Everyday Systems

Alright, enough lurking for me. I stumbled upon the No S Diet whiling scouring discussfitness.com. I actually felt a huge weight lift off of me as I read Reinhard's common-sense approach to dieting. (I just wish it had been real weight that lifted off me!) I've been up-and-down in weight my whole life. The last two years have been especially rough for me. I finished graduate school (finally) in Jan '04, and I had zero luck with the job hunting. The market for high-end jobs was non-existent here in San Diego at that time, and so I took a sales position as a loan officer with a Mortgage and Real Estate Broker. The commission-based job took its toll, and I did what I've always done when stressed, and I turned to food...

Things are going well (or at least, I have a career path/direction) and so I took stock of my health in December '05. I'm 29, 5'10", and I weighed over 230 lbs when I checked mid-December. I started back on my old weight-training/cardio routine that's always done wonders for me, but where I was really stuck was how to diet to get results.

No-carb, low-carb, low-fat, no-fat, Max OT, six meals a day, four meals a day?!?!?! I was in a real bad place. I had resolved to just take a common-sense approach of my own to eating before I stumbled upon NoSDiet. I know fruit and veggies are good for me, as is lean proteins and whole grains, while deep-fried anything, burgers and fries, pizza, etc. were not. But even in that, I was resorting to old bad habits...

I had done the Atkins thing a few years back, and I lost a ton of weight, but I obviously packed it all back on, and then some. Every time I've started back on dieting I've always fallen back on those painful days of Atkins... Picking tomatoes off my salad, flicking off the croutons, avoiding fruit!!! I hadn't laughed so hard as when I read Reinhard's comments that no one has ever gotten obese eating too many beets! I had found what I was looking for in that one line. Thanks Reinhard for getting to the root problems in tackling why Americans, or people in general, are obese. It's not bread, or tomatoes, or even cheese, or any "bad" foods that are the problem... it's the habits that have formed over the last 20 or so years that has led many of us down this path.

The only nice thing I will say about Atkins is that I stopped drinking soda and fruit juices (the sugar-added kinds) and that has stuck with me for years. The sugar habit is one I kicked long ago, and so my problem areas were elsewhere.

I've never been a big snacker, so that wasn't a habit I really had to kick either.

My problem was portion control, and a lack of common Sense. I over-ate at every single meal, and I ate tons of fast food. My daily-caloric intake was atronomical. I'd consume a week's worth of calories and fat in just three meals. So, I've identified my problem, and now it's on to correcting it...

I'm already past the 21 days! I should have started this check-in back in December...

I've taken Reinhard's advice to heart, and I've formed new, healthier habits. I take a breakfast/lunch/dinner approach to my S-days, and I never eat more than a plateful, and with some added common Sense, I stay away from the fast food diet that got me into the shape I'm in.

I can honestly say I'm half-way through week 7 of no-Snacks, no-Sugar, no-Seconds. I have yet to cheat on any of the three rules during the S-days, and luckily Christmas and New Year's were over weekends. I was sick all last week (missed the gym entirely), but even at that I stuck to the No S Diet, just lots of soup and liquids.

I do go crazy on weekends though! The fast food joints around my home still see me.

I also tend to have a few drinks per evening as well. That's my other crutch. I live with social drinkers, and it's hard for me not to have a couple drinks at home to unwind after a long day of work and gym. It's been the one thing I know I need to work on, or get more sensible about. That's the next bad habit I'll be tackiling (just gotta get through Superbowl!!!)

As for exercise, I do my own thing outside of Shoveglove and Urban Ranger. I go to the gym 5 nights a week. Mon, Wed, Fri I lift and do a half-hour of cardio. Tues, Thurs is strictly cardio for an hour. I started off slowly (of course) and I missed all last week, but I've already been able to increase the weight for all my starting sets, and the cardio when I started was about half the time I am putting in now.

I have missed the occasional day at the gym, and I'm lucky if I've averaged 4 days a week since I've started. I'm getting more committed, and for the first time, in a long time, I look forward to my nightly workout, and I feel awful if I don't go.

So, here's the slightly discouraging part of it all. Seven (7) weeks in, and I weighed this morning... 223.5 lbs. Maybe that's not so bad. It's about a pound a week lost (and I really hope I'm packing on some muscle to boot). I know I've lost a little something because all my fat-guy pants fit comfortably right out of the dryer.

Blah, blah, blah, I don't need to unload my life story here. It is therapeutic though to put this all down on my screen.

So, I am going to make a point to check-in daily, at least for myself, and I just want to say that I've read many of your posts, and I appreciate that such a website and forum exists. Thanks!

Daily-Check In:
Tuesday January 31, 2005
Breakfast: Bowl of Kashi cereal with some added raisins, plenty of non-fat milk, and a kiwi;
Lunch: Chicken Shwerma Salad (lots of good veggies), pita bread, and a side of tahini sauce;
Dinner: Half a plate of a Halibut Curried-Noodle Casserole I made on Monday, and half a plate of broccoli.

Gym: 2 33-minute sessions on the elliptical.

Welcome Jeremy! That's great that you aren't lurking anymore!

Every time I've started back on dieting I've always fallen back on those painful days of Atkins... Picking tomatoes off my salad, flicking off the croutons, avoiding fruit!!! I hadn't laughed so hard as when I read Reinhard's comments that no one has ever gotten obese eating too many beets! I had found what I was looking for in that one line.

Well hopefully now the only pain you will feel is pain from laughing hard!!!
Isn't Reinhard the greatest!!!!
He is so smart and this plan is such a Godsend for those lucky enough to have discovered it..

So, here's the slightly discouraging part of it all. Seven (7) weeks in, and I weighed this morning... 223.5 lbs. Maybe that's not so bad. It's about a pound a week lost (and I really hope I'm packing on some muscle to boot). I know I've lost a little something because all my fat-guy pants fit comfortably right out of the dryer.

Jeremy... this is all wonderful news! Our society is very very warped when it comes to perpetuating myths about healthy weight loss and dieting.. Seven pounds down in seven weeks is totally where you want to be! You won't gain it back and it's a painless way of losing.. So what if it's not seven pounds in seven days...
You know in your heart that fast weight loss is non maintainable and I'm sure you don't want to revisit those painful Fatkins diet days! LOL..

Adjust your perception a lot to understand that quick weight loss is an unhealthy and unmaintainable phenomenon...
Enjoy your comfortable pants and just gear up for the long run...

I enjoyed reading your post and hope to hear more from you at least every seven weeks!
You will weather all those life changes best when you know you have a plan which will *never* I repeat *never* fail you or drain the life force out of you...

Peace and Love and NOS!
Deb

Gratefuldeb67, thank you for your kinds words! I do plan on being a daily fixture here, and you pointed out some great things.

Reinhard is great. I've been telling some friends of mine about NoSDiet.com and Reinhard, and I keep describing him as an outside-the-box thinker, which is pretty funny, when really, Reinhard is simply giving anyone who wants it, pretty common-sense advice. Inside-the-box thinking in regards to dieting for a lot of Americans is craziness, whether bread is bad for you, or meat is bad, or dairy products are bad.

It is a Godsend, because as soon as I finished reading Reinhard for the first time, a wave came over me that I didn't need to skip any aisles at the grocery store. If I feel like some mac-and-cheese (one of my "comfort" foods), then I'll have some. My casserole that I made for the week has pasta and some cheese, and I am sure there are dozens of "diets" that would dump all over me for making something like that.

You are right about the 7 pounds in 7 weeks. I talked about that over lunch with a buddy, and it's a healthy, reasonable amount of weight to lose, especially since I am weight-lifting. The most important thing is that I feel better each and every day... Well, except on Sunday mornings, but that's after a pretty heavy S day.

You will weather all those life changes best when you know you have a plan which will *never* I repeat *never* fail you or drain the life force out of you...

You are absolutely right! I don't even feel like I am dieting throughout the week. I am full, eating foods that I enjoy and taste good, and I make sure that I am getting fruit and veggies with every meal.

LOL! Thanks also for "Fatkins". I am going to start using that, but give credit where credit is due, of course.

Jeremy,

Congrats on the habit forming! I'll be thrilled if I can reach seven weeks with no cheating and a loss of one pound of fat per week.

Since you are lifting weight three times a week there is little doubt that you are adding muscle as well as shedding fat. So your net fat loss is likely more than seven pounds.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading your updates.

thanks,
David

Thanks David,

I appreciate the kind words. Getting to this many weeks on the No S Diet really wasn't too hard. I was so happy to find a framework diet plan that made this much sense that I was eager and happy to do it, for the first time in many years.

Here's hoping you can stick it out as well. It really helps every time someone orders a pizza at work, or brings in doughnuts, to remind myself that I can eat all I want of that stuff...this weekend! (Not that a couple of slices of pizza seems to be a bad thing here, it's just that I know it's a weak spot for me.) There's a box of Entenmann's just sitting outside my office as I write this, and I haven't had so much as a bite.

It's like Reinhard wrote... that sort of a thing is a "treat", and when I was eating fast food, sweets, and junk food consistently, it was just my daily food intake, and those kinds of food really didn't taste as good to me as they do now. That In-n-Out Double-Double Animal Style sure tastes a lot better on a Saturday, having "earned" it!

Lastly, I've decided I am going to monitor my alcohol intake on this site as well. It's for my own benefit. When I see written down how many drinks I've had, I'm sure it'll help me shift towards moderation. Especially with the exercise, too much alcohol isn't going to be good as far as seeing results.

So, last night, I had four (4) rum and diet cokes.

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for writing your story for us and saying hello! I'm really pleased that it's going so well for you so far. Deb is totally right about the 'one pound a week loss'. It's about as healthy and sustainable as you can get! Afterall, you surely didn't gain more than a pound or two of fat a week, so how could you really lose it in that time too?

All the best,
C.

Thanks Carolejo,

I do feel better about the pace I am losing weight. Although, at the pace I was drinking beer and eating pizza, I may have packed on more than a pound a week, LOL!

So, Day 2 of my Check-in, for Wednesday, February 1, 2006:

SUCCESS!

Breakfast: Bowl of Kashi cereal, with raisins and walnuts, and a kiwi fruit
Lunch: Cup of Black Bean Soup, Half of a Pollo Asado Sandwich, 1 beef empanada (although this sucker is fried, it is small enough that when I virtual-plated, it fit; plus I successfully stayed away from the chips and salsa)
Dinner: Glass of Milk, Half a plate of Halibut/Noodle casserole, half a plate of broccoli and spinach; 3 Vodka/Diet Cokes

Gym: Back and Biceps, and 1 33-minute session on the elliptical

Hi Jeremy... I don't mean to be a crumudgeon, but I think that there's a certain limit to drinks on NoS... Not really officially, but unofficially...
You might want to try and get down to one drink per day or two.. but three is getting a little on the excessive side..

You might just be better off restricting them for S days.
Your waistline and your liver will thank you!

Otherwise all looks great!
Peace and Love,
Deb

Gratefuldeb,

That's not being curmudgeon(y) at all! I know that the drinking with my roomies is a problem. I was good (er, better) last night. I know my waistline will appreciate it. Thanks!

Daily Check-in, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2006:

SUCCESS (Mostly)

Breakfast: Kashi cereal with raisins and walnuts, lots of milk
Lunch: 3 carne asada soft tacos, beans, handful of chips, diet Coke
Dinner: Half a plate of Habibut casserole, half a plate of spinach; 2 vodka/diet cokes (I know, I know...)

Gym: 2 33-minute sessions on the elliptical

congratulations , you are doing great. i just started this on feb 1 and i felt the need to respond because i too like my drinks. and flavored vodka with club soda is my choice of drinks, i was drinking 3 days a week cause i have off of work on mon and wed during the week. so i was drinking in the afternoon while doing my chores etc. now i only drank on sat. but today monday i feel like having a drink and fighting it. i guess you count your drinks as part of your meal?? i was afraid to do that and thought i ought to save them for the s days. i mean i felt better not drinking during the week and only felt like having some drinks on sat. i didnt even want it on sun, even after a huge fight with my husband, i normally would have eaten something fried and drank. well, i just wanted to let you know we might have something in common. and i am trying to drink less too. good luck and keep posting.

Hi Want2bhealthy,

I know what you mean. I do like to drink. For me it's largely social, but I do get a day's stress off my back with a nice drink. Let me know how it goes for you. I've cut back, but my weekends are a blur, usually.

So, I haven't checked-in for a few days, so here goes:

Friday, Feb. 3, 2006:
FAILURE!
Breakfast: Cereal with added raisins and walnuts
Lunch: Armenian Sausage Wrap
Dinner: Here's where I blew it! I had several light beers with my roommates, and then headed out to a local joint called Callahan's for some wings. I had only about 6 or 7 wings, but I had quite a bit of chili-cheese fries. All in all, maybe a plate's worth of food, but not a bit of it is healthy. After dinner, we all went back home, and I had several more drinks. The drinking is where I really failed!

However, I did still hit the Gym: Abs and 2 33-minute sessions on the elliptical.

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006:
S-day

Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006:
S-Day (Superbowl!)

Monday, Feb. 6, 2006:
ABJECT FAILURE!!!
Yeah, this was bad. I called in sick (lazy) at work, and nursed a post-Superbowl hangover. I missed breakfast entirely, and I had a Chili Relleno Burrito for lunch, and then I had 1 1/2 leftover burgers for dinner plus a really big handful of Doritos. I drank 2 cans of regular soda on Monday as well, and no gym!!!

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2006:
SUCCESS!!!
Breakfast: Kashi cereal with added raisins, walnuts, non-fat milk
Lunch: Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich), 1 Fresh Roll w/ Shrimp
Dinner: 2 Fresh Rolls w/ Shrimp, 1 Trader Joe's Chicken Burrito w/ Fresh Salsa, 2 glasses of red wine

Gym: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, 1 33-minute session on the elliptical

I did still have 2 drinks last night, but I still consider the day a complete success. I am going to do my best to stay away from the hard alcohol and beer during the week. A glass or two of wine with my dinner, and that's it. I hate to write this, but I am almost certain, that if I am going to be honest with my check-in, that Friday nights are going to lead to failure for that day, since I drink with roommates on that night. This Friday I will be driving to my folks' place in L.A., so no drinking for me, but most Fridays will find me having drinks. I may decide that Friday is to be an S-day for me, and make my Sunday's an N day. I need to mull this over some more.

Daily Check-in, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006:

SUCCESS!

Breakfast: Kashi Cereal w/ added raisins and walnuts, plenty o' milk
Lunch: Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) with 1 1/2 Fresh Rolls
Dinner: 2 slices of Trader Joe's pizza, and a big mound of spinach, 2 glasses of red wine

Gym: 2 33-minute sessions on the elliptical

Daily Check-in, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006:

SUCCESS!

Breakfast: Cereal w/ Raisins and Walnuts, Lots of Milk
Lunch: Half a Pollo Asado Sandwich, Cup of Black Bean Soup
Dinner: Glass of Milk, 1 slice of Trader Joe's pizza, 1 Trader Joe's Chicken and Bean burrito (guess where I like to shop at) w/ fresh salsa, 2 oz. Vodka with 4 bleu-cheese stuffed olives

Gym: Back, Biceps, and 1 33-minute session on the elliptical