Sleepygirlzzzz - Daily check-in

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

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sleepygirlzzzz
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Sleepygirlzzzz - Daily check-in

Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:13 pm

18th March 2013 - Day 1

I started my No S journey on the 12th February which makes this the start of week 6. The past few weeks have had its ups and downs. Giving up snacks between meals has been much easier than I anticipated. Seconds is not generally a problem either - although admittedly I'm piling my plates higher now that I would have prior to No S (currently working on finding the right portion size to satisfy my hunger). My biggest struggle has been giving up sweets during the week. This has been my downfall and the reason behind my red N days.

However, I think that with the start of my new daily check-ins, I'll also re-start my No S journey and begin again at Day 1. I'll consider the first few weeks as a trial period - a chance to try out No S and to figure out what works and doesn't work for me.

A few things that I have learned during this trial period which will hopefully help me succeed:

1. No sweets in the house - if I know that they are anywhere around, I cannot stop thinking about them and have always given in.

2. No baking on N days - for the same reason as above.

3. I should try my best to stay with the general structure of 3 meals a day on S days. Sweets and snacks are allowed but I need to try to remember that my main food should come in the form of 'real' food rather than using sweets/snacks as a replacement for a meal.

4. I need to try to remember to treat my weekend sweets as 'treats', as something to enjoy and savour rather than using the weekend as an opportunity to eat as much junk as possible just because it's allowed. And no sneaking or eating sweets in secret. If it's something that I would be embarrassed being seen eating, then I shouldn't be eating it!

5. I must learn to say NO. I CAN say no to sweets/snacks when offered. And if I do resist, then I will feel much better when I get to choose what I really want to treat myself with on the weekend.

Now let's just hope that I can remember those above points and tap into them when I most need to!

One sign of progress is that I finally understand what other posters have meant by looking forward to N days. I never would have thought that I would have agreed with that but after eating far too much over the weekend, I must say that it does feel good to get back into the routine of 3 plates a day. I realise it sounds ridiculous to say that because if I was sensible, I would eat only as much as comfortable on the weekends as well. But unfortunately, I'm not that sensible when it comes to food - at least not yet.

Enough for now. Day 1 almost finished...

MJ7910
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Post by MJ7910 » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:15 pm

sounds like you have some good general guidelines. i do look forward to ndays now. i really like the structure and my Sdays i'm hoping will become more and more looking like Ndays. i really hate the feeling of being overly full now. i really am learning to like hunger and knowing my body can wait just a little longer to eat. it takes time to actually like it. but now i realize that meals can be done reasonably and sanely and this is a great feeling.
Current BMI: 22.9. Height: 5'4.5"
Highest BMI: 25.5 in August 2011.
Lowest adult BMI: 20.8 in February 2012.

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Mar 20, 2013 3:16 pm

Day 2 was green and now onto day 3 feeling good.

One thing that I'm finding is that I'm not actually getting that hungry between my meals most days. This is clearly a sign that I'm eating too much at each sitting. So now that my 'trial period' of No S is done, I'm going to stop using the early learning curve as an excuse to pile up my plates (which is good because I've definitely gained some inches around my waist since starting No S and stopping calorie counting). Really trying to focus on eating moderate sized meals that satisfy me just enough to get me to my next meal (rather than eating so much that I'm not hungry for the next meal).

Day 3 is half way over and feeling pretty good so far. Haven't had any real sweet cravings yet this week but will try to stay vigilant as days 4 & 5 are typically my breaking point. I REALLY want to break that cycle and prove to myself that I can achieve 5 green N days.

Since starting No S, I have felt more sane about food than I have in over a year. I'm also much less focused on trying to lose inches right now and trying to concentrate on getting the No S habits firmly established. I'm feeling very hopeful that once I'm fully entrenched into No S ways, that my binge behaviour will eventually die down and that any excess inches will disappear with it.

MJ, I'm also learning to hate the overfull feeling and seem to be reaching that point with less food than before. The one thing that calorie counting did help me with was showing me that it doesn't actually take that much food to satisfy my hunger. But unfortunately, when I started No S I threw that out the window and started eating loads at each meal - partly because I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it without snacking between meals and then partly just because I could. Working on achieving the right balance now...

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Mar 20, 2013 11:32 pm

Day 3 is :mrgreen: . Hooray!

I will need to be extra vigilant tomorrow as I'm taking my brother to my favourite outdoor food market in London. Contemplating buying some yummy treats with the intention of saving them until the weekend. But then also very worried that I'm tempting fate by bringing my favourite treats into the house during the week.

Maybe I could buy them but then stash them in my husband's car until the weekend so they are not so easily accessible...But then my brother and I are taking a day trip to Paris on Saturday so maybe I should wait and indulge myself there instead...argh!

I'll use this daily check-in to keep myself accountable and am hoping that by knowing that this is available for anyone to read, that I will be too embarrassed to have to admit to a red N day.

I WILL have 5 N days this week. Only 2 more days to go, I can do this...

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Post by Strawberry Roan » Thu Mar 21, 2013 12:14 am

London, Paris, oh how exciting.

I live in the Missouri Ozarks (but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else) :wink:

I DO post everything I eat on my daily check in, down to a piece of peppermint candy should I eat one. It keeps me honest because even if nobody was reading it, lots of people could be. And I do have a lot of nice folks stop by to visit, join me anytime.

You sound like you are making rational, thought out decisions so you should do fine.
Berry

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:50 pm

Thanks for posting Strawberry. It helps to know that others are actually reading my check-ins - now I really will feel guilty if I have to report a red!

N day success today! I am particularly proud because I walked past loads of food stalls of mouth watering baked goods and I didn't give in. However, my brother bought some brownies and chocolate chip cookies home and when I was unpacking the bags when we got home, I did quickly think 'it wouldn't be bad to just take one little bite...'. But I stopped myself and remembered that one little taste would never satisfy me and it would only lead to more and more and more.

The day is almost over and I'm feeling strong and not even tempted.

This week so far.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Just one more day to go...please give me strength...

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:57 pm

Day 5:

It's 9.40pm on Friday night and I have been going back and forth with thoughts of 'it's close enough to Saturday to have a small bite of cookie, right?'. But then I keep remembering how proud I've been feeling for achieving my first week of 5 green N days and also how proud my friend was for me when I saw her this afternoon and told her that I had a successful week.

So I will say NO to the temptation and stay on the right side of the fence. My highly anticipated S days are only a few hours away and I know I can go a few hours without eating sweets if I've just gone over 4 days without it. Also I'm up at 3.30am tomorrow to catch an early train to Paris so my S day really isn't very far away at all (and yes I know, just because it is an S day does not mean I need to fill every hour with junk - but at least I'm staying within the rules...).

Yesterday we bought some honey roasted nuts from a food market and they are sickly sweet but oh so delicious. I have had a few with my meals last night and again today (probably about 12pcs today). Are these technically a sweet since it's clear that they contain lots of sugar in them?? If anyone is out there listening, I'd be interested in your thoughts. Also what about pastries like croissants? It's not that I have either of these regularly but I'm just interested in what other people classify as sweets.

So pleased to report this week... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:36 pm

Ugh. Have eaten far too much this weekend. The worst part is that the past two days have consisted of almost zero real meals and mostly lots and lots of sweets.

I should also confess that I did give in and have 1/2 of a large cookie and 1/2 a large brownie at approx 11.30pm on Friday night. As I wrote in my last post, I was really eager for Saturday to roll around so I could have sweets but had decided that I could stay strong and wait until the morning for my treats. I forced myself to bed even though I wasn't really tired because I had to be up at 3.30am to catch an early train. But then at 11.30pm, my husband and brother came home from the pub and so I got up again. And then I decided that I'd have the cookie and brownie afterall because I didn't think there was a big difference between me eating it then or eating it when I got up 4 hours later. I know, S days are not meant to start with eating sweets first thing but it was likely what I was going to do anyways as I had been so 'good' during the week.

So I know that technically I broke the rules but I'm ok with it - this time. But now I know better. There IS a difference between starting on Friday night vs Saturday morning. It's breaking the rules vs following the rules. Staying committed to the plan vs losing commitment. No more trying to tread the fine line between the hours of late Fri/early Sat.

Now it's 7pm on Sunday night and I'm feeling almost ill from eating too much. Feeling completely stuffed but we have plans to go out to dinner in an hour to celebrate my brother's last night here before flying home. Ugh. Really don't want to eat anymore today.

Really really need to work on more control on S days. The stupid thing is that about 50% of the things I ate this weekend, I didn't actually want to eat. I just did because it was available. I kept telling myself at different points in the day 'Ok, that's enough. I will not eat anymore sweets.' But then I'd find the opportunity presenting itself to me again and I'd give in.

The past two weekends have been particularly bad because my brother has bought lots and lots of treats. Much, much more than I would normally keep around. I'm hoping that future weekends will prove that this was the case and that under normal conditions, my S days will not be nearly as bad.

I need to remember what I wrote on Day 1:

- I should try my best to stay with the general structure of 3 meals a day on S days. Sweets and snacks are allowed but I need to try to remember that my main food should come in the form of 'real' food rather than using sweets/snacks as a replacement for a meal.

- I need to try to remember to treat my weekend sweets as 'treats', as something to enjoy and savour rather than using the weekend as an opportunity to eat as much junk as possible just because it's allowed. And no sneaking or eating sweets in secret. If it's something that I would be embarrassed being seen eating, then I shouldn't be eating it!

Really looking forward to getting back to more sensible eating tomorrow.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:10 pm

Ahhh, it's late afternoon on Monday and I have to say that I feel SO much better having eaten 3 moderate meals today opposed to the non-stop eating I did over the weekend. It's strange how even though I've started to learn over the past few weeks that I prefer how I feel on N days and hate how I feel when I overeat on S days, it still doesn't seem to click in my brain until the weekend feast has ended.

Today's been a good day but the my only worry is that I was hungry early for dinner so now there are still about 5-6 more hours between now and bedtime. But I think I should be ok and may have some green tea or coffee later this evening if necessary.

Actually, scratch that. No 'I think I should be ok'. I will definitely be fine and will mark this down in permanent ink as a green day :mrgreen:

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Post by MJ7910 » Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:20 pm

it takes time and then one weekend it just happens. try to not overthink it. i wouldn't say i'm completely there yet but i have had two pretty decent moderate weekends. but you never know if the next weekend you may feel like eating too much out of the blue . the people who have been here a while tell me it still creeps up every now and then. my strategy is just try and accept it as it is. food is food. it is meant to be enjoyed and to be nourishing to our bodies. but that is all. it doesn't have any special power to heal emotions even if we want it to have that power. as soon as i started to realize it doesn't have power that i have the power to decide what to do, things got a lot better for me.
Current BMI: 22.9. Height: 5'4.5"
Highest BMI: 25.5 in August 2011.
Lowest adult BMI: 20.8 in February 2012.

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:17 pm

Thanks for your post MJ. For the most part, I'm ok with not being driven to eat by my emotions. However I definitely need to take your advice and remember that I'm in control whenever I find myself reaching for food I don't actually want just because it's there.

It's now early evening on Tuesday and I'm officially closing the kitchen. Except for perhaps a cup of tea and/or coffee a bit later. So I'll mark this a green day now with the knowledge that I would be too ashamed to cheat later and have to revise it to a red.

This week so far... :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Mar 27, 2013 8:58 pm

Yay for another green day today :mrgreen:

I think I may be getting better at this No S plan - at least in terms of following the rules. Both yesterday and today there were times when I felt a bit hungry (or possibly just snack-y) between meals. Before No S, I would definitely have found something to eat. But since starting No S, I've pretty much managed to stick to the 'no snacks' rule without any major slip ups.

I've struggled more with 'no sweets' but just realised that during the past 2 weeks when my brother was visiting and buying tons of yummy treats, I actually managed to say 'No thanks' on the N days. In the past, I have rarely ever been able to turn down a treat when offered so this is real progress for me.

The 2 things I want to focus on now are:
- Trimming down my portions because I definitely eat more than I need to at times just because it fits on the plate; and
- Introducing more moderation on S days and learning to treat myself with things I actually want rather than eating things just because I can.

So this week... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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Post by gk » Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:49 am

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:Yay for another green day today :mrgreen:

I think I may be getting better at this No S plan - at least in terms of following the rules. Both yesterday and today there were times when I felt a bit hungry (or possibly just snack-y) between meals. Before No S, I would definitely have found something to eat. But since starting No S, I've pretty much managed to stick to the 'no snacks' rule without any major slip ups.

I've struggled more with 'no sweets' but just realised that during the past 2 weeks when my brother was visiting and buying tons of yummy treats, I actually managed to say 'No thanks' on the N days. In the past, I have rarely ever been able to turn down a treat when offered so this is real progress for me.

So this week... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Sounds like you are doing wonderfully with No S! You have made some major accomplishments! Keep up the great work - very inspiring! :)
SW (as of 3/25/13): 172 lbs.
CW: 171 lbs.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:02 pm

Thursday nearly finished and I'm definitely finished eating for the day. Just need to hang on for one more day and I'll have completed 2 weeks of green N days (with the exception of my small cheat @ 11.30pm last Friday evening but I'm treating that as a one-time only slip up and feel ok with that).

A few times this week when I thought I was hungry but it wasn't yet time for my next meal, I managed to successfully distract myself and often the 'hunger' actually subsided. So I'm pretty pleased with that. I do still get confused about real hunger vs just wanting to eat though but hope that this learning will come with time.

I've been feeling pretty good all week and surprisingly haven't had any real cravings for sweets. Thursday evenings seem to be when my resolve starts to weaken and my mind starts planning what yummy treats I can have on the weekend. I've decided that I need to stop the obsessive planning of treats because it definitely doesn't do me any favours. I'm really hoping for a more controlled, moderate weekend this week and even though it's a 4 day weekend, my plan is to stick to the usual 2 S days.

This week.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Yay!

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Post by MJ7910 » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:56 am

Great accomplishment so far!
Current BMI: 22.9. Height: 5'4.5"
Highest BMI: 25.5 in August 2011.
Lowest adult BMI: 20.8 in February 2012.

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Post by Amy3010 » Fri Mar 29, 2013 8:02 am

You're doing really well - good for you! :D

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Post by milliem » Fri Mar 29, 2013 9:03 am

Congratulations on two green weeks! Excellent work :) Sometimes if I feel hungry between or after meals, I have a drink of water, a cup of tea (skimmed milk and no sugar) or even a hot milky drink like an Ovaltine or Horlicks, or a low calorie hot chocolate. Usually works to distract or quench my thirst that I've confused with hunger!

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri Mar 29, 2013 9:08 pm

Thanks gk, MJ, Amy and milliem for your support! It's so nice to feel supported - it definitely gives me a real boost and makes me more motivated to continue reporting green days.

It's 8.45pm Friday evening and I am going to confidently mark today as a green day. So hurray for a green week :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Although I still have a lot of issues to work on - mainly portion sizes and S days - I am happy with how far I have come in overcoming my food issues since I first started No S approx 6 weeks ago. I was suffering from serious binge eating issues before and was a mental wreck. I was constantly thinking about food - what will I eat next, how many calories in this meal, etc etc - and it was driving me insane.

It's easily been over 2 weeks since my last binge (which is HUGE for me) and quite possibly much longer (but I just can't remember). I have definitely overeaten at times but it hasn't been with the frantic, out of control, must-eat-everything binge state of mind. And I am SO happy that I can say that I no longer think about food all day long. It feels as though a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel almost at peace with food now. The exception is S days when I seem to lose all sense and control but I'm working on that. Trying to focus on 100% compliance on N days as my priority.

Lastly, there are currently 2 tubs of Ben & Jerry's sitting in my freezer and while I am REALLY looking forward to digging into them, I don't feel desperate to. I would never have thought I could have these kind of yummy treats in the house without me devouring them immediately. Yay me :D

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Post by No BS » Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:18 am

Congratulations on two :mrgreen: green :mrgreen: weeks! And on such super progress over the past six weeks. You really are doing terrific!

Your self-awareness and candid analysis of your eating triggers & motivations will serve you well in reaching your goals.

Good job!

ps: I can only imagine the pure unadulterated joy of leaping on a London train to Paris - even at some ungodly hour of the morning!! :wink:
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by gk » Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:24 am

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:It's easily been over 2 weeks since my last binge (which is HUGE for me) and quite possibly much longer (but I just can't remember). I have definitely overeaten at times but it hasn't been with the frantic, out of control, must-eat-everything binge state of mind. And I am SO happy that I can say that I no longer think about food all day long. It feels as though a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel almost at peace with food now.
WOW. WOW. WOW. That is amazing. You should be so proud. Major accomplishment. You are on your way!!!! :D
SW (as of 3/25/13): 172 lbs.
CW: 171 lbs.

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Post by MJ7910 » Mon Apr 01, 2013 1:53 am

I agree that getting past the binges is hard, so great for you for getting past it. I know how you feel about constantly thinking about food. That is hard to get past too.
Current BMI: 22.9. Height: 5'4.5"
Highest BMI: 25.5 in August 2011.
Lowest adult BMI: 20.8 in February 2012.

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:10 pm

Thanks No BS, gk and MJ for the encouraging words!

Hooray for my first moderate weekend! Although I did eat a bit too much ice cream, this weekend was a HUGE improvement over the past weekends. I never felt overstuffed and actually felt in control. It was such a nice feeling.

(Admittedly, it's partly due to the fact that I caught a stomach bug which kept me in bed for most of the day yesterday and today. How unfortunate for an S day to be wasted on a sick day when I didn't feel like eating anything at all.)

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Post by gk » Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:15 pm

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. :( Hope you are feeling better soon.

I've said this on the No S Board before, but I'll say it again......I always think about the funny line from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada", whenever I get the flu......."I'm only one stomach flu away from my perfect weight." Ha! :lol: At least there's one benefit from getting the stomach flu - it's like a "Reset button" on eating. :)
SW (as of 3/25/13): 172 lbs.
CW: 171 lbs.

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Post by No BS » Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:11 am

Hey sleepygirlzzzz hope your bug is gone by Tuesday and that you are feeling better.

gk, I absolutely love that hilarious line. :lol:
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:19 am

Thanks for the good wishes gk and NoBS. I have to admit that while I was unable to eat much, I did secretly think to myself 'at least I must be getting thinner' :D

Yesterday was another sick day Ate mostly to plan but did have a few snacks in-between meals as I could only stomach a little food at a time. Still counting it as a green day.

Feeling much better this morning but still a bit nervous to eat too much at one time. I'm also meant to stay away from caffeine so I won't be able to resort to my morning coffee to keep me going between meals. Will just have to see how it goes today and if necessary, will continue to use my sick days until I can start eating normal sized meals again. Mostly just been eating plain foods like toast crackers and rice. I miss eating real food with actual taste to it...

I am trying to be conscious of not using sick days as an excuse to bend the rules. So although I've allowed myself so snacks, I'm still keeping sweets off limits on my sick N days. And amazingly, I still have some ice cream in the freezer and some chocolate cookies in the cupboard leftover from the weekend and I don't even feel tempted by them!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:49 pm

:oops: Very disappointed in myself and embarrassed to have to report a fail today. And it was a pretty big fail.

I've been having a tough week with my 2 & 4 yr olds arguing, moaning and crying loads and today it really got to me. It started with a small cheat. I think I've been a bit too lenient lately with the single plate rule and sometimes pick at things during mealtime that I'm fairly sure would fit on my plate. I started doing that at lunchtime today but then it became apparent that I was having too much extra food. Then I made a conscious, but stupid, decision that I would either just claim it a fail or chalk it up as a planned S day. In hindsight, both were foolish ideas.

But to me, the worst part about it was the mental failure rather than the physical failure. Ironically I was just telling my husband this morning that it's been approx a month since my last binge. But today, I was dangerously close to a binge. I definitely overate and even ate beyond what was comfortable but it didn't reach the frantic must-eat-everything binge mentality. But I came very, very close before I stopped myself.

I've been trying to decide what to do now. Debating between just marking it down as a failure and moving on or possibly taking only one S day this weekend to make up for today. But the latter way of thinking starts to bring back terrible memories of calorie counting/accounting so not sure if that's the way to go. I've definitely moved on from it since it happened at lunchtime and am committed and back on track. I think I'll just see how I feel on Saturday (going out for afternoon tea on Sunday so sweets will definitely be involved). If I don't crave sweets then I'll just plan to treat it as an N day. But if I start to feel resentful or it starts bringing on negative thoughts, then I'll take the full 2 S days.

Also, no more leniency on the single plate rule. I'll sit myself down with one plate and that's it. I need to achieve 100% compliance on N days before loosening the reins.

No more failures for me. It's too shaming to have to confess them here...

This week so far.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops:

SpiritSong
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Post by SpiritSong » Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:05 pm

Reinhard strongly discourages taking away an S-day as "payment" as it opens up a line of credit to use in the future.

Look at what you learned about the one plate rule and consider your failure a success! Now for the rest of your life you know you should stick to food on a plate, and all that knowledge cost you was one little red mark. Seems like a good deal to me. :D

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Post by KL » Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:29 pm

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:but it didn't reach the frantic must-eat-everything binge mentality. But I came very, very close before I stopped myself.
Yay! You stopped - how awesome is that! Mark it and move on and tomorrow you can enjoy 3 single plates :)
"Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial...I will not be mastered by anything." 1 Cor 6:12

sleepygirlzzzz
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:23 pm

Thanks Spirit and KL for the encouraging words and for helping to put a positive spin on things.

Committing to finishing the week today with a green. So will mark today early as a green day with the knowledge that I'd be too embarrassed to have to revise this later.

Past three weeks....
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops: :mrgreen:

Also committing to getting back to running. Exercising in the evening definitely helps to get my mind off food and will hopefully also help the waistline as well!

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Post by SpiritSong » Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:34 pm

Wow, look at all that green! :shock: :D

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Post by KL » Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:24 am

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:
Also committing to getting back to running. Exercising in the evening definitely helps to get my mind off food and will hopefully also help the waistline as well!
Yahoo :D What a streak of :mrgreen: you have going on :!: I love to run, but only in the a.m. when I have the most energy and on an empty stomach - the later it gets, there is more of a likelyhood that it's not going to happen - good for you for running in the evening :!:
"Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial...I will not be mastered by anything." 1 Cor 6:12

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Post by No BS » Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:54 pm

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:
Past three weeks....
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops: :mrgreen:

Also committing to getting back to running. Exercising in the evening definitely helps to get my mind off food and will hopefully also help the waistline as well!
Congratulations on seriously green weeks! Good job! :D

I also find exercising in the evening takes the edge off my appetite & encourages me to savour a slow, smaller dinner.
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:04 pm

Feeling a bit down. Although there technically is no failing on the weekends, I feel like the past 5 days have been fails.

Last Thursday: Stressed. Marked it as a fail and then abused it.

Last Friday: Again, technically, I didn't fail but really, I did. Towards the evening I was feeling desperate for sweets but really wanted to hold out. At first I was sensible and went to bed but then I couldn't sleep (I think it was because I was thinking of sweets). Then my son woke up at 11.30pm and after getting him to bed, I decided I was going to stay up until midnight when I would be allowed to eat again. From now on, I will not begin my S day until I wake in the morning for the day on Saturday. I will take away the blurred lines and make it crystal clear for myself.

Last weekend: When it comes to the weekends, I seem to be one of those idiots that Reinhard refers to when he says 'don't be an idiot'. Even I cannot comprehend why I choose to continue to eat when I already feel uncomfortably full and do not actually want to eat any more.

Monday - I started off with good intentions and was actually happy to begin the full N week. But then my son found 4-5 leftover chocolate chips in a bag from the weekend and stupidly I thought 'I can't throw those away' so I ate them. Clearly I should have just thrown them away. Then I baked some olive bread and it went downhill from there. I've become too lax with the rules and have let 'treats' into the house too early in my No S journey. I had given myself a 'no baking on weekday' rule and for good reason. After lunch, I went back for more bread and then ended up marking it as a fail and just giving in to more snacks after that.

I'm feeling frustrated that since I started No S, my clothes have gotten noticeably tighter and ironically, it makes me want to eat. It got me thinking that maybe I should go back to eating similar things to when I was calorie counting...but then I stopped myself because I didn't want to even go near that mental insanity that I used to feel.

When I thought it through this evening, it's obvious what the problem is. Before No S, I was calorie counting and running about 4-5x week. Then for some unknown reason, I stopped running and at the same time started No S. For the past few weeks, I've been eating much more than I was previously (excluding binges) and not running so the weight gain/inches gain was inevitable.

So now I need to pull myself out of this slump, move on and take the opportunity to make the next four days green. And I'm confident that I can do it because it feels so much better to be able to report green to everyone than it is to have to confess to reds. :oops:

My next steps:
1. Start running at least 3x week to begin with.
2. Continue working towards 100% compliance on N days.
3. Continue to keep all temptations out of the house (so also no baking).
4. Work towards more moderate portions.

KL , my evening running is not as virtuous as it may sound. On the weekdays, the only time I have to run is after the kids go to bed. On the weekends, if I run in the evenings it's generally because I've procrastinated all day!

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Post by gk » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:20 pm

Sorry to hear you've been feeling a bit down. I am right there with ya - been part of Reinhard's "don't be an idiot" club many, MANY times. :roll:

If you tend to find yourself struggling, especially bingeing on weekends, you might want to try MJ's number system. It really helped me with not building up to big binges on the weekend, and seems to help control my weekdays as well (not based on the past few days though!! :) ) It takes alot of the anxiety out of it.

I'm not trying to push this revised way of doing things on others, but I could have written some of the things you said - been there! - so thought I'd throw this out as something to consider.

Keep at it!! You can do this!!! :)
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Post by No BS » Tue Apr 09, 2013 12:57 am

One thing about running, it not only is a super cardio workout, but it also releases the most fabulous endorphins which sure can help get you out of a downer spell & feeling good about yourself & the world again.

Keep the faith, sleepygirlzzzz! One day at a time.
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by MJ7910 » Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:02 am

I know you can do this, it just takes time! i felt just as you did when i was about a month in this time. i promised myself i would not weigh myself until i felt a little more controlled about Sdays and now that i have toward the end of the second month i decided to go ahead and weigh. sure enough, gained 8 lb in 8 weeks. but it's ok. my clothes are a bit tighter but my mind is a bit more free than it was. i really don't mind that if it means i just need to practice moderation a bit better. which i can do and i will learn the ways. one key for me - don't beat yourself up - seriously! a few days that are "bad" can weigh on the mind and make you feel bad about it and want to give up. i had my mess ups for sure . i did get my 21 days in but after that i had some fails. but i got back on and kept going. once you get it down it almost seems easy. it's nice to not have to worry and obsess over food. and you can do this!
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Post by Jonas Jonasson » Tue Apr 09, 2013 7:03 am

My next steps:
1. Start running at least 3x week to begin with.
2. Continue working towards 100% compliance on N days.
3. Continue to keep all temptations out of the house (so also no baking).
4. Work towards more moderate portions.
This is a very sound plan. I think if you stick to 1-3 you will soon be grand & feeling much better. But be patient with yourself.
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If a person is fairly new to English their English words and expressions are influenced by their mother tongue, so things that might sound impolite to you are not always meant in that way.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Apr 10, 2013 7:19 pm

Thanks Jonas, No BS, MJ and gk for your encouragement. It really does help. It's funny because even though we may not actually know one another, it feels good to me to know that people really care that I succeed. Especially at times when I'm feeling a bit low.

The good news is that I'm feeling better and after my fail on Monday, yesterday and today have been greens. I ran on Sunday and again last night so just have one more run to do this week and I'll be on target for my 3 runs per week. I also do a small run on Monday nights with a friend of mine but as she's only just started running, the pace is much slower than I'd normally run and I don't really count that as one of my runs. For me, it's actually just a chance for a nice girlie chat :D

I was reading on someone else's check-in (can't remember whose) about the idea of S-events (opposed to my current all day eating fests). Part of me really likes this idea because I think it could help me tame my current wild S days. But then the other part of me doesn't want to add any new rules or restrictions in case it backfires. I'm hoping to get to a point where I'll learn to treats as such and to really think about what I want to eat on the weekends rather than just eat because 'I am allowed to'.

gk - Thanks for the suggestion of the number system. I may consider this or a S-event way of thinking if I continue to overstuff myself on the weekends. I don't think it'd work for me on N days though. I'm certain that if I allowed myself any leniency on the 3 rules, it would only lead to me breaking the rules all the time thinking 'well, it's only a small fail...'.

No BS - You're absolutely right about how great running makes me feel afterwards. My problem has always been getting out the door. I don't think anyone ever regrets going out for a run once they're finished :D I used to have a 3 day rule where I couldn't go more than 3 consecutive days without running or else I'd fall out of the habit and just wouldn't care to run anymore. That's essentially what happened the past 2 months. But I'm feeling good about getting back into the habit now.

MJ - As always, thanks for your encouragement. I always read your check-ins with great interest because you've seemed to have learned so much over your relatively short period on No S. I'm inspired by your positive outlook and the way you've been able to apply the lessons you've learnt. My problem seems to be that I learn plenty but then always forget to apply what I've learned! In one ear, right out the next!

Jonas - I know you're right about being patient. The good news is that I do feel that it's getting easier as weeks go by. I have much less sweet cravings during the week although I do still start to lose it around Thurs/Fri evenings. But I'll try to keep the faith with the system and be confident that things will improve gradually over time.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:41 pm

It's mid-afternoon on Thursday and I can feel my resolve beginning to weaken...MUST...STAY...STRONG.

Husband's coming home a bit early from work so hopefully that will give me a chance to fit in a run and distract myself from my food thoughts. And then by the time I finish my run and shower, it will be time to eat again :D

Really want to finish this week off green.

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Post by KL » Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:52 pm

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:It's mid-afternoon on Thursday and I can feel my resolve beginning to weaken...MUST...STAY...STRONG.

And then by the time I finish my run and shower, it will be time to eat again :D
You CAN do this :!: :!: You only have to wait until your next meal...maybe drink some lemon water to hydrate and quench your emotional hunger. Keep up the good work. :)
"Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial...I will not be mastered by anything." 1 Cor 6:12

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:47 pm

Thanks KL!

Things didn't go exactly as planned because I decided I really was hungry and wanted to eat instead of running first. But after a little time wasting, food prep then cooking time, hurray, it was mealtime! I allowed myself a larger than typical portion to ensure that I'd be satisfied for the evening.

Just came back from an evening run and feeling very green :mrgreen:

Fridays is when I struggle the most but I'm heading over to a friend's house in the evening which will help keep my mind off food.

This week so far.... :oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: . I just need this one more green tomorrow. And I really want it because I want to be able to go into the weekend guilt-free.

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Post by No BS » Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:48 am

sleepygirlzzzz wrote: Just came back from an evening run and feeling very green :mrgreen:
You sure are doing super, sleepygirlzzzz!! Way to go!! :mrgreen:
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by gk » Fri Apr 12, 2013 2:37 am

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:Fridays is when I struggle the most but I'm heading over to a friend's house in the evening which will help keep my mind off food.

This week so far.... :oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: . I just need this one more green tomorrow. And I really want it because I want to be able to go into the weekend guilt-free.
You can do this!!!!!!! The art of distraction will be your friend tomorrow.....and drinking lots of water........and telling yourself how absolutely wonderful that "S" will taste tomorrow when you know it was well-earned. You can do this!!!!! :)
SW (as of 3/25/13): 172 lbs.
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:24 am

Woo hoo - it's Saturday morning!

This may be the first week that I successfully made it to the weekend without first caving in and having a sweet at 11.30pm/12am Friday evening. Really pleased because now I can start the weekend without guilt.

This week... :oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Happy that I recovered from a bad start of the week but aiming to improve upon that with 5 greens next week :D

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Post by Jonas Jonasson » Sat Apr 13, 2013 12:29 pm

Congratulations, sleepy. Good girl!
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Post by No BS » Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:55 pm

Great job sleepygirlzzzz!! :mrgreen:

Now you can REALLY enjoy your weekend! :D
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:58 pm

It's near the end of a relatively tame S day (tame for me at least!) and I'm feeling pretty good and more importantly, in control.

I've been trying to think of how I can tame my S days and was toying with the idea of trying to limit myself to 6 S-events each day. That may be alot for some people but to date, most of my weekends have been all day snackathons. I was hoping that by putting a number to it, it would make me think more about how much I was eating. I'm also trying to make sure that each 'event' is equivalent to one serving size (for example, 1 single serving pack of peanut M&Ms rather than mindlessly eating an entire jumbo bag).

So although I've definitely had my fair share of sweets today, the quantity was much less than normal and I was far more conscious of how much I was eating. Plus I was better at eating treats that I actually wanted rather than eating them just because they were available. I actually said no to some chocolate today!! Not sure if that's ever happened before :P

And I also jumped on the treadmill for a 30min run so that's 4 runs this week (my goal is 3 runs/wk).

Hoping for an equally tame day tomorrow...

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Post by childoftheking » Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:41 am

Congratulations Sleepgirlzzz on your 4 green dys! :mrgreen: Here is to 5 next week :!: I know you can do it!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:48 pm

Thanks childoftheking for believing in me but...

I'm afraid I have to report a fail for today :oops: . It was a completely unnecessary fail too (although I guess are fails are) which makes me more annoyed with myself.

Yesterday was an over-the-top S day. Not comfortable and not sensible. I had planned on an evening run but I was actually too uncomfortably full to run. Disappointing after my much more sensible Saturday but I'm not going to dwell on it because overall the weekend was better than previous ones.

I was grateful to start on N days again and have been doing fine all day until dinnertime. I didn't eat a huge amount but I did take a few bites of my son's leftovers after eating my meal and then also ate 2 handfuls of honey roasted nuts that were leftover from the weekend. Feeling uncomfortably full now.

But I'll mark it and move on. I'm not too worried about today's fail but must remember to stay vigilant and continue to work towards 100% compliance.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:24 pm

Came very close to a fail today but managed to save it. I was making a new snack for the kids mid-morning and when it was done, I wanted to have a little taste to know what it was like. But then I went back for a few more 'tastes'. I was about to mark it as a fail but then decided that I would have some fruit with it and turn it into a very early lunch instead.

So successfully stayed on plan with 3 plates today :mrgreen:

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Post by MJ7910 » Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:26 am

i'm glad you were able to save the day!
Current BMI: 22.9. Height: 5'4.5"
Highest BMI: 25.5 in August 2011.
Lowest adult BMI: 20.8 in February 2012.

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Post by Amy3010 » Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:40 am

Good save! :D

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Post by Jonas Jonasson » Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:28 am

Cool, you've superbly mastered a tricky situation.
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:05 pm

Thanks MJ, Amy and Jonas!

A green day today with my 2nd run for the week now done and dusted.

I felt a bit frustrated this afternoon when I realised it's only Weds and I have 2 more sweet-free days to go :( But I will stay committed because it feels so much better to go into the weekend guilt-free. Last Friday I had what I consider a borderline sweet - honey roasted nuts - to help me get through to Saturday. I'm curious - would you consider honey roasted nuts a sweet??

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Post by Amy3010 » Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:13 am

Good job on green! :mrgreen:

I don't know about the nuts - were they pretty sweet tasting? And did you have them as part of a meal?

Just curious - where did you live in the Chicago area? I lived in Geneva IL for many years and then went to college at the U of I. Have been in Belgium for more than 20 years, now, though. :wink:

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:27 pm

From one Amy to another, I'm originally from Oak Park (first suburb west of the city). I lived there until I went to Boston for college, travelled and then moved to the UK in 2002.

In regards to the nuts, they are most definitely sweet (but yes, I did eat them with a meal). Now that I've acknowledged how sweet they are, it's very obvious that these should not be allowed. :(

I've never been overly concerned about weight in terms of numbers (I'm more interested in inches) but out of curiousity I weighed myself for the first time since I stopped calorie counting almost 3 mths ago. I've gained 5lbs. It's no surprise though so I'm not really bothered by the numbers. I'm confident that things will improve with time once I learn to really enjoy my S days (rather than abuse them as I currently do) and now that I've started running again.

Before No S, I was part of a binge eating forum and often posted my confessions on there. They were a huge source of support and although I am grateful for that, I am SO happy that I no longer feel the need for that particular type of support. Since starting No S, my binge urges have gradually died down and, for the most part, are gone now. My wild S days have on occassion led me dangerously close but I haven't had a full blown binge in a very long time. And it feels great :D

Having dinner at a friend's house tomorrow so will need to be strong and resist dessert. I'm determined to earn my S days.

This week so far... :oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen::mrgreen:

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Post by SpiritSong » Fri Apr 19, 2013 2:24 pm

Congrats on the greens, from yet another Amy! :D

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Post by Amy3010 » Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:14 am

3 Amys - cool!

Hope the dinner party went well... :wink:

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:59 am

Yippee it's Saturday! Really pleased that I managed to finish the week with four greens after a shaky start.

Successfully steered clear of the dessert at last night's dinner party. I was lucky though b/c the hostess is a close friend who knows I'm on No S so I think she may have purposely made a less tempting dessert (fresh fruit with yogurt rather than cake).

I got home a little after midnight and did consider 'I could have a little snack now...' but then stopped myself. I'm really trying to stick to S days as actual days (Sat am to Sun pm) rather than thinking of it in terms of time (i.e. starting at 12am Sat).

Hoping for a tame weekend...

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

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Post by No BS » Sat Apr 20, 2013 3:42 pm

sleepygirlzzzz wrote:I was about to mark it as a fail but then decided that I would have some fruit with it and turn it into a very early lunch instead.
sleepygirlzzzz, you are doing seriously awesome!! :D I just love reading about the *click* moment on other people's threads. Good job!

And what's with all the Amy's popping up like daffodils out of the lawn???
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:27 am

Pretty happy with how the weekend went in terms of S day progress. I had a few instances of overindulgence but overall I ate a lot less than I have on previous weekends and felt a lot more in control. It was the first weekend that I didn't feel the panic of needing to eat as many sweets as possible before the weekend ends. It felt really good to be in control.

Also pleased that I completed a 7 mile run yesterday. It was hard at times but not as bad as I had expected (probably haven't run this distance in over 6 months if not longer). I'm comfortably back into a running routine and am considering signing up for a half marathon to give me a goal to aim for.

April so far...
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops: :mrgreen: (although Friday was borderline red as I caved & had sweets at midnight)
:oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
:oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

It's definitely time for me to complete a week of 5 greens. Here we go...

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Post by Amy3010 » Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:24 pm

Way to go on the weekend! Here's to a very green week ahead! :D

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sun Apr 28, 2013 7:15 pm

It's been too long since my last check-in. Makes it hard for me to recall what the past week was like so must remember to check it more often from now on.

I have mixed feelings about last week. I had originally thought I was going to mark it as a full 5 days of green but with a mod. A few times over the past two months I've been to a great outdoor food market and bought some yummy honey covered nuts. At first I hadn't considered them as a sweet and had a few nuts with my meals. However, after thinking about how sickly sweet they actually are, I decided that they should be treated as a sweet and therefore no longer allowed on N days. BUT then I decided last Thursday that I was going to allow myself the handful of nuts with meals on the Thursday and Friday because it seemed to help calm my end-of-the-week cravings. I thought 'better to allow myself a few nuts rather than risk completely falling off plan'.

But after feeling tons of guilty for my 'mod', I've decided I'm going to stick to Vanilla No S and mark my week as :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :oops: :oops: Friday was a fail also because although I went to bed early with good intentions of making it until the morning without sweets, my son woke me up at 11.30pm and I couldn't get back to sleep because I starting thinking of weets. I forced myself to wait but then something woke me again at 3.30am and I finally gave in and had a cookie and some more nuts. (Lesson here: no more buying honey covered nuts :cry: )

The weekend had its ups and downs. It was better than some past weekends where I just ate junk all day long, but I did eat more than I needed. I've pinpointed the problem to be my baking. I've been baking Saturday mornings and as always, if it's in the house, I HAVE to eat it - and lots of it. So had FAR too many chocolate chip cookies and homemade wheat thins over the weekend. Thankfully I did manage a 9/10 mile today so that makes me feel a bit better about the overindulgence. :oops:

On the positive side, I am well and truly back into the groove with my running and am really enjoying it. I've just signed up for a half marathon in June to keep my motivation up and am considering a marathon later in the year if I can time things right (we're in the process of moving our family from the UK to the US hopefully this summer).

Now, no excuses. This week will be all greens!! Wishing everyone a good week :D

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:04 am

Monday was green :mrgreen:

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Post by Sweetness » Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:14 pm

Good self analysis. I never bake unless theres an event I'm bringing it to, because it calls my name and I always eat more than anyone in the house. Maybe you could have some raw or salted nuts with your meals instead. You are doing well. Thanks for joining me on the challenge. 8) Lets have a green week! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Patty

Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy. (Proverbs 12:25 NET)
I'm a glutton for encouragement.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:23 pm

Thanks for the encouragement Sweetness.

Tuesday is green. Was tempted to cheat this afternoon when the kids were driving me mad but didn't want to have to own up to a failure. Upon reflection later on, I was very glad that I didn't give in because I remembered that eating does not solve my problems. In fact, it usually just adds to them because then I also have the guilt to deal with.

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Post by No BS » Wed May 01, 2013 12:56 am

I love raw nuts in a ramekin on the side of my plate. Or with an apple for lunch. They are loaded with nutrition & energy - so I totally get why you enjoy them so much!

Good job on the running, sleepygirlzzzz! I always find if I look after my physical efforts the rest comes easier. :wink:
If you are not living life on the edge you are taking up too much room!!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu May 02, 2013 7:08 am

Thanks No BS! The warmer weather and increasing sunshine is definitely helping me to get back into a good running routine.

Yesterday (Weds) was green. I had some homemade banana bread but there isn't any added sugar to it so I think it's allowed. My dinner was also larger than needed but it wasn't more than one plate.

Working towards another green for today...

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri May 03, 2013 6:10 am

Hurray, it's Friday! Yesterday was green. :mrgreen:

Really hoping to finish off the week with a green - Fridays are often my downfall. I'm generally fine during the day but by Friday evening, I just can't stop thinking about the treats I'm going to have on the weekend It often keeps me awake and even when I do manage to fall asleep, when I wake in the night (kids generally wake me at least once) I really feel like I can't wait. And that's often when I've finally given in, partly just so I can finally stop thinking about it. It's strange because the feelings of anticipation are even stronger than my actual desire for the treats.

Am I the only one who struggles on Friday evenings? Any advice on how to get over this or is it just a matter of time??

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Post by sophiasapientia » Fri May 03, 2013 1:23 pm

I think struggling with Friday evenings is a common problem for many of us ... What works best for me is planning a dinner that feels somewhat celebratory for finishing up the work/school week. Our standby Friday default is that I'll make a homemade pizza, served with salad or veggies. The whole family eats this happily, I feel like I've had a treat and it is a nice way to kick off the weekend while keeping things green. HTH! :D

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Post by Sweetness » Fri May 03, 2013 9:56 pm

sophiasapientia wrote:I think struggling with Friday evenings is a common problem for many of us ... What works best for me is planning a dinner that feels somewhat celebratory for finishing up the work/school week. Our standby Friday default is that I'll make a homemade pizza, served with salad or veggies. The whole family eats this happily, I feel like I've had a treat and it is a nice way to kick off the weekend while keeping things green. HTH! :D
That's a great idea, Sophia. I have trouble with Friday nights too, especially when my DH and I have our date night. Don't need dessert, but a couple times the special at the restaurant comes with one. So I just make it an S event. We often go to a movie for our date. Sometimes I eat a big meal at lunchtime and have just popcorn for supper, because I really like popcorn at the movies. I smuggle my own home popped, I don't feel bad about it because my DH buys a big popcorn for himself at the theater. Last week I made the popcorn an S event on a No S day.

Something that has really helped me is having a healthy hot chocolate when I get craving for sweets. I make mine home-made with cocoa, milk, vanilla and sweetened with stevia. yum. Beverages are allowed. I wouldn't allow the packaged kind because its not good for you, and may have alot of sugar and count as a sweet, but when you make it yourself, I think that's different. Hope you can make it tonight :mrgreen: and have a great weekend sleepygirl!
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat May 04, 2013 10:04 am

Thanks Sophia! I agree that making Friday dinner a little special is a great idea. In fact, I did just that yesterday after reading your post. The kids and I went out for Thai food and although my plate was piled a bit too high...at least I stayed green for the day :D

So hurray for a green week :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I think it also helped that I didn't have any nice treats in the house. In the past, I've bought or baked some treats on Friday to have for the weekend. In hindsight, that was a silly thing to do. Of course I'd be tempted if I had treats in the house. So no more 'preparing' for my S days in advance.

Started off this morning with a bit too many treats (5 homemade cookies that I happily remembered I had in the freezer :D , a small handful of honey roasted nuts and a few chocolate buttons). To be honest, I felt a bit ill from having so much at once. So the plan is remember to eat proper meals and be more sensible with my treats for the rest of the weekend. Monday is a public holiday here but planning to keep it as a normal N day. If I manage a particularly tame weekend, then maybe a small treat on Monday...

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue May 07, 2013 8:48 pm

I overdid it over the weekend. Definitely ate too many sweets. Yesterday was a public holiday in the UK and I had every intention of keeping it as a regular N day but then we went to the zoo with friends and I was surrounded by far too many sweets to resist! I was doing really well but then at lunchtime my husband bought me a sandwich and a millionaire shortbread. My first reaction was 'no thanks, it's a weekday today'. But then I caved. I couldn't resist it while it was just sitting there in front of me...

So feeling a bit guilty that I had 3 S days but today I'm back to green. :mrgreen:

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Post by Sweetness » Wed May 08, 2013 12:23 am

Congrats on your green week, and an extra S day for a holiday is perfectly fine. :wink: Just wipe that guilt off and keep going!
You are doing great!
Lets make the rest of the week green! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed May 08, 2013 9:21 pm

Today was green. Considered a small cheat of an apple after dinner but decided it wasn't worth a fail. And I'd really only be cheating myself so that would just be foolish.

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri May 10, 2013 6:26 am

Yesterday was green :D

Today will be a big challenge for me. Perhaps foolishly, I went to another amazing outdoor food market with my little boy yesterday and bought some amazing brownies for my weekend treat. (I know how yummy they are because I've had them before, not because I had a taste yesterday :wink: ) Having treats around is never a great idea for me, especially on a Friday evening when my cravings begin and my willpower starts to wane. So must stay strong! Will keep thinking of you Sweetness and the 21 day challenge to keep me on-plan.

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Post by Sweetness » Fri May 10, 2013 1:57 pm

I suggest that you wrap those brownies and put them in the back of your freezer. That's worked for me before!
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat May 11, 2013 6:12 am

Hurray, I made it to the weekend with 5 greens for the week :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

We're thinking along the same lines Sweetness! As soon as I got home from the market, I cut the brownies in half and put half in the freezer (I bought 3) and put the other half at the very top shelf of my wardrobe so it wouldn't be easily accessible.

I very nearly gave in when I woke in the night at 1:30am-ish. I kept going back in forth thinking 'well, it's officially Saturday' and 'if I can just wait until morning then I can enjoy the weekend guilt-free'. It took me a long time to fall back asleep but now that it's morning, I'm so happy that I managed to wait it out. Between Friday midnight and Saturday morning is often my downfall.

So I've started off the day with some brownie and now getting ready for a run. I know, not a great pre-run snack...

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat May 11, 2013 7:32 pm

Ugh. Ate far too many sweets today.

Although I overdid it, I feel more satisfied (although overfull) than I have on past weekends because I felt like the treats I had were ones I really wanted (rather than ones I just had because it was what was available). I had bought some brownies and sea salt caramel fudge at a market last Thursday and then there were a few little markets happening in town today and I bought a small loaf of chocolate chip banana bread and a square of rocky road. All were completely scrumptious! On past weekends I've had anything that was available just because I could even though it never really felt that satisfying.

And yes, I do realise that the list of treats above is quite a lot :oops: but at least I put half of each into the freezer. That's progress for me.

I've noticed that at the end of every Saturday, I think 'I've had enough treats. I don't actually want any more this weekend.' But then I inevitably give in on Sundays and continue to indulge - again, just because 'it's allowed'. I wonder if I should make a small mod - Saturdays could be completely free days but no sweets on Sundays unless I'm going somewhere special (restaurant/food market) or it's a special occasion? N days feel easier because the rules are the rules and I know I can only eat 3 meals a day. On the weekends and especially on Sundays, I seem to just eat more than I actually want because there aren't any rules to follow. But then I worry if restricting sweets on Sundays might make it even more difficult for me to make it through the week if I have to go 6 days without sweets...maybe something for me to consider at a later date depending on how the next few weekends go

Here's hoping for a tamer Sunday! :D

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Post by Sweetness » Sun May 12, 2013 3:03 am

I think of it this way, if I eat too much on the weekend it makes me happy to go back to N days. Maybe that's warped thinking...

I don't know if they celebrate mother's day where you are, but Happy Mother's Day to you. 8)
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Post by No BS » Mon May 13, 2013 2:05 am

sleepygirlzzzz, great to see so much green :mrgreen: on your thread! You really are doing well.

If you do a Sunday mod you might feel you are depriving yourself & it might turn you off of compliance during the week......

I think the weekend free-for-all is to help us learn self-discipline and how to slowly, gradually control ourselves. In reality, we are controlling ourselves during the week so we know it can be done on the weekend.

It is just a matter of degree. And I think that is the entire point behind No"S". The degree of self-knowledge, awareness and self-control we want to exert over ALL of the food in our lives.

Good luck! You really are doing fabulous!! :wink:
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue May 14, 2013 6:36 pm

Thanks Sweetness and No BS. I'm sure you're both right and that I shouldn't mess with the system. Overall my weekends are slowly becoming more tame so perhaps I just need to be more patient.

Yesterday was green but I'm struggling a bit this week. Normally Mon-Weds fly by and by Thursday I'm just left thinking 'that's good, only 2 more days to go'. But yesterday afternoon I was already thinking 'damn, it's only Monday today'. Maybe it's because last weekend's treats were just so darn good!

Will stay strong. Only 3 more days to go...

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Thu May 16, 2013 6:54 am

So far so good this week :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Considering taking a fail yesterday. Really wanted some chocolate treats and started thinking 'Can't I just take one day - or maybe one week - off No S??'. Clearly the right answer was no. So I got my lazy self off the couch and went for a run instead. That did the trick and my cravings went away.

Now just need to get through these next 2 days unscathed :wink:

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Post by Sweetness » Fri May 17, 2013 12:53 pm

Good for you on not caving in! You are lookin good!
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri May 17, 2013 4:19 pm

Thanks Sweetness.

I'm now entering my weakest part of the week...Friday evening...

MUST...STAY...STRONG...

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat May 18, 2013 8:20 am

Yippee! I made it to the weekend without giving in! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: That makes it 3 weeks without cheating which is my longest streak so far :D Admittedly my plates are still often piled a bit too high but it's definite progress.

I woke a few times in the night and my mind would immediately go to thoughts of eating treats. But I kept thinking to myself, "If I just wait a few hours until the morning then I can enjoy my treats without guilt" and "It's 1/3am in the middle of the night, do I REALLY feel like eating a brownie right now??" (In the past, my answer to this last question would always have been yes. Hopefully this means I'm learning to be more sensible now.)

So I've started my morning with a brownie, went for a short run, had breakfast with another 1/2 brownie and now I've put the rest of my brownie out of sight and out of reach. If it's in sight and at hand, it would be devoured immediately - whether or actually want it or not. That's something I need to work on - only eating something when I really want to rather than just because it's available.

I'm going to my friend's house with the kids this afternoon for her daughter's bday party where there will definitely be tons of yummy food and treats. I really really really hope that I can maintain control. I need to remind myself that I can go out and buy treats whenever I want so I don't need to eat anything and everything as though I'll never see food again.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

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Post by Sweetness » Sat May 18, 2013 7:57 pm

Congrats on the 3 weeks which makes 21 days! You could go to the sticky at the top of this board and join the 21 day club if you wish! 21 days looks like this! 8) :lol: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :wink: :) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :P 8) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Mon May 20, 2013 8:30 pm

Thanks Patty!

Once again, I overindulged on the weekend. Ate far too many sweets and even kept eating them when I felt overstuffed. I know, not good.

Now that my N days have been green for a few weeks, I've noticed a pattern developing. For the past 2 weeks, by Friday I've noticed that my stomach has flattened out ever so slightly and my weight has gone down. But by Sunday night, my stomach is round once again and my weight has gone back up. So it seems that if I could just continue eating the way I do on my S days as I do on N days, I'd be pretty content with my weight/appearance.

But alas, that is not realistic. Damn. I'm guessing the only way to stop this ridiculous cycle is to tame my eating on the weekends. Not sure how to do this but I'm hoping that at some point a switch in my brain (or stomach) will just click and I'll be fed up with overstuffing myself with sweets on the weekend. I guess only time will tell...

Anyways...today was green :mrgreen:

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Post by Sweetness » Wed May 22, 2013 2:59 am

I have a suggestion for you. If you haven't yet, listen to Reinhard's podcasts on S days gone wild and tweaking or modifying the system (34, 35 and 36). They contain some great advice. You are doing great. It's very normal to have wild S days at first, and you are still relatively new to the diet, but it may be time to modify the rules for the S days just a bit. Have a great week!
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Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings him joy. (Proverbs 12:25 NET)
I'm a glutton for encouragement.

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Post by oolala53 » Thu May 23, 2013 1:37 pm

I've been reading through some of your thread and hope I can offer some solace, as someone who has been No S-ing for 40 months and has seen a lot on the boards. Try to stop analyzing your S days so much (I know- painful! How can I do that? but any reduction will be a blessing) and attempt to give up any guilt about them. You keep thinking you OUGHT to be able to do them differently and this is probably prolonging the trouble. You've been doing this a relatively short time, in the scheme of things. Forget about 21 days or even a few months. I know the guilt is prolonging things because guilt is PART of the cycle of overeating for bingers. If you repeat the entire cycle, you make it more likely to do it again. If you interrupt it at any point- before, during, at the end (guilt), or after (extreme restriction)-, it reinforces the cycle. That's why NO S is so brilliant. It gives you an opportunity to break the cycle at so many points on weekends, while reinforcing food sanity on weekdays. But try not to keep opening the oven door to see how the cake is doing.

This is not something learned in a few weekends, either! I don't want to scare you but my S days were pretty wild for a couple of years! But I kept honing my N days. I realized nothing else was likely to work better in the long run, so I just kept going. And when I look back now, I think my dwelling on the problems only made it worse.

Sounds like Fridays are going better. Yay!

I also gently suggest that instead of saying "I couldn't resist," you say "I didn't resist," but again, without guilt. It's normal and you're learning. And it is subtly different to say "didn't" because eventually, you will get that you CAN resist in those situations. Get your thoughts ready: Just walk away, Maybe later, If I eat that, I'll miss out on feeling comfortable, and a favorite of Judith Beck, the guru of thinking strategies for eating, NO CHOICE. And turn your thoughts to something else.

Instead of trying to limit your sweets or whatever, try planning your weekends a little more for awhile to include activities that you can get more absorbed in that don't necessarily involve food. This may be tough, too, as our cultures think food goes with everything, but it doesn't have to. Try to figure out, do I need more peppy activities or more serene ones? maybe both! But recognizing the compulsive thoughts as just that, not thoughts that mean anything, and moving on to some diversion (which can likely become the new behavior), is very effective at changing the brain pattern that produces the thoughts that urge you toward the food. It's just a brain habit and can be changed! But it's not over in a few weeks, or likely even months, with food. Eating changes can take a very long time. Just keep being bullish about your N days.

And I'll admit that I never bake sweets anymore. It's just not worth it to be confronted with the batter/dough, and the amounts around. I use old French habits: sweets are what the patisserie is for, and have only enough for one meal or event.

Hope I haven't sounded preachy! I just want you to enjoy the good parts of No S. If you want to dwell on anything, think how wonderful your N days meals are and how good you feel about N days. It really does work to put your attention there.

I think you are doing swell! And I envy you your habit of exercise. I still don't have that down!
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Fri May 24, 2013 6:00 pm

Yippee, it's nearly the weekend! And it's a long weekend here in the UK as Monday is a public holiday.

So far all green this week. Just need to stay committed for the next 12 hours and I know that I can do that (not easily, but I know that I can).

Sweetness, I've read through the S day podcasts in the past but perhaps I should revisit them. One thing that I do remember is that he suggests not tweaking the system or trying to be strict on S days unless it's absolutely necessary.

Oolala, thanks for reading through the thread and for your advice. In the back of my mind, I know that it's probably best not to worry about S days. As you've pointed out, it's not easy to let go of the guilt but I'll try.

My N days are going pretty well. My plates are still often filled too much but I'm finding it relatively easy to get through the week with my 3 plates. Fridays are starting to get a bit easier so that's a relief.

My main issue with my overeating on the weekends is that I hate that I eat more than I actually want. Thankfully, I'm not bingeing - which was my main problem in the past - but I definitely eat more sweets than I physically want. It just doesn't make sense, does it? But I guess that's why I started No S - because I haven't been eating sensibly.

Enough dwelling on the weekends, I'll see how the next few weekends go because who knows, maybe they will slowly start to sort themselves out the way that my Fridays are starting to. Here's hoping anyways :wink:

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat May 25, 2013 9:44 am

Hurray! Made it 5 days green this week. It seems obvious now but I think the key to success for me on a Friday is not to have any treats 'ready' for the weekend. That way, even if I feel like giving in during the midde of the night, there won't be anything available.

Started off this morning with a brownie and 2 slices of choc chip banana bread that I had in the freezer. I know, not a great start but I did follow that with a 11 mile run...

Going on a 3hr car journey today and ummediately thought 'what car snacks should I bring?'. Typically, we always snack during car journeys. Came to my senses though and realised that I don't actually need snacks so haven't brought any today. Small but meaningful steps.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed May 29, 2013 8:58 pm

Well, this weekend was a disaster. And it was a long weekend which made it even more of a disaster. I just ate and ate and ate and when I got on the scale on Monday evening - I had gained almost 6lbs in 3 days!! That's crazy. Lesson officially learnt.

We went to a friend's house for the weekend and in the evenings after the kids went to bed, the adults had a lovely barbeque and an open fire in the back garden. We spent hours outside just sitting by the fire and eating/snacking non-stop throughout the evening. And as if that weren't bad enough, when I woke in the morning with the kids and the snacks were still just lying around from the evening before, I tucked right into them. I took no notice of whether or not I was hungry or if I was actually enjoying what I was eating.

I know I'm not meant to be worried about S days but come on...this is not good. I suppose I can take some comfort in knowing that last weekend was particularly bad because of the environment I was in. But it did show me that my binge/overeating mindset can easily be re-activated once I get going.

I'm also going to mark these past 2 days as fails. I've noticed that I've been slipping a little and having a few bites while preparing my meals or a few bites afterwards just thinking 'it would fit on my plate so it's ok'. It's nothing excessive but I think it's important that I continue to work towards 100% compliance on N days.

So that's it. Confession over. I'm going to mark it and move on :wink:

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Post by oolala53 » Wed May 29, 2013 11:03 pm

If it makes you feel any better, I did some extra eating that I surely didn't need on the weekend. Extra fried chicken and extra cake AFTER having plenty and then ICE CREAM for dinner a few hours later. But the difference is I didn't weigh. I've seen it too many times. And I'm sure you didn't eat 21,000 calories more than your body needs, which is what you would have had to eat to gain 6 lbs. of fat. Concentrated salt and sugar can make you "gain" water, though it's possible some was fat.

Best remedy is great N days and giving attention to how great it feels to eat moderately. It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it to wait to eat!
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1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
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2 yrs flux 6/20 22
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Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:17 pm

Last week was ok. Not green but not a total failure. But I did cheat a bit last night. I woke around 1.30am and really wanted a snack. Thankfully there aren't any in the house so all I had at my disposal was some Shreddies cereal. Surprisingly it satisfied me enough. Funny though because I know that if there was anything more indulgent in the house than the Shreddies would not have felt satisfying at all. So technically it was Saturday but I told myself I wouldn't bend the rules like that so it was a cheat.

Also I am still picking at things while preparing my meals. I realised that often times I do this because it's something that I don't the kids to see on my plate. Nothing terrible, for example this week it was homemade crackers (similar to Wheat Thins). I know it's completely hypocritical but I try not to let my kids eat too many snacks near mealtimes and, for them, I would qualify crackers as a snack. So sometimes I sneakily eat them at the counter when preparing our meals.

I've been thinking about S days again and have come to the conclusion that I don't really care that much about eating all the chocolate and sweets that I fantasize about come Friday and all weekend. On the whole, I rarely crave sweets during the week anymore (I NEVER would have thought I'd say that) and I don't really miss them. But there's something about the fact that I'm 'allowed' to eat them on the weekend that seems to make me go nutty. It's almost as though I feel that I HAVE to eat lots of sweets because if I don't then I'll regret it come Monday morning.

So today I decided to try not eating so many sweets (rather than my normal attitude 'it's allowed so feel free to eat as much as possible') and it hasn't been too bad. Bought my daughter an ice cream from an ice cream truck and even though ice cream is my favourite, I didn't have any because they didn't have any kind I really liked. Typically, I would have just chosen something anyways because I would be thinking 'any ice cream is better than no ice cream'. But that's not actually true is it?

My treats today were:
- pain au chocolat,
- 2x custard cream biscuits/cookies,
- a few fistfuls of homemade popcorn (tossed the rest when I realised I wasn't really enjoying it), and
- an entire batch of homemade Wheat Thins (ugh, WAY too much. The worst part is that I kept eating even when I didn't want anymore just because I knew they were there)

While I know eating an entire batch of crackers is not sane eating, my total treats today were much less than they have been previously. I had contemplated baking some brownies tonight because I craved something chocolatey but have come to my senses and know that that would be a terrible idea because I would eat all of it. So have settled for a coffee with a bit of cocoa in it later tonight instead.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to get my thoughts out.

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:55 pm

No need to apologize for long posts. Many people learn a lot from such detail, especially when there's not a lot of either excessive self-blame or too much letting oneself off the hook, so to speak.

I think you are in a wonderful place! You ate in the early a.m. hours of Saturday but felt you were bending the rules. (Reinhard never tallked of such things, but I think it's good to consider the weekend officially from Saturday morning until Sunday evening. It's more realistic.) You chose not to get ice cream because it wasn't really going to be the experience you wanted- a special one. Etc. These are good signs.

Remember this is not necessarily linear, though. You might not eat less and less every day or weekend. Remember the importance of the trend.

I'm drawing inspiration from you right now!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

sleepygirlzzzz
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:38 pm
Location: Originally from Chicago; living in the UK for past 11yrs

Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:24 pm

Thanks for the encouraging words Oolala. It's good to hear from a more experienced No S-er that I'm doing ok.

My Sunday was very similar to my Saturday. On the plus side, I made a few wise choices and turned down some treats that I didn't actually want (which I wouldn't have turned down before). But I did have a large chocolate chip cookie and a large slice of rocky road (which I really did want). Biggest downside was that I baked and wolfed down yet another batch of homemade crackers. (Lesson here: take a break from baking these if I can't eat them in modest portions.) Overall though, it probably was one of my most sane weekends so far because I actually engaged my brain to make food choices rather than just eating because food was in front of me.

I feel as though I'm starting to lose my way a bit with No S. I still love it on the whole and really appreciate how it's given me back a fairly sane relationship with food (which I was beginning to think was becoming impossible for me), but I feel like I need to make some changes.

This will be my 4th month on No S and I realise that this is very early in the game but it's time for me to stop using the single plate rule to overeat. When I first read about No S, I was very worried about whether I could get through the day without snacks. But then I read that often people start off with very large plates to ensure they make it to mealtimes. I think I read that as 'Yay! I can pile my plate high because it's pretty much expected to happy at the start.' While calorie counting drove me insane, what it did teach me was that I could actually be satisfied with a lot less food than I was eating.

So I've decided that I'm going to try giving myself 1 cup size portions of whatever it is I'm eating. It could be 2-3 x 1 cup portions of things depending on what I'm eating but the idea is that it will stop me from eating ridiculous size portions of pasta/rice/etc. Not sure if I've explained that very well but it makes sense to me :wink:

I'm also going to continue to try to eat less sweets on S days. I won't stop myself from eating things I really want but as I mentioned in a previous post, I've come to realise that I was stuffing sweets into my mouth on the weekends more because I felt that I had to (out of fear that if I didn't, I might not make it though the next week) rather than because I actually desired the sweets.

Lastly, I need to confess to a fail today. :oops: I was feeling very irritated with the kids and we baked some gingerbread men. I gave in and had 5-6 of them. Haven't had a blatant cheat like that in a long time - or as long as I can remember which is often not very long. However, I did manage to stop myself from continuing to cheat because I definitely did have thoughts of 'what the hell, I'll go buy some chocolate and biscuits now'. And also, I realised that this is the first time in a while that I've turned to emotional eating since starting No S. This is progress for me because I used to often turn to food when stressed/angry.

Enough rambling. I will continue to try to take small steps forward...

Jonas Jonasson
Posts: 238
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:53 am
Location: Germany

Post by Jonas Jonasson » Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:49 am

I really admire your honesty.

I am not a very experienced NoSer but I have acquired a lot of wisdom by browsing the threads :lol: and I also think that you are doing great.

I also have very big plates (telling myself that this is mainly because there are so many hours between my meals) and one of my aims for this month is to eat more 'normal' plates whatever this means.

Interesting idea with the cup size portions (although I do not seem to get the cup measurement system), I bet this will work for you, wishing you all the best.
Disclaimer (still applicable):
If a person is fairly new to English their English words and expressions are influenced by their mother tongue, so things that might sound impolite to you are not always meant in that way.

sleepygirlzzzz
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:38 pm
Location: Originally from Chicago; living in the UK for past 11yrs

Post by sleepygirlzzzz » Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:14 pm

Thanks for your good wishes and encouragement Jonas. Similar to you, I am also trying to find my way back to vanilla No S.

Annoyingly, I allowed myself another fail today :oops: Had another 2 gingerbread men that I had baked with the kids yesterday. I realised that they tasted very similar to the homemade Wheat Thins that I love so much. It wasn't even a slip-up. I just kind of decided I was going to eat them regardless of the fail. Then I started thinking maybe I could take a few days off No S...but that would inevitably lead to a gross amount of sweets and weight gain so realised it wasn't an option.

Jonas Jonasson
Posts: 238
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:53 am
Location: Germany

Post by Jonas Jonasson » Thu Jun 06, 2013 2:14 pm

Thank you, too for visiting my thread, sleepy.

We are probably both doing great :wink: :wink:
But you are right we both seem to go through the same difficulties. I also hear you on taking a few days off - but so far I have been able to fend off this fantastic idea by postponing taking off a couple of days until the weekend :lol:

To answer your question in my thread: I joined the June challenge@General Discussion (does this mean that you do not read every single post in every single thread and memorize all of them? tsktsk) and my main goals are vanilla NoS & exercises 4-5 times per week and I also try to change plates sizes from ridiculous to acceptable and not to read when I am eating on my own... so far so good.

Just one more stupid little intercultural question - Are gingerbreadmen sth you would eat throughout the whole year and not sth Christmassy?
Disclaimer (still applicable):
If a person is fairly new to English their English words and expressions are influenced by their mother tongue, so things that might sound impolite to you are not always meant in that way.

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