Sienna's Daily Check In

[Sienna]

I've been doing No S for about 3 months now. I've got the food habits down pretty well, but could use a little bit of accountability to build the exercise habits. I've been furtively reading the forum for the last few months, and have already gotten a lot out of the discussions and testimonials (Yay for motivation!), so I figured I would join in the fun!


I'm doing Vanilla No S. Weekends are theoretically completely wild - but general that just means the occasional snack or sweet. My only real modification is that I allow the birthdays of friends/family to count as semi-S days. Basically, I don't treat it like a full on S day, but I do allow myself to have a single serving of celebratory cake/pie/ice cream as part of the celebration. If the party doesn't have a celebratory sweet, then I don't get to make it up elsewhere.


So far I've only had two minor failures since I started:
1. I skipped breakfast and then tried to just eat my normal lunch. I wasn't able to make it until dinner and so I had "breakfast" at 3 in the afternoon.
2. I had tacos one night and some hot sauce seeped off the taco onto my plate - it looked so delicious after I ate the taco that I decided to scoop it up with my spoon and eat it. And then ended up eating half a tortilla to keep my mouth from burning off.

Exercise has been another matter. I have a Wii fit, and I make it a point to do at least the daily body test each day (which also lets me track my weight loss daily with out actually paying too much attention to the number - since it displays it in BMI unless you want to see the weight). I usually get in some Wii step aerobics, rythmic boxing, boxing or tennis at least a few times a week. Additionally, I've been parking further away at work and trying to take the stairs more.

But I've had trouble trying to make a firm commitment to exercising. If I'm too tired, I just won't do it. If I don't feel well, I won't do it. If I'm busy, I won't do it.

Starting now, I'm going to try for 15 minutes of moving at least 5 times a week.

[Sienna]

Today has been a success on the diet side. Went out to an all you can eat lunch buffet for lunch with some colleagues, but only made one trip to the buffet. And I didn't overload my plate - even though it was a late lunch and I was incredibly hungry. Buffets can be tricky for me so I was really proud of myself.


Also, spent 3 hours moving heavy boxes of books around - so that's a success on the exercise side too, although I think I've picked up some interesting bruises.


Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

It's the weekend, so S days, but I at pretty reasonably yesterday anyhow.

Danced for about 20 minutes yesterday, so that's a win.

Saturday:
Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

Yesterday was another S day - so check on food. Also got in around a half hour of walking.


Sunday:
Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

This week was technically a success for food, but today it was only a barely because I had a piece of cake to celebrate a friends birthday. That fits within my rules, but it was an incredibly rich cake (but delicious!) so I'm feeling a bit bad about it. Over the last few months since I started No-S, I've had my splurges (although overall my splurges are now far more reasonable than my pre-No-S splurges), but this is the first time I've felt guilty about it. I think previously I've felt like the splurges were reasonable indulgences (I love that No-S treats "unhealthy" food as a sometimes food rather than a never food like on some diets), so I've been okay with them. But I'm not sure what about today was different. I think part of it may have been that I didn't cut my own piece of cake and ate the whole thing because it tasted so fantastic. It wasn't like I gorged myself, but if I had served myself I definitely would have had a smaller piece, still enjoyed it, and not gone for seconds because it was against the rules. It really wouldn't have hampered my enjoyment at all, but I think I would have felt better later.

Overall, I'm not going to stress about it (because what's the point - it's not like I can un-eat the cake now), but I am going to try to remember the feeling as I go forward. Hopefully next time I can catch myself and indulge in moderation.

On the plus side, I moved more this week than I have in past weeks. Parked further up in the garage at work, walked more, etc. So that's a win.

Week 1 Summary:
Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

Saturday (S-day) was reasonable on the food front, although I didn't get in a lot of extra movement.

Today (S-day) has also been reasonable so far for food, and it should stay that way for the rest of the day. I also took a nice 45 min walk with my husband this afternoon, so movement was good.

But in general, I'm really dragging today (and yesterday). Yesterday I was really achy all day. Today I'm not really achy, but I just feel drained and exhausted. I also have an ever so slight sniffle - which I would normally guess was allergies, but with the exhaustion, I'm worried means I'm getting sick. So I guess I'll try to up my vitamin C intake for awhile. Hopefully I can minimize it.

Saturday:
Food:
Movement:

Sunday:
Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

Yesterday was a success. Even though it was a sort of holiday, I went ahead and kept it an N day. I didn't move as much as I would like, but I'm hoping to get in at least a short workout tonight.

Monday:

Food:
Movement:

[tobiasmom]

Wow! You've done wonderful! YOU are an encouragement for us newbies out there. Working out is a tough one. I guess you've just gotta find something that you really enjoy. Mine used to be kickboxing, but with my little boy it's hard to get there now. So I'm just walking the dog for 40 min. a day right now. Have you tried Zumba? I wanna try that too. Heard that was a lot of fun.

Well, keep up the good work!

[Sienna]

Hi tobiasmom! Thanks for stopping by my thread, knowing people are reading is really going to help me be more accountable about my exercise. 'Cause pretending to anonymous people on the internet is just silly, and yet I don't want to look like a complete lazy bum exercise failure in front of you all! And I'm glad I can be an encouragement to someone. I know the testimonials section was a huge help to me when I started - especially since a lot of people lost weight at slow, steady, healthy paces. I still have a looong way to go, but I finally feel like I'm on the right track. I only wish I caught onto this lifestyle about 75 pounds before I did.

I've heard a lot about zumba, and would definitely try it if I could. But with my class and work schedule, making to an exercise class is impossible. So I'm stuck working out at home. I recently discovered that Netflix Instant Play has some exercise videos (but sadly no Zumba), so I may try some of those out. I've also been tempted to pick up one of the Carmen Electra strip tease workouts - because I've actually heard really good things about them being fun and different and a good workout especially for people without a lot of space - but I haven't gotten up the guts to buy it yet.

Tonight I played some Wii Tennis for about half an hour. Got my rating up to Pro, so that was exciting Last night I didn't end up doing anything. I was really planning on it, but I ended up spending the time studying for a midterm I had today instead. I think I needed the extra study time, but I'm still annoyed at myself.

I've been good on food both days, although this morning was really tempting because there were munchkins at the morning meeting. And when the meeting ran late into lunch time they started calling to me. But I resisted. And as usual I feel better for it.

Tuesday:
Food:
Movement:

Wednesday:
Food:
Movement:

[tobiasmom]

I think the striptease videos are pretty good. I have the lapdance/hip hop one. The only problem is that I'm really short...so if you can imagine, I could not get my legs over the chair!!! ha. It was ridiculous, actually! How sexy is that?! ha. It was a good workout, though. I just need a shorter chair. And the hip hop was good. I just don't have much rhythm. I also really like Turbo Jam. I have A LOT of at-home workouts, but I'm never very motivated to do it at home alone. I'm thinking of joining Krav Maga. Ever heard of it? I used to take Taekwondo. I like that stuff. It makes me think I'm not working out, just trying to kick some butt!!!

Have an awesome day!

[sarah.grace]

I always thought Zumba was kind of ridiculous.. aerobic dance?? But then I went with a friend to her class a couple months ago, and it was so much fun! I almost forgot we were working out- the music was fun, and the atmosphere was great. I am not sure if a video would have the same effect as the actual class.. so I haven't done any since. (can't fit a class into my schedule)

Props to you for studying! I was always the opposite- I would GLADLY go work out if it meant I could procrastinate on my studies.

tobiasmom- I was thinking about trying a taekwondo class- I'm kind of intrigued about how they claim it builds self-control..? I would feel so self-conscious joining a class as a complete newbie though.

[Sienna]

@tobiasmom - another good review for the striptease video! Perhaps I should just suck it up and order it! I can be really good about working out at home or really bad. I live in an upstairs apartment so I have to be a careful not to jump around too much. When there was no one in the apartment below us, I was pretty good about DDR-ing regularly (and I have the Wii version so you use your arms too), but I worry it makes too much noise. And sometimes I'll just turn on music and randomly dance around the living room. But then there are other times where I just can't motivate myself to do anything at all - which is part of why I've been posting here. The accountability is helping motivate me to get off the couch more.

@sarah.grace - I really wish there was a place that had late night (or even later evening) classes around here. The latest one I can find for Zumba, kick boxing or spinning starts at 4:30pm. And the earliest they start is 9:30am. It's like no one who goes to these classes has to work. I love a 7 or 8 pm class. Also, if you are interested in taekwondo, you should check your area for adult beginner classes or even intro individual lessons. Apparently they are becoming more common.

Unfortunately putting my studies ahead of exercise and healthy eating is part of what got me into this mess. I gained about 40-50 pounds in undergrad and then lost about 10-15 when I graduated and got a job. But when I went back to school a few years ago I just started packing on more and more pounds. At my heaviest I was about 75 pounds over what I was in high school - and I'm only 26! I basically rationalized that studying was more important than health and fitness - and prioritized that way. I'm finally starting to realize that doing well in school, while important, isn't everything. And I'm doing better about making it a point to take care of myself, but I've still got a ways to go.

One of the things I love about NoS is how easily I can fit it into my life. I only have to worry about food 3 times a day. It actually takes less time an energy than trying to schedule in snacks or worrying about eating regularly throughout the day. I can also still grab fast food or make spaghetti in 10 minutes if I don't have the time/energy to cook. Basically I can stay on track and maintain the habits even when things get crazy.

Exercise is really the trickier part of it all - because unlike food you can't really make exercise take 0 time. 14 minutes may be an unscheduable block of time - but it's plenty of time to look over anatomy flash cards or memorize a formula for the calc exam. Especially when I'm already short on sleep. One thing I've tried to work on is adding a minute here or there. Parking the car further away, standing instead of sitting while I work, taking the long way to the copy machine, that sort of thing.

This morning was really good. I woke up early and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I got up and got in a short workout (I tried the Netflix Instant Play thing and did the "Self: Bikini Ready, Fast!" video, which was about 30 minutes) It felt really great to get moving. The video itself was only okay, but it was something different and got me to commit to a full 30 minutes of movement.

Thursday:
Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

Yesterday actually turned out to be better than good on the exercise front. Not only did I work out in the morning before work, but I did about a 40 minute workout with the Wii Active yesterday. Also started the 6 week challenge that comes with the software on medium intensity (4 days/week). I figure that this fits well with my movement goals and will hopefully help establish a habit.

Since I had to pick specific days to commit to, I'm currently aiming for at least Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday - although will need some adjusting for next week as I'll be out of town (and away from the Wii) for several days.

So far the Wii Active is okay. A little more downtime between exercises than I would like - but I imagine some of that gets faster as you learn the exercises and don't have to read the screen. Until then, I try to march in place while reading instructions.

After the WiiActive yesterday, DH and I played some WiiTennis - I really moved a lot yesterday! Must be because midterms are all over that I actually have motivation and follow through! Time to try to solidify a habit before finals come along....


For today, I've also already got my exercise in. Did workout #2 of the 6 week program this morning before work, and then an additional cardio-course. Had trouble with the "fast kick up" segment of the island course - it keeps saying I'm too slow, but I think I'm going the same speed as the trainer. Oh well, something to work on.
I'm actually feeling pretty good today too - I've never been much of a morning exerciser because I rarely have time in the mornings, but I may try to change that.

Eating finished up fine yesterday, and we are off to a good start today. Had a sandwich and chips for lunch today at a meeting. But stopped myself from eating the chips after only 1 chip when I realized that I was full and only going to eat them because I had them and it was still lunch time and everyone else was still eating. Wasn't even tempted by the cookies.

Friday:
Food:
Movement:

[Sienna]

Yesterday was awful. I had a headache all day and ended up moving as little as possible. Then woke up about 4am with a horrendous migraine (so bad I had to send DH to get the Excedrin from the medicine cabinet because I couldn't move). I think it's finally gone today, but I still have that sluggish "I felt awful yesterday" feeling.

Nonetheless, it was an S day and I ate pretty moderately (mostly I didn't feel much like eating anyhow), so that was good.

Even better though - I just did my daily weigh in, and today I hit my 10% weight goal!!!!!

That means I'm 90% of the person that I was 4 months ago - which is amazing.

On a less encouraging note, I don't actually feel any smaller. I feel healthier, I have more energy, and I'm optimistic about where I'm headed - but I don't feel like I've had any striking visual results yet. Which has gotten to be a bit frustrating - especially since I just realized I met this first big milestone.

Upon reflection, it makes since I haven't really dropped a clothing size - afterall between 200 and 220 I hadn't really gained a clothing size (which is part of how the weight snuck up on me over the last year), I just moved from the bottom to the top of the range. I also tend to lose weight in the weirdest places first (fingers, ankles, calves, breasts) and my bras are fitting a little looser (which sucks because bras are expensive and having to buy new bras isn't the same as getting to buy new outfits).

I also did some googling, and discovered the Paper Towel Theory. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/metabol ... heory.html An excerpt:

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around,that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area - just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same - your perception is just different! And you'll never see the inside, if you aren't patient while the outside is coming off!

I think this is really true for me, as I started with a lot to lose, and still have a lot to lose (although I am definitely making progress!) I'm really really looking forward to buying clothing in a smaller size - and I WILL get there, but I didn't go from a size 10-12 (highschool) to a size 16-18 (now) overnight - it took years, and it's unreasonable to expect that I am going to sustainably return to a size 10 in 4 months. I will get there - it's just going to take time.

So 10% down. If I do 10% 3 more times, I'll get back down to my healthy weight range. That sounds so far away. But, I'm 10% closer, and at least 10% gets smaller every time!

Saturday:
Food:
Movement:

[tobiasmom]

I think you're doing awesome! Sorry you had such a bad headache this weekend. I have never had a migraine, but I have heard they are debilitating. Hopefully you're feeling a bit better this evening.

Hope you have a great week! You're such an encouragement to me!

[good enough]

Hi Sienna! Thanks so much for stopping by my thread, and

CONGRATS ON YOUR 10% LOSS!!!

That is so fantastic!!! :D:D

[Sienna]

Thanks tobiasmom and Tofu Queen! I really appreciate you stopping by and reading my thread - helps me stay accountable knowing that other people are watching

@tobiasmom - unfortunately migraines really can be debilitating. I've gotten them since I was 12, and I've taken more sick days from school and work due to migraines than all other illnesses and ailments combined.

Fortunately, I've felt much better since then. I've made up for not exercising Saturday by moving A LOT on Sunday and Monday. Sunday morning I felt lethargic from the migraine the day before, but by the afternoon I was actually really feeling like moving. So I decided to do a short easy workout (Workout #3 of the 6 week challenge). But it ended up making me feel so much better that I did another longer work out. Total exercise time for the day was about an hour and a half. Plus I did some untimed walking when I went to the mall.

Yesterday I worked out in the morning before work (Workout #4 of the 6 week challenge) and then did another workout when I got home in the evening for a total time of just over an hour.

Starting to feel it today though. One of the workouts was an "Ab Challenger". And whenever I twist I feel my abs throbbing. Oh well, I'll just take it easy on the abs for a few days - plenty of other muscle groups that I need to get moving again.

Already did a short workout this morning (Workout #5 of the 6 week challenge). We will see how I feel when I get home tonight. I do really think that working out in the morning is helping me have more energy throughout the day and even the motivation to workout in the evening. We'll have to see if I can get that codified as habit.

I also ate reasonably on Sunday and stuck to the rules yesterday, so all smiles on that front.

Sunday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 3/24

Monday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 4/24

[good enough]

Hey no problem! I find the accountability really helps me too! :D

Glad you're feeling better. Sounds like you do a lot of exercise! Wow. Throbbing abs, that's impressive. What is the '6 week challenge' if I might ask?

[tobiasmom]

So glad to hear you're feeling better!!! And you're doing a great job working out! I need to get a little more intense with the working out...but for now it's walking. Lots and lots of walking.

Have a great evening!

[Sienna]

Hello! I'm back from vacation, so time to update!

@Tofu Queen - the 6 Week Challenge is part of the EA Sports Active - More Workouts Video Game for the wii (http://www.amazon.com/EA-Sports-Active- ... 563&sr=1-1)
Basically there are a set of 24 pre-designed workouts and you are supposed to do 4 per week. Part of the set up is that you have to select the days you are going to workout in advance. And you can't do more than one challenge workout per day - although you can do other workouts with the program. Theoretically you pick for days and stick with them, although you can re-arrange them on a weekly basis (as I had to do so I wouldn't miss any days while I was out of town). However, you can not actually switch days once the week has started - which has so far been helpful for me because then I *have* to do the workout on the right day, and I don't just say "aw, I'm tired, I'll do it tomorrow" The workouts aren't super intense and are only about 30 minutes each, but I'm not exactly in the best of shape right now so the lower intensity is probably a good thing. Plus they add variety and it means I don't have to think about what I should be exercising - I just click on the button and the video game tells me what to do.

If I finish all the workouts within 6 weeks I get a trophy! Not a real one of course, just a little icon in the video game. But it's amazing how the promise of a stupid picture on the tv screen can motivate me.

I don't necessarily do a lot of exercise, but I definitely went on an exercise kick before I left. I didn't do a lot while I was gone (just some walking and of course running in the airport trying not to miss my connecting flight and such). But, I scheduled that in, so I can still get in my 4 workouts this week and stay on track. I did workout #6 of the 6 week challenge last Wednesday morning, and then #7 will be tonight when I get home. There is no question about whether or not I'm going to do it - I'm just going to do it tonight no matter what! Hopefully I can really get back into the groove and keep exceeding my workout goals. I figure if I continue the solid eating habits AND add in the exercise I'll be less likely to end up plateauing.

So while I was gone, I pretty much stuck to No-S, but I set aside some specific allowances before I left. I knew that if I had specific rules for exceptions, I'd be less likely to just drop the whole plan. I was going to wave the No Snacks rule for both travel days (since eating meals at airports can be dicey sometimes and on the plane I sometimes need something salty for my stomach), but I ended up not snacking anyhow. In fact, I ended up skipping dinner one day and lunch the other because I just wasn't hungry (probably because I had larger than normal lunch and breakfast on those days knowing that I was going to be traveling). I also allowed myself a non-weekend S event to have a dessert at a local restaurant that was kind of known for it's desserts. I knew in advance it would be hard to make it to the restaurant on a Saturday or Sunday, so I just told myself I would go when I could and that it was okay - but that I could only go once and if I went on a weekend I wouldn't add in an additional exception. So I had a little treat on Friday.

I ate pretty reasonably even on the S days - especially considering that I was on vacation. Overall *what* I ate was probably higher calorie than I have been eating - but because of that I think I just ate less (not intentionally, I just got full faster). Much better than what I probably would have eaten on the same trip this time a year ago.

And so I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in almost a week - not really sure what to expect. I was down just over a pound. Hard to say whether it's true weightloss or a fluctuation (I usually weigh daily so I can generally look at trends rather than individual weights), but not gaining and possibly even losing on vacation? Definitely a step in the right direction for me.

So Summary for the last few days:

Tuesday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 5/24

Wednesday (snacks allowed):
Food: - snacks not needed!
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 6/24

Thursday:
Food:
Movement: Not Much

Friday:
Food: Planned sweet exemption!
Movement: Not Much

Saturday:
Food: reasonable
Movement: Not Much

Sunday:
Food: reasonable
Movement: went on a walk

Monday (snacks allowed):
Food: - snacks not needed!
Movement: wandered around the airport

Tuesday (today):
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge:

[tobiasmom]

Awesome! My first trip on No-S isn't til December, but I'm hoping I can be successful like you!!!

[good enough]

Hi Sienna and welcome back to you too! Looks like you did amazingly while you were away - wow. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped but it's early days yet. Congrats on your success so far, and also on your loss!

PS. That video game does sound very motivating, I like things like that because I'm a sucker for structure (and praise and reward - even if it is a virtual trophy!). I need to vary my exercise a bit actually as I'm doing the same thing almost every day. Need to get creative!

Congrats again and keep up the super work!!

[Sienna]

I like things like that because I'm a sucker for structure (and praise and reward - even if it is a virtual trophy!). I need to vary my exercise a bit actually as I'm doing the same thing almost every day. Need to get creative!

I agree. I used to be a pretty intense athlete in high school. Never had problems being motivated to show up for practice or being motivated to finish every set working as hard as I could. And then I went to college and dropped the sports. I tried to write my own workouts, but was never successful for more than a few days. It was just so much easier to just quit, or say things were too hard and change them. In part probably because *some* of them I did make too hard. So I never learned to trust myself. It just works much better for me if someone else tells me what to do for my workout.

It's been a busy week, but a good one. It's been harder to get in the exercise (probably because I'm so tired - I hate how exhausting traveling makes me, it always takes a week or 2 for me to recover), but I've so far kept on track with the 6 week challenge - even though I haven't done anything extra. I didn't work out this morning, so I will have to do it tonight, but I will - no matter how tired I am.


Tuesday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 7/24

Wednesday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: Rest Day

Thursday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 8/24 (1/3 of the way there!)

Friday:
[/quote]

[good enough]

Still doing great over here I see!!

[Sienna]

Alright, this week has not started out well at all. I've been sick since Monday (even had to take off from work Monday and Tuesday), so I missed 2 workouts. I need to get back on track (and make up for it), but at the same time I don't want to push too much because I don't want to overtax my body and slow down my recovery. It can be such a balancing act.

I stuck with NoS on Monday, but I ended up deciding to snack on Tuesday. I was nauseous and really wanted to nibble at some crackers - so I declared it a Sick day. I'm okay with it, because I made it a conscious decision to snack, so I don't think it hurt the habit. And realistically from a caloric intake standpoint, even with the cracker nibbling, I didn't eat a whole lot.

Back to work and normal NoSing today, but still tired and icky. There isn't enough Dayquil in the world...

Friday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 9/24

Saturday:
Food: (reasonable)
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: 10/24

Sunday:
Food: (didn't even eat any Halloween candy - didn't have any around and didn't actually WANT any)
Movement: walk
6 Week Challenge: rest day

Monday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge:

Tuesday:
Food: Sick Day - S day
Movement:
6 Week Challenge:

Wednesday:
Food: - back on track
Movement:
6 Week Challenge: Rest Day
Sunday:

[tobiasmom]

So sorry you're sick! It seems to be that time of year, huh?!

It's funny you mentioned on my blog about the clothes being out of style....I was looking at some of the clothes I put aside thinking, these aren't even cute but I WILL fit into them! ha.

Hope you feel a bit better.

[Sienna]

Thanks, tobiasmom. I hate feeling under the weather.

Today was another no exercise day for me, I just didn't have the energy, but I stuck to the eating plan. Dinner was pretty heavy (still one plate though), but since I had a really light lunch and breakfast that's not necessarily surprising, and my suddenly ravenous appetite is hopefully a sign that I'm getting better.


Thursday:
Food:
Movement:
6 Week Challenge:

[ZippaDee]

Sorry you haven't been feeling well! Sending you get well wishes!! Take care of you! Big hugs!

[sarahkay]

hope you feel better soon!! :]

[Sienna]

Thanks guys.

Feeling considerably better to day, but still failed on movement. I think I'll give myself the weekend to recover some more, but come Monday I WILL get back on track.

Food was okay today. I forgot to eat lunch, and was then so hungry by dinner that I ate more quickly than normal, which led to me eating more than I think I would have otherwise. So I'm feeling fuller than I'd like to, but nothing I can do about that now.

[Sienna]

Finally worked out today, after about a week off. Felt good, but it was hard to get motivated. Hopefully I can get back in the habit soon.

Done okay on the diet side recently, so that's good.

I also seem to officially have dropped under 200 lbs, after hovering around that for awhile. So YAY, I have a weight that starts with a 1 again!

Despite that good news, I've been feeling a little down this week. Work has been rough and stressful. But, I haven't gone nuts drowning my stress in food, so that's good. One day at a time..

[tobiasmom]

I bet the working out will help with the blues. It seems to help my spirits to get out and get some air and a nice walk.

You're doing wonderful. Yay for onederland!!!

[Sienna]

Today was a success, but not an easy one.

Had a meeting at work with cookies. Delicious, soft, moist looking double chocolate cookies. But I said no to cookies - even when someone took extra cookies for later and left them near my desk, telling me to help myself. I really wanted a cookie, but I wanted to stay on track more. I'll have to find a really nice treat for this weekend.

Additionally, work has been high stress with a lot of things going wrong, and junky food would really make me feel better. But I've finally figured out that junky food only makes me feel better for about 10 minutes, then I just feel worse. So I behaved myself and didn't resort to drowning my sorrows in food.

Also worked out when I got home before cooking dinner. I've found that if I wait until after dinner, I just don't tend to do it and if I do manage to do it, it's at a lower intensity. So I'm just telling DH that he has to wait for dinner or make it himself.

[Sienna]

Happy New Year!

So, after dropping off the face of the earth for awhile, I'm back....

Since I vanished, I've been mostly green on the diet side. I hit a bit of a bump right before Thanksgiving and had 2 red days in a row (which really meant almost a full week of S days....) and then another bump right before New Years with another 2 red days, but other than that I've stuck to it. The frustrating thing about the 4 failures I had was that 1) it's the first time I've had 2 red days in a row and the first time since I started back in June that I thought I might actually slip off the wagon and 2) they were pretty willful, not accidental, I knew what I was doing, knew it was wrong, didn't really want the food and ate it anyway

But both times after the 2 fail days, I hopped back on the boat and I seem to be back on track now. It feels good to have a full N week this week - I think so many extra S days poking around was exacerbating an already stressful time to make it easier to derail myself. January is shaping up to be pretty stressful (my husband and I are trying to buy a house...), but I'm pretty determined.

In terms of actual weight loss, I sort of lowered my expectations for the holidays (which probably didn't help with the fails...). I figured since most people, myself included in previous years, gain between Thanksgiving and New Years my goal would be just not to gain and then I could focus on moving the scale down in January. As a bonus, I did end up losing about 3 pounds - so it slowed, but I'm still headed in the right direction!

Where I haven't been as successful is the exercise side of things... I just have NOT been moving enough. Being busy has contributed to this, but in large part I think it's a motivation and accountability issue. I'm going to try again to commit to posting in this thread daily, even if it's to admit that I was a slug all day. Maybe that will help me get moving.

[Sienna]

Okay S day today!

Had ice cream for breakfast. I love ice cream for breakfast! How many diets allow that (even if you can't do it all the time).

I moved more today to. Decided to start sorting and organizing things (I call this phase "pre-packing") So while it wasn't working out, I wasn't a complete slug.

[Sienna]

Sunday = S day

And in this case S is for slug :-/

Had a headache today, so I didn't do a lot of moving. Oh well, at least I'm being honest about it.... Step 1 towards accountability?

[Sienna]

Okay. This is going to be a really tough week - I can tell already. My stress level is way high and I'm feeling really overwhelmed.

These are prime conditions for me to "fail" and engage in destructive stress eating. Stress eating that I WILL regret and that WILL increase the amount of time it takes to reach my goal.

So I'm posting here to officially go on record as challenging myself to an all GREEN diet week. I'm not going to worry about next week or next month, just THIS week. And it WILL be green.


I can do this... I am in control, not the food.

[sarahkay]

Sticking to it is so tough when you're stressed! Good luck! You can do it!!

[Sienna]

Thanks sarahkay!

Yesterday was diet Green! Although my headache came back so it was another slug day...

Here's hoping I can make it through today without a throbbing head.

[Sienna]

Today was diet Green AND headache Green! No headache, yay!

Feeling really worn out and tired - which is pretty typical for the day after a bad headache, and I'd *really* like some chocolate. But I want a green week more than I want chocolate, so I'm posting here instead.

Can't wait until Saturday! I think there is some chocolate chocolate ice cream with my name on it....

[Sienna]

Is a Snow day an S day? :-p Kinda wish it were... I've been stuck at home inside all day and it's testing my willpower.

So far so good though. Haven't eaten dinner yet because I slept in (!!!!!!) so my whole schedule has been shifted. I may or may not end up skipping it - we'll see how I feel in an hour.

In other news, because I was snowed in today, I declared it a true day off from work. All work, including housework and paperwork and everything. I just hung out with DH and the cats, watching Lost on Netflix (watching it for the first time - we are now half-way through season 2). It was so nice to just have a responsibility free day! Back to the grind tomorrow, but I should make it a point to have a lazy day every once in awhile from now on!

[sarahkay]

snow days are beautiful things!! I'm glad you were able to enjoy it!

[Sienna]

Aren't they though, sarahkay? It's kind of like a time out for life!

Today was another Green diet day. Also, it apparently snowed in the elevator at work yesterday so now even nature is conspiring to make me move more (stairs today!).

One more day and then chocolate time! Yay!

[Sienna]

Yay! Green diet week! (well, I guess I really have another couple hours - but I can wait until midnight for some chocolate! )

[sarahkay]

GREAT JOB!!!

[Sienna]

Thanks Sarahkay!

This weekend was a little wilder than usual, but that's what S days are for.

Facing some emotional struggles this weekend. Got fitted for a bridesmaids dress today for a wedding this June. There is a ridiculous lead time on the dress, so the fitting had to be this weekend (which I found out about yesterday). I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, what with wanting to lose weight and having to fit into a dress I ordered today... The size I ordered I fit into, but barely (everything zipped, but it was tight), so hopefully I have a little leeway for weightloss, but I'm not relishing having to shell out big bucks for alterations...

So I face this fear of losing weight and gaining weight. I can NOT gain even a little or it won't fit. So that's stress. But I also am now worried about losing too much. Except I also WANT to lose too much. *sigh* I can get through this.

N day tomorrow. As much as I'd like to take it as a holiday, it's not a *real* holiday, and I want to keep on track.

[tobiasmom]

You've been so consistent. I know you can do this! I'm sure they do another fitting closer that you can get it taken in a little if you need to. It's not your fault if you lose lots of weight!!!! ha!!!

I totally understand the stress, though. Just wanted to TRY to encourage you.

[sarahkay]

I would be stressed out too! But like tobiasmom said, you're very consistent, and I'm sure that dress will fit you just fine! Hang in there!

[Sienna]

Oh, thanks, gals! It means a lot to hear someone ELSE say that I can do this


Yesterday was all green and so was today. They felt easier than last week, so hopefully I'm getting back into the swing of things from the holiday.

[Sienna]

Yesterday was diet green and I'm still mostly a slug, yeah, yeah....

Okay, I am super stressed right now and there are lemon squares available! Lemon squares I tell you!

I'm posting here that I WILL NOT eat a lemon square. WILL NOT. No lemon square!

Hopefully, that will help get me through this minor sweet-snack crisis....


Aaaaah!

[Sienna]

Green diet day! I somehow managed to resist those stupid lemon squares AND the cookies at the meeting I went to at the end of the day. I'm still so stressed that I want to pull my hair out, but at least one thing I can control is what I do or don't put in my mouth...

*sigh* One more day until an S day!

[amake616]

You win a hundred virtual points for every lemon square you resisted ^ _ ^ You now have enough to buy a vacation home in a fabulous location of your choosing. Please direct your request for your winnings to Reinhard Engels.

[Sienna]

Hahaha! Thanks, amake! I'll have to make sure I get on top of redeeming that.

Tonight has been another challenge, but things have been green so far. Making ham for dinner, only it's taking a lot longer than I planned on to get up to temp (I think this oven may run cold, finally turned it up....). Plus I missed lunch. So since all I've had to eat today was a bowl of oatmeal almost 12 hours ago, I'm starving. (And did I mention how scrumptious it smells right now?) Almost stuck a piece of pineapple in my mouth while I was putting them on the ham (it fell apart! it was begging me!), but I didn't want to ruin another all green week with only hours to go, so I didn't.

Besides, at the rate this darned ham is going, I may be able to legitimately have desert with dinner!

And I will have delicious ham all weekend.

[Sienna]

This weekend kind of turned into a snack-a-thon. It also involved a fair amount of chocolate. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it was too bad. Plus, that's kind of what S days are for.

I am however, once again looking forward to my N days. That's one of the things that I love about this diet - I look forward to the sane consistency of the N days almost as much as I look forward to the delicious treats of S days.

It's going to be a very stressful week though, so I'll have to stay on top of things. With any luck though, all will go well and if so after Friday my stress level will drop. So here's hoping....

[Sienna]

Monday was diet green.

Still not getting enough movement in though

[Sienna]

Tuesday was diet green! Also did some packing/organizing, but no really serious movement.

[Sienna]

Wednesday was green, today has been green so far.

High stress day though - can't WAIT for the weekend - I need some chocolate! I might have to buy something *really* good to get me through the weekend...

[Sienna]

Yesterday was green, but barely. Had some MAJOR ice cream cravings last night. Took a nice long relaxing shower instead.

Today has also been green, and it will stay that way. Tomorrow, however, I will have ice cream, and it will be awesome.

Unfortunately, today was also really stressful and I'm poised to spend the weekend a stressed out ball of nerves. Hopefully all this nuttiness will be over on Monday, but I'm starting to have my doubts (which of course adds to the stress!)

[Sienna]

So after all the stress this week, the whole week was still green. Yay! I'm going to do my best to put off stressing about the house until Monday - because there just isn't anything I can do but worry until then. With any luck, after Monday all stress will be gone anyhow (of course that's what I thought about yesterday...).

However, to start of the weekend on a happy note, I just hit another big milestone: An additional 10% weight loss since my last 10% weight loss (basically not quite 20% of my starting weight but close - I picked incremental 10% because 4 of them get me to just under a pound of my goal weight, so it just works out better)


I'm also feeling pretty in control of my eating - which is unusual for me a high stress times (well, more usual since I started NoS, but this time a year ago I would have been eating like crazy under this house stress). And it feels really great to be in control - it's like everything else around me can be going crazy, but even then *I* can still control what I eat - specifically No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds (except on days that start with S). More and more I realize that if nothing else, NoS has helped me conquer my emotional food dependence. The weight loss is definitely an added bonus though.

[NoelFigart]

Congratulations. I know that the better relationship with food feels as fantastic as the weight loss.

[Sienna]

Thanks Noel! I definitely agree that a better relationship with food is as awesome if not MORE awesome than losing pounds.


This weekend was pretty responsible, although I definitely had some treats.

Back to N days tomorrow, but not before a little bowl of ice cream tonight!

[Sienna]

Monday was green. And super stressful. Today was also stressful, but good. Got the house stuff all sorted out and it was a green day.

Thought about making it an S day to celebrate, but I'll just wait until the weekend for that - it's only a few days away.

[Sienna]

Snow day!

But it was green. Kind of tough because it felt like a weekend day, but I managed to not cheat, so that's good.

2 more days to the weekend!

[Sienna]

Thursday was green!

It got really tough towards the end before dinner because I missed both breakfast and lunch (it was one of *those* days). I did cheat a teeny bit as I was plating dinner and ate half a crab ragoon while I was putting the other food on my plate, but I left it a space on my plate so I'm going to call it "virtual plating" and call it a success.

Today has been green so far!

[Teemuh]

Hi Sienna. Congrats on your weight loss! That's really great. You're motivating me to move it along. I'm going a lot slower than you are Anyway, well done.

[Sienna]

Hi Teemuh, thanks for stopping by my thread! Knowing people actually look at it helps me stay accountable (although it hasn't helped me on my exercise goals yet, but I'll get there....)


But PLEASE don't fret about speed. It's really not a race. Since starting in June, I've averaged about 0.2 lbs per day or 1.4 lbs per week. This seems to be a nice sustainable pace FOR ME. But to be honest, I have A LOT more weight to lose than many other people (to get to the very top of the healthy weight range for my height I needed to lose 76 pounds - so I'm over half way there, but still quite a ways away). Which means that my initial weight loss curve will be much steeper than someone who only has 10 - 20 pounds they'd like to lose.

I fully expect my weight loss to slow as I approach my goal weight, because as you lose weight your body burns fewer calories (even if we don't count them - calories are still there!) I also know that it is possible that I *won't* be able to hit 150 lbs at all. Because just because the BMI table says that is the max healthy weight for my height, doesn't mean that it actually *is* the perfect weight for my body. If I'm honest with myself I haven't been under 150 since before high school - and in high school I was a fairly lean athlete. So as long as I get kind of close, I'm going to try not to worry about it (notice I say try - I realize this isn't easy).

From your signature, I see that you want to lose about 20 lbs, and that you've lost about 5 since you re-started in November. Congratulations! That is 1/4 of the way there. Look at it this way: in 3 months, you are 25% of the way to your goal. Based on my weight chart, after 3 months I was only about 20% of the way to my goal. Which means by that metric, you are actually losing *faster*.

So hang in for the long haul. You can do it!

[Sienna]

Today was green.

This weekend was wild (specifically Saturday was wild, Sunday was pretty sane). Basically it was a high stress day (moving day) and we ordered pizza, which can be a trigger food for me and I just ate a ton.

I thought about making pizza an N day only food (because if I have it on an N day I limit myself to one plate, generally 2 pieces, but on S days I can go a little nuts with it ), but then I decided that *generally* I'm pretty sane on S days now, so going a little nuts occasionally probably won't undermine my efforts too much.

[tobiasmom]

Pizza....yum! I'd like to make it an N-day food. Then I can eat it five days a week! ha. just kidding. I know I COULD eat it five days a week if I wanted to, but then it probably wouldn't be as special!

You're doing awesome!

[Sienna]

Thanks! Yeah, I love my pizza!

Tuesday was green, today has been green so far with no real cravings. Hopefully I'm finally settling in to a more consistent habit routine than right after the holidays.

[NoSRocks]

WELL DONE on the weight loss, Sienna - fantastic job!!!

PS: I am enjoying reading your posts, especially your food diary. Thanks!!

[Sienna]

Yesterday was green. Today has been... white? I've been running around like crazy and haven't gotten around to eating anything even though its 5:30 pm here now. I haven't decided whether or not to skip lunch or have late small lunch and then dinner a few hours later - we'll see how it goes.

Either way, tomorrow is an S day, and I think some good chocolate will be in order.

[Sienna]

So Friday I ended up just having dinner (2 tacos from Chipotles) and calling it a night. I put the third taco (they come in orders of 3) in the fridge because I was full after the second one and had it for dinner on Saturday. I'm going to take a minute to reflect on this seemingly insignificant accomplishment.

Before NoS I would have taken the fact that I hadn't eaten anything all day as license to go nuts in the evening and have whatever I wanted. Like somehow skipping 2 meals should make it okay to eat an entire pizza and a carton of ice cream all by myself. Let's do the math on that. ~1500 calories per day is what I need to lose/ultimately maintain weight.* Assuming those calories get divided evenly that's 500 calories per meal. One medium pizza (which in my Before days, I could inhale in one sitting) comes in around 2000 calories. Add to that a pint of Ben and Jerry's (which I could also down in one evening) for another 700 calories. That's 2700 calories, or nearly double what I should be eating to be at my target weight! Put another way that is 1200/3500 or .34 pounds of weight gain. In one day. With Habits like that, is it any wonder that I let myself get to 226 pounds (BMI 37.67, Obese class 2)?

With the 3 meal structure I do a little bit better about actually getting 3 meals in a day (instead of one binge or perpetual snacking...). But I'm really encouraged that I've re-established sane eating habits that allow me to recover from when I don't stick to that structure (like Friday when I skipped 2 meals). It's moments like this that make me realize that NoS really isn't just a stop along the way, it can - and will be - my new life.

Friday's win was followed by a relatively sane weekend (especially compared to last weekend). However, because of the move I've been doing a lot of take out and fast food. So even though I've stuck to the 3 meal structure, I've been retaining a lot of water. Now, I know this is just water so it's not a big deal - but it still has me kind of bummed. Because even though I know that the Habits are the most important thing, that I'm still on the right track, and that it's a marathon not a sprint - I had *really* hoped to be "just" overweight by Valentine's Day. Based on my weight loss chart (I weigh daily and chart my progress so I can track trends like my current salt bloat), this was a perfectly reasonable and attainable goal. And I was on track until this week.

So it's Valentine's Day and this morning I weighed in at exactly 1 pound over the overweight/obese line. *sigh* At least this is the last V-day I'll be spending obese.

Because I know that other people on the boards (who may or may not actually bother to read my check-in) struggle with short term weight gains and plateaus, I want to share this disappointment so that you can know that you aren't alone. And that even though you can *know* that it's the long term that will matter, the short term let downs can sting a little.

So far today has been green, and it will stay that way. And very soon, I will be not obese, even if I still am today.


*I came to this number based on the number of calories I would need to maintain my "ideal" weight. I figured that this number would set me up for steeper weight loss in the beginning and then plateau into my ideal weight. So far so good (average ~1.4 lbs/week), but I still have a long way to go!

[r.jean]

I find a little something in everyone's post that hits home. I just started 12/20/10, and I hope to have the success you have had. Setting a particular BMI as a goal is something that I have also done. I would love to hit that "only" overweight point. I have lost 11 lbs and still have 28 lbs to go to hit that point. I am inspired by the fact that you have almost attained a similar goal in only 8 months. My goal is to no longer be classified as obese by September.

[Teemuh]

Hi Sienna. Thanks for the pep talk I've actually dropped another couple of pounds since so I'm pretty happy. And it's a good reminder about how well No S works in the long term. My friend has gone on Atkins and just lost 10 pounds in 10 days. I almost got sucked back into trying it with her because of how well well she was doing. But you know what? I'm not constantly looking at myself for flaws. When I saw 167 on the scale this morning I was really pleased. I didn't think,oh why can't this be 159 or something. This is a journey of a lifetime, and I think I'm just happy to be rambling along:)

[Sienna]

No problem Teemuh - congrats on the weight loss! Even with nice, steady weight loss, I am still sometimes tempted by the "Get Thin Fast" schemes. I think "hey, I could do that, drop the weight, and then switch BACK to NoS for maintenance and sanity". And then I have to remind myself that that is not exactly how it works, and that it is safer and healthier for me to lose slowly - not to mention slow weight loss is more easily maintained.

@R.jean - congrats on the 11lb loss and good luck as you work towards your goal! As Teemuh said, this is a journey of a lifetime, so enjoy your journey

[Sienna]

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all Green (I didn't take Valentine's Day as a holiday because DH and I went out on Sunday instead of Monday).

And this morning I was rewarded by dipping below 180 on the scale for the first time since.... Not even sure when... That's right, I'm officially Overweight! Yay! So 3 days later than I'd hoped, but what is 3 days in a lifetime? I'm feeling in much better spirits today too. There is still quite a long way to go, but I really have made quite a lot of progress since June - and although there is always room for more improvement, I think I'm in a pretty good rhythm.

So far, so good today. And feeling a lot less temptation than these last few days (when I get down or stressed I usually feel more tempted, even though I'm now pretty good at resisting that temptation). Plus, it's Thursday - so only 2 days until the weekend!

[NoSRocks]

That's FABULOUS news, hon! Well done on your continued weight loss. You are doing absolutely great!! I too know that the No S Diet is a brilliant plan and I will continue to follow it for life now!
No more ideas of trying quick fixes with No S for maintenance for ME either.
Yes, I have learnt the hard way that I should have just stuck with No S when I was on a roll the first time around. This time, I think I might have messed up my metabolism somewhat since I don't seem to be getting results on No S (weight-wise). However, despite the tone of my post (sorry folks!!) its not at all doom n gloom as I'm sure there are reasons behind this. I haven't been doing the same amount of walking this side of the year that I had been before winter. It was 'only' 50 mins gentle walking outside 3 - 4 days a week but just that little bit of extra movement could make all the difference.

As I've been saying on many occasions though, I wasn't going to cry over spilt milk so I'm moving on from it and just like to say I'm sooo glad I chose to come back to No S - MY OLD and TRUSTED FRIEND why did I ever desert you???

Given time maybe I will lose some of the weight gain, after all - this is only my 2nd or 3rd month on No S/eating plan for the rest of my life.

Anyway, rambling over - wonderful news, and many congratulations on your weight loss! You are an inspiration!!!!

[Teemuh]

Hi Sienna. Congrats on reaching another goal:) The nice thing about stringing some lost pounds together, it really shores up the determination to carry on. Well done:)

[Sienna]

Thanks guys!

I definitely agree that stringing little milestones together can be really motivating. In addition to my more significant milestones, I set mini 4lbs weight loss goals on my wii fit. It basically requires you to set *some* goal (or at least it does if you are overweight - I wouldn't know what it does for people who aren't overweight...), so I use it for little short term goals to keep me going. It also helps me focus on the fact that this weight loss journey is one small step at a time.

Ate mostly junk this weekend. Not a lot of it, but mostly junk nonetheless. I had a nasty headache and I was mostly craving sweets, so since it was S days I indulged.

[Sienna]

So far so good this week, but it's only Thursday morning and I'm really longing for some ice cream. I'll wait until the weekend, and it will taste better then anyhow, but boy ice cream really sounds good!

[Sienna]

Thursday was green and so far today has been green (it will stay that way - I'm not worried).

And then tomorrow will be an S day! Really looking forward to a bit of ice cream. Or chocolate. Or chocolate ice cream...

Overall this week was pretty sane. Much less processed/fast food than the last few weeks. We are finally moved in enough that I can cook again, so that has been nice. It has been a pretty pasta-heavy week (it's quick and easy and while we are unpacked enough for cooking, there is still a lot to do plus it's been pretty hectic at work...), but I've kept the portion sizes reasonable. I really should start planning meals out better, but at the moment the diet is still working for me (slow, steady loss), so I'm not going to stress about it too much. I think I'll try to give myself March to get our lives pulled back together a little bit more and to finish settling in and just continue to focus on less processed/fast food. Once I'm back in the habit of cooking, then I can target solid meal planning as a new Habit for April. Of course, someone will probably have to remind me of that come April

On to the weekend!

[Sienna]

Had ice cream for breakfast. Black raspberry chocolate. It was fantastic! Yay S days!

Today is an exciting day. I was putting some clothes away (unpacking), and I decided to try on some old clothes, just to see where I was. Recently I've noticed that my jeans are pretty baggy, but since clothes are expensive and I'm still losing, I haven't worried about replacing them - so really I haven't been sized in ages. Except for a bridesmaid dress about a month ago - but I don't count that because I know from experience that the sizing in the shop where I bought the dress varies wildly by style - as in the last time I tried on dresses there I was an 18 in one style and a 12 in another! So while it will be interesting to see if the dress fits when it comes in a few months from now, the size number itself is pretty meaningless.

So I tried on some old jeans and dresses. First I fit into my favorite jeans from a few years ago. I actually own 2 pairs of them. They were that jean that hits your just right in all the right places, giving you curves where they belong and hiding bumps where they don't, making you look 10 lbs lighter. The last time I remember fitting into them was maybe Fall 2008. So yay! I have 2 awesome pairs of jeans to replace the saggy baggy ones I've been wearing. This was a fantastic mood booster this morning! While sizing can vary (different brands/styles/etc), this marks a change from a size 18 (baggy jeans) to a size 12 (hot sexy jeans).

Additionally, I tried on two old formal dresses hanging in my closet. They both fit! One of them is my old senior prom dress (spring 2002). I know for a fact that I couldn't zip that dress by the end of my freshman year in college (spring 2003). It's a little lumpy (yay satin!), but with the right undergarments, I think it would look really nice.

What this means is that I've come pretty close to (finally) losing the "freshman 15" (or however many pounds I managed to pack on), at least in terms of size. Now, I was an athlete in high school, so I still have some weight to lose and a lot of slimming to go, but this is still a really great place to be.

So all in all, it's a pretty positive end to the month.

[Kevin]

Nice work, Sienna.

[r.jean]

Congrats! It is good to read the posts of people that have done this plan for awhile and are still finding success. I can only hope that I am where you are in a few months.

[Sienna]

Thanks guys. I've had some down periods lately, so I'm trying to record positive milestones to look back on when I have future down periods to help keep me going. Life is full of ups and downs, so I don't know why I should expect weight loss to be any different.

I started the March challenge with a focus on at least 5 days per week of exercise in addition to following NoS. So far so good, but there is a long month ahead so we will see.

I made turkey burgers for dinner tonight - delicious!

[amake616]

"While sizing can vary (different brands/styles/etc), this marks a change from a size 18 (baggy jeans) to a size 12 (hot sexy jeans). "

Sizing can vary but it would still be such an enormous psychological boost! It must have been a lot of fun to go through your old clothes and expand your wardrobe without even having to spend money ^ _ ^

[Sienna]

Sizing can vary but it would still be such an enormous psychological boost! It must have been a lot of fun to go through your old clothes and expand your wardrobe without even having to spend money ^ _ ^

Oh, HUGE psychological boost! And since my husband and I just bought a house, it's really helpful to not have to go out and spend a ton of money on new clothes. My 18s still technically fit (as in they don't completely fall down), but they are definitely too big - super baggy and unflattering. So fine for weekends at home, but it's great to have pants that fit to wear out of the house. Plus, since they don't hide my figure in bagginess like the 18s (and they are slimming on top of that), I got a bunch of complements on my weight loss this week, which is a further boost.


In other news, I'm really annoyed with myself because I forgot to exercise yesterday. Not like I didn't have time or was intentionally being lazy, I just kind of forgot to do it. Since the target is 5 days per week in March (and only 4 the first week since March started on a Tuesday) I can still have a green week if I exercise on Saturday as well as today. Which I *will* do. I'm not going to blow this the first week in...

Yesterday I had oatmeal for lunch. Then I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich for dinner. That kind of thing always makes me feel like I'm 10 - but it's so delicious.

Trying to keep this week extra sane because I've got a couple parties this weekend and so I know that even with reasonable portions my S days are going to be a little higher in terms of calories. This is the first time I've tried to really regulate what I'm eating on N days beyond the vanilla rules. So far I'm not really feeling overly restricted, so I think this is a good plan. While I don't think I'll do it every week (I like having the freedom to eat what I'm craving, excepting sweets and to not have to worry about the "details" of dieting), it's nice to know that I can do it sometimes (like if I know there is a big eating weekend or a week with an extra S day coming up) to help keep myself in check.

[Kevin]

You're doing so great, you shouldn't be annoyed at yourself for forgetting to exercise. Just laugh. Look at all you're accomplishing... good work! I don't even know you and I'm proud of you.

Sizing can vary but it would still be such an enormous psychological boost! It must have been a lot of fun to go through your old clothes and expand your wardrobe without even having to spend money ^ _ ^

Oh, HUGE psychological boost! And since my husband and I just bought a house, it's really helpful to not have to go out and spend a ton of money on new clothes. My 18s still technically fit (as in they don't completely fall down), but they are definitely too big - super baggy and unflattering. So fine for weekends at home, but it's great to have pants that fit to wear out of the house. Plus, since they don't hide my figure in bagginess like the 18s (and they are slimming on top of that), I got a bunch of complements on my weight loss this week, which is a further boost.


In other news, I'm really annoyed with myself because I forgot to exercise yesterday. Not like I didn't have time or was intentionally being lazy, I just kind of forgot to do it. :roll: Since the target is 5 days per week in March (and only 4 the first week since March started on a Tuesday) I can still have a green week if I exercise on Saturday as well as today. Which I *will* do. I'm not going to blow this the first week in...

Yesterday I had oatmeal for lunch. Then I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich for dinner. That kind of thing always makes me feel like I'm 10 - but it's so delicious.

Trying to keep this week extra sane because I've got a couple parties this weekend and so I know that even with reasonable portions my S days are going to be a little higher in terms of calories. This is the first time I've tried to really regulate what I'm eating on N days beyond the vanilla rules. So far I'm not really feeling overly restricted, so I think this is a good plan. While I don't think I'll do it every week (I like having the freedom to eat what I'm craving, excepting sweets and to not have to worry about the "details" of dieting), it's nice to know that I can do it sometimes (like if I know there is a big eating weekend or a week with an extra S day coming up) to help keep myself in check.

[Sienna]

Thanks, Kevin. What really gets me is that I made exercise my March goal, and I messed up so early on. Part of my problem with getting exercise is solidifying a habit of actually doing it. The diet habits were (comparatively) easy for me. Once I had a set of easy to follow rules that made sense (NoS), I was just able to start eating moderately instead of excessively with relatively little effort. Sure there were cravings and temptations - especially early on - but it always seemed simple and doable.

The exercise is much more daunting to me, because I'm always trying to squeeze it in between other things. It's kind of ironic because when I was in high school, I got 2-4+ hours of high intensity exercise 7 days a week (yay for doing 2 year long varsity sports!), but I pretty much ate whatever I wanted. Now I've got the eating under control, but 15 minutes a day of exercise can be hard to do.

Today was a better day. Got in 20 minutes of exercise and had a green diet day. Fasted through lunch for a blood test and then chicken sandwiches for dinner.

In other news, I went through life insurance underwriting today (oh joy). The woman's scale was generous to me (I was 5 pounds lighter than my scale read this morning even in my clothing) - and so somehow I just barely snuck into the lowest risk group for body build (height and weight). Considering that in June 2010 I was class 2 obese with a BMI of 37, I think that is pretty exciting. I'm interested to see how my blood work comes back, as I haven't had a physical since starting NoS last June. I'm due for one pretty soon, I think...

On to the weekend!

[Sienna]

Well, got through the weekend okay, although I was a slug on Sunday. I did exercise on Saturday though, which means the first week of March was both diet AND exercise green (with 4 days of exercise - most weeks will have 5, but the first week of March was missing a Monday).

I also exercised today for about an hour, so that was good. Now that I'm getting closer to where I want to be weight-wise, I really want to step up the exercise so that when the last of the weight does come off I am more toned underneath. Of course, I've still go many months of weight loss ahead, but that is why now is a good time to start cementing the exercise habit.

[r.jean]

It is great to see you continue to stick with it. If I achieve what you have achieved in the months to come, I will be ecstatic.

[Sienna]

This week has been pretty good. All green so far with only a half day left to go.

I've also exercised every day this week so far (Mon-Thurs). More on Monday and Tuesday, but I hit my 15 minute minimum on both Wednesday and Thursday, so there's that.

Tonight might be tricky to fit in exercise - I had an early morning at work and a dinner right after work - but if I miss it tonight, I'll just make it up tomorrow to finish of my second successful week in March.

3 more weeks of March to go!

[Sienna]

Had time for a quick walk on Friday, so had a solid week of exercise last week!

Also had a great weekend - pretty sane PLUS I got in a nice walk on Sunday. I'm so glad that the weather isn't so horrible anymore.

Today was a green diet day, but I skipped exercising. Developed a stress headache right before I left work and while its not super bad (I get migraines, and compared to a migraine, this is nothing) moving my head makes it worse and I just didn't feel like aggravating it. Frustrating, but these things happen. This is why I made exercise days flexible in the first place.

[Sienna]

Overall a good week.

Diet green Monday - Friday, yesterday was a pretty reasonable S day and I got in exercise Tuesday-Saturday, so its officially a green week.

That said, my exercise wasn't exactly super vigorous and I pretty much did the bare minimum (15 minutes) to count. But I'm going to look at it as progress from nothing.

[Sienna]

So since I exercised yesterday (lots of walking!), last week was all green, despite only getting 10 minutes in on Wednesday! (M-F diet green + 5 days of 15+ minutes of exercise)

So one more week to go for March! And then its on to April goals.

My goal for April is to cook/meal plan more. Because April starts on a Friday, I'm going to start this challenge April 4, because that will give me the weekend to plan the first week. Plus I think better in terms of Monday through Sunday than Friday through Thursday even if it comes down to the same number of N and S days.

So the goal is to plan and cook/prepare meals at home at least 4 of 7 days from April 4 to May 1 (4 weeks). This allows 3 days for leftovers or other meals. Tentatively S days and Tuesdays (DH is rarely home Tuesday evenings - so its a good night for leftovers). I figure 1-2 days will end up being leftovers, but I'll leave it flexible.

Cooking will be defined rather loosely and will include things that don't need to be cooked at all like sandwiches as long as they are at least somewhat planned. It will not include picking up ready to eat or ready to heat meals at the grocery store on my way home from work . Planning and shopping will be done in 1 week chunks (over the weekend). Because this is out of the norm for me (we unfortunately live next to the grocery store - so even when I "plan" dinner I generally pick up whatever ingredients I need the day of on the way home from work), I do expect some emergency trips to the grocery store. I think the goal will be 1 or less per week.

This could be a total disaster, but lets see how it goes!

[oolala53]

Sorry I've been missing out on your journey. It sounds like a good one, the kind I need to follow. Consider me an official stalker!

[Sienna]

Hahaha, thanks for stalking oolala - keeps me honest

Today starts a new week - and the last week in March. So far March has been all green, including for exercise. And yet I don't at all feel like I've established an exercise "habit". Perhaps because my requirements were too vague? I settled on 5 times per week for 15+ minutes with no specification on what exercise had to be. I did this because time wise I can not commit to a set schedule for an entire month, or even an entire week. My work/school schedule is chaotic and unpredictable enough that I'm lucky if I can lock something down 24 hours in advance.

That is one of the reasons that the NoS diet worked so well for me where other diets failed: it is flexible around my nutty life. It's simplicity allows me to stay in control of my diet even when the rest of my life is spinning me around like a tilt-a-whirl. No time? 3 meals can be fast food, prepared meals or microwave dinners. Not the best choices perhaps, but better than fast food, prepared meals, microwave dinners AND snacks and tons of sweets to cope with the stress! Stressed? Too bad - that doesn't mean I get to eat extra food or have ice cream on Wednesday. Deal with it instead. I'll admit, I got lucky and the NoS habits formed very quickly. I'm not sure it even took 3 weeks for it to feel "normal" to eat only 3 meals and no sweets Monday through Friday. It did take longer for the S days to settle down, but the Habits formed pretty quickly.

I was hoping this March challenge to myself would similarly help me build an exercise habit. But here we are, day 28, and the only reason I make sure to get in my exercise is so that I don't have to mark a failure here or on the challenge thread. How lame is that? I used to love to exercise (to the tune of 2-4 hours a day, seven days a week back in high school). I was busy back then too. I'm not sure why its dropped to priority zero (more like priority negative 10 really...) and now seems more like a chore. Even when I do "fun" exercise that I enjoy doing, getting the motivation to start is really difficult. I'm now about the size I was in high school, but in highschool I was much fitter and more toned. I've lost a good chunk of weight since last June (~24% of my starting body weight which is ~55 pounds), but I'm still pretty flabby. Diet can only do so much, and while I don't think my weight loss has plateaued yet, I think that I've about reached the point where losing more weight won't do much if its not coupled with muscle building/toning. I'll just be a slightly lighter ball of flab.

So where do I go from here? Is it possible to make exercise a habit that is as ingrained as my diet? Where it just seems more normal too exercise than to skip it? Or is it inherently different because of the energy expenditure required? And the fact that there are times where it may just be impossible/unrealistic due to health issues (darned migraines!) or work issues in a way that diet isn't affected?

Overall, the more I reflect on my March Exercise Challenge, the more I didn't like the way it made me feel. I actually think it made exercise feel *more* like a chore rather than less. And made me want to rebel and do the minimum more often than I would have liked. So I think, at least for the time being, I'm going to forgo particular exercise requirements.

However, I do want to *try* to move more - but on my own terms. I want to want to go out and be active. And so instead of making any rules or setting any goals, I'm just going to try make more active choices (stairs instead of elevator, parking further away, afternoon walks instead of tv to wind down, etc). This is what I did with S days (just tried to be reasonable and make Smart choices instead of "Being an Idiot") and they calmed down naturally without me having to make extra rules I would resent or rebel against. So hopefully it will work here...

[Sienna]

Split today's post because I've just been doing a lot of thinking/reflecting, and that makes for a long post! But I figure it will be interesting for me to look back on these thoughts in a few months...

On a related note, I've been feeling really down about my body image lately. Which is stupid, since in reality I'm looking A LOT better than I did 9 months ago. The difference is that 9 months ago I didn't *realize* how bad I looked and how fat I'd let myself get (BMI of 37.7!) Then I saw a picture and it clicked. I'd always thought that I looked fat in pictures but it wasn't until last June that something clicked and I realized that the reason because I looked fat in pictures is because I WAS fat. I mean, I knew I was overweight. I even knew that I was technically Obese. But for some reason, I was in complete denial about my body image.

As part of this weight loss journey, I've become more in tune with my body, my weight, and how I look. Not to an obsessive point, I weigh once per day, mark it and move on. And I don't spend hours a day looking in the mirror. Just a few minutes when I'm getting ready each morning. But its like I'm seeing myself as I am (instead of through some magic thinning glasses) for the first time. So now that I'm at the size that I was in college (I fit into clothes from college), I expect to feel about my body the way I did in college. Which was pretty good, despite being technically overweight I never *felt* overweight and figured it was at least somewhat a technicality because I had a good deal of lean muscle mass. But I *don't* feel good about my body.

I don't exactly feel bad about my body either - more like I'm accepting that its a work in process. But when I realize that I was more or less happy with this body less than 10 years ago, I start to wonder if I've ever really seen myself -or if I've just been fooling myself into thinking that I look better than I actually do. Again, I've never really liked the way I looked in pictures (even back then), but I always thought it was the pictures (and now I'm realizing it was really probably me).

And so now I'm at the real cross roads. I'm certainly more pleased with how I look now, than I was with how I looked 9 months ago. But I'm not as happy as I was when I was previously at this size. Now, I was more toned then, but when I look at pictures from then, fully clothed and in clothes I now fit back into, I actually look about the same now as I did then. So whats changed? Apparently just my perception. And its that my perception is so easily and somewhat insidiously changed that really bothers me.

I wonder if part of the reason for the shift in perception is that in college, I didn't really see losing weight as a possibility. I'd sort of accepted that the weight I was at was the reasonable weight for me to be at without starving myself (or course what I would then think of as "starving myself" I now realize can be as simple as "moderation" - but apparently it's hard to tell a stubborn college student that she can't have ice cream twice a day everyday ) And so I accepted the weight, defined it as "not too fat for me", and allowed other things to affect my personal body image (like my intelligence, integrity, work ethic, kind heart, generous heart, and generally positive attitude). Those things are all great, and I still value them as part of my Self Worth (and in fact I still think that all of those things are more important than how thin or fat I or anybody else is), but somewhere along the line I took off the Thin-Colored-Glasses and separated them from My Body Image.

And now that I know that weight loss is possible. That I can be at (or at least closer to) a healthy weight simply by eating moderately, I'm not willing to settle for "not too fat for me". I'm not striving to be super-model thin, but I do want to be Healthy-Thin, and I've still got a way to go before I get there (but at least now I'm headed in the right direction!)

So in summary, I think that while Ignorance may be Bliss, finding out you were just blissfully ignorant all along is waaaaay worse than not being Ignorant at all...

[NoSRocks]

Sooo enjoy reading your threads, Sienna! Can't say it enough - you are such an inspiration! Sorry to hear that you've been having some body image issues - can emphathise with you entirely! I too, have been feeling down - I don't like how I can't fit into my clothes the same and how my legs rub together when I sit down. All sorts of "little' niggly things like this that add up to a bigger (gloomy) picture. However, I am feeling so much better being on the No S plan - that it lifts my spirits back up again and helps to cheer me up in the end.

[tobiasmom]

Hey, Girl! I think recognizing this in the middle of the race is what will keep you going to the end! You've lost quite a bit. Realizing that you still have a ways to go will keep you from getting too comfortable. But don't sell yourself short. You have done an amazing job so far! You ARE an inspiration to many on this board.....like me!

Keep up the good work!