kaia daily check in

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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kaia
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kaia daily check in

Post by kaia » Mon May 22, 2017 7:43 am

I've been lurking on these discussion boards on and off for a few years now and also had successful brief stints with No S. I always get lured away by the new shiny and popular paleo, low-carb, or ketogenic diets, fail with those because they are absolutely too much work and for the most part keep you house-bound for fear of eating anything that anyone else prepares. It makes me sad to think that I learned of No S about 5 years ago - to think if I would have just stuck with it how happy I would be in the habit by now. Instead I'm exactly where I was 5 years ago, not lost a pound! On the bright side, I had two baby girls in that time and was able to return to my pre-pregnancy weight of 165 both times.
I'm doing this for my young girls, age 2 1/2 and 1 year. I do not want my girls to grow up as I did, beginning to diet at 12 and still dieting at 34. I want them to have a healthy relationship with and healthy understanding of food. Life is hard enough for girls, I do not want for them to struggle with this too. I want to have one more child, and I'm concentrating now for this possible pregnancy to be No S. My last two I struggle to keep my weight gain in check, stressed out about it completely because its hard for me to lose. Now I just want the habit.
It's Sunday night so I'm setting this check in up for tomorrow and I'll work on making this a habit until my No S habits are solid. For however long it takes.
Another Gretchen Rubin quote from her book Better Than Before: "Another reason to avoid stopping a good habit is that, sadly, starting again is often far harder than starting the first time. It's natural to think, "Oh, I did this before, it will be easy to do it again," but often it's much harder to start again. True, taking that first step the first time around can be hard, but there's also a special energy and optimism to launching a new habit. When I've tried to summon up the same energy for restarting a lapsed habit, it hasn't worked very well. The novelty has worn off, I've remembered all the reasons I struggle with that habit, and it's discouraging to feel myself backsliding."
THIS is exactly why I need this daily check in. I've been on-again off-again with No S so many times. I'm going to start and try to remind myself when I want to make exceptions that it's going to be so much harder to get my momentum going again.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Tue May 23, 2017 6:53 am

YES!! Day 1 success
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaalii » Tue May 23, 2017 8:07 am

welcome, kaia!

oh yes, i also find the daily (or almost daily) check in immensely valuable tool... i plan to do it for at least couple of years and then see if habitcal will sufice... i want to be sure that this amazing thing sticks... because it works, it just does, on so many levels...
Age:40
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Body Fat %: 17.6
in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

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Post by kaia » Wed May 24, 2017 7:13 am

kaalii wrote:welcome, kaia!

oh yes, i also find the daily (or almost daily) check in immensely valuable tool... i plan to do it for at least couple of years and then see if habitcal will sufice... i want to be sure that this amazing thing sticks... because it works, it just does, on so many levels...
Thanks kaalii! I'm glad you are finding it helpful. That's great to hear. Anything to make these habits strong I'm willing to do. And it looks like you've been doing it for awhile now, I'm so impressed. And inspired!

Day 2 success. It was so freeing to be able to meet up with my husband for a random lunch date for sushi. Something I wouldn't have done while trying to pursue some other diet.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by nettee » Wed May 24, 2017 10:21 am

kaia wrote:
kaalii wrote: Day 2 success. It was so freeing to be able to meet up with my husband for a random lunch date for sushi. Something I wouldn't have done while trying to pursue some other diet.
Yes - I love this about no S - I was out for a birthday lunch yesterday to a pizza restaurant and it was fine
3 tasty meals a day and loving it

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Post by kaia » Thu May 25, 2017 7:08 am

nettee yes I love it! And a birthday lunch too - I'm at the point where I want to enjoy my life and my food and friends. No S is perfect for that!

Day 3 success! Just trying to think in blocks of 5 - 2 more days to go and I'll have had a good streak...
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Fri May 26, 2017 8:46 am

Thursday success...1 more day to go until the weekend, tomorrow I hope to go out to enjoy a 1 plate dinner :)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Sat May 27, 2017 7:16 am

It's Fri-yay SUCCESS! I'm about to go to bed, so happy to have 5 days in a row. Woohoo to the weekend
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
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Post by kaia » Wed May 31, 2017 10:05 am

Took an S day Monday for Memorial Day, but it wasn't too bad. Weekend was ok, not bad in terms of bingeing on sweets. I'm going to aim for next weekend to have more structured meals with planned sweets that I can anticipate. I snacked a bit this weekend and found I didn't like it much. I was much too full.

Tuesday success :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
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Post by kaia » Fri Jun 02, 2017 7:46 am

Wednesday and Thursday success. One more day till the week-end... yessss
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Merry » Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:02 am

kaia wrote:Wednesday and Thursday success. One more day till the week-end... yessss
YAY!
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 kaia » Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:31 am

Friday success, I'm so happy I made it! Friday's are the hardest, it's so easy to give in and slide into the weekend. I have some good treats planned, going to try stick to the 3 meals plus a couple of sweets. Fun but not crazy &#128077;&#127996;&#128077;&#127996;
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Lilybug » Sat Jun 03, 2017 8:02 am

Congratulations! Friday's are the hardest! I like the visual of habitcal. Don't want to mess up all that nice green with a blaring red Lol! Although, I do love the color red &#129300;&#128540;

Enjoy the weekend!

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Post by kaia » Tue Jun 06, 2017 10:13 am

SUCCESS! Weekend was not bad, enjoyable, just a bit bordering on bingeing. It's definitely nice to relax the rules a bit. I did still do 3 meals so I think that tamed it
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Wed Jun 07, 2017 12:37 am

Sweet!
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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
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Post by kaia » Wed Jun 07, 2017 6:30 am

Thanks oolala53!

Today was another green day :) I am planning to take an S morning tomorrow as my husband and I are going out by ourselves...it'll probably just end up being lunch but just in case we decide to get acai bowls or something sweet...we hardly ever get to go out so I'm planning to enjoy it!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:16 pm

Acai bowls are not an S in my book. Are they in yours?

Officially, it's an NWS day to have an S event on anything but an S day. Not a problem at all if you choose to use the two "allowed" per month. I've already used one this month. But it doesn't sound like you'll need to, unless I'm not getting a wrinkle in this plan.
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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Post by kaia » Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:15 am

I'm glad to hear that you don't think acas bowls are an S oolala53 :) I tend to think of them as super sweet because I look forward to them like I would a bowl of ice cream, and unfortunately for me they are not very filling - they tend to cause some cravings. But with your outlook maybe I'll try one for lunch one day and see how I do. Maybe it's all perspective...

I didn't end up taking an S event or day, I would have had the opportunity presented itself, but it didn't. My husband isn't a huge snacker like me, so we went surfing and then just found a nice place to have lunch and coffee. I'm so glad it went this way and I can feel good about it. Looking at my habitcal and seeing all that green...I'm in heaven! Now just Friday to go :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Fri Jun 09, 2017 3:27 pm

I think it's a good sign that you look forward to that bowl as much or almost as much as you would to the hyper-palatable stuff. What kind of fat do they put in those bowls? Sounds like they need nuts or more of them.

Glad you had a perfectly fun day with delicious food and no S's. It's a very good thing to discover they aren't necessary for "the party."
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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Post by kaia » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:10 am

Yes you are so right oolala53, S's aren't needed for the party! I will try to remember that tomorrow night at my cousin's wedding. I want to relax and enjoy the company and celebration over the food. As long as I don't get too tired, I have to be up at 3 am tomorrow morning for work. That's when I tend to break down a bit.

Seems like there is not much fat in acai bowls, probably the granola is the highest in fat. That's a good point, I have seen options to add almond butter at some places and I will try that. A little bit of fat definitely increases satiety for me.

But Friday success...yes!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 1:13 pm

Reinhard refers to the Jewish guideline of "fence around the law," meaning don't do anything that could be interpreted as breaking it. They weren't talking about habit, but it applies. (per Rubin in your signature)
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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Post by kaia » Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:57 am

That's right! I just reread that section in the book. It is a great analogy.

Oh boy and I thought Fridays were hard... mondays are hard too but I managed to white-knuckle my way through today :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Tue Jun 13, 2017 1:41 pm

Mondays can be hard or sometimes they can be a relief! It's always worth it to wait.
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)

kaia
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Post by kaia » Wed Jun 14, 2017 7:00 am

It is always worth it to wait!!! When I want to eat between meals I tell myself I'll have a bigger meal for lunch/dinner/breakfast so it'll satisfy my hunger then. But when I get there I find I don't need it and at the end of the day it is so satisfying. And it is a relief to be back to more organized eating during the week. I like schedules, and plans and organization...probably why I was drawn to every shiny diet - I could have a new plan and goals. But there in plenty of this as well in No S.

Tuesday success 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Thu Jun 15, 2017 7:13 am

Honestly I can't believe that I made it today. There were quite a few times I was willing to give in. Probably because I was at work all day and I tend to want to snack to get through the boring bits. But I hung in there...I can do this!!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Fri Jun 16, 2017 6:00 am

SUCCESS :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:48 am

OMG with today I have 4 weeks of green on my habitcal!!!! I'm in new territory, this is the farthest I've taken No S. Lovin it...

I started listening to the podcasts today and for the first time realized that Reinhard really emphasizes the 'sometimes' on days that start with S. I didn't take that in before. I don't think I'm ready for 'sometimes' yet, but I really think that on this path I will get there.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Merry » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:20 pm

kaia wrote:OMG with today I have 4 weeks of green on my habitcal!!!! I'm in new territory, this is the farthest I've taken No S. Lovin it...

I started listening to the podcasts today and for the first time realized that Reinhard really emphasizes the 'sometimes' on days that start with S. I didn't take that in before. I don't think I'm ready for 'sometimes' yet, but I really think that on this path I will get there.
Great job on 4 green weeks!

To be honest, I'm only now feeling ready for "sometimes." My S days did calm down after the first couple of months, but still tended to have lots of sweets I think. But I find now I'm more interested in the "sometimes" aspect than I was before. (and it's only been a year and a half, LOL!)
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 oolala53 » Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:16 pm

It's interesting to me how many people think that S days are supposed to be free-for-alls in order to be S days. S days just mean S's are allowed. I think I don't even have to eat an S for it to be an S day. It's an S day whether I eat any or not. But it took me two years before I was willing to bring some moderation to them. (I don't recommend that to anyone, but here we are.) It was such a strange idea for a long time to think that so many days might go by not eating any S's, but I had to ask myself why it was so strange. Did it mean I couldn't enjoy my food? That I wasn't getting enough? Was it really a straitjacket and absurd self-denial? I don't mean I have many days with no S's, but just that it doesn't seem that crazy. People have lived and even thrived on less.

I'm sure it will evolve in its own way for you, too.
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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Post by Merry » Tue Jun 20, 2017 3:53 am

oolala53 wrote:It's interesting to me how many people think that S days are supposed to be free-for-alls in order to be S days.
In my mind I can envision a "perfect" S day that looks pretty much like an N day with one or two S's, but I don't think I've ever done that. I don't think "free-for-all" so much as I think "no restraints" and the results are just kinda chaotic. I think it's pretty much the result of having lived that way all my life (no restraints on eating unless guilt crept in occasionally--but not for long). Let's face it, that's how I ended up obese--no restraints.

In my mind, it's not a "true" S day unless I either keep it restraint-free, or unless I want the restraints more than I want to be restraint-free. I can envision the possibility of liking N days so much that they carry over into S days because I've seen that happen in part. In the beginning, I would never have thought so, but after a couple of months they did start to do that. And every now and then I get glimpses of wanting S days to be a bit more like N days. Still with a reward & fun, but less chaotic--because now there are aspects of N days that feel good and are a reward--moderation is a reward.

Like you said, it evolves over time, and I'm definitely not there yet. But the progression is quite fascinating (perhaps because I didn't think it possible).
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

kaia
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Post by kaia » Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:57 am

Thanks for the encouragement oolala53 and Merry :) You are both very insightful and your gains help me and all of us newbies. It's a journey, and one I hope to be on for a long long time. Starting No S again this time my goal was to lose about 15 lbs before trying to get pregnant again, but after feeling so much better about myself and being able to conquer these N days consistently I don't feel that need to lose weight right now. I want to develop the habit, get it down solid. When I was reading the discussion board I noticed a post by someone who had said that she didn't really lose any weight in her first year of No S, but she went on to lose 40 lbs in her second and third year. That was so encouraging to me - I'm totally on board with this. I can see how it will take a long time to cure this diet/binge cycle that I've been on for so long and for me it's worth the wait. It's certainly better to just maintain with sanity and happiness than to try a new diet, fail, and remain the same weight or even heavier.

You said oolala53 that Monday's can be a relief - you're so right! Today was a relief. The weekend wasn't too bad I suppose, I like the feeling of less structure and no restraints, but I think just the feeling of no restraints might be relaxing enough without it being a free-for-all. I feel relief today because I really don't enjoy perma-snacking all that much, but that's what I ended up doing just because I could. But today...success.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by bd88 » Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:56 pm

Congrats on your success, kaia! I hope to be where you are 4 weeks from now!
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

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Post by kaia » Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:53 am

Success today. Even though I had a pretty heavy meal tonight when we went out with my husband's sister, it was still within the confines of No S. I love how this fits in so nicely socially. So I had a pretty big meal, but I skipped the chips beforehand and the ice cream after and I'll count that as a huge win.

Tomorrow I leave for a camping trip with my girlfriends. I fly out tomorrow, and we kayak and camp Thursday and Friday. So I'm taking wed, thurs, and friday as S days, even though I'll probably be able to comply with the rules on Wednesday since I'll just make it to Kauai for dinner anyway. I'll try to remember to enjoy the company more than the S's 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Sat Jun 24, 2017 2:59 am

Kaia, do your best to get the habits in place. Remember that French women (meal-based eaters) do not see pregnancy as a time to throw out the rules of moderation. The more you have felt the benefits of moderate eating at meals, the more you can appeal to the memory when the time comes. Female human bodies are DESIGNED to be able to draw from calorie stores if necessary, especially if they are already "practiced" at switching from the food they ingest to the stores the body has. You are in training for that very precious process!
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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Post by kaia » Mon Jun 26, 2017 7:16 am

oolala I agree! I read a book not long ago called Bringing up Bebe. It was mostly about raising children the French way but discussed a little about how French women dealt with pregnancy. Most continued to eat their 3 meals a day for the entire pregnancy, while some would include the afternoon children's snack in the third trimester. And they are encouraged to gain at most 26 lbs for a normal weight woman, here in the US it is 35 lbs. So I want those N day habits to be solid before the time comes :D

As for my mini vacation - Thursday and Friday were S days as I was on vacation with my girlfriends. We were kayaking and camping so there was a lot of snack/carby food those days. My two friends are normal weight, and oh boy could they eat! It's a huge relief to see others eat like that, I don't feel so ashamed of how much I can put away at times :shock: We were all a bit sick after we came back late Friday night. I was tempted to not take S days on Saturday and Sunday, but then realized that I would then have 7 N days in a row, and I didn't want to blow it. So this weekend included some sweets, but was tame compared to the constant snacking of the camping trip. I am looking forward to Monday relief!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Tue Jun 27, 2017 6:24 am

My first N day in awhile, whew, what a relief and pleasure to enjoy meals again. I had quite a few urges to snack but managed to overcome with some tea and coconut water. SUCCESS 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Wed Jun 28, 2017 12:00 am

Several of us have discussed Bringing Up Bebe and French Kids Eat Everything somewhere along the way here on the forums. I was influenced by reading of French women's habits (NOT the bestseller one) long before No S. But it took No S to codify it for me.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

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kaia
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Post by kaia » Fri Jun 30, 2017 7:39 am

oolala53 which book about French women's habits was that? I'd like to read it. I haven't read any other book on French women or culture and I'm interested after reading Bringing up Bebe.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday SUCCESS.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:16 am

Whew today was a little tough but I made it through - so easy to fall into the weekend mindset on a Friday. I have lurking binge thoughts from so many years of crazy crash dieting that I'm still trying to overcome. I read Kathryn Hansen's book a few years ago 'Brain over Binge' and that has been hugely helpful trying to get through N days. Now that I have all these green days on my habitcal I'm scared to screw it up!!
Here's to the weekend :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:38 am

I read Anne Barone's series Chic and Slim. She's kind of snobby, but some of it still pops up for me. There was also Will Clower, also a bit snobby, who lived in France and went on to write two books about adopting French habits. The last author spent several months in Italy where she said it was three meals a day, no more no less .That was only a small part of her memoir, but it's the part that was most important to me. (This woman is pretty amazing because she was full on morbidly obese and now works with food and has all kinds of recipes for sweets on her site like they are no big deal. I could NOT do it, which is fine because there are foods that I would rather get good at making more than sweets which are SO easy to find.)
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

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kaia
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Post by kaia » Wed Jul 05, 2017 6:36 am

Thanks oolala I'm looking up those books for my kindle tonight! I need a new book soon. And lol I totally agree on the baking/cooking of sweets, I'm not interested in making them myself, there are plenty of great places to find good desserts. Whenever I make sweets I eat the entire thing. Plus I enjoy going out and getting ice cream etc.

Monday and Tuesday success :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
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Post by kaia » Thu Jul 06, 2017 6:01 am

SUCCESS
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Thu Jul 06, 2017 4:58 pm

If I may, The Diet Trap Solution book by Judith Beck and her daughter, Deborah Beck Busis, while not about slim culture eating, is very helpful in combatting the influences that take us off course. She does have a weight loss focus that I find irritating (because I want to believe that I'm eating this way because it is actually more pleasurable and SANE), but I still use the thinking strategies tailored to me. Her previous workbook was crucial for me but that was so centered on recording all food, "dieting," and inferring that one has to feel guilty about transgressions, that I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who's trying to avoid a lot of that with No S. You can probably find the Trap book at your library, if it's any size. I resist buying books without having read them.
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)

kaia
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Post by kaia » Fri Jul 07, 2017 6:03 pm

Thanks oolala! I will take any strategies to help, my local library is small but I can order from the state library. I too don't like to buy books if I can help it, I've bought too many that I haven't enjoyed or found useful.

I had my first red day yesterday :( It was bound to happen sometime, thoroughly disappointing because it's my first one in over 5 weeks! Today is still an N day and I'm determined to make it through so to not have 4 S days in a row. I did that on my kayaking trip and do not wish to repeat.

Last night we were away from the house and stopped at Wendy's for dinner. We never do that, it was a place I thought the kids would eat. After a unsatisfying dinner I came home to eat some fruit I had cut up and a bowl of cereal :( not as bad as I would have done in the past but still -urghhh!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:13 pm

A long time ago, one member said there were two kinds of people who have been here for any length of time: those who've had red days, and liars. :wink: :twisted:

Ok, there may be a FEW exceptions...
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
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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

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Post by kaia » Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:00 pm

lol I guess it fits into the saying 'there are those who have and those who will' :oops: Thanks for the support oolala :)

And I didn't conquer Friday like I wished I would, I slid into the weekend making Friday another red day...but I'm coming back on Monday with renewed vigor and enthusiasm!! I'm going to try hard to NOT make these S days a constant perma-snack that I don't enjoy...
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:15 pm

All in time. You're learning to play the piano, not just move it around the room. 8) But do practice...
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)

kaia
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Post by kaia » Tue Jul 11, 2017 4:03 pm

Yes! Practiced yesterday...felt so good and normal...
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by splandrea » Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:43 pm

Hi Kaia! Nice to meet you. I am following you as we are only a few months apart in starting times and I want to see how deal with stuff. It looks like so far, so good!

I was wondering, are you doing this for weight loss or weight maintenance? Do you have a lot to lose? I have about 80-90 pounds to lose. I have noticed that the people who only have a little to lose (less than 20 pounds) seem to be more abundant on these boards. I am wondering if that is because the results are more palpable to them as they only have a little to lose, or something else??

Also, I am not doing habitcal. I don't want to do any tracking of any sort. I was wondering if you could weigh in on whether or not that sort of tracking has been crucial to your success.

Additionally, oolala53, can I just say that you are amazing?! You are definitely one of my biggest motivators here. 7 years is outstanding!
Last edited by splandrea on Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Tue Jul 11, 2017 6:33 pm

Thanks! And if I may, though I didn't use it much, I wish I had used habitcal more because I could have seen if it did indeed, as habit theory says, end up helping to shape the behavior almost as much or even more than a lot of the extra stuff I did. (Then again, I do find this whole topic more fascinating than other stuff, and my temperament is good for doing absorbing things.)
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

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Post by splandrea » Tue Jul 11, 2017 7:52 pm

I am going to wait on the habitcal and see how I do. I just want to "be normal," to eat normally like a normal regular weight person, without any tracking of any sort. We shall see.

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Post by oolala53 » Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:31 pm

Worth the experiment.
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

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kaia
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Post by kaia » Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:20 am

Hi Splandrea! Nice to meet you too :) Hmm let's see - I do think Habitcal has helped me a lot, but I'm a person who likes to see progress and Habitcal definitely provided that for me. Since I've done NoS in brief stints for the past few years I know it's hard to see progress on the scale. It's hard on any weight loss diet to see results on the scale in the short term. Habit is my goal here anyway, so I like tracking the habit. And because I'm trying to check in here daily it's easy for me to click over to habitcal. I find it's easier to me to stay on track when I'm accountable to someone, and since no one I know is doing NoS, I can be accountable to habitcal. I know, though, how you feel about tracking of any sort, I agree. I did listen to Reinhard's podcast about negative tracking - only tracking when you have a red day - and maybe eventually I'll switch to that. I believe it'll take much longer than the 21 days everyone seems to say about forming a habit.

My goal here is maintenance and much more important, sanity. I don't want to go from diet to diet anymore, I want my life to be about my kids, husband, friends and doing things I love. I don't want to look at diet blogs, diet pages on FB, read diet books, etc. Honestly I'm bored of all that and I think people around me are bored of hearing about it. So even though I would like to lose 15-20 pounds, I'm ok with it taking a long, long time. I know if I were to go and start a new diet, I would be off of it within days, bingeing, and then researching the next one I should go on. I can't do it anymore. I even have to be careful with the NoS discussion board because there is a lot of talk on there about mods and such, and I can get lured away very easily, I want to give NoS a good long shot before I try anything else. And in terms of time I'm talking at least a year...

And I can agree that oolala53 is truly amazing! I can only hope to be as steady as she and love all the wisdom she shares here
:)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Thu Jul 13, 2017 7:43 am

Wednesday success. Today I had to white-knuckle it a little. I'm determined to make it through this week. I got through with some orange juice and coconut water and right now, right before bed, I'm so happy I made it
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by oolala53 » Thu Jul 13, 2017 7:38 pm

Judith Beck recommends really letting those experiences of being glad you held out to sink in well, to give yourself credit for seeing through the illusion of desire and possible justifications. Maybe you even had a good dream about it but don't remember it! Kudos.
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

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Post by kaia » Fri Jul 14, 2017 6:39 am

Thanks for the tip oolala! I saw that you mentioned Beck's book, The Diet Trap Solution, on a different thread and it got me interested in strategies or coping skills. I requested it from the library.

I get ridiculously proud of myself when I make it through an N day that seems particularly hard. Today was hard too but was successful in keeping to 3 meals. Maybe because I caved in last week?? My mind and body seems to want to slip into that again. But I want to remember these moments when I'm happy with myself for not giving in to those urges, then I can pull from them in the future. And even dream about them :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Sat Jul 15, 2017 6:52 am

Whew I had three big plates of food today...I'm still full a couple of hours later. I hiked for about two hours this morning, when I do a lot of cardio in the morning I tend to be hungry all throughout the day so I tried to prevent going off track today, Friday, because I wanted to make it this week. And I did! Cheeeeeheeee!

I don't think I need to eat this much next time I go hiking. Lesson learned 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Merry » Sat Jul 15, 2017 7:43 am

Congrats on a green week!
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 oolala53 » Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:39 pm

I'm no doctor but I think that the hunger people feel is actually just the body's gears spinning a bit while it figures out that it needs to shift from using the glucose in the food you just ate to the stored stuff. It just needs practice! Once it taps in, the desire often goes away enough to get you to that next meal pretty comfortably.

It is true that some of the fasting gurus plan their workouts before a meal, but they don't eat just because they work out. Most of them pooh pooh the idea that you have to feed yourself just to work out. The whole point is to get the body to use its stores.

But it's very important not to let yourself feel you're doing some hard thing that's a terrible burden. See if you can see it as doing yourself a favor. That may take some doing to be authentic, but it's worth it.
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

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Post by TexArk » Sat Jul 15, 2017 2:36 pm

Good thoughts here. I am having to learn again that hunger is not a negative feeling. It is normal. It is not starvation. We in the modern world have so much food abundance and availability that we have trained our brains to think that we have to be in a constant state of satiety. I am sometimes my "hungriest" after I have eaten a plate of food especially if I stop when I should. There is a reason that intuitive eating never worked for me. Now I try to think of hunger pangs (which are temporary) as good news. Whoopee my body can use some of the fat reserves I have stored!

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Post by kaia » Tue Jul 18, 2017 6:02 am

Good thoughts indeed, oolala53 I definitely feel that hunger a couple of hours after a meal. But if I ride it out it goes away and I am able to make it just fine to the next meal. I can use that to help me power through it, that it is a change of gears. Bodies can learn, it's going to take some adjustment, probably a long time of adjustment. Hunger pains I can deal with, that's easy, its the blood sugar drop that can get me - cranky, and tired. I try not to eat many refined carbs to avoid that drop but I definitely still get it 2-3 hours after a meal.

This weekend had some successes in it as well. Early Saturday afternoon after lunch I was starting to slide into constant snacking mode, grabbing for everything. I felt it was hard because I had one child down for a nap and the other was up so I had to stay in the house - usually I try to get away from food when I'm in these situations! But I told myself I couldn't use that as an excuse - I tackled a project, took the couch apart and cleaned it and underneath it. That was able to stop me for awhile. Trying to remember these moments of success :D even if it was an S day, I've been bingeing for a long long time, I don't like it, I don't enjoy it - even though I don't really binge anymore - constant snacking seems to come uncomfortably close. So I did it on Saturday I can do it again!

Monday success :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Merry » Wed Jul 19, 2017 4:52 am

Oooh, cleaning instead of snacking, good strategy!
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 kaia » Wed Jul 19, 2017 6:29 am

Yes Merry! Not quite as fun, but effective. And entertaining for my one year old who thought rolling all over the couch cushions was so much fun. Double win. I'm sure you understand :wink:

Tuesday success
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Merry » Thu Jul 20, 2017 12:30 am

kaia wrote:Yes Merry! Not quite as fun, but effective. And entertaining for my one year old who thought rolling all over the couch cushions was so much fun. Double win. I'm sure you understand :wink:

Tuesday success
:D :D :D
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 kaia » Fri Jul 21, 2017 7:38 am

Wednesday was a good green day, today, Thursday - not so much. My husband and I went to an early movie tonight and he wanted sushi before it started (there is a great sushi place right next to the theatre conveniently). I had been thinking about how to get through the movie till dinner, and it wouldn't have been hard at all with having water or tea. But once someone I'm with suggests food, I tend to cave :roll: not because I can't stand up to them but because I want the food too! After the movie we had dinner, and we split a milkshake because, well, it was already a red day. But I was trying hard not to go down this path! Then when we came home my mom had left cookies with the babysitter (my mom owns a bakery, usually I'm pretty good about saying thank you and then throwing them away) and I had two. With each successive event I had already planned to NOT eat those things - not have dessert with dinner, not to eat more when I got home. I was trying to think of how happy I'd be if I was able to resist, and here I am, full of food but full on less than I would've been in the past. No S has really brought to light how many times a day I used to eat. I'll try to remember this for next time. I've got to figure out a better strategy for date nights, typically when my husband and I go out it is all about food. He's a normal eater, normal weight, says he was fine with food before he met me :lol: he's been on a few diets with me. Now when he gets around sweet stuff or when we go out he kinda gorges himself, really goes to show you what horrible things diets can do to a person.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Sat Jul 22, 2017 1:35 pm

Whew Friday success :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by splandrea » Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:14 pm

Friday was hard for me. I wanted an evening snack! I was so hungry and I just stayed up too late. Once I looked at the clock I realized why I was "hungry" and I went to bed :)
07/01/17: 258
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Aiming for 180. We shall see...

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Post by oolala53 » Mon Jul 24, 2017 2:54 am

Hate to tell you, but it's likely there will be many times you want the food. Wanting is not necessarily going to go away. You can't know whether holding out or having it under those circumstances is better until you do both.

You didn't ask for a suggestion, but I gently recommend on date nights you plan to go to some restaurant you really like and keep thinking about how glad you'll be you waited for the meal there no matter what opportunities you have beforehand. Then really savor it and keep remembering how good it was and how full you are afterwards, too.

It might take awhile to get over WTH when you fail. Judith Beck says, "Just think where you'd be if every time you slipped, it stopped right there?" That might have to percolate awhile before it affects behavior. You do have to HAVE the experiences to have the value of them help you in the future. Others can make all kinds of claims but until you have the experience, it's all fantasy, and that goes only so far...

:wink:
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)

kaia
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Post by kaia » Tue Jul 25, 2017 11:59 pm

You're so on point oolala53, I will always want food. How do you conquer this? It must be just repeatedly doing it, daily, still wanting it but just accustomed to denying our desires. Not so much denying but putting off...must practice the habit? I can't wait to read the Judith Beck book I ordered from the library.

Also another great suggestion to plan to go to a restaurant that I really want to go to! Plan and look forward to it. That didn't happen last week, we were just out on the fly. I'll plan our next one better. And I'm always looking for advice from you oolala53, I'll take whatever piece of wisdom you have to give :) thank you!

And Monday was good, good to be back on plan.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:19 am

and splandrea yay for going to bed! That is tough to do sometimes, the transition to bedtime I put off a lot because it seems like so much to do when you're tired. Fridays and Mondays are hard :wink:

Tuesday success
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by kaia » Thu Jul 27, 2017 5:57 am

wednesday success. whew. It was hard because I had a couple drinks, wanted to add more to my food, but was able to keep it under control :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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Post by Skycat » Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:56 am

Congrats on the Wednesday success, one of the most difficult things for me is keeping my willpower in place after a few drinks - that's often when my inner eating devil comes out. Well done :D
I CAN do this.

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Post by kaia » Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:04 am

Skycat so true! It's so easy to slip into WTH, it'll all be easier tomorrow. NOT TRUE, it is never just magically easier tomorrow. But alcohol will make you think that :lol: my kids drive me to want to drink more

:lol:

Thursday success
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
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Post by kaia » Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:27 pm

Friday success! Here's to the weekend 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
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Post by kaia » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:23 am

And it's Monday, I'm back. The weekend felt a little more tame. Not totally tame, there was more snacking than I'd like, but it was better. I think this is because I've let up a little during the last week, I was definitely sticking to the No S rules, but I wasn't as restrictive food-wise. Before I wasn't eating much of what I liked - my meals were vegetables and protein and a little bit of starch. This last week I included toast and peanut butter, pizza etc. Sometimes. I'm hoping that enjoying my food during the week will help me stick to it long term and not make the S days so wild.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
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Post by kaia » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:25 am

And I just checked my habitcal - 3 red days for July. I really want August to be all green!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

oolala53
Posts: 10059
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Aug 02, 2017 2:40 am

Having your N days be diet-like is pretty common. What's funny is that as time goes on, N day meals might return to some kind of simplicity, but it will be because you just find that's what you prefer, not from some secret sense of being on a diet.

Here's to August!
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)

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Fri Aug 04, 2017 5:48 am

Yes here's to August!!!

Green week so far... 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Sat Aug 05, 2017 2:03 pm

Friday success
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
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Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Mon Aug 14, 2017 6:05 am

Urghhh...I fell off the wagon this past week trying yet again a different diet plan. And surprise - it started and crashed quite quickly. I seem to need the same lesson over and over again. But I'm back here now and ready for Monday tomorrow!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:47 am

Man oh man when I fall I fall hard...I made it almost all the way today. About 7 pm I gave in to cookies when my mom brought them over tonight. Here's to green tomorrow 8) I'm coming for ya green :lol:
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Aug 16, 2017 3:06 am

That's all you CAN do. Though also reflecting on what you could do differently in a future situation is also a reasonable and productive tactic.
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)

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Fri Aug 18, 2017 7:03 am

Finally a couple of green days in a row...relief. And yes that's exactly right oolala! I just have to really want to do better when that future situation presents itself. I do really want to change my behavior, I just haven't been that successful in sticking to any one thing for a length of time. I did have a great 5 week streak with No S already so I'm holding on to that. I'm always coming back to No S!! Rather I'm never leaving No S!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:20 am

I'm going to be back to daily check ins tomorrow. Life has gotten away from me, huge house renovation, sick kids, my husband and I both working and switching off with the kids. I've had some green and some red days, I'd like to say with all the stress that at least I didn't have food to worry about. And on some days that has been the case, when there is a lot of stress No S definitely helps! This is the time to stick to it.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:08 am

I'm back...success 8)
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Wed Aug 30, 2017 7:22 am

Today...some struggle moments...especially after wine 😬😬 but I made it
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Thu Aug 31, 2017 7:03 am

SUCCESS
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:27 am

Urgghh I have gotten so far off track from where I started. I told myself I had to do a solid year of vanilla No S before trying any mods. But just a little success my first couple of months and I got distracted by a shiny mod and then a new diet (the blood type diet). URgghhh I'm so mad at myself for repeating this pattern over and over again. When I initially started I knew if I stopped for a stretch of time it would be really hard to start again with the same enthusiasm. But here I am, trying to muster it up again to get solidly in the green again. Here I go...Thursday and Friday are going to be green!!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
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Post by oolala53 » Fri Sep 08, 2017 4:18 am

You poor thing! The Blood Type diet. I remember it vaguely. Got a bit of a chill...:)

I gently recommend you change the thoughts you get that tell you to have this or that S on an N day. The most important one to question is that it's okay to give in and eat. Is it too painful to wait for the next meal? Really? Would it be better to suffer later? They're all kind of the same thing. When the truth dawns, it gets a lot easier. Remember that the overeating habit will do a lot to "convince" you. That's its job! It's the job of the prefrontal cortex to rebut.

You started strong. Now move into fall strong. Most important training time!
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)

gingerpie
Posts: 1031
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:16 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, US

Post by gingerpie » Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:59 pm

Welcome home :) no worries, Imperfect progress is still progress. I've imperfectly been following no-s for years and, although I've never had the amazing stories of success that others have had, I have definitely made great strides and, more importantly, I've never had the feeling that I can't do this. Each change that creeps along in a long lasting change that seems to be an easy offshoot of some previous seemingly minor change.

Just keep plugging along and you'll get to where you need to go.

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

Post by oolala53 » Sat Sep 09, 2017 6:01 pm

True that, GP. I would also think, well, where would I be if I followed a diet? I knew my odds of being better off two years later would not very good. Imperfect Vanilla will likely leave people in a better place as time goes on than a failed diet attempt.
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)

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Sun Sep 10, 2017 6:10 am

Thanks for the support always oolala and gingerpie! Imperfect progress is still progress, and even though I've fallen over the last month or so the habits I started to develop through No S have helped a lot. So it is progress! I'm glad to know gingerpie that you've had similar experiences. I'm comforted by that. I was just frustrated with myself for straying to the fast and shiny diets again. I have to remind myself to 'go slow to go fast'. So many things could benefit in my life if I were to remember this in the heat of the moment. But really what I want is good eating habits over weight loss anyway. Weight loss would be nice but the real goal is freedom from diets so I can go about living.

And it feels so good to say that Thursday and Friday I was back on track, posting sometimes gets away from me in the evenings as I'm getting things ready for me to go to work in the morning. On my work days, which vary and are usually weekends, I get up between 3:30 and 5 AM. Today, an S day and a work day was mild but enjoyable. I do like that we can relax the rules on the weekends, it just feels good to take a break from planning and bringing my meals to work.

Thank you so much for the support!!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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

Post by oolala53 » Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:38 pm

If it makes you feel any better, I was "perfect" on No S for my first three straight months. Then I went on a weeklong retreat, ate a different macronutrient ratio, and started failing when I got home. It took quite a few months to recover, and I've wobbled for periods of time nearly every year since then. I've considered restricted version of my three meals and even experimented with them, but have never found anything other than Vanilla with weekend mods I am willing to do indefinitely.
Last edited by oolala53 on Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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)

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Tue Sep 12, 2017 7:38 am

That does make me feel better oolala!!! Thank you. And you kept at it and had great success :D Here's to a great week!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:25 am

Success :D
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:04 am

Friday success. I'm ready for monday, it's going to be a full week of green, I can see it. Excited for the new week!
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

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

Post by oolala53 » Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:42 pm

We need a thumbs up icon. I'm no good at finding and pasting such things from the web.
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)

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:47 am

oolala yes! I'm not so good at that either. My phone makes it easy, but not if I'm posting from my computer, which I usually am. And thank you! Monday was great, feels good to be back on track. Just my kids have been sick and now I'm starting to get a sore throat, urghh, I hope I can fight this off.
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

kaia
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 12:10 am
Location: Hawaii

Post by kaia » Wed Sep 20, 2017 7:15 am

Yes! Today was a good day. I'm started my 14 minutes of strength workout today too
We must guard against anything that might weaken a valuable habit. Every added link in the chain strengthens the habit - and any break in the chain marks a potential stopping point - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before

Larkspur
Posts: 438
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:30 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Larkspur » Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:33 am

I find strength training really helpful! Have to talk myself into it, but it's good stuff.

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