month of August, I have 3 birthdays and my parents coming to visit, so I can put my habits to the test. The birthdays will be S-events (except maybe my daughter's birthday which is a bigger deal and the reason my parents are coming up.)

I have learned a lot about myself since starting No-S, and it has an amazing effect on other areas of my life as well. There was a testimony that I can now relate to where No-S allowed her the freedom to start living in other areas of her life. Guilt is very paralyzing for me. Guilt over being overweight, eating the wrong things, eating too much, guilt of being on a diet, guilt of not getting anything done because I am too busy feeling guilty....I could go on and on. These first two weeks of No-S has been nice. The majority of the guilt is gone and I'm finding that I am getting more done.

Habitcal has been a good tool for me too. It has really helped keep me in line.

My biggest complaint... I am walking a lot less. Mainly because I would usually be walking to the grocery store to get a pop, some candy, or a snack. I am also buying less groceries now, so I don't need as many trips during the week. So, I am getting less exercise, but eating less and saving money. Not really much to complain about.

I hope the nights get a little easier this month. I have had the hardest time with them and have even had trouble falling asleep. I also have to adjust what I drink at night because I have had some trouble with heartburn. Today I am going to look for a gentle herbal tea I can drink at night. I might have to limit my computer time at night too.

I think in August, my personal goal will be to get back to drinking water as my primary beverage. Milk and coffee have taken over.

[harmony]

Day 17 S-day

Part of my strategy is to find things to occupy my time that don't involve food. Last night I read the transcripts to the podcasts on personal chain of command and personal punch cards. Two weeks ago I wasn't too interested in the ideas, but last night I decided to go ahead and experiment with it using my original New Year's resolution. I am pretty excited about it. I am going to try it for a week and see how it goes. Then I may try it for another week and another. Luckily, this year I had resolved to do things that were NOT dieting or cleaning the house, so there is plenty there for me to keep my days full and interesting.

The weekend went well. I am finding that I just can't handle the sweets like I used to. That is just fine. So far I like the new division of S-days. There is something just right about finishing Sunday with a fast of sorts. It is like preparing myself for the week to come. I think I will try it again next weekend.

I did things differently this weekend. I didn't plan anything special. I planned my three meals a day and let the snacks and sweets happen as they happened. It was nicer, less forced, and I surprised myself in a few areas. So, I think that is how I will do it for now (at least until the snow comes ).

This will be my last week before the big 21 - assuming I can keep the week green. I should really plan on rewarding myself with something sort of nice... I will have to think about that one. I do have room for more books.

[harmony]

Day 18

All is going well today. I do predict a SUCCESS, but it is still early.

I read the new podcast transcript this morning. I admit that I tend to try to do too much and usually give up before much gets done. I am using some of the advice from the podcast to adjust my Personal punch card lists. For example, I had on my list practice piano 30 min. a day. I changed it simply to sit down at the piano every day. I am more interested in developing the habit of playing something everyday than learning anything specific. With my two young kids, sometimes a half hour of uninterrupted practice is not realistic (yet today I got in 45 minutes. Yeah! ). In fact, this is advice that I used to give out to my beginning piano students, and boy would I get funny looks from the parents. Often the hardest part of practicing is just getting to the piano. It's funny how it's so easy to give out advice, yet so hard to follow it yourself .

9:45 breakfast : the usual, but.... I am adding on to my good habits by working on eating breakfast at the table with the kids instead of in front of the computer "checking the weather". haha. I'm also working on making sure I empty the dishwasher after breakfast. Also, note the earlier breakfast time. I'm getting there.

1:00 Lunch: Chicken Vegetable Soup, leftover slice of ham and cheese Stromboli, Romaine salad with Blue Cheese Dressing. Milk to drink. I am trying to limit how many times I have chips at lunch.

6:30ish Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese with tuna and broccoli. Fruit.

[harmony]

I weighed approximately 171 lbs. this morning. I wore pants yesterday that barely fit me at the beginning of the summer. Even just a month ago I had to unbutton them before the day was over because the waistband was so tight. Late last night I realized that I had gone the whole day wearing them - and they were still buttoned! This was encouraging. I have been taking measurements, but it seems they never budge much. I don't think I am very good at measuring the same place each time.

Anyway, it is officially Day 19!

[harmony]

Day 19: SUCCESS

9:30 breakfast - the usual, and I sat at the table and emptied the dishwasher

1:00 lunch - 1-1/2 tacos and some sour cream and cheddar chips

7:00 dinner - beef stew, salad with Bleu cheese dressing, dinner roll

I am getting quite a bit done with this personal punch card system. I am not sure how long I will keep it up. I tend to start up really well, but at the first disruption to my schedule, everything scatters and fades away. Next week I have company for my daughter's birthday. So, the real test is if it survives next week.

On Thursday (day 21), I have my first weekday S-event. I have discovered yet another August birthday and was invited to celebrate with a friend and her kids. We are actually going to do a joint celebration and celebrate my daughter's birthday with them too. This is where it gets overcomplicated. I will end up having at least three "parties" for my daughter's birthday. A party with her friends (this Thurs.), and party with my side of the family (next Thurs), and another party celebrating her birthday along with my brother-in-law's birthday (still yet to be announced). Oh well, the coming months are pretty empty (and Halloween falls on a Saturday ). And anyway, 3 pieces of cake are not going to kill me, and the third party will probably be on a weekend. The real trick is making sure none of the cake comes home with me. I seem to be the only sucker for cake that lives in this house (though my daughter will lick all the frosting off if you let her).

This week seems to be a lot easier than last week. There was other stuff happening last week that may have had something to do with my troubles. The nights are still a little hard - especially when the kids beg for snacks all night. But, they are pretty bearable. I seem to be sleeping better AND waking up earlier too. Now I just need a magic fairy to come and clean my house and mow my yard before my family comes next week. At least the kitchen looks respectable.

[harmony]

Day 20 - SUCCESS

I am predicting success for today. I have already gotten through the worst of it. We went school shopping today. I HATE shopping in crowds, with kids, and a list. School shopping this year was a bit like doing a scavenger hunt, but not as fun. The list was very specific. You can't just get any notebook, you must get the ones without the perforations (which I totally understand. I just don't understand why you should have to pay twice as much to not have perforations ). And to do this with an almost 3 year old that doesn't want to sit in the cart OR stay with you, is a bit hard to do without turning into one of those ugly people that snap at their kids (a lot) in public. So, I managed to get the majority of the school supplies, but forgot quite a few things that I needed in general (despite my list). But, I didn't succumb to food or fizzy drinks like I REALLY wanted to. I had some coffee when I got home (after making a quick stop at another store to run in and buy some). I let my little girl fall asleep and then I mowed the weeds in the yard. It's too dry for the grass to grow much, but the weeds don't seem to mind.

Breakfast was really late. Lunch was super late. Dinner is yet to happen and will probably consist of a opening a couple cans and a pushing buttons on a microwave (and serving it on a plate of course ).

I should have picked up some vodka to go with my orange juice.

[harmony]

Today was fun, and not as indulgent as I thought it might be. We got to meet a tiny little kitten that was drinking from a bottle (it was orphaned), and the kids got to swim. My kids came out tan, I came back pinker. It was nice to catch up with old friends (and I'm getting babysitting services out of the deal).

I was originally worried that the lunch wouldn't be big enough to last me till dinner. Well, no need to worry. There was no lunch served till quite late and I passed on it because I wasn't hungry and I wanted to have something else once I got home. There was no shakiness, or irritability, or annoying hunger pains. My stomach grumbled once, but I was quite comfortable just eating the two cookies and one gummy worm. At 4:00 I decided to stop and eat something (because I knew my son was hungry). I did have Pepsi with the meal. This is totally new for me, because just a month ago, I would have needed food to keep from feeling miserable. I like this.

I am a little disappointed that I couldn't finish my 21 days without a bit of cheating. Today didn't need to be considered a celebration in any way. It should really be considered a planned FAIL. I guess I'm OK with that. I had a lot of fun.

Anyway, a 21 day report. Yesterday, I weighed in at 170.5 lbs. So, I am losing about 1 pound a week. My weight goes up and down. Some days it will spike up 5 pounds and a day or two later it will come back down (water retention, I suppose). This morning, I weighed 174 lb. because I had an Italian sub for lunch and Chinese food with soy sauce last night. But, the low keeps getting lower instead of higher, so I am content. I just need to stay away from the salty food.

[Bushranger]

It's really good that you are getting the change in stomach behaviour already. As you stick with it longer that becomes more and more pronounced and you seldom find yourself hungry again between meals even if they are slightly undersized on occasion. Good job.

[harmony]

It seems that the excitement is waning for No-S. I had to have a good talk with myself today. An example of some of my various thoughts today:

Just one more potato chip won't make a difference. There was probably room on my plate anyway.

Would one small candy really matter?

A snack sure would be nice right now...

Of course, I didn't give in to these thoughts, but they were tempting. The physical feelings of hunger have lessened quite a bit, but now I think I am dealing with the psychological hunger. I also had an attack of the What If's.
What if I don't lose anymore weight? What if I fall out of habit and have trouble getting back to No-Sing? I ended up asking myself a string of questions. Am I willing to go on another diet? No. Have I benefited from this method? Definitely. Will I still lose weight if I snack? No, I will probably go back to gaining weight again.

I decided that if I am looking for excitement, I need to start looking somewhere else besides food. Food is very convenient. A lot of it has good memories associated with it. You can throw yourself a party with a simple trip to the grocery store or calling pizza delivery. But, that is not how I want to live. I don't want food as my best friend. And, anyway, I can throw myself a party every weekend!

These next 21 days, I will conquer the psychological hunger. I am already making progress getting back into some old hobbies and making progress on a few projects I have been trying to get going for a while. I have a good plan I think - as long as I keep plugging away.

I think I was a little overwhelmed after this week. A lot of good stuff happened. I think there is a little self sabotage going on here, so I will let up a bit, but not give in. I will treat myself well this weekend and start new on Monday.

[harmony]

I just wanted to document this - I am sitting here (though I should really be in bed) and I'm a little hungry. I could eat if I want to since for me it is an S-day, but I don't want to. I AM ENJOYING MY HUNGER! It's not uncomfortable, it feels just right.

[harmony]

Well, today didn't seem like an S-day. It kind of went the same as any other N-day. And, now that it is after Sunday dinner, I am back in N-day mode (since I started S-days on Friday night). So, I guess I am on to the next week. This week I have my parents and niece coming to visit for a birthday. Cake is in my future!

[harmony]

This weekend was interesting. Saturday we went to the grocery store and I came home with a Danish pastry, a small frozen pizza, and a Coke. There may have been more, but I don't remember . I ate the pastry while the pizza was baking and still managed to get most of the pizza down. Then dinner was light because I was still full from lunch. But, I gave in to the late night snackies and ended up eating a plate of nachos and some potato chips on top of that. What strikes me as a little embarrassing is that I am still eating like a little kid. Chips, and pop, and frozen pizza.... None of it is really good or worthy of being called a treat in any way. But, I eat it because I can and I really don't know what else to treat myself with.

Sunday I was a bit disgusted with my Saturday, I think. I told myself that if I really wanted something to eat that I could have it. But I ended up just having a normal day. I had already eaten up all of the treats from the grocery store, so part of it was I just didn't want to make the effort to get more junk and there was nothing in the house that was tempting in any way.

My night time hunger is starting to become a lot more bearable. I have been really strict on N-days and have not had any snacks beyond black coffee or a glass of soy milk. My night time hunger used to keep me up at night, but now I think I would feel funny if it were missing. I had about one week of insomnia, and another week of really late nights, and now I am getting tired closer to my usual time. I hope it stays that way. Most of my trouble sleeping was due to having to learn how to deal with problems and emotions without numbing myself with food. I have had to learn how to be less critical of myself at bedtime.

I had no weight loss this week. The scale read 172 lbs. this morning. I had kind of a lazy week and ate a lot of processed foods which I am sure were full of salt. Plus, I had lots of potatoes. I don't believe potatoes are fattening in any way, but they are as bad as eating cabbage for me. But, lately I have been trying on some of my clothes that I grew out of and seeing progress and that has kept my spirits up. Some of my tops are starting to look baggier around the shoulders. My waist and belly seem to be the last to budge. I thought losing inches in my thighs and hips would be the best, but I would really like my waist back.

[harmony]

8/10/09 SUCCESS

Today went well. I had an early supper because I had an evening exercise class and had to get the kids to the babysitters. I was worried that I would be hungry, but I feel good. If I didn't have the no snacks rule, I definitely would have eaten something tonight - not because I am really hungry, but because I have an urge to treat myself after I get back from class. I can have my glass of milk later. Tomorrow is my last day before birthday chaos sets in.

[harmony]

Today was good. I had a bit more hunger than usual for some reason or another. I also felt some of the old reactions to hunger. They weren't as strong as the first week thank goodness. My energy was really low today and I felt a bit off. My daughter did too, though, so I hope that it isn't a sign that we are getting sick. I managed pretty well despite it all.

I ordered some new cookbooks to celebrate my first month of No-S. The full fat decadent kind of cookbooks. Yes, I'm a few days early, but I'm pretty confident that I can do it. I hope to use these cookbooks to make my weekends just a little bit more special in a grown-up, yet kid-friendly way. I can't wait for Fall. I really get in the mood to cook then.

[harmony]

Today went pretty good. But... if I am going to be strict, I will have to mark today as a FAILURE because I had root beer with my dinner.

My parents and niece are here. Tomorrow is the big birthday so it will be an official S-day for me. It will be very pink with lots of princesses and a pinata. That's a lot of P's. haha.

[harmony]

Today was an amazingly fun day. I really enjoyed it. It couldn't have worked better if I tried.

I have been thinking a lot about Reinhard's idea of concentrating on habits rather than results. I am not ready to retire my scale yet, but I am closer. I actually came across a commentary in a book I was reading that said a similar thing. A man named Derek Lin wrote, "By focusing on the process instead of the end result, we allow all things to progress naturally and minimize our tendency to meddle. The net effect is that the difficult becomes easy, and we struggle less but accomplish more." He is talking about the principle of wu wei, or as he translates as "unattached action", where one acts without attachment to specific outcomes. Who knew No-S and ancient Chinese philosphy would agree with each other.

The part about minimizing our tendency to meddle I think is spot on. I catch myself "meddling" on days I am not happy with the scale. Meddling is especially noticable on S-days when I start feeling disgust at myself because I ate something or more of something than I think I should have. I know the only reason why I'm thinking that is because I am worried about the end result and not the process. I am not trusting the process, and sometimes that only makes things worse and it takes longer to fix my relationship with food.

Today, I had a few twinges of guilt when eating cake and later eating ice cream. I caught myself thinking about the result and not the process. Then I weighed myself and I am no worse off than yesterday. It doesn't always work out that way, I know. I really need to pack away my scale.

Tomorrow I will try for an N-day. My family is still here. I don't see them very often, so I am going to enjoy myself. I am thinking of this as a vacation.

(just to cite the book I got the quote from - it was Tao Te Ching annotated & Explained published by SkyLight Paths Publishing)

[harmony]

I made a good attempt today to stick to 3 meals, but around 3pm everyone took a break for birthday cake and I gave in. Today I had a piece of birthday cake and a bit of Laffy Taffy from the pinata. Luckily, the birthday cake will not survive the weekend. The candy is much easier to say no to.

[harmony]

I am so glad that today was an S-day. It was just one of those days that had the potential to be really fun, but it just didn't work out that way. I admit that I self medicated with a bit of food and some fizzy drinks, but I am happy to say that I ate a lot less than I normally would have pre No-S. I find myself yearning for my simple routine with my little family, but the kids are having a blast and I do enjoy seeing my family. A little bit of chaos is good for me now and then.

[harmony]

I seem to be having a string of bad days. I am hoping this is the last of them. Today started out with terrible sleep, then progressed to crying in Walmart, a pizza that came with pineapple instead of pepperoni, and now a swollen knee. I have never had knee problems before, but just this last year, I have had a lot of weird stuff going on. Jaw pain, wrist pain, knee pain, and foot pain all on the left side of my body. My back feels good though. The jaw pain is from clenching my teeth and from tight muscles in my back and neck. It usually happens when I am stressed and/or worried (or crocheting for hours at a time. haha.) I managed to get rid of the foot pain by stretching my calf muscles. I am quite worried about the knee stuff though. Could that be from tight muscles too?

I started Tai Chi the end of March. Since then I have noticed a big difference in my right and left side. My left side isn't as flexible and I feel like my hips are not balanced properly. So far most of my issues have been resolved with massage and stretching, so I think it would make sense that a lot of this is related to tight muscles somewhere on my body (and not something more serious). I have to figure out a plan of action quick before too much more damage occurs. So, if anyone that happens to read this has had similar issues, I would be incredibly grateful for any advise or resources you can give.

As for my S-day, it went OK. I actually passed up a dessert at lunch and didn't completely gorge myself on pizza. Considering everything, I think that is a strong testament to how well No-S helps create balance when it comes to emotional eating. I still run to my Coke when things get REALLY bad (only on weekends so far), but I am not enjoying it nearly as much as I hope it will, and I think I'm slowing coming to realize that it just isn't working for me anymore. In a few months, I just might not even consider it as an attractive option anymore.

[Bushranger]

That's a lot of things not going too well for you Harmony. I'll see if I can offer some help and address each part individually.

Today started out with terrible sleep, then progressed to crying in Walmart, a pizza that came with pineapple instead of pepperoni...

The sleep alone may have caused the crying. Being tired is a strong catalyst for heightened emotions, especially the negative ones. But there may also be a real emotional issue going on behind the scenes, only you will know that. If so it needs to be addressed. As for the pizza, it's not all bad, it's still a pizza! mmmmmm!

...and now a swollen knee. I have never had knee problems before, but just this last year, I have had a lot of weird stuff going on. Jaw pain, wrist pain, knee pain, and foot pain all on the left side of my body. My back feels good though. The jaw pain is from clenching my teeth and from tight muscles in my back and neck. It usually happens when I am stressed and/or worried (or crocheting for hours at a time. haha.) I managed to get rid of the foot pain by stretching my calf muscles. I am quite worried about the knee stuff though. Could that be from tight muscles too?

This gives me some concern. It's unlikely to be muscular if the swelling and pain is in the knee itself. Tendon and ligament issues are more likely. The varying aches and pains also suggest something is wrong. There are many things that can cause these aches all over from a virus (Dengue fever here in Australia) to gout. A professional medical assessment is the only way to get a real answer. Clenching your teeth is a sign of stress, as you said, so again that could relate to the crying above? If I were you, I would definitely take stock of what is happening and see if I could identify the underlying cause of the emotional upset.

I started Tai Chi the end of March. Since then I have noticed a big difference in my right and left side. My left side isn't as flexible and I feel like my hips are not balanced properly. So far most of my issues have been resolved with massage and stretching, so I think it would make sense that a lot of this is related to tight muscles somewhere on my body (and not something more serious). I have to figure out a plan of action quick before too much more damage occurs. So, if anyone that happens to read this has had similar issues, I would be incredibly grateful for any advise or resources you can give.

Being a little less flexible on one side is fairly normal, but a large difference is a bit odd. Possibly you have a shorter leg than the other. I do slightly and it affects the way you walk and your hip alignment. You can't really do anything about it but if it is bad enough (mine isn't) then a shoe insert might be recommended. Seek a Podiatrist to confirm this though and get the right fit.

As for my S-day, it went OK. I actually passed up a dessert at lunch and didn't completely gorge myself on pizza. Considering everything, I think that is a strong testament to how well No-S helps create balance when it comes to emotional eating. I still run to my Coke when things get REALLY bad (only on weekends so far), but I am not enjoying it nearly as much as I hope it will, and I think I'm slowing coming to realize that it just isn't working for me anymore. In a few months, I just might not even consider it as an attractive option anymore.

This just goes to show how strong you are still even with the obvious current problems. That is very encouraging news and you should take pride in this show of strength and discipline. I have said a prayer for you and hope God guides you better than I ever could.

[harmony]

Thanks for your advice and concern Bushranger.


The aches and pains do puzzle me. They don't seem to ever happen at the same time. They are very polite and take turns. It could be diet related such as gout, but it could also simply be a case of bad posture and too much sitting at the computer. I'm considering seeing a chiropractor to see what they can find. My mom was diagnosed with fibromyalgia many years ago, but so far my symptoms don't match with that (thank goodness).

I've often wondered if I had one leg shorter than the other. I first noticed it in college and someone (I think my mom's chiropractor) noted that my right shoulder was lower than my left. They figured it was from carrying too heavy of a bookbag on my shoulder.

Thank you for your prayers. They are appreciated.

[harmony]

Tomorrow I will be back to my old routine. I am going to start over and aim for another 21 days. I also need to work on some of my other projects I started on before this visit took over (but I will wait a day or two before I worry about those).

I am excited because my cookbooks came today. I am going to spend tonight watching movies with my kids and picking out a recipe or two to try.

[harmony]

Day 1 (second time around) :SUCCESS

It felt like I was constantly reminding myself that I wasn't going to eat that one sugar cookie my mom left. I kept offering it to the kids, but no one would take it! Oh well, it will have to wait until Saturday I guess. haha.

Breakfast: We went out and had a farewell breakfast before my parents left town. Corned beef hash, and egg, and some toast with grape jelly. Oh, and coffee, ofcourse.

Lunch: Ham, Turkey, and Swiss sandwich, kettle chips, glass of milk. I meant to have fruit, but didn't.

Dinner: Chicken Stirfry with brown rice, vegetable egg roll. I finally found a frozen stirfry that has more vegetables than meat, and it tasted excellent on brown rice. Many of the other stirfries I have made from a kit or from scratch never blended with the flavor of brown rice, so I was a little worried when I realized that was all I had available. Now, if I can find a decent stirfry kit without the meat, I would like it even better. There is something about reheated chicken that tastes "off" to me.

Kitchen cleanup:
Tai Chi:

[harmony]

Day 2:

No-S:

kitchen cleanup:

Tai Chi:

I said no to many candies and that cookie that is still there.
I lucked out and the final birthday party for the month is scheduled to happen on a weekend. I would like to try to finish the month with my weekdays all green.

[harmony]

Day 3:

It was an odd day, but I made it. Breakfast was the only normal, relatively healthy meal. The other two meals went a totally different direction than planned. Dinner was free though, so you can't beat that.


No-S:

kitchen cleanup

Tai Chi:

[harmony]

Today was pretty exciting. No-S is a definite failure today. I wonder what smiley I should use for that? Maybe ? If I wouldn't have taken all of the S-days when my family was up I would have considered this a special day for sure.

It started with pony rides and root beer floats. Then we had a fun time playing in a park. And the grand finale resulted in a new addition to our household. We are now proud owners of a green parakeet named Yuko. The kids are absolutely thrilled. My son especially since we can't have cats or dogs because of his allergies. Now when they ask him at school if he has a pet, he can say "yes" (and I bet not everyone has their own bird). I grew up with parakeets, so I am excited myself. My older sisters always did the taming, so I am hoping that I can be successful. There is nothing more fun than bonding with a budgie.

Dinner cleanup should be simple. I was too excited to cook, so I ordered a pizza (they got the order right this time).

I am going to take a break from Tai Chi (or at least make it a short run through). My legs are really tired.

[harmony]

Day 5

This weekend is a local celebration in the neighboring town. They have a petting zoo, wild animal exhibits (think snakes and lizards), and a bunch of inflatable rides (obstacle courses, giant slides, bouncy things) for the kids. Food vendors, live music, and stands set up with all sorts of interesting and unusual things to look at (and buy). The wasps were atrocious, but pretty harmless. I definitely got my exercise today!

I knew there would be food vendors, so we had a bit of leftovers before we left, not really the usual whole plate I usually have. Instead of my usual mini donuts/corn on a stick/ice cream feast, I ended up having a Coke and a small piece of lefse (cause I have to support my fellow Norwegian-Americans ).

I am still in shock that I forgot my mini donuts and didn't go back for the cotton candy.

On another happy note, I took measurements on a whim. My weight has not been budging much, but my clothes fit differently. I have lost a 1/2 inch on my upper arms, my hips, and my thighs - each! My mid section seems to be thinning from the chest and working it's way down. But, my posture has improved so much from practicing Tai Chi, that even my belly looks smaller. So my patience is working, and I am even more convinced that the scale is not the best measure of progress for me.

It was a fun day. Lots of walking in 74 degrees and sunny weather. I was so tired, I decided to make oatmeal for dinner.

Tomorrow is a birthday party and a parade (and maybe the "Bruce the Bug Guy" show with giant cockroaches and bugs you can eat). It's tiring, but all of this excitement is kind of nice after enjoying a long, carefree summer vacation. Soon it will be back to school and back to snow!!

[harmony]

I am tired. I am hoping to have a slower day tomorrow if life allows.

I am finding that I am eating smaller meals on weekends. Since I can snack if needed, I don't feel the need to eat something "just in case". The only time I usually snack is after dinner - not all day anymore. Although today I had some parade candy and a couple of cookies. No snacking needed tonight though.

I am losing my fear of being hungry between meals. I don't suspect that I will resize my plates on N-days yet, but my weekends are definitely calming down and becoming more normal. I am a lot more aware of what I am eating and what I am not eating. I can say "no" to a lot more things than I used to. I am feeling less food dependent. It is quite freeing not to be worrying when the next bit of food will be coming. I can finally wait comfortably if lunch or dinner are postponed.

Now the challenge is back to keeping the N-days green. It was pretty easy when I was a social hermit and spent day after day with just my little family. Now life is picking up with a lot more social interaction and temptations during the week. At least the birthday craziness is over. Oh wait, one more birthday left. Oh well. I maintained my weight this month despite all of the craziness, so I think that is quite good. Oh yeah, I guess I lost inches too. I am curious what September will bring.

I have been falling behind on habitcal. I may just take a break and start fresh in September or just use the check-in for a while longer. Then again, I may not. I change my mind often.

[harmony]

I'm going to take a short break from habitcal and daily check in. I won't be taking a break from No-Sing though! I am officially committed to keeping this up. Everything has been going well. My between meal hunger has become quite manageable, my plates are more reasonable, and my clothes are fitting better.

A small interruption in my internet service (due to some unknown causes) made me realize how much I wasn't getting done because of time spent online. So, I'm attempting to limit my time on the computer and focus on getting other things done for a while. But, if I feel my No-S habits slipping - I WILL BE BACK with another check-in or habitcal!

[harmony]

I am going to start negative tracking. I have caught myself thinking I could cheat just because I was no longer publicly accountable for my failures (I'm sure SOMEBODY takes the time to read this ) This will help me keep to No-S and limit how much time I spend on the computer.

With that, I am going to confess that yesterday (Fri.) was my first crazy failure day where it just snowballed and got worse as the day went. I was stressed and overwhelmed from a shopping trip with the kids and ended up eating quite a few mini donuts and drinking Coke. I am still running to the Coke when I get overwhelmed. One of these days I will figure it out.

On a good note, this last spring I was shocked to find that the capris that I had been wearing for years no longer fit me. In fact, I couldn't even pull them over my hips and was forced to buy all new summer clothes. Well, a couple nights ago I took out those capris. Not only did I get them over my hips, I was able to button and zip them. They are still pretty darn tight. I am about 5 pounds (or the equivalent) away from them being wearable, but I am still pretty excited about this. Also, last Sunday I wore a semi-fitted shirt that I could barely button a few months ago. I am slowly getting my old wardrobe back one piece at a time.

[harmony]

I'm back again so soon. It was Meet Your Teacher for my son tonight. He has moved up to a new school, so it was pretty exciting (for me at least. haha). Afterwards, we went grocery shopping along with every other parent and their kids. It seemed like a special occasion at the time...

Anyway, I will just get it over with and confess that I ate my son's leftover cupcake and am currently drinking a Coke. So, that adds up to a pretty decent FAILURE.

Of course, as long as I'm here, I'm happy to announce that my scale has finally decided to stay on 170 pounds. I think the weight I started with was around 174, and I started around July 18th. Hmmm, here I have been going around saying I've been doing this for 2 months. I guess that's not very accurate. I have only been at it for 6.5 weeks. I AM in my 2nd month of it at least...

My meals are starting to get smaller. I no longer fill my breakfast bowl to the brim. Today at lunch I made myself eat some fruit with my sandwich just to get something plant-like in my diet. Part of it is that my life is getting busier. There are all sorts of emergencies, and planning, and get-togethers happening all at once, and I don't have as much time to think about food (Did I just say that?!?). The other factor is that I am no longer afraid of small meals because I am not afraid of feeling hungry anymore. And the REALLY amazing thing is that more often than not, I make it just fine to the next meal.

Now, I just need to keep away from the bakery.

[frugaltexan]

You do have people reading.

Good job on getting into your capri's!

[harmony]

-
School has officially started for my son. It is amazing how much quieter it is when I'm down to just one kid! It really is a treat. But, I am going to bed much too late and waking up early to get my son on the bus. This means I'm pretty tired, and when I'm tired I crave sugar, sugar, and more sugar. Today I gave in and had a Coke. Tonight I will go to bed an hour earlier.

[harmony]

I feel absolutely miserable at the moment. I can pretty much guess what is causing it too - POP. I have been letting it slip in to the point where I had it more days than not last week. I haven't had even close to what I used to consume in the past, but I am not used to it now. So, this coming week, if I have pop on a weekday, it is a failure. I will be keeping track for a while.

I am finally getting back into wanting to cook again, too. It was strange, but I had lost my appetite for a couple weeks. I would still feel hungry, but I wasn't craving anything. So, when nothing seems good I tend to wait till the last minute and then decide to go out to eat or eat junk like pizza and garlic bread and little to no fruits or vegetables. Despite the extra sugar from the pop this weekend, I cooked at home and ate real food. I made homemade pizza, and spaghetti carbonara, and porcupine meatballs - all with a salad or vegetable.

I have been trying to make a homemade dessert each weekend too. Last weekend it was No-bake cheesecake (not from a box). This weekend I was going to have a hot fudge brownie sundae, but the weather was a bit warm for using the oven too much, so I passed on the brownies and just had the sundaes.

So, I'm hoping that I can keep up with making homemade food each night and avoiding excessive amounts of convenience foods. I just have to make it till the weather cools down. Then the cooking will really begin.

[harmony]

Today was educational. That is code for FAILURE. Yet again. Oh well.

One thing that I will do is to think about how I can do things differently tomorrow. I am guessing that my change in schedule is the biggest culprit here. I am waking up earlier so breakfast is earlier, which usually means lunch is earlier. Today, I panicked because I was planning on having a late dinner (my once usual 7pm dinner) because of an appointment I had tonight. The problem was I ate lunch at 11:30 am and found myself getting hungry right around 3:00. Four hours of hunger scared me so I caved in. Now, there is a chance that I wasn't really hungry and if I would have waited it out, I would have been fine. I will never know.

Tomorrow, I don't have any appointments or inflexible plans. No silly excuses. I will have a bigger breakfast later in the day and work on getting my lunch a little later. I have been eating leftovers for lunch, but I seem to get hungry faster when I do. This almost gives me a fear of leftovers (even tasty leftovers). lol. So, I will be back to my soup and sandwich lunch I think. Anyway, I'm sure once I rework my schedule I will be less prone to panic even when dinner is late.

One good note is that my before bed hunger is still under control. I think that beast is still tamed. Also, I don't have a lot going on for a while so I hope that means less temptations and lots of predictability. I just need to shift my mealtimes and plan accordingly.

[harmony]

"I've fallen and I can't get up!"

I feel like I am starting from the beginning again, but this time I have little patience to sit through the hunger or deal with the stress without food or fizzy drinks. But, I am not giving up. It is pretty humbling when I consider my options. Do No-S and lose and maintain while eating everyday food, or give up and gain weight only to decide to come back to No-S or another diet. There really is little option for me.

I do know that No-S can be enjoyable when I get in the groove. I really liked not having to eat and being able to say no to snacks and sugared drinks during the week. Eating all of the time does get old after a while.

With all that, yesterday wasn't too bad. I was able to hold off on breakfast for an extra half hour and ate lunch around noon. I had a glass of milk at 3:00 instead of a snack and that held me off until dinner. Then boredom, frustration, and other things (that weren't hunger) took over my common sense and I convinced my kids to take a trip to the grocery store just so I could get a treat to make my life seems more exciting.

Today I will be out of the house. My biggest challenge should be to not drink pop or bring home sweets. Shopping has been stressful for me lately, too. But, I can do it. If I don't quit the pop now, I will have to deal with a lot worse withdrawal symptoms than I will now. I really don't want to go through that again. Maybe, I can plan a favorite dinner I can look forward to? Or maybe just a really easy one?

This might be a good time to read the book again.

[ksbrowne]

Hi Harmony,
I'm enjoying reading your daily check-in.

Hang in there. Completely changing your eating habits is NOT an easy undertaking. Mine are a work in progress. Some people can do cold turkey. Some can't. We'll get there. The way I look at it, ANY movement in the right direction is a good thing. Imperfect as we are, we're still doing a lot better than if we weren't trying at all.

Best wishes,
Kathy

[harmony]

Thanks Kathy. It was good to be reminded that even a little progress is better than none at all. I tend to think in terms of all or nothing.

Today I did surprisingly well during the day. It wasn't perfect, but better than expected.

I am in pain, under a lot of stress, and a bit depressed. I am pretty sure it is affecting my attempts here at No-S. So, along with exercises, stretches, and mental work, I am trying to change my diet to include a lot more vegetables. I am a little hesitant to go crazy with the vegetables because I don't want to feel hungry two hours later. For lunch, I want to have a broth-based vegetable soup with rice, noodles, or potatoes. I am not going to use a one bowl rule for this until I can be confident that I will be fine till dinner. I made some today with a small amount of leftover taco meat, garlic, potato, carrot, green beans, corn, peas, and beef broth with a dash of nutmeg. I had two bowls and that lasted me until 7:00 at night. I probably won't make soup for lunch every day, but I do plan on doing it atleast a few times a week or more.

I gave myself the option to eat fruit at 3:00 if I needed it. Now, I am not really a fruit person (except I do like bananas), so I really have to be pretty desperately hungry to settle for a fruit snack. Today I didn't take it. Sometimes just having the option is the key to not needing it (and it helps to stay busy).

I am hoping to switch over to tea as my daytime drink instead of coffee. I will still have my coffee in the morning, but I think I am overdoing it lately. This is a bit funny, because I used to drink two pots of coffee a day and now one pot is overdoing it. But, I was down to 1-2 cups a day a couple months ago, so I sense a pattern of increase.

And I will keep on going even if I don't expect it to be perfect anytime soon. There is no guarantee that any of these plans will last more than a week, but it is nice to keep my mind busy and feel a little hope for improvement.

[ksbrowne]

Your soup sounds delicious. Maybe I should try soup for lunch, too. I am stuck in a sandwich rut and am pretty bored with them. I do like soup, though.

Right now I am concentrating on cutting out sweets, so, for now I still snack a little.

I'm sorry that you are in pain. Hope you will feel better soon.

Kathy

[harmony]

I understand the sweets thing. Lately, that's been my weakness. I don't usually crave candy bars, but I am weak when it comes to pretty much anything from a bakery, sweet or not. But, if chocolate is in the house I WILL eat it until it's gone! I wouldn't want it there tempting me. lol.

I made chicken soup today. Frozen chicken breasts already cut into strips were on sale last week. So, I chipped off a couple chunks and added chopped carrot and celery with some chicken broth (actually Better Than Bouillon and water). Then I added leftover rice I had from yesterday to fill it out a little. I didn't quite get 2 bowlfuls because it was a smaller batch and my daughter ate a bunch of it. It wasn't bad and it did last me until dinner.

My dinner planning skills are so uninspired at the moment that I have considered using the school menu as inspiration. Corn dogs, anyone? I thought that No-s would solve the problem of making meals the whole family will like, but it really didn't. It is better, but not the easy carefree meal planning existence I was hoping for. I was a terribly picky eater growing up. I think I owe my mom an apology.

I am happy it is the weekend.

[NoelFigart]

My dinner planning skills are so uninspired at the moment that I have considered using the school menu as inspiration. Corn dogs, anyone? I thought that No-s would solve the problem of making meals the whole family will like, but it really didn't. It is better, but not the easy carefree meal planning existence I was hoping for. I was a terribly picky eater growing up. I think I owe my mom an apology.

I am happy it is the weekend.

I don't rely on inspiration when I make dinner. What I do is really mentally lazy, but it works out okay. Basically, I think up as many dishes as I like to eat and prepare. It could be seven, it could be thirty. Then I go to my Outlook calendar, and set a meal for each day, but create a repeat interval of however many meals I've set up. When I've served all of them, I start the cycle again. I shop to the meal list, but if I get a wild hare across my butt to do something different, I make a different meal and don't sweat it.

This SEEMS like it'd be boring, but in reality, it isn't. You get better variety and you always have what you need to cook the night's meal, because you made your shopping list from the meal calendar. I don't think I could consistently be creative at five every evening after a long workday when I was feeling tired and hungry!

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[harmony]

Thanks for the meal planning ideas. I have thought of trying out a system like that, but I tend to get stuck on what meals to repeat. I insist on trying to please everyone in the family which is an idea I may have to throw out if I want to maintain my sanity. *insert crazy, maniacal laugh here*



This weekend would be far more enjoyable if I would have been more strict on my N-days.

My mood has been up the past couple of days, and the pain I have had for the last month seems to be fading fast. If my pain stays bearable I am predicting that my stress level will drop considerably (assuming the pain is not replaced by some other stressful event). I am hoping I will have an easier time getting through my N-days this week and many more weeks to come. It really isn't fun to ponder one's gluttonous acts at the end of the day without having a proportionately larger amount of angelic days to balance it out. Well, that's enough for now.

[harmony]

I have been doing well so far this week. It hasn't been perfect No-S, but I have managed to find a reasonable compromise for now. I have the occasional diet soda or a bite of a sweet now and then. I have been able to stick to three meals a day without any snacks, and I don't feel out of control or worried that I will totally lose it anymore. I have been doing my best to be sensible and to get rid of the guilt. I imagine this weekend will be much more enjoyable.

[harmony]

If I were asked to say one thing I did well this week, it would be sticking to only 3 meals. What I still need to improve? Getting the sweets back out of my diet during the week. I have been indulging in desserts and pop. I still have been eating less of them than before I started No-S, but I think it is best to get myself back to vanilla No-S as soon as I can. At the moment I am not determined to lose weight. I am happy just maintaining until I get over this hump.

[harmony]

Despite my imperfections, the scale now reads slightly below 170! I have reached the 160's (barely)!

I am still eating sweets more often than I should. I am working on Fall cleaning my house and it seems that it is ingrained in my brain that I need a steady source of sugar in order to get the momentum up to clean. Right now, in my mind, it is more important to clean than to lose weight. I am just trying to keep things moderately sensible (compared to my pre-No-S habits). I do not want it to turn into a free for all or to completely undo every good habit that I have established. I still aim for 3 meals a day with no snacks, but I admit that I am back to drinking pop. This is a habit I got into my senior year of high school and it is a hard one to break. ( I also gained 10-15 lbs my senior year of high school...)

I found a simple, easy yoga routine that has really been helping with the pain I have been dealing with. I had to adjust my usual workout, too. Some exercises were making it worse. Having less pain makes life so much easier.

[harmony]

I have made a soup that is worth documenting! I have been really craving cheese lately, so this is my way to combine cheese with vegetables in a way that is not pizza or nachos. I didn't follow a recipe so there are no real measurements, but it is pretty simple.

Cheesy Potato Chowder

1 potato
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
some red pepper

chop these up and throw in a pot with some chicken broth to cover and then some (or in my case water with a little Chicken Better Than Bouillon and salt). Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix about a cup of milk with 2 Tbsp or so flour. Take pot off heat. Drop a pat of butter in the soup and pour in milk/flour. Grate some sharp cheddar cheese in. Stir well. Put back on heat and stir until thickened.

I wasn't sure about the red pepper, but it really made the soup. This made about 2 servings, so I have some for tomorrow as well. I'm thinking this would be good with broccoli and cauliflower. Ooh, and bacon makes everything better.

This is a bit richer than I usually make soups. I actually wandered around the grocery store looking for something quick and easy and perhaps a bit sinful. But, I think I am tired of the taste of overly processed convenience food so I came home empty handed. And despite the butter, cheese and 2% milk, I'm thinking I ended up with something healthier than the Totino's pizza I almost resorted to.

[NoelFigart]

Nom Nom Nom!

I'm always curious about ideas for good soups and this sounds like a winner!

[harmony]

Yesterday was good. It wasn't green success material, but it was an improvement on other recent days. I have decided on a project (one that doesn't involve thinking about food) that should keep my mind occupied.

I also revived a coffee recipe that is helpful when I am craving Coke and don't want to give in. It is a Cinnamon Coffee recipe I adapted from the Kraft foods site. You basically sprinkle cinnamon on top of the coffee grounds in the coffee maker and put sugar right in the coffee pot. I usually make 8 cups of coffee with a couple of Tbsp of sugar. I read somewhere that originally cola was meant to be cinnamon flavored, so perhaps that's why it works for me. Yesterday I did not have a pop. One day at a time...

Today I am going to pick up some bottled water. We have well water that tastes fine - if you don't mind getting mineral chunks stuck in your teeth. We finally got a couple of filters for it, but by that time I was out of the habit of drinking water. I found with water bottles, as much as I hate the idea of them, get me to drink more water and they provide that much loved swigging sensation that I miss when I am trying to wean myself from the fizzy stuff. It worked really well once and then I stopped buying the bottled water and things went downhill from there. So, I will see if it works twice. I would rather have my kids see me drinking water than pop.

[harmony]

I do believe that I managed a SUCCESS today! My plates were large, but I managed no soda, no snacks, no sweets, and no seconds today.

[harmony]

Today went well. I did have a big taste some food before dinner to make sure it was edible and something the kids might eat. I did not virtual plate, but I did eat dinner on a luncheon plate. I also had one little caramel after lunch. But, not bad considering what I have been eating lately and the fact that it was a crazy day with sewer issues and bad news and such. The extra eating today had nothing to do with stress and more with curiosity. Despite all of the icky stuff, I felt quite calm.

There is one nice thing about cold, rainy weather. Instead of wanting to treat myself with a Coke after being out, I look forward to my cinnamon coffee (decaf) at home.

[harmony]

I'm still here.

I have finally found a breakfast I can look forward to again. I have been eating muesli (what I call lazy granola) with yogurt. I make my own muesli by mixing old-fashioned oats with walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, a dash of cinnamon, and a little bit of brown sugar.

Between the cold weather and my trying to stay on a budget, I have been eating most of my meals at home. I think that has really helped me from gaining weight despite my sneaking in the odd candy corn or extra spoonful of dinner. Now, I realize that I probably could have lost a pound by now if I would have been strict, but I am getting there again. Things are getting better and I feel like I am getting back to normal.

I weighed myself this morning and found the needle was slightly below 170. This was pretty encouraging considering it was after a weekend and also after my cup of coffee and banana I have been eating (to help get me through the morning until my son is off on the bus). So, there is actually hope that I will find myself solidly in the 160's before the new year.

I am still amazed at the simplicity of this way of losing weight. I am losing my weight as gradually as I gained it, but I am eating normal food. My only formal exercise is about 15 minutes of super easy yoga and about 15 minutes of Tai Chi. It's slow, but easy and definitely sustainable for me.

[harmony]

I was thrown off yesterday! It is MEA weekend so yesterday my son was home from school and I went into weekend mode. So, yesterday was a little crazier than usual. Today was better, but I had planned to get together with an old friend AND bring cookies. So, I have had a few mini cookies.

My cravings for pop are much lower. I admit that I have allowed myself a little bit of other sugars just to help me along through the day without giving in to the urge. I hope to one day not even want pop on the weekends. Like I previously posted, it is easier when the weather is cooler because I tend to crave hot drinks instead of cold, but my ultimate goal is to just drink plain old water most of the time.

[harmony]

I have been making the excuse that I will be easy on myself until my life settles down (by that I mean eat whatever I want whenever I want). I have had No-S in the back of mind the whole time, but I have been lying to myself about my habits. Right now, the only part of No-S I am still faithfully following is eating real food (as opposed to diet food). I need to face the facts that I will not lose weight just because I think about following No-S - I actually do need to follow it!

I seem to pick Friday as the day to start over. haha. I guess 2 out of 3 days are a guaranteed success.

I am going to break out the big plates, stick to my tried and true recipes, and say no to cookies and apple crisp on the weekdays(even though I have apples coming out of my ears from my apple tree - apple sauce is still OK). Oh, and I am not going to set out candy in plain sight. I hate to say it, but the weekly pizza might have to go too (or at least be modified).

My husband will be home on leave in a few weeks. My goal is to train my snacking monster by then. I don't plan on losing weight before then, but I certainly don't want to gain weight.

[harmony]

Well, Friday night was terrible, but I managed to finish off Sunday night without having a snack. It felt good and I am quite proud of myself. I have my dinner menus planned for the week, and I am still doing Ok on the exercising.

I started using my Pilates DVD I have had for ages. I was pleasantly surprised that my stomach muscles aren't as weak as I thought (the Tai Chi perhaps helped?). One of my goals is to have nice posture. I really want to see if I can avoid the dreaded potbelly that seems to be the norm in my family (partly due to swayback). Plus, you really do look skinnier when you have good posture. Taking Tai Chi really made me aware of what I need to work on - tight or weak muscles- to get better results. I am happy to say that I am seeing improvements.

Anyway, I feel I am off to a good start for the week.

[harmony]

Monday Nov 2

Today went OK. I had three meals. I did have one piece of Halloween candy after dinner. I am very happy with my three meals, though. I did not snack today!

Unfortunately, I misplaced my book. That's the problem when it's so darn small (in my house at least). So, instead, I am going to read through my earlier posts (back when this all seemed easier) and see if I can gain inspiration there.

Well, today may not have been an official green day, but I am definitely happy. I hope tomorrow goes just as well, if not better.

[harmony]

Yesterday (Tues) - 3 meals, no snacks. Yeah!

I have been experimenting with something called oil pulling. Basically, you swish oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes and then spit it out. It is suppose to clean your mouth out extremely well and some people report all sorts of other good stuff happening as well. (For instance, it somehow drains your sinuses, helps with arthritis, better sleep, better skin.) Anyway... I am trying it mostly for the benefit of having cleaner, whiter teeth and healthier gums. This has helped me with No-S the past couple of days because you are suppose to do it with an empty stomach (similar to Yoga I guess), which means I shouldn't eat anything for 4 hours before I swish. I have been doing it once in the morning and once at night, the usual times one brushes their teeth. So, that means that I must be strict about not eating after dinner in order to work my experiment. So far, my teeth are definitely whiter, my gums look healthier, and despite the fact that I stayed up waaay too late last night, I woke up refreshed and ready to go (which rarely happens for me). I do not know if this is something I can do long-term, but one never knows. I am curious to see what other benefits I can get out of this (I even welcome placebo effects as long as I see improvement. haha).

Yesterday, I had 3 pieces of toast for breakfast. Two with cream cheese and blackberry jam, and one with cinnamon and sugar.

Lunch was rice with peas and a few boneless Asian Chicken Wings (basically spicy Asian-flavored popcorn chicken).

My son wanted a cooking lesson, so we made blueberry muffins and I whipped up a sausage egg bake for dinner. They were the best blueberry muffins I have ever had.

[harmony]

Another good day. I got a lot done around the house today, too. My slump seems to be over for a while (I hope).

Breakfast: leftovers from last nights dinner

Lunch: 2 beef enchilladas and rice, blueberry muffin

Dinner: frozen pizza, blueberry muffin

Muffins definitely last longer than they used to around here.

[Kevin]

What kind of oil? 10 to 20 *minutes*?

I'm imagining swishing Mobil 1 around, but I know that can't be right.

Yesterday (Tues) - 3 meals, no snacks. Yeah!

I have been experimenting with something called oil pulling. Basically, you swish oil in your mouth for 10-20 minutes and then spit it out. It is suppose to clean your mouth out extremely well and some people report all sorts of other good stuff happening as well. (For instance, it somehow drains your sinuses, helps with arthritis, better sleep, better skin.) Anyway... I am trying it mostly for the benefit of having cleaner, whiter teeth and healthier gums. This has helped me with No-S the past couple of days because you are suppose to do it with an empty stomach (similar to Yoga I guess), which means I shouldn't eat anything for 4 hours before I swish. I have been doing it once in the morning and once at night, the usual times one brushes their teeth. So, that means that I must be strict about not eating after dinner in order to work my experiment. So far, my teeth are definitely whiter, my gums look healthier, and despite the fact that I stayed up waaay too late last night, I woke up refreshed and ready to go (which rarely happens for me). I do not know if this is something I can do long-term, but one never knows. I am curious to see what other benefits I can get out of this (I even welcome placebo effects as long as I see improvement. haha).

Yesterday, I had 3 pieces of toast for breakfast. Two with cream cheese and blackberry jam, and one with cinnamon and sugar.

Lunch was rice with peas and a few boneless Asian Chicken Wings (basically spicy Asian-flavored popcorn chicken).

My son wanted a cooking lesson, so we made blueberry muffins and I whipped up a sausage egg bake for dinner. They were the best blueberry muffins I have ever had.

[harmony]

Hey Kevin, you use vegetable oil . The two most recommended are sesame or sunflower oil, but people use coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, etc. I started with olive oil because that is what I had in the house. Then I found sesame oil (regular, not toasted) and started using that. The olive oil tasted terrible but really helped my sensitive teeth problem, the sesame is much more enjoyable but isn't working as well for the sensitive teeth atleast. Since starting about a week ago, I have a lot more energy, a better mood, and my knee injury has improved dramatically. Oh, and my cravings for snacks seemed to disappear overnight. It might all be coincidence, I don't know? I don't know how long I will do this experiment since it is time consuming. I think it all depends on what I get out of it in the end. They say it is not necessarily a cure. Once you stop the symptoms often come back again, so it is something you might have to do long term. I usually sit and read stuff on my computer while doing it and the time ( yes, 10-20 minutes) goes a lot faster. Here is the link to where I discovered this odd practice.

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html

[harmony]

I have been forgetting to post, but the week went really well. It has been the best week I have had since my son started school.

I found my book today. It was on the shelf all along. haha.

[harmony]

My husband isn't much of a snacker, but he sure is good at supplying snacks for others. I will be starting fresh on Monday. I really do hope I can get back to sane eating again.

[frugaltexan]

You can do it!

[harmony]

Thanks Laura, I needed that bit of encouragement.

Today is going quite well. I am back in the mood for cooking so that helps. I have been inspired by my collection of old Betty Crocker cookbooks (from the 50's and 60's). Since it is just me and two young kids, I use the Dinner for Two cookbooks. It usually makes just enough food for us, which means less temptation for seconds. Yesterday I was in the mood for pot roast, but the store only had 3 lb. roasts. I am determined not to waste it, so we will be eating a lot of beef. My lunch was a bit of an experiment, but it turned out quite good. I found the idea in my 50's Betty Crocker Good and Easy Cookbook. I remember the lady in charge of the local deli made similar sandwich spreads out of ham and chicken when I worked there, but this is the first time I tried it out. I will do it again. All you do is put the meat, pickles, celery, mayo, mustard, etc. in a food processor. It's an easy way to use up leftover meat and not have to worry about it falling out of your sandwich all of the time. Oh, and it's easier to chew, too. haha. I am also trying to actually use up a bag of baby spinach too, so hence the frequent mention of spinach.

Breakfast: one fried egg, 2 pieces toast with butter and blackberry jam

Lunch: Sandwich (sandwich spread made of leftover pot roast, pickles, and mayo and a few leaves of baby spinach), an apple from my tree (which we discovered this year that it produces three different kinds of apples. I think someone got happy with the grafting), a glass of milk

Dinner: Macaroni Beef Saute made with leftover pot roast instead of hamburger, cucumber salad over spinach leaves, green beans, and a dinner roll.

Now, I am sitting here enjoying a coffee with just a bit of sugar. I usually drink it black, but I was craving something sweet.

I am thinking of starting up my habitcal again. I took a break from it because I was trying to cut back on computer time, but I remember it being really helpful. Since tomorrow is December, that might be a good day to start one up again. We'll see if I remember.

[harmony]

I can't help but document that I had an official GREEN day yesterday. The worst I did was drink sweetened coffee, which is out of character for me but OK in general. It has been a LONG time since I have had such a guilt free day. I plan on having another one.

I kept myself busy yesterday, despite being tired. My sleep schedule always gets goofed up when my husband is home on leave. There is a 9 hour difference between the two of our normal schedules and we tend to meet halfway - meaning he does his best to stay awake during the day and we tend to stay up really late and sleep in. Now that I am up getting my son off to school, there is less sleeping in but the staying up late habit is sticking pretty hard. Usually when I'm tired like this I let the housework slip and eat and drink sugar all day long. So, I am pleasantly surprised that yesterday went so easily.

Today I am braving the stores to get some Christmas shopping done.

[harmony]

hmmm... I thought I had typed up a post for yesterday, but I must not have submitted it. Oh well. Yesterday went really well. I would classify it as a GREEN day.

Today on the other hand, I did myself in. I have been trying to keep myself busy during the day by doing chores and projects around the house. Today I went a little crazy. It started innocently as I washed the kitchen garbage can and pretty soon I was moving furniture and rearranging my kitchen cupboards and countertops. So, by the time I realized I should eat lunch, the kitchen was a mess. I managed to get through it OK, but it had the potential for disaster. The real unfortunate event was dinner. I ended up ordering pizza and that never stays under control. One positive is that I didn't drink any pop, and I haven't for the last three days. So, I am proud of myself for that, but today is still RED. I have been sneaking Hershey's kisses today, too.

Tomorrow I will take it a little easier, or atleast not work in the kitchen. I am happy with the results. My kitchen is looking much nicer and at least one corner is clean and organized.

[harmony]

It was a good day today.

Breakfast was leftover muffin squares from Tues.

Lunch was leftover pizza from last night.

Dinner was a creation I thought up. (I'm sure it's been done before, just not in this house ). I basically made cream cheese and jelly sandwiches, dipped them in French toast batter and cooked them in my sandwich maker. Then I sprinkled them with a tiny amount of powdered sugar (just so they looked fancy). We had those and breakfast sausages. The kids liked them. I did too. Yeah!

I kept really busy today. I made sure I didn't uproot the kitchen though. Instead I uprooted my bedroom. I cleaned under the bed and behind the furniture and got rid of all sorts of dust, dirt, and fluff that was hanging around in there.

I am actually amazed at how much I am getting done this week. I had an attitude shift. Something just clicked. I read in some book that there is nothing better for lifting your mood then a good day of (physical) work. I decided to test out that theory and so far, so good. Instead of cleaning because I have to, or I think other people expect me to, I am doing it to feel good at the end of the day. I used to do a little bit of work, then take a break, then do a little more work, then take a break. Not much got done. When my husband was home he made a comment about how he likes to get everything squared away before he does anything fun. That way he can enjoy his fun so much more. This week, I have been challenging myself to see how much I can get done before I need a break. The amazing thing is that I am not overly exhausted or feel like I am overdoing it like I have in the past. The kids are watching less TV and actually playing with each other. I don't know if it's related, but it is really fun to see (especially since they have a 5 year age difference). I really do think it is the attitude shift. When mom's happy everyone is happy.

I am taking this one day at a time. I know myself well enough that I have to be careful about what expectations I put on myself when it comes to cleaning. I love having neat lists and plans. I love making them. I made a really nice set-up for a cleaning schedule today and printed it all off. I am giving myself permission to do it quite imperfectly. It should serve as a list of things I can do if I need more to do to keep busy. If it starts killing the fun, I will throw it out.

Cleaning is like dieting for me. In the beginning I do well because I like the excitement of planning and having something new going on in my life. The real test is when the excitement wears off.

My goal for December is to work (the physical, active kind) enough each day that I can go to bed feeling like I was productive.

My No-S goal is that I practice the habits enough during the weekdays that my weekends and upcoming holidays feel really special.

[harmony]

Yesterday I had proof that my extra efforts at housework are giving me a workout. The muscles were sore. I worked thorugh it, but I took things a little slower yesterday. I can happily say that I was able to thouroughly enjoy movie night with a clean house. It's a good feeling I want to remember. Today I want to work on my kids' room (the scariest room in the house. haha. Mostly due to an excessive amount of legos.) Tomorrow I take the day off from extra cleaning.

No-S is still going well. I have to watch the chocolate though. I am enjoying my weekend, but I know I can do better during the week. One big accomplishment this last week was I did not have a drop of pop Mon-Fri. The beginning of the week went best because I had my meals planned better. The end of the week kind of fell apart. I ended up running out of some of my basic supplies and I didn't want to ruin my succesful streak of cleaning projects with a trip to the grocery store. So, this week I will try to fill the week with tempting meals all week long instead of comprimising half the week. And, I will make sure I am well stocked with staples for quick and easy meals. That is a project for this weekend too. I'm thinking it's safer to get out the cookbooks and recipes out now when it's still an S-day. I would rather not think about food anymore than I have to during the rest of the week.

[harmony]

Tonight, my son had a friend call to ask to stay over at our house. I was making a cake with my daughter when he called. Usually if that happens, I get all flustered and stressed out trying to figure out how to get the house presentable before the guest gets here . Tonight, I just kept making the cake (cinnamon cake with cream cheese frosting). I had a few of my daughter's toys to pick up in the living room -nothing to stress over. It made all of my work this week so worth it. My kitchen was clean, my bathroom was clean, my bedroom was clean, my kids' bedroom was cleaner , and the living room had been recently vacuumed (that room never stays clean). I could get used to this.

[Girl Next Door]

my kids' bedroom was cleaner

I got a laugh out of this. I have been working on room tidiness with DD - same things, day in and day out. . . and it always seems like such a surprise to her. ("What? You didn't tell me I had to make my bed/put my shoes away/throw away used kleenex!" etc.)

Congrats on your "no pop" week!

[harmony]

Ah yes, I know that surprised look well. I get it everytime at bedtime too. My son seems to be in a constant state of surprise. haha. Each year he gets better at doing things on his own though. I am not sure I can say the same of myself. I am persistent atleast.

I found an interesting site that pertains to my goals for my house. I actually found it in an attempt to fill one of those empty feelings (restless boredom, loneliness, etc.). So, since my first resort is turning to a book, I decided to browse one of those online bookstores looking for something to spice up my life a little. The funny thing is I ran into a book called Clutter Busters (it had a 5 star rating). It looked interesting and not just the same old stuff repeated over and over again (you know, take three boxes...). The author had a website so I visited and checked out his blog. I actually ran into a blip where it mentioned how we feel this empty restless feeling, so we decide to buy something (like a book). We get that rush for a little while, but we always come back to that empty feeling. The moral: stuff is not the solution. I really enjoyed how the tone was incredibly non-judgmental. I didn't feel like buying a book anymore. I managed to tackle a few clutter spots my husband left when he was here instead. I felt much better after that.

Today went well until after dinner (when the feeling set in). Then I had a couple handfuls of M&M's.
I have been struggling with wanting to eat all night. But, I have been reminding myself that eating is not the solution to whatever is bugging me. I caught myself thinking, "I gained all my weight back anyway, what's the difference?" I REALLY wanted to give in to that argument, but I just couldn't let myself do it, thank goodness.

Tonight, the thought of being stuck in my house for a couple of days (or atleast it being very difficult for me to travel) due to possible snow starting tomorrow(5-8 inches) was driving me bonkers. It was my main reason for my "need" to snack. It's one thing to stay at home because you decide to, it's another to HAVE to stay home. I start feeling like a trapped animal (but I snack on food, not my own leg. haha.) Atleast I can be thankful that I do not have to try to drive in the thick of it. I always hated having to drive home from school or work during a snowstorm - especially when I lived among lots of steep hills. I'm sure the snow will be beautiful and festive. Snow storms are pretty when you are safe in your own home.

[harmony]

Well, we didn't get much snow, but my son ended up coming down with a fever and missed 3 days of school. He is not completely in the clear since he still has gunk he's coughing up (I'm sure everyone wanted to know that...), but it was pretty mild considering what it could have been. Now I have to hope my daughter stays well.

My cleaning has gone great. I am pretty proud of myself. Yesterday I overdid it a bit in the kitchen. I cleaned the oven inside and out, wiped down all of the small appliances on the counter, cleaned the fridge, and mopped the floor. I think I can say that I got some exercise yesterday. Last night I took a few minutes to pick up the living room. This morning I woke up and was totally shocked to see a clean kitchen AND living room (despite the fact I was the one to clean them yesterday). I guess I am not used to the sight. The living room actually stayed cleaner longer than usual today. My little girl chose to dance rather than toss her dressup jewelry about the floor. I like dancing.

Today, I was a bit worn out. I got all of the daily chores done, but petered out before I got to the big stuff. Actually, I started late. I let myself lounge a bit too long, and pretty soon it was lunch time, then my MIL called, then I had to pick up my son's homework, then I stopped at the grocery store, then my SIL called, then I had to make dinner... I think I made my point. Sometimes I wonder if I just move slower than most people. It seems like the littlest of things eat up such large chunks of time. But, one really wonderful thing I experienced today was how quickly the daily chores went. I had the kitchen all wiped down and swept and the living room vacuumed in no time (compared to what it usually takes me.) I don't know if I have ever been consistent enough with the routine to experience this.

My eating is OK. I think if it weren't for the chocolate I would have done better. I have decided to make an effort to not replace the tempting stuff. On weekends, I will aim to only bring home enough for that day or meal. The extra weight I gained when my husband is here is disappearing despite my nibblings. Even though I nibble, I still eat less than I did before No-S (except when my husband's home, I guess ).

I have been having some troubles at lunch. I get hungry, but nothing sounds good to me. Well, some stuff does, but it usually involves more work than I want to do. I am not too fond of canned soup or sandwich meats anymore. I ignore leftovers. I am not sure what I am even looking for so I tend to settle for quick and easy junk. This happened to me this summer, too, except I lost my appetite at both lunch and dinner. I think I may have to think about finding some really good bread and work from there. This Kids Choice stuff my son likes just doesn't do it for me. I keep telling myself that I am going to make bread, but I think I should probably just go out and buy it! The thought of it makes the soup and the sandwich meat sound better already.

Well, if everyone stays healthy, I plan on taking the kids to see the new Disney movie. My son isn't that thrilled to have to be seen at a princess movie, but I know he will like it. My husband always complains when I'm watching chick flicks on tv, because he ends up watching them too and doesn't get his stuff done. haha. My son is like that too. The poor boy knows more Barbie songs than is good for him. I guess that's what happens when you have a small house and only one tv. Anyway, when/if we go, I'm having popcorn and candy for dinner!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that I can claim to have had another pop free week (counting N-days. I did have some on the weekend).

[Girl Next Door]

Another no pop week - good for you! Sounds like things are progressing well for you.

I've gone in fits and starts with my house. . . we are home a lot, and DD loves arts and crafts. We have so much paper, crayons, craft supplies, completed and half-done crafts. . . Unfortunately I'm almost as big a culprit as she is, with my sewing. What a nice feeling, to wake up in the morning and see a tidy house.

[harmony]

Arts and Crafts are a big part of the continual mess in our house too. My daughter's favorite thing is to take a piece of paper and cut it into little tiny pieces. Throw in markers and glue and she's happily busy for quite a while. It's hard to say no to that. I do an excellent job making messes in the kitchen (and everywhere else. lol.)

Today went well. I had three meals and didn't even have time to think of snacks. I was able to use up some of the tempting stuff this weekend, so the chocolate is no longer there. We made it to the movie on Saturday. We enjoyed it.

I am still keeping up with my daily chores. I officially have a morning routine! The trick is getting started, especially on Monday. For now, my morning routine is my main goal and anything else I squeeze in is a bonus. Some days I get quite a bit done.

So for the sake of recording what I try to do everyday after breakfast, here it is so far:
Get dressed
Wipe bathroom sink and counter
Start Laundry
Empty Dishwasher
Clear and Wipe table
Wipe counters
Wipe kitchen sink
Sweep kitchen
Feed pet
Vacuum living Room (M,W,F)
Finish Laundry
Check mail

(A routine like this used to take me all day because I would take so many breaks. Now it gets done well before lunch even if I lounge a bit too long with my morning coffee. I give myself one short break after I finish cleaning up the kitchen.)

I have tried to build a morning routine a few chores at a time (ala FlyLady), but it never caught on. This time, I wrote up the list and I made myself do it, even when I felt tired and moody, and depressed. I work slower those days, but I get it done and then some.

Pushing myself to do my chores has really improved my mood - especially in the evenings. I feel more relaxed at night. I find myself playing with my kids and enjoying them so much more than before, because I know I did my work for the day. I am also finding that I am enjoying doing my chores a lot more than I used to. Emptying the dishwasher has become an artform! haha. I am starting to believe that part of my aversion to housework comes from not having done it enough to get really good at it.

Sticking to No-S helps me enjoy my meals more.
Sticking to my cleaning routine helps me enjoy my evenings and family more.

I do hope I have the sense to keep this up!