Clarica's Check in

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:53 pm

Day 1 (1 Jan 2010): 350?
Day 59 (28 Feb 2010): 340 A new low! (58 days, 10? pounds)
Day 108 (18 Apr 2010): 334 A new low! (49 days, 6 pounds)
Day 122 (2 May 2010): 329 A new low! (14 days, 5 pounds)
Day 171 (20 Jun 2010): 328 A new low! (49 days, 1 pound)
Day 213 (1 Aug 2010): 327 A new low! (42 days, 1 pound)
Day 251 (8 Sept 2010): 326 A new low! (38 days, 1 pound)
(no chart between 23 Sept 2010 and 13 Feb 2011)
Day 409 (13 Feb 2011): 323 A new low!
Day 423 (27 Feb 2011): 320 A new low! (14 days, 3 pounds)
Day 431 (7 Mar 2011): 318 A new low! (8 days, 2 pounds)
Day 465 (10 Apr 2011): 316 A new low! (34 days, 2 pounds)
Day 500 (15 May 2011): 315 A new low! (35 days, 1 pound)
Day 514 (29 May 2011): 314 A new low! (14 days, 1 pound) AND ***10% weight loss from start!***

My version is "no snacks, no seconds, except sometimes". Usually I eat just three meals. Sometimes, I have seconds, or a snack, or sweets. I only eat food I want to eat. Sometimes it is junk, but I don't fool myself into thinking I'll eat less if I "add" food I think I "should" be eating. If I start eating shoulds, I eat them and then still eat what I wanted in the first place. I think I eat less crap than I used to, but I am not trying to correct every error in judgement I have, just the error of overeating.

Sometimes, if I feel stalled or frustrated with no new progress, I try to tweak it by skipping a meal (lunch) or some other modifications, but I think I can maintain "no snacks, no seconds, except sometimes" painlessly forever, and hopefully I won't start gaining on it! It's hard to tell if a weight fluctuation is a fluke or a real gain, but I am going to try not to worry about it if I keep getting "A new low!" within 6 months.

I used to think that I deserved to eat good things--and I still think that, BUT--I have learned to consider overeating to be the same as wasting food. I try to make sure everything I eat is a good stuff, but "enough" not "lots" of it.

Edited to add:
11 Jun 2011 - 310 - a new low!
18 Jun 2011 - 309 - a new low!
20 Aug 2011 - 306 - a new low!

Pangelsue2 · Post by **Pangelsue2** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:07 am

The proof is in the results and you are losing. Congratulations. We all think when we start a new diet that we are successful if we follow all the rules and that we fail if we don't. All diets were created by someone who invented the diet, tried it and it worked for them or for their control group. It is not against the rules for us to do the same thing. So go ahead and invent a diet that works perfectly...for you.
Congratulations and keep up the good work. I too have made personal modifications to my own plan and so far they are working. We can do this as long as we can live with the plan we follow. If we can't live with the plan, then we will ultimately fail.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:57 pm

Thanks!

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:18 pm

Day 1 29-May-2011 314
Day 7 04-Jun-2011 314

Since I passed a 10% threshold, I thought I'd restart the numbering to have a fresh "countdown" (not that I'm holding my breath) to the next 10%. I figure this ten percent could take longer than the first one, because I had the advantage of inefficiency to start with. Or maybe I'll maintain, who knows. I am taking this opportunity to switch my benchmark weight check from Sunday am to Saturday am. I don't often go nuts on the weekend, but I have every permission to do so, and if it causes a weight gain that self-corrects by the next week, I don't want to know about it!

I think of myself as on plan, or off. Following it or getting lost, compliant or non-compliant, not success or failure. But, I don't mark it and keep track. It was hard in the beginning to remember I had had a plan and oops, this wasn't part of it, but now feel like I know before I put something off-plan in my mouth.

My plan is no snacks, no seconds, except sometimes.

I was thinking that I would also like to eliminate sweets that I didn't plan to eat--sometimes someone wants to give me a treat that I wouldn't have gotten for myself. It doesn't come up nearly as often as the sweets I decide for myself to eat, and the demonstration of caring aspect I do want to cherish and enjoy, so maybe I'll decide against worrying about it.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:51 pm

Ugh, I think this going to be a struggle week for me. Some weeks (like last week) are easy, and some weeks are hard. At least it always easy to know if I followed the system.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:19 pm

Wow congratulations on your huge success since you started!

I'm curious about not including 'no sweets' - is this because sweets aren't a problem for you, or that it's just not worth trying to cut them out completely? Do you count sweets eaten as a snack (e.g. between meals rather than as a dessert) a 'fail'?

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 6:13 pm

milliem wrote:Wow congratulations on your huge success since you started!

I'm curious about not including 'no sweets' - is this because sweets aren't a problem for you, or that it's just not worth trying to cut them out completely? Do you count sweets eaten as a snack (e.g. between meals rather than as a dessert) a 'fail'?

Well, before I started no s I'd gone through some self exploration with regard to eating less sweets. My impression of the results was that when I started telling myself I could or could not or could 'only' have so much of a sweet, I consistently just disregarded my intention and crossed over whatever line in the sand I was drawing, and had what seemed like more than I would have had if I hadn't tried to limit my intake.

So I switched my focus to only have sweets mindfully, and preferably high-quality, delicious sweets. By mindfully, I intended to avoid sitting next to a bag of candy or with a tub of ice cream and just plow through it while I watched tv or read or whatever. I think I picked the serving size on the package, and then put it away. Explicitly allowing as many servings as I felt like getting up for, without any secret inner agenda of eating less--purely with the agenda of noticing all the enjoyment.

I found that if I kept my home sweet-free, I'd get that "last chance" mentality, and again, feel like what I chose to eat in that situation was more than I might have if the opportunity to eat sweets wasn't being passively limited by a trip to the store. So I keep chocolate available 24-7, and let other sweet opportunities come and go as they will. I think I'm eating a lot less sweets now, but I wasn't keeping track before, and I'm not now.

When I started no-s, I allowed for sweets at mealtimes (on the plate), and one chocolate at bedtime (those wrapped chocolates from dove). And I try to avoid "social" sweets, like birthday cake, that I didn't pick out myself, even if they're offered at mealtimes. It's not usually very good, and is there any point in eating sweets that I didn't internally feel a desire for? My resolve on this point is not rock-solid--if they don't put the cake away after they pass it out, it can begin to look good, thus something I'm picking out for myself. At any rate, most of the time "I don't eat between meals" is a successful strategy for avoiding things I wasn't interested in having in the first place, and though I occasionally falter, my normal habits seem to be good enough to make up for it.

That said, I don't often eat sweets during the week these days, except for my nighttime chocolate, which sometimes I even forget. But I am always allowed to.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:13 pm

On the subject of sweets, I want to make sure that it is clear that I am not some rational, take-it-or-leave it ideal of a sweet eater. More than once this year, most of my meals over the course of a couple of days came from a box of ding dongs.

What I'm trying to do is not judge my sweet eating as good or bad, or even think about it much at all. I try to avoid having a "story" about what my eating is in a given day, week or month. Because a "story" might lead me to believe that I have been "good", so I deserve/have earned/won't be derailed by some "bad", or the story might try to tell me I am being "bad", which I reject and ignore.

This is also why I don't do eating logs, and I really don't want to read them. Because the individual choices of what I put in my body aren't most of the problem of my weight, it's "too many" of them.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:27 am

Thanks for your response Clarica! It sounds like you've chosen a good way to adapt NoS to you

It's so good to think mindfully about what you are eating whether that be snacks or sweets - there are quite a few sweet things that I've failed on but just weren't worth it!

I think I'm quite opposite to you in that I try not to have sweets around because eating by myself is dangerous - once I start I will make any excuse to 'crash the car' as it were, and just binge on whatever I can find. I'm trying out a new mod where if I am in a social situation and am offered a GOOD sweet (that is, something high quality and delicious that I would really regret not eating) then I will allow myself one portion. Last week it meant a gorgeous serving of sticky toffee pudding with family, the week before it was a friend's home made cupcake.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:58 pm

Day 1 - 29 May 2011 - 314
Day 7 - 04 Jun 2011 - 314
Day 14 - 11 Jun 2011 - 310 A new low!

I was sick this week and didn't eat much on Tuesday, so not terribly surprised about the new low, nor terribly smug.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 4:44 pm

I don't enjoy posting my weight here every week, because of the fluxuations. And I don't like doing it only on the occasion of my personal holiday, "a new low", because I don't enjoy attention enough.

But my own spreadsheet crashes and recovers every time I try to use it these days, which is of course once a week.

Maybe I'll start using the check in instead. I have one idea I'm totally going to try on my spreadsheet first. But, just in case, here's the last couple of weeks.

Darn it. last few weeks lost or broken. Can't try my idea. Application not responding.

I think I saw this before it hid from me:

Day ??? how many days between 11 June and 23 July?
23 July 2011 - 309 a new low

weeks of fluctuation since then. And I could totally record a new low today, if I recorded my weight from any other time than Saturday Morning. But last Saturday,

13 Aug 2011 - 309. same old low.

NoSRocks · Post by **NoSRocks** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:23 pm

MANY CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ONGOING SUCCESS!!!

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 3:26 am

Thanks!

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:17 pm

I think it's worth mentioning here, I have finally resolved my internal conflict about small servings of chocolate, as being neither meals nor snacks.

It's kind of irrational, but I am totally willing to think of them as medicinal.

I don't take them every day,
I totally don't want to overdose,
but sometimes I feel like I need them,
and I never want to put them on my plate as a meal.

yay internal logic!

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:42 pm

Clarica,
From what I have read, most people do not lose more than 10% of their bod weight. I think that the body may need a rest in weight loss at about 10% and those who hang on succeed in the long run. Isn't that what you just said to me? Don't change your diet. Just stick with it. You are doing great!
Kathleen

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:24 pm

Thanks! I am not worried about slow progress. And I am totally not changing a good thing! I just do find the fluctuations on the scale, deserved or not, dispiriting.

Which is not what today is about.

Today is a new low! 306. Yay me!

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:08 pm

You are getting close to being below 300! That is terrific!!!
Kathleen

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 12:40 am

thanks!

Who Me? · Post by **Who Me?** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:34 am

Somehow I hadn't read this thread before, and so belatedly I'm saying "whoo hoo!!!!! you go, girl!!!"

NoSnacker · Post by **NoSnacker** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:00 pm

Ditto, I haven't read your thread either but your stopping by a post of mine lead me to find you

.

You are doing so awesome and your attitude toward your medicine is working wonderfully for you! You have been managing your medicine well.

deb

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:04 pm

welcome, and thanks!

I'm trying to open up a bit more, so it's no surprise to me that people didn't really notice much from back when I was so closed, you know, a month ago. I have a new blog too, which is fun for me.

http://claricaandthequestion.blogspot.com/

Kind of exploring why I have found making my way through life so much of an internal and somewhat of an external struggle. a little bit of anxiety, a little bit misfit, terribly literal. Things like that.

You're all welcome to read!

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 4:17 pm

10 Sep 2011 - 299 A new low!

I missed my last two check-ins because I was away on vacation, but I didn't really lose anything on vacation, as my informal survey monday morning showed the same number as my last check in.

But I am not going to complain about fluctuations today. Wahoo!

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 4:39 pm

You did it! You got below 300! Congratulations!!!
Kathleen

determined · Post by **determined** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 5:31 pm

Clara...CONGRATS!!! You've lost over 10 bags of flour!!! I'm such a visual person that it helps me to "see" the weight. Can you imagine picking up 10 bags of flour & carrying them around all day? Wow...that's what's you've done....that's fantastic!

Well done!!!

janie

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 12:10 am

awesome! I'm not sure where I'd hide 10 bags of flour though, so it's kind of a disturbing mental image. :)

herbsgirl · Post by **herbsgirl** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 12:31 am

Way to go Clarica!! You are changing yourself, one day at a time!

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:57 pm

thanks!

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 2:01 pm

1 Oct 2011 - 297 A new low!

Still easy-peasy, but I'm probably sick so I can't take all the credit. My appetite has very high standards right now.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:39 pm

Clarica,
Your story has inspired me. I started before you and have lost fewer than 10 pounds, but I have been the master of tweaking. Now, with a little push from BrightAngel and your inspiring story, I am giving a first try to vanilla No S. Keep posting!
Kathleen

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:33 pm

Thanks, I'm flattered! I try not to think about it to much. I will not starve between meals--I drink milk. If I eat too much at meals, my eyes know it.

If I think about it any more than that, I would get bummed out. And I still kind of do get bummed out on fluctuations. But I am not messing with it unless it stops being what, in my mind, counts as either maintenance or loss.

Plus, I always get to eat whatever I want. And I always do. Some time that 'want' is still 'too much', but too much all at once I can feel in my tummy now, and too much spread out over snacks and bites and seconds and 'treats', I didn't see OR feel.

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:08 am

22 Oct 2011 - 294 A new low!

I might have had new lows in between this one and the previous one, instead of my usual shilly-shallying fluctuations, but I wasn't tracking on the same scale at the right time, so I didn't write it down.

I'm not feeling sick anymore, and it's still easy-peasy. I'm not really tracking snacks at all anymore, because I have never been a lover of breakfast, and if you don't eat until 10 or 11 or noon, you have to work fast to get three meals in. Seconds I try to keep an eye on, but mostly because I want them, but if I eat them they usually make me feel uncomfortably overstuffed.

(I used find it easy to get more than three 'eating opportunities' in, but I definitely don't have that habit anymore!)

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:24 pm

05 Nov 2011 - 289 A new low!

Or my scale is broken, I really don't care this week though.

determined · Post by **determined** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:23 pm

Look at you go!!!! Good for you...

janie

Clarica · Post by **Clarica** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:49 pm

thanks!

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