Katie's Daily Check-In

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 3:05 pm

Hey everyone,

I'm back. You may remember me from when I got started in September 2009. I didn't fail a single time for about 9 months, when my aunt bought me an ice cream cone without knowing I was on No-S. I ate it.
Turns out I really can't stand FAILURE, so whenever I fail, I do mods to allow this particular kind of failing in the future. For example, after this FAIL, I allowed myself three S-events a weeks, which was too few, so a few months later I went to six (I lost a ton of weight in that time though; at one point, I got down to 101 lb at my height of 5' 2"), which turned out to be too many because I got too used to it and freaked out when I couldn't have all of them in one week. After all this tweaking, I fell off the wagon big time, especially because of the approaching finals and the stress that came with them. I gained about 10 lb during this time. So I went from my feel-good weight of 110 lb up to 120. After finals, I left to volunteer in Bulgaria, which was also stressful, and gained another 10 lb. My all-time (measured) high was 136 lb, I believe.
When I came back to Germany and started uni, I thought I could do it this time. Well... turns out I couldn't. It went pretty well compared to the time of finals and Bulgaria, though, and I got my weight down to about 125 lb, meaning I lost about half about what I want to (my goal weight is 110 - 115 lb). Thing is... I'm slipping off again. I thought fasting would be a good re-start point, and it was, but only until I was stressed with finding an apartment again. Monday and Tuesday were FAIL days the week before last, and the entire last week ended up red as well.
So now I'm doing this properly. I hope this post will give me accountability and allow me to actually stay on track.
And now the TL;DR version:
- I want to do No S properly, with less than three NWS days/failures per month.
- I want to get my weight in the 110 - 115 lb range.
- I want to feel calm, healthy and in control while doing this.
I'll have to start slow, with the famous 21 days.

March 18: SUCCESS
March 19: SUCCESS
March 20: SUCCESS
March 21: FAILURE
March 22: FAILURE
March 23: S Day
March 24: S Day
1. March 25: SUCCESS
2. March 26: SUCCESS 131.2 lb
3. March 27: NWS Day (N day + seconds and dessert at Chinese buffet) 130.1 lb
4. March 28: NWS Day (N day + piece of cake)
5. March 29: SUCCESS
6. March 30: S Day
7. March 31: S Day
8. April 1: SUCCESS
9. April 2: SUCCESS
10. April 3: SUCCESS
11. April 4: SUCCESS
12. April 5: SUCCESS
13. April 6: S Day
14. April 7: S Day
15. April 8: SUCCESS
16. April 9: SUCCESS
17. April 10: NWS Day (N day + crÃªpes at a friend's place) 128.7 lb
18. April 11: SUCCESS 129.4 lb
19. April 12: SUCCESS 128.1 lb
20. April 13: S Day 126.1 lb
21. April 14: S Day

I hope you guys can give me some encouragement and beat me up (verbally) if I stray.
And a last note: I know I'm not dangerously obese or anything; in fact, my current weight is in the "normal" BMI range. This is not so much about losing weight as it is about sanity. I loved the simplicity No S gave me when it worked; I want that clear, effortless black-and-white thinking back.

Thanks for reading and have a nice Sunday!
Katie

Strawberry Roan · Post by **Strawberry Roan** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 5:58 pm

Welcome back, Katie.

I certainly will support you but not "beat you up". I have actually been here since 08, couldn't log into that account for some reason a few years ago so have a new date. I got so into the no snacks, no sweets, no seconds thing that I lost way too much weight (looked old, not healthy at all), then ate more, gained it back, lost it back but not as much, etc. etc.

Finally have it all figured out, for me - just forget the weekend stuff and try to eat right and exercise every day. Gained a few pounds over the holidays but easily lost it when I, well - went back to eating right and exercising.

When I fall below goal weight, I just add more of the healthy foods, not junk.

Hope to chat with you more.

To your health,

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 11:04 pm

Hey Berry!

Thanks for the support! You're right about that -- I don't need anyone else to beat me up; I already do that pretty well myself

And thank you for sharing your story. I'll make sure to share some of mine in the future, too (and not get embarrassed and stop posting when I fail, as I did in the past).
Some more things you guys might want to know about me: I've been a Christian for about 12 months, a vegetarian for 9, and a med student for 6. I plan on being these for a long time (med school lasts another 5 - 6 years, the rest for the rest of my life, hopefully).
The clock just struck twelve -- my first N day has begun. Have a good one, guys!

Katie

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 11:44 pm

Katie! So good to see you back here! I was so happy to see a thread with your name

You're posts were always soooo inspiring.

Anyways, I wish you tons of luck in this as you work through med school (congrats btw). I also have sort of fallen off the wagon and am trying desperately to figure out what kind of diet I should be on. I mean, I know I should commit to three meals, but I'm also now looking into this from a nutrition standpoint as I'm suffering from infertility and wondering what effect diet might have.

Well, I'll pop in regularly. See you around!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:34 pm

Sinnie, thanks for your post! I'll make sure to check out your thread and pray for you and your fertility issues. I wish you good luck with your diet, too!

Today has been a SUCCESS thus far. I had muesli with milk for breakfast and drank a cup of prune juice along with it (yeah, I have intestinal issues). At work, I ran around all the time, but I did sit down and drank a glass of water a few times; I even took the time for a cup of tea with sweetener.
For lunch, I had a slice of bread (a really good one, too, my mom bought it at a really nice bakery yesterday) with curd cheese (well, it's really quark , but that doesn't seem too well-known in the US) and sliced tomatoes, and an apple.
As always, I'd gotten really hungry by the time I got home, which is always a dangerous time for me as there's still an hour left until dinner. Apparently, someone in my family bought this kind of sweet we get pretty rarely, and I rather like it -- also a danger zone. But I put those sweets in the cupboard and had a glass of 100 % OJ to fight the hunger. We'll see what we'll have for dinner... maybe potatoe pancakes and apple sauce.

I've also been thinking a lot about No S today and come to the conclusion I've been pretty hard on myself lately. This might also have been a reason why I failed so often and could never stick to the diet. I always had the same breakfast (half a cup muesli, half a cup milk), then lunch at our uni's cafeteria, then a slice of bread with quark and tomatoes and an apple for dinner. Don't get me wrong, I like all of these things, it was just that I felt I'd already failed if I so much as had an extra yogurt to go with my dinner. Now I'll just stick to three meals a day and not restrict too much otherwise. It's better for me to eat a little more on N days and actually stick to No S than to really restrict and fall off the wagon again and again. My goal now is just to maintain my weight (stay below 57 kg, or 126.7 lb) for the next 21 days. Oh, I'll also make sure to get myself nicer treats on S days -- not just the cheap stuff. It's better to have three small awesome treats than five huge bags of crappy stuff.

EDIT: Ended up having two vegetable/potatoe pancakes, an apple and a cup (quite literally a coffee cup) with plain yogurt and homemade strawberry marmalade mixed in. Yum!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Mar 19, 2013 5:45 pm

Had pretty much the same food as yesterday, except for dinner, which was pasta with tomato sauce (organic!) and an apple. Otherwise, everything went pretty normal... I had to do some resisting when I walked home after work and was confronted with all the nice foods, but I'm used to that already. Tonight, we're going to see a play

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Mar 20, 2013 4:33 pm

Breakfast and lunch were the same as usual (except the bread wasn't quite that awesome). I didn't get drink a lot at work today, didn't even have tea; I'll have to make that up later. Dinner had better be good. My willpower muscle is exhausted. Why?
- today was my last day at work and nobody really acknowledged it (I got 10 â‚¬ in a thank-you card, but that was it)
- because it was my last day, I brought a really awesome cake (think this http://www.gragger.at/xedosug13/sesDeL- ... detail.jpg) which I baked with my mom -- and I couldn't eat any of it!
- it was my grandma's 75th birthday and she had some people over for cake and offered me some (her big celebration is on Sunday, which is why I didn't make it an S day)

After work, I already bought some S food for the weekend, because I'll be on the road then. I'll have to do my best to forget about that until Saturday

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:50 pm

Free day (sort of) today! Had the usual breakfast at 9:20 am, then lunch at my grandma's. I brought my own food (two slices of buttered, salted bread, an apple, a cup of yogurt with jam mixed in) because I don't eat meat, but she had already prepared two boiled eggs and some cucumber and tomato slices for me (is she suggesting I try Atkins?). I sliced the eggs, put them on my bread, and saved the veggies for dinner.
Today was also pretty hard for me and my willpower. I baked some Nussecken (http://data2.blog.de/media/759/1162759_ ... dae_m.jpeg) and couldn't even try one because it's an N day. But I distributed a broken one among my family and they rather liked it. The chocolate on them is currently drying.
The S food I already bought is in fact an extra incentive to stay Green today. I know that if I gave in and had just a tiny corner of a Nussecke, I'd eat one whole bag of cookies or something because it's available. So I don't. I just wait for dinner.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:58 pm

Scratch that. I just had three-quarters of a cookie box (150 g, or 5.3 oz). I feel like a total failure, which is kind of ironic, because I did this because I already felt like one. Now I feel even more useless. Great.

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:17 pm

I know this doesn't mean much right now but I also went off my plan tonight. I just started feeling too restricted. And stressed. And it led to snacking. I know how you feel. Just remember we can re-start right now. Don't have anything else. Resume No S immediately and just wait until the next meal. This is just a mere blip. Keep going. I'm with ya.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:30 pm

Thanks, Sinnie. Unfortunately, I kept eating after those cookies (to be brutally precise, I ate the rest of the cookies, six out of nine Kinder country bars, two Nussecken, the Schaumkuss I'd mentioned Monday and a tiny square of white chocolate). I'm done now. I started a HabitCal for March. Turns out I have one more red N day than I have green N days. If I'd stayed green today, it'd be the other way around.
The good news is I finished the presentation I was so anxious about and also feel better about all the studying I have to do. Turns out the consequences in case of failure are minimal.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:04 am

Wasn't even hungry for breakfast today, but had the usual anyway as my mom had prepared some for me and I thought I should just do a regular N day, no matter what happened yesterday. I'll be at a seminar later this evening and for most of the weekend -- see you later!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:35 am

To say it with Britney Spears -- oops, I did it again. Just ate the remaining three chocolate bars. Not even sure why. Sigh...

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:58 am

Me too. Misery loves company?
It's Friday morning, I'm totally unmotivated, but going to try damn hard not to binge again.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:59 pm

Well, I ate some chocolate rice cakes (100 g), then brushed my teeth and have stayed green since. It didn't even occur to me to sample my brother's cake (he got his driver's license today) or snack on anything else

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:48 pm

Guess what? I actually didn't have anything else the rest of Friday, and it wasn't even too hard.
On Saturday, I felt pretty bad health-wise, with a stomachache, headache and an upset digestive system... I only had a cup of milk and a bread roll with jam for breakfast, a handful of cookies in between and a Sprite. For lunch, I wasn't hungry at all, just had a small portion of fries. For coffee, there was some nice cake (I was more hungry then) and I had a few small pieces. Dinner was half a bread roll with butter; afterwards, I had a piece of chocolate and a Nussecke (which was too much... felt sick afterwards). Wow, there've been N days when I ate less! I even had a chocolate bar with me and didn't even start it! But I drank too little, I think.
Today, I felt better and was thus able to eat more, but still not as much as on regular S days. Breakfast was a bread roll with scrambled eggs and a piece of yeast pastry along with two cups of warm milk, then a few cookies and an organic soda (Bionade) later. Lunch was potatoes, tomatoes and a vegetarian steak (tofu, presumably). I ended up opening the chocolate bar after all, but only had like an ounce. Then it was my grandma's birthday and I ate some cake.

EDIT: Later had a little more dry cake (pie? I'll never get the difference) and a bowl of cornflakes, then a few pretzels before bed.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:21 pm

Today was pretty easy. Had the usual breakfast, then a slice of bread with a fried egg, an apple and half a cup of yogurt with berries mixed in for lunch, and pasta with tomato sauce and an apple for dinner.

MJ7910 · Post by **MJ7910** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:17 pm

sounds like a nice simple day. sometimes those are the best.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:07 am

Definitely, MJ. Let's hope this will be another one!

Felt like weighing in today, so I did. Before I stepped on the scale, I told myself I'd be happy with anything < 60 kg, but when it said 59.5 kg, I still wasn't too happy. It's not surprising, though, with all those red days I've had this month.

Breakfast as usual, though I think I'll skip the prune juice in the future (thought it didn't do anything for my digestion in the beginning -- turns out it does). Am now drinking plenty of heavily diluted juice (think two sips of juice with a pint of water on top).

Oh, and my cousin's getting married this summer, so being at least kinda-sorta skinny then is gonna be a good incentive to me to stay on plan

Lunch was three potato pancakes with a cup of yogurt with jam mixed in (I really like yogurt this way! Don't think I'll buy the sweet fruit-based kind again). I've been guesstimating calories in my head for today -- bad idea, though I'm only at like 630 kcal. Don't want diet head to get the best of me.

Dinner was a bagel with sesame seeds on which I spread butter and sprinkled some oregano because why not? Had a mug of milk and an apple along with it.

I realize I'm eating too much starch and dairy at the moment, but that'll change once I get back to uni in the beginning of April and eat the healthy cafeteria food (not even being sarcastic).

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:02 am

My birthday's tomorrow! I'm leaving pretty early for another seminar, though, so I'm going out to eat with my grandparents today. Not sure whether I'll have seconds at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet thingy where we're going (I tried to have everyone go to a non-buffet establishment; you think they listened to me? Naah.) or not. It's kinda-sorta my birthday celebration and I likely won't have any Ss tomorrow, but if I'm already full after one plate... we'll see.

Weighed in at exactly 59 kg (130.1 lb) today. Had muesli with milk again, but cherry/apple juice instead of prune.

EDIT: Ended up eating an appetizer (three tiny spring rolls), a meal, seconds and thirds. Also, two small scoops of ice cream for dessert. Not proud of myself, but it was a planned S day and that's it. I'll still not eat anything until dinner because why should I?

EDIT No. 2: Ended up having a bowl of cornflakes with milk and a tiny apple (seriously, those are minuscule) for dinner. Resisting sweets wasn't that hard.

KL · Post by KL » Wed Mar 27, 2013 2:41 pm

Hi Anoulie,

Happy Birthday! I'm returning to No S after a 6 month hiatus. Feels so good to get back into the habit. We've a lot in common. I'm a Christian, and a vegetarian/vegan - but not a med student! And I've lived all over Europe - but in the States now.

Keep focusing on a meal at a time. The future belongs to God

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:49 pm

Happy Birthday my No S buddy!!!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:16 pm

Thanks, you guys! Tomorrow will be my "real" birthday, and my mom's currently making a little cake (like, tea-plate-sized) and I'm contemplating whether or not to take another S event tomorrow morning. Considering I only had an S event for lunch today and didn't graze all day, that shouldn't be too bad, but I'm not sure... thoughts?

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:22 pm

I think that if it's your birthday, and people are making a fuss (taking you out to dinner, baking a cake etc) it's totally acceptable to take an S event for that. I mean, it's still not bordering unreasonable with two events. How I see it, if I'll binge or overeat regularly on my own but not take special events like this, there's really no point to any of it. By cutting down on the daily indulgences we make room for such things!! Just my 2 cents

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:35 pm

Good reasoning, Sinnie; that really makes sense. To me, an NWS day shouldn't be like a regular one where I just eat whatever (candy, mostly), but should be for the special occasion only (like if I'm going to a party in the evening and taking a NWS day for that, I won't start the day with a Snickers). And these two days are totally compatible with that idea.

So today it was:
Breakfast -- muesli with milk, juice
Lunch -- Chinese buffet (with seconds), dessert (sweet)
Dinner -- cornflakes with milk, apple

And tomorrow it'll be:
Breakfast -- a bread roll or something with a piece of birthday cake
Lunch -- TBD
Dinner -- TBD

Compared to weekends (also two S days), that's nothing calory-wise.

KL · Post by KL » Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:58 am

The way I see it is the whole purpose of this woe is that we start to learn to develop new behaviors around food. One of those new behaviors is to celebrate sometimes and enjoy it - especially on birthdays!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:44 am

And thus it was. Breakfast was a buttered bread roll with a cup of yogurt with strawberry puree and a cup of milk. I had a piece of cake with another cup of milk as a kind of dessert.

I really would have liked to just keep eating -- another bread roll, two more pieces of cake, some of the candy I'd gotten for my birthday -- but that would have felt like a Failure to me. Besides, the weekend starts in less than 48 hours, so why eat that stuff now when I can just have it later without any guilt? (Yes, I feel very mature and responsible now that I'm 20.)

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:10 pm

haha good for you Katie! Well done

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:35 pm

Thanks, Sinnie. I'm glad to report I've stayed green the past week. Enjoyed my S days, but am also glad to be N again. Can't say super exactly what I ate at the convention where I was Thursday through Sunday, but it wasn't that good (except for Sunday), maybe because I'm a vegetarian and there weren't a lot of us and the meatless alternatives kind of sucked. Oh well.

Monday:
B - muesli, milk
L - Pizza Margherita, apple
D - muesli, milk (too lazy to cook)

Tuesday:
B - muesli, milk
L - pasta with lots of vegetables, apple
D - two slices of bread with curd cheese and tomatoes, banana

Wednesday:
B - muesli, milk
L - broccoli "steak", pasta, apple
D - two slices of bread with curd cheese and tomatoes, banana

KL · Post by KL » Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:27 pm

Yes, sometimes meals are just mediocre - especially if you are at a public venue. Good news is that you have many more meals to experience and enjoy

Good job in staying focused

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:24 am

Weighed in at 58.7 kg today (129.4 lb). A weight loss of less than a pound, but one that puts me in the 120s

B - muesli, milk
L - two pieces of baked feta cheese, pasta, apple
D - two slices of bread with curd cheese and tomatoes, banana

Seems I have almost the same meals every day -- but I enjoy them. I love starting my days with muesli, I like going to the cafeteria with my friends, and I like defrosting bread so it's all nice and warm when I spread the curd cheese on it and put the sliced tomatoes on top. Sure, I'll have to make sure not to get to rigid in that, or it'll lead to a failure -- if I feel like two warm meals some day, sure, why not? If I want a yogurt with my muesli in the morning, I'll have it. Being too strict is what led me off-plan in the first place. Consistency is key. If I keep losing half a pound a week, I'll be at my goal weight by early 2014. So what if it takes a year? I gained that weight over a span of over two years; if I can get it off in half that time, it's awesome. As long as I can stay on program and keep losing, even slowly, I'll be happy.

EDIT: Ugh, I'm getting sick. Have a sore throat, which for me usually means "Hey, a cold is coming on". Already took six tablets against that today, which means I'm not allowed any more... I'm also running out, so I'll get some new ones tomorrow, possibly. Also feel kinda bloated, heavier than at 135 lb

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:19 pm

Weighed in at 128.1 lb today. Still feeling sick, but less bloated, despite my less-than-healthy meal choice at lunch today.

B -- muesli, milk
L -- vegetarian burger with lettuce, ketchup, mustard, and fries
D -- slice of bread with curd cheese and tomatoes, apple

Only a week left till the completion of my 21 days! That's gonna be a hard one, though, and the one after that, too -- uni still hasn't really started, and when my little faith circle (dunno what you'd call it) meets, we always have lots of sweets. We'll see.

KL · Post by KL » Fri Apr 05, 2013 11:24 pm

Anoulie wrote: Consistency is key. If I keep losing half a pound a week, I'll be at my goal weight by early 2014. So what if it takes a year? I gained that weight over a span of over two years; if I can get it off in half that time, it's awesome. As long as I can stay on program and keep losing, even slowly, I'll be happy.

Yes, yes and yes

You're doing awesome

Hope you feel better soon

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:36 am

Thanks, KL

My cold is slightly better, but now it's that TOM and I feel awful. Yay for ibuprofen and heat pads!

So far today, I only ate medicine and some Yogurette (chocolate bars with strawberry yogurt filling... yum). There's still a lot of candy left from Easter/my birthday and I bought a small bag of chips (like 4 oz) and I plan on having some pasta with vegetarian bolognese sauce for lunch.

Weighed in today; weight stayed the same (likely due to the burger

). Maintenance is progress!

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:00 am

Hey Katie, you are doing so great. I agree about maintenance being progress for sure!! Just curious, what changed you to become vegetarian? How's it going? I used to be very inclined towards vegetarianism. Love reading your thread!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:38 am

Hey Sinnie! About being a vegetarian -- I started last June/July. I'd wanted to be one for a long time (I've always loved animals -- living ones), but I've always been picky when it comes to sauce/condiments, cheese and vegetables. That changed when I lived in Bulgaria and was introduced to some awesome new dishes featuring feta cheese and veggies. Their tomatoes are amazing. I started liking feta cheese first, then regular cheese sprinkled on stuff (still couldn't eat a slice of cheese on a sandwich, but on pizza etc. it's fine). So then I started thinking about becoming a vegetarian again, especially after a vegetarian-kinda-vegan friend visited me and seemed so happy with what she was doing.
My reasons are ethical (who gave us the right to eat animals? Adam and Eve were vegans before the thing with the snake; also, animals are freakin' adorable), economical (producing meat is much more expensive and uses up way more resources than producing plants) and health-ish (I would still be a meat-and-potatoes kinda girl if not for vegetarianism).
And it's going pretty well. I don't even really consider meat a food anymore. Okay, sometimes, when the vegetarian alternatives suck (or there are none, like, "just eat the side dishes!" WTF?), I sometimes still wish I could just have a hot dog, or if I'm out and looking for a meal to-go that's not a) sweet (I'm doing No S, remember?

), b) composed of all cheese or starch (like fries) or c) containing meat. But generally, vegetarian meals are awesome! Our cafeteria at college always has three meal choices, and one (usually the cheapest) is always vegetarian. That's way better than, "How do I make [dish with meat] vegetarian? What kind of substitute can I use?" I don't get those fake-meat thingies like tofu steaks. If I want a steak, I'll have one, and then I'd rather have a real one than one of those fake cardboardy thingies. But some vegetarians like those, especially when they're new to the whole thing.
I was gonna say something else, but now I'm lost... uh. Yeah. Have a nice weekend

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:28 pm

Good for you, all those reasons you listed are very true and I have thought the same way many times. I'm a huge animal lover and as a little kid thought I really shouldn't be eating them! Do you ever eat beans as a substitute? Cheap, filling and healthy

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:10 pm

Yeah, I really like beans (okay, depends on the kind -- kidney beans (?) are fine, but those long-ish green ones... I don't like them that much). Usually don't eat them by themselves, but in a stew or something, they're super delicious. I love love love Chili con carne sin carne

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:34 pm

Hi Anoulie, I am enjoying reading your thread & wish you well at university.

I am not a vegetarian but tend to eat like one a lot of the time since we don't have a reliable supply of good meat (but excellent fish) where I live.

I eat a lot of beans but also eat a lot of lentils, couscous, quinoa and polenta. All of which are quick/easy cooking, tasty, loaded with all sorts of nutrients and some are even high in protein! All go really well with hot/cold veggies and tomato based or other sauces, and also pair well with various cheeses.

I made a fabulous vegetarian tex-mex black bean spicy meatless dish that was seriously good - maybe took 6 minutes of chopping & spicing and half an hour of simmering. Ate off that pot for days!

You sure can eat really well (& healthy) without making meat the focus of your meals.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 4:20 pm

Things I ate this weekend:

a little over a litre of milk
three apples
a serving of bruschetta
a piece of dry cake
a salty bread roll
orange juice with water
candy

Things I ate today:
muesli with milk
potato thingies with mushroom sauce and rice, some salad
a glass of milk with honey at a cafÃ© with friends
slice of bread with curd cheese, tomatoes and an apple

KL · Post by KL » Mon Apr 08, 2013 7:44 pm

I would like to chime in on the veggie discourse! I love being a vegetarian. It does take a little planning to eat in a balanced way because it can be really easy to load up on junk and frankenfood. Personally I'm very satisfied eating simply. Recently I started eating more protein in the form of seeds and nuts (chia, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, almonds, walnut, cashews). I was eating lots of beans before - which didn't always agree with me.

Especially black beans (sorry No BS! I've wanted to try your black bean cake but know what the results would be)

Anoulie - your meals always sound yummy

And it's so good to know that your uni provides a veggie meal option.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:12 am

Thanks, KL! I'm really glad about my uni offering specifically vegetarian meals, too

Had muesli and milk for breakfast today, lunch was spaghetti with tomato sauce and veggies and a few bites of an apple (for some reason, it was all mealy and disgusting), dinner will be a social event, and I'm not sure what kind of food they'll have, but I'm sure I'll manage.

EDIT: Had two pieces of soft bread (like Turkish flatbread or whatever you'd call it), some carrot sticks, apple slices and clementine pieces. Wasn't a lot, but I wasn't too hungry either (still kinda sick).

Tomorrow (or at least the evening tomorrow) will be an S day, too, as I'm invited to a friend's house. She just moved in there and that's why she's celebrating. The entire plan is to make waffles, so it'd be weird if I didn't participate in the main activity. Besides, I really like waffles.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:33 am

Weight yesterday: 128.7 lb

Breakfast was muesli and milk, lunch was really oily spaghetti (why, cafeteria?) with sliced veggies and an apple, dinner was several crÃªpes (two big ones and two small ones, I believe, with cherries, cinnamon, nutella, honey and marmalade on top in various combinations), as well as a few grapes and knock-off Oreo cookies afterwards. 'Twas fun though.

Weight today: 129.4 lb (unsurprisingly)

Breakfast was muesli and milk, lunch was vegetarian... uh... that doesn't really exist in America... well it's like tortellini but huge. Like each piece is almost palm-sized. And filled with veggie paste, sorta. And some croquettes along with it. And an apple. Gave one of the noodle bags (lol) to my friend, 'cause I was full. Dinner was the usual.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:02 am

Today's weight is 128.7 lb once again.

I think I need to adjust my N-day calorie intake -- I work out far less than I did last semester (live a lot closer to campus now).

Well, anyhow, breakfast was the usual muesli with milk, lunch was three potato pancakes (well, more like 2 2/3, felt too full to finish) with some apple sauce. Feel like having something different tonight, probably a bread roll (buttered and salted) with an apple.

Already did my S day shopping -- it's way more than usual for some reason

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Apr 13, 2013 7:27 am

Weight today's 126.1 lb! Don't know how I did that, but woohoo!

Maybe it's a reward for completing my 21 days of green/yellow No-S-ing.

Eeyore · Post by **Eeyore** » Sat Apr 13, 2013 12:54 pm

Wow!!! I'm so inspired by your posts!!! Can't wait til I've been in 21 Days.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 2:39 pm

Ate a lot of stuff this weekend. Anyway, back to green days!

Skipped breakfast -- still felt really full -- then had some kind of spring rolls and potatoes with an apple fpr lunch. Barbecue for dinner.

EDIT: Well, f*ck. Was already in mental failure mode starting at 5 pm or so, but had a normal plate of dinner (loads of salad, some pieces of cucumber, two slices of bell pepper, piece of French bread, piece of honey melon). Then, someone offered me my favorite candy, like, ever

and already being in failure mode, as I said, I ate it. Not too bad, it just has 118 kcal. Then, however, I ate a few more slices of French bread with garlic butter (those are delicious, though, to be fair). Still kinda alright. Then I got home, however, finished off the three chocolate-covered rice cakes I had left from the weekend, and am currently in the process of eating a box of chocolates (4 oz).

To a better day tomorrow.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 3:37 pm

Had my usual breakfast today, but in a small bowl instead of a soup plate!

Lunch was yummy -- two breaded pieces of camembert cheese with cranberry sauce, a small bread roll, and some pasta. Had an apple with me, but decided to save it for dinner.

Dinner as usual.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:34 pm

Weight today: 128.7 lb (same as last Wednesday)

Had my usual breakfast;lunch was vegetarian tortelli that were green for some reason (spinach) and some kind of potatoe dumplings. Feel like I'm on an all-carb diet

Dinner was a potluck. I put a piece of bruschetta on my plate, along with two pieces of French bread with garlic butter (what a coincidence), two tiny (meaning like an inch in diameter) pizza rolls, three carrot sticks and three strawberry slices. Again, lots of carbs! Woohoo!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:59 pm

Weight today: 127.9 lb (way less than last Thursday)

Had my usual breakfast; lunch was a kind of pastry filled with mushroom, a serving of fries and an apple. Didn't finish the pastry, as it was kind of gross. Dinner's gonna be the usual.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 1:19 pm

Weight today: 127.4 lb

Breakfast as usual; for lunch, I had a rice/veggie dish with some onion rings on top and a banana.

Went for a nap around 5:30 pm, woke up at 9 completely disoriented (one of my first thoughts was actually if I could get up and have a sweet yet), realized I hadn't eaten dinner yet, but also realized I wasn't hungry in the least. Thought about just getting a yogurt or something, but I don't think that would be good for me, habit-wise.

For my S days, I've got tortilla chips, waffles, chocolate-covered cookies, some kind of gelatine-free spaghetti worms, and cereal-milk-chocolate bars. I'm excited!

Tomorrow, I'll be at a kind of seminar (first aid training) where we won't get anything to eat all day (I think it'll end around 3 pm), so I think I'll take some chocolate bars, a cup of yogurt, an apple and maybe some bread, curd cheese in a small container, and a tomato? I'd have to take a sharp knife, too, or maybe I can cut the tomato in advance at home? How complicated to make a sandwich if you don't eat meat and don't like cheese!

bjalda · Post by **bjalda** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 8:18 pm

Hey Anoulie! You are back too! I remember you because you were one of the younger ones (and also from Germany?). Well I wish you all the best this time, it looks good so far, doesn't it?

I am a little bit like you when it comes to perfect compliance to a diet and giving up if you allow yourself one little mistake. In my idealist world a failure just MAY NOT happen (otherwise there is something wrong with the plan!!), that's why I am also continuously reconsidering the diet-plans I make in my head.

Hope we will both last longer this time! Have a good weekend.
bjalda

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:32 pm

Yes, I'm back, and hopefully here to stay.

Weight today: 127.0 lb

I ate
a bowl of muesli with milk as usual
some chocolate-cereal bars
some choolate-covered cookies
some tortilla chips
a chocolate croissant
a bread roll made from pretzel dough (like a soft pretzel in a round form)
a small serving of strawberry yogurt
an apple
two scoops of ice cream
milk

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 7:06 pm

Today, I ate
some chocolate-cereal bars
some tortilla chips
a small serving of strawberry yogurt
an apple
a hot chocolate
some jelly worms
a serving of fries
a jelly donut
waffles

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:03 pm

Didn't weigh in today, but here's what I ate:

Breakfast -- muesli, milk
Lunch -- two thirds of a Pizza Margherita (I'm getting better at not finishing my plate!)
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese, tomato, small cup of yogurt

Might make tomorrow an NWK S day (I still have one left for the month), but probably not. I'll be meeting my bible study group and they always bring a bunch of sweets. On the other hand, we'll likely get together once a week in the future, and I don't want to get in the habit of making this an exception every time. I hope to get below 57 kg (125.7 lb) this week. That'd be cool. But in order to do that, I shouldn't take any extra Ss, I suppose

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:28 pm

Breakfast -- muesli, milk
Lunch -- some vegetable nuggets (that's what they called them, but it was really just broccoli, potatoes and breading), croquettes, apple
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese, tomato, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:11 pm

My bible study group was really disappointing and I just downloaded a list of all the things we have to know for our next test in three weeks and I'm trying to push it all to the back of my mind so I don't suffer a nervous breakdown and I'd definitely eat emotionally right now if I had sweets in the house. The good thing is -- I don't. I'm taking a shower and going to bed.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:31 pm

Breakfast -- muesli, milk
Lunch -- vegetarian lasagna, serving of pasta, apple
Dinner -- slice of bread with butter and cinnamon, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 6:23 am

Weight today was up compared to last Thursday, at 127.8 lb. I'm pretty sure it's (attention, TMI) because I'm constipated. I'll get a fiber supplement tomorrow.

Breakfast -- muesli, milk
Lunch -- bulgur with tomato sauce, samosas
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese, tomato, apple

Got a "mild laxative", but it had literally no effect and I think I'll start eating my muesli with probiotic yogurt from now on.

EDIT: mixed up two numbers, weight wasn't actually up, constipation still sucks

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Apr 26, 2013 6:22 am

Weight is up: 128.5 lb

Awesome.

Definitely buying this miraculous yogurt. Turns out it's not just supported by anecdotal evidence; I actually found a study on the matter!

Breakfast -- muesli, milk
Lunch -- egg roll with rice, strawberry yogurt
two large cookies, bread chips, chocolate-cereal candy bars

Had a big red FAILURE today, and it was all due to those silly emotions. I was feeling really self-critical today, then there's all this stuff I have to memorize for university, then some unfortunate developments in the romantic department...

Wasn't feeling hungry after all this mindless snacking yesterday, so I skipped dinner.

bjalda · Post by **bjalda** » Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:44 pm

It's funny how or emotions influence our thoughts, which in turn control our behaviour. But at least you know why this happened to you today. Don't let you inner critic ruin your weekend though..
Maybe treat yourself to something really special since you are having a hard time?

To answer your questions: I am originally from Hamburg, but I study in Enschede (also very close to the border!).
I am 174cm and I always feel very comfortable at 63-65kg because it looks the best. But up until now it was always very hard for me to stay at this weight (I guess because I used extreme ways to get to that weight fast) . Right now I am probably somewhere around 68 kg, but I stopped weighing myself because then I tend to freak out over minor flucturations and just generally get too ambitious.

And thanks for the quote.. I should remind me of that more often. It may also suit your situation right now?

I think the crucial thing about failures is not preventing them completely, but when they do happen (as they will) being able to keep them from expanding into the days that follow, and not allowing ourselves to start sliding down that slippery slope.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:48 am

Thanks, Bjalda, for the quote and your kind words. I actually found a way to deal with this hard time that doesn't involve eating more foods...

I remembered this article I read a few months back (http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-tru ... er-person/), about how in order to be happy, you have to actually accomplish something. And in order to accomplish something, you just have to repeat in enough times (you know, like playing the piano, or writing). That led me to sports for some reason. I remembered this endorphine-filled feeling after vigorous exercise, tried to figure out what kind of sport to do, which led me to Couch to 5K. I downloaded a 35-minute podcast with Christian indie music (yeah, I know) and a guy saying, "Now walk, now run" in the correct intervals. Did a first test run today and OMG I'm so full of endorphins I can't stop grinning. During the actual running, it was kinda hard (I think I started too fast, actually), but afterwards (as in, right now) I feel awesome. I don't even feel like eating sweets anymore.

So, my new morning routine involves getting up an hour earlier, brushing my hair and having cereal, then going for a run (according to the C25K podcasts). Then I'll take a shower and get ready for class. I'll do that on N days only, though (today was just a test run, literally).

Oh, and right after my run, I found out the guy I like has a girlfriend and I had no idea for six freakin' months. I hope no-one noticed I like him

So embarrassing. But I'm on my runner's high and still waiting to really care.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:50 am

It's kind of depressing to see this last paragraph every time I scroll down, so here's what I ate:

Yesterday:
muesli, milk
chocolate-covered cookies (7 oz)
three chocolate-chip muffins
apple
chocolate bar (3.5 oz)
five sandwich bars (you know, a kind of waffle with milky cream in-between... Bjalda might know Milchschnitte)
croissant
pretzel dough bread roll
brownie crumbles (baked some, and they were really crumble-y)

Today (planned):
one muffin
baked pastry
pastry filled with feta cheese and spinach, apple
snacks at the party I'll go to later

My self-confidence is currently UP because I was able to fit in this one dress that I really like and which I bought... oh, I don't know, three years ago? It fits far more... snugly, but I don't look like I'll burst the seams any minute now

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Apr 29, 2013 6:46 am

I'm thinking I may just weigh in once a week (Saturdays) instead of Wednesday/Thursday through Saturday. I'll probably keep it at this rate, though. Or, alternatively, weigh every single day -- but that might be pretty discouraging, considering how my weight goes up every weekend. Maybe I'll weigh every day-after-an-N-day (Tuesdays through Saturdays).

Anyway, I just came back from my morning jog and it's awesome! I had a little trouble getting out of bed in the morning, but when I did, I didn't have a problem with my running motivation at all. Got dressed, had breakfast, put my earbuds in and off I went

It was much easier than last Saturday, which may be because I was able to save my breath in the beginning (e. g. for the warm-up walk, I didn't walk really quickly, but at a leisurely pace).
I also feel more connected to my Creator in a way because of the devotional music I listen to during the run. I've decided to use my after-run shower to pray

(I prayed during showers last semester, too, but lost the habit sometime during my break.)

Uh, anyway, here's my food intake for the day:

Breakfast -- cereal with yogurt
Lunch -- 11 oz of pasta with arrabiata sauce (I know how much it was because they calculate the price by weight)
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese, tomato, apple

I also need to watch how much I drink. Three or four liters seem best for me, but some days, I don't even get to two. I'll aim to finish one liter (I have a one-liter bottle that I always refill) before leaving for class in the mornings, then another at lunch.

EDIT: Managed to drink four liters in all, and I'm thirsty again O.o
Didn't manage to stick to No S, though. After dinner, I had a muffin and some Turkish breakfast pastries -- again, due to stress. I think I may have some hormonal imbalance or something. Or it's psychological. Probably the latter. I just can't deal with all this stress med school brings.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:25 am

Actually finished off a fifth liter yesterday, and got thirsty again right before bed... this is weird. Funny thing is I don't seem to pee a whole lot more. Maybe that's why my weight was back at 130.5 lb again today.

Great. Seems like I haven't accomplished anything the past four weeks or so. If anything, I'm feeling worse.

Also today, I'll be out with my friends, and the plan is to eat ice cream. Yay, another yellow day. That'd give April 2 extra yellow and 3 red days. I've decided that if I stay at or below three red/extra yellow days combined in May, I'll buy myself a new cover for my bike seat

Breakfast -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet (it's supposed to help when you exercise so you don't get sore muscles; and it has a few more vitamin supplements)
Lunch -- Pizza Bruschetta (only ate like 75 % of it, though), 100 % OJ
Dinner -- as usual

EDIT: Went out for lunch with my friends; afterwards, we all went to an ice cream cafÃ© and they all got one or two scoops each to go. I was ready to call it a yellow day (even though I wasn't actually hungry or anything) when I realized I didn't have any more cash on me... which was a nice opportunity to keep the day green.
As I had already told myself "April sucked completely", I was ready to get some sweets when I went grocery shopping later. Then I remembered that quote. And my weight this morning. And how I struggled with this all of last semester. And I bought four eggs, a bag of cereal, four yogurts and some cake for a meeting I'll go to tomorrow. None of the sweets I'd intended to get.

So proud of this green day

EDIT2: I also need to make sure to bring some structure into my S days. It usually just gets worse and worse and I really start craving protein by Sunday. So my plan is to eat three regular meals on S days -- with milky cereal instead of yogurty, with home-cooked meals (nothing too complicated, just a pancake or scrambled eggs or pasta) at noon and probably the same dinner as always.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed May 01, 2013 10:16 am

Weight today: 128.7 lb

Breakfast/Lunch (not sure what to call it if you have your usual breakfast, but at 12:30 pm) -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet
some snacks at a gathering with friends
Dinner -- yogurt with two spoonfuls of cereal, apple

Decided to make today an S day, as I was out with a few people from my dorm and we had a picnic. I also seem to need a lot of sleep at the moment -- I slept almost 9 hours today (until noon), then went right back to bed to sleep another 2 h when I came back from the picnic at 5:30 pm. At 8:30, I still wasn't really hungry for dinner, so I just had something small. Today was weird, food-wise.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu May 02, 2013 5:30 am

Weight today: 129.4 lb

Breakfast -- cereal with yogurt
Lunch -- sweet dumpling filled with plum jelly topped with vanilla sauce and some sugar/cinnamon mix
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese, tomato, apple

So my weight is up again (which was to be expected after those sweets), and I'm back at where I was three weeks ago. Which is okay! Really!
I think I need to remember to just stick to the habit. Three meals a day, that's it. Keep some structure in my S days. Slow and steady wins the race. I also remembered the serenity prayer during my run today:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

And it's totally true for No S. I can control whether I follow the program or not, and if I do, what I put in my mouth, and if and how much I exercise. Then it's up to my body to use up my fat reserves or not.

Speaking of choices: I'll be watching a movie with some people from college later tonight, and I'm sure there'll be lots of snacks. I'll have to try and keep the day green!

Also last night, decided on a definitive maximum goal weight of 115 lb. That's the recommended weight for women of my height, apparently (158 cm - 100 cm = 58; minus 10 % = 52,2 kg).

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri May 03, 2013 5:18 am

Weight today: 129.2 lb

Breakfast -- cereal with yogurt
Lunch -- 2.5 potato pancakes with apple sauce
Dinner --banana

I should take naps in the evening more often... every time I wake up afterwards, I'm not really hungry for dinner anymore. That's why I just had a banana at 9 pm instead of the planned bread-curd-cheese-tomato combo with an apple.

Tomorrow, I'll have to actually make some real meals! Breakfast and dinner won't be anything special, I guess, but for lunch, I think I'll actually have those spaghetti with vegetarian bolognese sauce that I've been planning to eat forever (the sauce is in my freezer) and maybe a scrambled egg on toast? Or a pancake. We'll see.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat May 04, 2013 6:28 am

Weight today: 127.6 lb

Not bad. I'm on the right track.

Food so far:

Breakfast -- cereal with milk
Lunch -- spaghetti with vegetarian bolognese sauce, apple
Dinner -- two slices of toast with curd cheese and tomato, banana

Breakfast -- none (yeah, I know)
Lunch -- two slices of bread with nutella, half a chocolate chip cookie at church
Dinner -- none

Snacks -- chocolate-covered cookies
milk-cereal-chocolate bars
chocolate-covered rice cakes
pretzel sticks
1.5 slices of cake
jelly doughnot
soft pretzel
croissant
four muffins
apple
banana

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon May 06, 2013 12:35 pm

No weigh-in today, overslept, didn't go for a run and missed breakfast. Might run in the evening, but probably not.

Lunch -- spaghetti with vegetarian bolognese sauce, apple
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue May 07, 2013 5:32 am

Today's weight: 129.6 lb

Breakfast -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet
Lunch -- rice-veggie dish with three mini spring rolls
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed May 08, 2013 6:09 am

Weight: 129.0 lb

Breakfast -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet
Lunch -- crÃªpe with blueberries, some powdered sugar and -- gasp! -- some dark chocolate grated on top
Dinner -- slice of bread with curd cheese and tomato, apple

After lunch, I was sooo close to just giving in, calling it all a failure and eating everything in sight, but then I realized several things: a) no matter if I choose to call this a failure or not, it'll be the same amount of calories, b) if I choose to consume any additional calories, it'll make me gain weight, and I'm trying to do the opposite here, c) even if the crÃªpe was technically a failure, making the day double-red would be much worse for my habit (and make me feel a lot worse in the long run). So I decided to not eat anything else till dinner.

And yeah, as you're probably wondering why I ate this thing: My friends and I went to our local clinic's cafeteria instead of our university's (they're close), which we do sometimes; we got started because they were supposed to make heavenly pancakes every other week or so. They never had any there when we went this month, so when we saw the crÃªpe guy there today, we just had to get a crÃªpe each. I thought, "Yeah, it's kinda sweet, but it's not dessert or anything, I can have it." Then, the guy there started sprinkling powdered sugar on it... which was alright, I guess, but when he started grating this chocolate on it? For the record, it was less than a teaspoon, but still -- chocolate!

What do I do?

bjalda · Post by **bjalda** » Wed May 08, 2013 8:48 pm

Anoulie wrote:For the record, it was less than a teaspoon, but still -- chocolate!
What do I do?

You don't overthink!
That's what this diet is about after all, isn't it?

There is a recipe for chili-chocolate steaksauce. And you would not call it a sweet either. Luckily this isn't a forbidden-foods diet and chocolate is not an evil substance that makes one fat in an instant. Call it a green day or call it a red day.. I don't think it will matter in the long run. Just think about what you would do when this situation or a similar situation occurs again and you will be fine!

It's so funny because I know that I would think exactly the same thing and my mind would argue exactly as yours did today. But it seems completely illogical to me, looking from the oustide. You had a great day, I really think you ate well. Probably better than pre No S? I don't know how bad you used to eat. But you definitely ate more moderately than I do on most of my N days.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed May 08, 2013 9:26 pm

You're right. I've marked the day green for now. It's funny -- I sometimes eat an entire small pizza that probably has way more calories than this crÃªpe, and yet I freak out because OMG powdered sugar!

Tomorrow is a holiday, but for me, it means studying literally all day. I'll go to bed pretty soon now (it's 11:30 pm), then get up at 8 am tomorrow, have breakfast, go jogging, then start with the anatomical regions of the body. Woohoo!

Luckily, I've gotten used to studying without culinary encouragement, so it won't be too hard to stay green tomorrow (unless I have a mental breakdown because of the upcoming test).

Food's gonna be
Breakfast -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet
Lunch -- slice of bread with curd cheese and tomato, half an apple
Dinner -- potato wedges with sour cream and aioli dip, some lettuce, tomato, onion (went out to eat)

Weight was 126.1 lb (what?

)

Sinnie · Post by **Sinnie** » Thu May 09, 2013 11:49 am

Anoulie, I've been there a million times -- and although perhaps not totally strict Vanilla No S -- if we're just talking about 3 meal habits and weight loss, I have always found something like what you described would make NO difference. For me, your day was 100% green. By my standards. Sticking with 3 meals is way more important than *what* you eat. Again, that's just by my experience.

Good luck with studying and that test!!!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri May 10, 2013 6:16 am

I weighed in at 130.7 lb today... huh? I even weighed several times, and yesterday, too. How does that happen?

Breakfast -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet
Lunch -- rice-veggie dish
Dinner -- slice of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat May 11, 2013 7:13 am

Weight today: 128.5 lb

Meals:
Breakfast -- cereal, milk
Lunch -- bulgur casserole with fries, apple
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato

no breakfast
Lunch -- Pizza Margherita
Dinner -- two pieces of toast (buttered)

Snacks:
chocolate-covered cookies
milk-cereal-chocolate bars
bag of tortilla chips
chocolate bar (3.5 oz)
four muffins
two apples
ice cream cone (two scoops)
two small, sweet milk rolls

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon May 13, 2013 7:26 am

Now, this weekend wasn't so bad. Well, Saturday was, food-wise; I ate way too much. But I think Sunday went fine.

Didn't weigh in today and for a while, when I was still in bed, I thought about not going running, either... but then I thought of my cousin's upcoming wedding and I was like, "I want to look fit then", so I went. Was fun.

Breakfast -- yogurt, cereal, magnesium tablet
Lunch -- pancake (they finally had them at the hospital cafeteria! felt much less S-like)
Dinner -- milky bread roll, baked thingy with nuts (sorta sweet, but not candy-ish)

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue May 14, 2013 8:48 pm

Today sucked. Weighed in at 129.6 lb and felt like I'm not progressing at all. My test is tomorrow. I'm stressed out as hell. Sorry for swearing. Does saying hell make me a bad Christian or is that just an American thing (they're scared of bad words)? Went to a small Christian gathering that takes place weekly even though I technically belong to another group which I don't like anymore and that'll create drama. At the group, they ate dinner together, which I didn't know, and I'd already eaten, so I had dinner again. Then they served ice cream as a desert. I took seconds twice. Then on my way home I bought two chocolate bars at the supermarket. I feel awful. I want to quit. I want to lose weight, but I'm so impatient. I already exercise and follow No S. Where's my reward?

Sorry for the stream of consciousness. Life is driving me insane.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed May 15, 2013 6:13 am

131.4 lb today

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed May 15, 2013 3:02 pm

Alright. This is it. I'm aiming for a month of

- exercise (C25K)
- No S
- drinking plenty of water

and then I'll see whether or not I'll have lost weight. Making this Vanilla No S is important! I'm always like, "But what will people say if I don't join in the snacking?" Thing is, they don't mind. I'll have to make sure those meals are small (low-fat yogurt in the morning, no additional apple for lunch, just a piece of toast instead of a big slice of bread for dinner), and make sure I don't have two large meals a day (like if I know I'm going out to eat for dinner, I just have toast for lunch). Sigh. This is taking a long time.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri May 17, 2013 10:34 am

It's working so far. Well, not so much on Wednesday (had a piece of cake and a piece of chocolate after lunch), but Thursday went as planned. I also want to cut Saturdays as S days, and weigh in Sunday mornings only.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat May 18, 2013 8:03 am

What am I thinking? My willpower muscle is out of shape. I can't arbitrarily make up stricter rules and expect myself to follow them. You don't put a meal on a plate and then cook it. One step after the other. And in my case, it's getting the habit down. I can't assume that I'm exempt from this rule just because I've been trying to do No S for such a long time.

So Vanilla No S it is. Weekly weighing, if any. Orange juice is okay, milk is okay, two warm meals a day is okay. If I don't lose any weight, that's also okay! The most important thing right now is getting the habit down. Yes, I am impatient, but this will probably yield results faster than what I'm doing right now.

I'll aim for 21 Vanilla No S days first, then 66, then 100, then I'll re-evaluate.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon May 20, 2013 4:12 pm

Only had like half of my usual breakfast today, then a bread roll with veggie stew for lunch, later I'll have a tomato-cucumber-feta-cheese salad with three pieces of bread for dinner.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue May 21, 2013 8:22 am

Breakfast as usual today (muesli, yogurt), lunch was a piece of whole grain toast with a scrambled egg and a banana, dinner was some pasta with vegetarian bolognese sauce, apple.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu May 23, 2013 9:52 am

No S Failure (had sweets) today, but tomorrow's a new day.

Breakfast -- cereal, yogurt (btw, I use the terms "cereal" and "muesli" interchangeably here)
Lunch -- piece of whole grain toast with a scrambled egg on iceberg lettuce, an apple and a carrot
Dinner -- pasta, apple

Later had a chocolate bar and some other snacks

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sun May 26, 2013 8:26 pm

Ate late at night that day (including after midnight), but overall ate very little on Friday:

Breakfast -- bread roll with butter
Lunch -- 7 oz strawberries with yogurt
Dinner -- buttered toast, apple

Started my S days earlier because I figured Friday was red due to eating at night anyway

Not a good idea, but that's over now.

My S days weren't super wild, just regular, and I went running tonight to put some kind of closure to Week 4 of C25K (you're supposed to do three work-outs each week, and I'd only done two full ones and one where I finished early). Now I have three full work-outs according to the program under my belt and am looking forward to Week 5.

I also really to want those next 21 days to be green. My plan, as usual, is to have muesli with yogurt in the mornings, go for a run and then to uni, have lunch at the cafeteria there, and have a slice of toast with curd cheese, tomato and apple for dinner. On Tuesdays, I'm having dinner with my bible study group (a big warm meal), so I'll have the toast for lunch instead. I don't care if that doesn't lose me any pounds -- I tried on my prom dress last week and it fit! (Okay, it was kind of tight, but it fit.)

Oh, and also, I'm going to the US this summer! I'm really looking forward to finally seeing my host family and friends again. And I have a date

But I just keep thinking about how I weigh about 10 lb more than when I left the US back in summer 2009.

I know everyone there loves me regardless, and it's America, so I'm skinny in comparison anyway

but I still feel somewhat self-conscious. But that's just more motivation for me to stick to No S and C25K!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Tue May 28, 2013 9:19 am

Foodwise, everything went as planned yesterday. Had some samosas, rice and an apple for lunch; dinner and breakfast as usual. I went running (three five-minute runs with three-minute walking breaks in-between were the plan today), but got really bad cramps (ladies, you may know what I'm talking about) right before the third run, and only ran that for less than a minute before starting to walk again. It got better after 5 minutes of walking or so, so I ran the last five-minute run then.
So today I'm about to have breakfast and go for another run of that same kind, and I hope to finish it this time. I think I'll take an ibuprofen before just to be sure. Yay medication.

EDIT: This run wasn't too hard today. It's really all about pushing yourself mentally (and going slowly!). I had breakfast fairly late, and I'm not really hungry for lunch, but I'll have some anyway because I'm afraid not having any will lead me to justifying going off-program later tonight at my bible study group.

EDIT2: Had my usual piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato along with an apple for lunch, and a rice dish with veggies and spices for dinner.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed May 29, 2013 7:33 pm

Breakfast -- muesli, yogurt
Lunch -- tortellini, banana
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Ran two eight-minute runs today, which was alright. Now I'm already hungry again three hours after dinner, but I'll just suck it up, drink some water and go to bed. I'll have to have milk with my cereal tomorrow and Friday because there's no more yogurt in the house. Yay.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu May 30, 2013 11:16 am

Breakfast -- muesli,milk
Lunch -- pizza
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Ran my first 20-minute-without-ever-stopping-or-walking-in-between run today! I feel very accomplished

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri May 31, 2013 6:44 am

Weight: 129.9 lb (well, that's 1.5 lb less than I weighed two weeks ago... that's good, considering all the failures I had since then)

Breakfast -- muesli,milk
Lunch -- rice/veggie dish with fried onion rings
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:06 am

Weighed in at 127.4 lb today! Yeah! That's more like it!

Slept in pretty late, now I'll have "breakfast" (muesli with milk), then go grocery shopping.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Jun 05, 2013 1:11 pm

I don't know why, but I'm doing really badly. Monday was fine, really, but then I moved (to a different room in my dorm), had no time for dinner, so I just had a stale soft pretzel, and then my friends came over to watch DVDs and brought some snacks, so I thought, Yeah, S day, which was okay, but I still felt really bad about it, and then on Tuesday, I forgot about having a big dinner later and ate at the cafeteria. Having two larger meals would be fine with No S, and I know that, but I was frustrated and exhausted because of other things, so I bought a croissant and a black-and-white cookie. And some chocolate cookies. And some candy bars. Sigh.
Today was gonna be a new day, but I was tempted by some candy in the common kitchen and just gave in. Ugh. I think this has got to do with my lack of sleep. I'll make sure to get some more tonight.

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:16 am

What is it with my self-control lately? I'm also tired all the time. Whaaat.

Weight: 131.2 lb (urgh)

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:19 am

Yesterday was a success! Today's weight is 131 lb. S day time!

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Mon Jun 10, 2013 1:43 pm

S days were alright. I'm on week 7 of C25K.

Breakfast -- yogurt, muesli
Lunch -- pizza
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 6:13 am

Yesterday:
Breakfast -- yogurt, muesli
Lunch -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple
Dinner -- ice cream sundae
(Yes, I took an S event for that, but calorie-wise, it's probably better than, say, yesterday.)

Weight today: 131.4 lb

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:33 am

Yesterday:

Breakfast -- yogurt, muesli
Lunch -- some strange stuffed pasta "bars" with tomato sauce, potatoes
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, apple

Weight today: Well, this is where it gets weird. I stepped on the scale first thing in the morning (well, after peeing, brushing my teeth and undressing) and got 132.1 lb. That is crazy, I thought, considering my food choices this past week... but I told myself whatever, fluctuations happen, and took a shower. Afterwards, just out of curiosity, I stepped on the scale again (I didn't wash my hair, so the only extra water weight would have been a little dampness on my skin): 129.4 lb. Whaaat? I think I may need to invest in a new scale... or just get new batteries for this one. I'll weigh in at my parents' house with their scale this Saturday, too, just to compare.

Oh, also today, I won't be able (or rather, allowed) to eat lunch or breakfast, because we're doing an experiment in biochemistry this afternoon to test my glucose tolerance (it's got to do with insulin and diabetes, which we're studying at the moment). That's gonna suuuck, but it'll also be interesting. So my food intake today will probably be that glucose solution (3.5 oz sugar, and no, I'm not going to make this an S) and later in the evening, dinner at the cafeteria (I want a real, warm dinner today, so a tomato sandwich won't cut it).

EDIT: And that's what I did. I've just gotten back from the cafeteria, where I had a large serving of stir-fried tofu and veggies, with a large bread roll. Yeah, it's more food than I usually have for lunch, but I didn't have breakfast or dinner, so give me a break, okay?

(although that glucose solution did have 364 kcal

)

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Sat Jun 15, 2013 5:08 am

Weight on Friday: 128.7 lb

Breakfast -- yogurt, muesli
Lunch -- vegetarian pizza
Dinner -- piece of toast with curd cheese and tomato, banana

Weight today: 126.8 lb (might be due to using my parents' scale today, though)

Time for an S day or two! And I'm going to a wedding today, so woo

Anoulie · Post by **Anoulie** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:40 pm

Guys, I really need to take a step back. Or several. I've been so strict with myself -- always the same foods, no caloric drinks, no variety... this hasn't been helpful at all. I think I'll make a commitment to true Vanilla No S for the next month. That means everything's allowed -- except for snacks, sweets and seconds on weekdays. I may not lose weight, but this is not the point. Establishing habit comes before cutting back on calories. I need to keep that in mind.