Need encouragement - fell off the no s wagon...

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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Quick Bites
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Need encouragement - fell off the no s wagon...

Post by Quick Bites » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:22 pm

I was doing well for a about 4-5 months on No S, lost some weight (9-10 pounds) with a few tweaks to vanilla that seemed sustainable for me. I was settled in and happy with the slow progress. BUT when weight loss slowed/stalled for the past few weeks, and I was impatient for things to move faster, I got discouraged and defected to.....the dreaded calorie counting method, which seems SO logical in theory but "OCD crazy pants" me showed up in BAD way, like weighing my food in grams not even ounces crazy!! So threw in the towel and ate junk to my hearts content until I came to my senses and am back here now. All this calorie counting trip got me was gaining back 4 pounds, feeling defeated and angry and not healthy, physically and mentally.

Words of encouragement and convincing that NO S is where I belong would be greatly appreciated!! It is difficult for me to realize this WILL be a slow process and having to trust the process is hard for me right now.

20th Wedding anniversary is this summer really want to look nice for my hubby even though he truly loves me at any size, I am blessed :). I also want to have more energy, being heavy has zapped my energy so much.

Thank you!

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:30 pm

Oh, trusting the process can be hard. So can wanting that quicker perceived fix of calorie counting. (I feel ya on the food scale thing. I did it, too, and it sucks).

Though, think about it a minute. You caught it at four pounds. That's GOOD. You're gonna be fine.

Tell me, when you think of No-S as less of a Diet and more, "my habit is to eat three meals a day, and I'm not a snacker," how does it feel? The behavior is the same, but the framing is a little different.
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

Quick Bites
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Post by Quick Bites » Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:31 pm

Thank you, Noel for the encouragement! And thank you for putting the 4 pounds in perspective for me. To me, yesterday, that 4 pounds was as bad as 40 in my head. Your comment put things in a more positive light for me.

cedar
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Post by cedar » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:54 am

Keep going Quick Bites!..it's the only way to live. I have been dieting for too many years..and thankfully found no s (a few times!) the last stint with no s I was doing brilliantly on n days but was having wild idiotic s days that seemed to undo all my good work so decided to count calories..and well you know the rest. Here I am..again..and loving it. I've made similar mods like you Quick Bites..I eat 3 meals a day every day no s days and I can have a sweet each day if I like as they are not my issue..I can easily have 1-2 bites of sweet after a meal and be satisfied. I don't stick to the 1plate meal..(well I generally do naturally) but it's not a rule..my rule is eat until full 3 times a day. Walk away from each meal not wanting to eat more..it doesn't mean absolutely stuffing myself so I'm uncomfortable but eat enough without "trying NOT to eat too much". I am so thankful to Reinhard and this site..it's hard to put into adequate words.. I just have a history of dieting which of course led to bingeing so the s days just seemed to trigger the binge for me. This way is working brilliantly, I'm away on holidays at the moment and I have no scale but feel I've lost a little weight or if not easily maintained. I found a fantastic new site where I credit the mods I'm following to..it's 'eat like a normal person'. It's new so the content is coming but what is there is fantastic and really resonates with me as does this site.

So I'm giving you massive words of encouragement Quick Bites..No s is really the only way to live sanely and peacefully with food.
All the best :D

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Merry
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Re: Need encouragement - fell off the no s wagon...

Post by Merry » Thu Dec 17, 2015 6:05 am

Quick Bites wrote:I was doing well for a about 4-5 months on No S, lost some weight (9-10 pounds) with a few tweaks to vanilla that seemed sustainable for me. I was settled in and happy with the slow progress. BUT when weight loss slowed/stalled for the past few weeks, and I was impatient for things to move faster, I got discouraged and defected to.....the dreaded calorie counting method, which seems SO logical in theory but "OCD crazy pants" me showed up in BAD way, like weighing my food in grams not even ounces crazy!! So threw in the towel and ate junk to my hearts content until I came to my senses and am back here now. All this calorie counting trip got me was gaining back 4 pounds, feeling defeated and angry and not healthy, physically and mentally.

Words of encouragement and convincing that NO S is where I belong would be greatly appreciated!! It is difficult for me to realize this WILL be a slow process and having to trust the process is hard for me right now.

20th Wedding anniversary is this summer really want to look nice for my hubby even though he truly loves me at any size, I am blessed :). I also want to have more energy, being heavy has zapped my energy so much.

Thank you!
Welcome back!

Last time I did calorie counting, I lost 7 lbs over a couple of months, then got fed up with it all and decided to just count dinner--weight started creeping on and then I stopped counting dinner & gained all I lost and then some. I know I can't calorie count for the rest of my life--too taxing. I get the logic of it, but I just won't keep it up long term.

Long-term, sustainable eating patterns are the only way to go. I look at it this way: I know how to lose weight through other methods, but I know that I can't eat that way forever. And when I stop eating that way, I gain the weight back and then some. I know I'll need help if/when I stall out, to remember that it's worth it to keep maintaining the habits even if I stop losing for a time--because the yo-yo I'll do otherwise is even worse!

Anyway, here's for sticking this out! Hang in there!
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Dec 17, 2015 7:03 am

I've been on and off NoS since 2010. I've permanently lost 10 kg (~20 lbs). Periodically I lose up to 5 kg (10 lbs) when strictly following vanilla, and then gain them again whenever I get impatient and resort to calorie counting or mods, so there you go: one step forward, two back. It's just not worth it to mess with someting that works so well.

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NoelFigart
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Re: Need encouragement - fell off the no s wagon...

Post by NoelFigart » Thu Dec 17, 2015 12:14 pm

Merry wrote: I look at it this way: I know how to lose weight through other methods, but I know that I can't eat that way forever. And when I stop eating that way, I gain the weight back and then some. I know I'll need help if/when I stall out, to remember that it's worth it to keep maintaining the habits even if I stop losing for a time--because the yo-yo I'll do otherwise is even worse!

We need to save this somewhere for the people who join during the New Year's Resolution phase when they get sad or frustrated about the slow loss. It's really a fantastic way to put it.
Last edited by NoelFigart on Thu Dec 17, 2015 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

Quick Bites
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Post by Quick Bites » Thu Dec 17, 2015 12:32 pm

Wow. Thank you for ALL of your replies! I feel so welcome here posting which is SO not me... I am a very private person. Cedar, I will google that site you referred to right now I am interested it seeing it! I am so glad I have found such a supportive group.

Quick Bites
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Post by Quick Bites » Thu Dec 17, 2015 3:46 pm

From Cedar: "my rule is eat until full 3 times a day. Walk away from each meal not wanting to eat more..it doesn't mean absolutely stuffing myself so I'm uncomfortable but eat enough without "trying NOT to eat too much".

LOVE. THAT.

I think one thing that feels sometimes too restrictive is the one plate rule, especially if I am having a LARGE salad (love em!) or veggie heavy meal. This approach seems more reasonable, although most meals DO look like one plate of food.

Thanks so much Cedar!

PS. How cool that you are from Australia! Australia is my short list of places I'd like to travel to outside the US, would love to see a Koala up close (OK hold and hug, bring back home with me to keep as a pet. lol) though I here they are not as cuddly as they look!

cedar
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Post by cedar » Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:58 pm

Haha..that would be nice to have a little pet koala..they are cute! I haven't seen one for many years since I visited a wildlife sanctuary. Hopefully you make it to Australia one day.

Yes it's true my meals mostly end up being one plate also but it's nice not to have one plate as a rule especially while I'm getting back into establishing 3 meal habit and my main focus is on sanity and normalcy with food rather than weight loss at the moment.. Also i don't have s days so this is my little exception. I may have to readjust further down the track but for now it feels right and exciting.

It is such a lovely forum here..very helpful.

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lpearlmom
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Post by lpearlmom » Fri Dec 18, 2015 3:30 pm

Sorry I'm late here quick bites but wanted to welcome you as well.

NoS will give you peace of mind, sanity and most likely weight loss. It's not a quick fix though, you have to put in the work of establishing those habits. That has to be your first priority and it will lay the foundation for losing weight later.

I don't think I lost much weight for the first year of doing NoS because my plates were piled high of rich food and my drinks were sometimes high in calories (mochas) but my habits were rock solid and I was free from my previous constant obsessing about food/weight. At that point I was ready (this is key) to tweak what was on my plates & in my cups.

Now I've lost almost 40 lbs over about 9 months. Slow maybe but in the meantime, my good friend has lost & regained the same 15 pounds about 5 times and she's more distraught then ever.

NoS is a lifesaver but you have you have to be willing to put habit first and put in the time it takes to establish that habit.

You can do this! Post often & ask questions anytime. You might want to starting posting on the check-in thread. I've found it invaluable.

Best of luck!

Linda
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

Quick Bites
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Post by Quick Bites » Fri Dec 18, 2015 6:23 pm

Thank you Lpearlmom, and you are not late! I so appreciate your comments. I have about the same as you lost yet to lose maybe a tad more, so encouraging to see the progress you've made!

I will look at the check in thread, thanks for the tip!

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sat Dec 19, 2015 7:35 am

lpearlmom wrote:you have to put in the work of establishing those habits. That has to be your first priority and it will lay the foundation for losing weight later.
lpearlmom wrote:NoS is a lifesaver but you have you have to be willing to put habit first and put in the time it takes to establish that habit.
That's a completely different way of looking at weight loss. It's like maintenance first! It's really bizarre when you think about it. What made you stick with it that first year when you weren't losing (or not losing much)?

When I think about it logically, it really does make sense. It's encouraging to hear about your progress over time. Thanks for sharing!
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

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lpearlmom
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Post by lpearlmom » Sat Dec 19, 2015 2:49 pm

Hi Merry!

Yeah I guess in this culture of quick fixes, it's a little odd but really I just had to fix years & years of chaotic eating (started first diet at age 10).

The thing that kept me going was all the emotional benefits. Before NoS, I obsessed about food and weight constantly. It was the first thing I thought about in the morning and the last thing I thought about when I went to bed. I changed my eating/exercise plan on an almost daily basis. This was exhausting and soul wrecking.

Doing NOS stopped all that obsessing and my confidence soared. Even if I wasn't losing a lot of weight, I could see I wasn't overeating and I no longer binged so I stopped beating myself up which was a huge boost to how I felt about myself & my body.

The other thing that kept me going was just the pure challenge of sticking to something. I normally have a hard time with commitment but I think I had 100 green days in a row at one point. That felt pretty good but that's not to say I didn't have discouraging moments. When I finally did weigh myself, I was upset to see I hadn't lost much and went off of nos for a bit only to gain a few pounds.

Luckily, I came to my senses pretty quickly. Soon after that I felt ready to tweak things and it felt great to be eating healthier and exercising. I was losing weight too so that's kept me motivated. Plus it's not exactly like I'm depriving myself. I still eat well & drink mochas daily (now sugar-free).

Also I should add that many people do lose weight much quicker than me on NoS but most people who stick with it are ready to put habit before weight loss in the beginning.

Okay sorry to be so long winded but yeah I'm not good at short answers. Hope it helped some, thanks for asking!

Linda :)
Last edited by lpearlmom on Sun Dec 20, 2015 4:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sun Dec 20, 2015 2:54 am

Thanks for writing out your story--it's really encouraging, and great to see your perseverance and how much you have been able to change your relationship with food.
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Sun Dec 20, 2015 4:29 pm

I"ve missed a lot of this but will jump in.

Consider changing your username, at least on the inside, to "slow bites." :)

Keep your motivation front and center, though I recommend it be more about your physical vitality and pep than a cosmetic goal. That way, you can feel the payoff just about every day even if the appearance isn't meeting the standard- which is likely met by only a fraction of the population. Write down the main ones and read them often. That is step one with Judith Beck.

Consider what your options are. Is there really a better choice? My 40 lbs, was spread out over an even longer time, but I came into this willing to lose nothing if I could just get a handle on eating. I stayed overweight for a long time, but I knew I wasn't willing to be more strict in the long term, so I MOSTLY kept from attempting other means on purpose. My best efforts then and now have always been with getting more accepting of the lowered hunger levels, which mean I sometimes eat less than I "want" to. But I'm almost six years in.

Lastly, another thing that kept me going is that tens of millions of people in the world follow this "diet" or something close to it. NO diet industry diet can come even close to that track record of sustainability. And wherever they go, failure in that society follows.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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FarmerHal
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Post by FarmerHal » Sat Dec 26, 2015 11:31 pm

Noelfigart says it well: ""my habit is to eat three meals a day, and I'm not a snacker," " I am making this my mantra!!!

I've known about NoS since 2006, when my dd was born. I started in December that year and went from 245 to 208, and fell of the wagon (trying other "better" diets and ways of eating).

So it's 9 years later, and there have been many fits and starts on other diets, most especially "low carb" and there was a good while on "wheat belly." I do like some of the aspects of those, however, I just end up so completely confused.

ANyway, I am here to give you encouragement!! You can do this. It makes the most sense absolutely!

Pffft! 4 pounds! You can get it back off. Focus. Food is fuel. Stick to vanilla noS. Come to the board or FB page when you need help/encouragment :)
{FarmerHal} ...previously Shamrockmommy...
Vanilla NoS... Making good habits.
Restart 12/2015, size 22
3/2016 size 18
1/2018 size 18

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Sun Dec 27, 2015 4:22 pm

Hi QuickBites! We've all had setbacks and U-turns and any other descriptive word that describes falling on our a$$. Come on back!

I use oolala's signature as my mantra "Count plates, not calories. Three a day". It's concise and keeps the "diet" chatter out of my head.
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

Quick Bites
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Post by Quick Bites » Sun Jan 03, 2016 8:12 pm

Thank you to all have replied here, sorry for VERY LATE response, been busy with travel, holidays and horrible winter illnesses for me - and my family:(

SO much encouragement here and that is so important and needed for me right now, it has been a blessing for me to "come out of my shell" as a very private person to reach out to you all! I am thankful to all of you!

Queenie
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Post by Queenie » Mon Jan 04, 2016 2:46 am

lpearlmom wrote:
I don't think I lost much weight for the first year of doing NoS because my plates were piled high of rich food and my drinks were sometimes high in calories (mochas) but my habits were rock solid and I was free from my previous constant obsessing about food/weight.
Linda
This is my plan of action. In other areas of my life, I discovered that giving myself permission to do something "badly" was key to developing lasting habits.

So that's my plan with No-S. I am not going to try to follow it at an ideal level. I know that some days and maybe even some weeks, I will. But then if I days and weeks of a heavily-loaded plate at each meal, then I do.

All that counts for me on N-days is no snacks, no sweets and no seconds.

That's my plan. I've completed my first two weeks, But I've had 4-day weekends both weeks. The real deal starts tomorrow for me.

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lpearlmom
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Post by lpearlmom » Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:36 am

Totally right mindset for Nos success! You can do this!

Linda:)
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:35 am

Quick Bites wrote:Thank you to all have replied here, sorry for VERY LATE response, been busy with travel, holidays and horrible winter illnesses for me - and my family:(

SO much encouragement here and that is so important and needed for me right now, it has been a blessing for me to "come out of my shell" as a very private person to reach out to you all! I am thankful to all of you!
Hope you are all feeling better soon! No fun being sick over the holidays.
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:35 am

Queenie wrote:
lpearlmom wrote:
I don't think I lost much weight for the first year of doing NoS because my plates were piled high of rich food and my drinks were sometimes high in calories (mochas) but my habits were rock solid and I was free from my previous constant obsessing about food/weight.
Linda
This is my plan of action. In other areas of my life, I discovered that giving myself permission to do something "badly" was key to developing lasting habits.

So that's my plan with No-S. I am not going to try to follow it at an ideal level. I know that some days and maybe even some weeks, I will. But then if I days and weeks of a heavily-loaded plate at each meal, then I do.

All that counts for me on N-days is no snacks, no sweets and no seconds.

That's my plan. I've completed my first two weeks, But I've had 4-day weekends both weeks. The real deal starts tomorrow for me.
*Like* :-)
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

Quick Bites
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Location: Wisconsin

Post by Quick Bites » Sat Jan 09, 2016 1:11 am

Queenie wrote:
lpearlmom wrote:
I don't think I lost much weight for the first year of doing NoS because my plates were piled high of rich food and my drinks were sometimes high in calories (mochas) but my habits were rock solid and I was free from my previous constant obsessing about food/weight.
Linda
This is my plan of action. In other areas of my life, I discovered that giving myself permission to do something "badly" was key to developing lasting habits. .
LOVE that perspective! I so often get caught in trying to do this perfectly, forgetting that building habit it the most important thing!

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sat Jan 09, 2016 11:31 pm

Quick Bites wrote:
Queenie wrote:
lpearlmom wrote:
I don't think I lost much weight for the first year of doing NoS because my plates were piled high of rich food and my drinks were sometimes high in calories (mochas) but my habits were rock solid and I was free from my previous constant obsessing about food/weight.
Linda
This is my plan of action. In other areas of my life, I discovered that giving myself permission to do something "badly" was key to developing lasting habits. .
LOVE that perspective! I so often get caught in trying to do this perfectly, forgetting that building habit it the most important thing!
Yes...and I just get so caught up in thinking, I need to lose weight--if I'm not seeing it come off, it makes me want to change something.
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:43 am

There is probably a way to get weight off, but is it livable? I humbly suggest you consider just what dense food at what meal[s] you would be willing to eat less of, and what more activity you would be willing to do, because that is what it would boil down to. I know what it's like to think I'll do anything to lose, except that there are actually tons of things I won't do. Why kid myself?

Rather than ask what will get this weight off me, ponder calmly, What am I willing to do? You don't have to answer fast or tell me.


:)
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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