Everyday Systems

Day 13

Breakfast: 1 egg, over easy, 1 biscuit with "lite" veg spread, 8 oz. glass orange juice

Lunch: tuna-noodle casserole with peas; corn; fruit salad of mandarin oranges and sliced banana (couldn't eat all I put on my plate!)

Dinner: red beans and rice with polish sausage; broccoli; garlic bread

No sugar, no snacks, no seconds!

Did 25 energetic minutes on my gazelle; will walk outside this evening after dinner, shovelglove after that.

Hey Jan!
I am coming over to eat at your place!
It all sounded yummy!
Deb

Breakfast:

1 egg, over easy, sprinkled with bacon bits; a toasted bagel, spread with lite veg spread; glass orange juice

Lunch:

Ate at Applebee's with my husband. I ordered the Baconburger with vegetables instead of fries. Ate all the veggies, but only half the burger. Brought the rest home! Usually I would've scarfed down the whole thing.

Dinner:

Crockpot barbeque chicken; mashed potatoes; green beans

Exercise:

Did 25 minutes on the gazelle; will do my shovelglove after dinner. This workout is really giving my triceps a run for their money!

Last night was not so good. I had a smaller lunch, which was okay, but then in my enthusiasm for reducing portions, I also had a smaller dinner. By 7 pm I was starving. I waited a little while to see if it would pass, but I just kept getting hungrier and hungrier. Finally, I just went and got a snack, which was the other half of the Applebee's burger. Still hungry, I got a couple of pieces of buttered toast. Then I was satisfied.

Today I will eat my normal-sized meals so I won't snack.

Jan, that doesn't sound like such a disaster. But I wouldn't even think about portions (except how to make them large enough) until you have three solid weeks under your belt -- by which time you may not even need to.

Very good day.

Breakfast: over-hard egg; orange juice; lite bread, toasted, with lite veg spread.

Lunch: an hour and a half late, but I didn't snack, even though there were all sorts of goodies calling my name at the Walmart checkout line. Meatloaf; green beans; broccoli; mashed potatoes with lite veg spread.

Dinner: spaghetti; marinara sauce with chicken breast; peas; garlic bread

Exercise: 25 minutes on the gazelle, plus a lot of walking around in the Outside World.

Meals were better portioned today, plenty of food, but still on a normal dinner-sized plate. Happy again.

Last evening's snack wasn't a disaster, but it was a learning experience. Not eating the whole burger at Applebee's was good, because it was just too big for one meal. But I should've left it at that, and not tried to reduce the size of dinner, too. Moderation, moderation...

Check-in for Friday:

Breakfast: Cinnamon-vanilla French toast with lite veg spread; over easy egg; orange juice


Lunch: BLT on thick wheat bread; coleslaw; club soda with lemon and lime slices

Dinner: burger at a baseball game; if I get lucky, they might have some sort of fruit or salad available.

Exercise: Urban rangering + gazelle + other walking > 10,000 steps

Breakfast: French Toast with S-Day maple syrup; orange juice

Lunch: "Southwest Corn"; leftover green peas; canned peaches, well drained

Dinner: Sloppy Joes (Manwich sauce and ground turkey) on buns; green beans


Recipe: Southwest Corn

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jar (12 oz.) taco sauce

Brown meat and onion; drain. Add corn and taco sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.

From: The Four Ingredient Cookbooks by Linda Coffee and Emily Cale

Breakfast: bacon omelette; pineapple juice; toast with fresh strawberry jelly

Lunch: leftover sloppy joe; green beans

Dinner: (restaurant after the Star Wars movie) steak sandwich with grilled onions and mushrooms; chicken gumbo soup. A real lack of vegetables in this meal.

Monday:

2/3 Success

1/3 Failure

Breakfast: egg; lite toast with lite spread; orange juice.

Lunch: tuna sandwich on lite bread; bowl of peach slices. I knew lunch was not enough food even while I was eating it, and I should've had more food, but didn't.

Afternoon snack: another tuna sandwich (water-pack tuna, lite mayo, lite bread). Not a disaster, as snacks go, but if I had eaten more at lunch, I could've spared myself the lightheadedness and shaking (blood sugar I guess).

Dinner: White and wild rice with chicken; green peas.

Sugar and second helpings...okay. Snack...not okay.

Exercise for Monday: gazelle + walking = 8300 steps on the pedometer. Also did strength training using a routine I found in June's Good Housekeeping magazine.

No sugar
No seconds
No snacks grrrrrrrrrrrr
urban rangering
shovelglove

sigh.

No snacks:
No sweets:
No seconds:
Exercise(gazelle):


Breakfast: egg, toast, orange juice

Lunch: top ramen, 1/2 can peas, 1/2 can sliced peaches

Dinner: tuna rolls, broccoli


RECIPE: CRAB ROLLS

1 can crabmeat (I used tuna), drained
little mayo (I used lowfat)
1 can refrigerator biscuits (about 8 biscuits; I made homemade)

Mix the crabmeat with the mayo to moisten. Roll the entire can of biscuits out to a rectangel. Flatten it good. Spread the crab/mayo mix down the center, lengthwise. Roll up. Slice into about 8 pieces. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at about 400 F. (check the biscuit can for temp.) until browned.

Dear Jan! How are you?
I'm replying to your post with the

Rating system! Good use of smileys!
Look.... Stop with the growling at yourself since you got three smileys and only one frowny face...
Just learn from it. You are doing great!!!!!
Keep telling yourself that. If you were to give your child a test and they failed 25% of it, would you focus your main attention and energy on harping on that, or would you say, "Wow! You did a great job, and did your best!" Why do we then beat ourselves up at every given opportunity? I know you just growled a little, but I'm in "Love Thine Self" mode today, so I'm ranting a little! LOL...
It's funny, but we all seem to have our own issues and challenges with regards to lifetime eating patterns... It would be very foolish to expect them all to come tumbling down with no failures along the way..
Just keep trying, and if you are 75% good, heck it beats the living daylights out of 75% bad!
Can I get an "Amen" people?!!!!

PS.. I am coming over for dinner because you always seem to cook yummy stuff!
Focus on your triumphs, look at your setbacks/failures as part of a growth process... Who can be perfect all the time? No one!
You will still make great strides forward even when there are little steps backwards... just keep that forward momentum going and
Ack-sen-chu-ate da positive!
Love,
Deb
PS... I can tell you also, that even our beloved Reinhard has had his ups and downs trying to keep all those fab systems he created running perfectly at once! He's been practicing those good habits now for three years! You have been doing it for one month... Give yourself a break kid!LOL

Deb:

Amen! Thanks!

Jan

Jan, I agree with Deb, your smiley rating system is great. I should see if I can get green smileys and red frownies on the list. Snacking seems to be the toughest S for most people, congratulations on your perfect day yesterday! (but what happened to the smileys?)

Reinhard: Smileys are back! Are we going to do a recipe thread?

We have a recipe thread, just no recipes there yet! Add to the thread justin started in general discussion. He's being coy with his beets, but don't you be shy too!

DAY 22: SUCCESS!

No Snacks:
No Sweets:
No Seconds:

Exercise: Gazelle + weights

Breakfast: egg, toast, orange juice

Lunch: leftover tuna rolls, broccoli, baked potato, fruit cocktail

Dinner: Alaskan Halibut Steak, baked in lemon-butter, seasoned with onion and sweet paprika; green beans; cauliflower

A Good Day:

No Sweets:
No Snacks:
No Seconds:

Exercise: shovelglove, about 14 min.

Breakfast: egg, toast, orange juice

Lunch at Applebee's: big bacon burger, veggies instead of the fries, club soda with lime

Dinner: macaroni; oven fried spudz; corn; brussles sprouts

A wonderful S-Day!

Breakfast: oatmeal; bacon omelette; orange juice; toast

Lunch at Applebee's: sweet & sour chicken bowl thing. Ate only half and brought the other half home for tomorrow's lunch; club soda with lime

Dinner: fried chicken; green beans; tiny little baked spud

Exercise: 30 minutes on the gazelle, plus some interesting freestyling with dumbbells.

Another good day!

Breakfast: bacon omelette with a little maple syrup; toast with honey; orange juice

Lunch: leftover sweet & sour chicken bowl from yesterday's lunch; some slices of lite bread

Dinner: all the leftovers in the fridge (fish, fried chicken, veggies, potatoes). Dessert: 4 Oreos

Exercise: 40minutes on the gazelle; 13 minutes shovelglove

Monday...

No sweets:
No snacks:
No seconds:
Exercise:

Breakfast: eggs, toast, orange juice

Lunch: top ramen with green beans; tuna sandwich

Snack: eating out of boredom/loneliness -- husband and daughter are gone all week and I miss 'em! Crackers and peanut butter

Dinner: red beans and rice; green peas

Exercise: 35 minutes on gazelle and a walk outside in the warm sun.

Good enough day:

No sweets
No snacks
No seconds
Exercise: Urban rangering = 10,000+ steps and 120 crunches

Breakfast: egg, toast, orange juice
Lunch: last of the red beans and rice; large apple; diet Coke
Dinner: fried chicken breast; corn

Food today was too much and too heavy.

Still missing my family...

No sweets:
No snacks:
No seconds:
Exercise: Thursday was a rest day

Have given up on not snacking until next Monday.

Family will be back tomorrow night...

So-so day:

No sugar: (had jelly on my breakfast toast)
No snacks
No seconds
Exercise: (urban rangering)

Dear Jan,
Jelly on toast is fine... Totally NoS approved... Just don't use a half cup of jelly...
Jelly Donuts, not so fine...
You get three smileys!

Those frowneys are starting to bum me out, my friend...
I suggest you use the
since it's funnier!
Of course, feel free to ignore this suggestion...
Hope you have a nice reunion with the fam soon!
Love,
Deb

Deb, is jelly really no-s friendly? A friend of ours gave us several jars of this really incredible fresh (not cooked) strawberry preserves. I keep it in the freezer because I don't use much even when I am putting it on the toast. It tastes like freshly-picked strawberries! So I can really put it on my toast on no-s days and not give myself a for no sweets?

Family will be home soon. They're coming to take me away, ha ha, they're coming to take me away, ho ho, to the funny farm, ...

Yes, Jelly or sugar in your coffee and tea/oatmeal "ala Reinhard"
is fine.. He considers that "borderline" sugar, not the main offenders...
If you "lay it on thick" as he says, make it an S, but otherwise, just enjoy it in small amounts and try to live a normal life...
Soda, candy, cake, etc... are the real S'sses...

Enjoy your strawberry jam!
Love,
Deb

Family will be home in a couple of hours

No sweets
No snacks
No seconds
Exercise [walking: 3.75 miles; dumbbells for upper & lower strength]

Now that this week is over, I am re-committing myself to the No-S program. Will begin over again, starting tomorrow. I think that since this week has been so awful in terms of what I ate, I will skip the S-days, and just get back into the no-s pattern. It's hard to form a good habit when the emotional issues get in the way, but now that things will be back to normal, and I have people to cook for/eat with, I think that it will all smooth itself out.

On the good side, I think I would've done a lot worse if I hadn't had the three previous weeks of No-S-ing behind me, and if I hadn't had this board for some accountability and support.

AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND PERFECT DAY!

Beginning again, after crashing last week. Not allowing any S-Days until I complete 21 perfect days and the habit is not only formed but firmly entrenched.

Day 1B

No Sweets
No Seconds
No Snacks
Exercise

Breakfast: omelet; lite toast with thin spread of fresh strawberry preserves; orange juice

Lunch: turkey sandwich on lite bread with lite mayo; dish of grapefruit sections

Dinner: sweet potatoes; homemade yeast bread with spicy Italian olive oil for dipping; green peas

Exercise: full-body stretch routine

Jan, I'm sorry you ran into a spell of trouble and also that I was too involved with personal stuff to give any support... I'm happy for your beautiful and wonderful day, though! And though I haven't tallied up the precise count of smileys vs. frownies, the trouble does seem pretty limited. I know you're eager to get started on the path of virtue again, but do be careful about cutting out S days... I'd advise allowing yourself the next weekend S-days if you manage with no funny stuff till then as a reward/safety valve. But do what you think is best, we'll cheer you on either way.

Day 2B (Sunday): Success!

No Sweets:
No Snacks:
No Seconds
Exercise
Moderate, but sufficient portions

Breakfast: omelette; homemade bread with strawberry preserves; orange juice

Lunch: turkey sandwich; half a plate's worth of green peas; small can V8 juice

Dinner (Applebees): Teriyaki Steak Bowl, just ate half and brought the rest home for lunch tomorrow; piece of garlic toast

Exercise: 20-position stretch routine; upper and lower body weights + crunches

One thing I noticed in my first three weeks of No-S-ing was that it was really hard not to snack on Mondays and Tuesdays, presumably because they follow two S-days. So the reason I'm not going to allow myself any S-days at all for three weeks is just to make it easier to stick with it during the week. I am never really tempted to eat much sugar, so that isn't a problem, and I can do without seconds, but, oh! that incessant and infernal snacking! So I am just going to be very strict with this until I get the "no snacks" down.

Reinhard, your family is more important than anything, so put them first. Thanks for your encouragement!

Day 3B (Monday): SUCCESS!

No Sweets:
No Snacks: [No temptation to snack this afternoon!]
No Seconds:
Exercise:

Breakfast: couple of slices homemade bread, toasted, with lite veg spread; over-easy egg; orange juice

Lunch: leftover teriyaki steak with rice and vegetables; peas; green beans; slice of bread

Dinner: liver with onions; broccoli; bread with lite veg spread

Exercise: walked about 4 miles or so. Wonderful weather today

Yay Jan!!!
Love,

Deb
I was just telling someone the other day that I had a little craving for liver and onions! Good for that iron!

Day 4 B (Tuesday): SUCCESS


No Sweets:
No Snacks:
No Seconds:
Exercise:

Breakfast: egg, over easy, with salsa on top; toast; orange juice

Lunch: leftover liver and onions; buttered carrots; bread; banana (very hungry this morning!)

Dinner: Beanie Weenie (grilled dogs, baked beans); baked potato; bread; vegetables

Exercise: very hot and humid today, but I have about 5 miles on my step counter

Day 5B (Wednesday): SUCCESS

It feels so good to be back on track!

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds

Exercise

Breakfast: over-easy egg; lite toast with lite veg spread and jelly; orange juice

Lunch: bacon burger; steamed veggies; club soda with lime

Dinner: Beef & Cabbage Casserole; corn; boiled potatoes

Exercise: walked 2.5 miles

Jan, this is a great run! Hang in there one more day and you've got the bulk of this no-s week behind you. I know you want to cut out S-days for the remainder of the habit building period, but I'd recommend considering at least some kind of S-day reward to give yourself to look forward to. But you know yourself best, and I promise I'll stop nagging about this now.

What I had in mind to skip on S-days was snacking, which is what really does me in. And it really was much easier on Monday and Tuesday of this week not to snack, having not snacked on the previous weekend.

Probably my S-day treat will be the maple syrup that I like to put on my French toast on Saturday mornings. I don't have much of a sweet tooth beyond that.

Day 6B (Thursday) SUCCESS

No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds.....
Exercise........

Breakfast: the usual egg, toast, orange juice.

Lunch: two turkey sandwiches on lite bread; mandarin oranges

Dinner: Polish sausages, buttered noodles, peas

Exercise: walking, 3 miles; stretch & strengthen workout, 30 min.

Day 7B (Friday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds...
Exercise

Breakfast: Migas, inspired by Samurai! Also toast and orange juice.

Lunch at Applebees: half of an Asian Chicken Wrap, veggies instead of fries; club soda with lime slice

Dinner: the other half of the Chicken Wrap; rest of plate filled with carrots, corn, sliced potatoes

Exercise: walked 3 miles.

The end of a perfect No-S week!

Beautiful, Jan. Now enjoy that maple syrup!

Day 8 B (Saturday) HAPPY S-DAY!

A little sweet:
A second helping:
No snacks
Exercise:

Breakfast: French toast, with maple syrup, plus a small second helping with a little more maple syrup , and apple juice.

Lunch: a plate-full of all the leftovers in the fridge [lots of veggies, some baked beans, and a Polish sausage].

Dinner: leftover Beef & Cabbage; corn; baking powder biscuits with butter and honey.

Exercise: walking around, here and there, 3 miles

Wow Jan, you are really an inspiration! Just reading about your success days puts me into NoS mood again

And I like the Day 1B, 2B counting. I will do that too to remind me that I already had a restart...

See the subject line.

Day 9B (Sunday) ANOTHER MAGNIFICENT S-DAY!

After I posted last evening for Saturday, I decided to join my family for coffee & donuts after Mass. Didn't have either coffee or donuts, but, in honor of it being an S-Day, I did have the most incredible chocolate-almond brownie. Deep chocolate, toasted sliced almonds on top...a one-inch-square piece of heaven.

Now for today:

Eatin'
Movin'
No Snackin'

Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, lite bread, toasted, with honey

Lunch: Orange Chicken Bowl at Applebees, only ate half and will have the other half tomorrow for lunch

Dinner: salmon patties; mashed potatoes; green veggie of some sort

Exercise: Urban Rangering, about 8 miles

You rock, Jan.

Day 10B (Monday): SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds....
Exercise......

Breakfast: egg, toast/veg spread/thin spread of jelly, apple juice.

Lunch:other half of the Orange Chicken Bowl from yesterday, with half a plate-full of green peas; piece of garlic toast, also left from Applebees (nothing goes to waste around here!).

Dinner: Sloppy Joes (Manwich Sauce and ground turkey) on 100% Whole Wheat Buns; broccoli.

Exercise: Urban Rangering, 5 miles; much to humid to do any more today.

Yahoooo Jan!!!!!!!! YOU RULE!!!!!!!!!
Deb

Day 11B (Tuesday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds
Exercise

Breakfast: egg; toast (no jelly); orange juice

Lunch: half a plate of peas and green beans; 2 small salmon patties; some mashed potatoes; 1/2 whole wheat bun, toasted

Dinner: veggie pizza, no cheese, as much as would fit on my usual dinner plate

Exercise: Walking around, 3 miles; tai chi/qigong practice (Chen Tai Chi form; Eight Piece Brocade; Golden Ball)

Dear Jan, Wow! I love Qi Gong!!!
By the way... Just out of curiosity, your last name seems Chinese... Are you Asian?
Golden Ball Qi Gong... That sounds neat! Is that like when you make a ball of energy and toss it back and forth in your hands?
I only know the "Soft" internal forms of Qi Gong... (Morning Wash, Bring in the Sun, Noonday Sun, Bring in the Yin, Expand and Contract the Dantien, mix Yin and Yang, Bring in Universal energy, and some Seal exercises to close the energy into the Dantien...)

You will have a revved up immune system if you practice daily... It isn't uncommon for Qi Gong to be used these days, with cancer rehab patients, since it's so effective at clearing stagnant/blocked energy....)
Peace,
Deb

No, I'm not Asian. Personally I'm Irish-Norwegian, but I married a 100% Polish! My last name is Polish, therefore, and before it was shortened to its present American form, it began with Cz, had lots more letters, and meant (in Polish) "stubborn." Funny, huh?

The quigong that I have been doing for the last dozen years or so are more the workout forms, more connected to the martial arts (which was my original context) than the meditative forms. Wish I could teach you Golden Ball over the internet. It is so short and simple and beautiful. Gathering, ascending, expanding, contracting, holding on, pushing away, descending, dispersing. It also comes with two squats in every set!

The Eight Piece Brocade is about a thousand years old, and was originally a military exercise. It was the first qigong set I learned and I always thought that it felt even better than a soak in a hot tub.

I have also done Tai Chi Chih in the past, but finally rejected that because of its strong and ever-present new age connection. I am happily Catholic. Five Element Qigong is good, and if you are interested in learning a new form, I could recommend a book for you from amazon.com. This one's easy, and very solidly established in chi kung tradition.

This is all probably more than you wanted. I so rarely meet anyone who has even heard of this stuff, let alone someone who has actually practiced it! What a treat for me!

Hope you have a great no-s day!

Keep it up, Jan, this is great. You're more than half way there (and being such an efffective cheerleader for others in the process). I'm fascinated by all these eastern meditative/exercise practices you and Deb are talking about. Maybe that's what shovelglove will be like in a thousand years. One of these luddite weekends I'm going to have to do some more reading on the subject.

Reinhard and anyone else who is reading this: please keep in mind that I do tai chi and chi kung only for the physical workout. These sets that I do are filled with bending, stretching, twisting, and balancing. Each set that I do also has lots of squats!

I have zero interest in any new age or "Eastern" meditation, and don't want to lead anyone down that path as a result of posting my exercise.

Jan
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Day 12B (Wednesday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds
Exercise

Breakfast: over easy eggs; lite toast with lite spread; orange juice

Lunch: leftover Cabbage & Beef; half a plate of corn; half a toasted whole wheat bun

Dinner: spaghetti with marinara sauce with chunks of chicken breast; half a plate of cauliflower

Exercise: Eight Piece Brocade Qigong this morning; Urban Rangering, 5.5 miles during the day

This gets easier and easier as the days go by.

Day 13B (Thursday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds....
Exercise....

Breakfast: over-easy egg; 2 lite toast, with lite veg spread; orange juice

Lunch: (Applebees) grilled chicken salad; club soda with lime slice

Dinner: leftover sloppy joes; peaches

Exercise: stretch & strengthen routine, 30 min.; walking, 3 miles

Day 14B (Friday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds...
Exercise...

Breakfast: the usual eggs, lite toast w/lite veg spread; orange juice

Lunch: tuna sandwich; mandarin oranges

Dinner: meatloaf; garlic mashed potatoes; pancetta

Exercise: Urban Rangering, 5+ miles

Day 15B (Saturday) HAPPY S-DAY EVERYONE!

Good Eats, Lots of Movin'.....



Breakfast: omelette with deli turkey slices; toast; oj

Lunch: leftover meatloaf and garlic mashed potatoes and pancetta

Dinner: tuna pasta salad with slices from a whole wheat baguette

Exercise: Urban Rangering, 6 miles.

A little sweet: hazelnut syrup to flavor a cup of fresh-brewed coffee.

Allright Urban Ranger Jan!!!!! Six miles????? That is awesome!
Happy S day to you too!
Love and Peace,
Debbers....

Day 16B (Sunday) Success

Good Eats:
Too Hot to Move Much:


Breakfast: bacon omelette;lite toast/lite spread/ fresh raspberry preserves; orange juice

Lunch: leftovers from the fridge

Dinner: Alaskan halibut, poached in lemon, lite veg spread, and Old Bay; green beans; leftover pasta salad; tiny little whole wheat bread rounds

Exercise: 5,000 steps on the pedometer. It's 90 degrees here, so not doing much today.

Wow, Jan, what a delicious-sounding weekend you have had!

I'm inspired by your rangering so far and wide ... 5 and 6 miles at a time! I need to get myself in gear, I guess!

Jan Tz-
Oh, I've done the church and community thing and, quite frankly, now I wish I'd spent more time at home than out trying to save the town or serving on multiple church committees.
My new interest is going to be taking care of myself. I think it will only be brief lull before there are grandkids and aging in-laws - so I want to get strong, travel, and of course, write my novel. I don't cook for my husband. We fix the odd Sunday night supper together, but think Jack Sprat. We even look like the nursery rhyme couple.
Good luck to you. A fifteen year old is a lot of up and down the road.

Day 17B (Monday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds....
Exercise...

Breakfast: over-easy egg; lite toast/lite spread; oj

Lunch: turkey sandwich with spicy brown mustard; last of the pasta salad; nectarine

Dinner: Chicken Risotto (chicken flavor Rice-a-Roni made with chicken broth; chicken pieces cooked on top); assorted cooked veggies

Exercise: Urban Rangering, about 4 miles

Jan, you're fantastic. You should hit the magic "21" this week. You'll take the silver medal, after Kevin. I better be good and make sure I get the bronze at least! Oh, and I meant meditative hyphen exercise above, not slash (though, I have to admit, I'm a little (>0) mushier on that issue than you).

Jan, seriously, jelly on toast is not an infraction of the NoS rules
As long as you don't eat it five times a day, or use half a jar in one sitting, it's really fine...
You are doing great, so don't get bummed out!
Love,
Deb

Editorial ps...
Did I just re-reply to your jelly post from three weeks ago? Looks like, yes! LOL...
Doh!
Great job anyway!!!

Deb, jelly is often on my mind, although not often on my plate! I have decided to be very strict with myself and simply not have any on No-S days...it tastes all the better on the weekends. What I am really looking forward to one of these S-days is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Oh yeah, we're livin' high on the hog around here!

Day 18B (Tuesday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds....
Exercise....

Breakfast: over-easy egg; fresh strawberries; orange juice

Lunch: leftover Chicken Risotto; steamed stir-fry-style veggies; green beans

Dinner: Salisbury Steak; corn; baked potato/lite veg spread; slices from a whole wheat baguette

Exercise: Urban Rangering, 3 miles; workout with dumbbells; 20-movement stretch routine

Day 19B (Wednesday) SUCCESS

I can see the finish line...

No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds....
Exercise....

Breakfast: over-easy egg; lite bread with lite veg spread; fresh strawberries; oj

Lunch: leftover Salisbury Steak; tiny baked spud; corn; lite bread/veg spread

Dinner: macaroni with garlic-lemon butter; green peas; grilled dog; slices from a whole wheat baguette

Exercise: about 7,000 steps.

macaroni with garlic-lemon butter; green peas; grilled dog; slices from a whole wheat baguette

Er, I assume you mean grilled hot dog... otherwise, I'm calling the ASPCA.

Ha ha!!!!

Keep on grillin those dawgs Jan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Deb

Yeah, that doggie was pretty hot all right.

Good grief, it's supposed to be 97 F. today. Kinda hot for so early in the summer. I don't think I will be doing any exercise of any kind. I worked up a sweat just brushing my hair, and it's only 6 a.m.!

Won't it be fun to go into your NoS weekend with 21 days in your check-in.

Day 20 B (Thursday) SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds:
Exercise...

It's unbearably hot (99 F), the a/c doesn't work, and this house was built for Minnesota winters, not summers. I'm posting early today before I melt completely.

Breakfast: over-easy egg with bacon bits; lite toast/lite spread; oj

Lunch: leftover Salisbury steak; corn; macaroni; lite bread

Dinner: bbq chicken in the crockpot; green beans; corn; bread

Exercise: not moving more than necessary, but I will have about 4,000 steps on the pedometer by bedtime (that's equivalent to a couple of miles' worth of walking)

Tomorrow will be Day 21, and lunch will be my "final exam": we're going to a Mexican restaurant, and you know how they have that bowl of chips on the table. I'm not going to touch 'em, I promise!

I'm interested to hear how you handle. I've been thinking about how I will do when I go to our fav - San Marcos. Would it look weird if I put a few chips on my plate? I'm not ready to put it to the test. Bravo and let me know.

Jan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are doing awesome lady
Congrats in advance! I know you will have a success tomorrow!
(ps.. Jan and Margaret,,,Chips are okay as long as they are part of the lunch, on that one meal plate, not just out of the bowl...Margaret, why would you care what anyone thinks about putting chips on a plate? It's certainly not weird at all... Don't worry about how it looks, just if it would be possible to just eat a handful or so... But they do get pretty addictive, so maybe for some, it's just better to pass altogether... I've never really been able to stop myself with those too successfully....)

Yay Jammin' Jan!
See you manana muchacha
Love,
Deb

Day 21B (Friday) SUCCESS!

Today's the day...finished 3 perfect weeks! We didn't get to go to the Mexican restaurant for lunch, which was okay.

No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds....
Exercise....

Breakfast: the usual over easy eggs with bacon bits; lite toast/lite veg spread; oj

Lunch: leftover bbq chicken with corn and green beans; lite bread/spread

Dinner: We ate at the Olive Garden: bowl of minestrone with one breadstick; 1/3 of my order of Capellini Pomodoro. Brought the rest home for a wonderful lunch tomorrow.

Exercise: Urban Rangering: 13,000+ steps (about 6.5 miles)

Happy happy day today.

Saturday, June 25th: S-DAY

Breakfast: bread with lite veg spread and fresh raspberry preserves

Lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich (I've been longing for this all week), and the rest of my Capellini Pomodoro

Dinner: Chef's Salad; wheat bread

Exercise: will be close to my 10,000 step goal (5 miles) by bedtime, I think

Congratulations Jan on your 21 days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I admire you for that and am very happy for you! I didn't see that till late today... Hope you've been Ssing your heart out and celebrating!!!

Love,
Deb

10,000 steps in a day! 21 days! These are wonderful achievements!! Congrats!

Sunday, June 26th: S-Day

Eatin'....
Movin'....

Breakfast: omelet with bacon bits; lite toast/strawberry jam; applejuice

Lunch @ Applebee's: Shrimp and Spinach Salad, only I asked them to make it with grilled chicken instead of the shrimp. Wonderful! Iced Tea to drink.

Dinner: grilled Polish sausage; sauerkraut; green beans; boiled Yukon Gold spudz

Exercise: 14 minutes, by the clock, of Shovelgloving. Steps on the counter should be about 4500 by bedtime, unless I get ambitous and go for a walk (not likely).

Tomorrow I will begin another 21-day habit-building period. My goal is to gently reduce portion sizes at dinner.

HOPE EVERYONE HAS HAD A WONDERFUL S-WEEKEND!

Jan, congratulations. Sorry I was offline for your big day. Your relentless discipline is impressive and inspiring. Good luck on your next habituation goal. (The 21 days is a good general purpose structure, isn't it?)

Welcome to the "21" club. May your second 21 be easier and more successful. I, too, am beginning to work on portion control.

Portion Control, Day 1: SOME SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds....
Portion Control:....
Exercise....

Breakfast: 1 egg; 1 lite toast with thin spread of jelly; oj

Lunch: Finally got my Mexican food! I ate only 2 corn chips! And those were mostly vehicles for the salsa! Ordered a luncheon portion of chiles rellenos, rice, and beans. Ice tea to drink, no sugar.

Dinner: normal portion of 2 grilled tuna sandwiches; half a plate of broccoli.

Exercise: got my 10,000 steps!

Quantity of food overall for the day was probably about average for me, but I think I deserve a for limiting the chips before the meal was served!

Have a great No-S week everyone!!!

That's a great start to your next 21-day plan, Jan! Sounds like a wonderfully healthy day. Congrats on making your 10K daily steps!

Portion Control, Day 2: SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds...
Reduced quantity at dinner...
Exercise...

Breakfast: 1 egg; 1 piece lite toast with very thin spread of jelly (reduced from 2 pieces); 6 oz. orange juice (reduced from 8 oz.)

Lunch: leftover Polish sausage; green beans; boiled potatoes (normal size plate)

Dinner: ham with mustard sauce; broccoli; orzo. (used a smaller plate for dinner)

Exercise: Shovelglove, 15 minutes; 10,000+ steps on the pedometer (5+ miles)

A very good day all around!

It all counts Jan, so fantastic work!!!!
One piece of toast times 365 days equals a whole lotta dough!
As long as you are feeling like your getting enough protein, good fats and veggies/fruits I think that's the key to feeling satiated...
Congrats on starting your new run!
Jammin Jan is going like gangbusters!
Excellent!!!

Love and Peace,
Deb

It sounds like you have this licked.

Portion Control, Day 3: SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds:
Smaller Portion at Dinner:
Exercise:

Breakfast (smaller plate): hard-boiled egg; sliced banana and strawberries

Lunch (regular plate): 1 piece turkey ham; orzo; half a plate-full of corn and broccoli

Dinner (smaller plate): crockpot beef in tomato sauce; peas; 1 baking powder biscuit/lite veg spread

Exercise: about 7000 steps on the pedometer.

I was really hungry last night, but didn't die from starvation, slept okay, and got up this morning no hungrier than usual.

Portion Control, Day 4:SUCCESS

This is getting pretty easy. The hardest thing is just to remember to set the table with a smaller plate at dinnertime.

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds:
Smaller Portion at Dinner:
Exercise:

Breakfast (small plate): 1 egg; 1 piece lite toast with thin spread of jelly; a few strawberries; 6 oz orange juice

Lunch (regular plate): peanut butter and banana sandwich on lite bread; half a bowl of turkey noodle soup; small biscuit

Dinner (small plate): Bold & Spicy Baked Beans with ground turkey; piece of cornbread/lite veg spread; corn

Exercise: 9,000+ steps on the pedometer.

The funny thing, is that lunch is beginning to feel like it's too much food, although it's really just the same amount I have been eating all along. I think my next 21-day project will be to put lunch on one of these smaller plates, too.

Hope everyone who reads this is doing well on No-S. One more day, and then 2 S days! Hang in there, gang!

Portion Control Day 5: SUCCESS

No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds....
Smaller Portion at Dinner....
Exercise....

Breakfast (smaller plate): 1 egg; 1 lite toast/lite veg spread; a few strawberries; 6 oz orange juice

Lunch (regular plate): ate at a Mexican restaurant -- only 2 chips! Lunch was a chile relleno, rice, beans. A very reasonable portion. Ice tea, no sugar.

Dinner (cereal bowl): pasta salad with tuna and broccoli and Italian salad dressing. Out of habit, I got out the bread & butter, but then put it away because I realized I didn't need it to be satisfied. Progress!

Exercise: about 7,000 steps, just running around doing errands.

You are doing so awesome! It's amazing how our stomaches don't need as much food as we think they do! Keep up the good work.

Jan-Tz wrote: Out of habit, I got out the bread & butter, but then put it away because I realized I didn't need it to be satisfied. Progress!

Congratulations, Jan! I really feel like I'm progressing when I have moments like those. I realize that I'm not eating things I normally would have eaten, simply out of habit. They have that moment of "AHA!"-ness to them, a moment of happiness when you say, "YES, I DID IT!"

Good job!

Jammin Jan put away her jam!!!!!
Good on ya!!! Congrats on your new phase of NoS going so great!!!

Samurai, you are so right about how terrific it feels to catch yourself doing something new and better for you.... The inner applause is deafening at those times, and well deserved!
I just finished my dinner... Out of habit I grabbed three drumsticks, and in the back of my mind I was thinking "You really don't need that much..." Well, I took that third one anyway, but by the time I finished the first two, I really just didn't want the last one... Leftovers for tomorrow...
It feels great to eat differently and forge a new relationship with our food doesn't it?
Keep it up yall!
Peace and Love,
Deb

Jan--great going on becoming a no-sser! Your progress is inspiring!

Portion Control Day 6: SUCCESS

HAPPY S-DAY EVERYONE!

Eatin':
Movin':

Breakfast (small plate): small egg and bacon bits omelet; 6 oz oj

Lunch @ Applebees: Crispy Orange Chicken Bowl, only ate about 1/3 of it and then boxed the rest to bring home. In the past, I would've eaten the whole thing. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME???

Dinner (small plate): crockpot lemon pepper chicken; small nuked potato; cauliflower; corn/peas mix. Just small servings of each, and and I feel perfectly satisfied.

Good grief, no wonder I have struggled with weight maintenance for so long...I have been eating 'way too much!

Exercise: about 11,000 steps.

Jan-Tz wrote: Lunch @ Applebees: Crispy Orange Chicken Bowl, only ate about 1/3 of it and then boxed the rest to bring home. In the past, I would've eaten the whole thing. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME???

Dinner (small plate): crockpot lemon pepper chicken; small nuked potato; cauliflower; corn/peas mix. Just small servings of each, and and I feel perfectly satisfied.

Good grief, no wonder I have struggled with weight maintenance for so long...I have been eating 'way too much!

LOL! I love it Jan-Tz! We're going through exactly the same thing at the same time. I guess we're in the same 'phase' of No S right now. I've had exactly the same thoughts, the same realizations, the past few days.

Wonderful, ain't it?

Yay Jammin Jan!!! What is happening to you?????
I remember that feeling of awe, back last year, when I actually found myself leaving food on the plate... It's a great feeling, so savor that!
You are also eating satisfying and fiberful stuff, so that helps you feel like you are full too...

Samurai, if you please, could you explain the steps involving taking a quote from a previous post and then replying?
I still don't have any idea how to do that and make it come out in that nice neat white box... It's probably right in front of my nose but I've been unable to do it.. LOL...

Have fun feeling different you guys!!!
Love,
Deb

Hi Jan, I've been reading back, and congrats on your success! That is awesome!

However, reading back I wanted to chime in on the T'ai Chi/New Age thing. From where I'm standing, T'ai chi, or Yoga, or any of the ancient spiritual and physical technologies have nothing to do with the New Age movement. For starters, there is a serious chronological disconnect, as these techniques are thousands of years old in some cases!

Eastern medicine is grounded in the concept of Chi; it's really more of a physiological phenomenon than a theological one. It could possibly be considered metaphysical, but it can be felt and therefore it is of this earth.

So fear not, you can take full advantage of these ancient techniques and still be a good Catholic! (Yep, this Freaky Witch was raised Catholic as well)...

And, here's to your continued progress!

Portion Control, Day 7: SUCCESS

Eatin'....
Movin'...

Breakfast (small plate): omelet; fresh strawberries; oj

Lunch (bowl): leftover Applebees lunch from yesterday

Dinner (small plate): kluski noodles with meaty tomato sauce; green beans

Exercise: about 7,000 steps; 14 min. Shovelglove; bunches of crunches

S-DAY TREATS FOR THIS WEEKEND

Saturday: bowl of fresh strawberries after dinner (no sugar)

Sunday: another bowl of fresh strawberries, plus some lite toast/lite veg spread and honey.

Not too over the top, I guess, but I was wishing last night when I went to bed that I had stopped with just the strawberries.

I am glad that today is a No-S day!