Everyday Systems

awwwwe thanks ladies!!! I SO appreciate your encouragement! You're right renee I don't feel like a freight train, but I love the visual. Makes me feel powerful and in control!

ONWARD

ZippaDee = YippaDee!!!! You're doing great!

janie

Have a great day!!!

Had an awesome GREEN week! FINALLY just finished scanning in the last of the photos. What a project!! Whew! Now to start putting the video together. Painting nails and practicing with makeup tonight for my daughters Senior Prom which is tomorrow. Hair appointment in the morning. Savoring this time with her!!

I'm feeling so good physically and emotionally to be eating this way. My stress level has improved too.

Have a great weekend all!! Oh...stayed off the scale this week too!

We just got home from our son's school. His senior prom is tonight. The school is small (60 per class) and they still have a great tradition of each couple being introduced on stage & then the courts being announced. It's a great start to their evening...and it's such fun for the parents to go & see all the kids dressed up & enjoying the night. I loved it!

I hope you have a sweet time with your daughter!

hugs..janie

Hi Janie,
We graduate about 75. We too have what they call "Grand March". As you said, they introduce each couple. FUN!! Glad you enjoyed yourself!

Make double sure her dress fits! 2 years ago my daughter lost weight during soccer (I should have known) and it didn't fit 5 minutes before her date and friends showed up. She'd checked it the week before. I had to do some fancy fast stitching! Our prom is next weekend and my son is going for the 3rd year (he's a junior) so I bought a tux last year. It cost the same as renting. Oh fun fun fun!

Boy it seems like ages since my 35 year old son went to his prom, but I had a flash of that day...not as special as a girl helping her dress but the "wow, my son looks fantastic"

And so great to hear you had a great green week..and you feel better emotionally...best thing we all can do for ourselves is not binge!

deb

Hope your daughter has a magical evening tonight! I have two sons and just one daughter. Even though I always loved seeing my guys in a tux, there was always just something extra special about shopping for dresses and doing hair, nails, and make-up. Wait until the wedding!!
So glad to hear that your stress level is better...there is power in prayer.

Mimi

Thanks Ladies!! Prom was a great success! They looked SOOO nice!! The dress fit beautifully Reneew. Whew!

So, I've been at this NoS thing for almost two months now (this time ) and this weekend was different....more controlled. I found that treats that I planned on having just didn't taste as good as I thought they would. For example, the kids went to a discount store this week and brought home several boxes of poptarts. I saved one back for an S Day. Yesterday morning I decided to have them for breakfast. I toasted two. They honestly just weren't that good. I only ate one and was done. I just did not have the normal desire for sweets that I normally do on an S Day. I realize this may not be true for every weekend, but I'll take it for this weekend. There was even ice cream in the house, which I had no desire for.....and donuts. Never been a big fan of donuts though. I normally DO like ice cream though...especially chocolate moose tracks, but not this weekend. hmmm? Ok. this is the weird thing....it's actually a little bit sad to me that I didn't want it. WHY is that??? Hard to explain, but it's like something that has always been a pleasure and joy that I didn't want. I don't know...it's very hard to explain. Don't get me wrong I know it's a good thing, but at the same time there is a twinge of sadness. Just trying to be real here!

ONWARD

Hey Zipee! Well done for a controlled S Day! Marvellous!! Perhaps one day I may follow suit!

Hey hon, I hear ya on the sadness bit too. It's like that with me, too, a kind of emptiness...dunno if it has something to do with all those years I used food as a crutch/relied on food to cheer me up when i was bored/depressed or just plain craved something! It's like if there's no food to cheer me up, then what is there? As in missing the (pre-conceived) instant gratification and pleasure of it. I think that would best describe how and why one may feel like this. But I would imagine that with time, again this feeling may pass or at least get less stronger.

Unfortunately, I still have my very generous S Days so I haven't had much experience with feeling this way recently!

I think what you're feeling is normal!
I understand this void that is now there. The THRILL of getting HIGH off sweets is gone and it's just....a food.
Fancy that? Something to nourish us? That's all it does?

I think that's why so many abuse food. It DOES something for us and when it no longer does, it's tough to find a replacement.

When we look to friends, a passion, interest, family....
xo, liz

Ya when I quit smoking I felt like I was losing a best friend, and would think how am I going to live without them..and viola, I did it..and we can all do it...getting past the need to binge...

deb

Thanks for your support on my thread...it is so encouraging to hear how well your S-day went this weekend - that is what I hope to achieve someday! Although I do get the sad feeling of saying goodbye to something that (we thought) gave us great pleasure and never having that again...I guess the idea is to find something else, healthier, that is just as pleasureable. All these years of using food for that purpose has blinded us to the possibility of other things!

Good to know that I am not alone with this twinge of sadness that my pleasure food is gone. It has given me pleasure for so many years and the idea of that being gone is kinda sad. BUT...food can still be pleasurable when I do partake. It just should not be my only pleasure. I need to focus on all of the numerous other things in my life that give me pleasure! ....oh and it's good to know that I am not alone, but NOT good to know that you all must endure this as well. ugh!

So, had a great GREEN week. And then last night...Friday evening...I went shopping with my 18 year old daughter. It was awesome to spend some time..just the two of us. BUT, clothes shopping for myself was very detrimental to my psyche last night. NOT GOOD AT ALL FOR ME! Here I am going along on the happy train feeling so very good about how I am doing and how I am feeling and WHAMMY clothes shopping. Wow. I was not prepared for it at all. It just left me feeling so bad about how I look. How far I have to go. How long this is going to take. etc. etc. etc. Lots of negative self talk going on. I even shed some tears on the way home. Ridiculous!! How can this happen so quickly? It left me feeling downright blue. I want to love my body as it is now. I can love it and still want to improve myself right? Is that possible? Surely it is. I'm not sure. But, that is what I would like for myself. I am generally a very upbeat person. I do like myself.....I know I am a good person. Would love to know what it feels like to look in the mirror and truly be happy with what I see. I know slim people that still don't have that. That is what I mean. I would like to truly be happy with my body now....this minute...just as I am. Ok, I am rambling, but I guess this is my little spot. So, I can do that here.

Then after my pity party started in the departments store dressing room, I had my monthly weigh in this morning.

Month one: down 8.8 pounds
Month two: down 2.2 pounds

Honestly, I wasn't that thrilled with that. 2.2 pounds for a whole month of effort. BUT it IS 2.2 pounds!!! I'm going in the right direction! That is progress and I am building HABIT! YAY!!

I must shop for clothes occasionally. It's a necessity. I need to find a way to stop this from happening again.

That's my Saturday evening ramble.

Good for you!......2.2 sounds great!

I was just reading the testimony page and someone had written that they were losing 1 pound a month......it took them two years but they had lost 26 pounds!

Okay, that doesn't sound like much but they're eating normal food and losing and truly developing a way of life eating that is helping them lose and keep it off.

Most diets eventually cause you to gain more weight than you started with...so we are already ahead.

Thanks for sharing.

Eleven pounds in 2 months! That is fantastic! As the weight gradually comes off and your total number builds, you will be more content with the gradual loss. You will also be more likely to maintain your losses. Good luck!

Agree! You are going in the right direction..I saw on Dr. Oz what 5lbs of fat looks like and that is a lot of fat..so 10 lbs in two months is a great deal of fat to lose..we kind of look at the number ya know. I lost like maybe 7-9 lbs, that is a lot of fat..

Each pound is a pound of butter and one step closer to the clothes you would like to wear!!

have a great sunday

WELL DONE, ZIPPY!!

ZippaDee wrote:
So, had a great GREEN week. And then last night...Friday evening...I went shopping with my 18 year old daughter. It was awesome to spend some time..just the two of us. BUT, clothes shopping for myself was very detrimental to my psyche last night. NOT GOOD AT ALL FOR ME! Here I am going along on the happy train feeling so very good about how I am doing and how I am feeling and WHAMMY clothes shopping. Wow. I was not prepared for it at all. It just left me feeling so bad about how I look. How far I have to go. How long this is going to take. etc. etc. etc. Lots of negative self talk going on. I even shed some tears on the way home. Ridiculous!! How can this happen so quickly? It left me feeling downright blue. I want to love my body as it is now. I can love it and still want to improve myself right? Is that possible? Surely it is. I'm not sure. But, that is what I would like for myself. I am generally a very upbeat person. I do like myself.....I know I am a good person. Would love to know what it feels like to look in the mirror and truly be happy with what I see. I know slim people that still don't have that. That is what I mean. I would like to truly be happy with my body now....this minute...just as I am. Ok, I am rambling, but I guess this is my little spot. So, I can do that here.

Then after my pity party started in the departments store dressing room, I had my monthly weigh in this morning.

Month one: down 8.8 pounds
Month two: down 2.2 pounds

Honestly, I wasn't that thrilled with that. 2.2 pounds for a whole month of effort. BUT it IS 2.2 pounds!!! I'm going in the right direction! That is progress and I am building HABIT! YAY!!

I must shop for clothes occasionally. It's a necessity. I need to find a way to stop this from happening again.

That's my Saturday evening ramble.

First of all, a huge congratulations for the 2.2 pound weight loss! That's an average of a little over a half pound a week which is pretty typical with NoS. Building strong habits right now that will serve you long after the pounds are gone is what's most important. The strong habits are what will allow you to keep the pounds off without return. Two pounds a month really adds up over time!
Now, on to the dressing room dilemma...I have had that very same thing happen to me and this is how I now handle shopping for clothes. Since all dressing rooms are very unforgiving and unflattering, I find things that I like and think will work, buy them, and take them home. I try them on in my bedroom or bathroom where there are full length mirrors and good lighting. The things that don't work for me get returned on my next trip to town. I have not used a dressing room for several years now and I am much happier for it. I pretty much know what styles, cuts, colors, etc. work for me and my actual return rate is very small.
Keep up the great work!

Mimi

Thanks so much for all of the encouragement!!! I'm feeling MUCH better after being away from that dressing room for two days. Mimi, what an awesome thing you have going on with clothes purchasing! YAY for you! That sounds like a plan!

And NoSnacker...10 pounds is a lot of fat. It's amazing to me how much different I feel with just a few pounds less on me!

I wouldn't consider my S Days very controlled this week. You can't flub up an S Day though. So, moving on. Today is a new day!! I actually am enjoying NDays more than SDays I think.

ONWARD

Congratulations on your loss - when I read your post I immediately thought, yes, but that is 11 pounds over two months, and that is very good! I hope you are not discouraged - hang in there!

I also can so relate to the clothes buying dilemma. I try to avoid it as much as possible because I get down on myself too much in a dressing room. I am glad you brought it up, though, because Mimi's suggestion sounds like a great idea!

I am glad you are feeling more positive and I hope you end up having a great week!

My head is spinning....SUCH a busy time right now! I wish I was here more. Having a GREEN week. Today is a special day...was married 27 years ago today. Working today and then hubby and I are off to celebrate. We will be gone for the night...WHAAAAHOOOO!! Gotta get my bag packed.

Once June hits I will be able to be here on a more regular basis. I want to keep up with all of you!!! Hope your weeks have been full of lots of GREEN!

Happy anniversary! Enjoy your night on the town!

Mimi

Happy Anniversary!!!!

And so glad to see you are having a green week. I always worry when I don't see others around. I know that in time, I believe most people move on to live a normal life and stop back in to say hi to everyone.

I truly appreciate all the long timers' that hand around to help us newer nosiers.

talk to you soon, deb

Happy Anniversary and so glad to hear things are going well!!!

Good Morning! Popping in for a check in. Today is the first Saturday of the month....the day I have set for my monthly weigh in.

Month 1: down 8.8 pounds
Month 2: down 2.2 pounds
Month 3: down 4.6 pounds

Grand Total: 15.6 pounds!!

All is going well with me! I've gotten into a nice groove with my eating habits. I have just decided to put a fence around the rules and JUST DO IT...no matter WHAT! Strictly vanilla NoS. This next week is the last week of school. I plan to add exercise this summer. Hope to build a good habit so that I can keep it up once work starts again in the fall. NO...I do not HOPE...I WILL!!

My daughter is all graduated and the Open House was last Saturday. We had a great turn out! It was awesome!

I planned on being here much more during the summer. My schedule will slow way down allowing me to be here more. I am also concerned about this change in schedule and what it might do to me and my eating. You know how it goes? You feel so strong and then boom...things get out of wack so quickly! There is also a side of me that feels like being here and posting and talking too much about this is not good for me. I feel like it's better for me to JUST DO IT and sometimes I feel like dwelling on it and talking about it too much gets in the way of doing it. That may not make sense to some I know, but it rings true for me. It's simple...No Sweets. No Snacks. No Seconds. JUST DO IT NO MATTER WHAT! If I struggle with my change in schedule I will likely be here more. We'll see how things go??

Happy Saturday everyone!

Congratulations! It's great to hear that things are going so well for you! And I totally agree with your tagline about the goal being peace...although it's nice to have the numbers go in the right direction too!

Somewhere further back you said you didn't like the term 'diet'. I agree, it doesn't fit No S. I prefer 'No S philosophy', which works for me.

Ok, here for my monthly weigh in, which is the first Saturday of every month.....this past Saturday. I am struggling! grrrrr! I am a school employee. So, I am home for the summer and my schedule is drastically changed. This happened to me last time I did No S. Going along on my happy train and summer hits and boom! So, I was aware...and STILL here I am struggling. I need to be back here and be held accountable everyday for a while! I do NOT want to throw in the towel and walk away from a good thing that I have going here. WHY oh WHY do I do this to myself because I do NOT feel good when I overeat. Today is a new day. I'm going for another 21 days. Today is day one.



Month 1: down 8.8 pounds
Month 2: down 2.2 pounds
Month 3: down 4.6 pounds
Month 4: up 2.4 pounds BOO!!

Grand Total: 13.2

It's a new day. Day one! ONWARD

Ok, Day one is GREEN! Feel so much better to get a green day under my belt. I also went on a one hour bike ride. Enjoyed it immensely! Getting ready to shower and read.

ONWARD

Ok, today is day 9. I'm trying to make a 21 days stretch! I am home with my two youngest today....9 and 10 with NOTHING on our schedule! NICE! BUT....I want to EAT. ARRRRRRGH!! It's ridiculous because I am NOT hungry! Fighting, fighting, fighting.... coming here as a way to keep myself from doing what I do not want to do! Need to find something fun to fill our time!
ONWARD

I'm happy to say that day 9 was GREEN!

Whew! I had to fight for that one, but I DID IT!! Trying to focus on other things.

ONWARD

Day 10:

Ok, I'm gonna have to call Friday Day 11: RED BOO! Here is the reason. At lunch I filled my plate and was eating and then decided probably half way through that my plate was not full. That's a fail! Sigh..... The good news is that what do they say? I didn't wreck the car over it! So, I will start again on Monday with day one. I have to be strict!

Happy Saturday!

I just noticed your location is the no quit zone! I so need to move there!! Any houses available next door?? Ha....

Why YES, tobiasmom, I do think there are plenty of places available in No Quit Zone!! Welcome!

Monday Day 1: GREEN!

Absolutely NO quitting in the No Quit Zone...NO MATTER WHAT!

Onward

Tuesday Day 2: GREEN

JUST DO IT!!

ONWARD

Ha! All this time I thought you lived in the "no quiet zone!" That's a reading teacher for ya!

Mimi

Well Mimi, you are correct in your assumption...I also live in the No QUIET Zone! Believe me!

Wednesday Day 3: GREEN

ONWARD

Has it really been a week since I checked in to my DAILY check in thread? So, let's get up to speed here...

Thursday July 26 Day 4:
Friday July 27 Day 5:
Saturday July 28 Day 6:
Sunday July 29 Day 7:
Monday July 30 Day 8:
Tuesday July 31 Day 9:

So, I'm staying GREEN, but it's HARD right now for some reason. And it is frustrating to me!! WHY am I having to fight so stinkin' hard?! I know why because 45 years of habit is hard to break, but still...GRRRRRRR! I WILL WIN!

Wednesday Aug. 1 Day 10:

Hip Hip HOORAY!

Thurs. Aug. 2 Day 11:

ONWARD

Looks like you had a wonderful week!! Have. Great weekend!

Thanks for the encouragement Tobiasmom!!

Friday Aug. 3 Day 12:



ONWARD

Wow! That really is good news! Congratulations!

Thanks Amy!

Sat. Aug. 4th Day 13: S Day

Yesterday was weigh in day for me. I have been weighing in on the first Saturday of every month.

March 2012: Return to No S
April Month 1: 8.8 pound loss
May Month 2: 2.2 pound loss
June Month 3: 4.6 pound loss
July Month 4: 2.4 pound gain
Aug. Month 5: 2.6 pound loss

Grand Total: 15.8 pound loss!

So, as you can see I stuggled last month...BUT, I didn't wreck the car. I am back on track this month. This is HUGE for me....and here is the reason. I am a school employee. So, during the summer my schedule is totally different than it is during the school year..obviously. I am home with my children during the summer. My eating has the potential to get way out of wack during the summer. Last time I did NoS I began in Oct. 2010. I did well with my habits for the first 8 months and lost 27 pounds. Then summer hit and I DID wreck the car. I fell into the black abyss throwing my habits to the wind. Gained back all of my weight between June 2011 and March 2012. The summer is when I lost it....not the weight, but my sanity. And, I started to do it again this year, but I am aware and determined NOT to let that happen again!!! This month is going to be difficult!! We have two different vacations planned. One will last a week and we will be in a hotel. The other will be a 4 day camping trip. I'm going into Aug. with my eyes wide OPEN...this is me I am determined not to go down the same slippery slope that I did last summer. The focus is on HABIT HABIT HABIT!!! If I have a weight gain or stay the same during the month of Aug. so be it as long as I stay on HABIT that is the goal because I know that if I stay on habit the weight will eventually come off. Here's to a vanilla August...Here Here!

I've gotten to the point at which school breaks are not a big issue anymore. I can fail anytime! No, I actually have many green or nearly green N days during breaks now.

I want to gently say that if your cholesterol is an issue, I think even Reinhard would say you should probably try to find a way to incorporate some of the advice given. I don't regard that the same as dieting for weight loss. How are your HDL/LDL ratios? I've read that is even more indicative of possible problems. Not to scare you. It's just that it's not about vanity anymore.

Which reminds me. I didn't get a blood panel done during break this year as I often do. We have seven weeks in the summer now instead of ten and I find I rebel against having to fit everything in. But I should schedule that and see if I need to take my own advice.

Keep up the good work. You are making fantastic changes!

Good for you! You have done really well, in spite of being home with the kids. You can do this in August and work around your trips. Just don't beat yourself up because that puts you at risk for the WTH effect...and have a great time!

My cholesterol ratio is actually good...in the low risk category. My overall and LDL is slightly elevated and my HDL is good. Doc would like my LDL to go down. I will attempt to make some changes in what I am eating and add some exercise on a more regular basis. My exercise has been sporadic. In my early years my weight loss efforts were mainly for vanity reasons, but the past several years my efforts have not been for vanity reasons. It's about my health and how I feel....looking better is an extra! My cholesterol is down since 05, so continue what I am doing with some tweaks will hopefully continue the downward trend.

Oh my, Zippadee! I could have written the above back in June when I had my own blood work done - same results and I had the same reaction. I did not want to go back to being an accountant - and that's what I felt like I was going to have to do. Instead, I took a few steps back, a few deep breaths, and seriously looked at the situation. As you and Oolala pointed out, it's not about vanity anymore...it's my health.

Amy3010 gave me some good websites to investigate, although I don't think I could ever go 100% vegan (you can find them on my thread) and I spoke with my sister, who brought her own levels down. She swears by eating almonds daily - dry roasted little 100 calorie packs. I've also added chia seeds (I'm really enjoying them added to foods) and more exercise. My husband (who has an excellent ratio) gets plenty of exercise each day (work related and planned) and eats lots of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I am trying to eat more fish and meatless meals and I've switched to almond milk instead of our 1%. I am also eating more fresh fruits and garden vegetables. For the time being, these are the changes I've made while I continue to follow the NoS principles. BTW, on S days I follow the same pattern but usually eat some sort of dessert or have ice cream. For the most part, my S days don't differ much from N days. I am so glad to have reached that point.

My next big heath screening is to tackle is the dreaded colonoscopy. I know the first one should have been done at age 50, but I could never get up the nerve...I am making myself now and have one scheduled for Sept. 21. I figured the school year would be well underway by then...not looking forward to that one.

In the meantime, I'm working on the other changes and plan to have bloodwork done again in December and see where I am. If you learn of any good suggestions for the cholesterol issues, please pass them my way too!

Mimi

I was going to pipe in here but I am glad to see Mimi already did! I wish you all the best on getting your cholesterol down - you definitely can do a lot with food alone.

My biggest issue with the colonoscopy, although the lead-in and actual experience wasn't quite a party, was that my elimination was messed up for a few weeks. And you have to have someone take you home. I don't have that many people in my life I can ask that favor of.

Don't think about it much. You can't really prepare yourself, except for what your doctor says to do.

oopsie...double post.

Mon. Aug. 6 Day 15:
Tues. Aug. 7 Day 16:

Thanks so much for all the help and encouragement on the cholesterol. I'm actually kind of down about it. Feeling loss of freedom that I finally got back with NoS.....feels the same as a dreaded diet. Ugh! Give me a bit and I will get over the pity party. I also need to remember that this too is about habit and moderation. I just need to make a few changes. I need to simply make healthier choices. I also am hopeful that weight loss will help the cholesterol too. Like I said, I'm hopeful that I will feel better about it in a few days.

ONWARD

Take all the time you need - I get it, it is like a grieving process...it just needs to be processed before you can let it go and move forward.

Day 19 is RED

Arrrrrgh!!! I will not wreck the car!! As I said August is going to be difficult! I really need to just put a fence around the rules! In a celebratory mood. My bil and family are here on leave from England. YAY!! Got to meet my 1 year old niece for the first time. She is such a doll baby!! My daughter got engaged today. Wow! She is still not home, but called me. Anyway, went out to eat at a buffet and I had a small ice cream cone. It was not worth a red. I could have sat and visited without it. Do not need to eat just because I am in a celebatory mood!!

House full of company tomorrow. And then we are off for a little mini vacation on Sunday. Going with hubby on a business trip. Me and the two youngest. I will have access to the internet and will be checking in.

The kids are I are here in our hotel room while hubby is working. Going to work very hard to stick with vanilla NoS this week. It will be difficult! Swimming is on the agenda for this morning!

Did it! GREEN I feel very good. We did a lot of swimming today too. Great day with my sweeties! Had a big salad for supper. Got a call about a job I applied for in June. They wanted to interview me on Thursday. I am 700 miles from home. They may do a phone interview. We shall see.

ONWARD

I find NO S can fit very well with trips. I look forward to the meals and have coffee in between. I've gotten pretty good at not eating just because others are. It sometimes bothers them more than it bothers me! I just have an image in my head of a skinny housewife in the '60's sitting and having a cigarette while others snacked. (I don't smoke.) She just wasn't hungry and no one bugged her. My thin brother can't be induced to eat just because others are, not out of wanting to lose weight but he just doesn't want it. I don't even have to pretend anymore that I don't want any. I don't! I don't want to ruin my appetite.

I'm not to that point yet Oolala. I do still want it, but I don't eat it. Hopefully eventually I won't want it! I definitely do not like being over full at all!!...and I don't allow myself to get to that point because it just doesn't feel good. Happy Tuesday!

Maybe it's the same thing. I might like the taste and experience of the food, but I can see ahead better than I used to. My problems are like now-- no one around and a day when I should be doing things I'm not. The urge to nibble is high, high, high. Writing here helps.

Still pluggin' away here one day at a time. This has been a very busy month! We will be going camping from Thursday til Monday. In my mind I have been toying with the idea of making ALL of those "special" days. I know I do NOT need to do that!!

I got a new job on Friday. Will be working one full time job when school starts, instead of two part time jobs. And, I will be in the same district as my kiddos. So we will only have one school schedule to worry about instead of three! Pretty exciting!

Went and did some clothes shopping yesterday. Last time I did this it threw me for a tailspin for several days. Went in there feeling pretty good about myself and by the time it was over felt miserable about myself. Made a few changes with how I did it this time and the whole experience was much better!! I went down a pants size too....heading in the right direction!

ONWARD

I'd be absolutely delighted if I went down a pant size. All this moderation seems to be paying off for you. Well done!

Zippy, I'd like to hear what you did to improve your shopping experience. And congrats on one job! My school year started on July 23 and I am already thinking about our fall break...

I'm BAAAAACK!!! I have been struggling the past several months. I guess you wouldn't even call it struggling because that would indicate some kind of effort. And honestly I haven't been making much of an effort at all. I just don't understand HOW I can be going alongon the happy NoS train and then just fall off?? I just don't know. And, how many times will it take for this to truly stick for life for me! Arrrrgh!! That is the end of my pity party for myself. It is, what it is. I'm ready to just do this ....one day at a time!

Today....GREEN!

ONWARD to tomorrow

Welcome back! Missed your posts and looking forward to reading them again.

ZippaDee wrote:I have been struggling the past several months. I guess you wouldn't even call it struggling because that would indicate some kind of effort. And honestly I haven't been making much of an effort at all.

I understand totally! I was so wishy-washy-half-heartedly doing noS for a year and a half and gained back the 26 I'd lost. Stomp on those brakes and get back on track. I did and it took me 7 months, but I am back to where I was and trying to stay determined to not go wishy-washy again. We can both do it!!! Actually I think I may start a challenge again since I have had more faiures than successes lately...
come join me!

Thanks for the encouragement!! So, been thinking....I have been a member on here since June of 08. I started this check in thread in Oct. 10. I have made two good efforts at NoS since that time. My scale is currently not working, but I would estimate that I am about 10 pounds lighter that I was in Oct. 10 the first time I started NoS seriously. Instead of being totally and completely frustrated with myself (which I want to be!!) I will focus on the positive and be happy that I am still 10 pounds lighter than I was then. And, at this time make a conscious decision to put on the brakes, as renew says, and move forward from here. Since 08 I have not attempted any other diets....just NoS because I KNOW that this is not about making the food behave it is about making ME behave. I need to get this figured out so that I don't keep doing this back and forth thing. I do NOT want to "fall off the wagon" again! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!! Ok, ok...not gonna go there....to that totally and completely frustrated state (even though I want to!!)

Anyway, I purchased the book the "Beck Diet Solution" and am going to work my way through this book. I gotta get my head in the right place for life! I will be 50 in 3 years. My goal is to celebrate my 50th birthday in a much better place when it comes to my health and weight. Yes, I have LONG term goals. This is for LIFE!! I am gonna get this!!!!!!

I will come here to journal my thoughts as I work my way through this book. There first assignment was to write down a list of WHY I wanted to lose weight and then categorize those reasons....putting the greatest reason in the #1 spot. If I had to sum my reasons up into one word it would be FREEDOM! This shall be my motto. FREEDOM. Instead of New Year's resolutions I have been choosing one word for myself to focus on at the beginning of the year. I have a few months left to solidify my word for 2013, but as of right now I am leaning towards this word...FREEDOM!

So, here is my list of reasons that I want to lose weight ..most important being at the top of the list.
1. I will FEEL lighter emotionally!!! This will not come because of a specific # on the scale, but as a result of doing. The joy is in the journey.

2. Increased confidence!

3. I will FEEL better physically!

4. Increased energy!

5. More comfortable in my clothes--less tugging and pulling...more confident.

6. I will enjoy my time on teh beach and in the pool more FREELY! Less worries about bathing suit = more carefree FUN!

7. My cholesterol #'s should improve.

8. Leg flab should improve.

9. Better health overall.

10. I will look (and feel) better for the wedding. (my daughter is getting married July 27)

11. Energy for FUN with future grandbabies!

12. Less focus on HOW to lose weight and more focus on LIVING life!

13. Joy when shopping for clothes!

Will be reading these three times a day.

Second assignement is to choose a "diet". That's an easy one!

No more focusing on the past (except to learn from my past). Looking forward. Will get a new battery for my scale so that I can get a starting number for myself soon.

ONWARD

Had a nice GREEN day yesterday. Working on 21 days! Woke up very hungry this morning, which is a good thing. Haven't felt that for a while. Plan on reading day 3 in my book today.

Glad to see you around!! You have some wonderful goals!! Keep it up!

FINALLY a GREEN day! I've been struggling, but Nov. 27, 2012 is GREEN!!!!! Will count this as day 1. My goal is 21 days straight. My biggest struggle is right after work until dinner. From 3 to 5 or 6ish. I am aware of this and will continue to fight through it!

ONWARD

Well done! Day 2 here you come

Thanks for the encouragement eschano!!

Day 2: GREEN!

Hey, 2 is a line, and 3 is a trend! Go, go, go, you can do it!

Day 3: !!!!

Yes, it is only 3, but it's been a while since I have had 3 green days in a row. So, I am happy!!

ONWARD

Congrats on the three straight days zippadee! Nice work

Thanks Milli!

Day 4: I had to fight for this one, but fight I did!! Did it! Turned down chocolate at work today.
ONWARD

You seem so positive! Let's get this habit established!!!!!

For me the first week was worst so well done you!

Three green days and some S-Days - what a great start! I agree with eschano - the beginning is the toughest. Probably inertia, but once that habit gets in motion, look out pounds!

Day 7 is GREEN! We had a two hour fog delay this morning. SOO nice! So, I got on my exercise bike and pedaled for 30 minutes. This is big since I have not exercised in a few months. Now, if we could just have another two hour delay tomorrow I'd be set!

Day 8: GREEN!
Day 9: GREEN

Went on a nice walk with my kids today. The weather was beautiful!!!

ONWARD

Ok, so I had 22 days straight of Vanilla No S'ing. YAY!! I work in a public school that happens to have a student population that is 100% Amish. You can just imagine the sweet goodies I am receiving as gifts from my students. Wowzers! On Wednesday I had my first red day in 22 days....I ate one of those beautiful decorated Christmas sugar cookies. THEN yesterday I had a planned S day because of our school Christmas party, which was originally supposed to be today (Friday). It was changed to Thursday because of threatening weather for today. As of now it looks like we will have school today. I am going to FIGHT hard for a green day today. Then I have the weekend and then Christmas eve and Christmas, which are planned S Days for me. This could get dangerous!! I originally planned to have this weekend N Days because of the two planned S holiday days. Rethinking if I should do that still? Probably so! Sigh.... Today will be GREEN. I really need it to be!

That is so great! Really pleased for you - well done! I've already had 3 fails this month but it's December. Keep on fighting

Still here! It's been a rough Christmas break as far as food goes. VERY nice and relaxing otherwise....besides a bought with the flu! Back to work/school tomorrow. One thing I have decided to try to do is toss the scale. No longer judging my success by that. Last time I got on it was the first day of winter. Plan to weigh again around the first day of Spring. Got this idea from Oolala and think I will give it a whirl. The first time I gave this No S a real good effort began on Oct. 13, 2010. Since then I have been on track and off track several times....sometimes for months at a time! The good news is that during this time, I have not gone back to weight watchers! That is a biggie for me! I now weight 11 pounds less than I did in Oct. 2010. So, I am tending towards the right direction instead of the other way around. Going to continue to work on Vanilla No S for the next year. I'm am also going to try to get in 15 minutes of some kind of physical activity 5 days a week! Gotta start somewhere right?!

ONWARD

ZippaDee wrote:
ONWARD

How are you doing? Trudging onward?? Keep going!

Hi Renee! Thanks for popping in and encouraging me! It helps! Things have not been going well with No S for me since the holidays. Have just been strugglign to get back on track. Buuuut....I'm Baaaaack! Ready to dig in my heals put a fence around the rules and just do this thing! Had my first green day yesterday in quite a while! Gonna have another today. My most difficult time is right after work at 3pm. Not because I am particularly hungry, but because it is a HABIT for me. New habits is what this is all about right? So, I plan on fighting through these urges day after day until it gets easier.

ONWARD

Maybe try replacing the bad habit with a good habit... walking? Painting? Do an old hobby that you haven't done in a long time? I HATED exercise and started and restarted uncountable times over the years, but I bought a very nice (used) treadmill last fall. At first I couldn't wait to do my 30 minute walk on my new toy and was so sweaty I needed to shower, even with a fan blasting me. Then I went through the phase of having to MAKE myself walk every weekday even though it was a lot easier. I started to not sweat. I now just go on automatic and just do it with out excuses. I just wear whatever I have on because I don't really sweat much. I told my son to ask everyday if I'd walked or not. He seems to enjoy policing me and he has reminded me when I've "forgotten". It seems to be just a thing I do now. I walk on my treadmill for 30 minutes every weekday while watching HGTV. I had cable issues for a week or two and quit but restarted once it was fixed. Now I can even run/jog for a few intervals during commercials if I feel like it... and I do sometimes! Sorry this got a bit long. I think I should copy it to my page. Thanks for listening.

What I was trying to say is that you really could replace your bad habbit for good.

ZippaDee I have the same problem time, from 3:30pm until dinner. If it gets really bad, I drink a hot cup of milk with unsweetened cocoa powder in it. It is suprisingly satisfying without added sugar but I suppose you could add some sweetener to tide you over if needed.
Best of luck.
Kat

Thanks for the encouragement Renee and Kat! I had my third green day in a row today. I know 3 doesn't sound like a lot, but I've been so off track since the holidays that it's big for me! Was super busy after school today so I did not get on my exercise bike....one thing at a time! Still making sleep a priority. I DID learn that my first go with No S and it stuck. Sooo, I'm off to bed! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

SNOW DAY today, which I am happy about. Buuuut, I know I will have to fight hard for a green day today. I've got my boxing gloves on!

Snow day went well on Friday. Even though we didn't have school my son still had his basketball game, which proved to be the most challenging part of my day. I sat between my husband and mil who were both eating popcorn. I absolutely LOVE popcorn. And I was hungry because the game began at 4 and we stayed til 7:30 (there were actually 3 games that night JV, Girls Varsity and Boys Varsity) eating supper after the game. I just kept telling myself "Ive put a fence around the rules and it is not an S day so I will not snack...that simple" And I did not partake!

ONWARD to day 6

Good for you!!!

ZippaDee wrote: I just kept telling myself "Ive put a fence around the rules and it is not an S day so I will not snack...that simple" And I did not partake!

Good on you, Zippadee Do Da!!! It takes a lot of courage to stick to your convictions!

ZippaDee wrote:Snow day went well on Friday. Even though we didn't have school my son still had his basketball game, which proved to be the most challenging part of my day. I sat between my husband and mil who were both eating popcorn. I absolutely LOVE popcorn. And I was hungry because the game began at 4 and we stayed til 7:30 (there were actually 3 games that night JV, Girls Varsity and Boys Varsity) eating supper after the game. I just kept telling myself "Ive put a fence around the rules and it is not an S day so I will not snack...that simple" And I did not partake!

ONWARD to day 6

i really like that idea, i will not snack, that simple! trying to always have that attitude when that little voice comes up really does take practice

Thanks guys!! Had a good day today. I even got in some exercise. Went to the video store over the weekend. All of their exercise dvds are free. So, I got Leslie Sansone Walking off the pounds. I've heard good things about her, but have never used one of her dvd's before. My 10 year old did it with me. We had fun!

ONWARD

Victory of the day: Had a birthday at school today. I had a lovely cupcake sitting on my desk all afternoon. Brought it home and cut it in half for my two youngest to share.

ONWARD

You are doing G R E A T !!! What will power.

It truly is empowering to gain back control, isn't it?

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!!! Things are going along smoothly for now. I always enjoy getting back to a NoS day after my S Days. It does feel so good to be back in control! I don't feel like I am white knucklinlg it at this point, although I know that feeling can come at me out of no where at any time. Right now I am just doing it. Trying not to think about it too much, but just do it! Keep it simple and do it. That is all.

ONWARD