Everyday Systems

I am still here for year three. I have continued to do No S, but I have gotten lazy about it. I lost 45 pounds in 2011 and maintained that weight loss in 2012. I need to lose another 25 lbs. but I always have an excuse for eating the wrong things on my 3 plates. I know there are technically no wrong things in No S , but someone once said that you WILL gain weight on No S if you eat nothing but cheeseburgers and fries. I am not gaining, but I am not losing either. I need to break that cycle.

I have a lot of excuses for 2012. It was a rather tough year. However, the fact that I made it through without gaining back any weight shows that No S does work. I have basically gotten out of the snack habit, and I rarely overindulge on sweets any more. Seconds are a little harder so I tend to fill my plate well enough on the first plate that I will not need seconds.

I have new challenges in 2013. I have retired. I will be traveling a lot more. In January, I was on the road for over 2 weeks. I cannot remember the day of the week at times. I tend to just act like all days are N days until a day comes along that I think should be an S day. I am liberal with my random S days, but I do not take the routine S days on weekends. This seems to work for me.

My mantra used to be "maintenance is progress." I had this in my signature for two years. I changed my signature this year. No S has been a great journey for me, and I got a ring this year that had the saying, "the journey is the reward" on it. This has become my new mantra. It seems to reflect my life right now.

Good luck to all in 2013!

good luck! sounds like you found this can really work for you long term. i am hoping to really give this a good try and see where it goes for me too.

I love your new mantra. It is definitely a good thing to be focused on the journey rather than the elusive weight goal. The only thing we can actually influence is the present moment, and just keep doing the "next right thing". Simple...but not always easy!

Congrats on the maintenance! If 95% of people gain their weight back, you are a part of an elite group.

I know of no other diet with such success in maintaining. You are proof. I like your new signature, which reminds me of "There is joy in the journey." We are all fellow travelers, and you have helped me in my journey more than once. Congrats on your retirement and may your latest journey have many joys and rewards.

Thanks to everyone for the input. Although I never quit No S, I quit coming to this forum regularly. I know how helpful it can be and how positive the feedback is. I am not sure why I slacked off, but I need to recommit to regular check ins. It keeps me thinking.

Great to "see" you around!

I obviously have not gotten back to posting which I know I need to do. It keeps me honest. I am having a tough time establishing a routine and sticking with it since i retired. Work kept me structured before. This means my exercise routine and No S routine have also suffered. I am going back to daily check-ins to help get back into a routine. Last time I was here I figured I would just start checking in occasionally. Now I know I need to do it daily to get my good habits back.

I will also step on the scale daily as a reminder, but I am not recording any weights for now. I have gone through many changes in how I use the scale. When I started No S, I hated the scale. I could not bear to see the fluctuations. I weighed in monthly and saw only success. As time went on my feelings changed. I still only wrote down my weight once a month, but I stepped on the scale more often just as a gauge. I gradually got to stepping on daily. It worked. It was a motivator to stay on track. I concentrated on maintenance. Then things got a little crazy in my life and I fell out of the habit. More recently I have avoided the scale because I know my weight is up a little. I no longer fear the scale and the fluctuations no longer bother me. I have been avoiding it just like I have been lazy in my other daily habits. I am almost 2 months into retirement, and it is time to get a routine!

Any suggestions from the retired folk?

Jean,
I'm not exactly retired, but I have a whole different schedule when I'm here in Mexico, so I'm well acquainted with the kind of adjustment you have to make. I don't have to get up each day to go to work.

I just picked up Reinhard's chain of self command system. It really helped me to jot down some ideas of what I would like to do this year, "The Bigger Picture". His approach to write things down without commitment helped me to do what I never have ever done before! I'm also using the daily cards,and I'm quite motivated to achieve my little star every day! For No S, I write No S followed by three circles, which I ex off after my meals. Funny, this visual helps me. After breakfast, I SEE that I have two more plates to fill today, and that encourages me for some reason. I only just started last week, but i like it so far. check it out!

Also I am going to start a 21 day challenge tomorrow. I need to get the Red out of my life again. Feel free to join me.

Good to see you, r.jean. I, too, have come and gone from the boards but truly missed them when I was away.

I am a daily scale stepper on-er. Too curious not to. Has it kept me from gaining ten pounds over my goal weight? No, but at least I know how much I am dealing with right now.

That and posting my daily food on my check in keeps me honest. I actually stop and think, I am going to have to post that I ate that.

Again, welcome back.

I went to the general discussion board, and saw that there's already a 21 day challenge started by Reneew. I just hopped on that one and will start with today as day 1. Join us if you like!

Thank you both for the input! I do not recall the chain of self command system. Is it in the book or a podcast? I read the book when I fist got it and read parts of it again later; however, I only did one or two podcasts. The concept sounds interesting, and I would like to read more on it.

Taking the "just for today" approach, I am doing this daily check in and will strive for exercise and adherence to the rules....today.

Logging in does promote honesty and accountability. I just need to do it!

Yesterday was technically green but meals were large, and I had some liquid calories (beer). I exercised (WATP 3 mile)

I have a cold today and have been lazy. I did some errands and housework but not much more. Breakfast and lunch were compliant.

I read an article in the newspaper today that was interesting. The author recommended that people not diet. He recommended that they add healthy foods and habits to their day (both eating and exercise), and these healthy habits will eventually crowd out the unhealthy habits. I think this is what No S does. This article just related it in an interesting way.

r.jean,
just dropping by to say hello. This sounds like a very interesting article. Would you mind letting me know what newspaper that is? I'd like to look it up on the internet. Here is a quote from Reinhard about habits:
"Dear Mollymouse,
It's very hard to change big habits like overeating, so don't be discouraged if it takes several tries to really get it down. It takes most people who succeed several tries. I'd be very cautious about framing the problem in terms of some uncontrollable addiction... that's pretty much a self fulfilling prophecy. Thinking in terms of habit is generally much more useful (and accurate). Habits don't just have degrees, strong or week, they also have direction -- bad or good. Unlike addiction, which is almost always bad and irresistible, the power of habit can be resisted and (even more importantly) conscripted to work for you. So next time you feel the crushing power of your current bad habits, don't despair. Just think what it will be like to have this crushing power on your side. Maybe that thought will give you the inspiration to resist just once. That just once will make the next resistance easier, and so on and so on, until you don't even need to resist -- the momentum has shifted directions. It may take a while, but it will happen. Just keep on getting back up on your feet and resisting. Reinhard."
We get better and better as we continue with the habit-building, never giving up. I used to stop and start quite a few times with NoS but won't do that any more; I mark it and move on - not perfection but progression
Thanks for sharing. Have a great week.
_________
H

Jean,
Here's the link to the Chain of Self-command. There are links to podcasts as well in this.
http://www.everydaysystems.com/chainofselfcommand/
It's really helping me get things done, not just tasks, but interpersonal goals, like connecting with friends and family.

Thanks Patti. I will definitely check it out.

I finished up yesterday okay on food but with no exercise. The cold I have is mild but it prompted a persistent bloody nose so that was my excuse. I have not had that happen since I was a child. We amped up the humidifiers and it has been fine today.

Today I ate fine until a tasting party for supper. I tried to do a virtual plate, but I overdid it. I also tried some apple bread that was more like cake. RED! But not a horrible slip. No alcohol, only diet soda. Exercise was dog walking and an hour of helping hubby unload drywall, flooring and other supplies for our basement rehab. The stairs and carrying were enough exercise!

To hedd155: The article was picked up from CTW Features and is based on the book "Hungry for Change: Ditch the Diets, Conquer the Cravings, and Eat your Way to Lifelong Health." by James Colquohoun. It says he is a co-author but the article does not give the other author's name. It sounds like he focuses a lot on biochemistry and addictive qualities of certain foods but what attracted me was this statement: "As you start adding more of them (healthy foods) in the daily diet, you eventually push out the other foods. You can only eat so much food in a day. Your body starts to crave the healthier foods."

With No S, I found that when I focused on three plates of food and got away from sweets and snacking, I naturally started eat better foods overall.

Thanks Jean.
I'll see if I can find the article; will also check out the book.
Have a great weekend
_________
H

WOW Congrats on loosing 45 pounds that is a great accomplishment!! I hope to be where your at someday. You said that you needed to loose more weight. I'm just wondering. Is your goal of loosing 25 more pounds realistic or are you being to hard on yourself? I guess only you can answer that question. Just don't be so hard on yourself. You have accomplished so much.

Thanks for the encouragement April. I need to lose 25 lbs to get towards the top of what is considered a normal BMI. I would need to lose 45 lbs to weigh what I weighed when I got married 31 years ago. So I am being realistic. I am pretty happy with a year of weight loss followed by a year of maintenance, but it is time to get back to losing. I am back on this forum to get motivated and feedback helps!

To Patti...thanks for the link. I found it very interesting and will start using daily index cards. I am a daily list maker anyway, but this will help organize my list. I like the concept of starting a new list each day. If I have to re-write all the things I failed to follow through on maybe I will make more realistic lists and will focus on accomplishing them.

Yesterday was a strange day eating with only a quick banana for breakfast, an early lunch, and a big supper that had to be crammed on my plate. Had some beer too. Technically a compliant day but borderline. No formal exercise either, but it was a physical day working on house projects.

Hi r.jean!

Losing 45 pounds & maintaining that loss is quite an achievement! And lugging drywall & building materials over stairs is quite a workout!!

I enjoyed reading your thread.

After 3 days of doing the chain of self command system, I am once again impressed with Reinhard. It is so simple but so powerful. Because I am a list maker anyway, it is only a matter of changing how I make my lists. Suddenly I feel compelled to complete my list. My lists were too long before, and they got lost before they got done. Also my lists never contained the routine things. I feel a real sense of accomplishment after plowing through my list. Thanks to Patti for the suggestion.

Green day on Friday. Decent S day on Saturday with a mocha flavored coffee in the morning and two wonderful chocolate chunk cookies for dessert after dinner. Today the only S I had was a mocha flavored coffee. I am not all that sure if this coffee even warrants saving it for S days. It is 60 calories and is not terribly sweet. It is more like a dark chocolate flavored coffee.

Exercised all 3 days...WATP 3 mile. There is still too much ice and snow on the ground to feel safe from falling outside. We are expecting 8-10 more inches Monday and Tuesday.

Yesterday was green but my supper was indulgent. I also had some beer. I decided this month to try for a goal of no solitary alcohol. The idea comes from the no solitary snacking rule I have seen on the boards. I was with friends last night so I had beer. Because my DH does not drink, this plan will help me drop some of those empty calories. It will save on restaurant bills too!

Exercise was green.

The no solitary alchohol sounds like a great mod. It would have saved me a bunch of calories last night!

I went out of town yesterday and had my first day yesterday of no exercise since the beginning of March. It was a long but nice day of visiting, and it was a green day. Meals were indulgent with eating out and comfort food involved, but it was technically compliant. No reds so far in March.

Congrats on your red-free week!

Well done with your green March! Good job!

If I did a no-solitary-alcohol mod, I'd die from sobriety!

Have a great weekend, r.jean!

Thanks all for your comments! I feel like I am slowly getting into a retirement routine and getting back to better compliance with No S. I had one S today, a large ice cream sandwich from a local ice cream shop. Yesterday, I had a Cadbury chocolate egg. The funny thing is that I loved the ice cream but was disappointed with the Cadbury. I used to love those things, but I am more picky now about my S day treats.

I have agreed to do a 10K in April with family so I went out Friday and today and did the 10K distance each day. I ran some and walked some but just wanted to make sure I was okay with the distance. It felt good to be out running again. It has been warmer so the streets are finally getting clear enough to run. There are still some areas that are snow packed but it is not bad.

Hi Jean, Thanks for stopping by my thread! You are doing well. I'm glad the chain of command is working for you. Isn't it great to be able to get outside?

It has been a lazy day today. I just took a nap. I do not nap a lot but I love catnaps when I am tired.

I exercised and did a few chores, but playing on the computer and reading are my main activities today. Oh well?! Got to get moving.

I ran/walked 10k this morning but have not done much else. I continue to do basic chores but not much extra. Green all month so far with moderate S days.

After posting on Tuesday, I ended up with a Red day. I caved and devoured some Butterfinger bites my daughter left at the house a couple days before.

I exercised Wed morning but continued to lack energy and motivation.

By Wednesday afternoon, I figured out I was not just tired. I was fighting a virus and running a low temp. My temp went up by Wed night, and I spent most of Thursday and Friday in bed (or in the bathroom).

Today I did a 5K charity run.

That was a pretty strange week, but it sort of explains my red on Tuesday. I often have cravings when I am sick. I think I just attributed the tiredness to the daylight savings time change and shrugged it off until it got worse.

I am contemplating a treat after supper but have not had an S yet today.

I think I am getting back on track.

Sorry you've been sick! It sounds as though you must be feeling better, being able to do the charity run, so that's good.

Have a good weekend!

Thanks Amy! I was a little slow for the 5k but definitely feeling better.

I ended up with No S events yesterday but had a generous lunch and 3 beers. My appetite is back after being sick and I ate 4 times today with one time being a small turtle tracks malt (vanilla with chunks of chocolate and caramel and I am not sure what else). Not crazy overboard but definitely made use of my S day today.

Green on exercise.

sometimes we have off days. and it's ok. sounds like you know that and you're doing what you need to do. and that is what is great about this system of moderation.

I am having a hungry day. That is not unusual after a day of heavier than usual eating. I am just trying to keep my meals reasonable until this passes,

Green so far for food and green for exercise.

I often have those on Mondays, too. Hope you made it okay!

Well I made It through Monday just fine but Tuesday was a red day, my second red this month. I was still feeling more hungry than usual, and I crashed in the evening with two snacks that presented themselves that I did not resist. One was a one dollar special on nachos at a sports event. The other was a fundraiser candy bar. Ugh.

On the other hand, exercise continues to be green. It was bitter cold and windy today so I did not get the outside run I wanted, but I did my exercise DVD.

My meals are good so far today, but I am meeting friends for dinner. We will see...

PS to this post. I had a great time with friends tonight but the food was mediocre. No problems with eating too much tonight. Green day.

Congrats on the green day & the green exercise!

Good to hear the food was mediocre, not the friends!!

Isn't it amazing how great friends can make any evening special.

Thanks No BS!

I finished out the week green in spite of two birthday meals with friends and family on Friday. I had lunch with my first friend and shared a quesadilla appetizer and did not order an entree. Dinner with family for a cousin's birthday later was a generous meal on a large plate but no sweets so I called it green. There was also some beer involved. It was definitely a high calorie day, but before No S it would have been much worse.

Exercise continues to be green. I have been alternating between running outside and doing exercise with a DVD. The weather has not been great.

My S day treats today consisted of PEEPS. I had a craving for PEEPS and really had too many, but I am definitely over that craving now!

Jean,
Thanks for stopping by my thread and for the encouraging words. Looks like you are doing well. Good for you with the control while going out with friends, moderation! I don't miss that overfull bloated feeling I used to get so often when I ate WAY too much. And you're keeping up the exercise. You are doing great!

r.jean wrote:Exercise continues to be green. I have been alternating between running outside and doing exercise with a DVD. The weather has not been great.

I always find inspiration for exercising in your posts. I admire your dedication. Keep up the great work!

Thanks Patty and gk for your comments! It is nice to get the encouragement.

Today was a moderate S day with one sweet treat. I had a large ice cream sandwich from a local shoppe.

Exercise was my DVD. It was snowing...again!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were mixed. Exercise was good. I am training for a 10k with little time before the April 7 race. I am concentrating on the distance right now so I ran/walked a 10k on Mon and Wed (today). Monday was cold and icy in spots and snow covered in other spots. I did my DVD on Tuesday (45 mins).

Eating was okay on Monday. Red on Tuesday. I made the mistake of eating an all leftover supper. They were good leftovers but I ate out of the small containers instead of putting the food together on one plate. Because of this I ate too much and then did a WTH and ate more. Oops.

Today has been fine so far but I need to go to bed before I dive into Easter candy my daughter left here.

Three reds this month.

I can relate to this so much - I do great on my exercise but lots of reds on food! Good luck with the 10K training!

Hi Amy! You are so right! I did my DVD yesterday and the 10k distance again today, but I am sitting here now wanting to eat. There is so much Easter candy around that it is tempting. Sweets are not usually my biggest weakness but lately I have been craving them. I think three reds is enough for the month so I am going to bed when I finish posting. Thank goodness the 30th and 31st are S days!

r.jean, sometimes when I crave sweets it means I am not eating enough protein. If I have a protein pig-out it usually sets me straight.

Fantastic accomplishment running 10km! Wow!! And congrats on your green this month!

r.jean wrote:Sweets are not usually my biggest weakness

I'm sorry - what did you say? How can you normally look at sweets and not feel the need to dive across the room, face-first into the bag/pan/plate of the most enticing food made??? I never have understood it when people say that.......MAN, I'm envious of that!!!

Great job with the running and for all your green this month! Happy Easter!

Too funny gk!
I can definitely empathize with the power of sweets after two days of Easter candy plus a slice of cake and some ice cream this weekend!! However, my problem really tends to be foods like meat and cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy. I also love spicy foods. I never want sweets when I am really hungry. I want "real" food. Sweets taste good to me after a meal but I am picky about which ones I want and like. And yes I realize how lucky I am for that!

It is funny that some people go for the cholesterol heavy foods, others are sweets addicts, and many are pasta/bread/potato fiends.

I ran 10k again today. Race is next Sunday. Glad to start a new month tomorrow. Three reds in March was not terrible, but I want to do better.

We just got back from a trip last night. Tracking No S compliance was impossible because we ate out most of the time. We did substitute healthy snacks in the hotel room at times in place of a regular meal because eating out 3 times a day is a lot.

We did a 10K in Bournemouth England on our trip that was a highlight for us. It feels so good to be fit at 57. I finished toward the back of the pack, but I would never have attempted the run pre No S! I did some running before no S but never did an organized run over 5 miles.

I also discovered that the British love their sweets! I could not believe the number of sweet shops!

Now I am going to try for no reds for the rest of the month.

Congrats on your 10K!

Britian has a lot of food problems which are clear if you've ever watched "You Are What You Eat." Their takeout food (like pork pies, etc.) is just scary looking (and this is coming from someone who loves takeout).

Very proud and happy for you for running that ten K at 57! I hope to do some 5 K's this summer with my young friend, me at age 58! Kudos and high fives to you

Wow r.jean, congrats on your 10K in the UK!! I am bowled over by your accomplishment. Being fit at 57 is awesome.

I'm slowly getting fitter (at 54) & hope I will be running 10K at 57! Lots of fit women on this BB for inspiration!

FIFTIES, FIT & FABULOUS!! You rock!

r.jean wrote:We did a 10K in Bournemouth England on our trip that was a highlight for us. It feels so good to be fit at 57. I finished toward the back of the pack, but I would never have attempted the run pre No S! I did some running before no S but never did an organized run over 5 miles.

Awesome job! What an accomplishment!!! I'm 41 and limping along with stretching tapes, and here, you're out there finishing a 10K at 57!! I hope to be as fit as you someday. Keep up the great work!!

Thanks everyone for the comments! It is always good to get feedback from others who can relate! For those of you who are interested in running, I recommend an article in the May 2013 issue of Runner's World that I just got in the mail. It is called The Starting Line, and it details five steps to starting running. Each step is a seven week program. They give you the first week of each step. You can also get the first 7 week program step online free and then they want $9.95 for the others. I found it interesting to read the steps and can make my own program based on their one week examples. The first 7 week step is mainly walking, and the second step is a combination of running and walking. I figure I am between the run nonstop (3) and the run longer (4) stages myself. The reason I found this so interesting is that it mirrors the steps I took when I started running again in my 50's after 25 years of not running. It has been a multi-year process. My longest organized run (attempt) was a half marathon last year that was shut down at mile 11 due to 90 degree heat. Due to the heat and a training injury that slowed me down, I had been walking a lot prior to the shutdown. My goal is to complete a half marathon this year.

Wow...hope that was not too much unwanted information?!

All green days since getting home. My S day treat so far today is one chocolate chip cookie from Subway. Yum. They have good cookies.

Not too much info... This is your thread! I will try to find the artical online. Sounds interesting.

Beautiful weather today! Finally!

I have been logging my S's on S days just to make sure I do not go hog wild. Yesterday I had the Subway cookie with lunch and 5 Oreos after supper. Today was an apple turnover with lunch and a generous supper. Everything I ate would have fit on my plate all at once, but I really did not need that extra slice of pizza that I went back for. I am not trying to keep myself from enjoying treats I truly want on S days. I am just trying to be aware.

How great that you included a 10K on your trip to England! Sounds like you had a wonderful time, and are back on track now that you are home.

I am joining you in your quest for no Reds for the rest of the month. Let's do it!

Monday was green for food and exercise (ran).
Tuesday was an NWS day. Took a day off for exercise too.
Wednesday was green for food and exercise.
Today I am green so far but want to eat now. It is too early for supper. I am trying to hold out.

Boy, I hope you made it!

Have a good weekend!

r.jean wrote: Today I am green so far but want to eat now. It is too early for supper. I am trying to hold out.

Welcome to the No"S" version of a cliffhanger!

Hehe! I made it on Friday. I realized I was exhausted after a couple of short nights, and I took a power nap. That also took care of the munchies. However, I am not happy with my weekend. If one could fail on a weekend, this would be it. Too much snacking and too many sweets. I demolished a large bag of peanut M&Ms. I think my husband ate some of them, but I ate a lot. I also had some chips and an ice cream sandwich. I feel pretty funky right now. I did exercise with a 5 mile run on Saturday and a couple miles of brisk walking on Sunday. I am actually glad it is Monday.

Good job on Friday, sorry the weekend wasn't how you would have wanted. But still, S days, right? It's those kind of S days that make Mondays a relief, actually.

Here's to a good week!

I just returned from a trip to New Mexico with husband and friends. I had plans to stick with No S because we were staying in a house and did not have to eat out all the time. WELL that did not work. We ate breakfast at home; we generally had a large mid-afternoon meal out which generally included beer and then we had munchy type food for supper. Not a stellar eating week. We were active and did lots of walking.

It is now May 1, and I am home and off running for the month of May.

Welcome Back!!!

Welcome back r.jean!

As they say, just mark it and move on. Here's to a green month of May

Thanks for the welcome back. I have not posted much due to a busy 2 weeks which included an out of town trip last weekend for a family event.

May has been green so far for food but with some indulgent meals. Exercise has been good. I have exercised everyday except one which I spent driving and then socializing with family. I played volleyball with a group at the Y on Thursday. We played for almost 2 hours and everyone was much more skilled than I am. They were very helpful with pointers, and I felt I got better as time went on. The best thing was that I was physically up to the challenge even though I am somewhat sore now. I hope to join this group regularly. Once again, I am so amazed at how much more fit I am than I was before No S.

The downside right now is the indulgent choices I am making in my food choices. I do not put out specific restrictions on myself in this area, but I feel better when I make better food choices. As someone once commented, eating unhealthy or indulgent food for every meal will still make you gain weight...even with No S. I love good home cooked non processed food, but I have been eating out too much and enjoying convenience food too much.

r.jean wrote:Once again, I am so amazed at how much more fit I am than I was before No S.

r.jean, you so totally nailed it with this comment! I totally agree.

Sometimes the biggest benefits are the ones No"S" completely surprises me with!! Really makes me realize it is the journey more so than the destination that counts for me with No"S"!

It is interesting that I adopted "the journey is the reward" as my signature quote after receiving a ring with this saying on it. The saying hit home considering where I am in life. However, I recently went to a museum exhibit on the development of computers (in Albuquerque) and saw the saying attributed to Steve Jobs (apple). This prompted me to look it up, and he wrote a book with this title. However, the saying is from a Chinese proverb, and Steve Jobs adopted it through his belief in Zen. Long story short, what I read reinforced my belief in this quote. When I look at where I am now and how I got here, there is no doubt that the journey is the reward!

I have now managed to kill an hour waiting until I can cook supper by doing busy work and posting on this site! I was really having some serious cravings, and I survived! Off to eat....

r.jean wrote:
Today I ate fine until a tasting party for supper. I tried to do a virtual plate, but I overdid it. I also tried some apple bread that was more like cake. RED! But not a horrible slip. No alcohol, only diet soda.

Hi r.jean,

Your statements in the quoted paragraph confuse me. Wouldn't this be an S day and not a bad N day? I am under the impression that we are to relax and ENJOY our S days. Do I have it wrong? Or maybe you're trying to do all N's and no S's? I thought we're encouraged to take some S days, at least now and then. I could be totally off; I haven't read the book yet, waiting for it to arrive.

The first six months of retirement can be rough, I say from experience! Retirement is one of the top causes of depression. Go easy on yourself.

You are right Klutzy...I could have called this an S day. However, I have a big circle of family and friends, and there always seems to be a special occasion. Therefore, I limit my Special S days to VERY special occasions. Learning to eat the No S way through some celebrations has been a key thing for me in my journey.

Retirement is another journey, and you are right that it is an adjustment. I have been fortunate though. My husband and I have gone on several trips, and I have been involved in some projects to keep me busy. I may get bored eventually but so far so good.

Thanks for the comments.

Ah, thanks for the clarification; I'm still a little shaky as to what I should or may do. So far I love it, though! Yes repeated special days of family and friend gatherings would be tough to deal with, but worth it!

Old habits resurface at the oddest times. Just when you think you have conquered evening overeating, there it is again. I was never a serious binge eater, but I was a permasnacker in the evening. Last night I came home from an activity and decided that I just HAD to have a snack. I fixed myself some guacamole and busted out the corn chips. I then made a good dent on a bag of peanut M&Ms that I was given on Mother's Day. The funny thing is that there was no reason for this to happen. I was not stressed or unhappy. It had been a beautiful day weather wise, and I enjoyed several outdoor activities. I also got some piled up tasks completed at home and was feeling pretty good about that. Also, I definitely was not hungry....only craving.

The beauty of No S is the learned ability to mark it and move on. So...this post is the marking it, and now I am moving on.

Other than this slip, the week has been green for both food and exercise.

I finished out the week okay but then had a pretty indulgent weekend. I have been trying to stay away from too many liquid calories, and I had none. However, I had too many sweets and junk. At this point, I am doing pretty well with the general rules, but food choice is still an issue.

I am not weighing myself, but I wonder if I have gained a little. I think I will weigh in on July 1 which will be the 2.5 year point. I am no longer obese but I am overweight (per BMI) and want to do something about it. I am happy with the more sane relationship I have with food, but I am ready to improve my habits further and need to take that step.

Green Monday to Thursday...Red on Friday. Over the top S days. I am not taking an S day for today!

Exercise is good. Did a 5k Saturday. It was hilly, cold and rainy. I was satisfied with my effort. Time 34:35

Green all week so far for food and exercise.
I always log my exercise. I currently shoot for 15 miles minimum of running each week; 1-2 times a week of volleyball (approx 1.5 hours each time); walking or doing WATP DVD on days off running, and an occasional day off of exercise.
I resist logging my food intake, but I am tracking it on my IPad right now. I have been technically compliant with No S most days for quite awhile, but I need focus on losing a little more weight. I am not obese but I am at the top of the overweight BMI range. I was satisfied with settling in at my current weight after losing 45 lbs, but I am no longer content and need to move on. I am working on habit changes surrounding what I put on my plate. As much as it pains me to do it, writing things down does help. It makes me accountable. We will see how long I maintain the habit. I do not expect it to be a habit forever, but it would be good to do it for a few weeks (or maybe months) and then re-evaluate.

I am feeling good. I have tracked my food intake on my IPAD for a whole week...probably a record for me. It was hard to write down my intake on Friday and Saturday. We had a Friday wedding out of town to attend and stayed Friday night in a hotel and did more family visiting on Saturday. I think that the fact that I had to write down what I ate kept me from going whole hog on every meal and treat, but there were still a lot of calories consumed. I am going to treat Sunday (today) as an N day since I had these two generous S days already.

I also feel good after doing a 7 mile run this morning and kept my average pace under 12 minute miles. (I walk intervals which keeps the pace up but I am concentrating on distance.)

I am optomistic about my quest to start losing weight again rather than just maintaining.

I ended up with an S day yesterday after all. I had some wine and ate dinner late and made homemade french fries with the meal. These factors contributed to a return for seconds on one of my favorite food items. I do not care that much for french fries unless they are fresh and homemade, but I love them homemade. This sort of felt like a RED day because I had decided to try to keep Sunday green due to the NWS day on Friday for the wedding; however, it was really just an S day.

Monday and Tuesday were green but Wednesday was red. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was up about 3 hours past my bedtime and had a post midnight sandwich and M&Ms. I had eaten supper early and was hungry and stressed. I could have chosen the sandwich and skipped the candy though!

Exercise continues to be daily although some days are more mild. Fitness gains are gradual, and I am cautious about doing too much. I have learned at my age that slow is better.

I have been keeping a food log since late May, and as much as I hate it, it is helpful. It is making me accountable. It is making me take a look at everything I consume. I am working on more healthy food choices as a result. I do not see myself keeping it up forever, but it is useful for now.

I already keep an exercise log in my calendar and exercise continues to go well.

Hopefully these changes will help me start losing weight again. Maintenance is great, but I would like to lose some more.

I have not been posting much, but I have continued to lurk and read. I am also continuing the No S lifestyle, and I am trying to improve my food choices. I have some additional motivation to get back on the losing track rather than the maintenance track due to a wedding coming up in a few months. I will see so many people that I have not seen in a long time.

Exercise continues be regular with running, walking, volleyball, etc. However, I need to add some shovelglove. I am also experimenting with standing more rather than sitting during certain tasks.

Packed plates and poor food choices continue to be an issue at times, but I am eating out less and reducing my meal size at some meals.

I am continuing to improve on my food choices this month, and exercise is consistent. However, I still need to add some weights. I have a sledgehammer but do not seem to be able to establish the habit.

Starting today, I am going to shoveglove 5 minutes a day for 30 days. After that I will transition to 10 minutes.

I forgot to do shovel glove yesterday. A failure on the second day of my 30 day shovel glove self challenge. Grrrrrr!

Exercise continues to be good, and I have remembered my shovel glove since the slip up on Saturday. However, I sometimes seem to use the extra exercise as an excuse to overindulge on food. I rarely have a red day, but I eat out more than I should and over fill my plates at times.

I have started to weigh myself again, and I am slightly above my maintenance weight. It is more of a 2-3 lb fluctuation than a gain. I want to stabilize at my maintenance weight by August 1 and start to lose more. (In review, I lost 45 lbs in 2011 in my first year of No S. Since then I have settled into a No S pattern of eating which has maintained that loss, but I have not lost the next 25 lbs. which I need to achieve a healthy BMI of 24.9. Up until now, I was pretty happy with the 45 lb. loss. I have exercised a lot and have firmed up.) Now..with an important wedding coming up in January, I am on a quest to lose the last 25 lbs. This will require a loss of about 5 lbs per month until the end of the year. I have never set weight loss goals before on No S, but this is important enough to me to do it. Wish me luck!

You are so consistent with exercise! I know you can do it!!

I ran a 7 mile race last weekend on a whim...at the last minute. It is a local race (but also nationally known) that I have never run because it is always too hot with too many people and too many hills. We had unseasonably cool weather this past week so I signed up. I completed the race in 1:24:31. I was the last to finish in our family group but was happy with this time because this is a tough race, and I was only one minute behind another person in our group who is a 33 year old male. (I am 57 and female.)

On the down side, why can I not manage to do 5 minutes of shovel glove a day? I really need to add some weight work but am having a hard time establishing the habit.

Weekly update.
Once again exercise is good with the exception of shovel glove. I ran, walked, played volleyball, etc. However, I only did shovel glove once for 7 minutes. Today starts a new week and I am not giving up.

Food was a disaster with a family reunion this weekend. Two days of disordered eating and one of those days with a fair amount of liquid calories. The rest of the week was okay but nothing spectacular. The goal remains to improve on my food choices.