Check In by Bunso

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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kaalii
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Post by kaalii » Wed Jul 06, 2016 10:04 am

bunsofaluminum wrote:whew, late night grumbles tonight. First time in quite a while. But I ate lightly enough at dinner, this might be actual hunger. But it's almost bedtime so no biggy. Finish my tea and hit the hay. :)
i love how late night hunger (or muchies more often) send me to bed at a more decent times, i noticed...
Age:40
BMI: 18.8
Body Fat %: 17.6
in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Jul 08, 2016 10:55 pm

Oh snap! I stepped on the scale this morning, and I am down four pounds! woot!

Feeling amazing, too. I love eating when hungry; I love getting hungry enough to eat by the next meal. It feels terrific not to kowtow to the old tummy rumbles.

Although today, because work got super busy, i went eight hours between brekkie and lunch...TOO LONG... and I got a headache that hasn't gone away.

Otherwise, just dandy :)

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Jul 10, 2016 4:47 pm

Great S days. Chocolate was my treat, and I did have one part of brekkie as "seconds" on Sunday. After work I'm going to buy some popcorn, but not going to pop it today. Not sure what day will be popcorn day this month :) but I want to have some on hand when it does arrive.

Loving how this has changed my relationship with food! yay!

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:14 pm

Yay indeed! 8) Nice one. It's 9.15pm here and I'm off to bed too - having had a lovely food day!
I love Everyday Systems :3

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Post by lpearlmom » Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:58 am

Congrats on the weightloss and even more importantly your improved relationship with food.

You're doing great!

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

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Post by LifeisaBlessing » Mon Jul 11, 2016 1:36 pm

Congratulations on your weight loss!! :) And great news on your improved relationship with food and handling hunger! :)
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Wed Jul 13, 2016 4:07 am

I did myself no favors with the watermelon all day on the 4th and 5th. Now the late night after work appetite has been reawakened. Here I sit, and darned if saltines doesn't sound good. I won't, but it would be so much nicer not to have to fight false hunger. But today has been an appetite-ey day all along.

blargh.

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Post by moonbat69 » Wed Jul 13, 2016 5:49 pm

With false hunger, sometimes what works for me is to wait 20 minutes and see if I'm still hungry for it.

For example,
"I feel hungry for those crackers, but since it might be just a false signal, I'm going to wait 20 minutes to see if the hunger remains." Then I set a timer, do something else, and check back in on my hunger. More than half the time, the hunger signal goes away.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Wed Jul 13, 2016 10:14 pm

hi Moonbat...thanks for stopping by :)

moonbat69 wrote:With false hunger, sometimes what works for me is to wait 20 minutes and see if I'm still hungry for it.

For example,
"I feel hungry for those crackers, but since it might be just a false signal, I'm going to wait 20 minutes to see if the hunger remains." Then I set a timer, do something else, and check back in on my hunger. More than half the time, the hunger signal goes away.
This is so true! It happened today...I had a nice hearty lunch at about noon, and then the movies, which got out at about 3:00, and my stomach was griping. That was an hour ago, and since I don't snack, I didn't have anything and right now my stomach is calm.

It is the freaking FACT of the appetite surges that drives me nuts. In a perfect world (one that I hadn't distorted by a lifetime of always feeding the munchies monster) I would get nicely full at mealtimes, and go for say four hours before it started, and it would be genuine hunger by the next meal.

but when it crops up 90 minutes after a nice plateful of food...gimme a BREAK, stomach! jeesh

Today has been appetite-y BECAUSE hormones. blargh.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Jul 16, 2016 1:38 pm

This has been a rough week. My appetite has been unhappy every single day, and I'm tired of feeling hungry...even though I know it isn't true hunger when it hits an hour after a hearty meal. I'm just sick of it. My dysfunctional, unhappy, spoiled, controlling appetite. And, having between meal food on my S days reawakens the snack beast, so I have to fight it every day, and I'm sick of it so... so I'm not going to do that anymore.

sooo....
S days are here. I'm going to treat them like regular, except I will have chocolate both days. Otherwise, not going to snack or have seconds. On Monday it is a family reunion, and I'll make that my S day for this week.
We always have Subway, and people bring salads or fruit bowls or what have you, so I'm going to allow myself seconds on Monday.

Also, I am going to be more mindful when eating. Pay attention, and stop when full, even if it isn't eight cups of food stuffed in my stomach. It feels like I am making up for the lack of snacking calories, by eating too much at meals. I want to reacquaint myself with the actual signals from my actual physical stomach.

Hopefully this will make a difference. I do not want another week like I've had. However, I didn't cave, not once but still...who wants to freaking deal with it ALL. THE. TIME.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Jul 18, 2016 5:00 pm

My weekend is over. I treated Saturday like a normal day except I did have chocolate. yesterday, Sunday, I was in such a pissy mood all day, and felt hungry ALL DAY LONG...did really well though, but I did start cooking dinner at 4;30 Pete's sakes. Jeez.

Anyway, I started fixing food very early and ate a 5:00 dinner, and I had seconds on my veggie burger because I WAS STILL HUNGRY.

Today is a family reunion, so I'm treating it as a minor s day, allowing myself seconds at the potluck.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Wed Jul 20, 2016 12:12 am

Yesterday's family time was great. Subway sandwiches were the main thing, and people brought side dishes. I ate a plate of food, and had salad as my "seconds"...no sweets, though there was a good selection of cookies.

It was good to see everyone, and good to choose moderate portions without going haywire even though it was an S day (special).

Today has been lower calorie, with a very small breakfast of only a banana and a piece of bread, a samwich, chips, and veggie stix for lunch, and just now finished spaghetti marinara, and a dozen ish cherries.

Appetite flared up big time early in the afternoon, to the point that I wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. But...tea with honey and lemon fitted the bill and I stayed busy until dinner. I am really glad to have so many weeks of good habit practice under my belt.

Days off, stay at home days, coming up. It is so hot out, and I don't really have anywhere to go, nor any money to even go shopping, so the plan is just to stay home....I'll get out to the pool in the morning. It'll be good.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Jul 23, 2016 2:37 pm

well, I had my first FAILURE days yesterday and Thursday.

Thursday I got SUPER DUPER hungry at 3:00, like agonizingly achingly empty so I had an apple. It was a very low calorie day. A small grouping of grapes and a piece of bread for brekkie, and a light lunch of something I can't remember. So yeah, I got hungry mid afternoon.

And yesterday I ate some garbanzo beans while I was in the kitchen figuring out what to make for dinner. The beans were there...I had a spoonful of them. It was about 90 minutes before I started making dinner. Oh...also...at Costco I had a sample mid afternoon. Wasn't even thinking AT ALL. When at Costco: Sample. So I had one bite of the sample and said "Wait, this is between meals!" and tossed the rest.

Haven't weighed in a while, but when I did step on the scale I had gone back up by 4 lbs, the amount that I had lost on June 21...pfft. Stupid scale. Meanwhile, nothing seems to be budging...the fat feels the same, clothing isn't fitting looser or anything.

But it does feel good to be the one in control. How is it that eating this way feels so CALM, even with the idiotic appetite surges still bugging me half the time, it just feels good to say "sorry, you'll spoil my dinner" and wait.

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Sat Jul 23, 2016 5:07 pm

bunsofaluminum wrote: But it does feel good to be the one in control. How is it that eating this way feels so CALM, even with the idiotic appetite surges still bugging me half the time, it just feels good to say "sorry, you'll spoil my dinner" and wait.
8) oh yeah! this is the BIG benefit in my book too!
I love Everyday Systems :3

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Jul 24, 2016 10:15 pm

Good S days. Chocolate has been my chief "s" though I did have seconds today at lunch...just polished off some really greasy veggie fried rice from a Chinese restaurant, leftovers from last night. I won't order their fried rice again, too much oil, but I loved the fresh veggies in it.

Starting tomorrow with daily yoga. I did shovelglove for two weeks, using a skillet instead, but that didn't last (kinda knew it wouldn't. I am a major couch potato and exercise has to delight me and interest me. Shovelglove is VERY cool, but not compelling to get me up off my butt) but I have got to do something to slow the aging. I have a sit down job; my favorite hobby is sketching/pen & ink design...a sit down hobby; and I am by nature a couch potato SO...I've done yoga in the past and never felt better. Even though I am a lazy girl, I know I can hook back into yoga on a daily basis for my health. After all, I eat a low fat whole foods vegetarian diet for my health.

Going to add Yoga to my Habitcal. :)

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Post by lpearlmom » Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:02 am

Awesome idea about the yoga! Exercise should be pleasurable above all else. I discovered I really love biking and exercise no longer feels like a chore (although getting up at 5am is still tough for me &#128522;).

Enjoy!

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

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Post by LifeisaBlessing » Mon Jul 25, 2016 10:55 am

Hi bunsofaluminum! :)

I totally agree with Linda--exercise should be something pleasurable. Otherwise, it'll be the first thing to go when the going gets rough. I've stuck to 10K steps consistently because I love walking (with the occasional jogging/jumping/running up stairs thrown in for variety), and it helps me to get necessary movement into my day. So good on you for the yoga! :)

As far as dealing with hunger goes, I'll share with you what works for me: visualize the excess fat on your body as providing the fuel for satisfying that hunger. Since you're eating regular meals, and (I'm assuming) you're not at or below your essential level of body fat (12% for women), your body will have plenty to draw upon for energy.

Pushing past "the empties," especially when you're dealing with other negative emotions throughout your day can definitely be challenging. The visualization technique really helped me to achieve my goal, and it continues to help me maintain it. Hopefully it helps you too! :)

And another (gentle) suggestion: don't be afraid of the scale. I know it's not a popular opinion here, but I sincerely believe it's better to weigh daily so you can nip any problems in the bud early. In addition to my visualization technique above, daily weigh-ins were (and are) one of the keys to keeping me on plan.

As with all things, YMMV! But hopefully, some of my tips may help. :)
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:01 pm

LifeisaBlessing wrote:Hi bunsofaluminum! :)


As far as dealing with hunger goes, I'll share with you what works for me: visualize the excess fat on your body as providing the fuel for satisfying that hunger. Since you're eating regular meals, and (I'm assuming) you're not at or below your essential level of body fat (12% for women), your body will have plenty to draw upon for energy.
Oh my GOSH what a wonderful idea for visualization! I already do a lot of that in my life, including weight loss imagery...my favorite: Fat washing down the drain in the shower! hahaha...but this is TERRIFIC. It is absolutely body centric, me asking my metabolism to do what it is intended to do, when hungry. Excellent! I will start that today.
And another (gentle) suggestion: don't be afraid of the scale. I know it's not a popular opinion here, but I sincerely believe it's better to weigh daily so you can nip any problems in the bud early. In addition to my visualization technique above, daily weigh-ins were (and are) one of the keys to keeping me on plan.
Yeah, I had the habit of daily weighing, and with my latest "regain" I stepped on the scale every day, and watched it go up gradually, until I'd gained about 10 lbs and just stopped doing a daily weigh in. In that case, seeing it every day simply didn't work to prevent me from gaining back...well, it's about 45 lbs now darn it. I have had that technique work in the past, but this last time, nope. It didn't matter that I was weighing every day.

Anyway, one thing I learned from daily weighing myself was that weight fluctuates, naturally and not to freak out over those fluctuations. I might pick up the daily weighing habit again eventually. It is NOT very encouraging to go in once a week and see zero loss, or that four lb regain gawd that sucked. Doing what I'm supposed to do, following through, "being good" for two weeks or a month, and finding NOTHING gone? Sheesh that's frustrating.

Meanwhile, on to that awesome visualization advice! love it...thanks Life! :)

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Post by LifeisaBlessing » Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:51 pm

I'm so glad you like my visualization suggestion, bunsofaluminum! :) In fact, I had to use it myself this afternoon. At work, I was doing a particularly tedious section of a report, and started feeling "the empties," probably mostly due to stress over the report. Even though I'm at goal, I know that I still have plenty of "fuel" left on my body to feed any emptiness I might be experiencing. The empty sensation eventually passed, as well as the desire to eat, so it worked! :)
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

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Post by Merry » Mon Jul 25, 2016 10:26 pm

LifeisaBlessing wrote:
And another (gentle) suggestion: don't be afraid of the scale. I know it's not a popular opinion here, but I sincerely believe it's better to weigh daily so you can nip any problems in the bud early. In addition to my visualization technique above, daily weigh-ins were (and are) one of the keys to keeping me on plan.
I weigh daily too!
bunsofaluminum wrote:Yeah, I had the habit of daily weighing, and with my latest "regain" I stepped on the scale every day, and watched it go up gradually, until I'd gained about 10 lbs and just stopped doing a daily weigh in. In that case, seeing it every day simply didn't work to prevent me from gaining back...well, it's about 45 lbs now darn it. I have had that technique work in the past, but this last time, nope. It didn't matter that I was weighing every day.

Anyway, one thing I learned from daily weighing myself was that weight fluctuates, naturally and not to freak out over those fluctuations.
I've had that exact experience, Bunso! (Pre-No-S, I mean). weighed daily, watched it go up, eventually gave up weighing. Discouraging!

It's those fluctuations that make me want to weigh daily. I felt like I could never know what a once a week or once a month weight really meant--and I didn't want to wait another week or month to try to figure out what it meant. Knowing how my body fluctuates helps me not to freak out when it jumps up a few pounds in a day, and helps me not to overly rejoice when it suddenly drops a few pounds in a day either! It actually stresses me LESS to just weigh daily. I do find it encouraging and reinforcing when it's going in the right direction. When I plateaued for several weeks this spring, I set a goal that if it plateaued for 3 months, then I'd re-evaluate whether I needed to tweak something. Thankfully I started losing again.

Anyway...I think if weighing of any sort is going to be a part of someone's overall plan, they have to have a strategy in mind for what kind of roll it has, how to respond to (possibly random) fluctuations so that we don't just give up based on that one factor, etc... (For example, I laugh at the scale when it fluctuates suddenly up or down overnight, knowing that it's not a representation of a "real" fat gain or loss. It's water or salt or something situational etc...)
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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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Jul 26, 2016 4:56 pm

thanks Merry. Good thoughts. My chief issue with the scale is building myself up for loss...surely two weeks or a month of "being good" should show SOMETHING...but for me, weight loss is super slow, so I can and usually do go weeks before seeing anything drop. So maybe that daily thing isn't a bad idea after all. Either every day, or never.

anyway.

Yoga is treating me well. I found something to start with on youtube, some simple, slow moving stretches and beginner balancing moves, just exactly what I need after a couple of years of being a slug. Slowly opening up the joints, stretching the muscles. It will work around to an active daily practice.

Now, for food news. Maybe because of where I am in my cycle, but I'm finding myself well satisfied on MUCH smaller portions at mealtimes. I do get hungry before the next meal but...well, that's the natural effect of my stomach working properly and digesting what I've eaten, emptying itself as it should. Looks like I am no longer afraid of the between meal munchies, no longer overloading my plate, no longer stuffing my stomach. So what if I get hungry...food is coming in due time.

I LOVE IT!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:50 pm

Okay, so the appetite still lets me know it's there, right? But guess what...I ignore it!

Wylie gets off work a couple of hours after me, and the other day when I got home, I had dinner, then went and got him from work. He wanted buffalo wings, so we went out for his dinner...and I sat there and sipped on an iced tea and we visited while he enjoyed his wings. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat (besides...veg head, right? but they had salads on the menu...I simply wasn't hungry) It was a little bit strange, sitting in a restaurant not eating...but we had ordered a serving for me, because he wanted enough to bring home. So there I sat, with a heap of wings in front of me. Not eating. The sauce was good. I tasted that.

That never happened before...turning down food because I'd already eaten and wasn't hungry.


THANK YOU NO S! food sanity is NIIIIIICE.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:08 pm

oh my giddy great aunt...I have the burning munchies! gawd. I want to eat ALL THE THINGS!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:34 pm

this is horrible....it must be hormonal, I haven't had the raging munchies in...oh, about a month GAWD.

I'm glad it's an S day, and I already made it a CAPITAL S for my bf's birthday so i was planning on feasting. Well I am. I am eating and eating, and stil want to eat. ugh. Sugar cravings, too. Jeez Louise.

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Post by Merry » Mon Aug 01, 2016 3:57 am

bunsofaluminum wrote: Yoga is treating me well. I found something to start with on youtube, some simple, slow moving stretches and beginner balancing moves, just exactly what I need after a couple of years of being a slug. Slowly opening up the joints, stretching the muscles. It will work around to an active daily practice.
Oh, do you have a link? I tried a local yoga class, but some of the moves were not a good fit for my body (I have to be really careful because my neck gets out of whack easily, plus if I never do another downward dog...!) I like to do some various stretches throughout the day though, and am always on the lookout for more that might be a good fit for me.
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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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Aug 01, 2016 9:23 pm

I am SO GLAD that there are S days in my life!

Yesterday was horrendous for appetite. I got hit mid-morning with raging stomach ache hunger. Why? Ate something because HEY It's an S day so I can if I want. Nyah.

And...half an hour later, hungry again. Because of S days being chocolate days, I had some of that with coffee, and made it until lunch, where I ate big. And got off work at 2:30, and made a quick grocery run for Wylie's birthday cake single serving and while I was tootling around the store my stomach was grumbling and I wanted bagels, rolls, croissants, sushi, olive bar, candy bar, canned beans...hahaha jk but you get the idea. I had the raging flaming munchies and I am SO glad it fell on an S day.

Ate when I got home from the store, nibbled while I fixed Wylie's bday feast, including the back from the chicken that I was fixing for him. I ate a plate of dinner, which was lemon chicken...

NOTE: I am vegetarian, but I follow the McDougall Plan, which allows for feast days, including birthdays, where we can choose to eat off plan foods, including animal flesh IF WE WANT...and I wanted to. :) This was my first feast day of the year. About the third or fourth time in seven years eating this way, that I've had animal flesh.

lemon chicken, one thigh; rice with sauce; steamed asparagus. And grapes a little bit later in the evening. And FINALLY I felt full and didn't get feeling hungry again all night.

The grand total of all I ate yesterday? oof...but let's just see

B: four granola bars; coffee with non dairy creamer; apple, banana, grapes and cherries
S: a bean burrito (from the snack bar at work) and some chocolate
L: Thai curried rice with garbanzo beans
S: bean and cheese burritos x2 made at home after work (and I thought about making popcorn)
S: boiled chicken back from making stock
D: plate of feast food and grapes

Anyway, super thankful for an S day. I don't *think* I would have caved on an N day but DAYUM I'm glad I didn't have to fight it.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Aug 01, 2016 9:41 pm

Hi Merry

Here is the link to the first video. This guy has a series of brief yoga routines focusing on the chakras from the root to the voice chakra. Not sure about the top two chakras, whether he has anything for them or not.

Anyway, I find his voice soothing, and this routine is relaxing and opening without being strenuous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htkcu5Peinw

from there, you should see his other videos offered as suggestions.

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Post by Merry » Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:22 am

Thanks, I'll have to check that out.
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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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:22 pm

Mmm, loving my yoga. I average about 15-20 minutes a day, usually following a video of some sort, and not one thing strenuous about it, but end up warm, loose, stretched out, relaxed, and full of a calm energy that is just perfect.

Meanwhile, the appetite is horrendous and thankfully I am at work, including two hours of overtime, so the fridge isn't beckoning me. Preparing food to bring to work, the thought actually came to mind "Hmmm, a plate of rice with some lemon chicken sauce...let's!" at 9:15 in the morning. I didn't fix a plateful, but I did have an olive from the sauce, as I was fixing a serving of it for at work. and, in prepping the burrito I made for my OTHER meal at work, I tasted the refritos. Not going to make this a red day, though, because truly I did fight off the snack attack and DIDN'T make a little plate of food to "tide me over"

And, there was a tinge of discouragement today, when I saw a post on FB about someone's huge success with NoS and wishing I'd start dropping the poundage. But I do know that the greatest value BY FAR with NoS is the sanity and discipline of eating only at mealtimes and only one plateful.

Food sanity is building, and that is the most important thing.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:18 pm

Hm. No yoga. I can't seem to get passionate about any exercise. Time to get on the boring ole exercise bike and read while biking not because I love it, but because I know I need to do SOMETHING active once a day to be healthy. Walking is best of all, but with my ankle being off more than on, I can't do that :(

Super proud of myself...my daughter's birthday was yesterday and we bought pizza, but I had already eaten so I just sat and visited while people had their pizza and Margaritas hahaha. I also didn't drink as I was designated driver. The pizza would have tasted good, but I've had that variety before and already knew what it tasted like, so I didn't need to have any, and I didn't.

I'm excited for S day tomorrow: Chocolate!

Today was a little bit late for lunch, so I had half a cup of coffee with non dairy creamer at noon, which tided me over.

Wishing some poundage would start releasing, but willing to be patient because I LOVE the sanity.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Aug 07, 2016 2:28 am

Good S day. Chocolate! and I had one "snack" or it might be a "second": some tortilla chips after dinner, with my beer.

And tomorrow should be a good day with just chocolate. I don't anticipate uber munchies like last week. Honestly.

And starting Monday, I'm tweaking my three meals. That is, I am going to chew every bit thoroughly. Thirty chews per bite. Period. And stop when I'm full. I've been at this for two months and the only movement on the scale was four lbs off, and back on again the next day. IOW, not an ounce lost and that is unacceptable. I've never tried "an eating plan" without something changing in the first two weeks, even just a pound or two.

So, I've adjusted myself to not needing to eat between meals, and not needing to go back for seconds. I know that even if I do get TRUE hunger, I'll survive to the next meal...now time to curb the platefuls. I can become aware of my hunger levels in the midst of a meal, and I can stop when I detect fullness in my stomach. That's the plan. More food sanity!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Aug 09, 2016 1:58 pm

New habit: eating slowly, chewing every bite thoroughly, and stopping when full. Remembering to do this at every meal is going to be a challenge, and when I start, because I am really hungry by mealtime, I pretty much wolf down the first bite or so...then remember.

Yesterday, veggie burger with the works for lunch, I slowed down after the first two bites, and made the meal last for 25ish minutes. This morning breakfast...granola and chopped apple with almond milk...I mostly forgot to chew.

so...developing a habit, eh? I know how to do that.

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Post by LifeisaBlessing » Tue Aug 09, 2016 4:19 pm

Hi bunsofaluminum! :)

I'm with you on eating slowly and chewing every bite thoroughly--it really adds to the enjoyment of meals, but it is so hard for me to do at times! It's easy for me to get distracted, start thinking ahead to the next thing I have to do, hurrying just because my meal was later than normal, etc. I'll have to do as you suggest and remember to slow it down, even when I initially start off to the races lol! :D
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The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:58 pm

LifeisaBlessing wrote:Hi bunsofaluminum! :)

I'm with you on eating slowly and chewing every bite thoroughly--it really adds to the enjoyment of meals, but it is so hard for me to do at times! It's easy for me to get distracted, start thinking ahead to the next thing I have to do, hurrying just because my meal was later than normal, etc. I'll have to do as you suggest and remember to slow it down, even when I initially start off to the races lol! :D
I am just exactly the same way. It's the same when I try to sit still for contemplative prayer...or any kind of prayer, really. Long, still, sitting, breathing...blargh! so much to do! ack! it's all going to end if I don't hurry up and DOOOO EEEEEET!

well, maybe I'll start a new habitcal and begin the habit of 15 minutes a day sitting still, listening, breathing, just being. It is a good year for that, ugly election year. gawd.

Thanks for dropping by Blessing :)

Well, S days are on me. Yay for chocolate! I've already decided tomorrow I will have my popcorn for August. Otherwise, my "s" treat is extra dark chocolate, as usual. I LOVE how delicious that first taste of it is. WOW! so worth waiting for. Another plus of eating chocolate only on S days...a 3.5oz bar lasts two weeks, because I really only need three or four little squares to be thoroughly satisfied.

I have been getting on the scale every day in the past week or so, maybe two. I've watched my pounds go up by four, and down by four, and down by two, and up by two, and remain the same. I will continue this. Today, I am down one lb. :)

The chewing. At every meal, I remember mostly, and occasionally just gobble. And some foods, honestly. Rice noodles? Go ahead and chew miso veggie soup with rice noodles hahaha. The veggies are good chewin, the noodles not so much. More like slurping.

But whether I chew or not, I try to get every meal to last at least 20 minutes, and I aim for 30. This means I'm slowing down and being mindful, which is extremely good. Stopping when full? Less than half of the time, I stop as soon as I feel full, but to be honest, I usually don't feel full before my plate is empty so...must be doing something right, eh? Chewing more thoroughly might be the answer, I guess.

And dropping the mindset of "polishing my plate". It's okay to toss the last few bites, or put aside half of a meal for another meal.

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Post by Merry » Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:33 am

bunsofaluminum wrote:
I have been getting on the scale every day in the past week or so, maybe two. I've watched my pounds go up by four, and down by four, and down by two, and up by two, and remain the same. I will continue this. Today, I am down one lb. :)

The chewing. At every meal, I remember mostly, and occasionally just gobble. And some foods, honestly. Rice noodles? Go ahead and chew miso veggie soup with rice noodles hahaha. The veggies are good chewin, the noodles not so much. More like slurping.

But whether I chew or not, I try to get every meal to last at least 20 minutes, and I aim for 30. This means I'm slowing down and being mindful, which is extremely good. Stopping when full? Less than half of the time, I stop as soon as I feel full, but to be honest, I usually don't feel full before my plate is empty so...must be doing something right, eh? Chewing more thoroughly might be the answer, I guess.

And dropping the mindset of "polishing my plate". It's okay to toss the last few bites, or put aside half of a meal for another meal.
It's funny what the scale can do, isn't it? I always feel knowledge is power, so I like weighing daily--then those fluctuations don't throw me off so much because I know they aren't about fat gained or lost when they are that wild!

Love that you are seeing success with slowing down your meals, and even putting some back sometimes.
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Aug 15, 2016 2:54 pm

It was a terrific S weekend. Chocolate! yay! and I had my buttered popcorn for August yesterday, a nice big batch while I watched a movie "Song of the Sea" DELIGHTFUL movie. Sweet story based on Irish legends and folktales, about the Selkie and other faerie folk.

Other than the popcorn and chocolate, my eating was as usual. Didn't do seconds at all, and unless you count watermelon about a half hour after dinner, I didn't do snacks, either.

I've been creating a habit of yoga, and it's coming along. Me=couch potato. But I have my wonderful DDP Yoga which is life changing, and of course YouTube has lots of variety, and I just got done making up my own stretchy morning practice. After yoga, my whole body sort of buzzes. I love it.

Now, on to a week of N days. Yay!

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Mon Aug 15, 2016 7:37 pm

Terrific!
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:34 pm

doing well. Anticipating a big lunch out with my feller, I ate very small for brekkie, then did fill up nicely at lunchtime, and brought a small amount for dinner at work. I don't think I'll be hungry again today at all but if I am I have baby carrots, saltines, and homemade salsa.

I feel really good right now. I'm cruising along. No raving munchies this month, though I have other things going on.

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Post by Merry » Wed Aug 17, 2016 4:18 am

bunsofaluminum wrote:doing well. Anticipating a big lunch out with my feller,
Have fun!
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Thu Aug 18, 2016 2:54 pm

I chose to make yesterday a red day for one between meal snack: fresh baked bread. I made the mistake of baking early, so my bread came out after lunch, but well before dinner. Oh well. You bake bread, you gonna have some hot out of the oven, right?

Otherwise, a vanilla N day, except I got super stomachy after lunch. Not sure what caused it, because I didn't eat anything different from my usual. The bread? Or possibly a new variety of granola for breakfast? anyway, I had several hours of icky digestive distress and nausea. Not fun. I ate some candied ginger which took care of the nausea, and gave my stomach a rest for the night.

woke up today feeling just fine.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:02 pm

Excellent day today. Appetite fully cooperative, and feeling good, though I'm super ticked off about getting a visit from Cousin Charlotte this month...not since APRIL have I seen ole Charlotte. I am 55...how old will I be when I REALLY go into menopause? Sheesh. So I'm ticked, and thinking about doing some special treating tomorrow.

But, this being hormonally related, I know that could well change before tomorrow.

As it is, I am looking forward to my chocolate S days! yay!

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Sat Aug 20, 2016 10:48 am

:twisted: enjoy that chocolate!

I've eaten a whole packet of ginger cookies for lunch........................ I shall be laying down for most of the afternoon, with mugs of tea and a very thick book I'm reading! I'm post-menopausal, and I have to say, I am glad to be free of all that hormonal stuff - it's not easy is it!
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:55 pm

It was a good S weekend. I had something like the munchies all day Friday, thinking about having a boat load of regular potato chips...like, a bagful and eat them until they were all eaten. Because of hormones, I let it rest (also because it was not an S day) but then on Saturday, I did get to the grocery store after work and bought a medium bag of regular potato chips (not family size, but not "grab bag" size either)

Made a veggie burger with the works, and had potato chips with it, and then finished the bag. That was Saturday. On Sunday I had nachos, not just chips with slime sauce, but chips with refritos, guacamole, and pico AND slime sauce. The absolute junkiest thing I've eaten since those Reese's miniatures five years ago hahahaha.

It feels good to get back to normal-ish. Thinking I need to really start focusing on slowing things down when I eat, and stop when full. That's going to make a difference with my weight, while still maintaining/developing sanity with the No S method.

Stop when Full. Stop when Full. Stop when Full.

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Tue Aug 23, 2016 3:29 pm

Funny isn't it, how it's the 'junky' food we want at those times - my 'fill me up with happiness' food-jag is home-made oven fries with something like baked beans or veggie burgers - it's the fries - they just feel so BAD that they're GOOD!

:wink:

Anyway - back to the sanity of the N days - maybe you'll need a little more on your plate until the hormonal deluge has passed.

hug x
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Wed Aug 24, 2016 2:11 pm

Thanks for dropping by, Raw :) You know, they make junk foods addictive on purpose. It's true. Salt, fat, and sugar. Processed/packaged non-foods always have these in some combination, and they have formulations to combine the three in perfect balance for the maximum addictive powers.

Like crack. Or tobacco. Addictive, in the scientific sense. I'm so glad I never liked soda much, and fast food means nothing to me. I've always (over) eaten healthy, whole foods, made from scratch meals. And snacks. And seconds. pfft.

But I wanted to report a minor triumph yesterday. I sat down to lunch, a nice plate of a variety of foods, and ate slowly, chewing everything....and stopped with about 1/3 of my food still on my plate! I was full, and I knew I had a stretch between lunch and dinner where I wouldn't be snacking BUT I DIDN'T STUFF MYSELF SOLID! That, my friends, is a victory. :)

Here's to more meals like that. Monday and yesterday were a good balance to the junky stuff I ate on my S days. Today I'll make big batches of healthy stuff so I have it ready to eat for meals for a few days.

Oh, I also wanted to note: on my habitcal I've been tracking appetite. Looking at it in table view over the weeks since I started tracking it, I see it goes from lots of red (raving monster days) and yellow (many urges and complaints) to yellow and green (appetite no bother) to almost all green for the past week-ish.

And when I say no bother, what I mean is either I didn't hear from my stomach between meals, OR the stomach might grumble, but it doesn't bother me anymore. Which is a triumph, too, isn't it.

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Post by Merry » Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:38 pm

Awesome successes--congratulations! So important to celebrate victories like these.
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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Fri Aug 26, 2016 6:49 pm

Tracking appetite - that's an interesting way to use it - creative.

I've read David Kessler's book which opened my eyes to all that food science stuff - it's really immoral I think....... but knowing what's going on does help me resist it.
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Aug 29, 2016 2:06 pm

S days were good. What "S's" did I have...

Saturday: chocolate

Sunday: chocolate, fritos with lunch, and a bite to eat between lunch and dinner

I also ate quite late last night. Which might be why I had something at my usual Dinnertime.

Figured something out, too. Walnuts are not my friend. My usual breakfast is oatmeal. I put frozen berries in it, along with a few walnuts broken up, some brown sugar, sometimes a teaspoon of cocoa powder. But with summer, I put aside the oatmeal and started having granola for breakfast.

Well, something else happened...some IBS symptoms that I had been dealing with for a long time, stopped. I noticed, but along the lines of "huh, things are normal. Nice" but couldn't think why, or what I had done differently. Since becoming a veg head, IBS hasn't bothered me much at all, but recently it had gotten pretty bad. And then it was good, but I couldn't put a finger on it.

so, for a few weeks I was having granola or something else for breakfast, and didn't have oatmeal, and digestive issues had cleared up very nicely. But on Saturday I had my "oatmeal with the works" and WHEW! it got ugly that day. Intestinal problems, urgency, diarrhea...ugh. The only trigger food I had was the walnuts in my oatmeal.

going to test it. A week eating my normal diet, then I'll have an ounce of walnuts and see.

Here's to a terrific N week!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Aug 29, 2016 2:19 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Tracking appetite - that's an interesting way to use it - creative.

I've read David Kessler's book which opened my eyes to all that food science stuff - it's really immoral I think....... but knowing what's going on does help me resist it.

Doug Lisle has a book out called "The Pleasure Trap" which also goes into it a little bit, and I found a fascinating article online about the unholy trinity of salt, fat, and sugar AND marketing strategies that junk food manufacturers use. Ugh. Including stories of people who tried to step up, saying what needed to be said about public health...who then lost their jobs.

well anyway. Eating whole foods, you can avoid all of that. Buy ingredients, not box meals, at the store. Stay out of the freezer aisle...except for frozen veggies.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:25 pm

Things are going well. Today I got busy around the house and didn't think about lunch until I paused to take a breath and noticed I was feeling hungry...oh, lunchtime. Hm. That is a new one on me, because mostly I think about whether it is time for my next meal or not.

So, little by little, things are changing.

One thing I have thought of lately, is trying to reboot my appetite to a two meal a day thing. It took many weeks for things to settle down, appetite-wise, but now that the between meal munchies/urges are gone or to be ignored, I feel like I could start adjusting things so that I get hungry only twice a day. Not committed to this, just thinking about it, and possibly going to give it a try and see. If I ate at 10 and 5 ... whooo that's a long time between evening meal and morning meal. Hmmm.

anyway, things are going just fine. I ate a little too fast for lunch today and got too full. :( but...hey, how you gonna learn except by doing...including learn your lessons, eh?

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Sep 03, 2016 11:39 am

S Days Are Here :)

this weekend FOR SURE, the only "s" I have planned, or even WANT, is my dark chocolate. No snacks, no seconds. And I am so done with sweets, can't imagine having something sugary anymore than I could eat pork ribs...yuck.

My scale still hasn't budged, though I have watched it vacillate three or four pounds up, then back to my current weight...which I actually hate. Why can't it go down and back to my current weight?

Anywayzzzzz, looking forward to my "greenish" S days.

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Sat Sep 03, 2016 5:16 pm

bunsofaluminum wrote: One thing I have thought of lately, is trying to reboot my appetite to a two meal a day thing. ............... If I ate at 10 and 5 ... whooo that's a long time between evening meal and morning meal. Hmmm.
I find that when I'm not having to get up and go to work, I feel quite comfortable having a meal at about 11am and again around 6pm. In establishing N days, I do have a breakfast most days. But 7 hrs is very do-able - with drinks in between. Good luck with your experimenting. :)
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Sep 03, 2016 10:40 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:
bunsofaluminum wrote: One thing I have thought of lately, is trying to reboot my appetite to a two meal a day thing. ............... If I ate at 10 and 5 ... whooo that's a long time between evening meal and morning meal. Hmmm.
I find that when I'm not having to get up and go to work, I feel quite comfortable having a meal at about 11am and again around 6pm. In establishing N days, I do have a breakfast most days. But 7 hrs is very do-able - with drinks in between. Good luck with your experimenting. :)
Yeah, I no problem going seven hours during the day. Not that big a deal, truly. But between 6 pm and 11 am is like 17 hours...how is that? I think I might get pretty wobbly...shaky hands, what have you.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:10 pm

Oh mercy, Marcie! I'm trying that two meal a day thing and BAM am I ever hungry right now. About 3:00.

I had a little bit of watermelon about 7:00 a.m. and then staved off my morning meal until 11:00 and ate a large serving of chia pudding (yum. I will do that again. The liquid was half almond milk, half apple juice, and I put a little bit of salt, and half a teaspoon of cinnamon oh MAN was that good!) Topped it with some granola crumbles and half a cup of berries. It came to a good cup and a half of food, and I had a tomato samwich to finish off my lunch. sigh. Now I'm hungry. First appetite grief I've had in absolute ages. If I go on with this, I'll have to eat something a little heartier for my first meal.

It was really easy to get to a later hour in the day before having a meal. I felt moderately grumbly by 7:00 and had that watermelon, and I was good to go. And the food I did eat at 11 filled me up nicely. I wasn't stuffed, but nicely full.

well, we'll see. I think maybe chia is easily digested and I know better than trying to make a single veggie samwich get me thru til dinner. Tomorrow, I'll have something that sticks to my ribs better. Rice n beans or some such.

Also, looks like punkin seeds are out for me, along with walnuts. :( I love seeds and nuts. They have been a special treat for me since going low fat veg head. But I ate a double fistful (probably half a cup?) on Saturday night, and danged if it didn't hit me at work the next day. Phooey. But truly, not worth it. I was pretty sick. Nausea, diarrhea, and funky queasy for several hours in the afternoon. :?

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Post by e-lyn » Wed Sep 07, 2016 2:08 am

Bunso, sorry to hear that pumpkin seeds and walnuts are now off-limits for you. I have just a couple of things that I just don't seem to tolerate well. I would hate to add to that list!

I'm curious about your chia seed pudding. I have a recipe that is similar but no apple juice. Is that the only sweetener you used? I'm anxious to try it!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:19 am

e-lyn wrote:
I'm curious about your chia seed pudding. I have a recipe that is similar but no apple juice. Is that the only sweetener you used? I'm anxious to try it!
Three TBSP of chia seed to one cup of liquid, and I didn't have quite enough almond milk, so i did 1/2 c of almond milk and 1/2 c of apple juice. A TBSP of maple syrup for sweetening, a dash of salt and about a tsp of cinnamon...WOW did that make it good. let it coagulate overnight in the fridge and MMMMM how yummy!

Now for a Report on My Attempt at Two Meals a Day.

I got pretty hungry the day I tried it (Monday) and darned if it wasn't bad yesterday (the day AFTER the two meal day)...so I am back to three meals. I might try to go with two meals a day again, but for now, I need to stick to my no snack habit more than I need to reduce my daily eating events.

Going fat free lasted a day, too. :roll: I think No S has sort of given me "permission" to eat high fat foods. The biggy for me is chips. Plain salty fatty crispy bits, alongside a samwich. Chips of course are all fat and salt, empty calories. AND fat does me no good. I lose weight when I cut fat, and i gain when fat comes back in. So...

so this is an idea. I cut my popcorn back when I started No S'ing, so I have a batch once a month rather than every weekend (which was a cut back from every day)...what if I let the chips be something similar. One meal a week? One day a week? I wanted to go 21 days, starting on Sept 1, and have had chips twice or three times since, and butter on my toast a couple mornings ago. *sigh* Yeah... "permission"

because I gotta say, I am tired of the scale not budging, the clothes not fitting looser, the fat staying put. And I have been at this, and have not strayed, for many, many weeks.

come on, body. Let it go. You're not going to starve. I promise to feed you.

Honestly. Makes you want to go on a *shudder* diet. ew.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Sep 09, 2016 10:28 pm

Had an S day yesterday, as I had a lovely spur of the moment day trip out of state to visit an old friend. still, I didn't go too badly overboard. I ate a pile of grease sticks (Fries) and munched some popcorn on my drive home. Otherwise, normal.

Today my appetite is HATING ME. It has given me grief since lunch, and I had a hefty bean burrito and an apple. Plenty to eat. And right now, at least a half hour before dinnertime, it is howling. It feels like my very first day doing NoS and I'm in my fourth EFFING MONTH. I wish to HECK this would normalize. Not that I'm gonna cave...I am sitting at my desk at work, and no snacks in the vicinity hahaha but DAYUM.

anyway. No weight loss. Getting pretty tired of that, too. Never going to change how I do this though. Weight loss or no, the sanity with food is more than worth it.

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Post by e-lyn » Fri Sep 09, 2016 11:15 pm

Grease sticks...lol...but so good! I hope you enjoyed them and didn't let diet angst get you down too much.

Bunso, I'm in the same boat. Four months and no weight lost. On the plus side, no weight gained either. Small plates, lots of green days, and moderate food choices. I'm not going to rehash it here...you know the routine. But I agree with you, food sanity is of primary importance. And right now it's the only thing standing between me and the latest 'diet'. I mentioned in my thread that NoS is like a safety net for me and keeps me from taking a plunge. I plan to keep on this way through the end of the year and then consider 'tweaking' something.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:12 pm

e-lyn thanks for dropping by. I think I'll follow your example and go to the end of the year before tweaking things, though I am going to get back to serious with the low fat part of the McDougalling that I've been doing for seven years. When I eat fat, even chips as part of a meal, I gain weight. That's all there is to it. We'll see what I decide to do about other things, in January, eh?

Meanwhile, I did something yesterday that I haven't done in a while, and that is: ate late. I had popcorn after work, thinking it would be a meal. Nope. I left me utterly unsatisfied, so an hour or so later I made some food and ate it, so that when I went to bed there was still food in my stomach. Not that I ate RIGHT before bedtime, but it was still in there digesting. It wasn't comfy. I won't do it again.

Normal S days other than that late-ish eating. No seconds on anything, and popcorn as a snack. Of course my chocolate :)

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:44 pm

Hi! It's probably not that helpful to compare ourselves, but I find that I feel 'hungrier' on S days when I kind of 'know' I'm allowed to have snacks (and eat differently, as you obviously do). My S days are moving more towards being 'heavy' N days - with foods that have more fat - even if that's just cheese-on-toast, or roast potatoes, and a dessert - even it that's just a creamy, fruity yoghurt, or a single cookie, or some chocolate.

I've also experienced over-doing it on an S day and feeling terrible in the night - so that stops me now! At the weekend, for example, I fancied seconds of my dinner, but I didn't because I didn't want to be over-stuffed!
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:46 pm

RAWCOOKIE wrote:Hi! It's probably not that helpful to compare ourselves, but I find that I feel 'hungrier' on S days when I kind of 'know' I'm allowed to have snacks
Oh this hits the nail on the head. when I know I "can" or "may"...I do. and yes, the little cravings and hunger pangs come back worse on Saturday and Sunday. Oof.

Now, I've been at this for about three months, and haven't lost anything. In fact, I have gained (but I know that is from using almond milk on granola for pretty much every breakfast this past couple of months...40 calories per serving, and 30 of those are fat cals? argh!)

I know it is permitted to have whatever we want as long as it is on one plate at mealtime, but I think, as easy as it is for me to gain weight when I eat foods high in fat, I need to limit myself on those. No more "sandwich and chips"...

And that said, I also have decided to drop almond milk. I've been eating granola this summer rather than hot cereal like oatmeal, and with the granola, almond milk. And I've gained two lbs. So...back to oatmeal, which is fine. We are going into Autumn in the states, so a warm filling brekkie will do me good, and I have GOT TO start losing. I can't gain...it's ridiculous that I am in this spot...again...after at least five years under the "obese" range...to be back in that category pisses me off...and to have about three months of NoS under my belt and GAINED two lbs?

Not. Good. :x

So yeah, NoS "allows" anything as long as it is on a plate at mealtime but the low fat, whole foods, starch based plant diet that I have thrived on, and lost 55 lbs and overall kept it off is what works for me. Why should I add tortilla chips just because it is part of a meal? Especially if that kind of thing puts the pounds on? I can follow McDougall with NoS, and that's what I'm going to do.

Enough is Enough.

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Post by osoniye » Thu Sep 15, 2016 9:48 am

bunsofaluminum wrote:I can follow McDougall with NoS, and that's what I'm going to do. Enough is Enough.
Sounds like that is a good plan that will work well for you!!
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:19 pm

Oof, yesterday.

We went to a friend's house for bbq, arriving at 6:00. I was a bit hungry by then, but figured I could wait another hour. But, we sat around and chatted for an hour, then heated up the grill, then a half hour cooking, etc. IOW, we didn't start dinner until 7:00, and I didn't eat until 8:00. Three ish hours past my usual dinnertime and I was SO HUNGRY....

and there were potato chips out in a bowl. And I had some. Had quite a few, actually. If I had known dinner was going to be so late, I would have had an apple at 5:30 or so, it would have held me and I would have been hungry again by dinnertime, but as it was, I was completely empty and couldn't resist the chips.

So I know not to get that hungry. It was really bad.

but! dinner was perfect. I made sure not to take too much on my plate. I had the MOST delicious grilled Portabella mushroom cap and several grilled zucchini halves, a spoonful of potato salad, and a serving of green beans. I stopped when full, and went to bed a few hours later, my stomach in a normal state. Where I thought I would be too full, as happens when I eat as late as I did...looks like stopping when full is a good thing.

but I'm still calling it a red day. Potato chips?

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Post by Merry » Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:33 am

Sounds like a delicious meal and fun with friends! I'd probably have ended up red too...I do love potato chips! Or would have planned it as an NWS day.

Tomorrow's a new day!
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.
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Sep 16, 2016 3:08 pm

Okay, some pretty good news on the scale front (yes, I know...stupid scale is stupid) BUT...after the numbers have been stuck at a 2 lb gain over the past several weeks, and I gave up almond milk a week ago, today shows one lb down.

Yes, this is probably just a normal fluctuation, but it still looks really good after sitting at one weight for so long.

which brings me to a thought I had about fat vs sugar. Right now the "big news" is that the sugar industry fudged/bribed/lied about the role of fat in illnesses. The claim is that the sugar industry pushed a false notion that fat is dangerous, and we've believed it all these decades, eating low fat but ignoring sugar.

First of all, where did this idea come from that anyone thinks sugar is okay? In the 70's, when I first started noticing or listening to "diet advice", giving up sweets and fats was THE advice.

Sweets. And. Fats.

If you wanted to lose weight, these and breads were the biggies to eliminate, right? Am I misremembering?

Then, in the 90's fat was THE big enemy. Remember fat free mayo? Fat free butter? That oleo stuff they were frying potato chips in, that caused major intestinal distress? ANYTHING, including freaking anti freeze ingredients, was better than actual FAT. And people didn't lose weight ...BECAUSE... sugar and refined carbs were being packed into refined foods, to make up for the fat that had been removed.

key word: REFINED. Guaranteed, if people had been replacing their fats with just...fat free whole foods,

Because I rebelled against the notion of "anything but actual fat" and because whole foods has always been the center of my eating, I ate predominantly whole foods, made from scratch at home, and didn't skimp on the fat. Real butter. Lard. Because, hey, at least these were real fats, not chemical substitutes, right? And I gained. Mind you, eating hardly any refined ingredients at all.

Fast forward to this past several months. I ditched sweets completely within the first week of NoS'ing. Haven't had a piece of candy, cookie, cake, pie, or any other dessert, even on S days, since mid-June. And haven't lost weight. Hmmm, no sugar (other than the TBSP of brown sugar once in a while in my oatmeal) and I haven't lost?

At the same time, I gave myself "Permission" to eat chips and other salty, crispy, fatty treats with meals or on S days. Didn't gain, mind you, but I didn't lose, either. Whole foods, MOSTLY low fat, with the occasional fatty treat, NO SWEETS and my weight stayed the same.

Then with summer, I wanted cold breakfast so I started having granola with almond milk...and put on two lbs that really stayed. Almond milk is 40 cals per serving, and 30 of those are fat calories, so it's high fat, right? like 75% fat.

Quit the almond milk and the scale goes down a lb in a week?

Anyway, just thinking aloud. Eliminating sugar did NOT cause me to lose an ounce, while eating the higher fat stuff ONCE IN A WHILE did not cause me to gain BUT adding a high fat ingredient every day DID cause me to gain, and eliminating it has brought the scale down one lb in a hurry.

What does this tell me? that sugar actually DOESN'T effect weight gain or loss, while fat does. ??? And, I think that though the sugar industry probably DID influence the direction of so called studies back in the day, people who are saying that fat isn't bad for us, are wrong. Refined fats are bad for us. So is sugar. But I think fat is worse. At any rate, it shows up pretty quick for me. Of course, overeating is the biggest culprit, but if sugar was a problem for me, surely I would have lost something in the many weeks of zero sweets and very low added sugar along with no snacking or seconds.

Now to get really serious about the fats, and see if the weight will go down.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Sep 17, 2016 3:15 pm

S day. Going to be pretty much just like an N day, only with chocolate.

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Post by Jen1974 » Sun Sep 18, 2016 2:46 pm

I have been thinking about your take on how your body responds to fat & how different it is from my take on how my body responds. When my husband had high blood pressure I started really watching salt & fat in our diet. I made things mostly with chicken, didn't choose meals with added cheese. Only had skim milk around the house, things like that. It meant that I ate very little fat, not to lose weight but just as a product of what food was in the house. I was hungry all the time & ended up 10 pounds, 5 pounds more than my normal high. I added in as much fat to my diet as I could & quit worrying about what fat was in dinners becuase his blood pressure was back down & dropped the 10 pounds because I wasn't hungry all the time anymore. The fat I eat is in whole milk yogurt, cheese, whole milk, cream in my coffee, & red meat. It goes to show there is no right way for everyone!! That's the best thing about No S is that you can make the things that work for you fit into it!!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 19, 2016 3:37 pm

Yeah Jen, I really think every body is a bit different. From my observations, the most important factor is how a person is with FOOD, overall. Slender people put their forks down between bites, stop when full, don't eat if they are not hungry, and don't have food in front of them for every and all occasions (such as watching TV or reading) OTOH, they also DO NOT DIET. I don't know a single naturally slender person who has ever restricted themselves from any type of food. Fact of the matter is, for slender people, food is just a part of their lives. They might even really LOVE food, possibly even be a foodie, but eating is simply not their be-all and end-all.

Fat people...go on diets (a very food centric behavior), eat "just one more little serving", think what is going to be for their next meal as soon as the current one is over, get popcorn every time they go to the movies, snarf as fast as they can (...so, you start feeling full at 20 minutes? I'm going to eat as fast as I can to shovel ALL THE MORE FOOD IN before my stomach gets the hint) Eat fast, eat while doing other things, eat more than enough, eat for non-hunger reasons...food, food, food. We don't even enjoy food as much, IMO.

Food is the epicenter of a fat person's life, and that is all there is to it. Not fat shaming, believe me. I'm fat, and the scale is up three lbs this morning which just bothers the heck out of me. I'm six pounds from the weight I was when I started McDougalling and I HATE THAT. I don't like it that I am gaining weight with NoS, but I love it that I am firmly established in the habits of NoS. Not snacking, not overstuffing with seconds, and not eating sweets is GOOD, and I will never change it.

But what do I need to do, to start the scale moving? Behave like a slender person...eat slowly, enjoy my food, stop when full. THAT I know...I know KNOW KNOW is the "tweak" that is most needed.


Okay, report on my S days. Saturday was exactly what I aimed for: overall N day with chocolate. And Sunday was more an S day, because we had a family get together with a potato bar, and instead of having dessert, I had seconds. I also put cheese on, which I don't usually eat. There was Wendy's chili, but I don't eat meat so I just spooned some of the liquid over my potatoes, which gave me the flavor.

I was feeling a little bit guilty, because it was high-ish in fat, but it *was* an S day, and I really didn't overdo it. Certainly didn't overeat. I stopped when full, etc. And had a marvelous visit with Wylie's relatives whom he hasn't seen in eight years.

It was a pretty terrific day, and the two of us continued on with the reminiscing, Wylie really opening up about his childhood for the first time since we hooked up. We don't have many long, endless conversations, but we did last night and it was lovely. A good S day.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Sep 20, 2016 4:20 am

Did good today. Since I slept in until almost 9:00, I ate only an apple at about 10:00 to get me to lunch. A light lunch of hashbrowns, sauted zucchini and eggs cooked overeasy in one of those copper pans...it works. No fat needed. And dinner was a moderate serving of a steel cut oat savory dish, one of my favorites.

Appetite surge quite early in my afternoon, but it went away with a cup of tea. Feeling empty right now, late at night, but that will go away too. One thing, I had a couple of potatoes nuked from earlier today, and I had a nudge of temptation to just go ahead and have one, but I didn't.

I'll drink my Tension Tamer Tea and hit the hay.

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Post by e-lyn » Tue Sep 20, 2016 4:26 am

I like the days where NoS comes relatively easily...without so much struggle, guilt, or feelings of deprivation. And not having to use all of our willpower reserves just to get through the day without a fail. Have some tea and enjoy your success!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:12 pm

triumph! a little spat with my BF and didn't want to eat, because I had jut had lunch and didn't need food! even though the emotion was right up there. Yay me!

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Post by Merry » Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:13 am

bunsofaluminum wrote:triumph! a little spat with my BF and didn't want to eat, because I had jut had lunch and didn't need food! even though the emotion was right up there. Yay me!
Sorry you had a spat, but good for you for not jumping into emotional eating after!
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.
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:34 am

Merry wrote:
bunsofaluminum wrote:triumph! a little spat with my BF and didn't want to eat, because I had jut had lunch and didn't need food! even though the emotion was right up there. Yay me!
Sorry you had a spat, but good for you for not jumping into emotional eating after!
Right? It is a first for me, that's for sure. Too bad for the spat or any other negative thing...I am learning I don't need to eat for any of it.

News on the scale front: Down FOUR pounds this morning. After many days stuck, and even back up again from losing one lb a week ago, FINALLY I see a significant drop. It's been a real good week, with compliance on NoS and compliance on McDougalling so maybe things are starting to move. I guess we'll see.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:08 pm

Yeah, the scale moved back up two lbs. Honestly.

Otherwise, doing good. I count yesterday as a red day, because I baked banana bread and ate a few slices in the mid morning hours. It was a snack, and maybe a sweet, because the recipe does have sugar in it, though i wouldn't count it as a dessert. For instance, this morning I'm eating some for breakfast because it really isn't super sweet. Not desserty.

anyway. Red day for snacking. No added fat in anything that I ate, btw. The banana bread is a no added fat recipe. And I want to try it with a non refined sweetener, such as date paste. First, to get some dates and make date paste hahahaha. But dates are packed with sugar, so making treats with date paste might actually work.

Oh! big news...my appetite has really not bothered me in quite some time. I even spent a long stretch on Monday not thinking about food, and my stomach quiet. Nice. :)

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Thu Sep 29, 2016 12:52 pm

Ugh two red days in a row. I baked banana bread, and couldn't keep it out of my mouth. I also went out to eat for lunch, and ate some high fat foods yesterday. YUMMY food, and I'm not counting it as non No S, because it was a meal. But dayum...rich fare. And, credit where due, I stopped when full :) and brought at least half of my food home.

Sanity today and tomorrow, and I still have some overripe bananas so I'll save my baking until Saturday.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Sep 30, 2016 11:52 am

Fasting today. It feels like my digestive tract needs a full on break from food. It's a work day, so I won't be around food. Should be okay, now that i have months of practice not worrying about the signals my body sends. And it'll be good to experience actual hunger.

UPDATE

I went without food today until I got home from work at a little after five, where I broke my fast with watermelon. I ate a smallish serving of soup and two Rye Crisp crackers and felt completely satisfied.

Now, here is the slip up....fixed my BF pancakes and eggs when he got home at 7:00, and I picked up one and actually took a bite, thinking "I have only had about 600 calories today, so it's okay to have a little something" then caught myself and tossed the rest. By counting calories, I felt permitted to eat a snack, even though I wasn't hungry and hello? plain ole pancakes made with Bisquick? NOT worth copping a red day, in the slightest.

Doesn't it happen fast,, the diet thinking. SMH.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:04 am

ha! I did it. This is how my September looked. Two red days (banana bread) and one special day (great friend in town after two years)...so I feel a little bit better about those two red days.


:arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cool:
:cool: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cool: :mrgreen: :cool:
:cool: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cool:
:cool: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cool:
:cool: :mrgreen: :oops: :oops: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:09 am

Cool!

We seem to have a lot in common food-wise.

I had four chocolate-chip cookies for Saturday's 'breakfast' - sugar, fat, flour - :twisted:
Just wrote a long blog about it. Toast and marmalade was on my plan. The cookies tripped me up!

And, yes, even sugar-free, fat-free cakes are still 'cakes' according to my brain - I get just as much craving to eat them as I do the sugar-fat ones. Still, I console myself, they are hopefully a bit less damaging!
I love Everyday Systems :3

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Post by kaalii » Sat Oct 01, 2016 10:48 am

that is a really nice september, bunsofaluminium!
congratulations!!
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Body Fat %: 17.6
in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Oct 03, 2016 2:55 pm

Pretty good S days. Had LUSCIOUS amazing chocolate...I finally caved and bought a really expensive bar of ultra dark Brazilian rain forest chocolate. OH MY WORD...the absolute best chocolate I ever put in my mouth. It was aromatic and warm smelling, dark rich coffee and smoke flavored. The bitter components stayed on the back of my tongue just right. SO good. It was almost $8.00 for one 2.7 oz bar and yes, it was worth it. I was completely satisfied, replete with chocolate, with about one fourth of the bar. Didn't need OR want more. So, in two days I had half the bar...yay! saving the other half for my next S days.

Besides having chocolate, on Saturday I had seconds...two veggie burgers with the works...and on Sunday I snacked...banana bread after dinner. Oh...popcorn before dinner heh. Hey, it sounded good and it was an S day so....

Now back to N days and three meals.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:12 pm

oops...looks like today is a red day. my BF started a crockpot full of chili last night, and this morning it was done. I had a taste "with" breakfast, but then when I went in the kitchen to start getting ready for work at about 9:30, I had several mouthfuls. It is schmecklig but those several bites were snacking. I caught myself but still...

And chocolate is on my mind. I'm thinking I may change my chocolate days to my days off, because who wants to be sitting in their cubicle when enjoying such an amazing treat? I work Sat and Sun, so they *are* S days. I would keep them as S days, but thinking possibly that chocolate doesn't belong in my gray little cubicle.

OTOH, having that delectable treat at work is a boost in a tedious job. What to do.

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Post by osoniye » Wed Oct 05, 2016 8:42 am

Why not switch your S days to your days off? It is a mod, but I think it would be a reasonable one.
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:27 pm

Hi osoniye....
osoniye wrote:Why not switch your S days to your days off? It is a mod, but I think it would be a reasonable one.
I thought about this at the beginning, but knew that I'd be inclined to just make my "s" days non stop munching since I'd be at home or other places where I would have access to food. On Sat and Sun at my work desk, I can't just get up and open the fridge. Now that Ive been at it for a while, I think I could handle S days at home. But I also don't mind having my S days as they are...I still can have my "S" treats after work, right? and usually it's really minimal. A second once in a while, popcorn before dinner now and then. and chocolate...

As it is, today I decided "yes" on the chocolate, because hormones. So I'm having a mug of tea and a couple squares of extra dark chocolate and breathing, and maybe starting to feel better. I might or might not have it on my days off. But right now it is just what I needed so I'm glad I had some.

On the Scale Front: the two lbs down is really sticking. It is my new weight, and this morning it looks like hovering on the "going down" side. :) Finally! My body seems to be releasing some poundage.

It would be interesting to see a graph of my weight. I gained two lbs pretty quick after starting, then weeks later lost four in a flash. Then two back up where I've stuck for a long time...and now those two are gone again, and staying gone :) Weight fluctuates by two or three lbs a day, right? and now the fluctuations are looking like the new weight is the "two lbs up" which makes me happy.

And I love that I'm listening to my body, not eating if I am not hungry, and giving it all a rest between meals. It's a great place to be.

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Post by LifeisaBlessing » Fri Oct 07, 2016 5:11 pm

bunsofaluminum wrote: It would be interesting to see a graph of my weight. I gained two lbs pretty quick after starting, then weeks later lost four in a flash. Then two back up where I've stuck for a long time...and now those two are gone again, and staying gone :) Weight fluctuates by two or three lbs a day, right? and now the fluctuations are looking like the new weight is the "two lbs up" which makes me happy.
Hi buns! :)

Thanks for stopping by my check in yesterday! :) Your graph comment made me remember a recommendation I gave on here to cedar on her check in thread back in June. I'm copying and pasting it here:

There is an old book that discusses tracking your weight loss using a graph system--"Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week." Here's an Amazon link to it if you're interested:

https://www.amazon.com/Total-Fitness-30 ... tes+a+week

It was originally published in the mid-70s, written by the person who designed fitness programs for NASA for their astronauts to keep in shape in space. While some of the fitness advice is a bit dated, I do like Morehouse's approach to tracking weight loss. It gives a nice visual and lets you know where you stand each day. He suggests losing no more than 1 pound a week, and tracking it with a graph. Weight is the y-axis, time is the x-axis. Draw a straight line between your start weight and goal weight. Weighing yourself daily, you ideally would want to be on or somewhere very near the line. Too far above it? Eat less the next day. Too far below it? Eat more the next day. His point is that keeping your weights close to the line will ensure that you aren't losing too quickly, or are going off the rails altogether by straying too far above the line.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it definitely gives you quick feedback! :)
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

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Post by RAWCOOKIE » Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:05 pm

bunsofaluminum wrote:Hi osoniye....
osoniye wrote:Why not switch your S days to your days off? It is a mod, but I think it would be a reasonable one.
I thought about this at the beginning, but knew that I'd be inclined to just make my "s" days non stop munching since I'd be at home or other places where I would have access to food. .............I also don't mind having my S days as they are...I still can have my "S" treats after work, right? and usually it's really minimal. A second once in a while, popcorn before dinner now and then. and chocolate...
I held back from commenting on the 'swop your S days' suggestion, but now that you've replied, I can say that I agree with you about not swopping them. I often work weekends, and I enjoy it because it means I can have some little treats at work - like chocolate with my lunch, and look forward to something treat-worthy when I get home, or for a 'big breakfast' of some kind.
I love Everyday Systems :3

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:41 pm

Thanks Blessing :)

okay, I just ordered that book for one cent plus $3.99 shipping. It might be interesting to read his take on fitness, since I'm such a couch potato. :) and the tracking my poundage will be fun for a while.

RAWCOOKIE, yeah I like things the way they are. Trying to get thru all my work days with no chocolate...no thanks! considering, I used to eat chocolate every day while at work...

Speaking of fitness in a hurry, I'm doing a 30 day plank challenge, starting with 20 seconds, and working up to the six minute mark. SIX MINUTES! ack! today was 45 seconds and I felt it, believe me! whew! however, I felt it, IYKWIM. Like, my arms and thighs even felt tighter, and when I contract my abs, I can still feel them. Not a bad feeling.

On the appetite front...this "time of month" is so stupid in the appetite category. I knew as soon as I was done with my hearty bowl of oatmeal that there would be appetite grief, and there has been. I got super hungry by about 9:30, and it didn't just dwindle away like it usually does...it hung on for an hour, off and on. Thankfully, my tea at work is usually good to quiet things down, and it did, and I survived until lunch.

But even after a big helping of marinara over penne pasta, I can tell it isn't enough. BLargh. this is my absolute least favorite PMS symptom and I wish it would just quit.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:40 pm

S days were good. I had chocolate both days, and seconds for lunch on Saturday and normal meals on Sunday.

My big victory was yesterday (Monday) which was very high stress, Big Time. I wanted to get out the chocolate...but didn't. Wanted to eat all the food, all day long...but didn't.

I DID OVEREAT, mind you. I had one apple for brekkie, and a plate of food PLUS a half sandwich ON THE SAME PLATE for lunch, and for dinner, a bowl of soup with nine (9) cornmeal muffins. All in one "serving"

so you see, I ate TOO MUCH FOOD, but I did it all within my meals, which I am super proud of. Considering how much I wanted to munch away my misery, yeah. A triumph. :)

And because I ate so much for dinner, I wasn't hungry this morning. Not even a single hunger pang until after 11:00. And it was very mild. I decided not to eat lunch, since it was just a little bump, not REALLY hungry. Now I am, mid afternoon...gawrsh...empty, and sugar headache etc. But I'll either eat at dinner time, or not. Sometimes I like to give my digestive tract a break for a day.

And along those same lines, I saw a hack of eating only two meals a day. Generally I'm not hungry in the mornings until about 10:30, and I know I could hang on until an early lunch at about 11 or 11:30 and then a second meal at 6:00 or 6:30. Eat a little bigger, but maybe not that much...for two meals a day. That might start the fat loss.

ah, we'll see. Seems like a good mod for No S. Probably depends on me, on a day by day basis.

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Post by lpearlmom » Wed Oct 12, 2016 3:28 am

Great job buns! It's feels so much better to stick to meals big meals or not. Seems like there's a few ppl who skip breakfast as a form of IF on here. Seems doable!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:18 pm

Yes! it feels good to count a day as successful SIMPLY because I stuck to the three S's. No shame...no fretting over eating "too much" bread.


so, I'm trying something. I wasn't hungry on Tuesday morning, so I decided not to have brekkie. My first little nudge of hunger didn't come until 11:30, and it wasn't fierce enough for me to actually eat, so I didn't. In fact, on Tuesday I didn't have anything until dinnertime, about 5:00, and that was light...a butternut squash soup OH SO DELICIOUS!...

When I stepped on the scale next day, I was down by 1.5 lbs. Nice. And, weighing Weds and Thurs mornings, that 1.5 lbs STAYED GONE! :shock:

Now, recently I saw a celeb interview, someone who has taken off quite a few pounds, and his "secret" was fasting twice a week. When asked what he does on his non food days, he said "I look at food recipes online" hahahaha

anyway, that gave me the idea: not eating until dinnertime on Tuesdays and Fridays. I wanted to try and make it all day on Tuesday, and not eat until breakfast Weds morning, but I got pretty low blood sugary, so I decided a light dinner for that day.

Today is Friday, and I'm going to try and go for it again. Twice a week? nothing at all until dinner, and then, a nice light meal? Hmmm. Let's see what happens. I think I'm going to aim for doing this until the end of the year. That's about 10 weeks. Maybe I'll drop some weight. Wouldn't that be nice.

and of course, continuing with vanilla No S. I like it. :)

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:55 pm

Mmm, I love S days because...CHOCOLATE! Read the label on a good dark chocolate (the best IMO is 85% cocoa) and especially look at the carb section, under fiber. The bar that I have open on my desk right now has 6g of fiber (SIX!!!) which is 24%. When I am looking for a food high in fiber, I aim for 5g/20% and not only that, but the fiber in cacao interacts with our gut microbes and creates a fermentation that is very beneficial, or so I've read. But it has to be high cocoa, which is why I choose 85%.

There are several grocery stores in town that carry high end super dark chocolate, and I try to get a new variety each week. I have a couple of "must haves" when I select. After all, I'm not just grabbing the nearest Hershey bar with almonds, and really even Dove...nah.

I want to choose chocolate that is not exploitative. Fact is, little children are often put to extreme hard labor to bring cocoa down from the trees, and carry huge heavy loads day in and day out. I refuse to buy from any company that uses this "labor force" so my first must have is a little icon "Fair Trade". This leaves out even the superior chocolates of Lindt (which was my favorite) and of course, cheap easy chocolate...out!

Then, organic is important. I'm not a huge crunchy "organic and nothing but organic" type, but it does make a difference in flavor for any food, but even moreso in chocolate. And frankly, organic crops are so much better for the soil, at the very least.

So far, though G&B 85% remains my VERY favorite chocolate EVER, I have found that Endangered Species Chocolate 88% (which I am having as I type...yum...SO SO SO GOOD.) It is creamy and rich. mmm. And reasonable, as far as price is concerned.

Weighing the pleasure of over the top excellence in taste, against the higher cost (there are 2 oz chocolate bars out there for $9.00...haven't gone there. Yet.)

Okay, my favorites that I have tried so far not in any real order, but I will put G&B on the top. All of these are 85% cocoa or more.

Green&Black Organic...fruity, creamy, quickly coating the tongue
Trader Joe's Chocolate...smoky, hints of coffee, creamy
Endangered Species...earthy, rich, note of bitter at the end. Lovely aftertaste that lingers.
Dagoba...another fruity bar with a rich creamy texture

AMMA, an organic from Brazil, grown sustainably inside the rain forest...the most expensive bar yet, at $7.45, but it is EASILY the best chocolate I have ever put in my mouth. It was a treat to even open the wrapper, and the aroma! then the amazing texture even to the touch, and the explosion of coffee, earth, smoke, grape? when I put it in my mouth!

there are others, but I can't put my finger on names. Thankfully, a local grocer is committed to artisanal *everything* and has a wide variety of these organic, super dark, fair trade chocolates, so I have a dealer for my weekly fix. ;)

At this level of cocoa, just a few squares is very satisfying, even hunger abating. I can eat 1/3 a bar and still feel satisfied hours later. And the flavor...in every brand, it lingers, and you want to savor it, that little hint of bitter at the back of the tongue for a long time after having some. If I do eat 1/3 a bar, it takes an hour or more, because I'm always letting it sit there and melt, and then holding on to the flavor for a long time before having more...oooh yummy.

mmm mmm. Yes I do love my S days, my chocolate days.

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sat Oct 15, 2016 10:43 pm

I really like Green and Black too (one of the very few Fair Trade chocolates we could find in our smaller city--no Trader Joe's here!). I've never been able to acquire the taste for 85% though.
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

bunsofaluminum
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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Oct 17, 2016 4:23 pm

Hi merry

For some reason, the super dark has never been a problem for me. In fact, the less cocoa, such as 72%, is much too sweet.

Okay, my S days are over, and I'm kinda glad. Saturday especially felt out of control and i didn't like it. I ate a snack (popcorn) and seconds (two veg burgers w/the works)...and it wasn't all that enjoyable though everything tasted good.

Sunday I had some sweet potato chips with dinner YUM. So so good. I had two veg burgers again, so it was a lot of food at one sitting, but I only ate two meals on Sunday. One reasonable, and one pretty large.

Now on to some normal N days, and thank goodness.

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Fri Oct 21, 2016 3:21 pm

Feeling frustrated about the scale today. I have decided I am going to fast on Tuesdays and Fridays, not eating until dinnertime (thus going 24 hours without food)...on Tuesday I fasted and ate a very light meal at dinnertime, a cup of butternut soup and a few rye crackers. And an apple.

On Wednesday, I wasn't very hungry so I just had an apple in the morning, and ate pho soup for lunch, and a pretty big dinner (too much food, to be frank)

Thursday (yesterday) again I wasn't hungry in the morning, so just an apple. And I got busy with my son and his family, so I didn't get to lunch until about 1:30, which is upwards of two hours beyond my usual 11:30 ish lunchtime. And I ate reasonably. I was really hungry, but found myself satisfied with toast and eggs. And a bowl of not-cheese sauce with veggie sticks and tortilla chips that I couldn't finish, for dinner.

IOW, pretty much all week I've been eating quite light, and two of those days under 700 calories for the whole day...and the freaking scale has NOT BUDGED. Honestly, today it is really bothering me. I felt like crying when I saw not even a little bit of down...in fact, if anything, it's sitting more on the "upward" side of the weight I've been stuck at forever.

Let's see here. I need to do some math. I was at (blank) when I started, and dropped four lbs in the first little while. Then that came back up, to my start weight. Then I gained two. Then I lost those, and have been hovering at the "low side" of my starting weight for a long time. Sometimes it is one lb lower, sometimes it is just a nudge higher, and most days it is right where I started ALL THESE FREAKING WEEKS AGO.

Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest. I'm not going to change from doing No S, but I wonder what else I need to do to start seeing some pounds drop.



:? feeling discouraged

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sat Oct 22, 2016 4:02 am

I'm sorry. I would be frustrated too.

This might be a long-shot but how's your sleep? I have noticed on both previous diets and with No-S, that if I am cutting corners on sleep, I can't lose weight for anything.
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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Post by lpearlmom » Sat Oct 22, 2016 4:20 am

I'm so sorry buns! Sometimes that scale is just a big liar! I remember feeling frustrated in the past about the scale not moving and rawcookie said something about the scale has to catch up w our bodies sometimes. Low & behold the following week I dropped a few pounds.

Hang in there your body will eventually get the clue. It's frustrating though, I agree!

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

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Oct 22, 2016 12:11 pm

hey Merry and Linda

thanks for dropping by. Merry, you might have something there. sleep. I tend to go to bed too late, and am a morning person...some days I wake up and can't get back to sleep at 5:00 am. I think I'll work on getting eight hours every night and see if that moves things.

This morning I am down one full pound, but that is after a fasting day. We'll see.

Today is an S day and that means...chocolate! woo hoo!

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Post by ModBod » Sat Oct 22, 2016 4:27 pm

Hi Buns, Can I just echo Linda saying not to pay too much attention to the scale? I think if you keep under-eating (700 calories isn't enough long-term) then you might find it 'comes back to bite you' with crazy/uncontrollable eating being the result. That's a cycle many people can end up on and it's emotionally destructive - I have been there!

The best thing to do, in my humble opinion! - is to just establish the 3 meal habit, eating really nourishing food consistently. Do it to be kind to yourself. The weight will come off eventually if you do that and add in exercise.

Maybe just go on how your clothes feel and leave the scale alone for a while? Allow it to take a couple of months rather than getting obsessed with daily fluctuations?

Whatever you decide to do, do it to love and respect yourself, not punish yourself. You are so much more than the number on a scale. All the best.
I'm looking to lose about 12lbs...
31.09: 65.7kg/144.8lbs, BMI-25.7!
14.10: 64.9kg/143lbs, BMI - 25.4!

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Sat Oct 22, 2016 5:13 pm

Hi ModBod...thanks. Good words!
ModBod wrote:Hi Buns, Can I just echo Linda saying not to pay too much attention to the scale? I think if you keep under-eating (700 calories isn't enough long-term) then you might find it 'comes back to bite you' with crazy/uncontrollable eating being the result. That's a cycle many people can end up on and it's emotionally destructive - I have been there!
Oh, that 700 calorie thing is on my "fasting days" which I am doing for health/detox reasons, twice a week. On Tuesday and Friday, I skip breakfast and lunch, and eat a light dinner (Surprisingly, I don't go overboard for dinner, even after going without for brekkie and lunch.) That's where the 700 comes in. I only do that twice a week. Otherwise, I'm eating at least 2000 calories a day, three squares.

The best thing to do, in my humble opinion! - is to just establish the 3 meal habit, eating really nourishing food consistently. Do it to be kind to yourself.
heh, probably five months of being consistent, with about a half dozen red days in all that time, does establish the habit for me. I've been going at it steadily, and not regretting it in any way, since mid May.

The weight will come off eventually if you do that and add in exercise.


Exercise. That's one thing I've been less committed to. Ankle pain is my excuse, but recently I've begun adding a little bit to every day, such as parking on the second floor of the parking garage and walking up to my entrance on the fourth floor. On the days my ankle hurts, marching in place or spending some time with plank pose or other yoga. etc. Standing up at my desk at work, etc. yesterday putting away my large cast iron skillet, I did a round of "shovel glove" moves. That was fun.
Maybe just go on how your clothes feel and leave the scale alone for a while? Allow it to take a couple of months rather than getting obsessed with daily fluctuations?


Nah, I can't do it this way, because I take absolutely forever to drop pounds. This is what happens, EVERY time: I go a week or two, or a month, between weighing, and build myself up with how great I'm doing, then step on the scale to see that it hasn't budged. I used to weigh every day, then stopped, then started again with No S, and I'm going to keep that up. I have to. Besides, my clothes aren't fitting loose either so...
Whatever you decide to do, do it to love and respect yourself, not punish yourself. You are so much more than the number on a scale. All the best.
thanks again :) Yesterday was a disappointing day, scale wise, but I felt so good after skipping food for the day, and this morning things had moved downward again so...but you're right. The scale is actually the least reliable measure of all. Ultimately, food sanity, appetite control, self-discipline, and such are all so much more important than weight loss. I'm overall so pleased with No S, even if I don't lose weight (but they tell me I will, and I have...remember the four lbs down, two lbs up? Well, that means I've lost two pounds doing this, right?

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Post by bunsofaluminum » Mon Oct 24, 2016 1:51 pm

awesome S days, like regular N days, with extra dark chocolate! ha!

Also, my energy levels are tremendous. I've been adding fitness to my day, by walking up the parking garage from a lower level or marching in place at my desk. Air crunches! and just up and at em quite a bit more around the house than usual.

This energy I think is related to the fasting, though eating high carb is excellent for energy too. but it sure feels good. It's been a while since I felt abundantly, clear headedly, focused, calmly energized. LOVE IT.

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Post by kaalii » Mon Oct 24, 2016 9:43 pm

excellent to hear about your energy levels!
and how you are blending exercise with your life - that, i find, was the main reason i was thin most of my life... active life! and the benefits are beyond the looks and health... the joy of it, the adventure of it! :)
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in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

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