Elegant Portions Years 3&4

(New!) Read (or post) about people who have stuck with No-S for 10 or more months, lost 10 or more pounds, or 10 or more percent for their starting weight. Periodic updates strongly encouraged -- you can think of it as "Yearly Check In."

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elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Elegant Portions Years 3&4

Post by elegantportions » Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:44 pm

Background for anyone interested:
2014 Year 1
Average 5 reds per month, just learning the habits, losing excess weight slowly

2015 Year 2 posted as a reply on Year 1 Thread referenced above
Average 2 reds per month until Dec, still losing weight
Dec 2015 & Jan 2016 were almost solid red.

2016 Year 3
I can't believe I kept marking (with varying success) through Oct 2016, all the while slowly regaining excess weight and doing absolutely nothing about it. I told myself I was "too busy" to come here for encouragement.

2017 Year 4 was spent in denial, still gaining, complete & utter AWOL

Mid-Feb 2018 finally woke up & got back on board

NoS Book, p. 142: "Be honest about failures, and limit them. One day is regrettable but inevitable. Two in a row is pushing it. And it should never be more than that. Don't beat yourself up, just hit the brakes hard. Marking green, yellow, and red (respectively) for success, exemption, and failure on a Habit Traffic Light calendar helps. Just make sure not to stop marking when you run into a failure; that's the most important thing to mark."

If only in Feb 2016 I had paid heed & just hit the brakes hard!
If only...but finally I did in Feb 2018, so refuse to beat myself up over it.

So, here I am, BMI higher than ever and 4 years older, but hopefully wiser.
The last two weeks have been solid green.

A few things I learned during my dereliction:

Don't go tharn! (Showing my age here)
From the book Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972), "tharn" is the term used when animals see the headlights of oncoming cars and are frozen in terror...
Or think about the 1971 movie Andromeda Strain when one of the scientists almost fails to save the world because she goes into a trance instead of responding appropriately when she sees all the red warning lights...

2 red days in a row calls for action, not paralysis.

No Snacks means the kitchen is closed between dinner and breakfast.
"Just a few" jelly beans after dinner leads to permasnacking until bedtime.
If I have cravings, just drink some water and either take a walk or go to bed NOW.

Sleep deprivation is a dangerous thing.
If I eat like a newborn 8x a day, then I gain weight like a newborn.
From Oolala: If I can wait to pee, I can wait to eat.

I can easily eat enough to more than compensate for lugging a baby around all day.

I really do not want to eat chips every single weekday lunch, and my default 3-oz. bowl full will definitely NOT fit on my lunch plate.
If oversize portions feed an oversize body, then the corollary must also be true: Right-size portions feed a right-size body.

(Paraphrase from a book I recently read. Sorry, I can't remember where I saw it): Failure is not the end of the world. It's just another step on a path that is heading toward victory. Use failure as an opportunity to learn from my mistakes.

From Bluebell: I can form better habits, even if it takes years.

I am never too busy to do the things I need to do to take care of myself.
I really do need to check in here at least once a month for accountability and encouragement.

It's great to see old friends still on board! Here's hoping my Year 5 update reports Year 2 compliance levels (without the Dec holiday hiatus).
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Post by vmsurbat » Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:21 am

Welcome back!

The wonderful thing about NoS is that success comes 3x daily--with each meal eaten and enjoyed.

Here's to your new journey!

PS. I've always loved your name, Elegantportions. As an older female (Watership Down is a favorite!) in my late 50s, I *must* watch portion-size in a way I didn't need to when in my late 40s.....
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:09 pm

Elizabeth 7 wrote:Eating is a nurturing, life sustaining activity. Not something else to feel bad about.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

elegantportions
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:06 pm
Location: Montana

Post by elegantportions » Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:19 pm

Vicki, thank you very much for your encouragement.
Your profile is one I remember from my first exposure to NoS.
Montenegro sounds like an exotic place to visit.
EP
5'5" Female Age 62
Dec 2018 Year 5 BMI = 25.8

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