Crystal's 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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Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Crystal's Daily Check In

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:14 am

Day 1: SUCCESS
Day 2: SUCCESS
Day 3: S Day
Day 4: S Day
Day 5: SUCCESS
Day 6: SUCCESS
Day 7: SUCCESS

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:48 pm

Day 8: SUCCESS

Today, I had to decline snacks while out with a friend for afternoon tea. She ordered them without my knowledge. I stuck with plain black tea with milk but no sugar. She kept urging me to eat the snacks and I kept declining. I have to say, it felt great to walk away not eating those snacks that I did not really want to eat anyway. In the past, I would have eaten them just because they were there and I did not want to hurt my friend's feelings. I simply told her I was full from lunch and the matter was dropped. She packed it up for me to take home but they are not the kind of things that will stay good until tomorrow so I tossed them when I came home.

This week, I had an unusual number of people (well, 2) give me very fine chocolates. (Very expensive in this part of the world. The local chocolate is pretty bad.) I happily accepted it all and put it in my fridge. Its waiting for me for the weekend! And it will taste oh so sweet come Saturday night....

blueskighs
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Location: California

Post by blueskighs » Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:48 pm

I have to say, it felt great to walk away not eating those snacks that I did not really want to eat anyway. In the past, I would have eaten them just because they were there and I did not want to hurt my friend's feelings. I simply told her I was full from lunch and the matter was dropped. She packed it up for me to take home but they are not the kind of things that will stay good until tomorrow so I tossed them when I came home.
Crystal,

VERY WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:51 pm

Day 9: S Day
Day 10: S Day


Out of town for a few days, will update this page Friday night. Here's hoping I can manage to stay on track despite the fact that I will be out of my normal environment and routine!

Thanks, Blueskighs, for your encouraging words. I love your blog, and congratulations on the new kitty-cats!!!

howfunisthat
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Location: New York

Post by howfunisthat » Sun Sep 07, 2008 2:54 pm

I have to say, it felt great to walk away not eating those snacks that I did not really want to eat anyway. In the past, I would have eaten them just because they were there and I did not want to hurt my friend's feelings. I simply told her I was full from lunch and the matter was dropped.
How great is that! What a wonderful feeling that must have been to walk away and know you'd suceeded!

Well done!

janie
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy...

blueskighs
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Location: California

Post by blueskighs » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:24 pm

I love your blog, and congratulations on the new kitty-cats!!!
Crystal,

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! :oops: for your kind comments on my blog and the kitties are too cute and sweet for their own good :D I adore them,

Blueksighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:30 pm

DAY 11: SUCCESS
DAY 12: SUCCESS
DAY 13: SUCCESS
DAY 14: FAILURE
DAY 15: SUCCESS[


Thanks, Janie! Yes, it did feel good especially since I did not want it anyway. I had no desire to eat it, but before, I would have anyway.

Updating the week as I have been on holiday and away from my computer since Monday. Only one failure, which I actually consider pretty good as I was in a place where food was delightful, everywhere and super cheap. I ended up failing on Thursday because a new friend, who took me around the city, bought something for me-again without asking if I wanted it-and in this case, I just did not feel right saying no. It was some kind of Thai sticky rice, one filled with banana and one filled with yam. I barely consider it a sweet, but it was at the end of our meal, so if nothing else, it was surely a second. Well, mark it and move on, right?

I can see that a weakness for me will be turning down things people kindly give me. It usually works though to say things like, "Thank you so much, but I am so full, maybe later." Sometimes I can say I am full and take it and eat it later at the proper times, or I can take it and throw it away later. So its workable-just a bit challenging at times. I could have done that in the above "sticky rice" situation, I just did not think of it as it happened so fast and I am still learning. Next time I will try to be prepared with a quick response.

Well, its Friday night here so only a few hours until a real S day. But I feel so good on N days now, that I am not even that excited about it. I mean, I am looking forward to it, but I am really enjoying N days. My terrible indigestion went away pretty much completely after about 2 days on No S. But last weekend, it came back again. I don't think I overdid it at all, but I ate some cake and a few other things, and there it was, back again. Come Monday, it went away and has not returned. Amazing. Wonderful and amazing. :D

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Sep 15, 2008 12:35 pm

DAY 16: S DAY
DAY 17: S DAY
DAY 18 SUCCESS

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:19 pm

DAY 19: SUCCESS

Went out for a cappucino with two friends today. It came with one of those one-bite cookie things, and I did not even consider eating it. I know that in the grand scheme of things, one bite of a cookie is not going to matter at all, but I sacrificed it in the name of Strictness and Habit-building. 8)

blueskighs
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Location: California

Post by blueskighs » Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:27 pm

I know that in the grand scheme of things, one bite of a cookie is not going to matter at all, but I sacrificed it in the name of Strictness and Habit-building.
SO COOL! 8)

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:05 pm

DAY 20: SUCCESS

Crystal
Posts: 163
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:47 pm

DAY 21: SUCCESS
DAY 22: SUCCESS

Crystal
Posts: 163
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:48 pm

DAY 23: S DAY
DAY 24: S DAY
DAY 25: SUCCESS

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:39 pm

DAY 26: SUCCESS
DAY 27: SUCCESS
DAY 28: SUCCESS

Today was difficult. I had to drink a lot of beverages in between meals-and even now, before going to bed-to make it work today. This is the most difficult day I have had so far on No S. (Actually, most of the other days have been a breeze.) Kept telling myself that its almost the weekend. Man, am I looking forward to this weekend! :D

Kathleen
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Location: Minnesota

Post by Kathleen » Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:44 pm

Crystal,
That's great! Last week, I had a terrible time getting through one week of SUCCESSes and then I ate so much on the weekend I got sick! If that happens to you, don't be hard on yourself -- at all. This week has been about 1/5th as difficult for me as last week. Just focus on those weekdays.
Kathleen

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:23 am

Thanks very much, Kathleen! Here's hoping we both have a delightful weekend!

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:27 pm

DAY 29: SUCCESS
DAY 30: S DAY
DAY 31: S DAY
DAY 32: SUCCESS
DAY 33: SUCCESS
DAY 34: NWS DAY

howfunisthat
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Location: New York

Post by howfunisthat » Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:33 pm

Crystal....You're doing great!!!!

janie
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy...

Crystal
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Post by Crystal » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:46 pm

Janie...thank you very much!

One positive change I have noticed recently is that I have completely lost the desire to snack. Granted, I was never much of a snacker, but years of serious dieting built that habit in me. I guess it was OK and worked for me when I was really restricting calories, but I fell off the dieting wagon a couple years ago. The result of no longer dieting? A gain of about 20 pounds. (I had lost about 70.) But along with that gain came a lot of peace of mind when it came to food, based on the fact that I was not dieting. I actually made the decision about a year ago to stop dieting altogether and be happy with my weight. I do firmly believe people naturally come in all shapes and sizes, and even at my lowest weight, I was not skinny. I decided to give No S another try, simply because anytime I tried it before, I just felt so great on it. (I have been lurking here and false-starting for about four years now. :oops:) Anyway, it really and truly feels real this time, simply because it feels so...natural. I no longer think about food constantly like I had to when I was dieting, and I truly enjoy my food these days. I don't know where this will take me. I do not expect to lose a lot of weight because I know I am not naturally thin, and I am only about 20 pounds higher than my lowest weight which I attained through hard-core dieting. But if nothing else, I have gained a new, wonderful, normal relationship with food that complements my newly found peace with my body. :)
Well, the above paragraph turned out much longer than I anticipated, ha ha! All I was really going to say was that I have no desire to snack now. :D

DAY 35: SUCCESS
DAY 36: SUCCESS
DAY 37: S DAY
DAY 38: S DAY
DAY 39: SUCCESS

blueskighs
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Post by blueskighs » Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:00 pm

But if nothing else, I have gained a new, wonderful, normal relationship with food that complements my newly found peace with my body.
Crystal,

that sounds absolutely wonderful,

Blueskighs
www.nosdiet.blogspot.com Where I blog daily about my No S journey

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:30 pm

Umm...I'm back. :oops: I've been familiar with No S since 2004. I was 29 then and at my lowest weight after hardcore dieting. My lowest weight was 169. (Lost 70 pounds 3 times in 15 years). Had many stops and starts on No S. I feel amazing when I follow it. But my life, at age 42 now, married with one child who has mild to moderate cerebral palsy, is way different and way more complicated than it was when I was single and in my 20's. Long story short, I stopped dieting and stopped weighing myself. I gained a lot of weight and figured I was back at what I thought was my set point-around 250. But I felt I was getting even bigger and that was confirmed when I stepped on a hotel scale 2 months ago and it read 269. That's 100 pounds higher than my lowest and at least 80 pounds higher than I would like to be. (I'm a big girl and carry weight well. I look great at 190.) When I came back from the hotel, I immediately started No S and bought a scale. I've lost 13 pounds in 2 months. I expect the weight loss will slow. But I'm ok with that. My life is getting a bit easier since my daughter is 6 now. Finally feeling like myself again and want to feel good about the way I look again too. I'll try to check in here, but I'm finding it kind of hard to type on this forum with my tiny iPhone. I guess there's no mobile site? But love reading the boards. So much sanity and wisdom. Today was a success. (I'm in Singapore and it's night here. )

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:00 pm

Welcome back. Sounds like you're off to a great (re) start. Best of luck to you.

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:31 am

Welcome back! Wow, I'm amazed you typed all that on your phone! I always check in from my computer (but I hate doing any kind of texting/typing on a phone! I must be OLD, 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

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Sat Sep 16, 2017 3:24 pm

Thank you gingerpie and Merry! Thanks for the welcome back. I'm surprised I typed all that out on my phone as well. (I'm pretty old myself, haha).

It's Saturday night here and I've had a great S day. I find I enjoy my S days way more if I plan one or two really yummy treats but otherwise eat as if they're N Days. I'm not always successful with this, but I don't want to be rigid on S days anyway. Today I had an amazing waffle with a scoop of Thai Tea ice cream at a wonderful cafe called Tuk Tuk Cha. I actually ate that instead of lunch, not in addition to lunch. It was filling enough. Not sure if waffles and ice cream is a thing in America now. I moved here 11 years ago and I'd never heard of them until I moved here from the US. They are popular here. This one also had fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

We adopted a dog from a rescue shelter about a month ago. Living in an apartment, it's imperative that I take him down to potty and walk. Just mentioning it because it has been a great way for me to walk everday. Every single day without fail, for at least 30 minutes.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Whosonfirst
Posts: 538
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:32 pm

Post by Whosonfirst » Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:30 am

Hi Crystal, Good to see you return. Yes, waffles and ice cream are still around here in the US. Mostly see them at fairs, but when my mother made chicken and waffles, we'd add the ice cream for a dessert. Good luck. Trace
https://twitter.com/SipeEngineering
Current weight(9/2020)-212 lbs.
Goal Weight- 205 lbs.
NoS Goal: >= 80% Success days

Lilybug
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Post by Lilybug » Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:12 am

Hi Crystal. I am just returning to no s, as well. I, also stopped dieting and gained weight-

Good luck to you!

Crystal
Posts: 163
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Sun Sep 17, 2017 1:16 pm

Thanks, Whosonfirst and Lilybug! 8) Really appreciate your support.

I feel like this weekend was pretty sane and I'm happy for that. But I'm a perfectionist and I notice that I usually start No S really, really well for a couple months. Maybe even 4 or 5 months. Then I inevitably fail and find it really hard to pick myself up again. Like, if I can't do it perfectly, I don't see the point in doing it at all. Which is self-destructive and doesn't make much sense. I'm hoping I can get past that this time when it happens. I need to stay on this board and post, even when I'm not doing well. I really, really want to succeed this time, and I feel like I can, for the first time in many years.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Lilybug
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 13, 2017 11:46 am

Post by Lilybug » Sun Sep 17, 2017 1:25 pm

Crystal wrote: I feel like this weekend was pretty sane and I'm happy for that. But I'm a perfectionist and I notice that I usually start No S really, really well for a couple months. Maybe even 4 or 5 months. Then I inevitably fail and find it really hard to pick myself up again. Like, if I can't do it perfectly, I don't see the point in doing it at all. Which is self-destructive and doesn't make much sense. I'm hoping I can get past that this time when it happens. I need to stay on this board and post, even when I'm not doing well. I really, really want to succeed this time, and I feel like I can, for the first time in many years.
I'm a perfectionist, as well. A perfectionist not in the way that I do everything perfect, but as in I can rarely get off the ground on any goal I set for myself since I can't do it perfectly.

For me, the weight gain while I was doing it before made it hard to continue. Mostly because I am so scared of being hungry! Have you heard of the Beck Diet Solution (something like that) book? I have it and may dust it off. Its not a diet, its a kind of "therapy" that you work on while you are on whatever eating program you are on. I recall there was a chapter in there about how getting hungry is not an emergency. I need to re read that today!

oolala53
Posts: 10059
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sun Sep 17, 2017 1:54 pm

I was browsing threads and clicked on yours, then saw the first date in 2008! That was the first year I tried No S and had ONE good week just before Thanksgiving. One good week the NEXT SUMMER, and finally committed on Dec. 26, 2009.

I hope you can get to the point at which you don't think of this as "dieting" that you might "stop," to focus on what is valuable in the lifestyle besides weight loss. Because we live in such a food-rich (and a lot of it not very good quality) environment that it's logical to have some strategies to navigate the waters. I've also found for the most part that having a reliable eating routine, maybe with a bit expanded eating windows, actually removes some stress from my life Overeating adds to stress for me.

I used the thinking principles from Beck intensely in my first year, especially the list of reasons. I didn't call it reasons to lose weight, but reasons to eat moderately. I might not always lose weight, but I could always eat moderately. I changed all her statements about weight loss specifically accordingly.

I'm curious to know if as you were eating freely, you felt guilty about it, like always thinking you should change it. So many sources claim that if a person eats freely without guilt, she will eventually naturally decrease what she eats to better match her real hunger/needs. I've heard of it happening, but with all the junk food out there, it sounds risky to me.

Then again, I don't equate Singapore with junk food!

Welcome home.
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Sep 18, 2017 1:41 pm

Hi Lilybug! Thanks for your comment and the suggestion about the Beck book. I have heard of it (I think from lurking these forums occasionally over the years) but I have not read it. I am headed to the library tomorrow to pick up my reserved copy of "Y is for Yesterday" (I am a huge Sue Grafton fan) so I will see if they have it. Have a lovely day! :)
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:15 pm

Hi Oolala! I know its kind of corny to say this, but I am honored to get a reply from you. You are The No S Rock Star IMHO, and I so appreciate all your advice and help you give everyone. And the fact that you have been doing so for so many years. Not just that you have stuck with No S for so long, but that you have continued to inspire others as well. I'm happy I have an opportunity to say thank you personally. I have been lurking this board off and on for years. But mostly off, I must say. :oops:

To answer your question about guilt. Well, its a kind of long answer. The short answer is No, I did not feel guilt eating what I wanted to, at least after the first few years of no dieting. The big reason for this is that I read and read and read about fat acceptance. I must say, as a naturally fat person who was a chubby kid and fat all my life until I dieted in my twenties (and never got below 169 at 5'6") FA really resonated with me. I still believe a lot of it, and I am happy that it gave me another perspective on body size and health, body size and attractiveness, etc. It blew my mind that I did not have to hate my fat body. It made me feel like a worthwhile person for the first time in my life. It also really, really helped me see fat in another way-that it is not necessarily unattractive. Also, i was one of those "If I can do it, anyone can!" annoying people who alienated others by my (temporary) success losing weight. I was pretty judgy in my attitude, even if I hid it well. But 10 years and 100 pounds later, as well as loads of FA information, I had to eat humble pie. Basically, in 2008, I was trying to do No S to maintain my loss, but I just couldn't stick with it. The reasons: I had just moved to the other side of the world, and I was lost as to even how to diet with a completely new way of life and new food. Another reason: I started reading FA blogs and it changed my perspective completely. This was a good thing, but I had dieted from a place of deep self-hatred. I could just not muster enough hatred for my body anymore to diet. Because dieting is hard, and my motivation for it (self-hatred) was not a good one.

In the meantime I got married and had a kid with special needs. My own needs and wants have taken a backseat. I am only just now at a place where i can start thinking of myself a tiny bit again. I have had no guilt about eating what I wanted. But the weight has kept piling on. In fact, it is a common FA idea that we have a set point that we cannot really go beyond. I believed this. But I was recently dismayed to discover that I have gone beyond what I thought was my set point (my highest weight of 250) by 20 pounds! being that close to 300 really depressed me.

This is a complicated subject. I will say that I am really glad for what FA has taught me. I kind of feel like a failure at FA because I am back trying to lose weight again. But I am definitely coming at No S this time with a healthier perspective, mentally. I don't hate myself or my body anymore. I know that may sound contradictory given that I am trying to change it.

I am definitely focusing on the good effects of No S besides weight loss. It is true freedom around food. I felt "free" around food due to FA as well, but I didn't feel good physically because of overeating.

Singapore is not about junk food, for sure. But actually, it pretty much has anything and everything (except good Tex-Mex!) that you could ever want! As the years go by, more and more western style cake shops and cafes open up too. This place is a veritable smorgasbord! People eat breakfast, lunch, tea time, dinner and supper! My naturally thin Asian husband eats all of that and i guess I thought I could get away with it too. I can't.

Sorry for the novel. Thanks for listening. :)

Today was a successful Monday. Now off to walk the dog before bed.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:41 pm

I love your novel. More later.
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:10 pm

Tuesday was a success. I was really hungry before dinner so I purposely ate a bit later so I wouldn't be tempted to eat after dinner. I'm finding that the best remedy for night time eating for me is my 35-40 minute walk with the dog. We walk around 10pm and when I return I have absolutely no appetite and just want to shower and go to bed. Having a dog that truly needs walking is also a great incentive to never ever skip the walk. I wouldn't get a dog for the sole purpose of having an exercise companion as dogs are a lot of responsibility, but it sure does help! Before, I would have a goal of walking 5 times a week and I'd be doing good if I made it 4. Now, because of the dog, it's 7 days a week!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:41 pm

Today was a success. I've been doing No S for 2.5 months this time around. The real test of whether I can stick to it will be when I have a failure...or two or three. I can go pretty long without a red day. But looking back at my past habitcals reveals a pattern of perfect greens followed by a red a few months later. Followed by a couple weeks of red and green followed by nothing because I gave up.

Thinking about the past decades of my life: I spent my 20's losing lots of weight (and gaining it back and losing it again) and hating my body. I spent my 30's coming to peace with my body, not dieting at all (besides maybe one failed No S attempt) and gaining a lot of weight. I would love to spend my 40's learning to eat like a normal person (via No S) while getting to a weight at which I feel comfortable and healthy (which for me is higher than most people might be comfortable at.) I know this is a long process though. But unlike other diets I've been on, it's not about drudgery and shame. It feels great actually. So far.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:15 pm

Surviving and coming back from failures is a real skill. I didn't fail until three months in and boy, did I wobble and waiver for a long time. But I felt I had no options, so I didn't leave. I could NOT go back to that life of being full way too much.

May I ask when your lowest weight after adolescence was when you weren't trying to change things much?

I don't think everyone has to get thin to be healthy and feel vital and energetic. But given what I know now, I wish I had "gotten religion" in middle age. Getting my "healthy" eating (meaning a lot less manufactured foods, especially sweets) together as well as my coping abilities would have helped me not worry as much (I don't lie awake over this) about dementia in my old age. Despite my weight loss success, I did a lot of stuff back then that can have some bad results in my coming years, weight loss or not. I can't change the past, though. And it's hard to be motivated by the concerns of other stages of life. Thank goodness, in one way. Dont' have to try to be the ingenue anymore. Whew.

I think it's interesting that when you weren't dieting, you gained weight. Seems like, well duh yet some people report that when a they took the pressure off, the compulsion died down and they ended up eating less and losing weight as time went on. Yet time and again, I read of other people who gave up and gained a lot of weight. Is it that the gainer doesn't try to control eating but feels all the time like she should want to? Or is Wansink right that easy access to food leads to more eating?

In any case, here you are.
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:47 pm

Thursday was a success.

I'm making a goal of checking in here every day through the end of the year. I think it will help keep me honest.

Oolala, thanks for your response and encouragement. You ask very good questions that make me think. I'll respond when I have time, but it's almost midnight here and I'm going to bed. Have a good rest of the week!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 22, 2017 3:14 pm

Today was really hard but I made it through successfully. I haven't had a hard day since the first couple weeks over 2 months ago. I'm so glad tomorrow is Saturday!!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Fri Sep 22, 2017 7:35 pm

I haven't found that hard days completely disappear. They can surprise you, but it's just another learning curve. Whatever you wanted, you can enjoy it tomorrow, IF it's still so important.
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:59 pm

Today was a strange day. An awful migraine day. My migraines are terrible. I spent hours over the toilet vomiting anything i had eaten before the migraine got very, very bad. It's all over now, but I still feel weak and a bit headachy. I ate a couple saltine crackers once the worst of it was over. And I ate a small dinner. All in all, I probably consumed less today than usual, but I'll just count it as a sick day and look forward to tomorrow. I don't plan on eating anything else in the 4 or so hours before I sleep tonight.

I realised that even though I said I'd check in every day, I don't want to check in on S days. Not much to say about the weekend. It was fine. In the past, my S days could be really excessive (when I did No S before) but this time, my S days have been quite tame with no real effort on my part. That is surprising to me. If I feel like having an excessive S Day, though, I will. I don't want to restrict myself on S days at this point. I've never been a binge eater though. Just more of an all day snacker. Or especially an after dinner snacker. On sweets.

Oolala, if you read this, to answer your question about my lowest weight while not dieting after adolescence: I'm honestly not sure. I think I was always around 180-200 in high school. I was always trying to start a diet but couldn't stick to anything (save for one pretty successful anorexic attempt at losing weight. I ate almost nothing every day for many months and dropped a ton of weight. I was still fat.) The lowest I ever was as an adult was 169 while dieting. I've never been below 200 when not dieting. Maybe I was just below that at around 180 in high school. As a child, though I was fat, I was very active. We lived on a farm and played outside all day long. We rarely had treats because we were poor. But I do remember that I loved food and even in school, I was never one of those kids who complained about school cafeteria food. I happily ate it all up. I've been a vegetarian almost 30 years, so I'm also proof that one can be fat and vegetarian at the same time.
:mrgreen:
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Mon Sep 25, 2017 7:54 pm

I was at my lowest without really trying last in high school. I was not officailly overweight but thicker than many of the girls. I got to that same weight after two years on No S, which represented about a 20% loss. The fact that in the last year and half I've lost another 5% is a bit of a fluke, as it did involve effort but it wasn't for weight loss. Ironically, I've thought more about more weight loss being possible since then, but I'm starting to think that no matter what, it's likely by bodyfat won't change much because it's about the same as it was nearly 30 years ago before I wrenched about 11% off myself. And went on to gain over 50 lbs. I"m certainly not willing to push for it if it means I'd lose much more muscle, which is what would happen if I lose more and still stay at 28%.

There's no maintaining anything without an eating routine that is satisfying.
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:24 pm

Success! Feeling so much better today.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Sep 27, 2017 12:00 pm

It's 7:30pm Wednesday in Singapore. I just finished dinner and resisted the urge to have a second helping. So today will be a success provided I don't eat anything else. The strange thing is that this time around, I don't have the desire to eat after dinner anymore. This is huge for me. It's such a relief. It's amazing to me that I can relax with a book or podcast or tv in the evening when I have time and not feel the need to eat or drink. That's just never been me. Sometimes I go to bed a little hungry, but it's not bad. And I don't really think it's true hunger.

A word about the pace of losing weight on No S. I've lost 15 pounds in 2.5 months. The first ten came off way faster than the last 5 though, which is to be expected. But I've got a lot to lose, so its not a huge surprise to me to have lost 15 pounds. But now I seem to be losing about half a pound a week. This is glacially slower than previous diets where I lost at least 2 pounds per week. But those diets were hard. They were all consuming. It was all I thought about. I barely think about No S. So this is definitely preferable. I do weigh every day because I can handle the fluctuations and know they are normal. I find the scale very motivating. Not owning a scale for ten years was not a good move for me, haha. I was in denial until I finally stepped on one a couple months ago. But I know this varies greatly from person to person. I absolutely do not want to get obsessive about the scale.

I've mentioned my lowest weight being 169. When I was around 29 years old. My goal was to get out of the overweight BMI, which I think would have been 154. I was obsessed with that goal. I ate less and less (on what was a really strict diet to begin with) and exercised more and more. I looked totally and completely fine and felt great. I've always felt good no matter my weight and do not have health problems even now. But the scale would not budge. It was so discouraging. It eventually did me in, diet-wise. I gave up. How I wish I could have just embraced my weight at 180 or so and tried to maintain it. So that's why my "goal weight" at this point seems so high. I would truly be thrilled to weigh 190 at this point. In reality, I don't know how much I can lose. I don't know if I can lose another 60 plus pounds. I guess I'm just going to see where this takes me. I know it could take years to get that much weight off. My previous diets had me losing 70 pounds in 8 months or so. But guess what, I gained it all back plus some. No big surprise there.

I also know I need to focus on the benefits of eating this way beyond losing weight. There are many, and I know focusing on these will help me get through the hard times even when the scale is not moving.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Wed Sep 27, 2017 3:02 pm

Good job on not taking seconds. (Was the food put away? That helps me. I keep my grains and even a fair amount of my protein frozen. Fast to heat for a meal, but too much trouble to heat when I've already sat down and eaten. Yeah, I don't cook dinner fresh very often.)

Oh, how many of us wish we could have embraced our previously fine bodies rather than go the road of diets and regain? Not that we couldn't have improved our diets. If I had simply done something like No S, and been more consistently active- I can't believe how little I exercised in college- with fewer sweets, I probably would have maintained a lower weight, but I still wouldn't have been regarded as really slim in those days at my age.

I, too, am still sometimes amazed that I don't eat after dinner after decades of it. Sometimes when I'm out late, I'll remember that I used to stop and get a burrito just because I had a little twinge of desire. I actually sometimes feel that desire, but it's more like nostalgia. I know it would even taste good and feel good at first, but I just can't do it to myself anymore. It's like those shopping carts that can't be taken out of the parking lot.

Whether slow loss trumps fast loss, I do think moderate diet changes trump severe changes. They're just more habit-friendly. And you can keep adjusting them downwards, like the frog getting heated in the boiling water. As you saw with large deficits, where else do you go when the body adjusts the metabolism to accommodate the changes in intake?

But it is true that any weight loss will lower metabolism because it takes less to support a lighter body UNLESS there is a big gain in muscle, but that's still only about 50 calories a day for a pound of muscle. Two bites of dinner. And it takes rather concerted effort.

Just for reference, in the Minnesota starvation experiment, the men lost an average of 2.5 pounds a week (and they weren't overweigh to start!) and went on to feel they had to eat voraciously for several months after it was over. (All of them eventually returned to their previous eating habits and weight. I think part of why they didn't turn into permanent bingers is that they didn't glorify weight loss and weren't trying to change their appearance, so they weren't terribly disappointed in themselves when they gorged though they didn't think it was pleasant.) So the present common advice that two pounds a week is a good goal may be flawed. I think it's more doable to aim for less and to do it with a combo of increased activity and less food, though it make take several weeks to get to the right combo. I certainly wish now I could have induced myself to take that route on No S from the beginning. Or even now! I do exercise more but still not consistently.

I think what you're proposing for yourself is all you can aim for now because it looks doable. Paraphrasing Reinhard, the ideal weight is the one you can sustain with consistent habits. After six more months, something else might seem doable.

I'm sorry we live in such a weight conscious culture. You're probably eating better than a lot of the population, and certainly a lot of slim women, but you don't get credit for it. So give yourself plenty and look for any other outlets for pleasure or productivity.

And maybe read some fat acceptance lit? Though I do think some of those people are protecting some damaging eating habits.
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)

Bluebell
Posts: 633
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:17 pm
Location: Hampshire UK

Post by Bluebell » Wed Sep 27, 2017 3:27 pm

Hi Crystal, I have just read through your thread and wanted to offer my experience of weight loss. It has been slooooow. Like half a pound a week, some weeks nothing, some weeks a slight gain. But over 10 months I have lost 28lb, and have maintained that for the last two months. And it now honestly feels like the most natural thing in the world! I have reached a level of acceptance that this is where my body is happy, I will never be the slim self of my youth, I'm 42 now, been happily married for 19 years, this is me, with all my imperfections! I am still 'officially' 6lbs overweight with a bmi of 26.1, and I am totally fine with that. NoS has helped me accept myself as I am, because the most important thing is that I am able to have control and moderation in my eating habits.
Anyway enough about me, I wish you every success on your NoS journey and would just urge you to stick with it, the benefits are huge :)
"You'll know where the North Star is &#11088;&#65039;" - Oolala

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:12 pm

Oolala and Bluebell, thank you so much for your encouragement and kind words. I really appreciate it so much. I'm a very introverted person so even an Internet forum can be too much for me at times. Because of this, I've never really reached out for support. Thank you guys so much for reading and giving great advice and support.

Today was another success with another surprise-I didn't even finish my plate of food at dinner. I stopped when I was full and had no desire to continue eating. Again, this is just not me. I used to eat until uncomfortably full. My dinner was a bit early because I had to go somewhere after that. And I was really hungry when I ate it. But then i realised I was full when I was about 3 quarters done. I did have a moment where I considered if I should finish it because it would be many hours before bed (it's midnight now, so it's been almost 6 hours since I ate.) But I decided to stop when full and deal with the before bed hunger if it happened. Well, I was busy so made it through. I'm just going to go to bed now and not give in to the slight hunger.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:05 pm

I have to admit, I almost never leave food on my plate. Good for you! It's worth it to stick out the following overnight fast. So many good things from that!
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:33 pm

It's Friday night. Around 9:30pm. I'm not a big breakfast eater and sometimes just drink coffee. That's what I did this morning. Had lunch at noon. Then had to take my daughter to the Dr for a yearly check up. Had to wait forever to see the dr. I was feeling very hungry but only had a coffee with soy milk after that while my daughter had a snack. Actually, that's my first afternoon coffee in months. I've only been drinking it in the morning because it causes stomach issues for me. But the place didn't have tea and I was hungry! Immediately after that we met a friend and her daughter for a swimming play date. Since my daughter has mild cerebral palsy, I had to hold her up in the water the entire time. It was tiring. My friend packed some homemade Singapore style fried noodles for dinner. It was good but the portion was really small. To be honest, I'm really hungry. We just arrived home. I walked the 20 minutes home pushing the wheelchair instead of taking the public bus. So that was good. I still have to take the dog down for a walk. I'm hungry. I'm going to try to tough it out. I could have some tea with milk before bed. Tomorrow is Saturday. I've been getting out of the house and going out by myself while my husband watches my daughter on Saturday morning. I plan a nice S Day treat for then. For the first time ever, Starbucks in Singapore is carrying Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I've never had one. I'm thinking of getting one tomorrow. But it loses its appeal when you finally arrive at Starbucks all hot and sweaty due to the tropical heat. I'll probably end up ordering an ice latte while dreaming of fall.

Did I mention I'm hungry? 😂
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by oolala53 » Fri Sep 29, 2017 3:34 pm

Did you make it? Honestly, I might have allowed myself something I might have had on my plate along with the fried noodles and called it virtual plating if I had been legitimately hungry later, whatever I usually eat more of (starch, protein, freggies). (That doesn't happen to me very often anymore, that is, getting truly hungry soon just because I didn't eat much.)

I've gotten out of the habit of drinking my sweets- I like chewing and savoring-, but you can find out if they satisfy your yens. Maybe it will be even better looking forward to the latte in cooler weather!

We still have some sweltering days at this time of year in California. Yet one woman I communicate with on eating issues in Canada said it's -3 degrees C there today. It NEVER gets that cold in San Diego, and it's not even October yet! I'm sure hot drinks play a pretty big role in her life.
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)

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Sat Sep 30, 2017 5:48 am

Hi Oolala. I did consider doing some virtual plating, but in the end, I decided it was too tricky and I'd just tough it out. In the past, when I tried No S, I tended to be way too lenient. It all became very fuzzy with no clear cut lines. So this time I'm being stricter. I'm not extremely strict. I might have a bite of something here and there and not count it as a fail. That's just psychological though. In my experience, a couple bites will not hurt unless I let it effect me mentally where I experience the WTH effect. But other than that, I've been way stricter. And I'm definitely losing more this time. I allow myself to be hungry without freaking out. I think I was wrong about the half pound loss. I'm losing about 1.5 to 2 pounds per week. I expect this will slow down. But I will enjoy it while it lasts for sure!!

So last night I had a cup of tea with a teaspoon of honey and some milk. It was satisfying. I was hungry when I went to bed. But I kind of don't believe you can lose weight without being a little hungry at times.

I'm at Starbucks. I didn't have the pumpkin spice latte. It just didn't sound good. The trouble with Singapore is that it's tropically hot and humid all year round. How I miss the change of seasons!! I only travel back to the US in fall or winter, but can't go this year. It's been a few years since I went home.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Lilybug
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 13, 2017 11:46 am

Post by Lilybug » Sat Sep 30, 2017 12:23 pm

IMHO, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is waaay too sweet. I would just order the latte and add cinnamon and nutmeg if they have it and sweeten it to my liking. I bought one once and ended up using it for creamer fro my coffee.

Your weight loss is great!

The pushing a wheelchair around is a serious workout! I pushed my sister around for a day at a festival and my butt and legs and arms were super sore the next day.

Have a great weekend!

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Oct 02, 2017 3:24 pm

Thank you so much Lilybug! Hope you had a nice weekend. Have a lovely week! 🌺

Today was a success. Had one slice of bread with peanut butter for breakfast, homemade soup and sandwich for lunch, and went out for Indian food for dinner. It was a bit heavy and oily but the portions were not very big so it was ok. The vegetarian set meal had bitter gourd as one of the veggies, and no amount of spice can disguise the bitterness. (Unless it’s battered and deep fried, then yum!!) I tried, but could only eat a few bites. I think people must get used to the bitter taste from young. I’m not aware that western cultures eat much bitter food. I know it’s so good for you, but I just cannot.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:24 pm

Success. Too tired to say more. Just checking in because I promised myself I would every day this year, at least on weekdays. Have a good week everyone who may be reading this. 😊
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:47 am

Wednesday was a success. I skipped breakfast, which I am used to doing. I’ve just never been a breakfast eater, even as a kid. I read an article a few days ago that once again said there seems to be a link between not eating breakfast and obesity as well as heart disease and a few other conditions. Sigh. I guess this could be true. The article pointed out that this was simply one finding in a larger study not necessarily aimed at this “no breakfast/obesity†link. And that it could be caused by many factors. I just don’t know how to get myself to eat breakfast when I don’t feel like it. I have one to two cups of coffee in the morning and nothing else until noon most days. On the rare occasion I feel like eating in the morning, I may have something very small around 10 or 11. On days I do not eat breakfast, I don’t seem to eat more at lunch. So I don’t know if this is a problem I need to fix or not.

I made a delicious dinner of stir-fry veggies and tofu in peanut sauce over noodles. It was hard stopping at 1 serving. But I did, and once I walked away from the table, the desire for seconds went away. Now I can eat the leftovers for lunch.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Oct 06, 2017 12:00 am

Thursday=Success. There’s lots of junk in the house (ice cream, etc) that I didn’t buy, and I’m managing to avoid it all. Thank goodness.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Post by lpearlmom » Fri Oct 06, 2017 3:28 am

You're doing great!

Those kinds of studies are so problematic. I think those findings are mostly correlation. Like people that don't bother to have breakfast also tend to live a fast paced life and aren't good at self-care. That's not the case for you though so I doubt it matters. Btw, lots of studies show that a 12 hr fast is good for you too so whose right ? I say do what works for you.
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Oct 06, 2017 12:49 pm

Thank you, Linda! I tend to agree with you about correlation not equaling causation in this study. I had the same thoughts about fasting as well. Thanks for your kind words. I enjoy reading your daily check in even though I’ve not commented on your thread myself. 😊

I’ll call today a success even though it’s only 8:30pm (Friday night) because not eating after dinner is really not a problem for me anymore (at least at this point-I don’t want to get overconfident.) That in itself is amazing to me because I think I gained my last 20 pounds soley by night eating alone. Well, maybe night eating and afternoon snacks. So happy to not do either of those anymore. Even on S Days for the most part. I just feel so good physically eating less. And I also didn’t finish my dinner tonight. It just stopped tasting good and I was venturing into uncomfortably full territory, which feels gross to me now. I mean, it feels bad physically.

I saw a couple photos of myself that my husband took of me and our daughter this afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised. I genuinely look like I’ve lost weight. I have lost around 17 pounds but I didn’t realise it was noticeable. When you have 80 plus pounds to lose, you have to lose a lot to notice it. I’ve found that when I’ve lost weight in the past, I have to lose around 30 pounds before anyone notices. So I was happy to see photos of myself that didn’t make me sad. It made me feel better about the fact that I have not lost anything this week despite staying on plan all week. But I know scales are crazy. It could show no loss at all for days and days then suddenly drop 2 pounds to a new low. I know I shouldn’t focus so much on the weight loss. But I really do want to lose, and that is motivating me to really stick to No S faithfully.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Post by jenji » Fri Oct 06, 2017 1:32 pm

Congrats on a successful day! :D
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:39 pm

Today, I was hungry. I did ok though. I mean, i’m hungry every day. But it usually doesn’t bother me too much. But i was particularly hungry today with a strong desire to eat. I made it through though.

It started raining on my walk with the dog tonight. Right at the beginning of the walk. My dog hates rain and i didn’t want to walk in the pouring rain anyway so i went home. I forced myself to do a 25 minute YouTube “Fitness Blender†workout. I would much rather walk. I am so uncoordinated!!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

User avatar
Gracie
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 5:30 pm

Post by Gracie » Mon Oct 09, 2017 5:34 pm

Hi, Crystal!

I'm a relatively new face around here, but I wanted to let you know that I've been reading through this thread... and, just WOW! You're such an inspiration. Good luck on your weight loss journey, and I look forward to reading more about your days. :)

~Gracie

Crystal
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Post by Crystal » Tue Oct 10, 2017 2:43 pm

Thank you so much, Gracie! That is so sweet of you to say. I’ve always loved the name Gracie, by the way. 😊

I skipped breakfast today but had a big lunch as i was out with a friend. She ordered a couple Chinese vegetarian dishes to share, which is always a bit tricky. Actually it was one dish of amazing, out of this world stir fry vegetables with crunchy battered mushrooms in a curry sauce and a soup. Plus rice. It’s tricky because there’s not a plate, just a small bowl of rice. You are supposed to eat out of the dishes family style. I did my best, i guess, and i did stop before i wanted to. It was so delicious. I could have devoured a lot more. I’m sure i ate a bit more than one plateful. Well, maybe not. I guess the plate would have been pretty full with rice and stir fry with a small bowl of soup on the side. Anyway, it was so good. I was full, but did get hungry a couple hours before dinner. Dinner was good. Finished it 3 hours ago and i’m hungry again. Guess this is another big appetite day for me. I will not eat anything else before bed though. It feels great to have that decision made. Reminds me of one of my favourite Reinhard quotes:

“When you’re strict, there is no decision to be made, no
wrangling, no “can I? can’t I?†You’re pre-disapproved,
so forget it and move on to something else. The prohibition
passes from something merely rational to something
reflexive. It becomes automatic and easy.â€

I love the thought of being “pre-disapprovedâ€. It makes me chuckle at myself and move on to something else.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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Gracie
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Post by Gracie » Tue Oct 10, 2017 3:02 pm

Thanks, Crystal! I love your name, too! â¤ï¸

Sounds like you did the best you could, given the circumstances. I come from a traditional South Asian family, so I understand how tricky it can be to actually "plate" your meals when there's a culture or cuisine that encourages the community to basically all share from one large dish. Whenever I participate in traditional family events like this, I try to focus on eating until I experience satiety--which it seems like you did! It sounds silly, but I try to revert to that simple mentality of "eat when you're hungry and stop when you're not".

Anyway, that's quite awesome that you were able to exercise self-control and stop before you were too full! Sounds like a win to me. :)

~Gracie
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
Posts: 163
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Oct 11, 2017 2:29 pm

Thanks again Gracie! I’m enjoying reading your thread as well. 😊

It’s 10 pm and i’m thinking of having a milky tea before bed. I’ve walked the dog and i’m still a little hungry. We will see. Today was good. I had a slice of buttered bread for breakfast, vegetarian gong bao “chicken†with rice at my favourite vegetarian cafe, and i made baked potatoes, mushy peas, and coleslaw for dinner to use up whatever i have in the house. My dear Singaporean friend who’s half Malay and half English gave me the idea of the mushy peas today. I had never heard of them but boy are they delicious! And boy does “mushy peas†sound so British or what? 😂 Delicious and easy and going to make them all the time now. Except i’m not using the right peas as they are impossible to find in Singapore. Using frozen peas instead. 😵😱 They are still amazing.

By Wednesday night, which is now in Singapore, i’m always really loong forward to the weekend. ðŸªðŸ°
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

jenji
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Post by jenji » Wed Oct 11, 2017 2:37 pm

Your meals sound delicious. In fact, I need a mushy peas recipe, please. :)

Have a good day!
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

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Gracie
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Post by Gracie » Wed Oct 11, 2017 2:48 pm

Crystal! Your food sounds so yummy! We definitely all need that mushy peas recipe. 😋 I'm a huge vegetable lover, but I struggle with peas (unless they are fresh and still in the pod). Maybe this dish can help me hop on board the pea train. 😂

It's Wednesday morning here (I am in the US), so it's nice to hear you had such a successful day today! Wishing you a happy Thursday, and I can't wait to see what food you choose for your meals.

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Oct 12, 2017 4:18 pm

Thank you Jen and Gracie. 💙 I better leave the mushy peas recipe to the experts, haha. There’s lots of recipes online. I don’t think mine is traditional at all, especially using frozen peas. But mine involved caramelised onions and garlic, frozen peas mashed up into that with veggie broth until they are cooked through and soft, and dill, salt and pepper. I read you could also use mint or basil but i had dill (no mint or basil) and it was really good with dill. It was so easy. I did use an immersion blender to get them a little softer when my potato masher wasn’t doing a good job. Oh, yeah, i did mash them up with a splash of milk. I didn’t blend them to a purée though. I left it slightly lumpy. They are not pretty, but they sure taste good!

Today was good. Nothing exciting to report. Can’t wait for Saturday though. I think i’m going to buy an ice cream cone from a good ice cream shop. Good ice cream (which is the imported stuff here) is ridiculously expensive in Singapore. It definitely forces you to have it only occasionally and savor every bite.

Raining again tonight so i could only take the dog outside to do his business, not walk. So i did a 30 minute YouTube stretching video. The stretching felt great!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:54 pm

Today has been a great day. I was going to skip breakfast because i wasn’t hungry and had a ton of housework to do. But by 11:30, I was starting to feel a bit lightheaded, headachy and nauseous. So i sat down and had 3 saltines. Felt better after that and finished my chores. Lunch was a quick pasta with a homemade cream sauce and peas. (Still trying to not spend money and use what’s in the pantry/fridge/freezer. Had half a bag of peas left as well as a package of macaroni.) Dinner was lovely. Here’s the thing about food courts/hawker centres in Singapore. It’s where the best food can be had, and it’s cheap. There’s tons of variety. The food is fresh, cooked right before your eyes. Certain dishes can be oily or very fried, but all in all, it’s so much healthier than fast food or a lot of American restaurant food. Partly because the portions are not humongous. Now, i’m not one of those people that ever complain about American portion sizes in restaurants. When i lived in America, i had plenty of delicious lunches or dinners made up of leftovers brought home from restaurant meals i couldn’t finish. So no complaints there. But i do appreciate that i can enjoy my entire meal from a food court and not feel stuffed. I had food from an Indian vegetarian stall. It was called the Mini Tiffin Meal and it consisted of a masala dosai, mini sambar idli, some kind of creamy vegetable rice, and some chutneys to go with the dosai. Oh, yeah...there was also a small scoop of dessert. But it basically consisted of something akin to cream of wheat, raisins and cashews (it’s called kesari.) To me, that’s not an S in the same way a brownie is an S. 😂 You should see the Chinese desserts here. They are so healthy. Red bean soup, green bean soup, sweet potato soup. Basically they are what i would consider savoury dishes except they have sugar. I like them, but that’s not what i reach for on Saturday or Sunday.

I walked a ton today. Took a 45 minute walk with the dog in the afternoon. Then decided to walk home from the library (pushing my daughter in her wheelchair) instead of taking the bus. It took an hour. So lots of walking.

And tomorrow is Saturday! Yay!!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

jenji
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Post by jenji » Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:56 pm

Your tiffin lunch sounds delicious!
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

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Gracie
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Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 5:30 pm

Post by Gracie » Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:59 pm

Wow, Crystal! All of your meals sound so delicious! I can say as a South Asian gal that our food certainly is yummy. But, maybe I'm biased. ;)

I know what you mean about portion sizes. Since living in the US, I've definitely noticed that I utilize takeaways more than before. I suppose this is both good and bad, depending on how you want to look at it. It's good in that I can get two meals from one outing, but it's bad if you have a hard time resisting the urge to eat whatever is in front of you. I'm definitely been there! 😵

Anyway, love reading about your food options! My husband and I are living in a somewhat rural part of the US now, so I'm feeling the lack of ethnic cuisine options heavily. I enjoy cooking my own traditional foods, but I do miss food courts and food stalls. Maybe when we move, we'll be in a place with a bit more diversity. :)

Almost Saturday, hurray!

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Sat Oct 14, 2017 11:07 am

Hey Chrystal, just stopping by to say hi. Sounds like things are going well for you. I read some of your back posts - I think your going to do great on no-s. It's a plan that's perfect for folks who have accepted their imperfections and are willing to let self improvement be measured by something other than a scale. I love that one really can't "fail" doing no-s, your sure to learn something.

Kind regards,
Virginia

Crystal
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Oct 16, 2017 12:07 pm

Thanks Virginia! I totally agree about learning something from No S. I feel like i’m learning so much.

It’s Monday evening here. I just finished dinner. Today was good. I’m really happy to be back on N days after the past 2 S days. I don’t think i went overboard, but i definitely felt the difference between this weekend and my sane S day eating. I felt bloated and gross last night. Funny things is, like i said, i didn’t really go overboard and it’s kind of crazy to think how much i was eating every single day before i started this. Because i think it was more than i eat on S days now. No wonder i gained so much weight! And felt pretty bad physically after eating.

Tonight, I’m going to a friend’s house. I’m hoping i’m not tempted to eat anything else tonight.

I’m going to a gathering on Wednesday as it’s a public holiday here. (Deepavali). The gathering has nothing to do with Deepavali, as i don’t celebrate that holiday. I’m thinking of taking it as an S Event. I actually have not taken even one NWS day since i started. I don’t even need to take it as an S event since there will mostly be savoury food there and i can just eat one plate of that for dinner. But my friend is making cupcakes and she bakes really well. I’d love to have one of those. So i’ll probably make it an S Event.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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Gracie
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Post by Gracie » Mon Oct 16, 2017 1:56 pm

Crystal! It's crazy to think that being on NoS for such a short period of time can change how you feel when you finally hit those S days. It almost makes you feel like the method of eating with N days really should be the standard for most of us. :) I've noticed that I felt considerably better on each N day than during this weekend.

Anyway, I hope you have fun at your friend's house! Let us know how it goes. :-*

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:51 am

Hi Gracie. I agree with you-I feel better on N days. I still love S days and feel they are necessary (for me) but i’m glad they are only 2 days a week. I know there are ways to enjoy my S Days and not feel bad physically. I’ve had a number of those and they are really satisfying. Eating normally plus one delicious planned sweet. At least that’s what works for me. But i don’t want to put that restriction on all S days, at least not yet.

When i went to my friend’s house, sure enough she (of delicious baking fame) broke out all manner of treats. I’m happy to report that i abstained. I was even pressured to “have just a little†by a couple of my friends there. In the past, when i’ve tried No S, i kept quiet about it. This time, I’m telling whoever wants to hear. I think it keeps me accountable. There was one particular treat there, a fresh pan of homemade blondies. That’s my kind of treat. So i told them about No S and asked if i could take one home for Saturday. One naturally thin friend said, “no you gotta eat it while it’s hot! They are SO good! Just try a small one!†I said, “I don’t know if i could stop at a small one.†She said, “sure you can-see?†She quickly finished her blondie and wiped her hands as if to say, “I’m done!†I said, “that’s why you are 110 pounds and I’m not!†😂 Then she said, “i’m actually 125 pounds and i should be 120. i weigh more than i look.†I told her “Boo hoo. Cry me a river.†I have never understood how thin people can lament their weight right in front of fat people. It’s happened since I was a kid with other girls. “I’m so fat!†says the Not At All Fat girl/teenager/young woman/middle aged woman. Right in front of me, who outweighs them by a good 100 pounds. I just internalize that and feel ,â€if you think you are so fat, what must you think of me?†Sometimes i say it out loud. I know that it really has more to do with their own insecurities than with my weight. But still. (This friend was not lamenting the state of her own weight really, and meant nothing by her comments. It just reminded me of the many, many times in my life the above instance has happened to me. But I think people just say things without thinking how they may effect others. As a mother of a child with mild cerebral palsy, I know how hurtful it can be when another mother says that her advanced 2 year old was a late talker when my own 2 year old had not spoken one single word, for example. People don’t mean to be hurtful, but things like that sting.) In the end, I brought a blondie home and it’s waiting in my freezer.

Thinking about last nights’ blondie episode...Actually, i probably could have stopped after one blondie. To me, what was at stake was breaking my N Day habits. There was no reason for me to do that. I was only mildly tempted anyway. Amazingly, my desire to stay on No S and not have a failure day was stronger than my desire to eat that sweet.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was good. I skipped breakfast and enjoyed my one plate of lunch and one plate of dinner.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

SpiritSong
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Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:56 pm

Post by SpiritSong » Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:53 pm

Congrats on the blondie success! And congrats on not allowing pressure from others to make your decisions about your health for you!!

When people offer me sweets during the week, I let them know I'm "not allowed" to have them until Friday (when I take my Saturday S-Day). I don't get into the details of the diet, but they seem to get it.

Larkspur
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Post by Larkspur » Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:17 pm

Well done, Crystal!

I love the travelogue aspect of this board-- Singapore, Australia, England-- would love to sample a mini-tiffin :)

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Gracie
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Post by Gracie » Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:12 pm

Crystal! It's so awesome to hear about your triumph at the dinner party! I have to confess that I probably wouldn't have been able to resist taking a blondie in that moment. 😂 They are among my favorite desserts, too.

Yeah, your friend's comment does seem odd, but like you even acknowledged, I doubt she meant any ill will. I wonder if she was trying to let you know (in her own way) that she understands what you're saying and can relate to your plight? I'm not sure. I'd hope that's where she was coming from! :)

Either way, keep up the awesome work!

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
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Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Oct 19, 2017 4:06 pm

Thank you so much Spirtsong, Larkspur and Gracie!! 🌺🌺🌺

It is midnight here so i’m gonna make this short and sweet. Yesterday and today were successes. Yesterday was a potluck gathering. I was planning on taking an S event for that but decided to just eat my one plate of dinner and no dessert. This week has flown by! Can’t believe it’s almost Friday.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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Gracie
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Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 5:30 pm

Post by Gracie » Thu Oct 19, 2017 4:21 pm

You're such a rockstar, Crystal! I don't know how you stay so strong while at events. I feel like whenever I'm in a group setting, the temptation to have a treat is so high! I'll have to do a better job of sticking to my guns. :)

Woo hoo, I would like to echo your sentiments that I'm glad Friday is almost here! :D

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:45 pm

So...today was a success, but it was really hard. First really hard day in a few weeks. It’s that time of month and I was feeling tired and emotional and stressed out and worried. I tend to worry a lot. I was really craving something sweet after dinner. First time I had such a strong craving to eat after dinner in some time. I had a milky hot tea and that seemed to satisfy. I’m feeling much better now right before I go to bed and I’m so happy I’m only hours away from Saturday. I did eat a lot of calorie dense food today, but it was all contained to one plate per meal.

I’m really, really, really loving No S right now. One day i will write more on the subject, but it’s way too late right now so I’ll just say I love it and it’s totally changing my relationship with food. Of course, i’m still losing weight so it’s easy to stay motivated. I’m just hoping I can keep the enthusiasm up when the weight loss stalls for awhile. But even if I wasn’t losing weight, I do feel SO much better eating this way, for many reasons.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Post by jenji » Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:20 pm

I am impressed with your fortitude to turn down the baked goods (or rather, to bring one home and freeze it). Love it!

I was in India once for Diwali, and it was so fun. We went to a lot of parties and gambled and socialized.
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

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Gracie
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Post by Gracie » Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:50 pm

Success just feels that much more satisfying when it follows a moment of struggle and/or temptation. I'm proud of you for pulling through! :D

I know what you mean about the satisfaction of eating this way and how it has resulted in you feeling so much better. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the changes it has brought to your life. :) I still feel like a newbie to all of this, but I'm already feeling like my GI is not so "cluttered". I've always enjoyed snacking or willy-nilly eating, so this is helping me curb that and shed a lot of the guilt/dread that I was beginning to associate with food in general.

It's crazy to think that NoS is so simple, yet so intuitive... it's almost like... WHY didn't I think to try eating this way sooner? It just makes sense--and my body can feel the difference. It's wonderful to hear that yours feels this way, too! <3

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:21 pm

Thanks Jen and Gracie!

Gracie, I totally agree with you about the simplicity and intuitiveness of No S.

To tell you the truth, once I read about it so many years ago, I KNEW I’d never be able to “diet†any other way. And believe me, I spent my entire 20’s on a diet. I spent a good deal of my childhood and teenage years hating my body and trying to diet but I could barely last a day. It was only in my 20’s I had “successâ€. I dieted by means of Fit for Life (felt great on that, actually. It has a lot in common with No S. No snacking between meals. But it’s strict and way harder.) Slim Fast (Lord, help me.) Weight Watchers (My meeting leader actually advised a member to not exercise since she’d reached goal
weight and didn’t want to keep losing.) South Beach. Oprah’s Boot Camp. (That was hard! But I looked and felt great while doing it. ) My own calorie counting diet. And so on. I’d lose weight, but i was always thinking “what am I going to eat when I reach maintenance? How will I eat?†Because I KNEW the way I was eating was not sustainable. Or enjoyable. Of course, I never reached maintenance because my weight goal was not reasonable for me.

Once I read about No S, I knew I could do that long term. So why didn’t I? A lot of reasons. As i mentioned before, I was also reading a lot of Fat Acceptance blogs. So it was hard to diet while trying to accept myself the way I am. And I was also going through a ton of big life changes. Moving overseas, marriage, baby, baby having special needs, etc. But I always knew that someday I’d get back to No S and do it right. I’m so excited that the time is NOW! 😊 I can absolutely imagine eating this way forever. And for the first time, I’m not dieting with “maintenance†in mind. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and see where it takes me. If (when) I stop losing weight, I’ll see if there are adjustments I am willing to make to lose more. But it has to be something I’m willing to do for life or I should not even start. I did a lot of crazy things dieting in the past that I could never do for more than a couple months, let alone for life!

Today was good. Great to be back to N days after the weekend. But I did have a delicious vanilla ice cream cone on Saturday. From a place called “Anderson’s of Denmarkâ€. 🇩🇰 Yes, not only do I love Vanila No S, I also feel it’s far and away the best ice cream flavour. (Well, sweet cream is amazing as well, but difficult to find. )
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Oct 24, 2017 3:46 pm

I’m about to go to bed, and I don’t feel good. Dealing with a migraine. Trying to keep it from becoming so bad that I vomit. There’s really not much I can do, but I do notice when I put ice packs on my forehead, it helps. And peppermint oil. I skipped breakfast but had a lovely lunch. By dinner time I had this migraine. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with potato chips for dinner, which I’ve been craving ever since I saw them eating it at the reward challenge on Survivor last week. Ha ha. It was good, but it would’ve been better without the migraine. Honey roasted peanut butter, peach jam and Kettle Sea Salt chips. Yum! Usually, when I have a migraine I can’t eat because the pain and nausea are so bad. This one has not been too bad. Maybe a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. Stupid migraines. I’ve been getting them since age 17. Oh, one small failure to report. After I finished the chips on my plate, I reached back into the bag (which I stupidly hadn’t put away) and grabbed 3 or 4 more chips. Please let this migraine go away tonight while I sleep.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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Gracie
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Post by Gracie » Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:24 pm

I'm so sorry to hear about the migraine, Crystal. I've fortunately never had one, but I've heard they can be so debilitating.

As an aside, I'd say grabbing 3 or 4 more chips isn't that bad at all! Certainly better than 3 or 4 handfuls... or finishing off the rest of the bag (which I've definitely done before). Looks like you're still doing a bang-up job! :D

Hopefully your migraine goes away soon!

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

SpiritSong
Posts: 506
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:56 pm

Post by SpiritSong » Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:36 pm

I hope you are feeling better, Crystal!

I don't know how people with migraines function like they do. I get a non-migraine headache and I am pretty much useless between the head pain and nausea.

Crystal
Posts: 163
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Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:46 pm

Thank you for your kind words Gracie and SpiritSong. 😊 Sadly, my migraine lasted all night and was still there when I awoke. That was particularly disappointing because today we had planned to bring my 6 year old daughter and her friend to the Singapore River Safari, a really great wildlife park. Since it would have broken my girl’s heart not to go, I sucked it up and went despite the headache. Truthfully, I could never have done this had my migraine been severe. Lately, I’ve been using ice packs and peppermint oil and it’s helped them not to reach nausea and vomiting levels. I can function even though it’s not fun. I’ve had my fair share of horrible migraines though that leave me doing nothing but hovering over the toilet and moaning in pain for many hours. Thankfully, by 1:30pm the headache was gone and I enjoyed the park immensely.

I considered taking an S Day because this trip to the River Safari seemed pretty special and I rarely take NWS days. But in the end, I decided to just make it an N day. I did really well until dinner. Lunch was packed sandwiches and chips (again). We got home pretty late so decided to just eat the leftover sandwiches and chips for dinner both to save time and money. Didn’t feel like cooking and didn’t want to buy food. Well, the chips got me again! 😬 I guess after half a day walking around with a migraine and just being too tired in general, I didn’t fight the urge to have an extra handful (a large handful this time) of chips after finishing the ones on my plate. Thankfully, this did not cause me to eat anything else after that. And I rarely ever, ever buy chips. Note to self: 1.Don’t buy chips. 2. If you insist on buying chips, put the dang bag away as soon as you put some on your plate. Put it far away.

I’m so glad my migraine is gone. The one good thing about migraines is that once they are gone, it’s like the heavens part, the angels sing, and life is amazing. I mean, you really appreciate how good it feels to be alive and healthy. At least for another month until I get the next one. I get one to two per month, right after that time of month. I’m hoping one day menopause will cure me of migraines, haha.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Post by jenji » Wed Oct 25, 2017 7:32 pm

I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the park after your migraine ended. I know that those days are fun, but often rough on the body. Too much sun and walking and weird food.
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

User avatar
Gracie
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 5:30 pm

Post by Gracie » Thu Oct 26, 2017 3:21 pm

Haha, I'm glad to hear the migraine finally lifted! Sounds like y'all had an overall good time at the River Safari--can't beat seeing tons of critters and getting plenty of walking in! Was there an aquarium?

Chips are my husband's weakness, so I understand what you mean. For years and years, my major kryptonite was candy. Not even chocolate... just any sugar-filled, nutritionally vacant thing I could get my hands on. I'd eat giant packs of peppermints like it was nobody's business... lol, it didn't even make sense.

xx
28 year old who believes that true growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Fun-sized (4'10"), fun-loving, and on a journey to embrace a healthy and practical approach to food.
SW (10/9): 118#
CW (11/6): 113#
GW: 105#

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:27 am

Haven’t felt like checking in the past couple days because I’ve been busy and tired. But Thursday and Friday were both a success. It’s Saturday evening and I’m sitting here next to my daughter who is eating candy corn for the first time ever. It’s rare to see it in Singapore so when I saw a bag on sale for $2 I bought one for the sake of childhood nostalgia. Gotta say, it tasted a lot better when I was 5, haha. I also bought peanut M&M’s and one of those tiny bottles of Cabernet Shiraz. I love wine but rarely ever ever ever drink it.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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

Post by gingerpie » Sun Oct 29, 2017 12:12 am

Gotta say, it tasted a lot better when I was 5, haha.

Going to be honest. Didn't even like it when I was 5. :lol: It was always the candy I'd trade in a heartbeat. Enjoy!

ironchef
Posts: 1630
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:12 am
Location: Australia

Post by ironchef » Sun Oct 29, 2017 6:18 am

Candy corn was always about the novelty, I don’t think I ever actually liked the taste.

My mother, who suffered multi day, sometimes vomiting migraines through her adult life has not had one since menopause. So, there may well be a connection, and perhaps light at the end of the tunnel!

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Mon Oct 30, 2017 3:13 pm

Virginia, that’s really funny about the candy corn. I grew up poor and we rarely had candy so I loved it all!! ðŸ˜

Ironchef, that’s interesting about your mother not having migraines after menopause. Her migraines must have been horrible to deal with. She must have felt like a different person when they were finally gone for good!! I don’t want to wish away my 40’s and make time pass more quickly, but maybe I’ll have early menopause, haha. I can hope. 😂 Anyway, thanks for giving me hope.

Today, Monday, was a success. Always happy to be back on N Days! And always surprised that I feel that way.

Gracie, if you’re reading this, just want to thank you for reminding me about breakfast burritos. I’ve had them for at least 3 meals in as many days. And every one was super delicious!
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Oct 31, 2017 1:52 pm

Today, Tuesday, has been a success. Nothing exciting to report. Sticking to the plan was pretty easy.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:13 pm

Wednesday-success. Skipped breakfast but had pretty big lunch and dinner. I am surprised that after dinner I have pretty much lost the desire to eat. My appetite has changed so much in the 3 months I’ve been eating this way. In the beginning, I was always a little sad and anxious after dinner knowing I couldn’t eat anything else. I was also tiding myself over with hot drinks before bed. I am so glad I toughened it out. It took a few difficult weeks, but I don’t even think about eating after dinner. I just find this so amazing as this has always been my downfall.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

SpiritSong
Posts: 506
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:56 pm

Post by SpiritSong » Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:49 pm

Congrats on your new way of eating!

I bet it would be scary to see how much unneeded food we used to eat before bedtime. :oops:

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Thu Nov 02, 2017 1:57 pm

Hi SpiritSong. Thanks. 😊 And I totally agree about all that food I used to eat before bedtime without even thinking about it! Scary! And sobering. Never want to return to that way of life.

So, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but I don’t seem to have lost weight this week. This will actually be the first week I haven’t lost, if a loss doesn’t show up by tomorrow or Saturday. I’m trying not to get too discouraged. I’ve been very green this week. I usually lose anywhere from half a pound to two pounds per week. So, this is where patience comes in. And thinking about all the other reasons I’m doing this besides weight loss. Really, it’s not even been an entire week and I know some people lose way more slowly than I am. I just have a lot to lose and really want to see that scale keep moving in a downward direction. But doesn’t everybody? I’m not tempted to stop doing No S at all. Still feeling great. I better just keep doing what I’m doing and learn to be more patient about this. How I don’t want to give up or try something harder just to end up failing in the long run. I’m on a roll and how sad it would be if I quit and a year goes by and i realize I could have succeeded if I’d just kept on keeping on.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

SpiritSong
Posts: 506
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:56 pm

Post by SpiritSong » Thu Nov 02, 2017 3:05 pm

Sorry about the scale disappointment. I had one of those this week too.

But I am too lazy for any other diet, so I will keep on with No S too. :D I had success in the past, so I have to trust that it will work again (or I'll have to go get my thyroid tested).

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Fri Nov 03, 2017 12:32 pm

Friday=Success. My weight held steady this week. No loss and no gain. Tomorrow’s weigh-in is my last hope of losing this week. I never weigh less on Sunday or Monday. I’m not as bothered by this as it seems. I know from past weight loss attempts/temporary successes, that this up and down and plateau thing is part of it. Not a fun part of it. And I’ll definitely see what I can do about adjusting things if my weight loss continues to stall. I just don’t want to do it too soon. I used to listen to this podcast about weight loss (Half Size Me) and she always preached never doing something to lose weight that you aren’t willing to do for the rest of your life. I never got that when I dieted before so surprise surprise I always gained the weight back. Plus some, of course, which seems to be a dieting rule. ☹ï¸
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

SpiritSong
Posts: 506
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:56 pm

Post by SpiritSong » Fri Nov 03, 2017 12:51 pm

You've seen great results since July, so I wouldn't worry too much about this weigh in. Maintaining that loss means you're doing a great job! Yay, you!

After a month and a half of No S, I'm down only about 0.75 pound, which isn't even significant enough to be official. But I'm sticking with it!

jenji
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: Cambridge

Post by jenji » Fri Nov 03, 2017 5:47 pm

Hang in there and trust the system for a bit. You may find that it shakes itself out by next week.
I'm a 53-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight: 181#, BMI 27.9, 12/19/2022

Crystal
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:19 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by Crystal » Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:44 am

Thank you SpiritSong and Jen. Thank you for your words of encouragement.

Yesterday (Monday) was a success. My weight remains the same. I think I’m coming to the realisation that this is really going to be slow. I think the first 20 pounds came off pretty easily because it was 20 pounds over what is my normally highest weight when not dieting. Now, I’m afraid I may be venturing into “set point†territory, and that is going to be much harder to come off. But it’s only been just over a week since the scale has refused to move (or gone up and down the same pound) so I’m going to wait it out and see if I start losing again just doing what I’m doing. I think I could do some things to cut a few more calories (I’m not counting calories-I just mean cutting out a few calories naturally without counting) but I’m not sure I want to do that yet. I’m sure I will have to do that at some point. But I was hoping it would not be so soon with so much left to lose. But I also weigh almost 250 pounds and I don’t want to follow No S faithfully for many months and not lose anything. Doing No S and not losing will be A-OK with me if I weigh less than 200. But not at this weight. I think I AM ok with things the way they are if I am actually losing, even if it’s very slowly (like half a pound a week). But the alternatives- giving up No S and trying a “diet†or going back to my awful pre-No S eating habits-sound terrible. That leaves No S. Which makes me feel great and like a normal person when it comes to food. I only hope that not only does it help me feel normal and healthier-I also hope it helps me continue losing weight. Even if it’s really, really slow.
44 years old. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Last year: 228 (14 August 2018)
Current Weight: 232 (6 November 2019)
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

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