eschano 2014 check in

worth it · Post by **worth it** » Fri May 30, 2014 6:56 pm

Eschano, what a lovely post!

I want to say that you are clearly modeling the behavior you seek to. You are a continual encouraging and positive voice for all on these posts (including mine). Congrats on making a real impact for yourself and others.

samosaurus · Post by **samosaurus** » Fri May 30, 2014 11:02 pm

I agree. Your posts are so lovely - I often find myself in other threads on the board and reading a particularly thoughtful, kind, empathetic post...And I look at the name and it's you!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sat May 31, 2014 4:34 am

Yesterday was my first NoSpending day & was pretty cool. Definitely harder than I thought but I love how it forces one to be resourceful just like you making a card for your friends. My girls had a doc check- up & was planning on taking them out to lunch and then to the bookstore.

Instead we had a nice lunch at home & swimming after the apt. Was really nice spending some us rushed tine with them & like that in teaching them to make their own fun.

I love what you wrote about effecting the world through striving to be good & kind (I'm oversimplifying sorry). The point is I guess that we don't have to ghandi to make a difference in the world. We can choose to treat those in which we come into contact with on a daily basis with more kindness, patience & understanding and in turn they'll be more inclined to do the same to to the people closest to them. Love it!

Linda

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Sat May 31, 2014 4:41 am

eschano, it's like NoS has freed up your energy to focus on new things in life! How awesome!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Sat May 31, 2014 7:59 am

Eschano, I echo what the others have said! What a great post! Your points on kindness resonated with me, because I am finishing a book called The Jesus Hearted Woman where the author gives traits that help women and men become better leaders in whatever capacity they are called to serve, and one of the traits she really emphasizes is kindness.
I was also really interested in reading your thoughts on the connection between No S and moderation in finances. It certainly makes a lot of sense!

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:02 pm

Eschano, where are you? Have you joined a world change movement? You made that eloquent post and now I haven't heard from you. Oolala always tells people it's good if they've found great life things to work on besides food issues on this forum, but I miss you!

And I suspect you are up to great things! I'll look forward to your change-the-world update!

worth it · Post by **worth it** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:14 pm

Auto: You crack me up! I'm sitting here with my coffee reading and totally laughing. My family thinks I'm crazy...

Eschano, I second auto- hope you are up to great and fun things and looking forward to when you are back to post.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 4:09 pm

I've been wondering where you were too although my imaginations not quite as good as auto's!

Hope all is well!

Linda

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:44 am

Hello!!!

I'm so sorry, I forgot to say that I'm in Italy! I'm back since last night and am just catching up.

But guys: today is my first day back at work and I quit my job!!!

This is the scariest thing I've done in a very long time. I have no other offer yet but it became such a source of anxiety that I thought job seeking wasn't worse in 2009 so hopefully it will even be better than this anxiety now.

Scary!!! But also exciting and liberating and a relief.

I will catch up with everyone later and also:

ONE MASSIVE THANKS for all your amazingly kind post earlier last week! I mean to come back to this after quitting is exactly when I needed to hear your lovely thoughts.

With this board we can do everything we want! You're all such a source of strength and inspiration! (And I won't blame you if this goes the other way and I'm still unemployed in 6 months).

Thanks,
xxxx

finallyfull · Post by **finallyfull** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:29 pm

Good for you! Be the change you wish to see in the world!

There's nothing more draining than spending half your waking hours (and half your living years) in a daily, anxiety producing grind of a job.

You are free! Now you can model having a good attitude and faith in the process, however long it takes, of finding something more suitable.

I haven't read it but I hear the book "Quitter" by someone named Acuff is a great manifesto for quitting what you hate and moving toward something you love.

Great luck to you!

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:04 am

Wow! This is big and exciting news! I can't wait to hear all about your next chapter.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:56 am

Yay--eschano!! I'm SO excited for you!! Was today you're last day or did you give notice? In the US we usually give 2 weeks but not sure how it works in your neck of the woods.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:35 am

Hi all,

Thank you so much for your support. I agree finallyfull,, we spend too much time of day working to stay in a job with a boss that makes everyone feel anxious and small (not just me but I'm the one saying: no more).

Thank you auto! Me too haha.

And Linda thanks so much! I will have between 1 and 3 months notice depending on our agreement. To be fair, I'd like the idea of 2-3 months so I can train someone new up and at the same time get some time off to interview somewhere else so I don't jump into the complete unknown but either way it's fine, even if it's 1 month. Also, my boss is really trying to keep me but as it's him and not anything about my job that made me quit I'm very unlikely to take the offer.

So exciting!!

So on holiday, I ate one dessert per day and it turns out that I lost some weight!! Just shows that I'm eating A LOT on weekends ha! Good to know.

Yesterday:
NoS
Green - easy enough as I didn't have a massive appetite

LAM
Green - standing up with myself and choosing the scary but exciting unknown over a known anxiety and frustration is definitely LAM

Today will be my SavingToBuyAMiniYacht day and tomorrow too, which is a good thing because soon I won't have an income.

I'm still catching up with threads and haven't even managed to get to auto's yet!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:33 pm

So.....

After talking it through with my manager and letting him know quite clearly that his communication makes me anxious, I didn't quit. I seem incapable of it. But they offered me a management course and a person I can manage. Which is a good thing either way. I guess. And also get involved in a project on a strategic level which I picked. Oh, and a credit card to take out clients for lunch.

So for now I'm here. Money wasn't on the table though.

Good god! I'm so corruptible. I felt so sure that this is the right thing but with all these things I kind of want to see where this is going.

I think the thing to do is to use these offers and also look for a job on the side. At least that would make sense to me.

Thoughts???

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 11:03 pm

Wow, eschano, what a roller coaster of a week! And hey, you're not corruptible, you're pragmatic and flexible. It's totally ok to change your mind - only you know all the nitty gritty here.

Caveat: All opinions below merely my opinions and experience, so take with heavy salting!

I think your idea of looking for a job on the side is good, in fact I probably posted that already upthread a while back when you were thinking about job hunting. I may be the unpopular opinion, but I find when you already have a job you have the leisure to be choosy - to make sure that a job is what you really want, instead of needing to get out of being unemployed. It lets you approach interviews thinking "I have a few questions for them too" instead of "I really need this job, hope they like me!". Also, being at work and at work functions, meeting people and making contacts all contributes to finding your next job. I find it easier at an interview to say "I'm in blah current role, but I'm looking for a new challenge / a different focus / etc" rather than having to say "I quit my last job and I'm not working at the moment". In almost 13 years in my industry, I've never quit a job without another job lined up.

There is the "Chandler Bing" argument that you need to quit to be "hungry" enough to really take the leap on your dreams, but you strike me as someone with enough self discipline to work on a job hunt without needing the stress of unemployment to give you that kick in the pants.

In all this you might find that the changes at your current workplace do improve things. I read somewhere (not sure how genuine this is) that when someone quits and is talked out of it, the majority of the time that person will not be at the company within a year. So, although hoping things will improve is good, I'd definitely get to work on an alternative as well. Don't let this promise of change keep you static - get researching on what you'd rather do. If you eventually don't need to move, that can be a pleasant surprise.

worth it · Post by **worth it** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:11 am

Wow eschano!

A couple of things... First, congrats on having one of the most difficult conversations at work. I'm impressed that you discussed the communication "gap" and I hope that this conversation will make your remaining time at the company more bearable. In the meantime, however, I would encourage you to directly tell your manager each time he/she is making you anxious- who knows, your manager may learn from these conversations as well!

Secondly, it's clear the company did not want to lose your talent. So, the good news is that this means you will be in demand by other employers, and I agree with iron chef- you should continue to seek out another employer.

Finally, don't think you are "corruptable". You made a logical decision based on some additional perks they provided. You are giving it a try, and I think that's commendable.

Best of luck and keep us posted!

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:23 am

I think everyone understands how hard it can be to leave a job, even when you don't like some of the people there. Because even hard-to-work-with-people have their "nice" days, you know? It can be like "Stockholm Syndrome" or something like that!

It seems that some improvements came just from having that hard conversation with your boss. I think ironchef had some pretty cool thoughts about this; I'd go with her advice.

Oh, and about not catching up with my thread..... that would only be possible if you were unemployed and terribly bored. I write too much!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 9:57 am

Ironchef, thank you so much for your considered response, I think there are great points there and I will take them to heart.

Worth it, many thanks for your suggestions and giving me confidence. I think you too are absolutely right.

Auto, it's so true what you say about "Stockholm Syndrome", that made me laugh! And I have caught up with your thread and don't think you write too much at all.

I will work at my CV this week and next week register with some recruiters and then start applying. In the meantime, I'm not losing cash, so that's good.

Amazing how a "Diet Forum" can help with everything in life

Yesterday:

NoS
Green - yummy day with Spaghetti Bolognese, a pasta salad and a fruit juice in reversed order. Pasta heavy but yummy.

LAM
Green - I was exhausted from everything so allowed myself a day off.

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
Double Fail - I failed for this week! I bought a present for my bf's mum as it's her bday on Saturday and I'll be away for the weekend and wasn't able to get it on Friday. Today I failed as well or will because there's another bday I forgot and a card will have to get out asap!
I figure that it's my first week back from holiday and as we arrived Tuesday there weren't many days to spend stuff and I didn't organise myself during my holiday, instead choosing to just relax so I'm ok with this but I really want to get this right. Next week it's Monday and Tuesday again.

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:22 pm

That's the way it goes with no spending days. Those events have lessened for me over time because I find I really think ahead much better about "birthdays/gifts/celebrations" when considering my monthly budget. Then I just add them to my weekend shopping list (and order online, mostly).

I'm glad you're OK with your so-called "fails". Honestly, I don't usually like even calling things fails with any of my systems. It's all just part of the journey.

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:38 pm

Hi eschano,

I don't think that's a bad outcome at all. Now your boss knows you have a limit to how much you'll put up with and you know how valuable you are to them. I honestly don't think too many people are asked to please stay when they're trying to quit.

So now things should at least temporarily get better and in the meantime you can take your time looking while getting a steady income at the same time. If things get awful again before you find something else, you can quit again! I doubt they'll beg twice but if they do, this time you can mention money.

As for NoSpending days, I had a "fail " too on mon because I had to pay for the girls camp but I still ended up spending less than I normally would have that day so it was okay. I'm also incorporating a save $5 on my spending days where I try to spend $5 less than I normally would by either using a coupon, buying a cheaper brand of something(s) or just passing up on a purchase that day. I can see how all these little changes will add up. Kinda cool so don't sweat your slip ups too much, you're still doing great.

Linda

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 9:17 am

Thank you Auto and Linda!

It's funny because while I failed last week with my no spending - I do spend a lot less than I used to. I'm just so much more aware of the little spends now and I stopped buying lunch just because I don't fancy the one I packed and I stopped going out for food because it's 10% off as that's still Â£8 more than if I eat my own. And also: usually my own is pretty awesome. So I'm very happy about having stopped to spend money like this.

And thank you Linda for your wise comments about my work. I'm happy to report that I have sent 2 applications in since that. A small step in the right direction and it will put me back into the habit of writing CVs and covering letters and so forth. I feel much better about the job hunt this time around.

Yesterday:

NoS
All green - I did have a glass of pimms as we were celebrating a friend's Phd. and that was her drink of choice but as I don't count drinks green.

LAM
Green - saw the last episode of Game of Thrones before working on my application so had a bit of relaxation time too.

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 1:18 pm

Cool that you are working on your CV! This is an exciting time for you (and your bf too?)

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:21 pm

Yay--so awesome that you're moving forward with your job hunt. Smart of you for riding that wave of momentum while you can.

Not buying food on my NoSpending days has been the biggest change for me too. Now I make do with what I have on hand which is great--less waste, more savings, more creativity.

Keep up the good work!

Btw, you don't allow any drinks on N days?

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:39 am

Thanks Auto - yes, my bf is very supportive and I even went so far as to wake him up to read over my covering letter once more before sending it off. He was a little less supportive then lol but did it without complaining.

Yay indeed Linda

Oops, that was confusing of me. I do drink on N days but I don't have a glass ceiling. I don't drink every day and I rarely drink more than one glass of wine on N days but if I go and have three glasses one day I don't think about it at all.

NoS
Green - Big win! Yesterday was my friend's last evening with us and we went to the restaurant. I didn't order dessert because they didn't look appealing YAY!!! I'm still surprised about things like this because pre NoS I would have eaten one anyways and also I would have most looked forward to the dessert. Now I love my mains.

LAM - didn't do anything special

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
I really want to get back on track. Today I already failed as I bought porridge as the morning was chaotic with my friend leaving and us running late. Tomorrow I'm committed to it!

Dandelion · Post by **Dandelion** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 6:22 pm

I think you said somewhere that the miniyacht was more of a title rather than an actual thing - but I'd still like to hear about the miniyacht. What did you have in mind?

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 9:17 pm

Yes, unfortunately! Currently, I'm trying to just save 6months worth of income into an emergency fund that really won't be touched unless I lose my job or something similarly great. So it's not very exciting but very important for me. It occurred to me rather late in life to save for this so I'm working on it.

Today:
NoS
Fail - oops. Had some chocolate after dinner. Not WTH but a very clear fail. And some grapes after. I don't feel sick, just slightly uncomfortably full. The grapes alone would have been fine but the chocolate - FAIL. Mark and move on. I have to admit I have become quite blasÃ© about marking it and moving on but I do have more resolve to not let it be WTH.

Dandelion · Post by **Dandelion** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:50 pm

Also a feeling I know too well. I'm a bit late in life for that kind of thing, too and it concerns me. I'd like to have a boat again. I"m not sure if it qualifies as a yacht - even a mini one. I can't see it happening, though.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:01 am

A boat would be nice Dandelion! A paid-off mortgage even more so but we're looking at paying the mortgage for another 24 years ha!

So yesterday:

NoS
Green - was so tempted to mod NoS and start eating some sweets everyday instead of a lot on weekends and my bf said: "If that means you don't eat more over the week than with your sweet-heavy weekends I don't see the problem." He's one of those natural sometimes more, sometimes less eaters. So I envisioned the days where I had a small dessert after dinner and so forth and I could feel the unsatisfied urge to stuff my face right after EVERY DAY. So that's that. Vanilla works for me! 2 NWS days and all. I will never fill that craving with food as it has nothing to do with food.

LAM
Green - Watched TV in bed from 8 onwards and just relaxed snuggled into the duvet as I was exhausted.

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
Success!! Finally

Wowzers, it was a struggle! I even went so far as to buy things on amazon, remembering my rule and then cancelling the order. And guess what: I don't need half of the stuff I ordered! So that's one day down and probably my only one this week. I am thinking about starting a proper 5 or 4 days system although I am the only grocery/household shopper so I might have to make a grocery/household exceptions for necessary things.

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 1:09 pm

eschano, I often put things in the cart and then wait until the weekend to look at it again. Usually I cancel everything by then! Talk about impulsive buying desires.

Have you had a chance to look at YNAB.com yet? They describe a variation on the huge emergency fund.... they call it the "buffer" and it basically means that you save enough to live on last month's income. It's not a 6-month emergency fund, but for me it was a good place to start! I have watched all their tutorial videos and I just love the budgeting software. It's deliciously satisfying, to use food terminology.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:18 pm

Thanks for the link auto! I looked at their methods and the fourth rule is the only one I haven't come across yet in my "personal finance" research

thanks a lot!

As for the weekend: I had one of those really bad over the top S weekends and still feel sick. I haven't done one of those in a very long time and now I remember why. I also know the reason: I was completely exhausted. The last few weeks were all go after the holiday including the quitting/staying situation, a house guest who stayed for five instead of three days, and trying to catch up with my London friends after my move to the country while also building relationships in the country. So I really needed sleep. Instead I ate everything in my sight. Ah well, this too shall pass but it's a good reminder!

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:00 pm

Interesting, eschano, about being exhausted and so you ate too much. I imagine you are right about that happening to me, too.....but I think at this point in my life I have a hard time even realizing I need to sleep. I am ALWAYS a little bit tired, so I have trained myself to just keep pushing. And carby food helps, I guess. Hence eating when tired!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:48 pm

I hear you on eating when tired! It sounds like you had a lot going on!

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:30 am

Oh, I hear you on the eating due to exhaustion. I made this connection most strongly when I was working offshore, doing a 14 hr day then being woken at 2am to answer questions for the night shift. You couldn't drag me away from the cookies. I think it is 2 things: 1. I know that sugar/carbs will give me that bit of lift to I can keep on trucking and 2. Tiredness, like alcohol, lowers my willpower and inhibitions, making it easier for me to "fuzz" my way through poor decisions.

Ah, visitors, like fish, after 3 days start to smell

Also, isn't it interesting how awful it feels to really go overboard? It's like the body doesn't tolerate overeating anymore.

I hope this week is more relaxed for you!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 9:01 am

Hahaha, yes 3 days. But it wasn't actually that he stayed for 5 it was that he unexpectedly stayed. for all I care people can come over for a month but I am a planner and I hate unexpected visitors, even for 3 hours (especially if they stay in the room where I keep all of my clothes. I think a lot of it has to do with me planning for my energy levels very tightly so I often am exhausted and then when someone intrudes on my down-time it's not good!

Yesterday:
NoS
Green - it was easy as I still felt sick

LAM
Green - I put beautiful flowers at the dinner table, lit some candles and got made dinner.

SavingToBuyAMiniYAcht
Green - My other day will be Wednesday and maybe even Thursday too.

Dandelion · Post by **Dandelion** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:11 pm

Oooo...flowers on the table. Nice idea!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:55 pm

Sorry about your over the top weekend. Those never feel good (I had one too) but at least they were S days so you can feel good about staying on track.

After too much socializing I tend to want to eat as a way of releasing tension & to decompress. I'm an introvert though so I really feel it if I don't have done alone time to recharge my batteries.

Also, I hear you on the planning. I do not do good when people spring stuff on me or suddenly want to change plans. I like the idea of being spontaneous but it's just not me!

Anyway, I'm sure next weekend will be back to normal now that things have (hopefully) calmed down for you.

Love your LAM. Fresh flowers always make me feel happy!

Linda

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:56 am

Thank you Dandelion and Linda: yes, flowers are lovely!

And glad you can relate Linda! I used to be so spontaneous but since time has become the most precious currency I am a complete planner.

Yesterday:
NoS
NWS Day - my boss' birthday with an amazing fruity birthday cake from one of the finest bakers in London so definitely an NWS day treat but otherwise plain vanilla.

LAM - Again, dinner with candlelight and flowers - this makes me very happy. And because I was tired I took a cab home which was nice too.

MerryKat · Post by **MerryKat** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 11:30 am

Whew! The last while has been hectic for you but you are still doing so well with your habits!! Congratulations!!!

Good Luck with your job! You have done the hardest confrontation now and from here it should be easier to voice your concerns immediately (((Hugs)))). So glad your company recognises your worth!

Have a great day!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:59 pm

Thank you MerryKat!

I'm home sick and so is my boyfriend. I'm sure we got the same thing. While he feels exhausted and sick I only feel extremely exhausted and have a headache. So it's an S day. I did get drugs so I also spend money - S day all around. However, I managed to do not spend money on Monday and yesterday

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:12 am

Oh, hope you both get better soon!

Rest, rest, rest!!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:16 am

Feel better soon! Great job on the no spending!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:36 am

I hope you feel better soon!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:44 pm

Thank you all! I scrapped the rest of the week - I didn't feel well and just botched it. It was less sick days than red days to be honest. But I'm back now and even managed to get to the gym this morning before work (only because I had stayed at a friends after a concert and the commuting time was about 1 hour less and I was much quicker getting ready as somehow not having things to choose -like clothes - nor anything to organise halves my getting-ready-time).

Anyways, good start into a green day

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:15 am

I feel better already for just having had a green day yesterday. And I have a new goal - do something 3x/week. DS3

Yesterday
NoS - Green. For good measure I haven't weighted myself and I won't weigh myself for another week at least if not two. Not worth the stress.

LAM - Backfired completely. Went to get my hair done which I loved and I hate my new hair - somehow and definitely against what was discussed I ended up with super thick highlights that look like in the 90s and are all wrong for me

I never wanted highlights - they look great for some people but just not for me but reluctantly agreed after my hairdresser said how great they would look - horrendous. The head massage however, was still the best I ever got.

DS3 - went to the gym yesterday morning which is great! I will aim to do something either tomorrow or Sunday and go to Flamenco on Friday so that makes a complete set

Tomorrow and Thursday: SavingToBuyAMiniYacht It is weird but I actually saved Â£200 last month without even sticking to SavingToBuyAMiniYacht completely! I think it's the awareness of all the little things I spend!

MerryKat · Post by **MerryKat** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:30 am

It's amazing how easy it actually is to slide back into No S once you make the decision! I am always left wondering why I stepped away

Enjoy being back on track.

So sorry to hear you are unhappy with your hair - so annoying when you are looking forward to something, have your mind swayed by someone and then know you were originally right. Only conciliation is that it will grow out. ((((((Hugs))))))

Well done on the exercise & savings!!!

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:13 pm

I like your new DS3 system - sounds like you're off to a great start!

Sorry about your hair, very annoying, especially when you paid good money

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:38 pm

Make her fix your hair! That would be a good LAM for you!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:59 pm

Great job on saving money! Sorry about your hair. I hope you can get it fixed, or else, I hope they grow out quickly.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 11:34 am

Thank you MerryKat, ironchef, Linda, and Heather

I love the DS3 too, although I got a nasty cold from the aircon at the office (who puts on an aircon in England? Tomorrow's the "hottest day of the year" at 26 Degrees Celsius -that's like autumn in Austria). I will try to stick to it anyways.

Very exciting news: my boyfriend and I are going to get kittens! We have talked about it for a long time and are now searching for a good fit. We are undecided between older rescue cats and kittens and looking at both. I'm so excited. I grew up with two dogs and really miss having pets. Dogs are not realistic considering that with our commute we're out of the house 10 hours a day but apparently that's fine with cats as long as they get enough attention once we're home and on weekends.

Yesterday:

NoS
Green - all good. In fact I made mirin glazed salmon and it took about 10 minutes and was delicious! http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/mir ... -salmon-21 Recommendable - we added green vegetables as well. Maybe because of the cold but also because of the week of overeating I don't massively feel like I need to stuff myself with chocolate so it's going well at the moment.

LAM
Green - well, the kitten plan is in place!

Today is SavingToBuyAMiniYacht. I just remembered so thankfully haven't spent any money yet

I will do DS3 on Friday and Sunday.

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:01 pm

Oooh. I sympathize on the hair. Recently got a chopped up mess of too short layers instead of my normal long light layers. No fixing that!

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 11:23 pm

eschano wrote:I love the DS3 too, although I got a nasty cold from the aircon at the office (who puts on an aircon in England? Tomorrow's the "hottest day of the year" at 26 Degrees Celsius -that's like autumn in Austria). I will try to stick to it anyways.

I abhor Summer colds! Be wary exercising when you have a virus - I know it is annoying, but it is better to be fully well than pushing yourself when your system is run down. Or choose something gentle, like a long walk with your man

Rescue kitty! That's awesome. I grew up with cats and just love them. We had the most beautiful purry, furry Burmese that would follow you around like a puppy. I agree with you on the dogs, we only got our dog once we were into the "stay home in suburb with sproglet" phase.

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:02 am

so cool about the cats! We have two (Frodo and Sam) and we adore them. They are brothers and were probably about 8 months old when we got them. So they were past the "easy to adopt" age but not old. For us, that was a great decision. Love, love, love our cats--low maintenance, too, for all those out of town trips.

And SUPER cool that you saved money just by being aware! Go eschano!

And, I know I've not been reading threads much lately, but did you explain DS3 and I just missed it? Or am I so old now that I should know what that stands for.... is it like P90X or something?

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:04 am

Thanks r.jean - I'm going back to let them fix it

Thanks ironchef, you are probably right, I will aim for something very gentle. Also, you are completely right about the dog.

Auto, your cats sound awesome. Yes, I wouldn't mind an older cat at all! It's a bit more difficult than I thought. It takes up to 3 months to adopt a cat - house inspections and so on. My heart is really already given to a 13 year old lady cat who looks like an aristocat

but we are still looking around as well as my boyfriend isn't a hundred percent on adopting such an old cat (bills etc. and to be honest, we don't have that much money to spare, although thanks to you some more than normal).

DS3 is Do Something 3times a week. I only mentioned it once! I should probably write it out - I'm just being lazy

Yesterday:
NoS
Green - easy as we were off straight after dinner to see some cats. Unfortunately they were very aggressive. Anyways, it's much easier to stick to one evening plate if there's stuff to get me out of the house. My hardest time is always after dinner.

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
Fail - I had to take a cab to make it home in time for dinner and seeing the cats

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:37 am

How exciting, about looking for cats! I hope you find some cats that are a good fit for your household.

Strawberry Roan · Post by **Strawberry Roan** » Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:52 pm

Aww, kittens, I love it ! We have an office cat who just had five babies, black and white tuxedo kitties. SOOO adorable. The will get good homes but I will miss them when they are gone.

MerryKat · Post by **MerryKat** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:39 pm

Cats are such special characters & if you can rescue an 'older' cat that is even more special.

With your busy life styles a pair of 'older' cats would probably be better than kittens as kittens are busy, busy creatures who need lots of supervision & attention!

I have 3 rescue furboys and I am trying to persuade my DH that another cat is a good idea and I would like to adopt an older one

.

Hope you come right with your new friend - older cats who are indoor cats are not usually sickly apart from maybe a particular type of food.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 3:13 pm

Thanks so much everyone for your comments!

I have been MIA - we got two kittens. I am completely infatuated to the point where my boyfriend is a bit jealous

I still hope to get the older cat too but they never got back to me.

I was also off the boards because I was sick over the weekend which was so annoying and I hope not to have to eat anymore strepsils (strep throat medicine).

Anyways, today is my 2 years NoS anniversary! YAY!!! I will post properly and also on the testimonial page and hopefully catch up with everyone's thread.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 6:45 pm

eschano is a cat person! I'm definitely going to ask you out for coffee when I finally drag my lazy self to London.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:44 am

Hahaha Imogen! And so you should!

I had a terrible week NoS wise, despite my 2nd anniversary! I have an annoyingly heavy cold and no matter what I ate at meal times I never felt that satisfaction that I usually get as I can't taste my food. So instead of doing the sensible thing and stop eating I did the opposite!

So back to NoS since yesterday! And knowing that at Christmas, after a month of eating everything I wanted, I got back to my weight within two months so I know following NoS will get me back on track in no time and I happily comply again.

It helps having my taste back!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Fri Jul 18, 2014 6:26 am

Happy 2 year anniversary!

yes, not being able to taste food is tough (I've experienced that a couple of times). It sounds like you're doing great at getting back on track!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:12 pm

Happy 2 yrs! Don't you love how you just jump right back in when you hit these little bumps? Glad your cold is getting better.

Tessytwinkle · Post by **Tessytwinkle** » Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:26 pm

Happy anniversary. You are such a star!!!
So glad you got your taste back. I had a virus after christmas and lost my taste for ages. It was so miserable. I ate like a madwoman trying to get some satisfaction from my food. Taste is a powerful thing it seems

Have a great weekend and enjoy those lovely kittens.

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:35 pm

Congrats on your two "babies"! What do they look like? And are they boys are girls? We have two brothers, one is gray and white; the other is orange and white--but their markings are identical.

And of course congrats on your 2-yr anniversary!!!!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Jul 21, 2014 8:39 am

Hi all,

Thanks so much!

Yes, tessy, tastebuds make all the difference! I wonder if people who are "naturally" skinny have more intense taste. One for the scientists!

Linda, so true, I do like that, especially as pre-NoS I didn't bounce back from failure- I just changed the program.

Auto, they are two girls, a Norwegian Forest Cat mix with an unknown bread, so they are long-haired. At least one of them is. The one with really fluffy hairs is chocolate brown with a small silver mark just underneath her chin. She's called Cocoa. The other fluffball is slightly less fluffy but more than short-haired kittens, and black with white socks, and a white belly that stretches to her mouth. She's fierce when she plays so we called her Nala, like the little Lioness in The Lion King. We love them so much! I never knew who much difference a pet can make. Of course, not everyone should have pets if their circumstances don't allow but I think everyone should be allowed to by landlords as they are so beneficial to our happiness.

Anyways, after another weekend on the couch due to my cold I now feel much more recovered! And I put on one kilo since my lowest which I'm fine with. I was dreading it would have been much more!

So NoSing on and Wednesday and Thursday will be my no-spending days and I will start DS3 again next week and there was lots and lots of LAM this week - really looked after myself and my boyfriend who caught my cold, who also looked after me.

Happy to be back to Vanilla NoS now and looking forward to losing that kilo

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:19 am

Yesterday
NoS - Green - and half a kilo dropped off again just from yesterday so it was probably S day volume only. Yesterday was easy enough although when my boyfriend ate a chocolate bar next to me I was a bit envious.

LAM - Green - cuddling with the kittens!

This week's aim:
All week: NoS and LAM green
Tomorrow: SavingToBuyAMiniYacht and DoSomething
Thursday: SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
Friday: DoSomething
Saturday: DoSomething
Sunday: Relax

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:06 am

Your cats sound beautiful! Good job on returning to Vanilla No S!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:30 am

Thank you Clarinetgal!

I lost another 0.1-0.3 kilos depending on where I stand on my scales! Scary thought, eh? Another proof that scales are really only so good and this one is the most accurate one I've used so far!

Yesterday

NoS - Green
I had cherries and a small pot of plain yoghurt for breakfast, sushi for lunch and spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Sushi is funny: I can eat until I'm stuffed and still lose some weight so there is a reason for me to become a bit more creative again with my cooking. I want to find more things like sushi that feel equally satisfying in pleasure, quantity, and weight consequences for my lunches so I can have big family dinners of whatever! I started to eat more with my boyfriend since he is taking lunches too so I want to get back to the light but delicious lunches I used to make. More because I feel better on them than because of the scale (that is clearly variable anyways).

LAM - Green
Started watching Mad Men Season 7

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
So far so good. Had to skip breakfast today as had an outside meeting and didn't factor that into my weekly shopping so didn't buy any on the road (but got cappuccino so was feeling alright then).

P.S.: I should add for the sushi - I'm a maki-women. I don't do sashimi, I only want maki with lots of rice and nori so it is doubly weird that I can eat a massive plate of it.

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 12:53 pm

Great to read how quickly you've gotten back on track, and how quickly that spurious kilo has disappeared. To me that's one of the great beauties of No S - you're only ever a meal away from green

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:55 pm

What a coincidence, I've had sushi today too! I totally agree with your point on that. Even massive amounts of maki don't seem to influence my weight as much as the same volume of some other food.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:52 am

Ironchef - exactly! I'm always surprised how this is the first diet ever that taught me to see it like this - one meal away from success

I still have bad weeks but at least not bad months anymore!

Imogen - that's funny! Can you think of any other food that has a similar effect? I'm wrecking my brains!

Yesterday:

NoS - Green
fajitas for dinner and I was ravenous. it did fit on one plate so that was good! I didn't have time for breakfast apart from one cappuccino as I had a morning meeting off-site and forgot to pack something and as it was SavingToBuyAMiniYacht day I had to suck it up. The cappuccino was paid by them during the meeting so I was good on that side. For lunch I had a sandwich - we got a sandwich toaster in the office now - and it was lovely but didn't fill me up.

LAM - Green
I was cooked for and relaxed on the sofa after work - heaven! The Looking After Myself part is that I relaxed and allowed myself to be treated. I find it difficult to accept those things graciously sometimes and feel much better if I am the one doing nice things for others and best if everyone is self-sufficient but I'm learning!

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht - Green
What a battle! Starting with breakfast (see above) until walking home very tired at night considering a cab. But I made it! Today I'll have another challenge!

DoSomething3 - Green
I thought I had failed and then realised that I had walked to and from that meeting adding another 1 1/2 hrs to my usual 1 hour of walking. I'd say 1 1/2 hours of walking counts

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:52 am

Back to my pre-holiday weight in June! Yay!

This was necessary. However, I straight away had a NWS day as we had a team pancake-breakfast. I had bacon and syrup but aim to have a green day otherwise.

Yesterday:

NoS - Green
Yay! Not even hard. I finally am back to not struggling every single minute with myself post-dinner. I kind of forgot about it.

LAM - Green
Last episode of Mad Man watched. I wish they hadn't split the series but it's good!

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht - Green
Man that one is so hard! It just shows how easily I spend money left right and centre ("should I get a cab home?/ should I get berries?/ should I buy a coffee?/etc). Amazing.

Today: NWS day and Flamenco, which is both LAM and DoSomething3x/week

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 5:09 am

eschano wrote:Back to my pre-holiday weight in June! Yay!

Well done! That seems to have taken no time at all!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 12:25 am

Great job!

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 5:23 pm

Congratulations on getting back on track. Your example gives me hope!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:13 am

Alright.

So this weekend I realised that there are things that don't taste right anymore, former favourite treats:
Chai Latte by Starbucks: I used to love it and run to Starbucks every Saturday but the last few months I kept complaining to them that the person who makes them at my starbucks makes them too sweet. Well, ahem, actually, I now tried them at two more starbucks and it turns out they are just too sweet for me now.
Diet coke - I had one yesterday at an office outing as it was a heavy drinking day and I wanted some non-alcoholic drink so I ordered Coke and got Diet Coke and thought I don't want to be fussy and used to drink soda all the time to it's fine: turns out I don't like it anymore at all.

So now I realise that I want to make coffee an S again because I felt so much better when I did! It has crept back into 1-2 coffees a day and I just don't feel that good physically and not even more awake so it has to go again. So my challenge is to only drink caffeine free coffee on S days for the next month.

Yesterday:
NoS - Green
Despite being an office outing it was all green! Although, thankfully I don't have a glass ceiling

LAM - Green
We went punting in Cambridge and I was so nervous to do it as I was afraid to fall in but made myself do it as I want to do new things and try things out and knew I'd regret it. It was so much fun!

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht
Will be today and tomorrow

DoSomthing3x
Will be tomorrow, Friday, Sunday. Last week I didn't manage to do anything on Sunday, which was a pity but I did do Wednesday and Friday.

I am also refocusing on NoS properly. This next month will be all about that.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 8:46 am

Yesterday:

NoS - Green. Came home late but cooked lamb ragu pasta and also chicken salad for lunch. I am getting back into cooking, which is great as I lost most weight when I and my boyfriend properly cooked. We recently got lazy and did easy stuff but invariably that meant heavier food and I think that triggered cravings as well. So now we are back to our light lunches and heavier dinners and that works for me.

LAM - Green. Ordered Nigella Lawson's cookbook and got so excited about it. Spent an insane amount of time yesterday looking at recipes on the internet as well. It's crazy because what started it was the buzzfeed clean eating challenge http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne ... ge#dyzyhg that was mentioned negatively on the general threat. I'm not at all interested in clean eating most of the time but as people know, I am looking for food that gives me the "sushi" effect and am currently in a phase where I seem to crave lighter food but I find salads completely boring and uninspiring and I get into trouble when I don't love my food. However, while I wouldn't do the challenge, some of their recipes were amazing! Perfect lunch options for me. And that sparked me being inspired again about cooking. We now have some quick and easy recipes that are fun to make and yummy but we need more, I don't like ruts.

which brings me to:

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht - FAIL. Oops but totally lost it on that one. I now plan to do Thursday and Sunday.

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 3:19 pm

Thanks for stopping by my check-in and supporting me! You are a great inspiration in this journey. I definitely think home-cooked meals help me lose weight, even when I'm not focused on eating less. It's always shocking how many calories there are in restaurant food! I have been trying to cook more, too.

I'm glad you shared the clean eating challenge - while there's no way I would follow it, there are some good recipes on it, that I just may sneak into my rotation!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 4:13 pm

Thanks so much! I am glad that you like the recipes as well!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:22 am

Yesterday:

NoS - Fail. Hard one - really struggled. I underrate at lunch time and was hungry for the rest of the day until dinner. I had two milky teas but it wasn't ideal. Dinner hadn't defrosted when I came home so I had to wait until 9pm to eat. I caved and had two cheese strings to keep me from eating the next best thing. Then I ate dinner and it fit on one plate but it was very heavy so it was definitely more than I would have had without overeating. I want to buy new plates. We have big and very small ones but I'll be looking for medium ones now.

LAM - Green. Took a cab home as was quite late.

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht - Will have a red today as we decided we'll have a date night. So at most I'll make one single day (Sunday). I'm struggling with this but it hasn't clicked yet. I think floating days don't work but I'm currently not in a mood to change it.

DS3- Fail. I didn't do anything yesterday evening. And tomorrow I will have to do something other than flamenco as I have to rush home to the vet.

This week is a bit of a fail so far for non-NoS systems. I think I have depleted willpower at the moment but I also think I'm putting it into the right basket - I want to fence around the law with NoS again. As I wrote this, I remembered the two cheese strings and decided to count it as a fail - fencing around the law is what I'll do now!

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:58 am

Hang in there eschano! A lot of my fails last month were around timing - ending up with 9 or 10 yours between meals. Stuff like that makes it really hard.

Get rolling on some No S greens again, then worry about shaking your other systems into line.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 8:35 am

Thank you ironchef! Timings are sometimes very tricky.

Yesterday

NoS - Green Eating wise it was all fine but I drank way too much. We bumped into acquaintances and went way over-board with drink. I had about 3/4 of a bottle of wine! Way too much for me. Anyways, my stomach feels terrible, as If I had swallowed a stone and yet I crave dough terribly (anything dough-based). But I held fast and had berries and yoghurt for breakfast as I know the dough will only make it worse.

I also feel myself very impatient - I'm in a "I want weightloss right now" phase but I won't give in. I know these phases usually come just before a plateau is overcome and that if I give in I end up gaining weight in the end.

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht - Green . Didn't spend my own money

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:20 am

I think my way forward is to move more. I haven't really incorporated movement yet. And Reinhard lost half his weight with shovelglove so I will find 15 minutes Mon to Fri to do something now. My floating days dont' work. I will aim for Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 15 minutes of SOMETHING. That should make a difference.

And I decided that getting up earlier is really unlikely as I already get up at 5:55 and working out when coming home is also unlikely so I will do 15min of my lunch time. This shouldn't be a problem. I will do something like go up the 5flights of stairs 2x, stretch, and do some flamenco moves or strength moves that allow me to stand up (don't fancy lying on the office floor). I'm excited about this as I feel I found a way of doing something that doesn't cut into my day in any bad way! YAY!!

So - Today's plan for my systems:

NoS - Vanilla
LAM - Got my cookbook so will be getting into that!
DoSomething - 15 min at lunch (2x stairs + stretching + exercises)

I'll check in on Monday again. I'm sure people noticed but I'm barely around on weekends as I like avoiding the computer.

automatedeating · Post by **automatedeating** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 3:26 pm

Hi Eschano,

I like your moving plans.

I obviously am in agreement that moving more is key to maintaining a comfortable weight. I'm dealing with that right now too!

Also, re: SavingToBuyAMiniYacht. I don't count when my husband spends, and so I let him pay for date night (out of our joint account!).

It works for me. It avoids conflicts with my husband about my penny-pinching, LOL!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 3:52 pm

Thank you auto! Oh good - So I'll edit it to a Green - yay!

I did my first 15 minutes today. It's quite "breathtaking" but I can see that this will make a difference in the long run and I'm just not willing to put less food on my plate or change the content yet. At least we're in it together!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:32 am

So I gained 1.5kg. And it seems the fast weight loss was just water or so. Frustrating but I know they'll disappear again. Probably in a month more than a week though

Onwards and downwards!

Friday:
NoS - Green - no issues. Also what I decided to make my 1st of 21 days.

DoSomething - Green - done by lunch time.

The weekend was full of heavy food and I feel stuffed. I realised my portions have gotten bigger in line with my boyfriend's portions. They still fit on my plate but I used to have less and that's something to watch.

This week's plan to keep me on my 21 days straight:

Today's:
NoS - Vanilla
DoSomething - walk an extra 30min- 1 hour to a hair appointment and back.
LAM - hair appointment and take time to read through cookbook.

Tuesday:
Vanilla, DoSomething at lunch, LAM is sushi with a friend

Wed:
Vanilla, DoSomething at lunch, STBAMY, LAM being cooked for

Thurs:
Vanilla, DoSomething at lunch, STBAMY, LAM take time to write (Wed and Thurs reversible)

Fri:
Vanilla, DoSomething: Flamenco and Flamenco practice at lunch and LAM flamenco

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:52 pm

Look, now we know why sushi doesn't stall our weight loss efforts!

http://www.nutritionchic.com/the-new-fi ... nanas.html

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:19 am

Thank you Imogen!

Yesterday:

NoS - Green. Somehow that doesn't currently translate into weightloss but I figure that if I hang in there it will get there.

LAM - Green. Like my hair a lot more now. Every hairdresser always says not to put layers in my wavy/curly hair but the trainee did and I love it because the curls come out so much more! I'll try their colouring service as well but not for now.

DoSomething - Green - walked to and from the hairappointment (23min each way) so I'm covered

ironchef · Post by **ironchef** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:55 am

eschano wrote:And it seems the fast weight loss was just water or so.

Eh, I wouldn't pay too much attention to a weigh in the day after a heavy S weekend.

Sounds like a full week!

I'm glad you like your new hair style - I remember how annoyed you were with the last one

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:20 am

So true ironchef!

Yesterday:

NoS - Green. A very hard won victory. There was this mochi that kept speaking to me on the sushi belt and my friend kept encouraging me to "live a little". But I resisted and feel much better for it! I also found a secret weapon that works as well as tea: raw cocoa beans. It's for the times I have a chocolate craving. My boyfriend and friend both made the funniest faces when they tested it as it's 100% raw chocolate and it's very bitter. But for me it really stops the craving after just one of the little beans - and good thing as they are expensive - and they are definitely not a sweet in any sense of the word. But to me they taste yummy! So I finally found a little after-dinner treat that will fit on any plate and get rid of the cravings/make a good finish for the meal.

LAM - Green. I bought myself the raw cocoa beans and some other yummy N-day foods at Wholefoods.

DoSomething - Green. I did the 15 minutes stairs and stretching at lunch time and definitely feel better for it! Although my cold is back as bad as ever!

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:04 pm

I hope you feel better soon! The cocoa beans sound interesting!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 6:12 am

Ooh now I want to try those. Feel better fast!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:29 am

Yeah, I felt terrible the last four days and even stayed home. I had some kind of bug. Some headaches and cold but mainly it sucked my energy right out of me.

I'm definitely on the mend but will not resume DoSomething3 for at least a week as I think I over-did-it after my first cold and it came back with a vengeance.

So nothing to report - 4 proper S days behind me.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:46 am

Oh, and I want to try to make this a weekly or bi-weekly thread now so I can reap one of the many benefits of NoS - to think less about food.

So I want to see how I do with the systems on my own in a way. I'll still check in regularly to catch up with all of you who now seem to me like friends, not just internet acquaintances.

Skelton · Post by **Skelton** » Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:25 am

Hope you're soon feeling fully recovered, eschano.
Totally understand about spending less time here, I'll look forward to reading your future posts as and when you're ready to post them.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:22 pm

So.... I had a relapse and was lying in bed for the rest of the week again. I don't know how much I gained as I mainly medicated with chocolate. But I'm not going to find out - I'll try not to weigh myself for a month.

Anyways, all this lying down got me thinking. Lately, I've stretched my willpower quite thin and I didn't do many very inspiring things, one of the reasons I believe my energy was running really low.

So: NoS - I believe the habits are good (despite my two week fail here when sick) so instead of continuing to focus on losing even more weight I will focus on LAM (looking after myself) again.

SavingToBuyAMiniYacht - in my fervour to save money I also stopped myself from pushing my limits with new things so I will focus on the adventure challenge I read in a magazine - I will have a micro-adventure every day for 30 days and will apply my STBAMY only to things that don't fall in that category.

So for right now I will replace my deprivation systems with abundance systems and see how this goes. I will report back!

Tessytwinkle · Post by **Tessytwinkle** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:38 pm

I think the idea of replacing deprivation systems with abundance systems is a fabulous one - enjoy

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:48 am

Thank you!

So far my Looking After Myself (LAM) where I do something nice for myself every day and Adventure per Day (AD) where I try something new everyday to incorporate some adventure in my life, no matter how tiny the adventure is, are going well. I started last Friday as that was when I recovered enough to go out into the world again. There are no S days.

August
15 LAM: going to wholefoods buying my favourite goodies; AD: Going to the Japan Centre and buying lots of things whose descriptions I don't understand and making Chicken Terriyaki myself for the first time.
16 LAM: Staying in as I still felt run down; AD: Trying a new variety of popcorn (Red Popcorn)
17 LAM: Staying in again and watching some films; AD: Trying a new ice cream and watching a thriller/horror movie - that was enough adventure for me

18 LAM: I had a wonderful lunch (Stone Bass on a bed of dried tomatoes, olives, and potatoes; AD: I had said lunch at a client meeting where for the first time I was sole responsible to get them to launch an event with us. Exciting.

Tessytwinkle · Post by **Tessytwinkle** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:01 am

oooh this is exciting, I like the idea of an adventure each day, and I really should do LAM, as I am a bit weak in that department, more like BMTM ( be mean to myself

).
You are having a great run of adventures and personal kindnesses, keep it up and I shall try and tread a little in your footsteps

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 11:18 am

Thank you Tessy! I'm trying to beat BMTM as well

I think the key is to make it truly micro-adventures, otherwise one a day is a lot! I'm aiming for 30 days.

Tessytwinkle · Post by **Tessytwinkle** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 11:36 am

Thirty days is a great idea, I shall try to do that too , but I will be starting from today

Good luck with your days