Everyday Systems

Hi Oolala:

With OO, certain foods just lost their power over me--chips, ice cream, candy.
I had to eat a lot of these and other foods to get to that point though. Hence the weight gain. But now I can have any food in the house without bingeing or even feeling overly tempted. I may have red days but it's more likely to be due from a handful of grapes than m&ms.

When I was in first grade I got a little chubby and started dieting at age 10 which continued on and off throughout my life. In HS I was 128-130 lbs. but was constantly trying to diet down to 120-123 lbs. In college I was down to my goal of 120-123 and very fit except for a brief period of very unhealthy behaviors that got me down to 115 lbs. Even though I'm only 5'3" I'm a broad shoulder mesomorph type so 115 is too thin for me. When I got married I was about 135 lbs but pretty fit. At some point I just was done with the obsessing/dieting and embraced 00/IE. That along with two pregnancies helped me to gain 70 lbs. (ugh).

With NoS, I lost 40 lbs. Last year, before my friend's wedding I managed to get another 10 lbs off but put that back on pretty quickly. Recently, I put back on another 5-7 lbs.

It's frustrating. Obsessing/restriction or stay overweight? Luckily, NoS keeps me from going too far in either direction of extremes but I haven't figured out the whole answer yet. Maybe I never will.

Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch: veg burger on sandwich thin, apple, white bean salad
Dinner: cup of cream of cauliflower soup, pasta w red sauce and basil, stuffed bell pepper, glass of wine

Found this great new cookbook that has no more than 6 ingredients and very simple directions. I've been having so much fun with it. The author is french and I'm wondering if this is how they really cook at home. I can cook 3 or 4 things for dinner no problem. The recipes have more fat than I usually eat but smaller portions satisfy so hopefully it won't be an issue.

Still not feeling quite up to exercising. Hope I get all the way better soon!

Hi Linda, I was just reading through your last few entries, I hope you don't mind me commenting. I wrote on my own check in recently that I have decided to accept being a little overweight, because the benefits to my sanity and relationship with food with NoS are so huge. I am officially 6lbs into the overweight range of BMI, I think my BMI is 26. Not awful but obviously could be better. I am just so done with trying to reach a certain number on the scales. Really, how does it make my life any better? I'm 42, been with my husband since I was 18, I am happy with life. I am far from perfect but that's OK. My eating is more ordered and moderate then it has ever been. I also think as we get older, our bodies tend to hang on to fat more. (Yay!)
I don't know if any of that helps, you of course need to feel happy in your own skin. Maybe your body is just trying to figure out its happy place! You have stuck with NoS for a long while and done so well, I think you're an inspiration for not giving up. Good luck on your journey

Do you mind sharing the name of the cookbook? I like to cook but sometimes the ingredients list gets $$$

I agree, trying to lose weight sucks😡

Blue: Thank you for your thoughts. I agree self-acceptance is fantastic. I would kill to have a bmi of 26. Mine is more like 30 :/ I'm really hoping it'll help with my reflux also so I need to keep trying but you're right, in the meantime ,I need to practice loving myself as I am. I just really want to be able to look in the mirror and feel proud of my body.

Lily: Sure! I really like it. It helps to have some cooking experience because the directions are that simple, but I like that I get to use my brain a bit. So much more fun than mindlessly following a long list of directions. Most of the recipes I'll be able to make without looking at the directions after one or two times which is nice too. It feels like a much more natural way to cook in a way.
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Easiest-C ... 402&sr=1-1

Today was a roller coaster of a day. I'm having a lot of anxiety about not having a career. I'm almost 50 so I think it's too late. I really wanted to be there for my kids but now I'm worried I made mistake. Oh boy, *breath*.

Break: smoothie, crust of daughter's toast (I put it on a plate w/ smoothie to make sure it was legit.)
Lunch: grapes, vegan patty, baked chips
Dinner: caesar salad, tomato-egg bake, butternut squash soup

Exercise: Feeling better- maybe tomorrow!

Hi Linda, glad you’re on the mend!

Just wanted to say my mother went back to college in her late 40s to retrain as a landscape architect. She was a very dedicated mom when we were little and in school, and then she wanted to do something for herself. We were Freshmen the same year, me at 18 and she at 48. She graduated as an architect at 52 and hasn’t looked back. She is now almost 70 and still working part time and still loving it! So that’s a very long winded way to say “It’s not too late!â€. You could still have a multi decade career ahead of you 😀

Thanks iron--you made my day! 😊

Little bit of a red day here. Had a meeting at my house and very lightly loaded up my plate because everyone else did. The problem is I think it was a snack for most ppl but it was my lunch. After everyone left I had a bit more.

So much drama 24/7 in our house. Right now it's mostly due to the orthodontist. Ugh, this to shall pass.

Break: toast w cream chesese; 1/2 ðŸ
Lunch (2 parts): 3 omelette muffins; 🇠📠☕ï¸
Dinne: grilled shrimp ðŸ¤; rice; salad, hummus

Hey Linda, I just want to say that your meals always sound so so so good to me. Gives me great ideas. Thank you for that! I’m also going to check out that cookbook you mentioned a few posts ago.

ETA: I just checked online to see if I can borrow it from the library and I’m so happy to see that they have it! Singapore has amazing libraries. 😠I’ll be checking it out ASAP. Thanks again for the suggestion. I’m vegetarian, but I’m hoping they’ll have some meatless recipes.

I'm with you at the 30 bmi! SOOOO wanting to get into the 20's! (I actually had the same thought--I'd be thrilled with a 26, LOL! I guess it's all about perspective!) Let's spur each other on to a 29!

Orthodontia is no fun. Hang in there!

Thanks crystal! I hope you like it. My daughter is vegetarian and I've found plenty for her so far. I noticed the U.K. amazin sight has a light version but it seemed like there were less vegetarian options so I just got the regular one.

Thanks for understanding Merry. I agree it's all perspective. 29 here we come!

Today was pretty good. My oldest daughter got her braces on & is handling it pretty well. The hardest part is that they didn't think she was going to need them till now. At 14 most of her friends have already gone through that stage. My youngest found out yesterday she'll need to have oral surgery. Ugh!

Was nice though taking my oldest to lunch and spending some one on one with her. We had a fun time.

Break: smoothie (almond milk, banana, pb2, 1 date) , tea latte
Lunch: ahi tuna salad, glass of wine ðŸ·
Dinner: bowl of tortilla soup w/ black bean chips

I weighed yesterday and was actually down 3 lbs. Didn't want to weigh today though. Maybe I won't weigh again till next month ?

Regarding the career thing: a friend who had her MFCC and whose father had died had a mom who was left very comfortable financially. She told my friend all the time that she thought her career sounded so interesting. Finally, my friend said, "Mom, in the time you've been saying that, you could have done the program to do the same work." Her mom did do it and went on to work with children for I-don't know how many years. I think she was closer to 60 when she made the choice. Depending on what you want to do, you can work a long time, especially if you enjoy it. I just went to a lecture last night by a professor from my alma mater who started teaching in 1968 at age 24. After nearly 50 years, he is not thinking of retiring. Sure, he had some wrinkles but he was still a lively man. Still loves teaching and has the satisfaction of having students fall in love with the area of study and go on to graduate programs and positions s of authority. (He lectured on rising sea levels and the news wasn't good for descendants in many coastal areas.)

Merry wrote:I'm with you at the 30 bmi! SOOOO wanting to get into the 20's! (I actually had the same thought--I'd be thrilled with a 26, LOL! I guess it's all about perspective!) Let's spur each other on to a 29!
!

Merry and ipearlmom I sincerely apologise if my comment about my bmi came across as insensitive, that truly wasn't my intention.ðŸ’

Ohmygosh, no don't feel badly! I don't usually post my actual weight so I sometimes think ppl think I just have a few pounds to lose or am just working on vanity weight but the truth is at 5'3" I'm still in the obese category. T

hat's why I decided to post my actual weight so people can understand my struggle better. I know you were just trying to help and honestly even if I get down to a bmi of 26 I will need to remind myself that it's good enough. I tend to never be happy with my weight and to keep trying for a few more pounds.

I absolutely know you were just trying to help and I'm sorry if I was being defensive. I was just trying to let you know we are, unfortunately, in very different places on our journey.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reaching out !

Oh good I'm glad I didn't offend you, that's the last thing I'd want to do
I completely understand how difficult this struggle can be at times, and wish you every success as you continue on your journey.

Actually, this whole discussion really got me thinking about things. Today I was stressing about whether or not I should have a 2nd slice of banana bread and generally feeling weary.

It kind of hit me what the real magic of NoS is. It puts food back in it's rightful place. I mean I knew this but kind of forgot it recently in my quest to get this weight off. But with NoS you eat, you finish and then you move on till your next meal. You may not get super skinny, but you probably won't gain either.

Life is too short for obsessing over food/weight. Nos let's allows you to let go. Throw in some regular exercise, make sure you're eating plenty of veggies and there's not much more to do but let your body do what it's going to do.

As far as the weekends. I haven't figured it out yet but I don't think having a permanent plan is good for me. I think each weekend might need to be different. Maybe sometimes I need to snack a lot, other times I will want to save my appetite for a special meal out. Either way I get a pass.

Here's an article that hit home:
https://www.prevention.com/mind-body/wh ... hen-im-fat

That article is a good read. Sounds very similar to some of my own struggles over the years. So easy to buy into the 'thin = good, fat = bad' myth. Sounds as if you are coming to your own conclusions about it, I agree that NoS puts food in its rightful place, its so exhausting having that mental debate about food all the time.
Here's to freedom!

As far as the weekends. I haven't figured it out yet but I don't think having a permanent plan is good for me. I think each weekend might need to be different. Maybe sometimes I need to snack a lot, other times I will want to save my appetite for a special meal out. Either way I get a pass.

I think this sounds wonderful. Free to relax in whatever way you choose; free to enjoy the company of others without worrying about "rules"; Free to accept yourself where you are. It sounds like the perfect scenario to me! 🎉

Interesting link. I actually often felt like I could still do stuff when I was heavier but the truth for me was that it was way overeating that got me there. It's unfortunate (to some degree) that once the fat is there, it can take some concerted effort to get some of it gone, if that's the goal. The body is so good at adjusting things to keep its composition! None of us would be here if that hadn't kept our ancestors alive. But I have a hard time accepting that the body I created with cookie dough, brownie batter, nearly whole cakes, half gallons of ice cream, and frequent just-because-it's-there food was a good thing. Or even if I had done it with better food more spread out. It would have taken the same overall overages. For me it meant that I was depending on food for way more than it was intended to provide and it wasn't even very good at that. That was something I couldn't accept for myself. I don't condemn for it, either, though. It's a paradox. It's the dialectic in dialectical therapy. The behavior can be forgivable but still one that we can see value in reducing.

I looked up her book in my library but they don't have it. Reading similar books helped me embrace No S for just what you said, Linda, a systematic way in our food-rich culture to put eating in its place. Some of body acceptance books in my opinion give way to much leeway, though. I think using the principles of traditional cultures is a better way to navigate the situation. Some traditional cultures are losing the habits and they start to show all the modern problems not long after. So limited very enjoyable eating experiences are a reasonable compromise, IMHO, and probably enough to get us the pleasure and vitality we want. Certain health conditions may require more of a "diet," but I think that's what "diet" is made for. Overweight by itself in my opinion is not a health condition. If it is correlated with something, then by all means, we need to change the "diet" to meet the situation.

Here I went again, bogarting a thread!

I can understand your frustration, though, Linda, when you know there was a time you were living relatively easily at a much lower weight. In the back of my mind, I did think I could get to 145 for the same reason. But I honestly think there was a boatload of luck in my case, luck that a lifestyle that I enjoyed got me there.

Thanks for the support Blue & ginger!

Oolala: I think you misunderstood what I was saying. i wasn't saying that I would abandon all my attempts to eat less and weigh less, but despite my best efforts, I do not seem to be losing any more weight. I think instead of being stuck in self-hatred, I can accept my body for where's it at currently, stick to NoS and just sort of let my body be where it's going to be with moderate eating and exercising.

I'm not eating anything close to what you're describing. In fact I recently went a whole week with only eating one plate of food a day and I didn't lose an ounce. I know ppl think it's a simple equation of calories in vs. calories out but my body seems very set on staying where it's at.

I'm one of the people that IE didn't work for or at least not in the way I thought it would. I gained 70 lbs so yeah that's not an option for me.

Anyway, today was pretty good although I did eat a far amount tonight. Am really looking forward to N days!

Break: 2 pieces of toast w/ ricotta cheese, tea latte
Lunch: handful of crackers, couple of chips
Snack: fruit and couple of crackers, glass of wine (was at an event.)
Dinner: tempura, a lot of sushi, sake
Dessert: large bowl of cherry garcia froyo

I realized that the only good thing that came out of my non-stop eating during my IE phase was that I never had even single bout of depression. Restricting calories really seems to make me more susceptible to depression. Oh well.

I didn't think you were going the eat all you want route at all. I can't see you doing that after all you've accomplished on No S. It's ultimately not as enjoyable as moderation. I was trying to applaud you for seeing what a great support it is to have an enjoyable way to moderate (v) eating in the body that you have now. It sounds like you live a lot of life in that body! It's too bad the reflux is so bothersome, but you still get a lot done, including some fun fitness!

Oh okay oolala sorry was confused. I thought you were disagreeing with something I was saying but wasn't sure exactly what. Online communication can be so difficult at times! 😊

Hopefully I will lose a little weight to help the reflux but focusing so much on the weight loss, is making me a little crazy. If it happens, it happens. If not I still gotta live my life right?

You surely do, and with all the bennies that author said come with it!

Yep! 😄

I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. I think it was due to eating too much the night before. I ended up just getting up and walking the dogs at around 6:30.

Was super hungry today but managed to stay green. Soooo 😴.

Break: banana & tea latte
Lunch: veggie sandwich, 4 pieces of sushi
Dinner: egg salad sandwich, hummus w/ pita chips

Exercise: 25 min walk.

lpearlmom wrote:Was super hungry today but managed to stay green. Soooo 😴.

Well done Linda!

I ended up just getting up and walking the dogs at around 6:30.

That sounds like a fine thing to do at 6:30. I'm a bit jealous.

Thanks iron! It's not a bad way to start the day ginger! 😊

Things are so busy right now. I haven't been able to get in a proper workout in awhile but hoping to get back into it soon. I agreed to do some signature collecting on Friday night and am really regretting it now. I hate when I say yes too quickly. Oh well it's only 2 hours.

Break: smoothie, piece of turkey bacon
Lunch: couple handful of baked lays & s cream; 1/2 mango; sf iced blended
Dinner: roast chicken w/ veggies; pasta, cherry tomato tart; glass of wine.

Exercise: 25 min walk w ðŸ¶

lpearlmom, I'm curious about what you're putting in your breakfast smoothies! I feel like I have the SAME thing for breakfast all the time (usually a cup of coffee with either an English muffin or piece of toast with a bit of peanut butter or butter on top). I'm interested in switching up my mornings with smoothies, but I've always sucked at getting a good combination of things going. Usually my smoothies taste pretty terrible, lol.

Please share your secret magic with me! I'd love to start my day off with a nice boost of vitamins and fresh flavor. Your meals look terrific!

Is it dark at 6:30there? (That's after I leave for work.) I know everyone hates when the time changes and it gets dark earlier, but I hate this dark in the morning when I have to be on my way. I actually like being up early but I don't like having to go to work in the dark. Now, leaving on a trip, or meeting people to walk a trail, or possibly walking a dog, not so bad...

It's just starting to get light but I hate it getting darker earlier as well. It makes it harder to get up and go riding and just to get out of bed period.

Gracie I usually have the same thing every morning as well (my smoothie). Actually several people on here have default meals. It just makes it easier sometimes. Here's what I put in mine:

Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 Frozen banana
2 Tbs Pb2 (you can use 1 Tbs of nut butter).
1-2 dates
Lots of ice

Optional:
Couple Tbs of oats (this makes it more filling).
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Tbs flax meal or chia seeds

The key to a good smoothie is you have to use frozen fruit. I always keep peeled frozen bananas in the freezer. It also helps to have a high powered blender. I have a blendtec & I love it.

Oooh, yummy! Thank you so much for the smoothie recipe (and other ideas). I think my lack of frozen fruits was the culprit for my crappy smoothie results. I'll be sure to give 'em another go when I have the next opportunity.

Np Gracie!

Break: smoothie
Lunch: vegan patty on sandwich thin, baked chips, mango
Dinner: roast chicken, potatoes, hummus, pita chips

Looks like a lovely food day.

Do you recommend the patties?

Gracie wrote:Oooh, yummy! Thank you so much for the smoothie recipe (and other ideas). I think my lack of frozen fruits was the culprit for my crappy smoothie results. I'll be sure to give 'em another go when I have the next opportunity.

They do make a difference! I do a cup of frozen mixed berries, 2/3 cup of water, and 3/4-1 cup vanilla yogurt, sometimes with some spinach leaves.

Thanks Larks! I do like them a lot but I'm not super picky about what I eat when lunching at home. They're the frozen boca burgers. I like them cuz they're quick, light, full of protein & I can eat them with ketchup. 😊

Today was pretty good except for having a bunch of issues with our house--automatic gate stuck open, leak in garage & leak in front yard. I hate to see our water bill next month. 😱

We've been spending way too much $$ lately and have two expensive trips planned that we have to pay for. Going to be a tight holiday season.

All the stress lit a fire under me though and started being super productive. I always thought laundry took forever but I think it's because I'm constantly distracted. Today when I was hyper focused I actually timed myself and it only took me about 4 mins to fold a load and 4 means to put it away. 8 mins really that's it? I think I waste A looot of time.

Anyway, was thinking a lot about something oolala said awhile ago about learning to be happy even when your circumstances are less than I ideal. And you know what ? That makes a lot of sense because 90% of the time, my circumstances are less than ideal. Am I going to forgo happiness till everything is perfect. Forget that, right?

Anyway, I have been weighing daily but decided to only post my lowest weight of the week. It seems to be taking some of the pressure off for those days my weight is up a bit. I also noticed that in an attempt to hurry things up, I've been overly restrictive during the week and than I go overboard on the weekend. When I catch myself doing that I'm now reminding myself that this is a long game and it's the little changes over time that will add up to make a difference.

Break: smoothie
Lunch: 1/2 turkey & avocado sandwich; baked lays, watermelon
Dinner: salads w/shrimp & corn; small bowl of veg soup, handful crackers.

Exercise: 15 min walk ðŸ¶

Hi Linda,

Sometime ago, in an effort to get focused and start some tasks that I'd been avoiding, I started setting a timer for 15 minutes and would work until the timer went off. The idea was that I'd work for 15 and if I really wanted to stop after that I could without guilt/ill feelings. It's amazing what you can get done in 15 minutes Slowly, over time, I came to realize that most large tasks can be broken down into 15 minute increments. Of course, once started I'd often just keep working because it's easier to keep going then it is to put everything away and later get it all out again. But, it was always an option if I felt overwhelmed at any point.

Glad you're feeling a bit better. Have a great weekend.

gingerpie wrote:Hi Linda,

Sometime ago, in an effort to get focused and start some tasks that I'd been avoiding, I started setting a timer for 15 minutes and would work until the timer went off. The idea was that I'd work for 15 and if I really wanted to stop after that I could without guilt/ill feelings. It's amazing what you can get done in 15 minutes Slowly, over time, I came to realize that most large tasks can be broken down into 15 minute increments. Of course, once started I'd often just keep working because it's easier to keep going then it is to put everything away and later get it all out again. But, it was always an option if I felt overwhelmed at any point.

Glad you're feeling a bit better. Have a great weekend.

I do the 15 minute thing when I'm trying to get beyond avoiding a task too! I too find I can often keep going but love to have the freedom to stop as well!

Yep I'm a fly lady fan too! I often use my timer to do rotations around the house. It's the only thing to get me going some days.

Pretty good weekend so far. Yesterday I took an S event because dh took me out for our Anniversary (19 yrs). It was a Japanese tasting menu. Delicious but not overly filling.

Today I went to an event for a gubernatorial candidate & had a slice of 🎂. Other than that not much to mention. I'm craving chocolate but know if I have some now I'll definitely wake up w reflux so it'll have to wait.

Break: several bites of hummus (tasting while making it for the event)
Lunch: small piece of pizza, couple chips, hummus w veg, cake
Dinner: Ethiopian food, glass wine

Oh my girls were fighting ugly kind of fighting all day. Please let tomorrow be better.

Happy Anniversary to you and your Hubs, Linda!!

Happy Anniversary!

Praying tomorrow is a better day for your girls. (((Hugs)))

lpearlmom wrote:Yep I'm a fly lady fan too!

LOL, I'm a fly-lady flunkie!

Happy anniversary! 19 is amazing!

I’m a fly lady drop out I’m afraid - but I took away lots of great ideas, like the timer and the 5 minutes putting out spot fires. But over years of flylady, Marie kondo etc my house has sooo much less clutter in it, so I guess it kinda worked? Most compliments on my home are along the long lines of “I feel very comfortable here†not “this looks great†😊

Thanks for the Anniversary wishes! 19 years is long but we've actually been together for 28 years--yikes!

Oh I only do bits and pieces of flylady too. I use my timer a ton to get me going and I do have a morning a nighttime routine but that's about it. The best habit I got from that is to never leave the dirty dishes. I always clean my kitchen before going to bed or leaving the house. I even cleaned my kitchen right before I left to go to the ER when I was having terrible gallbladder pain. I was not about to come home sick to a messy kitchen. 😊

But anyway, the girls did much better today. We all talked and made up--phew! It's so tough being a mom. I think I just take it all too personally. Everytime they fight I'm convinced it's my fault.

Oh well such is life. I had just about the sanest weekend I've had in a long time & I feel pretty darn good about it. It's just so discouraging to go overboard each and every weekend. I got my treats in but no two day snackathon--woot!

Break: bagel with cream cheese & tomato ðŸ…
Lunch: hummus & pita chips, sf iced blended , 4 caramels
Dinner: Chinese chicken 🥗
Dessert: frozen gelati

Exercise: none
Feeling guilty about not exercising as a family. My oldest daughter seems to be gaining a little weight now that she doesn't have PE. She has a good body image though so I'm not about to say anything. I just need to find ways for her to be more active.

Congrats on a sane weekend, that must be a good feeling!

Are there homes in which the siblings don't fight? Yours sound like they get over it and can have a good time together. That's better than many. If you want to take the blame for that, go ahead.

Thanks oolala ! Yeah I guess it's normal. My oldest daughter is just starting those difficult teen years and she's a handful. I hope she can find her way.

It's been a rough couple of days with horrible pms & reflux & not sleeping well. Then I called my doctor to ask about possibly switching meds and they told me he wants all his patients to go off ppi meds because of the bad side effects. So I have to stick to H-blockers which aren't as strong.

In a way I'm relieved because I had a lot of concerns about those meds but now I realize losing weight may be my only recourse now. I haven't had a Green Day yet this week because of all the issues but tomorrow it's back to it.

Break: smoothie
Lunch: hummus w veggies, yogurt w fruit and nuts , 1/2 veg patty
Dinner: 🥑 toast, yogurt w fruit and 🥜
Red: 2 bananas 🌠(I ate lil bites throughout the days because it helps w my reflux)

Drank some almond milk w stevia too.

I went off the PPIs because they gave me tummy aches, and because I had read not great things about long term use.

I wonder if there are equal concerns with popping a tums on bad days. No doubt

Sorry about the PMS! The menopause fairy decided to stay when I turned 51, in August. Hot flashes were awful, but Remefin (black cohosh) seems to help.

I started taking melatonin partly because I had read it helps your esophogeal sphincter, whatever that valve is called (and me a nurse) close at night. It does seem to help with sleep but who knows for sure.

I wonder if the advantage of alkaline water is not that it affects the pH of your body (which as we know is controlled by a complicated mechanism which is life threatening if it gets off track) but because the liquid sliding down your gullet isn't acidic. Is that why the banana helps, I wonder?

Geez, I wasn't able to access the NoS board for a few days and I actually started to feel a bit panicky. I have years of recorded info and would hate to lose it. I thought about emailing someone when I realized I have nobody's email. thank you, thank you Reinhard for keeping this board up. I guess it's pretty important to my sanity.

Anyway, thank you Larkspur for your response. I know I keep hearing how bad the ppi meds are too. In a way I'm relieved because this will force me to really get to the root of the problem and hopefully solve it. So far I'm doing okay on the h2 blockers but not a good long-term solution. I'm hoping weight loss is the answer for me.

I'm not sure why the bananas work but they seem to help. They are low in acid. Also, I decided to try your melatonin suggestion and, surprisingly, it really seems to be helping with nighttime reflux. It makes for a sounds sleep as well. The only hard part is getting up in the morning, but it's a good trade off I think.

I didn't have a single green day last week because of different reasons but my weight is actually 1/2 lb down since last week so that's good. It's been another sane weekend which is good but I'm wondering if it makes it harder to stick to green days during the week?

We took the girls apple picking and then to Tombstone for lunch. Was a fun day but we had to get up at 4 am so feeling a bit tired. I have so much to do before Thanksgiving. I gave up on trying to lose a good amount of weight before my sister comes to visit but am hoping my house can look nice. I even hired a decorator which isn't as fun as it sounds. Definitely a bit of a blow to the ego as they go around your house telling you everything you've done wrong.

Break: 3 pancakes, bite of sausage
lunch: 1/2 veggie burger; 1/2 order of fries; single scoop ice cream
snack: 2 apples, handful of nuts

Exercise: fruit picking 2 hrs

RE: site down, I was thinking of my thousands of posts but also of people I couldn't keep in touch with! You at least are on the Facebook page, no?

Can't we just move to Italy or France for a year?

Oh, a decorator would have a heart attack if s/he saw my place, but I've really never been trying. See my post for small update.

I'm sure you're in good company being told of everything you did wrong decorating.

OH didn't even think of Facebook! Okay, I'm msging you on FB if it ever crashes for a good amount of time.

I gave up on trying to lose a good amount of weight before my sister comes to visit but am hoping my house can look nice. I even hired a decorator which isn't as fun as it sounds

Hi Linda, this actually makes me a bit sad. Do you have to impress your own sister? I'm sure the decorator is actually no fun at all. The idea of a complete stranger coming into my house telling me everything I'm dong "wrong" completely freaks me out! I'd much rather make do with my pieced together haphazard technique.

good luck with today.

I dunno, if a person is going to be spending a fair amount, it might be nice to have help. I assume you were thinking of making changes anyway.

Neither my sister nor I could likely succeed in really impressing each other because we have such different tastes and values. Not that her house isn't pretty. It's just not what I'd spend my money on.

I know hardly anyone who feels completely accepted by her siblings. Including my sister, but I think it bothers her less than it bothers me, which is only middlin'. As I get older, I do wish we could be closer, but I think it would involve even more of me bending for her. She's not interested in liberal issues, literature, art, theater, art house movies, travel to other countries, discussing financial strategies, self-reflection, or trying to understand my spiritual pursuits. And not No S, either! We mostly talk about family stuff or things she does with a couple of friends of hers nearby. I complain about work, which she is sympathetic about. She knows I'm a single gal trying to take care of myself. Having met her husband at age 20, she can't really relate to my dating issues, which are non-existent right now. I'm glad to be in touch, but she's usually the one who wants to get off the phone first. You can't ask people to change their values and it can be hard when there are so many things important to each of you that just don't attract the other.

It could be worse. She could be getting out of jail and asking for her boyfriend and her to come stay with me!

I hope the decorator gets more fun. I am not happy when professionals try to sell me by pointing out flaws-- I much prefer ones like the make up artist who told me on my wedding day before she'd done a thing with me, "You look beautiful." (I'm sure I didn't, but it was so heartening.) When someone is encouraging (or at least tactful) about your efforts so far and hopped up about how much father they can take you, it's great. That said, I hope you get to do some fun and exciting things. I adore housie stuff. Once the children are all educated I will get my new countertop and backsplash and slipcover and rug and art and... I'll enjoy yours vicariously!

Hi ginger! Yes it's sad. You probably missed it but did devote a lot f time at one point talking about my difficult relationship with my sister. We are not very close. She's always been very critical, controlling. She used to criticize my weight, my cleanliness or lack of, my friends etc. She didn't grow out of it though as we grew up. She moved on to criticizing my kids, my husband and of course my weight. Being around her is exhausting.

She's never been to my house before and I want her to see she's not the only one is successful in life. Geesh it's a lot of pressure inputting on myself though. And Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Why'd I do this to myself I don't know ?

Thanks for the input Oolala & Larks! I know I was harping on all the negative aspects of the decorator but she did have a lot of good ideas too and she did stress to tell her if I didn't like any of her ideas. She kept saying "you won't hurt my feelings" but I think she hurt my feelings a little. I think it's because I'm used to ppl telling me how much they love my house and I take a lot of pride in it. We lucked into this house & it's definitely our dream house. It really is a beautiful house but I guess most ppl aren't looking it from a decorator's point of view.

I'm just going to need to put my ego aside a bit and I can take the parts of her advice I like and leave the rest.

But I think you're right Larks, she could have handled it a bit differently.

Oolala: thanks for sharing you're experience with your sister. My sister & I have similar values about politics & religion but not about life. She strives for perfection and doesn't believe in ever taking it easy whereas I'm all about comfort & much more easy going. You're right my sister could be a mess that I have to take care of. I guess I'm lucky that I don't have any family members like that.

Eek, I hope a decorator never comes to my house. I had thought that in a few years when the kids are bigger we might repaint and redo floors, and I could get some good advice on colors, flooring etc. But it sounds like my mix of free stuff, "stuff that was cheap at Ikea", kids art projects and family hand-me-downs from my South African grandmother would probably give them an aneurysm

I think your approach is spot on: take the best advice and let go what doesn't gel with you. Especially if it means spending money on re-buying things that are good quality and in good condition!

It's all very well to say "if you don't like my suggestion, let me know", but I find it hard to do that with a confident professional. I tend to just not go back to them. I've done this with hairdressers - I'm usually too chicken to tell them I don't like their style advice, so I just go somewhere else.

Fruit picking sounds fun (but exhausting). I'm really looking forward to Squiggle being a little bit older so we can do fun things like that!

I'm sorry to hear of your uncomfortable relationship with your sister. Hopefully the holidays go well for you despite the potential for discord.

I'm sure your house is beautiful regardless of the input of the decorator Hope you have a great day today.

Thanks iron! Fruit picking was really fun but yeah better when they're a bit older. We went with my friend whose kids are 4 & 9 and they had a blast. Luckily the decorator just charges for a consultation fee for all the advice. Then I can call her for the parts I want help on and do the rest (or not) on my own so I can definitely pick and choose what I want to change.

Thank you ginger!

I'm still here but trying something new. Kind of a modified version of NoS. It's sort of mind blowing how well it's working (mentally even more than physically) but I'm not ready to talk about it till I'm sure it's going to stick.

I'm down about 7 lbs which actually just gets me back to my original -40 lbs but that's okay. Going off my reflux meds has been okay. I'm hoping with more weight lost things will get much better. I was actually feeling so desperate that I got a prescription for weight loss meds. 😬 I know how awful they'll make me feel though so haven't filled it. It kind of spurred me to try something new and luckily I don't think I'll even be tempted to try them.

Okay happy Friday all!

Great to hear from you, glad all is well. Really great that going off your reflux mess is working out - fingers crossed!

I hope your No-S with mods/changes works. It's definitely worth it to consider whether altering a diet for medical reasons (like reflux) is needed.

I noticed the week you had all red days and still lost weight, but slept well that week--this week I slept the best that I have in months (I changed a few things about how I sleep), and *finally* had 3 days in a row that broke through the weight barrier I've been running into all summer. I have noticed in the past that if I don't sleep well I don't lose...and I'm wondering now if that's been my issue all along (my mom is here too, so this week wasn't one where I followed my new plan of some smaller meals--which wasn't working for me the rest of this month either--I'm really thinking good sleep is one of the keys for me, but we'll see.) Anyway...I do keep meaning to try melatonin!

And...SO glad you haven't filled the weight loss pills prescription! They're probably worse for us than the weight!

Sorry your relationship with your sister is so stressful. (((Hugs)))

Of course I want to hear about your mod. I'll have fun speculating what it could be.

Ah, if only regular sleep would come. It's much like weight loss, seems to me: responds in unpredictable ways to my efforts. But it probably is an influential part of the mix.

Tell us your mod. Being new, I haven't had to mod yet, but it sounds like it was just what you needed!

Hi Merry! Thanks for your kindness as always.

I've heard a lot about the sleep/weight connection. It seems plausible. The melatonin works like a charm for me but I'm guessing it doesn't work for everyone (Oolala?). I'm waking up quite rested!

Okay so I'm trying Intermittent Fasting. I think there's some ppl on here that do it already for health reasons which is why I initially decided to try it. I heard it might be helpful for reflux as well as having other health benefits.

It's funny because I was SO resistant to the idea of any kind of fasting before but here I am embracing it. Unexpectedly, it seems to be having a positive effect on my appetite. I get full much more quickly and want to stop much sooner. It's not like when I was trying to stop because I was at a certain fullness number with Intuitive Eating but I really have no desire to continue eating. Weird.

Seems to be helping to get the scale moving a bit too. We shall see but it's early days. Please no criticism. I'm still keeping to my plates during the eating window and still keeping sweets to the weekend so I do consider it a mod.

Break-fast (3pm): 3 large latkes w/ s. cream and applesauce
snack: 3 lollipops

Really pleased to hear you are going so well with your mod. I've read some articles about the health benefits of IF, but haven't tried it out at all.

I'm very interested to hear if you find it improves your reflux issues. I'm better the past week or two, but still have the odd bad night.

Another vote for a report on whether it helps your reflux. Is this like a six hour window thing? After researching something Oolala mentioned, I have been trying to get up my courage for a Walter Longo style 5 day semi fast, but I haven't got there yet.

Thanks iron & Larks! I'll let you guys know how it goes. I noticed that I don't get reflux if I don't eat and I read that the longer you go without experiencing reflux, the stronger your esophageal sphincter will be. So going longer periods without eating may help me.

Larks: I'm doing about a daily 5 hr window from about 4-9pm. I have two small snacks and my main meal in that window. I keep everything on 3 plates still. It's hard at first but gets easier. The first few days I really liked it. Today is feeling much harder but I've read it takes about 3 weeks to really adjust so I'm going to give it time.

We shall see!

Interesting. I eat in about a 7 - 8 hr window most days at the moment just naturally - a late breakfast at work, and an early dinner most nights with my kids. It's definitely the nights with later dinners (i.e. a longer eating period) that correlate with heartburn.

Iron: A lot of ppl do a 16/8 window so you're basically doing intermittent fasting. Technically only if you're drinking your coffee & tea black and your water unflavored though. Even stevia is off limits as it can spike insulin. These ppl take their fasting seriously.

I do know that it helps reflux to stop eating 2-3 hrs before bedtime. I also sleep with a wedge pillow which seems to help.

What a day. Our dog chewed an essential part of my daughter's Halloween costume & I spent the evening walking the mall looking for a replacement. Feeling lightheaded and tired. I actually am going to bed without cleaning the kitchen. Looks like I'll have to get up early!

Break-fast (3pm): glass of kefir, Apple
Snack: 2 cheese & applesauce blintzes.
Dinner: chicken breast, cauliflower, 1/2 glass of wine

Exercise: walk dogs 25 mins; walk mall 20 mins

Today was much better. I only felt a little hungry a couple of times & it never lasted long. I actually really love the feeling of fasting and love how enjoyable food is once I break the fast. It also seems to be putting me in touch with my satiety signals.

Okay sorry I know this isn't an IF board but I think part of the reason I'm adjusting so well compared to some of the other newbies in the fb group, is because of NoS. I'm already used to at least waiting 4-6 hours between meals, what's a few more. We shall see. I want to give it at least 3 weeks.

Break-fast (4:15pm): large pumpkin smoothie
Dinner; plate of Chinese food, 1/2 glass of wine
🎃 Treat: 2 sees suckers, tea w milk

Exercise: mall walking (again)

No worries Linda, I enjoy reading about everyone’s mods (I think oolala has done some fast stuff as well).

May I ask what time you head to bed?

Hi iron! I get in bed at around 10pm but read till about 11pm. I do try to stop eating solid foods by 7:30 pm. I may still be sipping on wine or milky tea til about 9:30 though. The wine isn't good for reflux but it's a hard habit to break. :/

Sounds similar to my schedule (10pm bedtime). I usually eat with my kids, which means dinner is finished by 6pm. If I moved my breakfast at work from 9am to 10am (which would be easy), then I'd be doing an 8 hr window without really thinking about it.

I have been trying not to drink alcohol in the evenings to see if it helps the reflux.

Wow 6pm is early. That's really good! Yeah try it out iron. My reflux is doing much better so it's worth a try. I agree about the alcohol. It also depends upon what kind of alcohol. Beer is out but white wine & vodka in moderation are ok for me.

Not losing anymore weight but supposedly it takes about 3 weeks before your body becomes fat adapted. I don't know but today was much better. Plenty of energy & I only got really hungry at about 2pm.

Break-fast (4pm): small pumpkin smoothie
Dinner: large salad w avocado, chicken, hard boiled eggs, we toast, 1/2 glass ðŸ·
Snack: berries w cream, 2 lollipops

Red day but stayed within my fasting window. Yup I still don't like snacking.

Break-fast: small smoothie
Snackathon: handful of corn chips w s cream, couple pieces of shrimp, lil quinoa salad, handful p&b pretzels, glass of milk
Dessert: tea , lollipop

Exercise; 25 min walk

Well done still sticking with your window, would have been easy to "WTH" the day.

Thanks iron. Much more enjoyable to be back to meals but having some reflux. :/

Tomorrow I have a political conference all day and ppl are going to want to go to lunch so will have to break my fast early. Kinda annoying but oh well.

Day 10
Break-fast (4pm): 🎠, ðŸŒ
Dinner: plate of Indian food, mango lassi, 1/2 glass ðŸ·
Dessert: 2 caramels, 1 lollipops

(I'm allowing a small amount of seeets after dinner. )

Break-fast (3pm): apple, glass of kefir, 1 caramel
Dinner : fajita chicken salad, chips & salsa, margarita
Dessert: box of jr mints (went to movies).

Stubborn weight not budging.

If it helps, all those calorie/timed eating researchers seem to eat one or two meals a day, not to lose weight (the ones I've seen are trim) but to improve health.

Did you see Thor Ragnorok yet? We all loved it

If you go on the fb page, those ppl are losing crazy amounts of weight. It takes awhile though and your told to expect no weight loss for first weeks than an average of a lb/week steadily. Many lose inches before weight too. I think I'm right on track.

Saw the movie last night. Loved it!!

Hi, Linda! 👋ðŸ»

I've been reading about your fasting experiment, and it sounds interesting! I can also sort of identify with having ongoing reflux, and I have figured out that going at least 4-6 hours between meals seems to help mine.
I will definitely keep following your check in!

What fb page?

Another vote to hear which page? I joined the IF one but it’s pretty wild and woolly. Not lovely like it is here

It's a group for the book Delay, Don't Deny and they really like you to read the book first. Everyone is very supportive but it's such a large group so doesn't have the same coziness as this place. The one thing they're very firm about is clean fasting otherwise the rest is up to each person.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/181327103 ... tif_t=like

Check it out!

I just submitted a join request!

Yay heather!!

I'm feeling a little weird about continuing to post here since I'm straying so far from NoS. I really like having a place to record everything though so if nobody minds I'll continue.

Break-fast (4:10pm): glass of kefir, 5-6 pieces sushi
Dinner: bowl of sausage & white bean soup, 1/2 bagel, glass of milk
Dessert: small bowl of berries w/ whipped cream, 1 lollipop

First day that I wasn't counting down to the moment my window opened. My energy is up. Weirdly, food isn't tasting as good as it used to. I kind of look forward to my fasting times. Weird.

I have always enjoyed your posts on the board, whether about No S, parenting, cooking, life, politics, fasting, relationships... I hope you'll continue to post here if you find it helpful.

Given the range of people on here practicing No S with forms of IF, No S with vegetarianism, No S with mods, No S with odd bits of extra counting (calories, bites, nutrients, etc), I think we're a nice big tent!

But totally understand if it is hard to keep up posting in multiple places.

Thank you for discussing fasting here! I am going to try 16/8 (or 14/10, if I get too hungry) myself and see how it goes.

Oh, keep posting! I think the spirit of NoS is not snacking and eating normal meals. If expanding the hours when you don’t snack works for you, I can’t imagine that anybody would object to your sharing your results. Personally, I am trying to eat in an eight hour window. I think the main advantage for me in this way of eating is that I spend less time hungry/thinking about food. And it’s easy not to snack if you only have to wait 4 hours between meals. Don’t go!

Okay, thx you guys! Didn't mean to be melodramatic but just was concerned about triggering diet head in ppl. I don't post on the other one daily like I can here. I really like posting daily. Keeps me sane!

Really not hungry anymore during the fasting except that last hour. Lots of energy.

Break-fast (4pm): fruit, couple pieces of sushi. Milky tea
Dinner: 2 ancho lentil tacos. Chips & guacamole
Dessert: 2 cookies, milk, mini Reese's

My mom is visiting so had a little treat but I really feel weird about having sweets during the week. NoS is engrained in me.

lpearlmom wrote:My mom is visiting so had a little treat but I really feel weird about having sweets during the week. NoS is engrained in me.

I know what you mean. I ate a snack or sweet in my dream last night and thought, "Oh, no. A fail!"

Good day but feeling a little stressed. We're suppose to go to Vegas tomorrow but dh is at still work. Not sure what time he'll be home tomorrow and we have 7:30 pm reservations. 😱

Break-fast (3:30pm): crackers with smoked salmon, mango
Dinner: turkey burger, sweet potato fries , glass wine
Dessert: 2 lollipops

Walk 25 mins

That's funny spirit! I can remember having similar dreams like that when. I first started NoS. I think it's good though. It means you're taking this serious & it's important to you.

Drive to Vegas last night and didn't want to eat road food so extended my fast till dinner. It ended up being a 22 hr fast which is the longest I've ever fasted. There's something about going without food that long that makes me feel like I have super powers.

We had a nice Japanese meal & some cocktails. I have to be careful because alcohol definitely hits me harder now.) Unfortunately I came home and raided the mini fridge in the hotel. I really wanted chocolate but I think that was more due to the alcohol than the fasting.

Good news is that I'm down a total of 4.2 lbs since I started. My reflux isn't bad but I still have to be very careful about what I eat. But the fact that I'm off my ppi meds and doing okay, is huge.

Wow, Linda that’s great news on the reflux!

And we’ll done sticking with it on the road (and the weekend).

That's great news about your reflux! I'm close to finishing Delay, Don't Deny, and I'm going to experiment with 16 hours of fasting. I'm hoping it will help me with my reflux.

Hi Linda,
Glad to hear you're doing so well fasting. Congratulations on all the successes!

Thanks you guys! Just FYI I can't find anything specifically on fasting & reflux so this is mainly a personal experiment. Several ppl from the FB group said their reflux went away after doing IF for awhile but it's not clear whether this is from the weight loss or the fasting.

Also , I do still take H2 blockers which are much weaker than the ppi & luckily don't have the same associated negative side effects. Just wanted to clarify that this is something I'm just experimenting with.

However, I'm in Vegas right now and been eating & drinking way too much as well as eating way too close to bedtime. The fact that I have t had an episode is pretty promising. Really looking forward to getting back to IF a& moderation tomorrow. Will be interesting what the scale says.

Today I didn't want to miss out on having breakfast with DH at the hotel so decided not to fast. My body doesn't really seem to want large portions anymore so I didn't go too crazy.

We had fun in Vegas but was a little draining being with the wife of the couple we went with. She is like a super extrovert. She makes friends everywhere she goes, she's very loud & very attractive. It's hard not to feel a little outshone by her. Oh well when we went back to our hotel last night DH let a sigh of relief out. He says he really likes her too but she's a bit exhausting.

I'm just more low key I guess. Actually I've noticed a pattern of these type of ppl being attracted to me & wanting to make friends. I think it's because they get to be the center of attention. I remember now that I realized I prefer friends that a little more mellow like myself. I feel better when I'm around ppl that don't drain me of energy. I guess I need to relearn this. Luckily they live in Seattle so I don't have to see them too often.

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, crossiant , tea latte, quiche (small plate w/ small portions of everything, but I couldn't eat it all.)
Dinner: shrimp chipotle bowl from chilis, few fries
Dessert: small bowl of ice cream, 2 small cookies, piece of chocolate

Ugh, never eating at Chilis again. Was not a good experience & mediocre food. What a waste.

Linda, I understand about preferring lower key people. I'm pretty low key, myself, and really extroverted people drain me after awhile. I'm from Olympia, so I'm 60 miles south of your friends!

Yeah it's definitely draining. Dang I'm just never going to find that perfect friend I guess.

I've been having so much anxiety lately & when you don't eat all day, there's not a lot to distract yourself from your feelings. I finally dealt with our bills & felt a lot better. With all the spending we've done lately, I was avoiding this. Luckily, everything is fine and we won't be living on the streets anytime soon. I swear though, that is my biggest fear or one of them.

Anyway, pmsing doesn't help with the anxiety either. I should probably do yoga or something.

Break-fast (4:30pm): small plate of chips & guacamole, couple bites of squash
Dinner: steak w/ rice & green beans in a curry sauce. ( I could only manage a few bites)
Dessert: 2 small wafer cookies, 1 lollipop, glass of milk (I need a healthier alternative).