MJ Daily Check In

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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mjhalso
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MJ Daily Check In

Post by mjhalso » Sun Jan 09, 2011 9:26 pm

My first S day was a little weird... I ate moderately with a few snacks of low fat cheese sticks.. Today I have had essentially one meal.... so not going wild which I guess is good... went to the gym ach day as well....will be glad to get to monday to continue with the structure....mj
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:24 pm

Made it through monday without any slips... a bit more of a challenge..almost boredom...but pushed through ..mj
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:11 pm

Tuesday was also a struggle but again I pushed through without a slip... Had a very nice dinner and really was not hungry again before I retired for the evening... Today I weighed myself for the first time since I started and I lost 4 lbs in 9 days... not a bad start... thanks again..MJ
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Over43
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Location: The Mountains

Post by Over43 » Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:23 pm

A very good start, congratulations. :D
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Fri Jan 14, 2011 2:35 pm

I am now into my second 'friday" of NS Diet... the evenings are still a challenge but I am pushing through... I am starting to realize how addicted I am to snacking... I am starting to anticipate feeing deprived which is not a good sign for me... I am banking however, on establishing the good habit. I am hoping that the 3 week mark is realistic in terms of forming the habit... Nonetheless friday is a challenge for me as I tend to want to start the weekend when I get home from work... so I have to tough it out ... went to the gym last night ... four out of the five work days I was able to go if only for 20 minutes... OK time to stop obsessing now.... Thanks for the support..MJ
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:08 pm

Got through Friday without too much trouble....Saturday was pretty healthy with only healthy snacks...but Sunday even though an s day was a disappointment for me.....Cookies! I don't even like them but I ate 10 of them compulsively.....So today is a NS day......hope I can keep on the wagon
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:15 pm

Got through MOnday ...not a lot of struggle... looked forwrd to the structure...Weigh day tomorrow..!
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:18 pm

Weigh day today was a bit disappointing...lost .5 lbs... but I guess it willbe slow... however I need to be certain not to overindulge on S days... we shall see...
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:50 pm

Friday! Tis will mark 3 weeks on the plan and I am less focused on weight and more on feeling good just sticking to a plan. I think that the loss will be slow but if I can stay with this it will be so much better than the years of the yo yo! Happy Friday!
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r.jean
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Location: Midwest

You are doing great; it gets easier

Post by r.jean » Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:21 am

Congrats on getting to the 21 days! I am at the 5 week point, and it is definitely becoming more of a habit and less of a chore.
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Thu Jan 27, 2011 2:41 am

wednesday today..Weigh day... happy to report that i lost another pound this past week... almost 6 in my 3 and 1/2 weeks!...Slower than most other diets but I really do not care! I am very happy sticking to this plan...feels pretty good...thanks for the support...MJ
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:09 pm

Weekend was not awful, but not great... I was a bit ill most of last week so i only got to the gym on Saturday...will head back in tonight after work...I think I need the regular exercise more than ever...
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:57 pm

weigh day today (wednesday) happy to report a 1.7 LB loss. Now I have dropped 7.8 in the 4 weeks on NO S3... Again the loss is slow but I do feel so much more in control of myself and that is the "sweetest" feeling of all... need to exercise more consistantly.. maybe it's time for shovel glove... or just get down to the gym..in is in my building! Thanks for your support..MJ
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r.jean
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Location: Midwest

FANTASTIC!

Post by r.jean » Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:49 pm

Congrats on the continued losses! My first month loss was 7.8 lbs, exactly what you have lost. I have decided to only weigh once a month because I get discouraged by those scale fluctuations. My hope this month is to just lose something, even if it is only half a pound.

I enjoy reading your posts. Keep it up.
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mjhalso
Posts: 35
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Super Sunday

Post by mjhalso » Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:52 pm

This was a challenge even for an S day.... I had a lot of junk but not enough to put me into a funk.... So today I am back on the wagon and relieved to have the structure in place.... I played tennis on Saturday and the weight loss has already impacted my ability to move around and I had no pain in my recently scoped knee... So - positive stuff ....happy monday!
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mjhalso
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:01 pm

Failure

Post by mjhalso » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:34 pm

Well I struggled to try and find a way around it..but I have to call last friday a failure... We went out to dinner with friends and though I protested I ate 2 small appretizers... I at first rationalized that they were small enough to fit on a plate, particulalrly because the plates were not largely portioned... but after the meal was over I had 3 bites of key lime pie... So that pushed me over the edge.... It's OK though... I did not go nutz over the weekend and today I am back on track... Pressure makes diamonds!!
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amake616
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Post by amake616 » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:41 pm

"Pressure makes diamonds" - that's nice, I like that. Gives eating well a more glamorous sound, lol.
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Kevin
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Post by Kevin » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:59 pm

Really nice work so far. Congratulations.
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."
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mjhalso
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:01 pm

Been ill

Post by mjhalso » Wed Feb 23, 2011 1:01 pm

Well the good news is that I dropped a few lbs now totalling 10.3. The bad news is that I was ill and hospitalized a few days with a GI bleed and didn't eat anything for 3 days... I am now on a special diet for a while but i am back to No S as of yesterday... I am thinking of the past several days as special because I was in my predicament.... However I am glad for the weight loss and will take it as a postitive outcome... I am almost ready to exercise so i am hopeful I can get back to my "good" habits again... Forward!
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Strawberry Roan
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Post by Strawberry Roan » Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:40 am

Oh no, sorry to hear you were ill. I have been reading your thread and you are doing very well. I think we share a view that the structure of this plan, the control, is very freeing somehow. I, too, love the N days more than the S although we don't have to eat any differently on S days, of course.

Keep up the good work, I imagine you are starting to notice a difference in some clothes, aren't you?

Feel better...... :wink:
Berry
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mjhalso
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:01 pm

weekend

Post by mjhalso » Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:45 pm

Ok ... so the weekend comes and I am still feeling weak and have to eat a special diet of white bread...rice...pasta... all of the junk I have been away from for quite a bit... and the scourge of my weight problems comes up big time CRACKERS! Saltines are like instant lbs to me... and I ate a lot of them this weekend... I need the freedom of S days but I hope I did not blow it with the saltines!! I am rambling I think ... but I am so glad today is monday...finally some control... Wednesday is my weigh in day so that will tell the story
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mjhalso
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Post by mjhalso » Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:34 pm

Weigh day was a good day..I lost 4.5 lbs since last week...the cummulative effect I guess of being ill etc.... but dont care...I stuck with my approach and it seems to be paying off... I have now lost close to 15 lbs in 2 months... that is a pretty good pace all things considered....and that is without regular exercise... which i hope to get back to today... My clothes are feeling much better and I have tons of things to wear once I lose another 10 lbs.... thanks for the support...MJ
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mjhalso
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:01 pm

stuck

Post by mjhalso » Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:40 pm

I have essentially been stuck for 3 weeks... stil not feeling well but am disappointed nonetheless ... I am discouraged andso a bit of slippage is occurring I have had 2 failure days... snacked on crackers between meals... and my S days have been a bit excessive...not to mention not exercising as much (been ill)... but I am tryiong not to give in to old (non) habits... So I feel like I need to stay with No S but to combine with a diet plan... Southbeachtype eating has worked for me in the past ... SO I am trying to go with that.... Today is friday and if I can get through without slipping then the weekend will geve me a chance to re frame my efforts... Wish me luck
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r.jean
Posts: 1653
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Suggestion

Post by r.jean » Sat Apr 09, 2011 12:02 am

I would suggest that you do not become more restrictive while you are struggling. It tends to be counterproductive.

During month 3, I just forgot to stay with Vanilla no S. I thought that I was still doing it because I was not counting calories or counting anything else. However, I was slipping back into the old diet mentality. I was trying to make my meals too perfect and not listening to real hunger. This would make me fall off the wagon and overeat. I started going back and forth between perfection and overeating. S Days got wilder, and N days went back and forth between perfect and barely compliant. As a result, I lost nothing in month 3 after losing over 7 pounds in each of the first 2 months. I am in month 4 now, and I have relaxed and just tried to stick to plain vanilla No S. I am not due to weigh again until the 20th, but I can tell by my clothes that I am losing again.

I wish you luck in whatever you choose to do. What works for me may not be what works for you.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.
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mjhalso
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:01 pm

Thanks

Post by mjhalso » Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:22 pm

I had a failure day yesterday ... came home very stressed from a terrible da at the hospital.... so i ate crackers and cheese... went to a movie then had a late supper which was reasonable.... so today I am back at the gym and trying to have a reasonable s day... so far so good.... Thanks for the advice Jean,... i agree with your perspective.... "all I can do is keep on keepin' on"
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