LIZ'S DAILY CHECK-IN

[lbb (Liz)]

I’m back to No-S after a few years of bingeing, calorie counting, dieting, over-exercising, intermittent fasting, and then some more bingeing. The most sane I’ve ever been is on No-S a few years ago. It took the emotional aspect out of food for me, and I need that now.
I’m Liz--mom of 4 active boys who are so much fun. They are 11, 9, 6, and 3. We’ve moved around a lot for medical training and now my husband just started his first job as an orthopedic surgeon last October. It’s nice to finally be settled.

Yesterday was an “S” day. I mean, the first day I started happened to be an “S” day. How convenient. I had 3 meals (typical for me) and was super active, but then had lots of treats at night (also super habitual).
Bfast: 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado
Lunch: Chick Fil A Grilled Chicken Salad
Dinner: Tortilla Salad
Night time treats: Ice cream sandwich, crackers, a package of Hi-Chews (like big package), some Nibs. Can’t say that that’s not normal for me to eat that many treats at night. Yikes! (I love my treats, but am not really enjoying them--just pounding them in my mouth).
Exercise: 30 mins Insanity Max, walk with dog, and 25 mile-bike ride (training for a race coming soon).

Grateful to be here. I will check in when needed. I tend to be an obsessive, all or nothing person, so even checking boards and posting, I need to be moderate about! Does that make sense?
Thanks and happy to be “home”.[b][/b]

[lpearlmom]

Wb Liz! I responded to you on the general discussion board but glad to see you on the check-in! I post almost daily but do what works for you.

Is your husband a doctor? What kind of race are you training for? I'm just getting into biking and would like to do an event at some point.

Anyway best of luck!

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Hi, @lpearlmom! Thanks for your support on both threads! I’ll follow along your journey! You mentioned you have finished the medical training too! What kind of doctor is your husband? My husband is orthopedic surgery...still gone a ton, but nothing like residency and fellowship!

I’m training for a road bike race with my sister in law. It’s 100 miles, but we are just doing it for fun! I did 25 yesterday, will do 50 next saturday, and hopefully 75 the next week, and plan on being on adrenaline for the 100 the next week. It will be fine! Do an event because it MAKES YOU GET OUT ON THE BIKE, even when you have all the excuses in the world. Ours is called “Little Red” and it’s for women only.

Take care! Thanks for checking in!

[lpearlmom]

Wow that's awesome about the bike ride. I've kind of put it out there that I want to do a century ride at some point. There's one in November from Tucson to Phoenix. I'm thinking not this November though but the following one. That's how out of shape I am.

My husband is a general surgeon with a laparoscopic speciality so probably a similar kind of training. He's been out of training for about 11 years though. He still works a fair amount but feels like nothing compared to earlier years. I thought it was tough raising two little ones with that going on but I don't know how you did it with four!

Anyway glad you found your way back here. NoS will help keep you sane!

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Thanks for your support, Linda! Yes, our husband’s probably had similar surgery training (4 years medical school, 5 years residency, 1 year fellowship). We got married young (in undergrad) and pregnant young, so it’s been a family affair!
Grateful to be settled, but it’s a new and different stress now building a practice! Life is always interesting!
Yesterday, Sunday, was an “S” day and I probably just ate the same way I would have on any other day, except I made a point to eat breakfast and lunch even though I knew we’d have a huge Sunday dinner.
Bfast: 2 eggs/half avocado
Lunch: Oatmeal, 1/2 banana, scoop peanut butter
Dinner: Flank steak, 2 rolls, salad, asparagus, chips/salsa
Dessert: Brownies & ice cream
I hosted a bbq and while I was cleaning up dinner, I found myself head-first in the leftover brownies. I had the thought, “It’s an “s” day, so it’s okay”. But after a couple bites, it just didn’t taste good anymore. Glad I stopped.
Looking forward, actually, to an “N” day today.
In the past, I would deprive today because of yesterday’s treats and overindulgences. But I’m going to enjoy 3 satisfying meals regardless. It’s amazing how quickly my brain settles down when i tell it, “Don’t worry, you will always have enough food and yummy food. I won’t diet again.”
Happy Monday!

[osoniye]

Don’t worry, you will always have enough food and yummy food. I won’t diet again.

Good for you! That is the way that we roll!

[lpearlmom]

Looks like a great S day and way to notice you weren't actually enjoying the brownies. What's the point of continuing if it's not pleasurable right?


We've been together since undergrad too. Had kids on the late side though. My husband has always worked for a hospital but we have friends doing the private practice thing. Pros & cons to both. Best of luck. I'm sure it'll be great!

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Habits are hard to break. I've had a nightly treat session that helps me mindlessly get thru the toughest part of the day of getting kids to bed.
I was so gung-ho on my No-S high horse and then one slip up, and old habits sucked me in.
Day went smoothly, as it usually does until later at night.
Bfast: 2 eggs/avocado
Exercise 30 min max insanity, dog walk
Lunch: Chicken salad
Had back to back baseball games and no time for me to run home--I picked up pizza for the boys. Didn't get home till 8:30pm and husband still at work.
I still made myself a decent dinner, but found myself procrastinating getting all the kids to bed as they were happily playing in the yard.
Sitting there putting off bedtime, I had a piece of cold pizza and said "what the hell"...went on auto-pilot with 2 ice cream sandwiches (my threshold on other binge nights), some graham crackers, and any random little thing sitting out.
Mark it and move on.
Have any of you had trouble with that one little slip-up leading to bigger binges?
Thanks!

[lpearlmom]

Ugh! So hard on those nights it's all up to you. Totally normal to turn to food for comfort. Clearly not working for you though. Maybe a new ritual. Cup of tea and a bath once kids are in bed or some other well-deserved reward/coping strategy?

I think the wth effect is part of the old diet mentality. I'm either on or off a diet kind of thinking. Well no this is for life, slip up or not. Also, with traditional diets we feel a lot of deprivation so when we do go "off" are diet, there's that feeling that we need to get as much forbidden food in as possible before it gets taken away.

With NoS, we can just tell ourselves not right now but soon. If it's something savory, I remind myself I can have it at the next meal. If it's something sweet we can have it in a few days. Once we start to trust the food isn't going to be taken away for good again, we will learn to relax and not feel like we have to shove it in all at once. At least that's been my experience.

Soooo that's a really long way of saying yes I think most of us have been there and most of us have seen it greatly disminish over time. So just keep plugging away!

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Thank you, Linda! I appreciate your wisdom and the reminder that this is a LIFESTYLE, so to focus on not failing, but on realizing that the way I’m eating is the way I can do forever. And I’ll never be deprived again.
I need to stow away treats KNOWING it’s possible to eat them this weekend if I want.
Carry on! Thanks again!

[lpearlmom]

Glad my rambling helped a bit! .

Could be that your perfectionist tendency make you want to look at this as an all or nothing. It's not. I mean the goal is to get a green day but even on my red days I'm still doin a million times better than I was when my eating was one big chaotic mess! Big picture here!

Hope today went well.

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

I'm proud to say that yesterday was GREEN. And I'm even more proud to say it's the FIRST time in a LONG time that I haven't gone overboard with food at night. Every night, for a very long time, I've had the habit of eating lots of candy/cookies. I think since I exercise and eat well in my meals, it's only had a slight effect and I'm up 7 pounds from last year. I still don't love the way I feel and look, but it's been gradual enough that I've thought I can "get away with it".
Anyways, I had three lovely nourishing meals that totally satisfied yesterday.
While putting the kids to bed, that habitual nagging voice told me to go get an ice cream sandwich. I just busied myself with other stuff. And voila, went to bed feeling good, slept well, and not bloated this morning.
I need to remember how NOT sick I feel and how much more energy I have when I don't over-do sugar every night!
I can do this. I'm not focusing on 21 days, however. I don't like thinking in the big picture, because it sets me up for failure. I'm just saying, "today, I'm living No-S principles." And, then I'll say that tomorrow. Etc. Etc.
Anyways, pretty proud of myself!

Techie question: I can't put a "subject" in my "Liz's daily check -in". Do any of you see the subject? I've tried, or maybe I just cannot see it....

[osoniye]

I'm just saying, "today, I'm living No-S principles." And, then I'll say that tomorrow. Etc.

I think that's great! Take it one day at a time!

[osoniye]

PS I think you can go in and edit your first post on this page and it will let you add a subject at the little box at the top.

[lpearlmom]

Wow awesome job Liz!! It does feel so much better to wake up after a normal day of eating doesn't it?

Totally understand what you're saying. Taking it day to day does take the pressure off!

Hope today goes well.

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Thanks, Ladies for your support!
Another N day in the books and I feel fantastic. It just had been too long that I had gone to bed without a binge and it’s amazing waking up with natural hunger and sleeping better because I’m not tossing and turning on a full stomach.
Here’s to another “N” day! I’m going to Trader Joe’s to pick up more fresh ingredients because we have been eating at home more, which is a great sign!
xo

[RAWCOOKIE]

well done Liz!

[lpearlmom]

I love trader joes! So glad you're feeling good!

[lbb (Liz)]

Another Green day yesterday! Feels great the next morning.
Bfast: Chicken sausage, 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, cabbage (I have a high-protein/high-fat breakfast that fills me up until the afternoon and keeps my sugars/insulin LOW in the morning.)
Lunch: Oatmeal (1/3 cups, 1 tb peanut butter, 1/2 banana)
Dinner: Spaghetti squash, chicken, chips and dip
Never felt hungry. Super satisfying and filling meals. I did feel binge urges while putting kids to bed but drank lots of liquids to avoid it.
Next habit to quit: diet soda and chewing gum.

[Jen1974]

Putting kids to bed always comes at the point where I'm so ready to "clock out" for the day when someone needs a drink of water, or just one more hug LOL. I could totally see that being the hardest time of day (: Good job getting the greens. I've struggled with "what the hell" & binges ever since I was 18. This has been my cure. I'm still amazed!! I agree with you on how good it feels to feel the urge but choose not to (:

[lbb (Liz)]

Thanks for your support, Jen1974!
Yes, binge eating since about 18 as well. I'm 36. The next 18 years will be binge free...no more time wasted!
xoxo

[lpearlmom]

I did feel binge urges while putting kids to bed but drank lots of liquids to avoid it

Well done Liz!

I think the filling breakfast is a smart way to go.

Have a great weekend. You're doing great!

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Thank for your encouragement, Linda!

Today went perfectly...until it didn't.

Great breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I had dinner super early because I was starving and my boys had baseball games until 8:30. I knew I couldn't wait until then.

But, then we got home and my husband had picked up pizza. Not a bad thing, but I had already had my 3 meals for the day. I had a piece because I was genuinely hungry.
But then that "all or nothing" creep jumped into my head and I thought I "may as well take an "S" day now"....
Had some candy I had saved for tomorrow, chocolate, popcorn, and some pretzels. Not moderate. Too much. It felt awful and like the "old days" I don't want to return to.
Maybe that's good. I can learn from this. I'm NOT missing out on junk food. REALLy. It makes me feel awful and is addictive and hard to stop.
I enjoy my N days and feeling amazing.

I know it's not encouraged, but I don't think I'll follow an "S" day tomorrow. I feel like I'd be fine if I never saw food again at this point...

XO

[lpearlmom]

It's okay. It happens! Looks like the perfect storm for a slip up to me! Now when you're faced with that situation again you'll know how to better handle it. Usually when I have a major red day, the contrast between how I feel then compared to a green day is strong enough to keep me from wanting to repeat the experience for a long time. Sounds like that may be the case for you too.

Mark it & move on and do whatever feels right tomorrow!

Linda

[RAWCOOKIE]

But then that "all or nothing" creep jumped into my head and I thought I "may as well take an "S" day now"....
Had some candy I had saved for tomorrow, chocolate, popcorn, and some pretzels. Not moderate. Too much. It felt awful and like the "old days" I don't want to return to.
Maybe that's good. I can learn from this. I'm NOT missing out on junk food. REALLY. It makes me feel awful and is addictive and hard to stop.

This happens to me from time-to-time & it's useful as it reminds me that that tendency is still there! I would encourage you NOT to try to compensate by giving up a legitimate S day. I'm pretty sure there's a podcast about this - as far as I recall, it's unhelpful because your brain will think - oh, it doesn't matter if I over-eat today because I can pay it back - like a bargaining thing that your addictive brain will take advantage of! As Linda said - just mark it up as a RED day, then forget about it. Have your S weekend. Monday will be No S.

found it - it's podcast number 13 - strictness - well worth a read/listen
https://everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=13

Good luck!

[lbb (Liz)]

Thanks RAWCOOKIE! I will listen to this. I have done that in the past and I think it perpetuates binges because you always know you can "make up for it". So, yes, i agree, I'll "take an S Day" today, even though I feel like I never want to eat again.
I appreciate your comment!

[Jen1974]

I loved that part in the book where he talks about not punishing yourself or making up for a bad day & I realized it was so true. I'd always think "it's okay I'm doing this now, I'll make up for it" instead of having to accept responsibility. I ALWAYS did this in the past. It pretty much created a pattern of super healhty days until I'd have a "what the hell" day, blow it, vow to not do it again, make up for it with super healthy days, & on & on the circle went.

Now even if I don't take an S day on Friday, I at least plan to have a bigger Friday meal. It was hard at first, eating more at meals, I thought I'd never lose weight, but I'm sitting here now at the lowest weight I've been in a long time. I won't let myself lose more than a couple of pounds more before I start adding in some more food, too skinny makes people look older (: I've never had that worry before LOL!!

For me the binges were a signal that I was being too restrictive & once I recognized that & quit being so restrictive they stopped happening & I lost the weight because I didn't keep undoing my progress with binges.

Not sure if this would help you at all but I couldn't have so many hours between lunch & dinner so when I started I started eating a later breakfast (10ish) a late lunch (3ish) and then I could make it until later for dinner when my family could eat after practices & activities.

I was totally in your shoes with the "what the hell days"!! It's so not fun ):

[lbb (Liz)]

Thanks Jen1974! GREAT advice. Particularly the eating-later advice. Yesterday I had done a 6am Barre class (woke at 5:30), so ate at 8, 1, and starving at 4/5. But I’d rather push it and eat later with my family.
I just ate a normal breakfast this morning. Even though my instinct was to fast until dinner (I would have done that in the past after a binge).
Going to have a regular lunch and dinner, too. Just taking the emotion or self-punishment out of it.
Creating good habits and taking away the heavy emotions tied to food.
It’s really inspiring that you weigh less now! I hope to get to that point but better focus on good habits and the body will take care of itself.

[Jen1974]

Love it (:

I'm a 5:30 wake up & work out girl too so waiting to eat breakfast took a little getting used to. Before starting No S I read about fasting & it sounds like there are a lot of benefits to a longer stretch between dinner & breakfast so I liked that!! Hot water with lemon seems to make it so I can put off breakfast a little easier too.

[cedar]

Good on you liz..I love your meals..they sound satisfying and nourishing.
I find that the good thing with no s is it's strict but fair..it's just 'life', there is nothing to go off of..slip ups are just that and we learn from them and work out what suits us best. I had an awful s day last Saturday but I've learnt from it and this weekend has been amazing and enjoyable. You're doing really well good on you! And great advice from Jen and gang! Xx

[lpearlmom]

I'm really glad you didn't go the punishing route. It's all about self-care. If your child ate too much and had a tummy ache, you wouldn't make him fast the next day. You'd probably just remind him next time he was about to over do it that last time it didn't feel good to him. So good for treating yourself with the respect you deserve!

Btw, you guys are really motivating me to get up early and work out. I've never been able to that before now! i woke up at 6am to go bike riding and thought about going back to bed till I thought about you guys getting up at 5:30 on a regular basis. I have to say it feels great to start my day off like that! I was even a little chilly when I started out which is a rare thing to feel in May around these parts.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

I love this forum and all of you! Thanks for your kind and encouraging words!
Linda--I love waking early on weekdays to work out because it’s the only time my kids don’t need me and I can be “alone”!

Yesterday, I had a normal breakfast, lunch, and then we had a party at a friend’s. There was pizza, salad, etc.
I had one plate of pizza and salad.

This “FOMO” habitual thought crept in. There were cookies and they didn’t look good, but when I was cleaning up, I had one. Then, once I got home, even though it was 9:30pm, there was an open container of Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter cups and I stuffed a bunch in my mouth. Ecen though I hadn’t felt deprived yesterday, it’s like I was doing it “just because it’s an S day”. Not enjoying, just like a drug.

Aside from eating sane nutritious meals, my goal with No S is to take away my late-night “stuff my face” with non-nutritious crap in order to numb out or relax. I’d so much rather sit, enjoy a bowl of ice cream with my kids or something. I need to plan out enjoyable S events in place of a bowl of peanut butter cups and gummy bears while I check my email.

ALso, my goal is to stop eating earlier in the night so I sleep better. I hate going to bed stuffed and on a sugar high.

Okay. That’s it for now. Maybe the 3/4 S-events are a good thing for me, instead of labeling a Saturday/Sunday as a S-day where I need to get it in before the day is done...

RAMBLING OVER.

[lbb (Liz)]

Really looking forward to N days. I totally binged last night on all the things and feel yucky today. Does it get better? I need to plan my “S days” ahead of time.
Onward and upward. Today is a clean slate! Bring on the GREEN.

[RAWCOOKIE]

Yes, it does get better - my experience has been one of constant change with S days since I started last June!

[lpearlmom]

Hi Liz

Sorry about yesterday. S days will get better but for some of us it can take quite long. It took me over a year! 😊 For a long time I needed them in order to keep my N days green. It's also good to see the sharp contrast between N & S days. It becomes very clear that having boundaries feels better.

Having said that NoS wasn't really designed for people who've had previous problems with eating disorders. For any of us that have that kind of history, the complete freedom of S days can be really rattling. If you're finding your S days to be really upsetting, you can add some structure and see if that helps.

At one point I was doing 3 meals plus 2 saucer size snacks/treats per S day. I also allowed sweets on S days as long as they were on my plate. Also if we went out to dinner on S days, I relaxed all the rules and allowed for appetizers, fancy drinks, desserts etc. That's because I tend not to overeat when we go out to dinner.

Now I don't really want a separation between my N and S days. So that's what I'm trying out with some treats thrown in for special occasions but I tell you, I couldn't have even dreamed of doing this till recently. I needed those S days to let loose for a bit.

So that's a long way of saying you need to make this work for you. What's going to feel best and what are you most likely to stick to? I notice most of us experiment a bit with S days till we find something that works. But yes today's a clean slate and you can't fail S days anyway.

Have a great day & sorry for the novel!☺️

Linda

[Jen1974]

I totally agree with Linda!! Not worrying too much about S days until N days are where they need to be is important!! For me though I always had problems with cheat days in the past so I wanted No S to not include traditional cheat days. I thought of S days as days where I could choose to eat anything I wanted & as much of it as I wanted. I made a point of picking something during the week & looking forward to it. But I was not allowed to eat anything "just because" it was an S day. I had to own every choice. Decide on an amount. Put it on a plate, or in a bowl & always sit down & enjoy what was in front of me & then no seconds. The no seconds was a restriction to my S day though & I don't think that would be good for everyone. For me I wanted grazing & overeating to be off limits though. Some people would rebel against that restriction or feel frustrated during N days because of it, but for me it helped me learn how to enjoy treats without guilt or shame.

[lbb (Liz)]

Linda & Jen: Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments! I really appreciate your time and energy to help me out.

I agree with all that's been said. I need to figure out what is best for me, but also I need a little structure.

I like the idea of something on a plate, not finishing the carton of ice cream or bag of chips. I like the "no seconds"rule. Last night would have been okay after dinner...I had a plate with a brownie and ice cream and then we came home a few hours later and because the "S" day was ending, I dove into finishing the pan of brownies, some swedish fish, etc. etc. That's where the "rules" would have been helpful. Plating all of that dessert or simply saying "You already had your "S"!

I will plan a treat ahead of time. Otherwise, it's cheap candy lying around the house or remnants of my kids' treats. I deserve more.

Yes, Linda, my past with eating disorders may not be conducive to a big, wide-open day to eat anything. The structure of an "N DAY", incorporated with a treat or two would be perfect.

Again, thanks for your advice and love!

[osoniye]

I will plan a treat ahead of time. Otherwise, it's cheap candy lying around the house or remnants of my kids' treats. I deserve more.

You sure do! Great way to look at it!

[lpearlmom]

Checking on you Liz. Hope you're well & that your race went ok.

Linda

[lbb (Liz)]

Thanks for checking in, Linda! The race went great! I was pretty ready, but my bum and back are sore!
I’m doing well food-wise. Just trying not to obsess and removing food as a reward.
This is the last week of school for my boys! And then we’re off with all their cousins on the Disney Cruise. So fun. I am going to try and keep the No-S standards, so that food is not a stressor!
Hope you’re doing well, too, Linda! xo

[Jen1974]

We went on a Disney Cruise last year & had a great time (: Your kids will love it!!!

[lbb (Liz)]

Oh, great! Yes we are thrilled! It’s my parent’s 50th anniversary so they are taking all their kids and grandkids. It will be a party!!!

[lpearlmom]

Wow I'd be sore too! Your cruise sounds like such a blast. Sounds like you have a great family. Enjoy!!