Everyday Systems

Hello there! I am new to the boards and to no-s but thought a daily check-in would be helpful for me in building new habits. This is my third day of no-s. I have not had trouble sticking to the "no sweets" rule and to my version of the "no seconds rule"-- stopping a meal when I am satisfied-- but so far the snacking has been tough. I'm trying to drink tea in the afternoons to get me through. Hopefully, I can continue to improve on this habit in the coming weeks.

Welcome to the board, Skipper! Lots of support and ideas here -- good luck with No S!

Hello Skipper! Looking forward to reading your thread. Remember to drinks lots of tea and water between meals when the going gets tough.

Thanks, Eschano and JW. I'll try to up my tea and water consumption for sure! Yesterday, I caved and ate a snack around 2-- a saucer of mushroom risotto-- but I didn't finish it once I took the edge off my hunger, so it wasn't awful. I think I just need to work on shifting to a later lunch so that I can last until dinner. I usually am not very hungry at breakfast, so maybe that's my problem. But I figure if I can make it until dinner, eventually my hunger clock will reset itself so that I am eating enough at the appropriate times.

Your hunger clock will definitely reset itself, Skipper -- faster if you don't feed it! I mentally compare it to a stray cat that will show up unfailingly as long as there's a chance you will feed it . . . yowling "It's food o'clock!"

Thanks for your encouraging words and good gf ideas on my thread!

Hi Skipper,
I never ate breakfast before NoS. After doing the 1 plate a day for dinner only for a while I started waking up quite hungry. I have a light breakfast now every morning to tie me over to lunch.

Hope you find a way to making it work for you!

Thanks for the good advice, JW and Eschano. Intriguingly, after only a few days my hunger clock seems to have reset itself. This weekend, I stuck to the one-plate rule but made sure I had a little extra fruit with my breakfast, and I was not even hungry for a snack at any point. I had an herbal tea after dinner each night, which is always a nice treat, and I drank a LOT more water. Since I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I didn't finish the single-serving bag of chocolate chips that I bought myself for the weekend, so I think I may have a wee bit throughout the week if I want a dessert after dinner... a bit of a modification, but I don't feel like it will cause me to blow the No "S" rules.

This is the first time I have ever written anything like this publicly and I find it scary. Dieting has always been a more or less hidden activity for me. I tried No S a few years ago and did not stick with it. I have started again with a few moderations. I can not have the free weekends like I did. It seemed to feed my binging behavior. Instead I am following the No S system as suggested except I am allowing one sweet only on Special days like holidays, birthdays, bridge party days, and visits to friends when it socially is difficult to pass up the dessert without insulting them. These "sweet" days should never be more than twice a week. The only other variation I have made is, while I do not eat snacks, I allow myself popcorn once a week at the movies.
I will weigh myself once a week and see how it goes.
After close to a week, I feel in control of my eating and think I can do this for the rest of my life. That would be a miracle!

Cool, Skipper! Glad your hunger clock is already resetting!
Sorry to sound like a strict teacher here, but I would encourage you to toss the chocolate chips in a big dumpster and hold off until the weekend for sweets. But that's just me. We all must be the captain of our own ships!

No worries, Automatedeating. You're probably right, especially while I'm still forming habits and getting used to meal sizes. Thanks for the advice!