Imogen'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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Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Sun Sep 21, 2014 12:07 pm

I had wonderful time in Cro, as I always do. My Croatian has improved A LOT since my last visit in April, so I was able to speak comfortably with locals. I just can't pick what I love most about Cro - the people, the food, or the views?
I came back one pound lighter - current weigh-in 118 lbs - even though I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and not even once said no to local food. I went with "vanilla No S with extra tolerance for screw ups", and it worked just fine.

eschano
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Post by eschano » Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:42 am

Sounds like a wonderful holiday Imogen! Welcome back!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Sinnie
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Post by Sinnie » Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:33 pm

Imogen, so envious you vacationed in Croatia. Been dying to go. As someone with a Slovenian background, I really want to get to that part of the world and explore a bit one day. Would love to hear a few things you got to eat!!!

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Sep 23, 2014 5:58 am

Thanks, eschano! It's great to be here again. Sinnie, Slovenia is absolutely lovely - I'll never forget the Skocjan Caves and the underground river tumbling at my feet. A must see!
Yesterday - SUCCESS. Actually, I had one red event (a small piece of cake with my lunch), but managed to keep the rest of the day sugar-free.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:14 am

Your vacation sounds lovely! Good job with sticking to mostly Vanilla No S on your vacation!

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Sep 24, 2014 11:00 am

GREEN yesterday, with one contained S-event with lunch (colleague sharing her birthday cake). I'm trying to focus on no snacking and avoiding WTH effect. I won't lie, I'd love to lose 8 pounds I've put on since last summer, but I know I need lots of patience and persistence to see the scale budge. Also, more exercise - I've been slacking terribly for 4 months.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Fri Sep 26, 2014 7:21 am

Well, so it seems that I've had a single, contained fail every single day since Monday this week. Nothing major - a small slice of cake with my lunch at work, or a scoop of ice cream. Quality, artisanal stuff. I'm feeling pretty okay about this, which is strange, because I'm quite sure I haven't lost any weight since last week. Maybe I'm slowly getting over my diethead, who knows? Being binge-free feels great!
The weekend is going to be food-centered. I'll try to keep my sanity, eat as slowly as possible, and pick only the best.

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Post by aspencer27 » Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:22 pm

Congrats, that is such a great feeling! Enjoy those small fails, and it will keep helping you get away from the binges. My S Days have been a bit of a challenge for me to enjoy, so I am focusing on keeping my sanity, too. Good luck and keep up the great work!

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Post by r.jean » Fri Sep 26, 2014 1:34 pm

Perhaps you are just getting to the point where you know you can have small indulgences without going overboard. If you have conquered binging behaviors, you have done a lot. This is how people of normal weight eat! There is also nothing wrong with just maintaining your current weight and taking a rest from trying to lose. Just focus on not gaining!

When it comes to what works best for me, I have found that it is very easy to slip from the behavior you described into more frequent indulgences so I am very careful about it. I generally try to keep that "fence around the rules." However, I will not pass up an occasional favorite treat that is offered either.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:17 am

Stomachache on Sunday, a little tamer, but still excessive Sunday. Ugh. Trying to remember to take care of N-days. Not a single fail this week!

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:50 am

It sounds like you're doing well with the small indulgences, no snacking, and no bingeing. That is actually where I want to end up in my eating.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:10 pm

clarinetgal, time and time again it turns out that snacking begets snacking. Snacks are, to me, way worse than sweets. There's just no stopping. And snacking on sweets is just pure evil ;)

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:59 am

So, I've switched again. Two weeks of vanilla made me gain two pounds :( I've kept "no snacking" and "no seconds" rule, but I include sweets on my three plates. It's been working pretty well so far - I stay vigilant about keeping food out of my mouth between meals, and watching my plate size. Saturday weigh-in will be very informative indeed, although I can already feel my waistbands getting more comfortable.

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Post by eschano » Thu Oct 02, 2014 9:01 am

It's difficult Imogen, because as far as I'm aware you have no weight to lose so vanilla might be a bit too moderate for you.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Oct 02, 2014 12:03 pm

eschano, I must admit that vanilla has never felt moderate to me. Weekday deprivation followed by weekend bingeing until stomachache kicked in = my usual pattern.
My main goal is to eliminate out-of-control eating. This mod usually works well for a time, but things go awry in two or three weeks... Still, it allows me to stay binge-free as long as I follow it closely. It is easier on the mind than vanilla No S - a limited portion of some previously forbidden fruit is never further than 6 hours away from you - but it can be very tricky. We'll see how that goes.

aspencer27
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Post by aspencer27 » Thu Oct 02, 2014 12:26 pm

The point of NoS is to be moderate, so if Vanilla NoS makes you feel deprived/out-of-control, then definitely adjust how you see fit. I'm still working out the kinks of getting to moderation, too. Right now, I feel like I constantly test the boundaries of really being able to eat what I want - so, for meals I'll choose the unhealthy, delicious option versus a healthier option. And S Days... They are pretty wild at times!

Good luck with the mod!

eschano
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Post by eschano » Thu Oct 02, 2014 12:51 pm

Sorry I didn't make myself clear at all! Certainly with my S days I wouldn't be where you are weight wise. A better approach might as well be what you are doing! I hope you figure out how to be binge free for a long time!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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r.jean
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Post by r.jean » Thu Oct 02, 2014 1:01 pm

Vanilla No S is not for everyone, but for me, it brought sanity to my life of permasnacking. My snacking included a lot of sweets. I found that my weekday habits eventually moved to moderation on weekends and special days as well. Now I only have occasional seconds, sweets or snacks on S days. Moderation in general has become a habit, and it is wonderful to not feel stressed over food any more.

I did have a lot of weight to lose, and I lost a lot of it the first year with nothing other than vanilla. I am finally losing the rest now, in my fourth year of No S. However, the weight felt like less of an issue to me than sanity with food after getting through the first year....thus it took me awhile to push myself to pay more attention to the contents of my plates in order to lose the last of the pounds.

Again, vanilla is not for everyone....just sharing what it did for me.

PS Exercise is also an essential component for me.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Post by clarinetgal » Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:21 am

I think I'm going to end up following your mod, about doing 3 plates, and giving yourself permission to have sweets on your plates. I think this might work the best for me, also.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:26 am

Quick update: I'm doing fine, in spite of having two-three excessively "snacky" days in the last two weeks. My sugar consumption has dropped a bit. I used to eat sweets with at least one meal every day, now it's more like 3-4 moderate desserts per week, preferably right after dinner. On some days I double-check my calories, on others the only thing I count is three plates. I'm slooowly losing the weight I've put on in the last year. So far so good!

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:57 am

That's awesome! :D I think that will be my goal, also, to go from sweets every day to a moderate dessert 3-4 times a week. Yes, the 3 plates a day rule is really important. Good job on the weight loss!

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Oct 22, 2014 8:09 pm

:cry:

I've fallen off the wagon yet again. Big time. I'm trying to understand what makes me fail so miserably over and over again. Mods work like a charm for a couple of weeks, months at most, but inevitably, I rebel against my self-imposed rules...
I don't know what to do. Continue with my experiments, or decide once and for all that vanilla is not perfect, but just good enough, and that I need to let go of my fantasy of "goal weight"? Guys, I need your peep talk please.

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Post by clarinetgal » Thu Oct 23, 2014 6:12 am

I guess you have to decide what you really want. I think sticking with 3 meals is very doable for life, regardless of whether you have sweets with a meal. Did you fail because of sweets, snacking, or something else? Do you really need to lose more weight? I'm just throwing some things out there. If you really want to lose more weight, I imagine you can do it by being really strict about what you have with your meals, counting calories, etc... You just have to decide whether it's worth it. A lot of the questions I raised are things I'm still thinking about for myself. I hope you can figure out something that works for you.

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Post by Sinnie » Fri Oct 24, 2014 2:51 am

Hey Imogen,

I think CG has brought up some good points. I need to give these a hard look myself. I have been struggling again myself big time. Just overeating day in and day out. Never from hunger, always from emotion. Hate it, hate it...
I guess we both have similar issues, goal weights and desires for sweets. I wonder if maybe you just need to look at what's going wrong and see what will fix it. That's what I am trying to do. I have attempted 3 meals a few times recently, but when I can't make it through a day, I remember why I legitimately told myself I can just forego No S. I kinda feel like no plan will work for me until I get the binging under control, which is my main problem. You did have a lot of success with No S so perhaps just keep it going and if you mess up, continue at the next meal not the next day. I guess I'm kind of landing on "just keep trying" because that's all we've got. Every day, just keep plugging yourself into No S, unless you think maybe it's not for you anymore? You could even take a break for awhile and abandon it altogether, and see how you feel after that "vacation". Sorry, not much help. Good luck, I'll be checking up.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:18 pm

Thanks for your replies, ladies.
I guess I had to ask myself upfront: will this mod or that diet be something I will be happily living with to the end of my days? The honest truth: no. I can count calories for several weeks or keep up with a mod that reduces my overall calorie intake by limiting food/dessert portions, but in the end, I rebel. Exercising so much control over one's life is very, very tiring indeed, and ultimately futile. You HAVE to break at some point, shake off all the rules, enjoy freedom... but with some rules constantly hanging over your head like the sword of Damocles, you can't "enjoy" anything. Guilt, shame, and disappointment kick in almost immediately, and then you seek more food to numb yourself or fix your foul mood.
Maybe I'm finally grasping the brilliant core concept of NoS? The safety valve of completely legal special days when you can do whatever you want - and it's on the plan! The three simple, binary, non-negotiable rules from which you regularly take a well-deserved break?
My frustration with vanilla No S always boils down to "I can't reach my goal weight while doing it!". Vanilla, therefore, is not a problem - my head is. I'm not overweight. I don't NEED to lose any weight, I would simply wish to. But nothing in the world, save for some serious plastic surgery, would make me into a waif-like creature I've always longed to be. I'm short and pear-shaped, and I will always be. And even when I weighed 110 pounds, due to which I started missing my periods, I still wanted to lose some more. I was on the verge of a full-blown eating disorder, I suppose, and I still haven't moved much from there. It's not the weight I have a problem with - it's my distorted thinking and unrealistic expectations.
Thursday and Friday were GREEN. Weekend was quite predictably excessive, and from the vast assortment of sweets I devoured only ricotta/raspberry ice cream lived up to my expectations. I felt okay, though, knowing I'm free to make any food choices I want.

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Post by clarinetgal » Mon Oct 27, 2014 7:43 am

So are you back to doing No S? That's great, if you are. If not, I hope you find something that works for you. Vanilla No S definitely has the appeal of the fence of the 3 plates and no sweets during the week, and total freedom on the weekends.

Edited to add: Sinnie, I totally know where you're coming from! Some days, I do pretty well with my eating, but there are other days where I totally blow it. I'm still working on finding a balance in my eating.

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Post by eschano » Mon Oct 27, 2014 11:29 am

A wonderful though hard insight. Enjoy the freedom of diethead!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Oct 27, 2014 6:23 pm

SUCCESS. As usual, the first day is easy ;) I drank THREE coffees with milk and sugar, though.

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Post by mitchelll » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:58 pm

way to go!!!

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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Oct 28, 2014 3:54 pm

SUCCESS. Tuesdays are always hard for me. I need to plan something extra yummy for the future. I craved sugar after dinner, so I fixed myself a small cup of cafe au lait (1:1 water and milk) with a teaspoon of brown sugar and some instant chai powder. Another cup of plain cafe au lait between lunch and dinner too.

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Post by clarinetgal » Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:58 am

Good job on your successes! Your cafe au laits sound good!

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Post by eschano » Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:46 am

Well done for succeeding!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Oct 29, 2014 8:20 pm

Controlled FAIL. I had dinner with friends, and we all ordered dessert with coffee. I went for a fairly decadent, but moderately sized ice cream cup. Soon regretted it - it was far too sweet for my taste, and eaten an hour after the main course, so I felt sick and parched afterwards.

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Post by mitchelll » Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:22 am

That's the worst----a fail you don't really enjoy! I hate that feeling.

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Post by r.jean » Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:01 pm

I agree with Mitchelll! I also hate it when a planned treat is dissappointing.

However, isn't it great that we are so much pickier about what we eat these days? Gone are the days of mindless eating. We actually want to enjoy our food now, not just inhale it.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:21 pm

Exactly. With limited eating opportunities, you want to make them count. That's the beauty of vanilla NoS - instantly making you mindful about your food choices.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Oct 30, 2014 8:33 pm

Reporting another FAILURE. But I managed to stop myself from bingeing, woohoo! A little bit of freshly baked apfelstrudel made me raid the cupboards an hour later, proving yet again that anything sweet eaten on empty stomach does weird things to my blood sugar level. I had a small slice of bread with bean pate, and some plain oatmeal in a ramekin. I'm getting back in touch with that "yuck!" feeling I get every time I eat sugar between meals.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Fri Oct 31, 2014 7:20 pm

SUCCESS. Lots of walking. Feeling a bit apprehensive about my weigh-in tomorrow morning. I'll have a ton of really good food around the house this weekend, which makes me both nervous and excited. I'm dying for that apfelstrudel!

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Sat Nov 01, 2014 9:23 pm

116 lbs/52.9 kg -> almost 2 pounds/1 kg down since last week

Very disappointing S-day. I hadn't prepared anything special, so I binged on some random crap all day, snacking my way through the afternoon. I feel absolutely awful.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Nov 03, 2014 7:01 am

Much saner Sunday. I had some treats after meals plus a sweet snack, but did not go overboard. Actually, half of my day looked N-ish. Anyway, I'm looking forward to weekday simplicity.

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Post by MerryKat » Mon Nov 03, 2014 11:36 am

Well Done on your loss!

Isn't it amazing how a day like we would have eaten in the past now makes you feel so yucky!!!

Enjoy being back to N Days!
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:59 am

Controlled FAILURE yesterday - I had a small piece of really divine, artisanal pastry.

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Post by clarinetgal » Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:14 am

Good job on the loss! That definitely sounds like a worthy fail. :D

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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Nov 04, 2014 3:45 pm

SUCCESS. I struggled SO MUCH between lunch and dinner! Thankfully, a small cup of sweet chai fixed my sugar craving. Loud music also helped. Tuesdays are always the hardest, closely followed by Thursdays. I need to work on my meals a little more, and get creative in the kitchen once again.

EDIT: I FAILED miserably late in the evening and binged. Work is so stressful right now that I barely keep my cool, and sleep deprivation doesn't help either. Of course, at some point last night I started fantasizing about some ultimate diet that would finally fix my relationship with food... but I very soon started laughing at myself for that, so I consider it a success. Come on, let's get real. Any diet that requires you to use willpower every single day is doomed to fail.
I need to find some kind of solution for Tuesdays. They are always the hardest.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Nov 06, 2014 7:03 am

Yesterday was FAILURE mixed with S-ick day. I had pastry with my lunch, and a small ice cream cone later in the afternoon.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Fri Nov 07, 2014 4:31 pm

Thursday - FAILURE. I shared some cheesecake and apple pie with my girlfriends after dinner. Very enjoyable fail, that's for sure.
Friday - uneventful SUCCESS, save for some infuriating work issues. I did my best to eat my three meals and nothing else. There will be plenty of great stuff tomorrow - crepes with curd cheese and pudding, Greek yogurt with strawberries, and Kit Kat peanut bar.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:59 pm

I snacked my way through the weekend, and had my fair share of sweets and snacks today as well. I've gained back. Ugh.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:21 am

Monday was an S-day (day off work, which I consider special), and Tuesday is a national holiday in my country.
Monday went well. I kept the 3-a-day structure, and added from there only if I really, really wanted something. From my previous attempts at intuitive eating and the like I figured that I overeat if I indulge in something I'm not really interested in (you know, maybe this next bite would give me the satisfaction I was looking for?...). Besides three meals, I had four nougat pralines and some vegetable salad as a snack. Not bad, not bad at all.
Today I plan to do exactly the same - go beyond the basic N-day structure only if I really want something. I had a bite of apple cake, but as it didn't taste that good to me, I refused to eat more. On Thursday evening I'm invited to a party, and from what I know, appetizers and dessert are going to be really really divine, so I'm saving my appetite for after tomorrow.
I'll try to focus on N-days, and throw all rules out the window on S-days, which are for:
- slowly and openly indulging a specific craving carried over from weekdays
- trying out new tastes
- participating in social eating occassions as they arise
- savoring
- eating only the things I REALLY want and enjoy
- allowing seconds of exceptionally good food
No "shoulds" then! If the weekend goes by without any treat, that's not the end of the world or a tragic missed opportunity. There's plenty of good stuff I can have on N-days (Greek yogurt with strawberries or mango, I'm looking at you!), and if I want something specific, weekends come soon enough.

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Post by clarinetgal » Thu Nov 13, 2014 7:50 am

It sounds like you're doing well. :D

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Nov 27, 2014 4:51 pm

Still doing well on vanilla, but I've been insanely busy with work-related stuff. Current weigh-in 52,8 kg/116 lbs, so I've been losing slowly all the weight that have crept up on me. Yay!

eschano
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Post by eschano » Tue Jan 06, 2015 11:32 am

Well done! And Happy New Year!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Fri Jan 09, 2015 5:24 pm

Long time, no see!
I'm proud to announce I've been binge-free for a month or so, and I'm still maintaining at 116 lbs/53 kg... though struggling TERRIBLY to be content with it.
I've been following vanilla No S principles, with some special food fails here and there. S-days are pretty tame, with virtually no snacking. If I want treats, I have them, but I make sure I'm eating for enjoyment, not for some misguided ("I can eat, so I eat") reasons.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:29 pm

Great job! :D

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Post by eschano » Fri Jan 16, 2015 9:59 am

Brilliant Imogen!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Sinnie
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Post by Sinnie » Fri Jan 16, 2015 1:00 pm

So happy to read your update Imogen! Great job. Although I don't post much these days, I really miss reading your check in :D But incredibly glad to hear you are binge free.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:58 am

Only three binges in the past two months... not so bad!
I want to start posting here again, though. I can feel myself getting more and more relaxed about NoS rules, which can pretty soon result in a slippery slope situation. There's one crucial thing to remember: one single, isolated fail won't make any real damage. Throwing in the towel and abandoning NoS for the rest of the day/week most certainly will. Mark it and move on. Next meal - next chance.

S-day :wink:

B: 1/4 plate beans in tomato/bacon sauce, 1 slice sourdough rye bread, orange, homemade chai latte
sweet snack: scoop of cream cheese/blueberry ice cream (very good), 2 pistachio/almond biscuits (HEAVENLY!)
L/D: tomato/dumpling soup, 1/2 duck breast roasted with apples, potatoes, red cabbage/bacon salad

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Post by eschano » Mon Feb 02, 2015 3:12 pm

very wise!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:56 pm

You're doing great! I'm drooling over your meals! :D edited to add: how do you make homemade chai lattes? I love chai lattes, but I don't want to spend $4 at Starbucks for one.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:11 pm

eschano, clarinetgal, thanks for stopping by!

Sadly, I don't have any recipe for chai latte. I simply buy David Rio's instant chai powder - they come in several varietes - and add to my coffee.
My plan to post here more regularly fell flat on its face... well, such is life. I'm preparing to move in to my apartment at last, and even considering my minimalist lifestyle, cartons pile up! I'm moving stuff little by little every week, and purging/packing/driving takes time.
This week I haven't been very consistent with vanilla NoS. I had seconds with my dinner this afternoon, and a sugary snack yesterday. Still maintaining though, so I can't complain much. I might add some sweets to my plates somewhere down the road - I'm feeling much more confident around desserts now. I'm able to pass them up sometimes, even on S-days, and I'm getting better at recognizing what I truly crave. Also, I actually prefer some lighter stuff, like Greek yoghurt with berries (or salted pistachios and maple syrup - trust me, it's super tasty!), which are perfectly legit on N-days as well.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Sun Feb 08, 2015 8:19 pm

The longer I am in the vanilla camp, the clearer I see how and why the simplicity of the system works. Your world stops revolving around food or calories or macronutrient grams. You fill your plate three times a day, and when you're done, you're done. Calorie counting sure works, but it's so tedious - so much planning, reshuffling, tweaking... ugh. So is intuitive eating and its varietes.
Still within my maintenance range of 116 lbs. Hopefully I'll be able to post some of my meals this week.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:16 am

B: goulash soup (yup, I' eat soups for breakfast sometimes), onion ciabatta, apple
L: pasta with curd cheese, butter, and a little sugar
D: roasted chicken, potatoes with evoo, red cabbage/apple salad
cup of decaf with milk and sugar

SUCCESS :mrgreen:

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:00 am

B: pierogi-style pasta with butter and Greek yogurt, banana
L: millet with roasted chicken and vegetables, apple
D: ?

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Feb 18, 2015 12:14 pm

Oh boy. I've fallen off the wagon! I caught myself binging or at least wanting to binge on a few occasions, and loading up my plates because I still had some calories left. Current weigh-in: 53.5 kg/117 lbs. Time to tighten the reins! I want to complete my first ever (after 5 years of NoS!) 21-day challenge.

1 - Wednesday :mrgreen: A little tough (8 hours between lunch and dinner!), but I managed. Relearning that hunger is not an emergency.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:07 am

Good job! You can do it!

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:01 pm

2 - Thursday :mrgreen: I was hungryhungryhungry in the evening, so a cup of unsweeetened cocoa was mandatory. Actually, I've learned to prefer the unsweetened kind - as is the case with tea, it has way more flavour without sugar. Moving in to my own flat tomorrow, YEAH!

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:53 pm

Is unsweetened cocoa just milk with cocoa powder? I've never tried it and have always assumed it would be unpleasantly bitter.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:31 pm

Yep. I assumed as much, but if you go easy on cocoa powder (just one level teaspoon per cup), there's very little bitterness left, and adding a few grains of salt tends to enhance the natural sugars in milk. Also, I use unprocessed cocoa powder from Ghana, which is much lighter in colour than typical, Dutch cocoa.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Fri Feb 20, 2015 6:40 pm

3 - Friday :mrgreen: SUPER busy day, so I didn't even think about food. Easy-peasy.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:20 am

4 - Saturday :wink:
5 - Sunday :wink:

Quite a lot of mindless eating on Saturday, but Sunday has been very enjoyable so far, with a couple of well-chosen, S-worthy treats.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:08 am

Good job! :D

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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:47 pm

6 - Monday :mrgreen: Quite a lot of milky beverages to keep me from snacking, but I did it! Sunday turned out to be pretty tame - no snacking, some treats after breakfast and dinner.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:54 pm

7 - I only slept for two hours last night, and my body was desperate for sugar (= energy). I succumbed, and had two biscuits with my latte. Is that a fail or a sick day?

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Tue Feb 24, 2015 9:47 pm

s for survival?

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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:50 am

You made me laugh! I've decided it was a sick day, plus it wasn't even that terrible in terms of snacking or sweets. Feeling much better now.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:18 pm

I think you did great! I hope you were able to get some more rest.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Mar 03, 2015 12:44 pm

Fell off the wagon at the end of last week. I was so sleep-deprived that my body was SCREAMING for sugar and caffeine. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were as red as you can get, with loads of sugary snacks. My pants got tighter, boo! But another lesson learned: when I start rummaging the cupboards on Sunday evenings, looking for "something to eat", with no particular craving in mind, that's my diet-head speaking. I'm afraid of weekday deprivation (why deprivation? It's just postponing the good stuff!), and I feel like I HAVE TO eat something, anything, because that's my last chance. And then it doesn't matter what choice I make - nothing brings satisfaction, so I eat more and more. Also, because Sunday lunches tend to be heavy, I always try to skip dinner. Keeping the normal, 3-a-day structure on Sundays should help. Other problem areas:
- having sweets around on N-days,
- having multiple servings of sweets around on S-days,
- taking multiple servings of sweets on S-days (should be easily remedied by eating moderate portions, not tiny and not huge, slowly and in tiny bites).
Back to square one, I guess. The good news is I've been doing fine yesterday.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Wed Mar 04, 2015 1:07 am

Those things happen. It sounds like you're back on the right track.

Heather

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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:50 am

Tuesday was successful. Yay!
I've just realized something funny: I know that calorie counting works. It does. But it's waaaay too time-consuming and tiresome. I can't imagine myself doing it for the rest of my life, and I believe it puts your perspective in the wrong place, making you obsessed with food. And after 4+ years of NoS (on and off vanilla), eating sweets on weekdays feels wrong. Weekends are much more enjoyable when you know you can look forward to some special treat.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:20 am

I understand! I've been doing calorie counting for awhile now, and it is finally working for me, but I do get tired of it. I think eventually, I'd like to get to the point of eating sweets on weekends and special occasions.

lin47
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Post by lin47 » Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:41 am

Imogen Morley wrote:. . . I know that calorie counting works. It does. But . . . I believe it puts your perspective in the wrong place, making you obsessed with food
Yes!! I completely agree. I've just come off from 3 1/2 years of calorie counting, and while the smartphone app I used made the actual counting easy, I was becoming more and more obsessed with food--e.g., saving up calories and pigging out just because I knew I could. My eating had no structure, and that was the problem. I had no habits. That's why I'm doing NoS.

(Btw, sorry to but in on your check-in without as much as a "hello"---just realized that as I'm typing. You seem as if you're back on track and are doing great! Best wishes to you!)

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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:55 am

I'm seriously discouraged. For a couple of weeks I've been gaining and losing the same 2 pounds. Truth be told, I've also been drinking too many milky drinks (where milk is the main ingredient), and skimping on vegetables.

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Post by osoniye » Mon Mar 16, 2015 8:44 am

Hi Imogen-
Sorry to hear your discouraged! I'm sure the 2# up and down is frustrating, but it's so much better than 2# up and then again up, which is what I do when I let my guard down. I feel confident that having identified your problem with too many milky drinks and not enough veggies, you'll be able to correct the situation with adding veggies and having tea or whatever you enjoy more often, and save the milky drinks for really hungry times.
Hang in there!
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

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Post by gingerpie » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:08 am

It is discouraging when seemingly little things lead to bigger consequences. It seems like you know what you need to do to correct the trend, which is good. And you know you can enjoy your little treats. Just not quite so often.

Good luck this coming week.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:03 am

Fail yesterday. I had seconds at dinner.
I'm struggling with the plan. Really struggling. I've bought a flat, and moved in there a couple of weeks ago, only to discover that the neigbour upstairs is not only noisy, but also totally inconsiderate. I've tried talking to her politely, but she evidently suffers from what I call "lawyerosis" (funny, she IS a lawyer) - can't take even a hint of criticism, and refuses to take any responsiblity, blaming other neighbours. I'm so exhausted! I've been sleep-deprived for almost a month now, and my body craves sugar and caffeine. More often than not I give in.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:32 am

Oh, that would be tough. If it goes on too much longer, could you talk to a landlord, or manager? It doesn't seem fair for you to be sleep deprived for so long, because of a neighbor. I hope you can get it resolved.
As for the food, I'm sure keeping with the structure of No S will help, but just do what you can. That is definitely understandable, about craving sugar and caffeine when you're tired!

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:56 pm

I need to reboot and regroup. Time to go back to my old mod which helped me achieve my lowest weight ever. And time to post my meals here again!
- three balanced meals a day (complex carbs, protein, fat, freggies), one plate each
- no snacking
- three desserts, 300 calorie each, after Wed, Fri, Sun dinner
- milky (and sweetened, if necessary) drinks to quell hunger or keep sweet cravings at bay, though I need to watch how much milk I use
- weigh-in once a week, on Friday morning

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:55 am

B: pollock&root vegetable stew, tablespoon of evoo, wholewheat slice, a few grapes
L: gnocchi, stir fried vegetables sprinkled with a tablespoon of parmesan, 12 almonds
small cup of grain coffee with a little milk (I'm watching out for excess in this area!)
D: pasta with vegetables and sundried tomatoes

:mrgreen:
Last edited by Imogen Morley on Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:41 am, edited 3 times in total.

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:58 am

I know I've said this before, but I think your mod is great! Good luck to you!

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Post by Imogen Morley » Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:47 am

54 kg/119 lbs

B: truffle cheese, handful of grapes (sickeningly sweet), slice of wholewheat bread/butter
small cup of grain coffee with a little milk
L: cauliflower/potato salad with breadcrumbs, 12 almonds
Earl Grey with a little milk
D: pasta with pumpkin/sage/garlic sauce and parmesan
scheduled dessert: cream cheese pastry

:mrgreen:
Last edited by Imogen Morley on Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:11 am

:lol: grapes can't get too sweet for me. I love them.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:03 am

I'm enjoying sorta-kinda-vacation right now, with limited access to the Internet. Happy to report I've been doing well, eating my three meals (some of them quite big), and having dessert on schedule. My pants are already feeling a little looser!

clarinetgal
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Post by clarinetgal » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:52 am

Good job! Enjoy your vacation!

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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:34 am

Current weight 116 lbs/53 kg - down 2 lbs/1 kg. Feeling optimistic.

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Post by gingerpie » Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:09 am

Yay Imogen. Optimism is a good thing. Glad to see you back from your vacation.

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Post by clarinetgal » Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:42 am

Good job! I'm glad you're feeling optimistic!

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Post by Imogen Morley » Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:41 pm

Aaaand things have gone downhill.
Now, when living alone, I have huge problem with boredom eating. I'm a total homebody with mostly online social life (most of my close friends have moved abroad and we keep in touch via Skype). I regularly see my family, about two or three times a week. But that leaves me with four evenings when the only thing I want is to stuff my face, simply to break the monotony of my free time. Housecleaning and cooking (dangerous!) don't keep me occupied for longer stretches of time, and movies/books/TV series don't seem to be as engrossing as before. I'm at wits' end.
I need structure, and I need accountability. I'm restarting my 21 day vanilla challenge, along with posting my meals here, including S-days. Last weigh-in: 53.4 kg/117 lbs, food habits all over the place, binge eating episodes once-twice a week.

Sunday :wink: S-day

B: 2 slices wholewheat bread/butter/sardine spread, 1 cup leafy greens, pear
2 scoops ice cream
binge (about 3-hour long): wholewheat pasta with buttered and sugared curd cheese, 2 slices pizza, handful of almonds, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt with teaspoon of fig/orange jam, 3 fritters with jam, 2 cups milk, Magnum ice cream bar, thick slice of cake, cafe au lait with sugar
S: cup of green pea soup

There. I posted it.
Last edited by Imogen Morley on Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:24 am

Monday - N-day

B: beans in tomato sauce, 2 slices rye bread, pear
L: 2 slices sourdough with mayo and pork, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, black olives, apple
1/2 cup milk
D: cup of pea soup, grilled cheese sandwich
Last edited by Imogen Morley on Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by osoniye » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:26 am

Imogen Morley wrote:I'm at wits' end.
Hi Imogen Morley,
It's nice to see you around again. Sorry that things have not been going so well with the NoS habits. I'm a bit envious that when you lose your way at least you don't come back with a lot of weight to lose. But that's my deal, I know it's avoiding binge eating episodes that is your personal goal. I was hoping the 3 desert events per week would work for you- that seemed like a very good idea. But anyway, I hope this time of Vanilla NoS gives you the right balance and peace with food.
I know I also tend to eat differently in the evening if I am out and with people vs sitting at home alone. I do like alone time, don't get me wrong, but I feel I must eat an adequate supper or I feel a bored kind of hungry. If I'm out and about, a couple of pieces of fruit and peanuts or something is sometimes enough, and when I get home I find I'm not even all that hungry. I hope you can work out alone time without eating more than you feel you really wish to, or that you can find some new social activities that you find very satisfying. We're all in this together!
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

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Post by gingerpie » Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:00 pm

Hi Imogen,

You've probably thought of this but I'm mentioning it just to be sure. Have you considered taking a class or course of some type. Around here, the local libraries have (relatively) inexpensive courses and, of course, there are plenty of on-line courses you could participate in. Our local community college has an extensive list of non-credit courses offered to the community. Not free but also not expensive and always offered in the evenings and weekends. This came to mind because it would be a way to fill your time and at the same time give you a skill that you can use even when the course if finished. Best case scenario: you meet new people and widen your social circle a bit. Worst case: you learn something new.

Good luck. I hope you find what you need.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Mon Apr 27, 2015 1:16 pm

osoniye, my mod doesn't seem to work as well as it used to, perhaps because my social life is now very active on weekends, especially Saturdays. I'd rather have ice cream with friends on Saturday than ice cream when sitting alone in my apartment on Friday or Wednesday evening. And sense of deprivation, quite predictably, leads to binges.
gingerpie, I live in the country where access to free education/classes/activities is very limited. However, thanks to your suggestion I've come up with a list of activities that could keep me pleasantly busy in the evenings, especially brushing up on my Spanish. The hard part is actually using the list...

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