Sharon'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.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Sat Oct 20, 2018 12:56 am

Thanks for the support, oolala & automatedeating! And you are so right, oolala. Thinking "I'll just be happy if [fill in the blank]" almost never works. There's always another goal to look toward. I've got to balance the current moment with wishes for the future.

What's different about NoS for me is that I really enjoy my meals more. Ture, I don't like being hungry sometimes between meals or in the evening, but I do finally grasp that the reason I'm enjoying my meals more is that I'm not permasnacking all day. I'd sure love to have the occasional bowl of fruit after my one plate of food, or take small seconds if I'm still hungry -- and I might experiment with that once I reach my goal weight -- but I really don't want to go back to eating constantly from morning til night.

sharon227
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P

Post by sharon227 » Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:50 am

Something else strange - for me - happened tonight. I went to a local organization's pre-Halloween party. I decided I would count it as an S day if it was compelling enough for me to have sweets or snacks there. I ate a ton at that party last year. Tonight? There was candy and popcorn there and I didn’t really feel like I needed it. I had some warm apple cider and that was fine. Quite a change from previous behavior! I think it helped that I had a substantial and filling dinner of real food, not “diet food,†before I went. With Weight Watchers - old WW anyway, I haven’t been on program in ages - I likely would have had a smaller dinner to save points for snacks. That’s the wrong way to go.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sat Oct 20, 2018 11:28 pm

nice victory! I love it when those unexpected but pleasant mental health victories occur on NoS!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
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Re: P

Post by Soprano » Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:49 pm

sharon227 wrote:Something else strange - for me - happened tonight. I went to a local organization's pre-Halloween party. I decided I would count it as an S day if it was compelling enough for me to have sweets or snacks there. I ate a ton at that party last year. Tonight? There was candy and popcorn there and I didn’t really feel like I needed it. I had some warm apple cider and that was fine. Quite a change from previous behavior! I think it helped that I had a substantial and filling dinner of real food, not “diet food,†before I went. With Weight Watchers - old WW anyway, I haven’t been on program in ages - I likely would have had a smaller dinner to save points for snacks. That’s the wrong way to go.
That's a real win
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

ladybird30
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Post by ladybird30 » Tue Oct 23, 2018 4:22 am

So much easier to resist junk when we are properly fed at meal times. Congrats.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Thu Oct 25, 2018 12:09 am

Thanks! I'm kind of amazed, but my eating feels under control, yet I'm not feeling particularly deprived. Oh, when Monday rolls around, I miss being able to have a snack or a sweet, but it's manageable.

It astonishes me that I am not stress eating anymore when I work at home. Usually every time I needed a little inspiration or break, off to the kitchen I'd go to stuff a handful of something in my face, sometimes healthy fruit or nuts, other times unhealthy crap. Now I try to get up and walk around a little, or stretch. When I got really crazy one day this week and none of that worked, I poured myself a little bit of cider, drank it slowly, and it was fine.

To think I didn't need to be doing all that stress eating over the years! If I'd only known!

When I was feeling ravenous at lunchtime yesterday, I treated myself to a nice takeout lunch from a local restaurant -- and then had pizza last night. But I stuck to one plate at each meal -- big, robust, full-to-the-brim plates, but one. I enjoyed my food immensely, didn't feel horribly stuffed afterwards, and it was all good.

My weight crept up a bit this week. But it's done that before only to go down again. I do wish my weight loss was going faster than my 1 lb a month, but hopefully I'll continue to lose at my glacial pace. Meanwhile, I'm trying to focus on my habits, too. And enjoying my food!

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:33 am

These are good victories about not snacking! It's empowering, isn't it?
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:56 am

Thanks, automated eating. It is empowering!

There was a Halloween party at work today. I just decided not to go. Too many temptations, and I’m really not in the mood to be eating large amounts of processed sugar and corn syrup. I know how lousy I feel when I eat too much of that. Better not to start. Even better map to see it.

I’ve caught a cold, which I suppose might qualify as getting sick, which lets us go off the N day routines and do what we need to make ourselves well. But I couldn’t really argue that eating a bunch of candy corn and chocolate bars would help me get well!

I did have a big bowl of soup to start dinner, though, and then ended up having a big full plate of food. I thought I'd just have half a plate, but then took a small second portion and then a third portion to fill the other half of the plate. Not exactly on program, but I was legitimately hungry. And did I mention that I have a cold? :lol:

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:50 am

I'm still eating more than I'd like on weekends, but I wasn't out of control or truly an idiot about it. That seems like progress. And while I had multiple sweets and junk food, they were much smaller portions than I used to have. I had a few handfuls of potato chips, not half a bag. I had a small amount of cake, not a huge piece. And a little frozen yogurt, not a big bowl until I was stuffed.

I'm planning on calling Halloween an S day, but I do NOT want to be eating as much candy as humanly possible. Am wondering if I should keep it an N day and save some candy for the weekend. Will see how I feel.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:30 am

Halloween is definitely an N Day for me. But I'm not sure how old you are, haha. When I was in my 20's or younger, I would have indulged. Now all of that candy just looks yucky to me, so not much of a temptation. Edit/honesty intrusion -- um, ok if they have snickers....I do love those little snickers. :lol:
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Tue Oct 30, 2018 5:51 am

Sharon it sounds like you've really got this. A lb a month can feel slow but it is nearly a stone in a year. When you are ready if you want to lose more concentrate on stopping eating when you feel satisfied. You could if not already add in a bit of walking or other exercise.

But if it is working you don't need to do too much else

Jx
Last edited by Soprano on Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Wed Oct 31, 2018 1:24 pm

Thanks, Soprano. I think trying not to overstuff myself is definitely a good next step. I am already exercising pretty vigorously -- usually 45 minutes a day, brisk walking or running intervals on cardio days, 1 or 2 days a week of weights as well -- which is why it's particularly disappointing the weight loss is so slow. But you are right, after a year of this I'd be quite happy with results at 1 lb/week.

I am ... definitely no longer young, automatedeating :D But I have an issue with peanut M&Ms. I think I'd like to enjoy some today, since unfortunately my husband bought those as some of the candy we're giving out. I was hoping he'd stick to the plain ones, which I don't care for.

I had a difficult day yesterday and on top of that I was ravenous between lunch and dinner. (Probably not a coincidence.) I toyed with calling it an S day and having a snack, but I decided that I like being a person who doesn't snack between meals during the week. So I had 2 small glasses of apple cider and walked around the house a bit (was working from home), and that tided me over until dinner.

I wanted to make sure I ate enough at dinner. Had a bowl of homemade chicken vegetable soup (yum), and added a small dinner plate with half a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, a whole grain roll, a few BBQ potato chips (which I never have during the week, but I wanted them and decided a small amount was fine), and a small apple & small piece of cheese crammed on for dessert. I felt satisfied and slightly full but not stuffed.

So it wasn't a "perfectly healthy and low-calorie day" but my attitude about this has changed. I consider it a great day. Despite challenges, I kept to my new habits and made a lot of good choices without necessarily being perfect. But perfect does indeed end up being the enemy of the good. Deny myself foods I enjoy for weeks, months, years ... and eventually I'll head off the rails and overeat them. Yesterday I had one small portion of chips without eating half the bag and enjoyed them. Like normal people used to eat. In moderation. Not viewing some foods as "good" and other foods as "bad", but some foods as being staple foods to eat regularly and other foods to enjoy occasionally in small amounts.

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:16 pm

What an inspiring post!

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

ladybird30
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Post by ladybird30 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:59 am

Or everyday foods and treat foods - still not good or bad. I'm not a fan of the clean eating metaphor either - what is not eating clean - dirty, unclean. Not a good image.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 2:42 am

Thanks, Soprano! And yes, ladybird, good point. What is not eating "clean"??

I chose to make Halloween an S day holiday. I had 2 small packages of fun-size M&Ms with peanuts, a piece of cheese and some grapes as a snack (making me feel much better than diving into more candy), and a tiny sliver of cake. I was about to take a full piece of cake out of the freezer, but I decided that I like being a person who enjoys small amounts of sweets in moderation occasionally.

I also took a two-and-a-half mile walk at lunchtime (around 40 minutes).

It will be key to wait for my next candy treats until the weekend. I think I'll be fine. I didn't eat too many sweets today, but I feel them. I'm not sure I like that feeling anymore.

I've scheduled lunch with some friends tomorrow, giving me the best possible chance to enjoy being back to my weekday habits.

It's my week to not weigh this week, and I'm not tempted to get on the scale to see if I've been "punished" for enjoying my food this week. This is a big and good change.

I'm going to the doctor in a few weeks, so I will be interested how my blood work responds to me losing a little weight but being less strict about what I eat. That will be the real measure of whether my current routines are good for me or I need to think about being a bit more strict with my food choices.

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Thu Nov 01, 2018 5:45 am

Good luck with the bloods. I had some borderline highs for cholesterol and diabetes, not worrying as Dr said re test in a year so I'll be interested to see if my changes have had a positive impact too but won't know until June!

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

eschano
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Post by eschano » Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:17 am

Very inspiring posts to catch up on here, thank you. Good luck with the bloods and keep us updated.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:27 pm

Thanks Soprano and eschano!

Off I go to have a healthy breakfast (whole grain cereal and fruit)

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Sat Nov 03, 2018 12:21 am

Stressful day, I went to the gym after work and did an intense (for me) 50-minute session of running intervals on the treadmill. We took in pizza for dinner, I had one slice and a big pile of salad instead of my usual 2 slices. I really wanted more at the time, but when I finished, I was sated but not stuffed. My new goal!

I took a peek at the scale today. I've been having big portions and some calorie-dense foods this week, including a nice, large portion Chinese lunch yesterday, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't starting to de-rail. What typically happens when I gain weight is that I start making poor choices and then stop weighing myself altogether, fooling myself into thinking everything is fine. Well, I was only up 0.2, which is basically not up at all. I'm enjoying my food and not gaining! That is excellent. Great model for my future maintenance.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sat Nov 03, 2018 1:35 am

sharon227 wrote:What typically happens when I gain weight is that I start making poor choices and then stop weighing myself altogether
I totally relate! I do this too!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

ladybird30
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Post by ladybird30 » Sat Nov 03, 2018 4:27 am

sharon227 wrote:I really wanted more at the time, but when I finished, I was sated but not stuffed.
Yay!!!
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Sat Nov 03, 2018 7:09 am

That's a great attitude Sharon, well done :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Sun Nov 04, 2018 12:11 pm

Thank you for the support, Soprano and ladydbird! And automatedeating, glad to hear I'm not alone in stopping weighing when I start making poor food choices. My sister says she weighs every day no matter what. Which I guess lets you know what's happening if you can focus on the overall trends and not the day-to-day fluctuations. For awhile, I was weighing every day and tracking my 7-day average. But I think Reinhard is right that the fluctuations may end up making you feel bad even if things are moving in a good direction. I'll see what next week shows -- I currently weigh every other Tues/Wed/Thurs and average those.

I sneaked onto the scale this morning and am up another half a pound. But I also discovered that my usual jeans are starting to be loose around the waist, to the point where I'm going to need a belt soon. So that seems like a better indicator that things are going OK.

Yesterday (Saturday) was the day I promised myself I could have more Halloween candy if I wanted it. Very strangely for me, I didn't. Well, part of my brain was "Candy! Candy! CANDY NOW!!!" but another part of my brain wondered if I really wanted candy, or just thought that I should want candy. I hope that I'm finally starting to settle down from the "Today's an S Day! I need to have every otherwise-forbidden food NOW NOW NOW!" I am hopefully getting a better understanding that nothing is "forbidden," just limited for reasons that make me happy in the long run.

So I didn't have candy. I didn't even go get a frozen yogurt. I had a few nuts as snacks a couple of times during the day, but otherwise made great choices until late in the evening, when I felt a little hungry. Instead of turning to my usual small glass of cider, I thought "It's an S Day! I shouldn't have to be hungry!" had several slices of (whole wheat) bread. Not the best choice because eating right before I go to sleep just isn't a good idea. Also not the best choice because I need to learn to live with not being full all the time even on weekends. That's me now.

Tonight I'm going out to a new Italian restaurant my friend found and said is fabulous. Now that's a perfect thing to do on an S day.

My husband says he's bringing me my favorite cake tomorrow because he has dinner plans tomorrow at the restaurant that has that cake. I was toying with the idea of trying to swap yesterday's S day to make Monday an S day for the cake, but that's definitely not the way to make a habit automatic. Either I need to freeze the cake for the weekend or count Monday as a special S day.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sun Nov 04, 2018 1:53 pm

When you described your feeling of S Days as Now! Now! Now! it brought back memories for me. I think my first entire year of NoS I felt like that on Saturday mornings and would often go drive to get a donut. Wow. That was not smart of me, but apparently it was what I needed in order to stay moderate the other 5 days.

Also, I now much more often have that discussion in my head about "do I actually want it or just think I should indulge while I have the chance?" as you described.

I think there are a lot of stages of NoS that many of us commonly experience - it's sort of predictable, but like the stages of grief, we don't all go through the stages in the same order or spend the same time in each of them.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Sun Nov 04, 2018 10:15 pm

automatedeating wrote:When you described your feeling of S Days as Now! Now! Now! it brought back memories for me. I think my first entire year of NoS I felt like that on Saturday mornings and would often go drive to get a donut. Wow. That was not smart of me, but apparently it was what I needed in order to stay moderate the other 5 days.

Also, I now much more often have that discussion in my head about "do I actually want it or just think I should indulge while I have the chance?" as you described.

I think there are a lot of stages of NoS that many of us commonly experience - it's sort of predictable, but like the stages of grief, we don't all go through the stages in the same order or spend the same time in each of them.
This really resonates with me too. I still sometimes have something on an S day just because I can not because I want it. I toyed with the idea of stopping sweets on S days and just have them when I want them but I know from trying IE that it just won't work so S days it is for sweets. :)

Good luck Ladies

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

eschano
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Post by eschano » Mon Nov 05, 2018 7:55 am

Sharon, this is very much what I did all weekend- stuff my face because it was an S day. Lovely to read someone’s thread who is moving away from that.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Nov 06, 2018 12:06 am

OMG eschano, I've been overeating on S days for months. But it turns out there's something to the habit thing, and the self-shame thing. It took quite awhile for me, but it seems to be slowly settling in.

Yesterday I went out for a lovely Italian dinner with friends. I certainly ate way more calories than a usual meal, but it was a civilized, delightful event -- a special meal traditional style, very high-quality food in moderate-sized portions, eaten slowly with nice conversation and enjoyment. I ate more than usual, but did stop before becoming completely stuffed. It was all good. ... and then I came home, and later at night, I started eating BBQ potato chips. Seriously, what the heck? I guess the good news is that I ate a few handfuls and stopped, instead of having half the bag. For me, that's significant progress. I stopped because it just felt kind of silly, after the meal I had, to be doing that.

Tonight I decided I wanted more potato chips. I had leftover homemade soup along with a small appetizer-sized plate with a piece of whole wheat bread, a small piece of cheese, and the rest of it piled with chips. I. Wanted. Chips. I started eating them and looked at the mountain of chips on half my small plate, and it just seemed ridiculous. I put a big chunk of them back in the bag, ate a few, and then put the rest in the trash. To say that this is not like me is an understatement.

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Nov 06, 2018 12:11 am

And thanks automatedeating and Soprano for the comments. It's nice to know I'm far from alone in feeling like I have to have sweets and seconds and snacks on S Days because soon I won't be able to again.

I also sometimes wonder if I should just cut out all the sweets and refined carbs altogether. That would certainly be healthier. I've tried that for health reasons, and sustained it for a long time. But I don't think that's going to work over a lifetime. People in traditional cultures manage to figure out how to have sweets as occasional treats. At some point, I think I ought to be able to also.

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:27 am

sharon227 wrote:OMG eschano, I've been overeating on S days for months. But it turns out there's something to the habit thing, and the self-shame thing. It took quite awhile for me, but it seems to be slowly settling in.

Yesterday I went out for a lovely Italian dinner with friends. I certainly ate way more calories than a usual meal, but it was a civilized, delightful event -- a special meal traditional style, very high-quality food in moderate-sized portions, eaten slowly with nice conversation and enjoyment. I ate more than usual, but did stop before becoming completely stuffed. It was all good. ... and then I came home, and later at night, I started eating BBQ potato chips. Seriously, what the heck? I guess the good news is that I ate a few handfuls and stopped, instead of having half the bag. For me, that's significant progress. I stopped because it just felt kind of silly, after the meal I had, to be doing that.

Tonight I decided I wanted more potato chips. I had leftover homemade soup along with a small appetizer-sized plate with a piece of whole wheat bread, a small piece of cheese, and the rest of it piled with chips. I. Wanted. Chips. I started eating them and looked at the mountain of chips on half my small plate, and it just seemed ridiculous. I put a big chunk of them back in the bag, ate a few, and then put the rest in the trash. To say that this is not like me is an understatement.
As they say, been there done that :)

I'm sure these changes come from going through those periods of giving yourself full permission to enjoy your s days, when nothing is forbidden once you truly get that it is so much easier to decide if you really do want it. This is what all the IE exponents try to tell us but for me doing it the no s way felt so much safer, I guess I needed some boundaries.

It's great to read your posts Sharon.:)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:28 pm

Not that you asked, but I think of eliminating foods that I find I don't consistently enjoy before, during, or after I eat it.

I like thinking I can be reasonable with most foods, but I also remind myself that most traditional cultures don't (or didn't used to) have refined foods pushed on them all the time. I've told others here that a colleague who moved to Italy said he lost 15 lbs. over the course of the first year without really trying. I guess he had been someone to buy snacks spur of the moment. He said you can't get snacks at gas stations and other places they are becoming routine here. (At a Target I went into recently, I saw that they now have rows of packaged snacks right before the return counters! You can't even stand in line waiting for customer service without being confronted with easy food. I'm not a proponent of saying never eat food from packages, but I definitely now have a prejudice against anything that comes in a shiny bag.
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)

jenji
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Post by jenji » Wed Nov 07, 2018 6:25 pm

I am finding your blog to be really inspiring, Sharon. I like your introspection and your curiosity about what is going on to motivate our behavior.
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

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Thu Nov 08, 2018 12:40 pm

I may not have specifically asked, Oolala, but I am definitely interested in your insights! And also insights or comments from others who are reading. Thanks for letting me know you are finding my posts inspiring, Jenji.

Very good points about packaged foods, Oolala. I agree that packaged snacks are generally not a good choice. I've cut way down on them, in part because of reading nutrition labels and in part because I'm trying to pay attention to how I feel afterwards. And I do know they're just not as healthy as whole or homemade foods.

The potato chip thing this week was kind of unusual for me - I very rarely eat chips or pretzels anymore. I think my craving this week has to do with the days getting shorter and so I start wanting more carbs. And the fact that my husband bought a couple of big bags of BBQ chips - my favorite. Argh. I never buy those things unless we're hosting a big party (maybe once or twice a year). If just a few people are coming over for dinner, I wouldn't.

I was ready to add some chips to my plate again at dinner last night, but decided that enough was enough here, and swapped in a piece of whole grain bread, 2 pieces of cheese, and an apple, and was fine. I had a very light lunch yesterday - there was a work pizza and salad lunch and I didn't want to have pizza, so just piled my plate with the accompanying Greek salad and half a piece of (large) pita bread. Plus yesterday was my day for running intervals, so I had definitely worked up an appetite. I was ravenous by dinner time. I did sneak a couple of pieces of broccoli as I was roasting it for dinner side dish, but left space on my plate for them and didn't consider that going off plan.

I declared Election Day to be a holiday on Tuesday, mostly so I could have some of the cake my husband brought home on Monday night. I enjoyed part of the piece, then put the rest in the freezer for this weekend. I decided later that I wanted a little Halloween candy, had 2 of the tiny bags of peanut M&Ms, maybe a dozen M&Ms overall. That makes more packaged snacks that aren't particularly healthy, which I don't recall eating at all over the summer. Yes, I think time of year has something to do with it - shorter days and the start of the holiday season. It's probably reasonable to consider maintaining my weight the next 2 months to be a rip-roaring success, and not to be disappointed if I don't keep losing.

Otherwise I kept to an N day Tuesday.

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Thu Nov 08, 2018 5:39 pm

My food desires are changing as the nights draw in. Like you if I maintain until spring I'll be happy but I think if we are watchful losses are possible :)

Jx
Last edited by Soprano on Thu Nov 08, 2018 6:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Thu Nov 08, 2018 6:24 pm

Oh, the other thing about the refined/ modern packaged stuff is that they have low satiety value; the body will send signals to eat more of them than plainer, less condensed food. The body loves easy calories! 1 million years ago, there was a big advantage to taking in as much of them as it could.
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)

ladybird30
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Post by ladybird30 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:24 am

oolala53 wrote:Oh, the other thing about the refined/ modern packaged stuff is that they have low satiety value; the body will send signals to eat more of them than plainer, less condensed food. T
Not only does this stuff have low satiety value, it is designed specifically to make you eat more of it than you need. Food scientist jobs and company profits depend on it.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:30 am

Soprano, nice to know I'm not alone! My goodness, I came home ravenous from the gym tonight -- a weights day, not a cardio day, can't imagine I burned up all that many calories. I could have easily eaten 3 plates of food, and then snacked all night. But I decided that's not who I want to be anymore. I like being in control of my eating. I feel better.

Oolala, you reminded me that the packaged crap isn't really good. I didn't even look to see if any chips were left, but had cheese and grapes along with my chicken sandwich for dinner after having a Greek salad and a small amount of leftover meat for lunch. I actually did what the healthy diet people say to do, and used meat as a condiment on my salad instead of as the main focus of the meal. And oh did I savor each small bit of it!

And yes, ladybird, I've read some about the efforts of food companies to make their sweet/salty/fat-laden snacks addictive! Good reminder! I do feel better when I don't eat that stuff.

I'm getting less incidental exercise as the days get shorter and colder. You know, the "not official" exercise, but things like puttering around the yard, or going out more and walking around. That means I should be eating fewer calories, but instead I want more. I believe this hunger is nature's way of telling me that soon the food supply will be extremely low and I need to pack on the calories and conserve my energy. Except that I don't live in times of hunting and gathering and foraging; I live in a time where the food supply is about to explode thanks to the holidays. Definitely a dilemma. I'm trying very hard to at least not cut back on my official exercise, and stick to the program.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:12 pm

Being cold makes me want to eat, probably because I instinctively know it will warm me up -- both the hot food itself + the warmth that comes from metabolizing the meal.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Sat Nov 10, 2018 12:34 am

automatedeating, I think some of that is hard wired in us.

So far, the best thing I can see doing to deal with my seasonal hunger is lots of exercise. I may not be less hungry - I may even be more hungry - but when I'm exercising seriously, at least I lose the urge to put junk in my body.

We went out to dinner tonight and I had a very big plate of Thai curry chicken with vegetables and brown rice. Probably more than I needed to have. OK, definitely more than I needed to have. And not low calorie. But I didn't want to be hungry tonight again, especially since I was pretty hungry by dinner time since I just had a salad with feta cheese and some cheese and a slice of whole grain bread on the side for lunch. That's was what I had in the house, it wasn't that I was consciously trying to eat low cal. But at least I had that in the house instead of nothing! So at dinner, I erred on making sure I wouldn't be hungry by eating too little. I still did bring home a small amount of leftovers. But pretty darned small.

I'm planning my meals much better than I used to, inadequate salad lunch notwithstanding. It's funny how much more urgent planning my meals has become when I can only eat during meal time, and not grab this and that all the rest of the day to make up for not having a proper meal. I long wanted to plan my meals better but never could quite make myself devote the time and energy to it. Not a problem now since I don't want to go hungry between meal times!!

ladybird30
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Post by ladybird30 » Sun Nov 11, 2018 12:53 am

sharon227 wrote:
We went out to dinner tonight and I had a very big plate .......Probably more than I needed to have............... But I didn't want to be hungry tonight again, especially since I was pretty hungry by dinner time since I just had a salad with feta cheese and some cheese and a slice of whole grain bread on the side for lunch.
Been there, done that. At least by having a regular eating pattern it becomes easier with time to judge how much I need to eat. Still not particularly good at planning ahead tho.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

alene1
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Post by alene1 » Mon Nov 12, 2018 3:08 pm

Hi Sharon,

I know what you mean about the planning of our meals now. I want to be sure to feel full and satisfied, and eat what I really enjoy! I love Thai food too. :)

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Mon Nov 12, 2018 3:31 pm

ladybird, that's what low satiety value means. The food is engineered to lower satiety/make you want more. The company execs all worship the "bliss point," when a person just keeps wanting more and more. It's flavor and texture/crunch. It's been known about for decades. These people are proud of themselves for this feat! And their companies are admired for their financial success. The "free speech" advertisers are in on it, too. They are basically legal drug pushers. But it may be premature to talk about this aspect of things. It can make a person mad or guilty without taking action, and that is not a good combination.

Just keep having your plates!
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)

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Wed Nov 14, 2018 1:19 pm

Alene, that's it exactly. "Ireally should do more planning for grocery shopping and meals" never worked for me. But "I want to enjoy this meal because once it's done, that's it for awhile" seems to be working better! And Thai food does rock.

I'm still not great at knowing how much food I should put on my plate either, ladybird. I seem to be panicking less about it, though. I even occasionally leave a little space on the plate to see how that works now. That's new for me.

I was away over the holiday weekend visiting family. My S days were more unstructured than I would have liked. Leaving on a long car trip right before meal time was bad planning but not really avoidable, which led to eating in the car, which I never want to do anymore. Will try to time these things better next time.

I also had some fairly calorie-laden, multi-course meals over the weekend, including multiple dips into the bread basket. I'm somewhat disappointed, but hey, it happened. I did go right back to N days on Monday (decided not to call Veterans Day a holiday since Thanksgiving is coming right up). I'm up a pound, which could be a lot worse. Bad timing since I'm going to the doctor Friday, but that's life.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Thu Nov 15, 2018 12:32 am

I still have trouble with the amount of food on my plate, sometimes. I tend to overpile my plate when I "fear" hunger at some point in the following hours. I wish I could realize when I am making that error and stop myself in the moment. But I guess we can only learn by making mistakes. And hitting it perfectly is probably pretty tricky.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Thu Nov 15, 2018 1:03 am

It CAN be tricky, but overall, you are doing quite well, it seems to me, maintaining a respectable loss over the last six months. I've had the bumpiest time since I dropped into about the same level of BMI as you are. I sometimes think it may be asking too much? But it doesn't feel better to eat more, so I ride the seesaw.

Hang in there!
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)

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Thu Nov 15, 2018 7:06 am

Judging the amount of food gets easier with time, the longer you have been at it and got the habits ingrained the more room for a little freedom. I've never severd huge portions but sometimes if I haven't had enough I do have something extra.

You have to be honest with yourself about this. More often than not if I have a cup of tea and wait I find I am ok.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:22 pm

Soprano wrote: More often than not if I have a cup of tea and wait I find I am ok.

Jx
Agreed!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Sat Nov 17, 2018 1:59 am

I’m had my doctor's appointment today, and at weigh-in I was exactly at the top end of the healthy weight range he recommends for me! He was quite pleased. Almost as happy as I am!

He was the one who first recommended No S to me, and it’s worked. I’m down 6 pounds in 6 months. When I write it, it doesn’t sound like a lot. But it's more than 4% of my bodyweight, and I can feel the difference.

I’m hoping to lose another six and be back at the weight I was for many years, a weight that I know feels healthy and great for me. It’s probably not realistic to expect to lose at the same rate during the holiday season and over the winter as I did in the spring and summer. But hopefully sometime next year I’ll reach that goal.

I won’t know if my bloodwork is any better because he didn’t do any blood tests this time, didn’t see the need. He’s not worried, so I’m not.

I piled more breakfast cereal into my bowl this morning than I normally do, because I knew I would be home late from the doctor. I didn’t have lunch until almost 2 o’clock, but I managed without having a snack. Usually I bring a snack to have before I drive home when I have an appointment during lunchtime. No more!

I had a nice healthy bowl of leftover homemade lentil soup for lunch along with a slice of whole-grain bread and piece of cheese. It was a less then healthy dinner tonight, though — two slices of pizza. But boy did I enjoy them. I really REALLY wanted to have dessert after to complete the meal, but I controlled myself. I had a small glass of apple cider instead.

My next challenge is, as my doctor put it, not to get complacent. It would be very easy to pat myself on the back and let things slack off a bit. Especially with Thanksgiving coming up next week, I need to stick to my new way of eating next week until Thursday. Before that, though, S day tomorrow!

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Sat Nov 17, 2018 7:54 am

Congratulations on your loss to date. Slow and steady is the way to go :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sat Nov 17, 2018 4:37 pm

I am just gobsmacked (in a great way) that your doc recommended NoS! That is really neat!

And just keep building habits, building habits, building habits. Moderation for life.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:18 pm

Thanks, Soprano!

And yes, automatedeating, I found out about NoS from my doctor! We had the "your weight is creeping up and it would be a lot healthier if you kept your weight at a maximum of 138" discussion this spring, as we've had for several years now. I told him: Look, I'm at the point in my life that I can't be perfect, I can't eat only "approved" healthy foods 99% of the time, and weighing and measuring and tracking and journaling and counting my food just takes all the joy out of meals. And he suggested NoS! He said one of his patients had good success with it. So I gave it a try.

I thanked him for telling me about it, and he said that it's a very good common-sense plan for busy people. He asked me some questions about how I was able to settle in to the new habits, I think he'll use that information to help other patients who might be interested. Spreading the word!

I think checking in here regularly is also helping me. I've stopped the HabitCal for now -- it was very useful my first few months, but for now while I feel in the rhythm of things, I don't feel like I need it. I might as the holiday season unfolds, though. But having my check-in thread gives me some accountability -- plus great support of others here! -- without being too structured.

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Post by Soprano » Sat Nov 17, 2018 6:51 pm

Habitcal is great to get you going in the beginning. I too dropped it after a while. I wanted something has far removed from a diet as possible and this has been perfect.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Nov 20, 2018 2:32 am

Yes, Soprano, I'd like to get as far away from measuring and tracking as I can!

I felt a bit out of control yesterday (Sunday), but when I stop and think about exactly what I had, sort-of out of control is probably like an average not-dieting day before NoS. I went to an open house and only had 1 slice of almond bread (there was a ton of other stuff there). Had a few handfuls of potato chips when I got home, and, yes, also had a few spoonfuls of my husband's ice cream. But amounts were all quite moderate, although I wish I'd chosen just one of those things. Honestly I would have been happy with just one, but I still seem to be at the "It's an S Day! I must make the most of this before the N days come again!" Encouragingly, the thing I had a big bowl of after dinner was fresh grapes.

I've started cooking for Thanksgiving tonight. Not tasting things as I'm making them is just not going to happen. I'm going to be reasonable here, this is not going to be a perfect N week until Thursday, and that's fine. The key is to have few off-habit things in tiny amounts. I definitely do not want to mark a day as red on the HabitCal because I tasted a spoonful of cranberry-orange relish and then go completely off the rails because I marked it a red day anyway.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Tue Nov 20, 2018 2:59 am

good luck this holiday week!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:57 pm

Thanks automatedeating! Same to all who celebrate the holiday! (And even if you don’t)

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Post by sharon227 » Wed Nov 21, 2018 12:50 pm

I've really been feeling like I'm in the NoS groove this week, following a bit of overindulgence on my weekend S days. I've been eating quite healthy in these pre-Thanksgiving days. And not because I'm thinking "I must punish myself and abstain from all enjoyment since I'll be eating lots of forbidden foods soon!" but because I truly want to eat light now to balance out what's to come. And I'm physically feeling good, in part because of that.

So it was pretty disappointing to be up a pound this morning. I know, I know, likely not indicative of anything besides natural fluctuations. But this is still the highest level I've seen on the scale since August. I was definitely looking for some more validation. Now I'm worried that just slightly relaxing on NoS (tasting as I'm cooking, including some sweet cranberry orange relish) might mean all my other efforts will be for naught. Which is disappointing, since I've really felt like the balance this week is something I am enjoying and can definitely happily live with in the long term.

But I've also gotten unusually little sleep this week, and I know that can affect the scale. So I'll try not to jump to unhappy conclusions.

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Post by lpearlmom » Wed Nov 21, 2018 2:05 pm

When I don’t sleep well, my weight always goes up. One night I got very little sleep but was able to take a nap after my kids left for school. After my nap, my weight went back down. Weird, I know.

Also, it can take time for the scale to catch up to yiur behaviors. Give it some time, you’ll get there!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sun Nov 25, 2018 12:37 am

Hi Sharon - hope your holidays have been relaxing and joy-filled. We will all be ready for Monday N Day, I think! :-)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:52 am

Hi automatedeating! Thanks, and same to you - hope you had a wonderful holiday! Thanksgiving weekend was great - as you said, relaxing and joy-filled. But eating-wise, somewhat of a train wreck.

I decided in advance that Thursday and Friday would be S days - I was away visiting family and wanted to indulge in treats and snacks. Plus not being in control of mealtimes and meal contents made it difficult to keep to the rules, and I wanted to relax the rules.

I ended up eating way too much, way too often, way too many sweets and calorie-dense choices. I was back to grazing, every time I saw something or had an urge. Cakes, pastries, fudge, cookies, you name it. Once we had Thanksgiving dinner (which was late, so I was snacking part of the afternoon), I don't think I felt hunger until this morning!

So, here I am. I think today and early this week are the critical days. I need to get back on track. And it was tough not indulging my every thought and desire after doing so for 4 straight days. I piled food high on my plates again today, but at least I followed the rules - no sweets, no snacks, no seconds. Hopefully I'll settle back into my routine by mid-week with plates that have more vegetables and less other stuff.

So I'm a bit disappointed I didn't make better choices over the weekend, but I don't actually feel guilty about it. I think that's a step in the right direction. I went overboard on what was basically my first real food-focused holiday since I started. But didn't completely wreck the structure of things. As you said, automatedeating, I was ready for my N Day today even as I missed the fudge. :D

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Tue Nov 27, 2018 7:29 am

Great that you don't feel guilty.
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:34 pm

Green Week here we come! :-)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:05 am

Thanks, Soprano! A new reaction for me, not to feel guilt. I'm not getting on the scale again for awhile. I don't need to punish myself because I enjoyed the weekend. This is a normal fluctuation of life. I'm dealing with it in a rational way. That's also new!

And yes, automatedeating, green week here we come!

I'm doing better today. Just slightly more cereal in the bowl at breakfast, typical soup with whole grain bread and a bit of cheese for lunch, and a sandwich with apple and another small piece of cheese for dinner. I wasn't really uncomfortably hungry until after dinner (now), but I've got some emergency apple cider in the fridge.

Soprano
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Post by Soprano » Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:37 am

Changes in attitude are what will make you successfull with this. I was reading the nos FB page and someone asked how do you find the motivation to maintain on no s when you've lost the wejght.

For me it was about finding a way of living that I can maintain. So my losses may have been slower and my weight can go up a pound of two occasionally but I don't feel deprived I enjoy my food and a binge might be two chocolates instead of one.

If you treat it as a diet it won't be any different to any other diet with the risk of rebound weight gain.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Soprano
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Location: UK

Post by Soprano » Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:38 am

Changes in attitude are what will make you successfull with this. I was reading the nos FB page and someone asked how do you find the motivation to maintain on no s when you've lost the weight.

For me it was about finding a way of living that I can maintain. So my losses may have been slower and my weight can go up a pound of two occasionally but I don't feel deprived I enjoy my food and a binge might be two chocolates instead of one.

If you treat it as a diet it won't be any different to any other diet with the risk of rebound weight gain.


You've got this, sit back and enjoy the journey

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:17 pm

Thanks so much for the support, Soprano!! The encouragement really means a lot. And you are so right about the attitude. Is this a "diet" or is this now me?

There was pie at work yesterday. I was very happy that my response was an automatic "I don't do that" in my mind. So my habits stayed ingrained despite the 4 days of Thanksgiving.

I think I'm doing well with incorporating the no snacks and no sweets on N days. The "one plate" is still a challenge. My goal (along with weight loss followed by weight maintenance of course) is to return my eating back to traditional eating, like the classic French eating, and that definitely means no snacks and limited sweets. (They might not specifically do only on weekends and holidays, but it's definitely limited.)

But having a small salad plate alongside my main dinner plate every once in awhile doesn't seem unreasonable. I was hungry last night, we had pizza, I wanted 2 slices of pizza plus salad, and I ended up with the salad on a side plate. Probably not the way to weight loss if I do it all the time, but it is the way I can live with. I'm not weighing again for awhile, but hopefully the holidays won't set me back too much from my goal.

I've been thinking more about "French Women Don't Get Fat." I'll probably try to re-read parts of the book soon. But the whole point of the book was that the author was "naturally slim" until she went to America for a student year abroad and adopted American ways of eating. And then found ways to return to her more traditional lifestyle when returning to France, and codified what she was doing.Her rules don't work exactly for me, but NoS largely seems to be.

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Post by Soprano » Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:40 pm

A plate of salad and two slices of pizza sounds a good meal to me :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

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Post by ladybird30 » Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:42 am

sharon227 wrote:
There was pie at work yesterday. I was very happy that my response was an automatic "I don't do that" in my mind.
Great!! So useful to have that automatic response.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:30 am

Heh, thanks Soprano. It was!

Thank you, Ladybird. And yes, it was very helpful! As the program is designed to do, I didn't think about it or need to use willpower, it's just something I don't do. Same with the candy testing at work today. Sample 20 and pick your favorites! Good grief. I didn't touch any of it.

I am discovering that I'm eating more at mealtimes now in exchange for giving up holiday treats. Not a way to lose weight, but all in all I think a good trade-off. Went out to dinner tonight and had one slice of bread with dipping oil. Ideally it would have been none, but in the past it probably would have been at least 3. Had a big salad with grilled chicken, feta, and chick peas for dinner, and a glass of wine. Usually I take some home (salad, not wine), but I ate the whole salad (and had the whole glass). I was considerably more full than I needed to be. On the other hand, I also didn't "virtuously" bring home a third of my dinner and then snack 2 hours later.

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Post by automatedeating » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:39 am

I think those scenarios where we either slightly overeat or undereat (and then feel either overfull or starving) are great learning experiences for us to assess (just as you did) with calm curiosity (oolala's phrase). Our food journey is just part of a life journey. And everything that happens is an opportunity for us to learn, as long as we are willing to learn. I love your analysis of your motives and the pros & cons of our choices. We have lots of choices!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:46 am

automatedeating wrote:I think those scenarios where we either slightly overeat or undereat (and then feel either overfull or starving) are great learning experiences for us to assess (just as you did) with calm curiosity (oolala's phrase). Our food journey is just part of a life journey. And everything that happens is an opportunity for us to learn, as long as we are willing to learn.
Really great points, thank you. One thing I need to internalize is that I'm not going to be perfect. And that's OK. I do want to be kind to myself, though. Little indulgences like overeating a healthy salad is, as you say, a learning experience but not unkind to myself. Eating M&Ms until I don't feel well as a way to deal with stress is not kind to myself, though. And I haven't done that since I started NoS.

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Post by sharon227 » Sat Dec 01, 2018 3:27 am

I spent more time on meals today than I would have before NoS. Didn't have much decent for lunch in the house. Instead of scrounging and snacking all day, I ran out to the store to get some tuna salad and whole grain bread and made myself a sandwich.

Then instead of going out for dinner, I made whole wheat pasta with lentil sauce. Unfortunately, it took way longer than I expected and we didn't eat until almost 8:00. New modification: If I'm cooking a healthy meal and it's late and I'm hungry, it's OK to munch on raw vegetables while I'm cooking. So, still no random snacks of raw vegetables during the day, but I'm trying to be reasonable as well as on plan. If I didn't let myself snack while cooking, I would have just gotten take-out instead of spending an hour and a half cooking.

I was very hungry this afternoon in general. Turned to my emergency apple cider several times, which seemed to do the trick. But I still had a rather large serving of pasta tonight. These dark grey days are going to be a challenge. I'm upping my portions, but meanwhile still not having sweets (or snacks unless I'm cooking.)

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Post by automatedeating » Sat Dec 01, 2018 3:09 pm

Good perspective on the raw veg munches vs. take-out. Definitely a victory in my book.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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Post by sharon227 » Sun Dec 02, 2018 3:48 am

Thanks, automatedeating. I'm trying to find a balance between what's reasonable that I can live with, without doing so many modifications that I won't get the results I want.

I made it through my post-Thanksgiving N days to another S day! My first thought was that I could have another day like my fun Thanksgiving weekend days! But fortunately I stopped myself :) Small indulgences should be my regular S day mindset unless something special is going on.

I ate larger portions for lunch and restaurant dinner than usual (although a nice healthy plain yogurt with banana for breakfast), had a glass of wine with dinner, and indulged in 2 small squares of high-quality chocolate. Not exactly a weight-loss kind of day, but I'm hoping not a weight-gain kind of S day either. At some point soon I'm going to need to get on the scale to see how this all is working, since I've definitely increased the amount of food I'm eating compared with the summer.

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Post by sharon227 » Sun Dec 02, 2018 2:22 pm

I risked ruining my Sunday and got on the scale. I'm up slightly more than half a pound from last weigh-in, and we went out for Thai last night (plus I didn't get a lot of sleep. Should have weighed yesterday, I had a great night's sleep the night before.) So that seems reasonable. I do need to watch whether it keeps creeping up or is just bouncing up and down, but so far no need to panic and assume that what I'm doing this month because of the holidays will end up being a weight-gain train wreck.

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Post by automatedeating » Sun Dec 02, 2018 3:40 pm

Restaurants totally do that to our weight! I think it is the (typically) larger portion of starches + the (almost always) higher amounts of salt.

I weigh every day. For me that works as a habit. I feel like like a once-a-month or something would catch me on a bloated day (like that Thai food!). Then I end up thinking I would need to do one of those weigh every day for a week and take an average - and for me, that's too much work and calendar watching. So every day it is. Simple, easy part of my morning routine. Also, for me anyway, every time I go away from weighing I end up gaining. Probably a couple things contribute to that. But sorry to hijack your thread on this. I totally get it that many of us on this forum have massively bad reactions to that scale and it can sometimes be counterproductive.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Dec 11, 2018 12:52 am

If I stop weighing, I gain wait too, automatedeating. Totally. If I weigh too compulsively and frequently, though, I end up getting too emotionally involved with what the scale says. It's a tough balance.

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Post by sharon227 » Tue Dec 11, 2018 12:57 am

SI'm back from a week of vacation. I did not follow No S while away. I was visiting friends, and it would have been challenging although possible to keep to No S most weekdays. I chose not to, the point of this vacation was to relax and have fun. I can relax and have fun on N days at home, but worrying about when and what I'd be able to eat while a guest in someone's home was just not worth it to me. I think I was fairly reasonable about my snacks, sweets, and seconds - certainly better than I would have been before.

Today was my first N day since I returned. As I've discovered is usual after more than 2 S day in a row, it was a bit more challenging to return to my regular routine. I gave myself a little apple cider as a treat late in the afternoon and all seems well. However, tomorrow will be another S day, because we have not one but two holiday parties at work. There's no way I'm going to skip both of them. I'll try not to be an idiot about it, but I am going to allow myself some treats and indulgences. Otherwise, I think I can get back to my regular routine until Christmas Eve.

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Post by eschano » Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:14 pm

Enjoy all those parties! I also find it hard to get back once I have been taking a holiday but it’s kind of the beauty of noS to be able to do so. Have a great S day.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:24 am

Good luck with December!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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Post by sharon227 » Sat Dec 15, 2018 7:38 pm

Thanks Eschano and Automatedeating! The party day went reasonably OK. At the afternoon party I had both a tiramisu and raspberry mousse. These were not full-sized dessert portions, but one still would have been plenty. So, not as restrained as I might have hoped, but I think reasonable for my first NoS holiday season. On the bright side, I remember how I overate and had multiple little plates of things at last year's. So I'm definitely making progress if still not perfect.

I was fine at the dinner holiday party - 1 glass of wine, ate about 2/3 of my entree and a few but not many chips and guacamole, none of the fried appetizers, and no dessert (since I'd already had two at the afternoon party!).

It's been a tough rest of the week, though. Basic theme of my week: Cold, dark and hungry -- combined with an extremely high-stress week at work. I had a couple of small appetizers at a wine tasting last night (although did virtual plate them at dinner). And on Thursday, I had 2 slices of pizza on 1 plate and salad on a second, smaller plate. Technically a no-no, but that's what I needed to do. I need to live with this and make it realistic. It did not seem like an unreasonable thing to do if you consider traditional ways of eating. Many cultures will have a separate plate for salad! I had it all at once, eyeballed it, it looked like a lot of food, and I didn't care. But at least I didn't pick at the leftovers while putting them away.

Otherwise, I didn't touch any of the holiday sweets at work except for Tuesday's planned S Day. It's really a pity you don't experience weight loss based on all the things you manage not to eat... I also did 45 minutes of intense (for me) weights yesterday and 35 minutes of running intervals today.

Time to go clean the house, which will hopefully burn some more calories!

And I really do need to weigh in on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday next week to see what all this relaxing of the rules has done to my weight.

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Post by Soprano » Sun Dec 16, 2018 8:27 am

Love the idea of losing weight based on what you don't eat :)

Sounds like you are doing well if not perfect.

I do think this time of year relaxing and enjoying the season is fine. It should be done consciously without binging though. I'm sure those people who easily maintain their weight do overeat at this time but pick up normal habits in January and then lose again.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

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Post by sharon227 » Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:20 pm

Thanks very much for the support, Soprano!

This has not been a weekend I am proud of. We unexpectedly got a gift of baked goods in the mail this weekend. Ack. The package arrived Saturday afternoon, perfect timing to be picking at it all weekend. It included some fabulous chocolate chip cookies, truly one of my major weaknesses. Sent right to my doorstep.

There are ... not many cookies left (although I did serve them to guests both yesterday and today, so in fairness, I didn't eat all of them) I could feel myself not being able to stop by this afternoon. Partly cookie addiction; partly in anticipation of a very high-stress work meeting scheduled for tomorrow. (Hopefully the worst of the work stress will settle down by midweek.)

"I can't stop shoveling those cookies in my face!" was not a good feeling. I am looking forward to the structure of an N day tomorrow. And I will be making a healthy vegetable soup for dinner tonight.

I am here not only to confess and look for words of encouragement - both of which are important to me - but to remind myself that success is rarely linear. Non-perfection happens. Poor choices happen. The key is to recognize this and get back to work. I will have a better day tomorrow.

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Post by automatedeating » Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:38 am

sharon227 wrote:I am here not only to confess and look for words of encouragement - both of which are important to me - but to remind myself that success is rarely linear. Non-perfection happens. Poor choices happen. The key is to recognize this and get back to work. I will have a better day tomorrow.
All good phrases/self-talk. Mark it and move on.

And I hope the week goes smoothly - it sounds like it will be a tiring one. Hang in there.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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Post by Soprano » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:08 am

Hope your work stress eases soon. If you are eating the cookies, sit down and enjoy them :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:50 pm

Thanks, Soprano! And yes, good advice. At least I do need to remember to sit down, eat slowly, and savor! I did a little eating standing up, a definite no-no.

Work stress seems to slowly be resolving. I was so busy yesterday I didn't have time to have my full proper lunch, though, so had my cheese and grapes as an afternoon snack. A NoS no-no, but that was the plan for lunch, there was room on my plate for it, and I would have been unreasonably hungry if I didn't have it.

Otherwise a good meal day. I had a turkey burger on bun and roasted Brussel sprouts for dinner, with room on the plate for an orange for dessert. Fruit and plain yogurt with a few walnuts and a piece of low-fat cheese for breakfast.

There are holiday sweets and snacks all over the place at work and I didn't have any. Not even the chocolate popcorn sitting right in front of me at a meeting.

I finally got on the scale this morning. I'm up about 1.5 - 2 lbs from the great weigh-in at my doctor's appointment. A bit disappointing, but considering we're talking about the Thanksgiving-to-New-Year's stretch plus a week's vacation away, I think it would have been worse had I not been (mostly) following No S.

I'm now down about 4 lbs from when I started. Not much to show for more than half a year of hard work. I desperately want a faster rate of progress. But I also need something I can live with forever, and obviously the other weight-loss plans I tried weren't it. I'm hoping I'll be at my great weight (one I maintained for many years until my parents died and my eating went off the rails) by end of next year. One pound a month would do it before end of summer. Although that, sadly, is not my rate so far.

Basically, I just need to keep plugging away and concentrate on my habits.

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Post by Soprano » Tue Dec 18, 2018 8:52 pm

It can be disappointing when losses are slow but you are making permanent changes and if you keep doing what you are doing it will keep dropping.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

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Post by ladybird30 » Wed Dec 19, 2018 3:35 am

I second what Soprano said. If you are consistent, your weight will fall to what is right for you, even if the rate is slow.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

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Post by sharon227 » Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:59 pm

Thanks for the support Soprano and Ladybird. I am mulling doing 2 weeks of South Beach phase 1 after the holidays -- it's healthy and a good way of losing for me, if not enough structure to maintain. I'll see how much I'm up after this week.

This is a particular time of year, says Captain Obvious here. There's this 4-day Christmas weekend, and then I hadn't even thought about next week's 4-day New Year's Eve/Day. I don't want to not enjoy the holidays. So I'm trying to follow Reinhard's advice to not be an idiot. My key here is to eat mindfully, to savor every bite, and to try to pay attention to how I'm feeling. If I'm getting close to full, it's time to stop. At the very least, I want to not have that unpleasant, overstuffed, ate-too-much feeling.

We were at a friend's party for Christmas Eve last night. I definitely ate less than I did last year. I also decided not to have alcohol - I wanted the treats more, and I didn't want to have a ridiculous amount of calories.

We'll see how I do at our friends' Christmas dinner later :)

Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating the holiday!

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Post by Octavia » Tue Dec 25, 2018 9:21 pm

Merry Christmas to you too, Sharon!

I’m afraid I’ve very much been an ‘idiot’ today, to use Reinhard’s term. I find I’m either doing No S properly, or I’m releasing all self-control. Mindfulness would help - and eating more slowly. Both habits worth acquiring, that go nicely with the rhythms of No S! But it’s Christmas Day, so I’m being a greedy sloth...

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas break!

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Post by sharon227 » Wed Dec 26, 2018 6:57 pm

Thanks, Octavia! And, well, if you're only a greedy sloth one day every few months, I think it works out OK!

Our friends made an insane amount of food for their Christmas feast yesterday. Fish dish, 2 chicken dishes, steak, lasagna ... plus tons of sides, cookies, and they bought a Yule log cake (they're from Europe, so it's a traditional Bûche de Noël for them ). And of course I had to try everything, including seconds on the Yule log. And 2 glasses of wine. Even with small portions of trying everything, that was seriously a LOT of food. And we got to take a bunch of leftovers.

I ended up kind of pleasantly stuffed but not sick-to-my-stomach-I-ate-too-much stuffed, which I suppose is progress. A year ago I suspect I would have eaten myself sick. Plus we took a walk after dinner (although I think I'd need to walk about a thousand miles to work off the extra calories).

So, that was yesterday. Here I am today. Back to an N day. I popped our portion of leftover Yule log right in the freezer, to have for New Year's Eve, so it doesn't tempt me the rest of this week. I had a bowl of soup and a small plate of leftovers for lunch - and didn't even fill the whole small plate! (It was tempting, but it's definitely time to get my portions back under control). Now I'm still kind of hungry, but too bad. Today is really critical for me to get back on an N day instead of deciding that since I'm off for the week, I should count this as an all-S-day vacation week. No I shouldn't.

I need to go take another walk.

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Post by lpearlmom » Thu Dec 27, 2018 6:13 am

Sounds like you’re doing great all and all. I also rarely eat to the point of getting sick. I do think that’s progress. Also, great job on sticking the Yule cake in the freezer. I’ve never had it. Is it good?

Keep up the good work & thanks for stopping by my thread!

PS lasagna on Xmas?
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

sharon227
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Post by sharon227 » Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:46 pm

Thanks for the encouragement, lpearlmom. Not eating until I feel sick seems like an obvious thing to do, but it's new for the holidays.

Oh, and the Yule log is amazing. It's a chocolate cake in the shape of a log, with a yummie filling and frosting. Friends bought it from an incredible European bakery.

I think some Italian-Americans have lasagna for holiday dinners. As one of several main dishes.
Last edited by sharon227 on Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Post by sharon227 » Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:48 pm

I'm somewhat back on track, although dipping into the cider once again in the late afternoon. But I'm having a tiny bit, and enjoying it, and that's OK. Did an hour+ workout at the gym today, mostly weights but about 10 minutes of cardio also. Leftovers for lunch from Monday (homemade chicken & brown rice). I'll be having Christmas dinner leftovers for dinner.

I probably ought to weigh in tomorrow and see how I'm doing before the next holiday weekend.

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Post by automatedeating » Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:41 pm

Hi Sharon -
I only lost about a pound a month my first year on NoS. The main thing for me was that it stopped my upward trend of the previous years. The following parameters make Vanilla NoS trickier (not in any particular order, and I don't know which all may apply to you): older, female, shorter, and genetic predisposition to diabetes. For me, I eventually had to face my particular metabolic damages (some probably genetic and some probably self-inflicted haha) and adjusted my diet accordingly. Everybody's different, though, and none of those decisions can be made until we are really really wanting a lower weight/healthier body more than we want to eat delicious foods in the moment.
Good luck with your journey in 2019. :-)
Oh, and awesome choice to freeze that Yule Log. 8)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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Post by sharon227 » Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:09 pm

HI automatedeating. That's helpful. Older? Check. Female? Check. Tendency to be unable to control sweets consumption? Check.

I probably do need to cut back more on the refined carbs, but will see how things go. I'd like to think I can enjoy them in small amounts. I do find that when my eating is under control, I am actually able to have small amounts of some sweets without the urge to binge.

Thanks for the encouragement! Same to you - and all of you reading - in 2019. It's funny not having a new "diet" New Year's resolution. "Continue with NoS" is pretty much it. The main resolution is about attitude and being happy if I'm creating and following good new habits.

I know that swapping out S and NoS days is generally frowned on, but it seems insane to have had 4 S days, then 3 N days, and then 4 more S days for the New Year's weekend. Saturday is going to be an N day.

Had soup plus a mostly full dinner plate, although few carbs. Included room for some grapes and a small amount of low-fat cheese for dessert. Meeting a friend for lunch today, but think there will be one reasonably-sized plate at the restaurant where we are going. Will try to stay away from any bread basket.

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Post by Octavia » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:34 pm

Hi Sharon, it feels amazing not to have a doomed diet resolution, doesn’t it? After a year of No S, all I want to do is continue. Have just glanced at the testimonials page, and it was a wonderful reminder of how sustainable this is. Hurrah!

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Post by sharon227 » Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:28 pm

It is kind of incredible, Octavia! I really don't want to change anything except my attitude, that I should celebrate my new habits and not obsess about the scale. If in May (my 1-year NoS anniversary) I'm the same weight that I am now, I'll reassess. But I really do just want to keep going as I have been.

I got on the scale this morning and it was somewhat disappointing, I'm about 3 lbs more than my great November weigh-in at the doctor's office (and that's accounting for my scale being a pound more than his). But then I went shopping and ran into an acquaintance who I haven't seen since the summer. She asked me if I'd lost weight, when I said yes, she said I looked great and asked how I did it! Some of that may be my increased exercise, but who cares? While I don't want to rely on external validation (if I do, that makes maintenance even harder because the comments stop after awhile), I have to say it sure felt great and was super timing. I'm a lot less bummed about the scale now.

Visited a friend this afternoon. She offered me tea and homemade Christmas cookies. I just had the tea. She sent me home with a small gift bag of cookies, which is fine. I may end up having them tomorrow after all, and not making Saturday an N day. But I'm really proud of myself not having them today. What's really incredible is that I didn't resent it. If I was never going to have them, I'd probably be resentful. Saving them for the weekend didn't seem like much of a sacrifice.

Tofu, vegetables, and brown rice at a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch with my friend. Just one plate. Stopped at the gym on the way home and did 45 minutes on the treadmill (brisk walking 4 mph, no jogging/running today). About to have leftover vegetable lasagna for dinner.

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Post by automatedeating » Sat Dec 29, 2018 12:23 am

Congrats on the "put away the cookie bag until S Day". :-)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Post by Soprano » Sat Dec 29, 2018 7:22 am

Sharon you are doing great, I won't be weighing until at least a week on Friday! I know my weight will have gone up but I'm not interested as it won't be a true weight until a couple of weeks back on track.

I must admit I seem to be treating the whole Christmas break as a holiday now but because it's winter am eating more carbs than I normally would on holiday.

Last year I managed not to increase my weight on holidays so I'm taking the view one blowout period a year won't matter in the long run.

Well done re the cookies that's real progress... We were at friends yesterday I had wine and some savoury nibbles but avoided the chic biscuits without feeling deprived!

Jx
Last edited by Soprano on Sun Dec 30, 2018 7:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Sun Dec 30, 2018 1:51 am

Thanks for the encouragement, automatedeating and Soprano!!

It's definitely a new me who is able to put aside cookies until an S day. They are sitting on the counter and I didn't dive in yet! And Soprano, whoa, that is SO impressive not to have increased your weight during the holidays last year!! Wish I could say the same. But good idea to wait until mid-January to weigh in for real. I think I ought to do that. And congratulations Soprano on avoiding the biscuits!!

And yikes, I am definitely also eating more carbs because it's winter. I'm going to have to get back to more fruits/veggies and less carbs soon. Nutrition still matters. I'm trying not to load myself up on guilt - all things in moderation - but I do feel better when I don't have quite so many carbs (especially refined carbs).

I ended up sticking to an N day today (Saturday). Cookies are waiting for tomorrow. I had soup and a small portion of leftover lasagna for lunch, and then we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. Food there is amazing. Typically I start with a moderate plate full of food and then keep taking small additional helpings until I am totally overstuffed. This time, I gave myself quite a full plate of food to start, but that was it. I ended up more full than I needed to be, but not ridiculously stuffed. So that's also progress. Next time, I will try to have a bit less of a portion.

My husband bought pastries today -- Christmas cookies on the kitchen counter and leftover Yule log in the freezer clearly weren't enough sweets in the house to end the holiday period! But we both agreed we were full after dinner and so will enjoy them tomorrow. Old me would have probably had them later in the evening tonight even though I was still full from dinner. So I feel like I'm making progress even though I'm far from perfect.

This is a really interesting NoS period for me. I'm pretty much sticking to the plan while also not eating as healthy as I was in the spring and summer. I would like to give up the guilt about food and not being perfect. But I'd also like to find an equilibrium that's generally healthy and makes me feel physically good - without going nuts about trying to be perfect.

Given the decades I've spent thinking that depriving myself of many foods I like is "good" and having any refined carbs is "bad," re-orienting my thinking is going to take more than a few months. But I'm working on it.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:31 pm

I believe that one of the most powerful things about NoS, and the reason that it stays part of my life philosophy after 5 years, is that EVEN when we couldn't care less about eating a so-called "healthy" food (whatever we deem that to be), the sane (and eventually HABITUAL) boundaries of NoS keep us moderate. Cling to that. It kind of keeps our little boat safe even when the temptations wave wildly around us.

Happy New Year!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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