Everyday Systems

Hello everyone! I am horrible at keeping up with online journals, but hopefully this time will be different.

I can't even remember when I first heard about the No S Diet, but I've come back to it a few times since. I've tried almost everything, I think. WW, South Beach, Atkins, 17 day diet, 5:2, Body for Life, etc. Not surprisingly, I wasn't able to stick to any of them! And calorie counting makes me crazy!

The stats, in case anyone is interested: 37 years old, mom to one beautiful daughter (one year old), 175 pounds (down from 220 at her birth last November), 5'5". My goal weight is anything below 150 - I haven't been there in years, so I'll have to reevaluate that when I get there.

My ultimate goal is to have these food issues behind me when my daughter is old enough to know what's going on. I want to be a "normal" eater for her! I want to be comfortable in my body for her! The world is a scary place for young girls - I don't want to be part of the problem. I know I can't protect her from all of it, but I can be a sane, steady constant that she will hopefully be inspired by.

My current mods for No S: S days are Fridays and Saturdays, and I'm only working on no snacks for now. I never take seconds anyway, it's the perma-snacking that has caused my weight gain! As for sweets, I don't eat them daily, so once I get "no snacks" down, I'll work on "no sweets".

I think that's all!

Welcome sweetaj! You are doing this for the right reasons. I have two girls and it's been so important that I eat normally in front of them. That's why NoS is so amazing. I can model normal eating habits for my girls, lose weight at a slow healthy pace and heal all my crazy food issues.

So you've come to the right place. It may take a little white knuckling at first but soon will feel like second nature so have faith.

Linda

Welcome Sweetaj, lovely to hear from you. What an inspiring reason to have to opt for NoS! Looking forward to reading your thread.

Linda and eschano - Thank you for the welcome! I am ready to make the commitment to make eating like this a habit - it definitely reduces the stress of thinking about food all day!

Day 1: Success!
Weight: 174 (I weigh daily, because I have an app on my phone that smooths out the daily fluctuations.)

Breakfast: Jimmy Dean Sausage Gravy & Egg breakfast bowl
Lunch: small portions of two different chicken casseroles, a few grapes, chocolate chip cookie
Supper: Beefy nacho cheese soup with crushed tortilla chips

Welcome, sweetaj -- you're off to a good start! This board is a great source of sanity and moderation. Great to have you here!

Day 2: Success!
Weight: 175.4

Breakfast: Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl
Lunch: Chicken Sandwich and Cheese and Bacon Soup
Supper: Beefy Nacho Soup with crushed tortilla chips, 1/2 slice of beer bread with butter

I ordered out at lunch, and I usually get the 1/2 chicken sandwich...but, I decided to get the full sandwich since I'm not snacking now. I ate the whole thing and was so miserable the rest of the day. I didn't even need to eat supper, but I did because it is a habit to do so, whether I'm hungry or not. That's something I will work on once 'no snacks' is a habit!

Wow, I made it a whole 2 days before I derailed myself...

No matter what systems/diets I try, I always find myself coming back to this. I think No S is how a "normal" person eats, and I need to be normal. Counting calories leads me to abnormal binge behavior.

My current weight is around 166, so I'm down about 9 pounds from when I started here. My goal this time is only to put my food issues behind me. I'm a daily weigher when I'm being "good", and a scale avoider when I'm being "bad", so I'll have to make a decision about how often I'm going to check my weight.

Tomorrow is my official day 1!!

Welcome back! I'm all in favour of putting food issues behind us.

Thanks for the welcome eschano! I can't wait until I forget I ever had food issues to begin with!

Since Days 1 and 2 were both S days, they were successful. I did have a little bit of "last supper" mentality going on, and ate all of my favorite foods. I am trying to remind myself though, that this is not about restricting the foods I like to eat. It's more about portion control and stopping my perma-snacking.

We get breakfast and lunch brought into us every day at work, so I'm waiting to see what sounds good to me in the moment instead of planning out my day. Today's breakfast choices were: fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, and bagels. I chose a cup of fruit and the yogurt parfait, since bagels do nothing to fill me up!

Wow, afternoons are going to be tough! My prime snacking time is from lunch until dinner. Non-stop. I am trying to quit my diet pop habit also, but I think establishing the "no snacking" rule is most important - so I am drinking my 2nd diet pop of the day!

Hiya, I think it's wise to take it a habit a time. Reinhard talks of monthly resolutions instead of yearly ones where you get one or two months down solidly before you add another. NoS is a big one on it's own.

So as someone who just kicked the diet pop habit: it makes it easier to stick to NoS as you get used to not having super sweet tastes all the time. So come on month 2 or 4 or so definitely kick it! In the meantime: anything that helps you not feel deprived that's not an an S is fair game

Thanks for the confirmation on that eschano! I am trying to remember that this is not a race, and one habit at a time is going to be the quickest route to success!

Speaking of success...Day 1:Success!

B: cup of fruit, fruit/yogurt/granola parfait

L: chicken salad sandwich, celery & peanut butter, pretzel thins

D: crockpot chicken over rice

Yesterday afternoon was pretty touchy for a few hours. That was my prime snacking time, so I know it's going to be a tough (but satisfying) habit to break.

sweetaj wrote:Yesterday afternoon was pretty touchy for a few hours. That was my prime snacking time, so I know it's going to be a tough (but satisfying) habit to break.

Well done for sticking it out! Remember also: if you manage to replace the habit with a psychologically satisfying new ritual it's even easier. I sip my favourite tea or take a bath or cuddle or do something similarly nice and occupying instead of late-night snacking.

eschano wrote:Well done for sticking it out! Remember also: if you manage to replace the habit with a psychologically satisfying new ritual it's even easier. I sip my favourite tea or take a bath or cuddle or do something similarly nice and occupying instead of late-night snacking.

I love that idea, thanks! I will definitely be trying that out this weekend - I have a bad weekend habit where I eat if I'm alone, and now that it's golf season, my husband is gone golfing at least part of a day.

Day 2: Success!

B: Bagel and cream cheese
L: Ham sandwich on pretzel bun, pasta salad, pickle
D: nachos - baked tostitos, ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream

Something from lunch left me very bloated though, not sure if it was the all the mayo on the sandwich and the pickle. I guess it helped me not want to eat all afternoon!

Day 3: Success!

B: Noosa yogurt, Quest bar

L: Santa Fe Rice and Beans (WW meal), Baked Tostitos

S: Pizza

Obviously, my eating isn't the most healthy, but I know that will evolve over time. Right now, my only focus is making NoS a habit.

I think it's great that you are focusing on just getting the habit down. Reinhard makes a point of saying that fixing overeating and fixing nutrition are different problems, requiring different habits. Right now, you are working on fixing overeating. Eventually (maybe not for a year or more) you'll find yourself ready to tackle nutrition--or at least, that's what I've been told! I am still very much in the "just fix the overeating" phase.

automatedeating wrote:I think it's great that you are focusing on just getting the habit down. Reinhard makes a point of saying that fixing overeating and fixing nutrition are different problems, requiring different habits. Right now, you are working on fixing overeating. Eventually (maybe not for a year or more) you'll find yourself ready to tackle nutrition--or at least, that's what I've been told! I am still very much in the "just fix the overeating" phase.

Thanks for stopping by! I do agree that nutrition is a long ways down the road for me. By the way, I love the commitment you've made to NoS - your progress is amazing!

Day 4: Success!

Day 5: Success!

Days 6 & 7: S days

As I was filling my lunch plate on day 4, I started to feel some anxiety about whether or not that would be enough to keep me full until dinner, and if I was eating too soon, etc. I think lunch is going to be tough for a while, because the longest time period between meals is lunch and dinner.

And I thought my S days wouldn't be too bad, but I'm just finishing up my 8th cookie for the day.

Remember, pile those plates high. Eventually that anxiety will completely go away! In fact, you won't even get anxious when you're out and about and realize dinner will be much later than normal. You'll feel at peace, knowing you'll survive.

I've had a wild Easter S Day, myself--yesterday especially was just wild. Today seems a bit calmer.

I forgot to mention my weight loss for last week. (Keeping in mind that I was quite bloated from my wild eating in the weeks before I started NoS.)

I started at 168.8 on Monday morning before my first N day. I weighed on Saturday morning after 5 successful N days - at 164.6. A loss of 4.2 pounds (mostly water, but hopefully with a smidge of fat).

Day 8: Success!

B: Blueberry Muffin, Quest bar
L: Cheeseburger, fries, Dr. Pepper
S: Grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, potato wedges

Surprisingly, I didn't get hungry at all yesterday. I thought that with my out of control weekend, I'd be starving all day!

Day 9: Success!

B: Breakfast sandwich: ham, egg, cheese, english muffin and orange juice
L: Chicken strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, roll with butter, a few bites of macaroni salad
D: Taco salad - ground beef, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, shell

I have a major cold right now, and I think all of the coughing is helping me to not want to permasnack all day.

Day 10: Success!

B: fruit/yogurt/granola parfait and chocolate milk
L: Spaghetti O's with meatballs
S: 2 pieces pizza

Day 11: Success!

B: Egg bake, bacon, fruit, orange juice
L: Big Mac, Fries
D: ham, mashed potatoes

Still sick, so nothing tastes good yet. I'm sure I'll get my appetite back after this cold leaves me.

Day 12: Success!
Day 13: S day
Day 14: S day

One thing I noticed this weekend for my 2nd set of S days: I realized that my treat for the weekend was simply to snack. Sweet treats aren't really anything I miss, although I did have some really good chocolate chip cookies this weekend. I also noticed that when I tried to snack a lot, I actually got FULL. I never usually feel full, even when I used to snack all day long, so this was awesome.

My weight on Saturday morning was the exact same as it was the previous Saturday morning: 164.6. I think that's great, considering the amount of sodium that was consumed last week - McDonald's twice in one week!

I love reading about your realizations about yourself, your appetite, etc., as you meader the long and winding road that is your NoS journey!

automatedeating wrote:I love reading about your realizations about yourself, your appetite, etc., as you meader the long and winding road that is your NoS journey!

Thanks! It's amazing what I can perceive without the food obsession that comes with calorie counting. I hope this is a nice long road for me - I'm ready for it!

Day 15: Success!

B: Chocolate milk, Panera spinach & artichoke quiche
L: 1/4 of a ham & swiss sandwich (I'm still really sick, so I went home and slept the afternoon away.)
D: Chicken salad on a croissant, potato salad

Day 16: Success!

B: Sausage, egg, cheese flatbread
L: Beef panini and jalapeno potato chips
D: Spaghetti

This sinus infection/cold of mine has probably happened at the best time ever. It's really helping me to not be hungry and snack in the afternoons. Hopefully by the time I get better, any hunger I would have felt in the afternoon will be a thing of the past!

Congrats on your successes! I hope you're feeling better soon.

Diligence wrote:Congrats on your successes! I hope you're feeling better soon.

Thank you very much! This sinus stuff is hanging on too long!

Day 17: Fail!

I broke down yesterday afternoon and snacked!!! I wasn't even hungry, I just did it.

This is how my mind justified it:
1) You've been sick, it's okay to have an off day.
2) You don't want to be too perfect on your green N days, or when you do eventually fail, it will be harder to get back on track. (This is the logic of the part of me that wants to eat all of the time!)

So, yesterday is over. It happened - I'm moving on without guilt. I'm not going to cut back on my meals today to make up for yesterday.

Well, technically "S"ick days ARE "s" days! It's hard to work on habit when we are ill.

sweetaj wrote: 2) You don't want to be too perfect on your green N days, or when you do eventually fail, it will be harder to get back on track. (This is the logic of the part of me that wants to eat all of the time!)

Lol! That is the funniest thing I've heard. Just brilliant!

sweetaj wrote: 1) You've been sick, it's okay to have an off day.

If you had a Sick day you could eat but eating after RECOVERING doesn't count as an S day

sweetaj wrote: So, yesterday is over. It happened - I'm moving on without guilt. I'm not going to cut back on my meals today to make up for yesterday.

Perfect attitude! Mark it and move on. It's the punitive cycle that causes the most harm. Be strict before the event, not after (as Reinhard so brilliantly says in his podcast on strictness).

eschano - I actually am still currently sick. I've got a really bad sinus infection that won't go away. Now I'm on prednisone, so everyone has been telling me how hungry that's going to make me!

Day 18: Fail!

Yes, another fail. It was all fine until we got free Dairy Queen blizzards at work in the afternoon. I'm pretty sure I was only mentally hungry, since I'm on prednisone now for this sinus infection, and everyone tells me how hungry it's going to make me.

Well, that's an S day not a fail then! So give yourself some slack

eschano wrote:Well, that's an S day not a fail then! So give yourself some slack

I'm trying!! I'm actually not being hard on myself about it at all, which is surprising! Before, when I've been on diets, if I had a "fail" day, I would think I've failed the whole diet. But now, I'm not viewing NoS as a diet, but as a way I plan to eat forever. Therefore, I haven't really failed, I'm still moving forward.

sweetaj wrote:But now, I'm not viewing NoS as a diet, but as a way I plan to eat forever. Therefore, I haven't really failed, I'm still moving forward.

Exactly!

Cutting myself some slack for a couple of days, because I'm starting to feel guilty for my overeating. Guilt is not a helpful emotion!! I am super hungry since I'm on prednisone to get over this sinus crap. I only have a day and a half left of it, so I'm just going to take a few NWS days and hopefully have it out of my system by Wednesday.

sounds like a great plan.

Prednisone is awful! I had to be on it for about 2 weeks, and all I craved was chips and other junk. Definitely cut yourself some slack.

Thanks guys! Yesterday was another fail day.

And now I'm going through the typical diet mind: OMG, I am feeling so fat, maybe I need to start counting calories again... So, I'm trying to remind myself that this time period is a minor blimp in my lifetime, and I will get back on track as soon as things are back to normal. I know I don't need to count calories to be at a healthy weight, as long as I continue to reinforce the no snacking habit!!

I am all in favor of resisting the urge to try for fast weight loss, so you can count on me to encourage you to just take it nice and NoS slow.

I hear you! I am counting calories for now, and I'm SO tired of it. I think as long as you stick to the No S structure and don't snack, you should be fine.

Ugh, I am trying to get back on track, but obviously, I'm not trying hard enough. I talked myself into having all red days this week, because of the prednisone (just an excuse). Now, I can't seem to stop the binge. I just ate so much candy that I feel sick: headache, racing heart, lethargic, etc.

I was avoiding posting here all morning. I tend to "skip town" when I've fallen off the wagon to look for some new diet fad, but I'm not letting myself off this time!

Wow, do I feel physically ill from all of that sugar!! I wish it was enough to convince me to stop eating though.

A common, and very good, saying on here is to 'mark it, and move on.' Do your best to have an N Day tomorrow, and then the weekend will be here, and you can have S Days again.

I agree with clarinetgal. Also, just focus on the meals. Every meal you manage as a N meal (including the period that comes before or after) is a success, even if you end up failing later.

I completely know these phases and trust me, this too shall pass!

Also, just stay on the boards. We've all been through this and won't judge you but it's good not to drop off so you can get support and also have accountability.

You can do this

Thanks gals! I appreciate your support. I am determined to make this time different, so I will keep pushing forward with this. One N day, and then the weekend! I can do it!!

Seriously though, after the way I felt yesterday, how could I possibly still think that overeating is pleasurable????

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves when tempted how we will feel later if we overindulge. I find this technique extremely helpful when I am considering drinking too much! But I use it to prevent overeating, sometimes, too.

automatedeating wrote:Sometimes we need to remind ourselves when tempted how we will feel later if we overindulge. I find this technique extremely helpful when I am considering drinking too much! But I use it to prevent overeating, sometimes, too.

I have had to do this several times today! (With eating, not drinking. ) This is going to be my first N day in 2 weeks!

Finally, one N day under my belt. I feel a little more in control today. Yesterday, I just wanted to EAT, EAT, EAT because I scare myself into thinking I'll get too hungry. Pile up the plates!!

Still here, and still moving forward.

I have tried to put as little thought into food as possible, it makes it easier to eat 3 meals without obsessing about things!

Hi there, glad you are back on track. Just don't over think it, it will all fall in place. You will begin eating like those generations before you - before the packaged food/fast food industry made eating a 24 hour a day sport. You ate your meal and then hours later ate another one. Desserts were a special treat, making them an S.

Recommitting again, starting today. I'm not surprised with my failed behavior, since I think it's probably a common process that many go through. I KNOW that nos is the way for me, but yet I still want the weight to come off quickly, which leads to examining different diets and veering from my original goals, which are:

To make NoS a habit.
To eat normally, without desperation.

I've signed up for the July challenge, and I'm dedicating myself to completing it, regardless of how many fail days I may have to put up. Lacking the courage to face my failures is one of the biggest reasons that I fall off the wagon and look for something different.

I think I'm on attempt #4 now, since I bought the NoS book, so expect me to fail again (and again) before I make myself a solid No-Ser!

Welcome back!

Thanks for the welcome back eschano! I hope I'm here to stay this time. I'm sitting my butt down and not moving!

Day 1 Success

I'm piling my plates high, but that's okay! The first day is always the roughest.

Good for you! Staying with it no matter what is a good choice. No S is not known for rapid weight loss, it definitely promotes a peace of mind about food!

r.jean wrote:Good for you! Staying with it no matter what is a good choice. No S is not known for rapid weight loss, it definitely promotes a peace of mind about food!

And if I'm being honest, that's what I really want more than weight loss: peace of mind about food! Thanks for reminding me of that!

Well Done Sweetaj on your perseverance!!

I am the queen of returns and it is definitely the ONLY plan that works for me long term but that does not stop me from wandering!!

((((((((((hugs))))))))))))

Thank you MerryKat!

Day 2: Success!

Thankfully I deterred myself from snacking between meals. I was really mad about something and was ready to just eat and eat and eat, but I realized that's what I always do when I'm mad/anxious/sad/stressed/happy. It doesn't matter what emotion it is. This is why I want some food normalcy!! Food doesn't need to be tied to my emotions the way it is.

I took the time this weekend to read the NoS diet book for the fourth time.

And I ate a lot. It wasn't a mindless binge, but more of a "I know I'm not hungry, but I'm going to eat this anyway until I feel sick." It's so weird to type that out, but that's exactly what I was thinking. The volume of food that I ate at one time seemed so enormous that I'm sure my stomach is completely stretched out.

It was a great relief to wake up today and know that it's an N day. Which is still really weird, because if I didn't want to eat like that yesterday, I didn't have to. It's almost as if I feel like I HAVE to eat like that because there are no rules.

I'll say it again - all I want is some normalcy around food!!

HI Sweetaj

I know just how you feel about eating and eating just because.... so do many many people on this board. You really struck a chord with me with your plea for some normalcy around food. I keep saying I just want to be an ordinary person about food.... I wish!! It will come for us both I am sure because we have at least got persistence, personal insight and honesty, that is a major start!

Tessytwinkle wrote:HI Sweetaj

I know just how you feel about eating and eating just because.... so do many many people on this board. You really struck a chord with me with your plea for some normalcy around food. I keep saying I just want to be an ordinary person about food.... I wish!! It will come for us both I am sure because we have at least got persistence, personal insight and honesty, that is a major start!

It's good to know that someone else feels the same as me, thanks!

______________

And I am still struggling to get back on track. I think my only option is to take each day meal by meal. Otherwise, I end up blowing the whole day over one small infraction. One bite between meals usually ends up with me permasnacking the rest of the day.

So for now, I am not going to code each day as fail or success. That triggers my "all or nothing" attitude that I have from years of dieting. Instead, I will treat each meal as a new chance to get things right. I will do this!!!

Hmmmmm. Here again. I always find myself back here. I start some new diet, some new way of eating, and then eventually, my sanity returns, and I remember that I REALLY want to give NoS a proper try. Without reading back through this thread, I'm pretty certain that I haven't even made it 2 weeks no-sing.

Here's what gives me anxiety about no-s:

1) I'm afraid that if I eat 3 normal meals per day, without restricting and counting calories, that I won't lose "enough" weight. This means that I need to accept my current weight and accept that I may gain a little until this becomes a habit. Or maybe I just need to stay off the scale while I'm practicing.

2) It seems to be a really long time between lunch and dinner. This isn't really true, but between lunch and dinner is my prime snacking time. Without rules in place, I typically eat constantly from lunch until dinner.

Until I can get anxiety #2 under control, I'm keeping an apple with me at all times, JUST IN CASE. So far I haven't needed it today, and I'm 100% certain that I can wait until dinner is served in an hour or so.

If only I could have accepted eating in moderation 20 years ago when food became an issue. Would I be here now? Probably not. I'm either "on a diet" or "NOT on a diet". I'm never "eating happily and moderately" - until today!

Welcome back!

My 2 cents:

1) well, you won't become Kate Moss but you'll be healthier inside and out. It's worth sticking with it as if you had stuck with it the first time you might already be at your goal weight. (Well, that's what people always say, like the Chinese proverb: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. the next best time is now).

2) Milky drinks! A planned healthy snack as a 4th meal is perfectly acceptable but if you want to go down to 3 meals I strongly suggest warm milky drinks (coffee or tea or just milk). It helps enormously and gets you into the habit.

Good luck!

Thanks for the welcome back eschano!!

I think I will definitely try the milky drinks tip. Not chewing between meals is the first habit I need to work on, and if a glass of milk helps me to get to that point, then I'm going to do it.

And I'm also going to TRY REALLY HARD to come here everyday and keep a food log. I am really good at hiding my horrible eating habits.

Welcome back! I think for some of us it takes a few times before NOS sticks (me included). If you're snacking constantly between lunch & dinner than I'd say you have a good chance of losing weight. If nothing else you will gain sanity with eating which is no small feat in this society!

I agree about the drinks. That's what gets me through for sure! I sip a big nonfat no whip mocha from breakfast to lunch. Then I sip a big low sugar iced tea or iced coffee for awhile after lunch. Usually while I prepare dinner I'll sip on wine. It really helps to get the habit down and I will see about cutting back on those drinks if/when I stop losing weight. But one step at a time!

Hang in there!

Linda

Thanks Linda!

I think gaining some sanity would be glorious! I also think that my constant snacking is my main problem, and if I could get that under control, my weight should have a downward trend.

Thanks for sharing what you drink during the day! I am definitely going to follow this approach. I can see that it would help me stick to NoS for a longer period of time, hopefully long enough to get a habit in place!!

Yesterday: Fail

Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Jelly Beans!! Loaded plate with refried beans, rice, tortilla chips, guac, sour cream, cheese dip
Snacked on more jelly beans!
Supper: Beef and bean burrito

Last night, I started a book that is supposed to help you with any diet: The Beck Diet Solution. I'm hoping it will be a good supplement to NoS!

I also set up an interval trainer app on my phone to vibrate every minute. I'm using this at meal times to slow down my eating. I normally inhale my food, but breakfast took me over 30 minutes to eat this morning using my app.

sounds like a great start