Everyday Systems

Bad sparkly wrapper... Bad sparkly wrapper....

Oh, and a really belated happy birthday!

And I'd love to hear what you enjoyed most of your SA visit.

Can't believe I missed your birthday! Happy late late bday!

Sorry about the sparkly thing and about the stalled weight loss. Seems to be a common theme lately but we just gotta tough it out right?

Hi Sonya,

Things are going well. I joined this year's weight loss challenge at work in the hopes of kick starting my motivation and finally get past the evening snack habit. It does seem to be getting me moving in the right direction again so that's a good thing. The way the challenge is run this year; we all have to have a partner. At first I wasn't thrilled with the idea of a partner but it turns out that it has really worked as a motivator because it isn't just me that is influenced by my discipline or lack thereof. Since I know my choices are impacting someone else, I'm much more conscientious. I also spent 15 or 20 minutes figuring out the calorie count of my usual evening offenders. It was time well spent because now I know (more or less) just how many calories I'm eliminating when I follow no-s strictly. - it's a lot!!! Now that I know the amount I can't fool myself into thinking "this little bit won't hurt".

No-s wise I'm also doing well. I spend so much less time thinking about diet and so much more time focused on more relevant things in my life it makes me very happy. I had no idea when I started no-s how it would impact other areas of my life but it really does. I'm not sure why. I suppose I was thinking way more about food than I realized. Or maybe the constant sense of "failure" over my diet was sapping my self-esteem In any case, sometimes I feel like a different person.

Anyway, Keep at it bit by bit and day by day. You know it doesn't have to be perfect it just has to be "good enough".

As always, warm regards,
Virginia

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Linda, and yes I hope that with patience, the scales with start moving!
Thanks so much for catching me up on your news, gingerpie. I'm glad the weight loss challenge at work seems to be getting you moving in the right direction again. Also the fact that you can spend less time thinking about diet with NoS. and spend more time focused on other things in life. That's all good!
Thanks for stopping by with sympathy about the sparkly wrapped treats, and for the birthday greetings, Giada. Much appreciated.
I had such a nice time in South Africa, it's hard to narrow it down... We stayed at St Paul's guest house and that was comfortable and in a good location. I enjoyed so many restaurants on Long St., the Christmas Eve service at St George's, the aquarium was exceptional (that kelp exhibit with the penguins dropping by at intervals was so fun!). We went to some gardens but it was really hot, so I didn't enjoy that as much as I had hoped. (It was 40C+ that day!) The 2nd New Years day celebration was fun, but it got a really late start, so we were pretty hot and exhausted and didn't get to see as much of it as I would have liked. I loved the Labia Theater and lunch deal with local restaurants (though portions were small on those deals!) The more artsy offerings there were a real treat! And that's just Capetown, the time in Joburg was super too! I loved the Sandton City Shopping Centre and had fun at the Rosebank Mall as well. (A bit of a disappointing trip to Melville's '27 Boxes Mall', which is a retail center made out of shipping containers. The area felt run down and sketchy. We couldn't figure out what the big attraction was, but maybe it's more fun when the local college scene is in force!) All in all I had a great vacation! You have a beautiful country, Giada!
After the vacation, I did some work travel for several weeks and that helped with getting back on track with lighter meals. I had access to a toaster oven morning and night, so did a lot of "beans in pita wrap, with a side of plums" meals. That was filling and low fat/high fiber, just what the proverbial doctor ordered. There was a bit of virtual plating, with a savory pastry followed by peanuts and raisins for lunch, and I would like to cut down on the pastries next time I'm in that location, but they are so good! Now that I'm back from travel I really need to go shopping for some fresh vegetables and fruits, and settle into a healthy eating routine. I am loving the monthly check in thread, and find it is helping me stay on track.

Great to "see" you here again and I love hearing about your adventures. It must be harder to stick to things when your routine is constantly changing but It sounds like you're doing well overall.

Hope you settle into a good routine and check in when you can!

Linda

Thanks, Linda!
Things are pretty normal here... I had a bit of funny stuff last night with supper (virtual plating), but the overall volume was less than a plate, so I'm considering it green.
I resisted some store bought cookies that I might have eaten just to be polite, so that is a step in the right direction!

Awesome job! For me the least enjoyable food is one eaten out of obligation. Just not worth it to me but then again I'm not put in that position very often.

Hi Linda- Yes, obligation food is not so tasty!
Doing fine on NoS here. I didn't have anything special I wanted food-wise this weekend, so decide to shift my S days around, and have these 2 in reserve for whenever something comes up. I had already planned to have a Valentine's Day candy thing with the office on the 16th, so that is already one of my NWS days. We'll see what else crops up. I suppose I could have just said "sometimes" and let these go, but I don't want to feel deprived over the whole month just because this weekend was quiet.
I weighed in on Thurs, and am at the same weight as I was before vacation. That is fine, as I probably picked up a few # and have now lost them again.
Wishing everyone out there a Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day Sonya!

I have some heart-shaped chocolates hanging on a branch here by my desk - a sort of Valentine's decoration thing I made. I'm glad it's an S day!

Thanks, RawCookie, hope you enjoyed a few of the valentine's chocolates!
Things are going fine on NoS... I have been eating a bowl of soup and a side slice of bread or a plate of stir fry for supper lately. There haven't been a lot of sweet temptations laying around on N days, at the office or elsewhere. I've dialed back the density of stuff on my plates a bit, but not to a crazy degree. I guess it's just a matter of trying to stay consistent at all of that and let time go buy. I don't want to become impatient and try to rush it, but I would like to lose some pounds. I also want to avoid getting discouraged and going off the plan (and overeat, just because that would be enjoyable in the short term). I guess right now I just need to be patient and let things play out. Somehow that doesn't feel very exciting at the moment!

I'm glad to see the weekend.
I have a lunch thing with friends on Saturday, and hope to enjoy whatever is there, but not to overeat. There is supposed to be a hot entree, salad and fruit salad, so I hope to eat a healthy yummy meal but not be overstuffed.

Enjoy!

I know what you mean about the calm waters not being 'exciting' - I think that's another reason why S days are SO important; we're human - we need a bit of drama to keep us interested!

I think that's the hard part of NoS sometimes it's not as exciting as other diets and all their flashy promises of changing your life overnight. I used to really get so excited and hopeful right be for starting a new diet. My favorite thing was to sit on the couch eating while reading about whatever the next diet was. It was so fun imaging how wonderful my life would be once I started this new diet. I miss that feeling sometimes but the very real benefits of NoS are so much more rewarding in the long run.

Anyway I'm falling asleep so not sure if I'm making sense but you get the drift. Have a great weekend!

OMgosh, I was just thinking about how much I used to read diet books while I ate either brownie batter or cookie dough. I've been looking at cooking and recipes lately, and feeling a bit the same. I'm not overdoing the eating regularly, but am not doing much cooking, either! It's more like food porn.

When people get all excited at first, here or on other sites, I always feel very rueful. Will they last through the "marriage's" first "fight?"

Thanks for stopping by, Rawcookie, Linda and Oolala, with encouragement to keep going even when it doesn't feel exciting.
I'm getting in my saved S days this week.
I guess I have a couple of mods going... that I can save an S day or 2 if there is nothing going on at the weekend, and there is some virtual plating, when I know there is a light meal out so I want to eat something first that would have fit on 1 plate altogether. I'll keep an eye on these things... so far they haven't gotten out of hand.
Weigh in tomorrow... hoping for the best!

Had one of those kind of excessive S events on Saturday evening. A meeting ran late, and a friend served snacks at her house. Of course there was fruit, but that was still covered in cellophane when we started in, and there were the open plates of pastries, fried dough things (like unsweetened doughnut holes- a Nigerian dish) and croissants. Eventually, I reached for the fruit and opened up the plate covering and several other people joined me in having some. There was no serving utensil in the fruit bowl... like that was an afterthought, and the sweet stuff was the main thing to be enjoyed!
I wish I'd been a little more assertive from the beginning and asked for a serving spoon at the start. My friend hosting us was a little bit nervous over the evening, and probably would have welcomed a reminder.
Her nerves were shot as one of the guests was the ambassador from Zambia to the country where I am living. Through a series of funny events, I got a lift with the ambassador across town, and that was fun! The Zambian flag flies on the hood at the right side of the car, and we got to go through red lights when there was no cross traffic and cut other cars off and all kinds of fun stuff. I felt like a queen coming home from a ball!

Sonya, actually eventually, No S needs to be not exciting at all, but just part of the rhythm. Or at least that's my aspiration. But finding other focuses is harder for me than not eating. Oh, well. Could be a lot worse.

Things are humming along here... I have really enjoyed posting on the monthly Check-In threads, with RawCookie's system of a little grid of emoticons to show conpliance! It is rewarding in a light, whimsical way that the Habitcal never was for me.
I have allowed some specific trading of S days from the weekend, when there are special things going on, and that has been working well. (It has a very different feel from the free-for-all of "floating S days" that I tried before and never worked for me.) I am gearing up for a work/study trip to the US from Mar 14-April 24. I have more resolve than I have had in the past to stick to NoS while in the US. I really plan to work NoS hard, and am mentally hardening myself for the backlash from the (Southern) culture to eat unhealthily rich food and overeat in general.
I have decided to allow myself a single 2 liter bottle of diet 7up or diet cream soda each week. That can be opened on Friday night and when it runs out, that's it for the week. I've never tried that type of limit before, so we'll see how it goes.

Sounds like a plan.

I love hearing your description of riding in the ambassadors car! What adventures you have!

Thanks Linda. That was a fun day.

I am in the US and things are going along OK with NoS. Had a red Tues due to limited sweets (unplanned), but other days good. Decided to take St. Patrick's day as an NWS day. That involved some blackberry cobbler. Not too Irish, but yummy all the same.
I have opened my weekly 2 liter bottle of diet soda. (I decided to open it Fri afternoon instead of evening, as I have diet Cheerwine, which has caffeine.) I've eaten light meals so far today and am feeling hungry, but supper is probably only 3 hours away.
Jet lag is kicking my butt, so the days go by alarmingly quickly!

Hi! I'm glad you found my little system of motivating - I do too; funny isn't it? we're all different!

Thanks for stopping by RawCookie. Yes, your system makes it FUN! They are so cute, lined up there, even if a few of them are looking embarrassed!

I love that on NoS, I can go out to a restaurant for a moderate entree, large baked potato and a few of those little restaurant biscuits (savory) and it is all "on plan" on a week night!

Had a red Monday. I was hanging on by the skin of my teeth until after supper, but then gave in to a chocolate bar. WHAT was I thinking when I bought that?!
It was on sale, and a really nice brand. I have an awful track record for being around sweets and not eating them. As before, I have proved to myself that if I don't say "no" in the store, I will very likely not save a treat for an S day. Well, lesson learned... again!

osoniye wrote:As before, I have proved to myself that if I don't say "no" in the store, I will very likely not save a treat for an S day. Well, lesson learned... again!

It's funny how we attempt to fool ourselves huh? Oh well lesson learned! Hope the rest of the week goes well.

Linda

Oh, have I fallen for that one- on sale chocolate- umpteen times! I almost did it yesterday looking at Easter candy. Thank goodness I'm cheap. It hadn't been discounted yet, so I walked away.

I'm browsing and posting because I've failed this morning and I"m trying to gear up for a better afternoon. Hope it's okay you're being "used"!

Things are kind of odd here.
I visited some friends over Easter and took extra S days. Then came some red days from just being stupid.
The major stress at the moment is that the independent living place my mom lived caught on fire very early Monday morning.
[We made it on TV: http://myfox8.com/2016/04/11/1-dead-in- ... community/ There is a brief clip of me walking my mother out of the building across the street from there, at 4am Monday morning (there is a lady in a white jacket in front of us most of the time, my mom has on a red sweater).]
My mom is fine, but we are all a little bit traumatized by the experience.
Funnily enough, I got in a few green days in since my mom is diabetic and her sister who we are staying with is on WW. So we are eating healthy, but lately I've been hitting the candy.
Dentist visit today left me feeling yucky, so ate over that. Hope this will stop soon, but will cut myself some slack in the midst of all this.

Good luck for a nice, green Friday!

Wow, you've got a lot going on. Hopefully No S can be that one area where you feel same and in control.

Best wishes.

So sorry to hear about the tough time. I'm glad your mom is okay at least.

Hang in there.

Linda

Thanks so much for stopping by, Oolala, Iron and Linda, and for your supportive comments.
I tried to enjoy my S days this weekend despite recent red days, to get myself geared up for a good green week. We'll see how that works out.
We moved my mom in over the weekend, to a new facility and it went pretty well. Tonight I will go and stay overnight with friends, to see how she does on her own while I'm still kind of near by. The new place provides very good meals and I've been paying and joining her. I don't think that has helped my weight any!

Glad you have some good feelings about where your mom is going to live.

Who determines the servings on the plate at the facility? If they serve you, would they let you use a container to put some of the food in before you start eating so you feel it's the amount YOU want? As Wansink says, if you see the food, you probably eat the food.

Veeery hard won 3 N days in row just now.
Looking forward to the weekend!

A little confused here. Hard won S days?

Thanks- amended to read "hard won 3 N days". I was tired when I wrote that!

One could argue that I overdid it in my eating Saturday, with plenty of candy and seconds of fried chicken for supper. But I want to go into the week with no sense of deprivation, and a willingness to comply with NoS's few, sane rules!

Oh I was confused too! Good job then! Hey can't fail on an S day so seems fine to me!

Linda

I don't think you'd find anyone here telling that you overdid it on your recent S day, unless you have a health reason to be more strict.

Hard-won N-days prove that we can do things that are uncomfortable and difficult. Remember those - reminiscing about past success will hopefully make it easier next time temptation knocks on your door. You're building your willpower muscle - you rock!

Thanks for stopping by, Oolala, Linda and Imogen!

Today was another hard won day. I didn't overeat, so the 1 plates weren't a problem, and I just had to white knuckle it through not eating any of the chocolate or other stuff I have in store for the next S days.
Ugh, starting the month out red, with poor habits/no discipline really set me up for this part to be rough.
Hopefully lesson learned!

Hmm, any chance there is some place you can keep that stuff in store for S days? Wrapped up tight in the garage, the car trunk, someone else's car trunk? Four nights and three more days aren't trivial.

I used to think it was okay to keep stuff around. It's not terrible, but it does bring some possibly unnecessary suffering. Wansink convinced me there's no shame in just keeping the stuff off the premises.

But maybe remembering that it's the misnamed "reward center" that wants those foods. And the reward center is actually NEVER completely satisfied. It should be called the "insatiable center."

And this can change as the prefrontal cortex grows more connections and the hunger chemicals rebalance. Didn't someone just post something here that it takes about a year?

Don't worry about the month. Just take it day by day. Maybe it's just me but I find the monthly challenges discouraging. Like 1 red messes everything up so what's the point. I don't know, just doesn't work from me but maybe I'm just a perfectionist.

Oolala, my car trunk is really hot, and my relatives are diabetic (no one to trust sweets to) Guess it's up to the pre-frontal cortex!
Thanks Linda. Usually I like the challenges but this month has been hard.

Today is better. It's almost over and it's green. Yesterday was difficult as I drove past a favorite doughnut shop, sigh. Just one more day until Saturday!

osoniye wrote:Yesterday was difficult as I drove past a favorite doughnut shop, sigh. Just one more day until Saturday!

Ah, Saturday has arrived here - I'm enjoying my toast and marmalade!

Thanks for stopping by RC! Enjoy your marmalade.

I'm starting the day off "right" with some peanut butter cups (chocolate) with my morning coffee! And I'm really enjoying it!!
I bought some chocolate almond milk for the weekend. I don't know where that idea came from, but I hope it will be good. It is free of corn syrup, just sugar, which I used to think was not healthy, but now it seems like the healthier choice.

Had a good weekend of S's
Got sidetracked Monday by a small piece of cake after supper. I went on to eat a few more sweets. Back on habit today.

So - Green Tuesday? well done!

Yes, RC, Tues through Thurs were green!!
Had a good NWS day (Friday) at my mom's retirement facility. A Mother's Day Tea with little cakes and sandwiches, fruit and of course, tea. Whatever happens with my mom being able to stay there or not, it will be a nice memory.
They are doing an evaluation of my mom over the next weeks to see if they can accommodate her where she is.
I think they are trying hard because the fire she lived through happened at a facility owned by the same company and they are protecting their reputation. She could use more care, I'm sure, but her income is too high for medicaid and too low to cover the care she needs. It's an awful position to be in.
I may be traveling back to Africa on Friday if they think they can reasonably keep her, or extending my stay if it looks like she'll have to move. I really am not enjoying the uncertainty of that! So much stuff to do either way, and I'm a little weary!

Sounds delicate and hard.

Hope it works out well.

Congrats on the three day streak.

Oh boy I didn't realize you were still there with your mom. She's lucky to have such a caring daughter. Hope you get it sorted out soon.

Thanks Linda and Jackn for supportive comments.
I'm now in Doha, Qatar, waiting for my flight to Africa. Things came together last minute for my mom (to stay where she was for the past 3 weeks), and I was able to fly at the crack of dawn Friday morning, to spend the day on a long layover in Miami.
All seems to be going well, and last I heard from my aunt, my mom is doing ok... so far so good.
My eating is all over the place, but this has been a tough week. I look forward to getting back into a normal routine, and am just as glad my 1st day back is a Sunday- S day!

Good news.

Good luck.

Thanks for stopping by with encouraging words, Jackn!

I'm glad from an eating standpoint, to be back in my usual environment. I love being in the US, but it is hard to eat in a moderate way there! (As I'm sure many of you notice on a daily basis.) There are so many ads for snacks and fast food meals, and candy is relatively cheap.
I guess I live in a somewhat traditional culture here in Africa, with local people largely concentrating on 3 regular meals (or 2 for the financially stretched- they refer to it as "11-5", which means eating at 11am and 5 pm to stretch their food money out and feel the most satisfaction from their eating schedule). The (American) family I share a house with also sticks pretty much to meals and they eat so light I hate to share a meal with them. I notice the mom lets the kids have a banana if they complain that they are hungry, but mostly she tells them how long till the next meal, if they are just whining. Snacks are really a special occasion for them. (Sound familiar?)
So, I enjoyed my S day treat of part of a candy bar, and will eat supper and call it a day. (I slept till early after-noon and had some coffee, candy and nuts for "lunch".) I now have 2 1/2 large-ish candy bars in my closet to save for future S days. They are wrapped up so I can't see them and I feel a huge sense of resolve to get back to sanity!!

osoniye wrote: I love being in the US, but it is hard to eat in a moderate way there!

Understatement of the year.

osoniye wrote: I guess I live in a somewhat traditional culture here in Africa, with local people largely concentrating on 3 regular meals (or 2 for the financially stretched- they refer to it as "11-5", which means eating at 11am and 5 pm to stretch their food money out and feel the most satisfaction from their eating schedule).

Fascinating.
And emphasizes how at once spoiled and screwed up we were in our culture.
Good to know.
I feel humbled.

Why does the American family eat so moderately or even auterely?
Is it about fitting in, or also actually believing it's right?

Than, osoniye.

jackn wrote:Understatement of the year.

jackn wrote:Why does the American family eat so moderately or even auterely?Is it about fitting in, or also actually believing it's right?.

Hi Jackn-
The American family I live with is quite strange in a LOT of ways, and just doesn't seem "typical American" to me in their family culture. (I could go on and on here, but I'll spare you.)
Re eating: the husband is at least 6' 4" and thin as a rail and just doesn't like the feeling of being overfull. And I think his definition of "overfull" would be less than my feeling of normally full. Part of it may be that neither the husband nor wife has a trace of emotional eating going on. The wife spends inordinate amounts of time in the kitchen to produce a very moderate amount of light food and they often have leftovers at the end. I kid you not when I say that I could put away what that whole family eats in one meal, EASILY. Mind you, the 3 kids are all 5 and under. (I'm betting I could put the leftovers away in the first place, too, but I've never been able to test it out!) I don't have the impression that it is an ethical or fitting in issue, but rather that it is just their preference.
Sometimes I wonder in a world full of people, how these 2 found each other, but then maybe people do become more similar after some years of marriage.
(A final note, I have lived with them through her pregnancies, and it does the heart good to see her really dive in to her meals then. But it leaves one wanting to ask "Who are you, and what have you done with my housemate?"!)

Wow that's interesting & definitely not the norm (around here). I think it'd make me a little self-conscious about eating normal amounts of food around them or are you over it by now? Doesn't like a purposeful effort to stay thin so maybe just not too interested in food? Hard for me to relate I guess!

Oh well takes all kinds!

osoniye wrote:doesn't like the feeling of being overfull.

Lots there.
That 'full' feeling is a real siren, ain't it.
Calling, enticing, and then you shipwreck.
My hunch is that with people like thisc ouple, it's an emotional drive not to go over, not a reasoning thing.
Anything can perhaps be learnt, but takes time.
There's hope.

I learnt from these observant insights.
Thanx for sharing.

Thanks Jackn.
I'm settled in, back in Africa where I work. Having been back for almost 2 weeks, I have demolished all the treats I brought with me- candy, blue corn chips, etc. I still have some imported actual "food" which I am enjoying- grits, tuna, nuts, crackers.
The sweet tasting things I have on hand now are dried fruit and an indulgent calcium supplement which are chocolate chews. Only 2g of sugar per piece, and that is less than I would have put in coffe (which I drink with just milk or creamer).
I feel so much more peaceful when there is nothing in the house which I couldn't have on an N day as part of a meal!! I should remember this feeling and bring back little to no junk next time!
("Next time" will be just before Christmas- with it's own set of sweet and snacky pitfalls!!!)

NoS habits are going fine here. I plan to trade out my S days this weekend for 2 NWS days next week or later. There is nothing going on this weekend and I'd rather save them and enjoy them in social situations. I know I could take a "Sometimes", but I don't like to get resentful when something else comes up and I have to say "No" when I haven't had any treats in a while.
I had gained 11# in the US and have lost 4 of them over these 3 weeks back. That's good, but I wish it would go away faster! I gain so much faster than I lose.
I passed my 6th NoS anniversary on May 22. I am so thankful for the system that points out to me how and where I go wrong with "normal" eating. No testimonial this year, as I had lost some weight in the second year, but have regained that and more in the past 4 years. There is still no other system for me, but I need to learn to keep my N days GREEN and a little bit lighter when I am visiting the US, and there are no two ways about it! I experience slow steady loss when I am working in Africa and following NoS, but I have undone that every single time I have traveled. That must stop.
There have been a lot of challenges in these 3 weeks- a house full of people (visitors to the people I share a house with) and electricity off for 24+ hrs at a time (bad for food in the fridge and stress levels!) and the water was out to our house for close to 2 weeks. Repairs have been done, but now I have a pipe leaking under my bathroom sink. It's all kind of a pain in the neck.
But I plan to go shopping across town for some fresh veggies this afternoon, and look forward to having some good quality veg and good variety. There are many Chinese people who work here, and so we have access to fresh snow peas and some things I don't even recognize, which is really great for me!

I'm doing fine on NoS.
I've been trading my S days on the weekend for the following Tues and Thurs's, as lately my social life has been busier on weekday evenings than on the weekends and there really aren't any weekend treats that I've found compelling.
It's interesting that a mod for having sweets as part of meals during the week has been working for several people here on the boards. I'm SO glad for NoS as written, as avoiding sweets on N days has been the most important thing for me, to get away from excessive sugar intake. Diabetes runs in my family, and I am happy to have found a system that cuts eating sweets waaaay down. I really even prefer S days which involve mostly seconds of savory foods as the special thing! We're all different!

osoniye wrote: Diabetes runs in my family, and I am happy to have found a system that cuts eating sweets waaaay down. I really even prefer S days which involve mostly seconds of savory foods as the special thing! We're all different!

me too!
although i wasnt even much into sweets... but only by what's today's "normal" sweets' consumption standard... which is ridiculously high, addictive, hard to avoid and making me hungrier beyond my needs...

osoniye wrote:We're all different!

Definitely.
So, need to find our own path...

osoniye wrote:I really even prefer S days which involve mostly seconds of savory foods as the special thing!

Hey, Sonia, interesting.
Do you mean 'prefer' as in 'it's good for me' or as in 'I'm more attracted to'?...
I can think of one or two sweets that I'm attracted to as foods, but, generally, it's despondency that will make me have any.
Much more attracted to savoury here...

Hi, Kaalii- Thanks so much for stopping by. Yes, what is "normal" today is a very HIGH consumption of sweets. That can't be healthy! I think it's great the we can be proactive on NoS and limit those sweets to a couple day per week, and watch the consumption naturally decrease to truly special occasions.

Thanks for stopping by, Jackn. I never know what your avatar will be!
I still LOVE the taste of sweets, but I don't love the way I feel after eating them (sluggish/comatose).
I don't mean "prefer" in sort of a noble suffering kind of way because "it's good for me", but rather that I prefer the whole experience. I also love the taste of well prepared food with a nice balance of spices and flavors. And I love the feeling of being pretty full and satisfied without that sugar high and insulin slam afterwards.

I'm doing OK here... had poor internet on a trip for 3 weeks, and couldn't sign in to this website. The good news is I lost a couple of pounds as breakfast and supper were mostly a few tablespoons of beans on 1/2 pita. That is surprisingly filling! Lunches were usually eaten out, and my overall intake was plenty to fuel the long-ish walks to the office from my rental room. A good experience overall.

I like your idea to go for some delicious seconds on s days rather than focusing on sweets. I guess I just defaulted to snacks and dessert, but having seconds of something delicious sounds just as, if not more, satisfying. It also generally helps keep the 3 meal habit going rather than snacks in between which I feel like is really important, at least for me. Will have to try it this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by liveitup!
Just kind of hanging in here. Mostly green days. I am not losing weight as fast as I gained it in Mar-May, but am losing slowly, about 1/2# per week, but not every week. I have pretty much stopped eating sweets altogether and feel better this way.
I do still enjoy my seconds on S days, though. Still struggling with too heavy S day snacks, like potato chips.
I usually keep the monthly challenge updated, even if I'm not posting here much. I love reading everyone else's posts though!

Hi Sonya-- glad to see you're still hanging in there.

Sorry you gained a little weight in May but glad it's coming off slowly but surely. I know I can relax when my weight goes up a little (mines up 5 lbs) because if I just get back on track, it'll get me back to where I started pretty painlessly.

If I had lost weight on any other diet I know it would have started an upward cycle in which I gained all the weight I lost plus more. The thought of going on the diet again would have been too painful for me to even consider and I would have felt stuck & hopeless.

That's a long way of me saying slow is ok, just keep lining those green days up!

Linda

Thanks so much for stopping by with supportive comments, Linda!

Still going along well here. Weight is down a couple of #. I did get really sick for 1 day last week, from eating some local food. It was something that often doesn't bother me, but maybe something in it was off. (It sure tasted fine.)
So, I don't know if it will bounce back up or not. However, my clothes are a little bit looser all around, so maybe there's some real fat loss as well.

I am really enjoying the sugar free life, and now most people around me know it, and are generally supportive (or at least not unsupportive.) I find it's hard to really overdo S days when there are no sweets involved! Isn't that funny?
I'm curious how it will go, like, over the holidays... will I still feel all food coma-ish if I eat a big meal with family but don't follow it up with pie?? Time will tell.

I read people's check-ins most days, but don't often comment, as my internet connection is lousy (and expensive!) I'm glad to see so many doing so well!

Well done with the no-sugar life - it's great, if you can do it.

Actually, I went out to a proper English Afternoon Tea with my son & daughter-in-law recently, and I was sorely tempted to have the 'savoury afternoon tea' instead of the usual cake, scones & jam one.

This weekend I managed to S-tuff myself with a large cheese & onion pasty (which I had for two meals with cherry tomatoes) and toast with blue cheese spread on it. It was a cheesey weekend for me!

Thanks for stopping by Gill! You bring back memories of a "cream tea" I had once when visiting a friend in England. Wish I could remember exactly where we were... on the way to a retreat center in beautiful surroundings... could have been anywhere in England almost!! It would be fun to try a savory one... what would be on it?
My dad used to love marmalade... I never developed a taste for it, but helped a friend in Kenya make her own and put it up in jars so it has nice associations for me!

Not much going on here... still eating my 3 meals a day.. I did have a cup of cocoa and called it an S on Friday (NWS day), but it wasn't super high sugar. I'll go back to using Splenda now, and look forward to buying some Stevia when I'm in the US at Christmas. Just keeping myself "honest" especially since I've been no sugar for a couple of weeks now. I'm out for supper at a friend's house this evening, so looking forward to seconds of something someone else has cooked!
Very slow, steady weight loss on the current regimen of vanilla NoS, (almost) no added sugar.

I've been super compliant, but eating too many meals out at lunch time because I haven't had time to cook. My one plates, of the size it takes to hold me till dinner, of local food, are just too heavy!
Everything here is made from scratch and it's kind of exhausting to come home at the end of a long day and start peeling and slicing. Some health problems have made it hard to pre-prep on the weekends. Those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them!
After next week it should get easier again at work.
Glad to see that everyone is still here and doing OK!

Hi Sonya!

Glad you're still around and doing okay. I hope your health issues get better soon. That's no fun!

Linda

I've cut out the virtual plating, especially at breakfast. If I can't eat a plateful within a 1 hour window, I'll wait till the next meal.
It's helping- I don't have a weigh in for a little while, but I feel better and lighter!
Am still trading S days from the weekend to more social days during the week, and that is working great!

I overate on Sunday evening... an appetizer that is meant to be shared, for supper. While I enjoyed the eating event itself, I did not enjoy rolling around on all that food during the night. No S tends to be self limiting, eventually!!
Wishing all who read this a good week.

I'm planning to have a nice meal out with 2 coworkers/friends and will not be cooking. This really sounds good to me!
Wishing all Americans reading this a very Happy Thanksgiving and all others a beautiful day!

Thank you and to you too! Have a wonderful time!

Too much rich food and drink over these past 9 days on vacation in Ireland.
I know I overdid it, and hope to walk the straight and narrow even over the holidays. I feel better when I eat lighter!
Now in NC... we'll see what the food pushers here come up with, and we'll see how well I push back.

I feel for you! I'm feeling fed up with having to say 'no thank you' to food, but I really don't want to eat it - and my weight is stable. Xmas in three days' time - I can eat the chocolate and mince pies then! Stay strong!

Thanks for stopping by RC! I'm sorta glad the holidays are over.
My birthday is on the 14th, which is an S day anyway, so that's nice.

I'm struggling today... I had my 3 meals and I feel like I'm "starving". I don't know where this appetite is coming from. I gained about 6 solid pounds in Ireland from Dec 9-19th. So easily added and so slowly removed. I have not made any headway on that, but I haven't gained any more over Christmas either, so there's that. I think I need to up my game on the fruits and veggies. I've been eating enough whole grains, but not enough lower starch stuff. Will try to stay strong tonight.
I am drinking diet soft drinks now... not sure if that contributes to the feeling too hungry problem or not, but it might.

Hang in there Sonya! I'm struggling too. Up about 5 lbs after holidays and vacation time. We just need to get back on track and the weight will come off slowly but surely.

Linda

Hanging here, mostly 3 meals per day, mostly avoiding sweets.
The weight is not falling off, so maybe I need to pay attention to the "what" on my plates, but I haven't managed to bother too much.
Perhaps there are worse things than being 20-30# overweight? It seems so for the present. I'm glad for a sane system, in any case.

Hiya! Keeping the habit of not snacking, not having seconds, not having sweets - this is a healthy way to live.

I reduced my plate to 9" quite early on in the game - and my portions are now much more conservative - however, I didn't ever eat less than I felt I needed. I'm currently experimenting with cutting down out bread/pasta/rice/potato/flour at my evening meal. I know that when I eat those things, my weight goes up, and I'm more likely to overeat. I am going to bed feeling 'fed' but not 'full', and I am not waking up starving for breakfast.

Hang on in there!

Home visiting in the US... always a challenging time! Trying to stick to the 3 plates per day. Think I will need to look at the "what" soon and cut down on fast food, but right now I'm doing well to stick to 1 plates at meals and avoid sweets on weekdays!

Happy New Year, Everybody!!

I'm home in the US for my mom's 80th birthday (Nov) and a family wedding (Dec) and will head back to Africa on Thursday. Everything went well for those 2 events, and I'm thankful for that.
Predictably, I gained weight while home, so am looking forward to getting back to NoS in my normal environment!

Hi Sonya,

Glad to hear you're doing well. It's always nice to get away from home and always nice to get back.

Happy New Year, and safe travels! Don't sweat any weight gain while with family--there are appropriate times of feasting too .

Hi gingerpie and Merry! Thanks for stopping by!!

Day 2 back on NoS here after a veeery indulgent vacation and holiday season.
I've put on 13# between Nov 9th and Jan 8th. But I know what to do, and I'm doing it now.
I'm really having withdrawl from eating candy whenever I feel like it. I have had moderate sugar in my coffee these 2 days and did a little bit of virtual plating last night, so its not like I'm going too hard core and punishing myself. It still is such a vast change from what had become my normal.
So far today, 2 plates of food, no sweets. 1 more to go, then I'll brush my teeth. I can do this.

Day 3. It's going well, but I still crave something sweet.
I am counting the days until I can... Thursday... Friday...
Sunday is a capital S day for my birthday. I'm considering on normal s days to put sweets on my plate as part of my meal. Not sure yet.

I'm considering on normal s days to put sweets on my plate as part of my meal. Not sure yet.

It seems like a reasonable solution to me. S for "Sometimes" can be "on your plate" as opposed to at random times during the day. As I'm sure you already know, "S" days don't have to be an eat-day-eat-fest.

In any case: stay strong 'till the weekend!!

Thank you, Gingerpie!

White knuckling it without sweets here. I will not have any before Saturday morning!!
Had moderate lunch of mushroom olive pizza. Enjoying my savory plates of food.

Day 5 back here... white still white knuckling it, but guess what tomorrow is? Saturday!!!

I DID enjoy some candy yesterday as part of my plates. It was great, and I didn't eat as much as I would have if just having it "whenever".
Today is a capital S- my birthday! Plan to have some cake this afternoon at a friend's house.

Hope you have a wonderfully happy birthday!

Happy birthday Sonya! 🎂

Happy birthday! If ever there was a good time for cake, your birthday is it

Thanks Auto, Octavia and Milliem for your kind birthday wishes. I did have a good day and enjoyed my cake!

It's been hard avoiding the sweets since the weekend, but I've been successful. Seconds and snacks not so much of a problem these days. Being busy at works makes sticking to meals easier as there just isn't much time to think about food.

I know the sugar struggle would be made much easier if I would just avoid all of it, but I guess I'm not willing to do that yet. Weigh in on Friday, we'll see if all this good behavior has paid off!

osoniye wrote: I know the sugar struggle would be made much easier if I would just avoid all of it, but I guess I'm not willing to do that yet. Weigh in on Friday, we'll see if all this good behavior has paid off!

I feel the same way, although I think the cravings and desire for sweets diminishes quite quickly during the week. Just got to get through Mondays!

Hi milliem. Yes, sometimes Mondays are the hardest!!

Red yesterday, as I ate just a few sweet things in company with others. Oh, well.

Today is Saturday, yea! Started the day off right with some leftover Christmas candy, heh! Will try to be moderate but enjoy the freedom the s days can afford.

Happy February!
This past week went OK. The week before was more red than green due to me working on a thesis revision that I wasn't enjoying doing!

Hope everyone out there is doing OK.
Onward!!

Oof I feel your pain, I'm currently working on thesis revisions as well - almost done thankfully! Good luck with them

Thanks Mille!!

Enjoyed the weekend. Chocolate and potato chips were featured.

A good, green week here, looking forward to the weekend!!