Skelton's No S revisited

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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Skelton
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Skelton's No S revisited

Post by Skelton » Mon Dec 26, 2016 2:23 pm

I'm back and committed to the plan until 31st January.

My constant flip-flopping around No S and switching to other diets has been an ongoing issue for me but I'm here again and committing to just over one month on the plan. Between now and the end of January there are more holiday celebrations to handle, plus January is my birthday month.
On 1st February I'll assess my progress and decide if I want to commit to another month of No S or if I want to look elsewhere (again!!).
I'll be working with the Judith Beck book alongside No S as I feel that I need all the support with food issues that I can get!

There are a number of changes and improvements I want to make in my life over the next few months, not just food related.

I want to work on improving my social life. This has been a sticking point for about a decade now. I need to make more friends. I'm not sure where to start with this one though. I live in a rural area so organised social activities and groups are limited here. Making friends through work, which I've done in the past in other jobs, isn't an option in my current job.

I want to declutter and tidy my house and learn to keep it that way. I am horribly untidy and I realised that having so much stuff in my home makes it even harder for me to be tidy. I'm revisiting Flylady, dabbling with Kon Mari (she's a bit too strict for me just now!), and the two sisters whose book I read about a decade ago and who were the only ones who had a system that I followed for any length of time. Can't remember their names right now but I do still have the book and the card index system I made when I read it first time out.

There are other ares that I'd like to work on but food, social life and house sorting are my priorities.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

Skelton
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Post by Skelton » Mon Dec 26, 2016 2:34 pm

:shock: :shock: :shock: :(

I've just looked at my 'Joined Date' there on my profile. I started No S a short time before I joined the boards. This means that summer 2017 it will be FIVE YEARS since I first tried No S!

I've talked about my flip-flopping around from one diet to another then back to No S. Rinse and Repeat.

This is crazy. This realisation reinforces my one month commitment. I will NOT wander off to try yet another diet this time. I'm in until the morning of 1st February. The only thing I've achieved by flip flopping around is a weight gain of around a further 14 pounds and more issues around food!
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

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lpearlmom
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Post by lpearlmom » Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:42 am

Hi Skeleton!

Your post sounds like me a few years ago. I had a few false starts before sticking to NoS too. I just kept gaining more and more weight and knew I had to do something. I finally decided it'd be worth sticking with NoS even if I didn't lose any weight. It was worth it. Giving me sanity with food for the first time in pretty much ever.

I also had the cleaning/ organizing goal as well as the social life goal. I've tried fly lady & Kon Mari. Fly lady helped me a bit but the book that helped me the most is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Manage-Your-Home ... B01CXE9M5E

The thing I still struggle with is the social stuff. Being a sahm leaves me a little isolated but recently I've been getting involved in some activist groups and am hoping I'll connect with some other people through that.

My point is just keep trying. Eventually you'll get tired of the constant back & forth and you'll realize there's no point in quitting NoS. The cleaning stuff can be conquered too. It just takes a lot of diligence.

Best of luck. You can do this. A new year a new leaf right?

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

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Merry
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Re: Skelton's No S revisited

Post by Merry » Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:08 am

Skelton wrote: the two sisters whose book I read about a decade ago and who were the only ones who had a system that I followed for any length of time. Can't remember their names right now but I do still have the book and the card index system I made when I read it first time out.
The Sidetracked Home Executives by the Slob Sisters perhaps?

That's a lot of changes at once! But that might be good--decluttering can help keep your mind off of food if some of the early days are challenging. I started & left No-S back in 2008--sure wish I had stayed. I hope you have a great month!
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Sat Dec 31, 2016 6:04 pm

Are those the ones where one of them told the story of putting her husband's shirt over a spot on the bed where there was petroleum jelly from changing the baby and the back of her husband's shirt had stuff stuck all over it from that, but she let him wear it out anyway?
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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

Skelton
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Post by Skelton » Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:23 pm

I'm still here!
I haven't No Sed perfectly, far from it, but I have NOT strayed to something else.
I'm still here!
Hope to spend more time around the boards soon. In the meantime I'm working on vanilla No S.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Feb 01, 2017 10:44 pm

Fantastic! Hold out for your delicious, full, one-plate meals! You can adjust them later as needed. Try not to give yourself any reason to go red.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Thu Feb 02, 2017 5:23 am

oolala53 wrote:Are those the ones where one of them told the story of putting her husband's shirt over a spot on the bed where there was petroleum jelly from changing the baby and the back of her husband's shirt had stuff stuck all over it from that, but she let him wear it out anyway?
I'm not sure, sounds hilarious!
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

Skelton
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:20 am

oolala53 wrote:Fantastic! Hold out for your delicious, full, one-plate meals! You can adjust them later as needed. Try not to give yourself any reason to go red.
Thanks! Green yesterday.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

Skelton
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Post by Skelton » Tue Mar 07, 2017 2:30 pm

I'm still here!
I've even been getting a few green days also. Consecutive green has been difficult for me as I have been struggling with serious hunger at times, but I do feel I'm making progress.

I'm making sure to prepare food that I enjoy and actually look forward to eating rather than trying to restrict my choices. Most of it is pretty healthy actually. I work mostly at home and I don't live close to any fast food outlets which helps!
There is a small shop in the next village that makes pizza to order and of course a fish and chip shop in the town a few miles away. I've enjoyed each of these but only once a month or so.
Also, I've ordered their smallest serving size of each. Normally I'd be thinking ahead to my next diet so I'd order large knowing that pizza and fish and chips would be off limits soon enough. Now it's different because I know that I can have either of these pretty much whenever I want so I'm happy with a smaller amount.
Overall, plates haven't been too big either. Some days I'm naturally more hungry than others so that leads to a bigger plate otherwise I'm satisfied with my serving sizes.

I haven't weighed for a while as I find it can be problematic.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Mar 08, 2017 6:20 am

Not really much reason to weigh, especially if you're not having fairly green weeks. Hope you can see the hunger as a good thing. Enjoy those meals!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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

Skelton
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Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Sat Apr 22, 2017 2:59 pm

I was 'led astray' for a few weeks. All that needs to be said is I was triggered by a small weight loss and thought it would be a good idea to switch to a low carb diet. The usual huge mistake with a 3lb weight gain as a result.
Drawing a line under the experience literally and figuratively! I'm back to No S.

______________________________________________________
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Sat Apr 22, 2017 5:41 pm

You're not the first.

I'm always amazed by people who say the weight "just melted off" or "just fell off" with low carb. I suspect there's some missing information.

Which is not to say I don't sometimes have meals with little carb.

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

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

Skelton
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Thu Apr 27, 2017 9:50 am

oolala53 wrote:You're not the first.

I'm always amazed by people who say the weight "just melted off" or "just fell off" with low carb. I suspect there's some missing information.

Which is not to say I don't sometimes have meals with little carb.

Nice to see you again.
Thanks!
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

oolala53
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Sep 05, 2017 12:33 am

It's been a few months. I'm sure Team 2017 would love to hear how you're doing!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:53 am

Still would. Have you found something else you like better?
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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

Skelton
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:53 am

Hi oolala, no, I didn't find something else I like better! thanks for checking in on me.

Here's what happened the final months of 2017.

I got back into No S in August and managed much more consistency and success than I have had previously. I stayed away from all diet talk, weighing, diet blogs, even the No S board. I was doing Vanilla No S and felt great. I felt so good and had much more control around food. There had been the odd slip, sometimes even a big slip but I'd always come back onto plan quickly afterwards.

Fast forward into 2018 and everything was still going very well until I decided to get weighed.
It turned out that I'd lost about 7 pounds since September.

Unfortunately the scales still hold such power over me. I had another of my great ideas! I'd lost 7 pounds, I could go low carb and lose 7 more. And more.

Huge mistake, as always. I've been off plan, off ANY plan, since mid January. Have definitely regained those 7 pounds and possibly a few more.
I'm back again starting today.

I'm going to start a 2018 Check-In thread. Will copy this post over there.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:34 pm

You poor thing! I know exactly what you're talking about. That has happened to me over the years, too, and even a little bit right now, having done my spring weigh in and finding I'm low. "Well, if I experiment with X or Y, could a little more come off? Because there are people here with lower BMI"s than mine, and I know my age/weight peers think a few pounds lower is actually ideal. I never thought I could come close, but could I really get there?" I'm so sure that this is a ridiculous 20th-century inspired false idol, but it's such a convincing illusion. But I also can't say it isn't very convenient to be thinner.

I think sometimes I need to severely limit my presence here and on Spark. I admire that you shifted away.

And on that note... I have to check other No S-ers emails.

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

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

Skelton
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:41 am

I'm still here, just about.
Finding it very hard to get back on track after that little exursion to diet land. :roll:

Dieting is definitely, absolutely, undoubtedly my biggest issue. As I wrote above, even coming here and reading about variations on Vanilla No S triggers my diet head. I need to learn to handle it better because let's face it, diet talk is everywhere.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Sun Apr 01, 2018 8:11 pm

Well, I hear NASA is making progress on a manned mission to Mars. Do astronauts worry about weight gain?

I get mildly disturbed by some talk of the variations, too. But you're right. If I want to socialize, virtually or literally, it could come up. My usual group is pretty thin, but they can be the vegan, gluten-free, etc. types. I'm trying to remember, note to self: if I decide to do something like that, keep my mouth shut about it unless the other person brings it up first. And even then, possibly change the subject politely.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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

Skelton
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:22 am

I must say, Oolala, that my closest friend is very good about avoiding diet and body image talk. She's naturally slim, in fact she's the only person I know in our age group (mid/late 50s) who is naturally slim. She has a relaxed attitude around food. So I'm ok to spend lots of time with her.

Other people I know socially - I don't really have lots of friends so these are acquaintances - are all either obese or struggling constantly on diffferent diets and talking about those diets incessantly!

Spot on about the astronauts, I wonder if Elon Musk needs an obese middle aged woman as a member of his future Mars mission? :wink:
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:49 pm

Hi Skelton! Nice to see your check-in. I hope that you start to find some of that consistency in your eating that you lose when you try to tighten up the restrictions.
The mods. The mods. They are the bane of NoS. But we all wonder, don't we? Grrr. :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Fri Apr 06, 2018 6:41 pm

Hi from me, Skelton! I quite often think of mods, but Vanilla seems to have a magical power of habit-friendliness. I’ve been doing Vanilla since December and although my weight loss has been very slow (about a pound a month) I enjoy the routine so much that I’m not really tempted to alter it....for now....!!!

Skelton
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Post by Skelton » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:50 am

Thanks automated and Octavia!

I'm still here, overall doing ok.

I realised I need to make my meals more interesting so I've been browsing my old cook books for inspiration.

I still have issues with binge eating, usually triggered by restricting as a result of diet talk.
The diet talk can be either external, I seem to be surrounded by dieters and failed dieters, or it's internal. Either way it is an ongoing problem for me that I need to deal with.
Even on the No S Facebook page, I see people who are like me in this regard. They go off on a diet and return having lost, gained (more than they lost) and determined to get back to No S

Diets and their promises of speedy weight loss can be very seductive!
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:18 pm

Hi Skelton,
Thanks for checking in on my thread the other day! 🙂

This is such an issue - being tempted off No S to ‘slimming diets’. I know that I would fail and end up bingeing. Even on No S, I don’t want to risk making any additional restrictions/modifications. I think cutting out sweets, seconds and snacks on weekdays is enough, certainly for someone like me: any more control would lead to higher expectations, followed by disillusionment and bingeing.

So my intention is to stay on No S for good, even if weight loss is slow, or I simply maintain. The alternative - certainly for me - is gaining!

Skelton
Posts: 135
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Post by Skelton » Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:44 am

I've been incredibly busy for the last few months and massively inconsistent with my eating.

Still a lot of weight to lose and my most recent blood tests showed that my total cholesterol number is high. GP has asked me to re-test in 6 months and to implement some lifestyle changes (this a precursor to going on meds if I can't get the number down in 6 months).
So, I'm currently trying eat healthier but still following No S guidelines. I'm using the Healthy Plate model as much as I can but not every meal is compliant and there's still the odd binge creeping in. Also trying to get more exercise by walking more.

Now September is here I'll be less busy and have fewer excuses for not walking each day :shock: :D
I have a couple of work trips coming up, one is for a few days later this week, the other is a longer trip to Ireland at the end of the month. I usually find it easier to be No S compliant when I'm away on a trip.

I haven't visited the boards in quite some time so now I'm going to spend some time catching up on other poster's Daily Check In threads.
"We stop looking for the better diet and start looking for a better life." pangelsue

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