Simon's 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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Simon's Daily Check-In

Post by Simon » Mon Apr 03, 2006 4:21 pm

Will be using this thread as my official:

Get Accountable or Get Bent reminder.

Monday, 3rd April 2006

Day Zero

I'll, uh, check back in tomorrow and let you know how I did. Cheerios and an apple for breakfast, leftovers in the work-fridge for lunch and there ain't a gonna be no snackins in between.
Simon
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Post by ceu » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:12 pm

yay, another Canadian! :) Welcome! Winnipegger here.

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Post by Simon » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:30 pm

Hey, thanks for the note, ceu.

The more folks that are aware of my intentions, the less likely I will be to cheat on myself. Which is sort of the intention of these forums, isn't it?

My favourite author in the whole wide world is from Winnipeg, by the way. Guy Gavriel Kay.
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:23 pm

*Don't* get bent Simon!!! Or in other words,
Go for it!!!!!!! :lol:

Hope you had a good day!
Let us know and we will be your watchdogs!!!
Ruff...
LOL...

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Tue Apr 04, 2006 4:56 am

Rousing success on the first Monday of my No-S regime.

Started with a 14-minute shugging session (it's going to be a while before it doesn't feel weird to type that...) and then on to the rest of my day.

Breakfast:
Cheerios & an apple.

Lunch:
Leftover basmati rice with meatballs & sweet/sour sauce.

Dinner:
Spaghetti with meat sauce.
(Helped the toddler finish his, too.)

Am pleased to say that there were no snackin's throughout the day and I felt a flushing sense of pride as I walked past the kitchen at work numerous times, never retrieving more than a full glass of water or coffee.

The only thing that even approached a snack was when I towed my toddler in his wagon to return Chicken Little to Blockbuster. I had the last bite of his granola bar. But it was a small bite, and kinda stale to boot, so I'm not counting it.

Besides, it was about an hour-fifteen round trip to Blockbuster, towing a 45-lb wagon-kid combo. That's gotta get me some sort of discount, eh?

(Is there a forum thread around here for "Inadvertent Suburban Rangering"?)

Anyway, looking forward to No-essing again tomorrow. (Bloody hell, how many ways are there to spell that?!)

Most check-ins won't be quite this garrulous. Sometimes I just like to hear myself type.
Simon
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Post by carolejo » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:39 am

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Hi Simon,

I'm enjoying your checkin thread already!

Sounds like you're really setting yourself up to succeed here. Afterall, a sense of humour about it all definately helps.

Welcome to NoS and SG, by the way. Hope it becomes for you what you want it to be.

All the best,
C.
CaroleJo

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:10 pm

Wow!!!
Long live Hickory Hand Simon of the North!!!
That does indeed sound rousingly successful!

I'm vicariously enjoying your garrulous newbie enthusiasm!!!
You are reminding me of me back in the "old days".... (LOL... 18 months ago...) Except you are a guy from Canada, and I'm still a woman on the Island..
LOL...
Keep up the garrulousness!!! (is that a word????), and don't worry,,,,
It takes one to know one! :lol:
(I think my nickname might be "motormouth of the west!" LOL..)

Yo! That walk gets you triple points!!! It's even inspiring me and my lazy suburban bum!
Just think what a wonderful start your little toddler (name if you like?)
will have when he sees your wonderful example on the exercise and diet habits front!
Good luck on today..
Enjoy the great feeling of finding your new, NoS-bolstered, willpower!!!
See ya later!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:44 pm

Thanks both, Carole and Deb.

Thoroughly enjoying the new willpower and prospects for my future self. I see a svelte, Adonis-like body in my future. Hopefully, it's my own.

The toddler is Declan, will be 2 in exactly one month.

Have a second boy-spawn, just a month old, Tavish.

He was the reason I didn't do my shugging this morning. Between my wife and I tag-team cuddling with him last night, we each got maybe two hours sleep. I forgot how the first three months are an exercise in endurance. The diet will be easier to keep up than the 5 am SG routines. But that too shall pass.

The Hickory Hand shall not be denied his daily swing-fest. Most certainly not! He feels more powerful when he talks about himself in the third person. Now he must continue his sensible breakfast consisting of a delightful melange of granola, diced apple, raisins and youghurt. And a wee smattering of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

(The worst part of this No-S business is that I'm an unapologetic chocoholic.)
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:49 pm

I put powdered cocoa mix in my coffee... :wink:
I guess if you can limit the chocolate chips to a teaspoon or less, you'll satisfy a craving, but just be really careful not to eat them at every meal!!!

I'm imagining you sprinkling them on everything in the fridge! LOL..
Eggs and chocolate chips, salad with chocolate chips, salmon with chocolate chips (eeeewwww that doesn't sound too good! LOL)

Another suggestion, is to really totally abstain during N days...
You will find that your enjoyment of chocolate is increased tenfold, if you don't have it daily... See if that might work... :wink:

Well, the five am shovelglove routine sounds pretty hard to maintain..
I know you have little ones at home, but I'm sure you can find 14 minutes *some* time during your day that is more maintainable...
Can you stick Declan and Tavish in front of a Mister Rogers tape for 15 minutes?

Good luck with juggling that! I know it's quite demanding, but you won't regret carving out some Simon time during the day...

Have a nice rest of the day Hickory Hand de la Norte...
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Svelte and Chocolate

Post by pangelsue » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:10 pm

Wow! If you can keep it to a couple of chocolate chips, hooray for you! On Saturday, I was looking for a small bag of circus peanuts because I was craving them. I couldn't find a small bag and ended up buying a large one because it was only $1.00. I intended to eat about 6 and toss the rest. I should have started with the tossing part because I ended up finishing the whole bag by Sunday night. While surviving a sugar headache, I realized that I need to buy my splurges in individual sizes. Arghhhhhhhh. I guess that means that I need to keep my chocolate in bite size bits for a while too. A full bag would be like sirens calling me all day long. I used to hide chocolate chips way in the back of my freezer to make them less accessible. Didn't work. Frozen chocolate chips are delicious and I can still hear them calling even from behind the vegetables. Gotta go. It's 6pm and I need to make supper.

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Post by Simon » Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:13 am

Day 2: SUCCESS!!

Three square meals and I'm content. Not even really hungry this evening, and now it's just past 11 pm my time (Mountain).

With any luck, my new boy will sleep better through the night tonight than he did last night and I can get up and shug off my sleepiness. God I love puns.

Mmmmm... frozen chocolate chips...

Looks like I'll have to indulge in a extra big glass of water pretty soon to get the image of those chips outta my head. Bad pangelsue, bad!!
Simon
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Post by flsunshine » Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:30 pm

Congrats on your success! Yours is a fun thread to read. My boys are a bit older, but I remember those sleepless nights SO well.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:36 pm

Yo!
What's with the tiny font size of your newly dubbed nickname??? :twisted:
LOL..

Just kidding..
I checked out the adorable video of your baby reading the x/o block at the park... Boy he seems very very bright!
Good for you!

My son took a very long time to talk...
Ended up he needed early intervention with speech and occupational therapy for a few years..
Kudos for encouraging your childs ability to communicate~
Congrats on the video and sound working on the blog, that's very cool~

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:28 am

Day 3: SUCCESS

Proudly avoided a moment of weakness this evening. As part of her post-partum persnickitiness, my wife has a craving for Pepsi. So, we have a cube of it in the fridge. (A cube being a 24-pack.) I was sooo craving one shortly after dinner, by which point my toddler and I had tidied up the mostly snow-free backyard. Instead, I flung open the cupboard and poured myself two really big glasses of water and drank until the evil feeling went away.

Breakfast: Cheerios and a bagel.
Lunch: Oatmeal and a half cup of dried fruit & nuts.
Dinner: Chicken breast, basmati rice & asparagus spears.

Is it dorky that the asparagus spears made me think of Stoking the Oven??

Yeah, I thought so too.
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:28 pm

Good for you Simon!!!
Having temptations in the house always leads me to Oscar Wilde's solution for handling them...

To "give in" to them!
LOL...

It's so much simpler when it's not in the house....
Well, good luck with Mrs. Persnickety :)
Maybe you can wean her off her cravings in your behalf...
It's so hard to succeed at home when the whole family isn't really totally in synch on a way of eating...

But again, great willpower!
Have a nice day...
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:56 pm

Yes, I was very happy to have been able to resist temptation. What one loses in instant gratification, one subsequently gains in pride and willpower.

The younger boy slept a little better last night so I managed to knock off almost 5 hours of sleep myself, therefore enabling me to get mine arse out of bed and get shugging for 14 minutes. A couple dozen squats both before and after my Hammer Time.

I'm a little pissed off though. Somebody snuck in and replaced my 12-lb hammer with a 50-lb hammer in the middle of the night. I KNOW it wasn't that heavy when I last used it two days ago!! My legs and arms were shaking by the time I was done. Damn!
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:56 pm

You know Simon, they actually have 50 lb hammers out there on the internet..
Maybe someone did sneak in and switch them! :wink:

Please listen to the signals your body is giving you...
This sounds like you may be going too fast or just too many reps...
SG is very intense, or can be...
Be mindful to listen to yourself and go at a pace which will not hurt you..
You don't want 14 minutes of fame and then go down in flames!

Peace and Love,
"Your surrogate nag Jewish Mother"
8) Deb
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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Post by Simon » Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:00 am

Day 4: SUCCESS

Nearly caved at lunch again since somebody ordered in from a VERY nice deli, and the leftovers invariably end up where just anybody can grab them. Do you have any idea how little willpower I have versus nanaimo bars? Do you? I totally rock.

B'fast: cereal & apple
Lunch: Chicken, rice & sweet potatoes
Dinner: Pork loin, roast potatoes, peas

Feeling fine this evening, Deb, after my 50-lb hammer workout. Rest assured that I won't over exert myself in order to get in all my reps. I'm still checking my sheet to see what the next exercise on the list is. By the time I have the routine memorised I might be able to reach the end of the "14" in the 21-14-7 workout. Heck, I'm only in my first week, I'm not going to rush it.

Abs of steel will come in time.
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:26 pm

Do you have any idea how little willpower I have versus nanaimo bars? Do you? I totally rock.
Rock on with your newly bolstered willpower!!!
Woo hoo!!!!

PS... You can bring home nice deli goodies, next time, and have them for dinner.. Unless they were the nanaimo bars...That's ice cream right???
It's a Canadian thing!
LOL..

Have a great day and thoroughly enjoy your weekend~
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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Post by reinhard » Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:00 pm

Simon,
I'm a little pissed off though. Somebody snuck in and replaced my 12-lb hammer with a 50-lb hammer in the middle of the night. I KNOW it wasn't that heavy when I last used it two days ago!! My legs and arms were shaking by the time I was done. Damn!
Even I, after four years of shugging run into this problem (at least since my last upgrade). Unless I'm trying to prove something to myself, I tend to just scale down my reps during the course of the week.

Also, you can start a few more of the movements at 14 (or 7) rather than at 21 if you feel like you're rushing (you can also do something completely different, but it sounds like you too like this numerologically satisfying structure).

Reinhard[/quote]

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Post by Simon » Sat Apr 08, 2006 5:17 am

Day 5: SUCCESS!

I didn't have the same sort of temptations at work as I did yesterday, so it was a little easier for me.

B'fast: Toast & banana
Lunch: Chicken enchiladas (Julio's Barrio Restaurant)
Dinner: Sloppy Joes (beef on a bun)

I missed my SG session this morning again; seems I'm only doing every other day so far. This is mostly due to early morning infant squalling. Getting puked on at 3 in the morning does not induce a guy to want to get up just after 5 to swing a hammer. So now I'm considering swapping my SG sessions to the evenings before bed. Sounds like a great way to wipe me out and help ensure I sleep well.

At least until the baby wakes up again.

A couple of S days coming up here, which I plan to approach with caution. Maybe just a bowl of popcorn and a movie on Saturday or something like that. I sometimes have a (rare) habit of going and buying a bag of Cheetos with which to watch a movie and then not stopping until the bag is empty and I feel totally gross. The orange goo on my fingertips at that point is about a quarter inch thick!

So I'll take it easy on the weekend. But still be nice to myself.
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:51 pm

Good job Simon on a great week!
Enjoy your S days!

No they don't have to be disgusting gorgefests, but it's really crucial to let yourself relax on them... Mentally, it's like a steam valve after N day scrutiny... It's the N days that will bring about your weight loss, and when you have S days without worrying, and totally enjoy them, then you feel much more ready to take on another week of N days...
Infact most people end up saying they are looking forward to Mondays, because of the structure and sanity of NoS...
And by all means,,,please do be nice to yourself..
After all, you deserve niceness after little mister T decides to cover you in his special brand of baby swill...

If you end up with a quarter inch of orange cheese on your fingers this weekend, remember not to touch the walls when you get home :)

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:53 pm

Days 6 & 7: "S" days

Didn't go too far overboard with the S stuff. Probably more than what I'll get in the habit of doing.

Over the course of the weekend, and in addition to my regular meals, I had (remembering) two cans of Pepsi, a handful of TimBits (doughnut holes), a mint Aero chocolate bar, half of my wife's BIG slurpee yesterday, and I finished my wife's dinner both nights - so that was like a plate and a quarter on each of those nights.

One thing I realised VERY strongly is how incredibly aware I am of what I'm eating. I reached for one of those cans of Pepsi in the fridge and consciously thought of how many teaspoons of sugar were in it and that I would certainly not be drinking it on an N day. Same with the chocolate bar and the extra-hefty meals.

I'm thinking more as I'm eating, which I think bodes well for my future on this diet. Which itself is a bit of a misnomer since a diet, to me, is something you go off when you're done. There is no "done" with No-S, just the continuation of a lifestyle change, right?

Anyway, after that weekend, I actually came to work this morning looking forward to the structure of a strict 3-meal day with no shenanigans. At least no consumable shenanigans.

I look forward to reporting on my success later this evening now that I'm into my second week.
Simon
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Post by scottwblack » Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:11 pm

Simon wrote:I'm a little pissed off though. Somebody snuck in and replaced my 12-lb hammer with a 50-lb hammer in the middle of the night. I KNOW it wasn't that heavy when I last used it two days ago!! My legs and arms were shaking by the time I was done. Damn!
Now I know what you mean. I was barely able to finish Reinhard's beginners Shovelglove workout on Friday. And, on Saturday my arm hurt like it hasn't since...well, since I last bothered to lift weights back in the nineties. Feels fine now, though, and I look forward to another session today.

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Post by Simon » Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:54 am

Day 8: SUCCESS!!

And my best success yet, I might add.

There were more leftover lunch goodies hanging around the work kitchen this afternoon, and all I did was a drooling drive-by without even touching a one.

B'fast: Cereal & bagel
Lunch: Oatmeal & nuts
Dinner: Chicken boobie, pasta, fresh veggies

AND...

After dinner I realised that a family friend had popped by to see the new baby and left a strawberry chocolate cake for us to eat!! My wife and the friend-lady had a couple pieces, as did this other friend who came over to trim our toddler's hair, but there was still almost half left on the counter when I got home.

And all I did was place the pieces gingerly onto a plate, wrap them up and put them in the fridge. I only licked a tiny bit of strawberry frosting off the fork I used to transfer from the cake box to the plate. And that was IT.

Today, I am very proud of me. I think I may just go and have a big glass of water to celebrate.

WITH ICE!!!
Simon
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Post by ceu » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:15 pm

awesome job. :)

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:58 pm

Rock on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing Sime!!!!!! :D

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Thanks Simon

Post by pangelsue » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:04 am

"What one loses in instant gratification, one subsequently gains in pride and willpower. "

Thanks for saying the above in one of your posts. I think of it so often when I want to cheat.

You are doing such an awesome job you deserve to feel proud of yourself.

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Post by Simon » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:14 pm

I find that I have to say that to myself a couple times a day, pangelsue. I'm just so accustomed to appeasing the desire for instant gratification that it has to be consciously suppressed - or replaced with a different yet equally rewarding activity - until a new habit takes its place.

Day 9: SUCCESS!!

That strawberry chocolate cake in the fridge is still staring at me when I open it. If it's still there on Saturday morning, I swear it's gonna be breakfast.

And I have now officially decided to switch my Shovelglove routines to the evenings. I am much more inclined to do it at that time. The rest of the house is asleep and those 14 minutes are just so gosh-darned schedulistically insignificant that I can't think of a reason not to perform.

Last night I made it about halfway through the "14" part of the 21 - 14 - 7 routine; so I'm progressing a bit faster. If I can get to the end of the 14 and start on the 7 by the time April's over, I'll be happy.

After my buzzer went off to end the shugging, I proceeded to 50 hindu squats. Holy crap... it burns, Precious! It burns us! I can sure see (and feel) the benefit that doing those over the long term will have. I was seriously chuffing and straining for those last 10.

But MAN did I sleep well!
Simon
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Humor

Post by pangelsue » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:23 pm

Body image wise there are worse role models than Gollum. Haha. I haven't quite made it to the exercise part of the program yet. I think my chiropractor would be the only one gaining from that experience. I am more the yoga, tai chi, qi gong kind of person. That is more likely to make me "feel fair and look foul" in the long run unless I find something more active. Oh well, one mountain at a time. Still working on the food as reward thing. I am here writing so that the tea I am having looks good in comparison to the chips and humus my husband is munching in the kitchen. I so envy people who can do that and stay slim. Of course, he does work out every day for 45 minutes so that might have a little to do with it.

We will get there if we are patient and persevere, Mr. Frodo

Enough of that. I need to go make some fish tacos.

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Post by Simon » Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:37 am

Wow, you totally get TEN POINTS for the foul/fair Lord of the Rings reference. You rock!

Day 10: SUCCESS!!

It seems to be getting easier, but I'm still not used to the hungry feeling for the couple hours before meals and then also before bed. I grew so accustomed to snacking at work and then, after the rest of the house here went to bed, grabbing a bunch of cheese & crackers or something and surfing the Net for a while.

Now I have to come here and hold myself accountable to the lot of you.

Damn you.... damn you all to HELL!!

sorry... hunger pangs talking... so... weak...

It's 10.30 at night right now and I have to go do my shugging. Tomorrow's day 11 - humpday for the 21 day milestone. I promise to kick its ass.

Also, Friday is my Easter day off work, but I intent only to observe Saturday and Sunday as my "S" days. Since it is Easter, I could consider Friday as being "sacralicious", but I'd rather build my commitment right now.

Props to my peeps for keeping me on the straight and narrow!
Simon
"Hickory Hand of the North"

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:30 pm

You are keeping it realz bro!!!!
Have a great evening Sime!
Keep up the great work!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Happy holidays all

Post by pangelsue » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:17 pm

Let's live our weekends large so our smaller size week days will be filled with hazy happy memories.

It's been a longggggg day at work. In fact I am still there but taking an overdue break. Writing to my peops instead of having peanuts or chips or something. Sighs....

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Post by Simon » Fri Apr 14, 2006 3:00 pm

Day 11: SUCCESS!

Though we did go out for dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday. I had no appetizers nor dessert, and the dinner could technically have all fit on my plate at once. (Oh sweet east Indian butter chicken and nan bread, how I love thee.)

Work is getting easier to resist the snacking. I'm still amazed at how frequent my grazing habits were though.

Bored? Grab a cookie.

Going to the bathroom? Better get a granola bar on the way back.

Just had a meeting? You deserve a Rice Krispies square!!

Fresh coffee? Can't have that without an Oreo.


The mental leaps of justification were just staggering! And I don't normally use this many exclamation points, so that's how staggering it is!

Past the hump to 21 days.

w00t!!
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Apr 14, 2006 5:40 pm

Hi Sime :)

Well, if you really think of those choices you made, they point more towards a sugar junkie kind of thing, not just grazing...
What's great is that once you cut down, your body won't have such wild cravings for it either..
You are attacking your behavior here, but really your also retraining your cravings...
Good for you!!!
Have a nice weekend and hope the little fam is all good!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:29 am

Day 12: SUCCESS!!

I was rather irritated by the fact today that I had to go in to work to kick start my long weekend, but ended up content in the knowledge that I didn't allow that to turn into an excuse to start grazing. Moooo!

Ordered in pizza for dinner, but only had a plate full of slices which means good news for tomorrow: leftovers for lunch! I assure you that if there is anything better than ordering in pizza for dinner, it's having the remnants for lunch the next day.

I didn't do any SG today, but I did tackle my rather large backyard with a rake, and MAN... did my obliques get a good workout! Tomorrow will be the front yard.

OH!! And also, my brother and I demolished the bricked-in BBQ that came with our house when we moved in three years ago. Moved the entire pile of bricks to the front driveway and then SHOVELED it into the back of my truck to haul to the dump tomorrow. You should have seen my FORM! I was on FIRE! I was even talking in ALL CAPS! So it turns out that shovel gloves trains the body for real life events after all.

Tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday will be family dinners for Easter, so I'm uber-glad they're S days. Still, I'm going to take it easy and rest assured in the fact that I'll be getting a truck load of exercise to balance whatever treats I decide to give myself.

Happy Easter, all!
Simon
"Hickory Hand of the North"

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Hail Easter!

Post by pangelsue » Sat Apr 15, 2006 6:21 am

CONGRATS in caps. You are doing awesome and with humor no less. I too am glad Easter is on a weekend. I was very hungry tonight. We went to see V again and grocery shopping afterwards. I stayed up until midnight so I could eat something. How nuts is that! It was good and now I am going to bed with dreams of jelly beans.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Apr 15, 2006 3:32 pm

OH!! And also, my brother and I demolished the bricked-in BBQ that came with our house when we moved in three years ago. Moved the entire pile of bricks to the front driveway and then SHOVELED it into the back of my truck to haul to the dump tomorrow. You should have seen my FORM! I was on FIRE! I was even talking in ALL CAPS! So it turns out that shovel gloves trains the body for real life events after all.
Amazing man!!!
Amazing!!!!!

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Tue Apr 18, 2006 2:04 pm

Day 13 & 14: S DAYS

Day 15: SUCCESS!

The weekend was a little indulgent. Having split parents means two Easter dinners and twice the ham and scalloped potatoes. And twice the dessert.

Made me a little leary about getting back on the "N" wagon for Monday, but it went off without a hitch. Stuck to the three meals and only felt hungry a couple hours after dinner. I WAS sorely tempted to dig into the fridge when the rest of the house went to bed, but managed to quell that particular demon.

Assuming all things work out for the rest of the week, I'll be celebrating my 21-day milestone on Sunday. Which sort of feels like a cheap way to do it, on an S day. Perhaps I'll wait until Monday to administer the self-congratulatory back slaps.

I do notice that I'm getting further into my SG routine these days. I bet that I'll be well into the "7" portion of the routine by the end of the month. As it is, I'm dripping sweat from the tip of my nose by the time that alarm goes off at 14 minutes.

AND my knees are sounding better during my hindu squats. No more snap, crackle, pop at the bottom. Who'd'a thunk that just standing up could be so good for your joints?
Simon
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Post by david » Tue Apr 18, 2006 3:39 pm

Simon,

It's cool that you are doing so well!

With shovelglove it's neat how progress just sort of creeps up on you.

I'm liking the Hindu squats lately as well. I figured out today that the reason I like this type of squat is that my back can stay relatively straight since I pop up on my toes at the bottom--this is a big plus first thing in the morning when my back doesn't like flexing too much.

thanks,
David

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:29 pm

I WAS sorely tempted to dig into the fridge when the rest of the house went to bed, but managed to quell that particular demon.
YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wink:
Assuming all things work out for the rest of the week, I'll be celebrating my 21-day milestone on Sunday
Assume, shmassume!!! You are doing it!!!!!!!!!!!
Me too Simon!

See you at the finish line!!!!

PS... Great to hear how the exercise is loosening you up and helping your crackling knees! I thought that would do the trick :wink:

Hope you and you little fam is great!
Hows weather up there these days?
Warm enough to take of your toque? LOL...
Keep a rockin in the Great White North!!!!
You aren't a hoser!!!!!! :lol:
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:55 pm

Actually Deb, I consider "Hoser" to be an affectionate endearment. I might even go so far as to say that I'd call myself the "Hickory Hoser of the North", but I'm fond of the nickname I have, so won't go about changing it.

Yeah, those squats are just the thing for me. I was getting quite alarmed at how vocal my erstwhile silent joints had become. Seems I'm well on the way to shutting them up again. Along with some strength and endurance to boot!
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:00 pm

Woo hoo!!!
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Post by Simon » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:07 am

Day 16: SUCCESS!!

Boring old oatmeal with nuts & dried fruit for lunch today, and I was sorely tempted by the glut of sugar wafer cookies in the see-through glass jar in the kitchen during a mid-afternoon pang...

Little else of note to report other than it's just past 10 pm and I'm about to go do my shugging thing in the living room.

Fun, fun!
Simon
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Hey shug thing!

Post by pangelsue » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:02 pm

You sound a little down. Here are some up thoughts for the day. You are deciding a day at a time that your Master is not a jar of cookies anymore. You are your own master and you are working toward a you that will be able to play with your kids and be a great role model for them for years to come. I'm 60 and I am first working on giving that to my daughter now. Way to be proactive, Simon!

You can shug and before you couldn't. Woo hoo Simon!

You are on day 17 today and that means you are 5 days away from your 21 (and 2 of those are S days). That success will be sweet. Trust me. Buy your favorite treat when you get there, eat it guilt free and thumb your nose at those cookies. (they're full of trans fat anyway). Bow not before the lord in the glass jar! Shug on and rejoice on day 21!

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Post by Simon » Wed Apr 19, 2006 5:27 pm

Thanks uber-much for the words, pangelsue!

But I lied a bit about the shugging last night: when I went upstairs to do it, my son was bawling inconsolably in his bed and I had to forego the hammer to snooze with the boy. I didn't wake up until 2.30 am and cold since the spawn had hogged all the covers.

I wasn't down so much as just tired to beat-all when I wrote that last night and unable to summon any energy to sound a little peppier. As opposed to pepperier, which would make me sneeze.

I like the Master reference. I am becoming painfully aware of how succeptible I was (still am) to those sorts of subconscious cravings. I will keep in mind an image of He-Man, Master of the Universe. Every time I feel a craving becoming almost overwhelming I will raise my (pretend) sword into the sky and loudly proclaim, "By the power of Greyskull... I have the Power!" If I'm in the process of shugging, I'll raise my hammer in the air and proclaim the same.

Being geeky about getting in better shape totally works for me.

And you know, I WILL allow myself to indulge a bit on Sunday when I hit the 21-day mark. I already know what it's going to be:

A LARGE Dairy Queen Blizzard. Mint Oreo. I'm drooling already.
Simon
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He-man Away!

Post by pangelsue » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:58 am

Be careful using the shug as a sword. You may be He-Man Master of Cracked Greyskull. Isn't it totally awesome to be this close? I am finding that the 2nd 21 is even easier. I couldn't believe today my day at work. It was Skeletor awful all day but all of a sudden it was 6:30 and I hadn't thought of food since lunch. It was the best part of my day to go home knowing I forgot to feel deprived. Awesome.
Enjoy those moments with the Spawn. They are over all too soon. Although my Spawn is standing behind me right now reading this. Say Good night Gracie:

"'night, Craz--er, Gracie."

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Post by Simon » Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:57 am

I will be careful, thanks for the warning Craz-- er, pangelsue.

Day 17: SUCCESS!!

Leftover lunch detritus from somebody ordering stuff in at work again today. I circled a couple times like a blood-crazed shark but swam off before taking that first bite. Nothing but oatmeal and nuts for my lunch!!

Pork loin, roast potatoes & fresh veggies for dinner, followed by a leisurely stroll around the crescent with the toddler in tow. It's amazing how slowly a guy can walk when tailed by a small boy intent on rocks and stuff.

Got my shugging in as well and find that I'm able to pass the halfway point of the "14" series in the 21-14-7 workout. Still finding that those squats are frikkin' killer on the legs.

I'm thinking of taking the dog for a walk in the AM before work as a sort of (sub)Urban Ranger start to the day. If I want a morning coffee for a buck and a half, it's about a 40 minute round trip to the 7-11. Get me AND the mutt out for a bit. I'll let all y'all know tomorrow what eventually transpired.
Simon
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Post by Simon » Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:40 pm

Amazing how a couple kids under 2 combined with a pair of dogs can keep a guy away from important stuff like internet forums for the better part of a week!!

Happy to say that I'm a proud member of the 21-day club now. It got easier as I got towards the end, too. I'm loving No-S and intend to stick with it for the long haul. So I won't be posting EVERY DAY in this thread like I had been, but will certainly keep checking in to keep myself accountable and feed like a parasite off the good energy that emanates from all y'all.

The shovel glove has been a little harder to keep up. I've gotten into the habit of (sub)Urban Rangering with the dog out for a morning coffee before going to work (5 - 6 AM), leaving my SG workouts for the evenings. Trouble is, with an infant in the house, I'm not ready to stop doing dishes and laundry until after 10 PM most nights.

So if I can get in 2 or 3 shugging sessions a week right now, I'm about on par. Looking to step that up to 5 as the weeks progress and the spawn create a little less of a mess.

More from me later when I'm not stealing time from work.
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:24 pm

Hey Simon! Great work!!!
So, I seem to recall the first year of taking care of Richard as being the hardest year of my life!
You do shovelglove when you get a chance, and it should be fun, not a chore!!!
Good luck with Declan and Tavish!

PS... Incase any of you want to read a very entertaining blog, check out Simons web page, for tales of his parenting adventures...
Simon you are such a great writer!!! I hope you keep us posted at least now and then~

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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Congratulations

Post by pangelsue » Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:11 am

Hats and horns, Simon. You made it and with style and humor. Welcome to the 21 day club. We are an enpowered group. That is a nice place to be. I know I want to stay there. I feel in control of my appetite for the first time in a very long time.

Hey, and I will pit raising children against shugging any day. What do they weigh? Ever pick them up? Maybe that should be a new No S exercise, kid lifting??!! Or laundry lifting or vacuum shugging.

Stay in touch and once again congratulations and felicitations.

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Post by Simon » Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:30 pm

I like those domestic exercise thoughts, pangelsue!

My toddler weighs about 30 lb, and the new infant is now over 10 lb. Just start to think of each as a medicine ball and there are whole lot of possibilities that open up in front of me! Heck, even the number of stairs I do in a week running laundry baskets up and and down has potential.

Sweet... I like that kind of thinking.

Here's to the first three weeks of success, setting up a lifetime of good habits and conscious decisions.
Simon
"Hickory Hand of the North"

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Post by Simon » Thu May 04, 2006 6:25 pm

I'm happy to say that I've been able to keep up the No-S with pretty minimal effort over the past couple weeks.

Some funny stuff to keep me accountable:

I had a small slurpee after dinner a couple days ago and ate half of my son's tiny chocolate easter bunny just a couple days before that - both on N days. My bad.

For the most part though, the habit's really kicked in and my grazing urges are starting to subside. The sheer volume of food that's lying around work sometimes makes it hard!

Must resist...
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri May 05, 2006 2:14 pm

Hey Sime!
Good day eh! :lol:

Are you talking, sweets laying around in industrial sized tubs and donuts in every room you walk into, or are you talking real food?
If it's real food, I'd just take advantage and plan your breakfast and lunch around that... Then you don't have to resist, you just need to make meals of it..
But obviously if it's donuts then you just have to put on blinders and keep chanting the magical mantra

"You are pre disapproved..." over and over!

Have fun keeping it real in the Great White North!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Fri May 05, 2006 2:33 pm

Deb, it's both.

When there's an Important Meeting for which food is brought in, the detritus is left in the kitchen for the vultures to tear apart and it normally consists of healthy sandwiches as well as tempting trays of desserts. But there's no predictability as to when it'll happen so I can't plan for it.

Not to mention the regularly stocked cookie jars all over the place.

Damn you, temptation!

But my will is strong and I come here for the occasional knock about the head, so that's all good.

Yesterday, though, was a total S day. My very first one that didn't actually fall on an S day. My older son turned 2 and we treated him (and ourselves) to a night out at Chuck E. Cheese's. Pizza, and hot wings and mozza cheese sticks. I think I had about two plates worth of stuff.

But I was out with the dog for an hour's walk again this morning before work, which is becoming a habit, so that was good.

The actual birthday party is tomorrow in our backyard, so thank goodness it's a regular S day and there's no limit to the BBQ'd burgers I can scarf down!!
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri May 05, 2006 9:09 pm

That sounds awesome!
Have a great time!!!
Happy Birthday to Dex!

Richie had his fifth birthday at Chuck E's! We had fun :)

Hope you got a pic of Declan and the big grey rodent in a party hat!
Enjoy your barbeque! Scarf away!!! LOL..
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
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Post by Simon » Mon May 08, 2006 11:04 pm

Man, total No-S collapse over the weekend. Not even the fact that they were "S" days can give me an excuse.

Started on Friday when I had a chocolate bar in the evening (on an N day) and then ramped up over the weekend using my son's birthday party as an excuse for excess. Snackin' and over-eating and drinking WAY too much pop...

By Sunday night I felt like a pinata fit to bust as I polished off the last of the Cheetos and licked the quarter inch of orange goo off my finger tips.

Back to better habits today and starting to lose a little of the guilt from the weekend... but man.

If the No-S diet is nuclear power, Saturday was my Chernobyl.
Simon
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue May 09, 2006 12:50 am

Sorry Simon!
I think Saturday was my Three Mile Island! LOL...
Hope today was better orange finger dude :)
LOL..

Peace and Love,
Deb 8)
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Post by Simon » Tue May 09, 2006 1:57 pm

Back to a regularly functioning nuclear facility now.

The weekend excess has been forgiven but not forgotten and there are no more impending birthday or anniversary celebrations to tempt me one way or the other.

Back in the saddle again...
Simon
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Must be the week for it

Post by pangelsue » Wed May 10, 2006 2:54 am

I hear ya both. I have really been overdoing it since Friday. I need structure again. I declare this is the end of the funny stuff. Hey, it wasn't even funny stuff. It was down right hilarious. Only not.
My daughter wants to try No S and we are starting together tomorrow. We shall prevail. It was explosions on the sun that made us do it. We can start anew and we will.

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