Anyone start already smaller?

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Corin6:12
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:51 pm

Anyone start already smaller?

Post by Corin6:12 » Thu Apr 13, 2017 5:29 am

I was wondering if anyone on here was already either at a goal weight, or close to goal weight when they started. And also if anyone started doing No S after a deprivation diet.

This is my situation; I have lost the bigger chunk of the weight already, my goal range is 110-115 at 5 ft even. Right now I weigh 125. I was 115 a few weeks ago due to water fasting for 27 days. The truth is I've lost pretty much all of my weight through either severe calorie restriction or some form of fasting. So now Im nervous about gaining even more weight by doing this.

I already don't eat sweets, so No S will actually INCREASE my sweets intake to weekends. And since i was either always skipping breakfast, fasting every other day, or only eating 500 calories a day, following no S will also increase the amount of food I eat. So I am confused as to how it would help me lose weight?

One of the main reasons I am doing this diet is for the psychological aspect, I have problems with disordered eating and body image, and this will help me be free from my food obsession. But if I start packing on the pounds Im afraid that would have an opposite affect from peace.

Two years ago I lost weight through deprivation, I got down to 132 from 167, but I saw how obsessive and crazy I was becoming, so I looked into intuitive eating and health at every size. I gained like 14 pounds back in one month! They said to eat what my body was craving and eventually my cravings will subside and my weight will regulate, and that the weight gain is just post diet weight gain. But my cravings never went away. The more sweets i ate, the more i wanted. I became utterly depressed. I do not want to go down that road again. I think this is different though, because sweets are just delegated to weekends. With intuitive eating I think I was snacking all day and eating sweets all day too.

My biggest hope is that I will eventually start losing weight gradually, I love the simplicity of this and can see myself doing it for life, but I don't want weight gain to be a big problem.

I have been making mostly healthy choices just because I've been eating that way now for over a year, so eating fruits and vegetables are sort of a habit already. I just always limit my breads because they make me retain water and look heavier. But now, since starting this the other day I've been having a bagel for lunch with an orange or banana.

I better get going, but to restate my question again: has anyone started No S close to a normal weight or your goal weight? Did you gain any weight? How much? Did you end up losing it? Thank you :)

I think I fit most of the "hard losers" category! Im a short female who isn't technically overweight anymore (129 and I will be), and Im 33 so my metabolism is slowing down. But I do run a few times a week and try to stay active.

Okay, now I really need to go lol!
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

-1 corinthians 6:12

Skycat
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 4:52 am
Location: Germany

Post by Skycat » Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:26 am

My experience answers part of your question I think.
I'm currently 174 lbs at 5ft6 so I'm not at goal weight, but I have done a restrictive diet. A few years ago I did 5:2, but I actually did 4:3 for 4 months, so that's having only 500 calories on 3 days a week. I recently tried that again before coming back to No S - I've jumped on and off several diets several times.

I did find that I gained weight after coming off the 4:3 diet, as I had expected. But I prefer the normalcy of No S. There are several things which are very important to me. Firstly, not gaining back the weight I originally lost (I started at 231 lbs). Secondly, being able to approach food and eating 'normally' rather than with a constant 'diet mentality' and thirdly, eating a balanced diet and being generally healthy. No S can help me achieve these goals much better than a deprivation diet.

4:3 probably could get me much slimmer, but that's actually a less important goal.

I hate to 'shrink' you but the truth is that yes your weight will be higher on this diet than a fasting diet. Which is more important to you being thin or having a healthy relationship with food?
I CAN do this.

LifeisaBlessing
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:08 pm

Post by LifeisaBlessing » Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:26 am

Hi Corin6:12,

Firstly, congratulations on your initial weight loss! :)

I believe I fit your criteria of starting NoS at a normal weight.

I started modified NoS a year ago at a normal BMI, i.e., technically normal weight according to "the charts." I'm 5'5"; 47 years old then, 48 now; 122-125 pounds then (BMI 20-21), <115 pounds now; 22-25% body fat then, 15-16% body fat now. So on paper, I was perfectly fine a year ago and didn't really need to lose any weight. However, it was clear in the mirror that I was carrying more fat on my body than I wanted. I lost weight/fat steadily on NoS, never regaining. It's doable!

Really, fat/weight loss is all about reducing calories--on any diet plan, NoS included. Modified NoS for me helped make this possible without obsessively counting each and every calorie I ate because it reduced calories naturally by limiting eating events to three a day, one plate. Weighing daily kept (and keeps) me on track.

You stated that you were only eating 500 calories a day, but overall, your caloric balance must have been more than you thought. I'm fond of posting this article because it really gets to the heart of the matter with some hard truths. Once you make peace with what it says, you'll be headed in the right direction for fat/weight loss.

Believe me, it is possible to lose weight with NoS when starting close to goal or "not overweight." I'm living proof! Feel free to read over my past posts (including my most recent one-year testimonial) for further information on specifics, or ask me any other questions here or by PM. I'll be very happy to help!

And welcome to the NoS boards! :)
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

Corin6:12
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:51 pm

Post by Corin6:12 » Thu Apr 13, 2017 2:46 pm

Skycat, thank you for your response. Before my 27 day water fast I was in the 130s and heading up, I would like to at least stay in the 120s. Today I weighed myself and Im down a pound from the other day, so Im 124 now. But when I was 125 it was after a bad evening of overeating, and a few days before that I was 123. So it has been steadily climbing due to eating too much and eating junk. These last few days have been good though with not eating lots of junk. You asked which is more important, being thin or my relationship with food... I have a hard time answering that because of the mental and psychological state Im in. I think the fact that Im here is proving to myself that I care about my overall health and relationship with food at least somewhat. I don't want to be obsessed, but I am terrified MORTIFIED of being fat again. How could I look at myself in the mirror again knowing I failed myself again.

This is how I personally see it: a healthy diet and a healthy relationship with food automatically means a healthy body, whereas eating too much means getting fat. So its hard to imagine becoming overweight or obese again from doing No S, as long as Im not eating too much junk or overeating in general. But I wonder if overeating just 200 calories above what I have been eating would cause me to keep gaining and gaining or if I would level off at some point.

Lifeisablessing, thank you for sharing, that gives me some hope! Did you start out with a modified No S? How were your weekends? .maybe I should just go read your story :) . I would love to connect, I am trying not to panic in these early days. I've lost a pound, but I think that was from other reasons, at least the scale went down though. What were you doing before this?

I always ate too little calories because my exercising was inconsistent. But I like the quote "do both in moderation, not one excessively " or something like that. I run, but I need to be more consistent and run every other day, not every 3 days. I run because I genuinely enjoy it, and not for weight loss. I like how it tightens my core muscles and gives me endurance and good lung capacity. My moto was to exercise for health not weight loss because I read that weight loss through exercise was measly. Running helps to .make me look slimmer by moving excess water out of my body, but I am not sure if it helps a whole lot with weight loss. I've upped my mileage to 3 miles every couple of days, but it might be better to do 2 miles most days and 1 longer 3 miler once a week. I would get more exercise in. I plan on adding 20 minutes a day as a minimum habit later, but I want to get the 3 habits down first. Those are most important right now.

Sorry Im so wordy! I am enjoying the new freedom from this way of eating. It's crazy to think I can actually enjoy food again! Now looking back my old ways of fearing and restricting food seems strange. I like the idea of having a special yummy dinner with dessert on Saturdays and Sundays, and not eating snacks except popcorn for a movie. I don't have any huge plans to just use S days as an excuse to overeat or stuff myself with junk. I used to allow myself a treat meal with dessert on Fridays before I started my 27 day fast, so this will be sort of like that :) .

It's nice to think I can enjoy playdates, potlucks, family dinners without feeling weird or restricted, it will actually make me think about the food less! I truly believe my binging and overeating after my fast was due to feeling restricted, I don't think it was my body trying to gain the weight back, I think it was psychological.

Have a great day you guys! Thanks again!
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

-1 corinthians 6:12

LifeisaBlessing
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:08 pm

Post by LifeisaBlessing » Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:05 pm

Corin6:12 wrote:Lifeisablessing, thank you for sharing, that gives me some hope! Did you start out with a modified No S? How were your weekends? .maybe I should just go read your story :) . I would love to connect, I am trying not to panic in these early days. I've lost a pound, but I think that was from other reasons, at least the scale went down though. What were you doing before this?
You're very welcome, Corin--and don't lose heart, there is plenty of hope. Where there's life, there's hope! :)

I originally did NoS a few times the "vanilla" way, which was to utilize "S" days on the weekends. Everytime, I would go crazy eating tons of food to prepare myself for the restrictions the following week. Last year, I decided to employ a mod that I read about on the boards here from a former poster, "3-0-7 girl," who did three meals a day, seven days a week, with small amounts of sweets with her dinner. I decided that in order for NoS to work for me, I needed to know that I could eat any food at any of my meals. That was the ticket, so to speak! That was the key to making NoS work for me.

Before trying vanilla NoS, I did Intuitive Eating, hunger and fullness, even dabbled a bit with high protein, low carb. I took what I learned about myself and my personal food preferences from each of those "experiments" and applied it to my version of modified NoS this time around. Success!

I run because I genuinely enjoy it, and not for weight loss. I like how it tightens my core muscles and gives me endurance and good lung capacity. My moto was to exercise for health not weight loss because I read that weight loss through exercise was measly.
^^^THIS! IMHO, exercise at the levels that everyday people utilize it--meaning people who don't work out for a living, who are not professional athletes, bodybuilders, figure competitors, profesional dancers, olympians, etc.--should only be done for enjoyment, general health, and some figure improvement, if desired. In realizing this also, you're ahead of the game!
I am enjoying the new freedom from this way of eating. It's crazy to think I can actually enjoy food again! Now looking back my old ways of fearing and restricting food seems strange.
Enjoy all the types of food you like! I was so happy when I achieved (and have maintained) my fat loss goals eating foods I love, without restricting the types of food. The only restrictions on NoS are the amounts/volume--which has the added beauty of automatically reducing calories--THE KEY to weight/fat loss.
It's nice to think I can enjoy playdates, potlucks, family dinners without feeling weird or restricted, it will actually make me think about the food less! I truly believe my binging and overeating after my fast was due to feeling restricted, I don't think it was my body trying to gain the weight back, I think it was psychological.
You really can enjoy a normal relationship with food on NoS, Corin. This plan is so adaptable, and I found that it works through all my life situations--regular, everyday life; celebrations; holidays; and life's curveballs. It's all about finding an eating plan that you can live with that gets you to your goals. NoS, in whatever version you use it, can help you get there! :)
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

Skycat
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2017 4:52 am
Location: Germany

Post by Skycat » Fri Apr 14, 2017 7:20 am

Corin6:12 wrote: How could I look at myself in the mirror again knowing I failed myself again.
Please remember that weight is not an issue of morality, being overweight doesn't make you a bad person, nor does it make you a faiiure. It means your body is physically heavier. That is all. It is not a measurement of your worth as a person. At 110 lbs or 135 lbs you are still you :D

Nor is weight necessarily a direct measurement of a healthy body. I weigh 174 lbs but I can run 5km without needing to stop, or cycle 20km and I'm rarely ill. Again, weight is a measurement of weight. Not of you as a whole person.

(please forgive me if I sound heavy handed, I mean this as a verbal hug if that makes sense)
I CAN do this.

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kaalii
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Location: switzerland

Post by kaalii » Fri Apr 14, 2017 4:34 pm

i also started noS at my goal weight that i had reached with calorie counting (slowly, with 500calorie deficit per day and never under 1200cal/day) and IF (16:8 version, that i still do most of the days)... at my heaviest i was bmi 22.5... but that is very uncomfortable weight for someone who is used to being light...
i never did any deprivation diet... i'm not even sure what it means...
this was all the dieting i have done in my life, exactly in my mid 30s when my metabolism slowed down a bit... i was skinny all my life and could eat anything at any quantity... so you might say that my metabolism was always good...
and i live in europe where the junk food culture hasnt still taken its full grip on a lot of us...
i also live an active life (i work with children in afterschool daycare and im unavoidably but also purposefully very active in my work) and i go often for walks/runs in my forest... as of recently even much more often as i have adopted an active sweet dog in our family...
i am used to different types of exercising as i was doing dance and theatre in my 20s and beginning of 30s... i love yoga, doing it more or less actively since i was 17...

i also started noS for the maintenance and sanity... after maintaining on calorie counting for 6 months or so and seeing that i hate it... fearing that i might regain if i stop doing it... that is how i started researching as to what sounds sane to me and stumbled on noS...
it works perfectly for me...
i have even lost more and quite a bit more of body fat, as you can see in my signature stats... i even have to add sometimes purposefully more food to regain some weight as i dont want to go under the healty 18.5 bmi, although all my life i have been under it without even knowing what it is, not owning a scale but pictures show it clearly)
now i eat mostly from 9 inch plates, but they are packed if im having a hungry day... visuality of noS and 3 plates a day is amazing trick...
my weekends are moderate but relaxed... i dont think about putting any restrictions on them as they ad to the sanity part of maintenance...
but i have never had problems with binge eating that i remember of...

im not sure if this helps much but i totaly get your fear of gaining the weight back... i had it, too...
a good advice/trick was given to me on this forum, and as lifeisablessing suggests, too is to keep the general awareness of the calories you are eating... depending on the level of that awareness you should be fine with 3 plates a day and Sweekends...
very soon into noS i could even let go of that awareness, too... the not perfect but fairly unwavering practice of noS reassured me by working great for me...
Age:40
BMI: 18.8
Body Fat %: 17.6
in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

Kittson
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:51 pm

Post by Kittson » Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:53 am

One of the main reasons I am doing this diet is for the psychological aspect, I have problems with disordered eating and body image, and this will help me be free from my food obsession. But if I start packing on the pounds Im afraid that would have an opposite affect from peace.
I started No S at a normal, healthy weight of 140 lbs (currently I'm 32F, 5'6", 133lbs). I was so tired of the restrictive diet roller coaster and found that No S took care of the disordered food thoughts. I KNEW I wasn't over eating when I was eating 3 meals a day. I was eating what I wanted to eat and I felt good doing it.

I didn't gain weight on No S but I did slowly lose about 3 lbs. Due to hormonal issues (PCOS), I am a very hard loser. I think the average woman eating what I had been eating would have lost more weight.

Here is a link to my yearly check-in. https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopi ... highlight=

And here is the link to where I was checking in daily during the beginning of my journey. https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopi ... 61&start=0

Right now I am doing No S + Keto because of a diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and there are studies that have shown that a Low Carb High Fat diet help manage the symptoms of PCOS.

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