Jen’s Eating Simplified (:

[Jen1974]

I left No S for Intuitive Eating. At first my habits of no snacking, seconds, or sweets worked really well with IE & it was fairly easy to transition over. Eventually though old habits started to creep in & turned me into someone who was stuck “not dieting,” eating when I wasn’t hungry & eating past full because I could. “Unconditional permission to eat” and “all foods equal” had me eating in a way that didn’t feel good but not so bad that it stopped me from making those choices. I worked at it for three years hoping that with enough permission to eat I’d quit wanting to eat in a way that didn’t feel good but I just never got there. I started lurking & reading posts here again & started to transition back slightly. I added a little more structure, first with four meals & than down to three. I started asking myself “do I need this snack/sweet/second?” and found the answer was usually “no”.

It seemed to help me eat more intuitively even though “rules” are off limits in the IE world It felt great to quit arguing with myself over if I was hungry or not & just wait for the meal, or decide that I was hungry enough & needed the meal sooner. Usually I found I could wait & that the hunger was more head hunger than stomach hunger.

I read though all of my old posts here & could see how I’d do great only to screw things up if I went though times when I’d get to the low end of my set point weight & feel hungrier & instead of just honoring that with bigger meals & letting my body adjust to the lower weight, I’d try to white knuckle my way though & my body would respond by rebelling against the restriction it felt. Or I’d go through times of “more” like holidays & vacations and feel guilt & try to eat less instead of letting my habits take care of any weight gain from those times on their own. I also let days that were hard mean that I was failing & that another plan would “fix” me & it wouldn’t ever feel hard. It was what drew me to IE thinking that the hard days were caused by restriction but they didn’t go away with IE either.

I haven’t weighed myself in almost 3 years which has probably been good for me. I assume I weigh slightly more but nothing crazy. I just don’t feel as good as I did when I was taking better care of myself on my version of No S so I’m going to give my version of it a try again. I was always most successful when I kept it to 3 meals 7 days a week with S events added for things that were worth taking them for. I’m a virtual plater & have actually gotten decent at knowing the right amount of food for my level of hunger although I never did master the hunger/fullness scale that I secretly kind of hated It feels good to take better care of myself without the “diet mentality” guilt that came with Intuitive Eating!! I did gain some great perspective & insight from IE. I learned what doesn’t feel good but without the ability to draw a line in the sand about not making those choices, it didn’t help me much

So far it feels amazing to be eating in a way that feels good & I actually feel the most in tune I’ve felt with myself. I’m hoping what I learned through Intuitive Eating will help me iron out the few kinks I had doing this.

[pinkhippie]

Hi Jen!

Welcome back! I also have spent years with intuitive eating. I also did the same thing you describe, eating because I could, eating past fullness. It doesn't feel good! I find, like you that no S and intuitive eating go really well together when you use your hunger and fullness signals in the 3 meal a day no S structure. It's also easier for me to feel my hunger signals when I don't snack and I just eat 3 meals a day. I also tend to usually do 3 meals a day and more desert events on S days. I have discovered with Intuitive eating and legalizing all foods that lots of sugar every day actually feels pretty bad and I naturally downgraded it to only weekends most of the time. I have discovered that honoring my hunger and snacking actually don't go together and I drive myself crazy trying to figure out if I am hungry on days that I snack. So I typically don't snack on weekends either. And I usually have a dessert after dinner on S days.

I tend to do the same thing with lower weight range and white knuckling only to fling headlong into overeating from so much restriction.

That is great that you are able to figure out the right amount of food for your hunger. That is something I am still really working on.

Anyway, glad to see you here, and glad the structure of No S is working for you.

[ladybird30]

Welcome back Jen.

Interesting discussion about hunger & fullness signals. I have found after several years of practicing No S, that I am much better at that and don't very often eat when I am not hungry or eat past the point of comfort.

I too find that if my weight drops below my present weight, the hunger comes roaring back. I am currently trying to slowly increase the amount of exercise I am doing, to see if I can drop my set point. Hasn't happened yet, but my fitness is improving.

[Jen1974]

Pinkhippie that is the exact same way I feel about No S & Intuitive Eating!! No S feels like just the amount of loose structure & gentle boundaries to make it so I actually eat more intuitively where as when I was following intutive eating I a lot of times I wasn’t eating intuitively at all LOL

Ladybird hopefully exercise will help get you there!! I’ve read a lot on set point weight & it seems to me that the best way to do it is to not be in a hurry & that a plateau is actually good if you can wait it out because your body adjusts & gets comfortable and once that happens you can shift downward again (:

[Jen1974]

I am just amazed at how much better I feel since shifting back. The funny thing is that everyone who follows IE is always saying “base things on how you feel” but I didn’t really notice I didn’t feel as good until I started taking better care of myself again!! I have so much more energy, am in a better mood, & food is more enjoyable because I’m actually hungry when I eat!

We took friends on our boat yesterday & they came back for dinner after. It wasn’t a typical 3 meal day but I was so happy with the day. I tend to get a little social anxiety & can eat to sooth the anxious feelings & I did none of that. I had a handful of chips on the boat & stopped there . Had chips & guac with my marg without getting too full for dinner & had a Rice Krispy Treat but stopped at just one. When I ask myself “Do you need this sweet?” “Do you need this second?”, “Do you need this snack” it takes the emphasis off of what my tastebuds want in the moment vs. what will feel the best & lead to my best life.

[Soprano]

Really interesting posts to read about IE. I too had some success and similar experiences with it. I would recommend anyone who feels they can't do without certain foods or feels deprived do some reading and work on IE. It can be done within the confines of NoS.

The hardest part for me re IE was deciding if I was hungry or full enough. The best thing was learning that a lot of what I thought were treats I didn't really like eating.

Jx

[Jen1974]

Soprano me too on the if I’m hungry/full or not!! I didn’t like the argument in my head over whether or not I was hungry enough to eat & if I needed more or not LOL

[Jen1974]

It felt nice to have a weekend without thinking “I can eat whatever I want whenever I want to” that came with IE!! I know most technically do that on No S but for me I never did. I really like the structure of 3 meals a day with a little extra flexibility for sweets or seconds on weekends.

I track my days on this app called Daylio. It’s technically a mood app but I set it up to work for how days go with this. I like that there are 5 levels. I range them from Blue-Green-Yellow-Orange-Red which is similar to the Green-Yellow-Red but with a few more stopping points. I always struggled with “what the hell” so it’s good for me to remember I can stop at “Orange” & don’t have to throw in the towel & end up at “red” or that I don’t have to be perfect (“blue”), that “green” is still really good. I don’t really strive for blue days. A blue day would be “perfect” but I find that perfect isn’t sustainable & so I shoot for mostly green with a few yellow

[pinkhippie]

Hi Jen! That is so great that you are feeling so good on No S! As I mentioned before, I am usually the same on weekends with 3 meals unless something weird is going on. It's nice to have that flexibility when its needed and the structure when it's not.

What a great way to use Daylio! I had that app downloaded for a while but eventually uninstalled it. I like how you can give yourself such a range. I also really don't like the it's either red or green strictness of no S because I think that does activate a WTH mindset.

[Jen1974]

Pinkhippie,

It sounds like we’re pretty similar in our approach!! Structure with flexibility is exactly it!! The pass/fail, red/green of No S is a little too strict for me. It leads to a few chips before dinner=fail=might as well have more & throw in dessert But I also believe “if you aim at nothing you hit it every time” so it works good for me have loose boundaries over strict rules!!

[Jen1974]

Yesterday couldn’t have been better. I was really busy with work but was not feeling motivated at all & was struggling to keep moving forward. So many days I’d have a snack that I wasn’t hungry for to procrastinate, but because I wasn’t hungry & it was food my body didn’t need it would leave me feeling lethargic & less motivated Instead when I asked “do you need this snack”, I knew the answer was no & I kept moving forward. I took a break & got on my exercise bike for 15 minutes instead & got back into my office. Getting stuff done created motivation to get more done & by the end of the day I felt great!! I love having some gentle boundaries & loose structure again!!

[automatedeating]

This is such an encouraging entry! Great day, Jen!

[pinkhippie]

Jen, yes I think we probably are pretty similar in our approach. Loose boundaries are so much better!

It sounds like you had a great day yesterday where you really listened to your body. That is awesome!

[Jen1974]

Thanks auto & pink (:

We met my parents for dinner last night. My dad likes this restaurant where nothing is very good except for the chili cheese fries, or at least my crew feels that way. I do like the chili cheese fries so I had a salad before I left so I wouldn’t show up starving which never ends well with chili cheese fries and I ordered soup so I would end up too full. The soup was awful but I wasn’t all that hungry anyway so I didn’t eat much. It’s nice to be a virtual plater for nights like these!!

My favorite No S approved dessert is frozen banana slices with Herseys cocoa powder. I had developed a bad habit of having milk duds after every meal/snack during IE & so having this instead eliminated the craving but was much better for my body

I always love the honeymoon phase of all healthy living goals!! But than there always comes a day when it’s harder. I’ve always taken those days to mean that something has gone wrong & needs to be fixed instead of just accepting them as a normal part of life. I’m hoping to change that this time

[pinkhippie]

I know I just keep following you around and saying "mee too!" but really that is how I feel exactly. The honeymoon phase is always great and then the reality of keeping the habits and the lifestyle kicks in eventually and it becomes harder. In the past, I have always thought the same thing that it means I did something wrong, and now I am also trying to accept the fact that it just means welcome to life! It is one of my goals this time on No S.

Frozen banana in coca powder sounds delicious!

[Jen1974]

Pinkhippie, it feels kind of nice to hear “me too”. For a while now I’ve felt lost in no mans land where I felt crazy to want some structure & boundaries but nothing extreme!!

[Jen1974]

My boys were playing football & got home late so we ate really late last night. I got too hungry & had a few chips before dinner. There is a level of strict that I’ve tried to live up to in the past that always backfires so I don’t consider chips in that scenario a fail, but just part of my dinner. I did a good job of stopping at enough & even though I was SO TEMPTED to have dessert after, I knew it was more of a product of getting a little too hungry as opposed to actually wanting a dessert & had tea instead.

Too hungry is something I’m better off avoiding. A little hunger makes food taste better, too much make me want to eat more than I need

I consider a day like this green on Daylio. Blue is better but not as sustainable for every single day. In the past I would have expected blue & felt I had failed & ended up way worse off than a few extra chips before dinner!!

[pinkhippie]

I agree! It is nice to not feel alone.

Yesterday sounds like you did great to me! Recognizing that you got too hungry and eating just enough to satisfy so that you could still be hungry for your late dinner and not being like Oh well I blew it is awesome! The same thing happens to me if I get too hungry before dinner as well. If I stop at enough, but I was REALLY hungry before I started its like my mind runs away with me and wants ALL the food and ALL the dessert. Just having tea instead is such a victory!

Sounds like you are figuring out how to manage your hunger in the boundaries of No S.

[Jen1974]

Yesterday I met my college friends for happy hour which was so much fun!! I knew I’d be getting hungry during it if I didn’t make some adjustments so I had prunes with my noon coffee & cream which meant I could eat lunch a little later than normal. There were chips & salsa at the happy hour & some meats/cheeses but grazing on those types of foods tends to leave me full but not satisfied & I’m better off waiting for an actual meal. The late lunch worked perfectly & I met my husband & sons after for a late dinner.

In the past I took it all too serious where the prunes would have seemed like breaking a rule. It was like I drew a line in the sand only to trip over it when I ended up too hungry For me it doesn’t matter what rule I create, hunger will win every time so I’m better off with structure as a foundation but keeping it flexible so I can make it work for me instead of against me!!

[automatedeating]

I really like how you are becoming aware of how you might have self-sabotaged in the past. My motto is don't do anything that awakens my inner rebel, or it eventually backfires.

[pinkhippie]

Great job Jen! I totally agree with taking it too seriously and then going nuts with hunger being the road to downfall. I have a tendency to do that too. And not just with food, but with exercise. That is how I always injure myself. Like I said I was going to do this long and this hard and oh well about the pain I will do it! Yeah.. that doesn't work when we are fighting against our bodies. They are trying to tell us something. Sounds like you are doing such a great job listening to your body.

[Jen1974]

Auto: You are so right on not awaking the inner rebel!! No one needs an inner rebel rampage

Pink: I am the SAME WAY with exercise!! I’m always running on a sprained ankle or making other poor choices. I forced myself to take a year off of running to finally let an ankle heal & it was really good for me, but I just replaced it with biking/elliptical. I did read a study on guys who did 30 minutes of cardio vs 60 minutes & that they both had the same results eating the same amount of food which helped me cap my cardio to 30 minutes but I still will find myself increasing walking/biking at times. I’m actually working on cutting back now. My weight is never affected by more exercise as much as I forget that! I broke my leg & couldn’t exercise at all & didn’t gain even though I was convinced I would. It’s all based on waiting for hunger & stopping at enough. The less I do those things the more my weight creeps up & when I get too serious with those things & get too hungry & stop short of satisfaction I end up rebelling. It’s a delicate balance

[Jen1974]

Friday nights we tend to eat out or do something fun & I’ll usually end up getting a little more full (my version of seconds as a virtual plater) or a sweet. Yesterday we came to our cabin in the mountains & went to one of our favorite restaurants. We didn’t do take out during the majority of the quarantine but at one point I realized we couldn’t hide from it until there was a vaccine & needed to have a little more normal in our lives Eating out was fun & I did a great job of eating enough to leave me satisfied without pushing past enough which felt so much better that going to dinner & eating too much!! Normally I’d come home & want a sweet but I seem to be in the honeymoon phase of No S where when I asked myself if I wanted a sweet I knew I could live without one & had tea instead. Right now I’m just enjoying having a few boundaries & more structure & how much better that feels!!

[Jen1974]

One of the things that helps me the most with No S is meal timing. By waiting to eat breakfast until 9:30/10:00, lunch at 2:30/3:00, & dinner at 7:30/8:00 I’m never starved between meals but am always hungry & ready to eat. Plus it is always around 3:00 when I hit the afternoon slump & start craving something for energy so a later lunch eliminates that.

Yesterday we were in the mountains but I kept my normal schedule. For me traditional No S where weekends are no rules would set me up to fail & what should be a little extra would quickly turn to self sabotage & undoing all that I accomplished during the week. The little voice in my head telling me “I deserve” gets really loud on the weekends but keeping my normal schedule helps quiet that so much!!

We went for a hike after breakfast & it was getting close to lunch when we got back. My crew wanted McDonalds that didn’t sound good to me at all so I came home & made something a little more nourishing. I did have a few fries that were good but didn’t make me want more. I’m probably at the upper limit of my set point weight right now from IE so it’s pretty easy to make healthier choices right now! I think that’s part of the honeymoon phase of diets, it’s easy when your body is ready to shed the weight but when it needs to pause on the weight loss & you feel hungrier, you end up throwing in the towel all together. My goal this time is to just honor extra hunger & cravings when they show up instead of resisting but sticking to the same loose structure & gentle boundaries everyday.

We went to dinner again & I pushed the limits of full a little more than I’d like with some chili cheese fries & a marg before dinner, but not less dinner to balance that. It’s those days that make this sustainable though so I have zero regrets!! I’m most shocked by the fact that I’m not craving sweets at all yet!! I developed a pretty bad Milk Dud habit on IE though so maybe I’m just all sugared out

[automatedeating]

I think it's great you kept to your normal schedule on an S Day. Although I definitely allow myself sweets on S Days, I do find that I no longer think of the weekends as opportunity for crazy eating. I consider them normal days, but when I get tempted for sweets, I let myself give in, whereas I try to apply willpower not to on weekdays. The "release valve", so to speak.

[pinkhippie]

That is funny about the exercise. We are kindred spirits! I can't even talk about my ankle saga because I don't have room. I also have taken at least a year off running to let my ankle heal. I miss it, and right when I seemed to be healed up, I sprained my OTHER ankle on a hike! And so I have been slowly working up to walking for 30 minutes at a time. It's been really hard to be patient but definitely worth it.

Your timing sounds really good for No S. I am always having to tweak mine because due to my schedule, dinner happens at 5:30, 6 at the absolute latest, and I don't get up at 6 am because its summer. The same thing happens to me when I am at my higher weight, it feels easy and good to eat less. It's when you get further down that suddenly it doesn't feel as easy.

I got totally sugared out on IE! I am so glad that I did it because I feel the same way about treats now. They are great to have sometimes but I don't crave them like I did before. My habit was licorice. So funny! I suddenly needed licorice every single day constantly. Kind of weird since I wasn't a licorice fiend before.

Sounds like you are having a great time at your cabin!

[Jen1974]

Pink: That’s funny about the licorice!! It always felt like everyone else just naturally quit eating like that when all food was allowed I always wondered what was wrong with me that I never grew bored of lots of sweets with meals

What’s weird to me is how easy it was to get used to not having a sweet once I quit so it wasn’t a real craving. But when “all foods are equal” & I have “unconditional permission to eat” I couldn’t really think of a reason not to but now I feel so much better with some gentle boundaries!!

[Jen1974]

Sunday went pretty good but I learned a few things. I was less hungry at breakfast after a bigger than normal dinner on Saturday but still ate the same. At lunch I wasn’t hungry & decided to wait until I was & never got all that hungry so I ate a little around 4:00 just so it would hold me over until dinner. By dinner I was starved & had to have some Triscuits & cheese while we waited for my sons to go pick up Chipotle. We have a crazy week so I didn’t have time to cook but I wanted something “healthier” & I tend to think of Chipotle as healthier, but I noticed that gave me a free pass to finish my whole bowl. I reasoned it was black beans & light brown rice & lighter than a burrito but really it was more food than my body needed. Than I reasoned that because I had a light lunch I deserved a treat & had 12 milk duds after even though I was already plenty full. So I’m going to start working on the dropping the “good” and “bad” and not basing my decisions on those things. Sometimes I think I’m better off avoiding anything that makes me feel like I’m being “good”, the halo affect really gets me. But I don’t fair much better when I think I’m being “bad” & can think “I’m not being good, might as well enjoy it”. Both things justify eating more food than my body needs which is a pretty lose-lose situation

[pinkhippie]

I have the same issue sometimes when I think of food as good or bad or light or heavy. I am trying really hard to disconnect from my mind while eating and just tune into my body but it's pretty hard! One book I read said to practice amnesia and forget everything you know about food and nutrition. Definitely not something I am well practiced in. It's good to be aware of what is going on, next time you are in a similar situation, you will be able to remember what happened last time and maybe just check in with your body and eat accordingly. It sounds like you are having lots of good realizations.

Also Triscuits! I haven't had Triscuits in forever! That sounds good, I am totally putting them on my next shopping list.

[Jen1974]

Yesterday I decided less hunger should mean less food & I had a slightly smaller breakfast & lunch only to end up hungrier at dinner & eat more chips. The worst part of this experiment was that what I skipped during the day was blueberries & avocado so definitely a downgrade health wise. It was a good reminder in why to leave good enough alone. Everytime I decide to set the bar a tiny bit higher, it ends up backfiring!!

Overall a good day though!!

Tomorrow we leave for a Road trip & there’s a tiny voice worried that I’ve been doing so well & loving my normal schedule so I hate to rock the boat but that is not the life I want to leave. Ruled by “not living” so I can control my food

I was supposed to have a happy hour with my team for work today but everyone was scared of a restaurant & one of the girls is keto & another is allergic to everything according to her nutritionist so I canceled it It was too hard to think of what takeout would work. My goal in life is to be as normal of an eater as possible & show my kids what a good relationship with food looks like. I want them to know how to take care of themselves in a way that feels good without missing out on the fun of life. I love that No S reminds me how to have that balance!!

[pinkhippie]

I read somewhere... can't remember where that our level of hunger doesn't always dictate how much food we need. In either way. LIke being super hungry doesn't always mean needing more food and vice versa. I have found that to be true, maybe it just depends on the type of food. Either way I agree, I would say just keep on doing what has been working. Our bodies will compensate if we short them.

Have fun on your road trip! I find road trips are when I am having so much fun, and am so distracted that I only think of food when I am actually hungry and it is a great way to get in tune with myself.

[Jen1974]

Pink, I could totally see that could true about hunger!! I seem to have at least a “bare minimum” that I’m best not dropping below even if I’m less hungry!!

[Jen1974]

Yesterday was SO BUSY getting ready for our trip. If I could maintain that level of productively all the time I’d get so much more done I went back to eating normal amounts instead of short changing myself & didn’t get to that “too hungry” point which made it easier to wait for dinner.

Today we had to be up EARLY. We are picking up a motorhome in Washington & driving it back to Colorado so we flew to Spokane. Flying was a little fear factor with COVID. It actually has been good to keep doing things that make me nervous though. I can’t hide from it until there is a vaccine so I feel like I’ll be a as careful as I can but keep living. My family has always loved adventure & this is definitely an adventure. We’re headed to Glacier National Park & Yellowstone from here

Before IE I’d either declare a travel day a bit of a cheat day & eat airport food or I’d try to be “good” and bring my own food. During IE I noticed that airport food was always super disappointing & that I’d rather eat something that felt better & save the “splurge” credit for something better so today I packed breakfast. In the past I would feel jealous of my family’s airport food but now I’m so much happier bringing stuff so I feel better!!

[automatedeating]

Good for you about packing the breakfast! In the past year or two, I've begun packing my yogurt w/berries when I'll be out and about during the lunch hour. I can eat it anywhere and have done so MANY times when everyone else in the car is snarfling McDonald's. I've even brought and eaten it at faculty meetings where there is a spread of food already available.

[pinkhippie]

That is great that you packed your own breakfast because you noticed you didn't like the airplane food!

Have a great vacation!

[Jen1974]

Pink/Auto it is nice to be at a point where I know myself well enough to know when it’s worth having something “fun” and when it’s not

No S travels well which is nice! At first I didn’t worry about including sweets with meals as much & had a little something to hold me over to meals but realized I’m better off saving sweets for after dinner & avoiding snacks all together whenever possible. I don’t want to be strict in a way that takes the fun out of things, but actually feel like those things make vacation food more enjoyable. No matter what “plan” I’ve tried sweets/snacks during the day tend to leave me craving more & seem to mess with my blood sugar. Balanced meals give me better energy & keep me from constantly craving “just something little” that can feel tempting to do on long drive days. Treating vacation like cheat days tends to ruin vacation when I’m dealing with a blood sugar roller coaster & low energy from eating in a way that doesn’t feel good so my goal is never to do that!!

Glacier National Park was amazing! We hiked 5 miles & walked a ton so even though I’m not working out I still got plenty of exercise!! Today we’re driving to Yellowstone which isn’t too bad in a motorhome!!

[pinkhippie]

Sounds like such a fun vacation! No S does travel well, its so nice not to have to worry about all that while on vacation. I have the same problem with snacks during the day or sweets messing with my blood sugar and making me hungry. I love being nice and hungry for vacay food too, since its usually better than what I would get at home.

[automatedeating]

"Have Habits, Can Travel"

[Jen1974]

Auto: I like “have habits, can travel” It’s so true that No S is the one thing that you don’t have to be the “I can’t, on a diet” person

The trip was fun & went pretty well. It hammered home how much I dislike grazing/snacking. There was a day when we couldn’t find a restaurant to grab lunch & had to just eat cereal in the RV. It wasn’t satisfying so I ended up eating chips later & overall never really enjoyed any of it & never felt done. Chips on the side of lunch are great, but chips on their own never leave me feeling satisfied. And tiny frequent “meals” leave me never feeling done & constantly on the lookout for a little more.

For me I feel better with dessert after dinner when I have it & 3 balanced meals. It makes me enjoy eating more. I won’t white knuckle actual hunger though. It always backfires because too much hunger leads to more food than my body needs.

Since I’ve been home I’ve done pretty well but last night I was too hungry before dinner & my only option was chips. If I have a salad or something more nourishing to hold me over I consider that virtual plating & part of the meal, but normally random chips before dinner are an S for me. Than I had a couple of snack sized bags of M&Ms for dessert, I was just hungrier yesterday & don’t regret honoring that, but M&Ms were disappointing. That’s the other thing for me, I’d rather go a little bigger on dessert like ice cream or warm brownies. Otherwise it just seems like a waste of an S

My rating scale is:
Blue- Perfect Day

Green- The equivilant of 1 “S”, a little extra, a snack to hold me over for a meal, or a sweet

Yellow-the equivilant of 2 “S’s”

Orange - more than 2 “S’s” but not throwing in the towel or feelling overly full

Red - Threw in the towel & had more than I needed or felt good.

I like that there are stop points so I’m not tempted to think “the day’s blown” & it keeps me more mindful of what’s worth it & what isn’t.

Since I do 7 days a week & add in “S’s” as needed it’s not an exact science. It’s mostly how I felt about the day. Having random candy I didn’t even want I’m less happy with than a planned S that was totally worth it. It feels like normal eating with boundaries which I like.

One thing my road trip reminded me of is that I never want to work towards a weight that makes me avoid things that make me happy like dinners out, vacation, camping, ect. I’ll notice anxiety creeping in like “I can’t work out, we’re eating out too much” ect & know that I need to let go of the control I seem to think I have. I want to weigh what I weigh eating in a way that feels good while living the life I love & if I start worrying too much about working out or what I’m eating it gets in the way of that!! Plus life isn’t fun only focused on trying to eat less & move more

[pinkhippie]

Sounds like a good trip! Its nice to get validation that the way of eating you are doing is the best way for you.

I want to weigh what I weigh eating in a way that feels good while living the life I love & if I start worrying too much about working out or what I’m eating it gets in the way of that!! Plus life isn’t fun only focused on trying to eat less & move more

Just wanted to say this resonated very deeply with me. Having reached a lower weight for me I find this to be a constant balancing act. I agree that this is the ultimate goal.

[Jen1974]

Pink, I love that it resonated

It is a balancing act. I have always thought maintaining is harder than trying to lose because there’s not the dangling prize of weight loss as motivation

[Jen1974]

Sunday-green
Monday-green
Tuesday yellow-2 mini packs M&Ms NOT worth the S!!
Wednesday-yellow-warm brownies & ice cream
Thursday-yellow- beef jerky & potato chips on the boat not hungry for & didn’t enjoy.
Friday-orange-Late dinner out, too hungry & had too many chips, chili relleno app & split fried ice cream with my crew for dessert. No regrets, but wish I hadn’t been so hungry when we showed up!! I hate overdoing chips!

This week has been a bit off. I’ve had my good moments & my bad ones but feel like it’s been a good learning week!! We got back from our road trip & me & my husband headed to our cabin to celebrate our anniversary. I almost decided to skip it but it was nice to have a couple of days away just the two of us!!

Getting back from the road trip I had 2 solid days but the cabin threw me off a little. Some things are worth taking an S for & others ARE NOT so I’m going to work on eliminating the ones that aren’t worth it!

We ate out a lot this week which made me realize I need to work on my thoughts on eating out. I can tell I think I can’t be “good” when I eat out & that thought leads to overdoing it so my goal is to work on my “seconds mentality” around those things!! Have some chips, but no seconds, have “enough” dinner & no seconds.

I like reading my old posts here. It is weird to watch myself do really well just to think something went wrong at times when my weight would drop & I was hungrier & needed more food or had more going on & wasn’t doing it “perfectly”. One thing “younger me” taught me is “progress over perfection” so even though ideally I’d like to have had a more green week, it’s not bad all things considered!!

[automatedeating]

Welcome home from both fun outings! I'm glad you and hubby were able to take time away together.

And it warmed my heart to see how you learned from your "younger" self entries and you are valuing "progress over perfection" and being gentler to yourself.

[Jen1974]

Thanks Auto (: sometimes I think younger me was a better version of me I seemed to complicate things as I got older!!

Sunday-
Monday-
Tuesday--2 mini packs M&Ms NOT worth the S!!
Wednesday--warm brownies & ice cream
Thursday-- beef jerky & potato chips on the boat not hungry for & didn’t enjoy.
Friday-
Sat-

I was really proud of my choices yesterday!! We had a extended family grad/pool party for my son & 3 of his cousins that all graduated this year. We brought Krispy Kreme & ordered pizza. I kept it to 2 pieces of pizza & one donut which counts as a green in my book. I woke up really hungry so I know it wasn’t too much food!!

I was tempted to grab another piece of pizza or a donut but waited to see if I still wanted it after 15 minutes had passed & the urge for more was gone. Usually if I give myself a little time the feeling of satisfaction hits. Being a fast eater makes it so by the time the “enough” signal hits my brain, it’s too late, so I need to pause after the amount I think will satisfy me.

That was probably part of my problem with IE, I always want more, but don’t always need more. With “no seconds” I can remind myself to pause. It’s easier for most to have clear boundaries but I’m better off with gentle guidelines over strict boundaries that lead to rebelling & feeling like I failed. Because of that instead of “NO S” I operate more under

Do I need this sweet?
Do so I need this snack?
Do I need seconds?

It helps me be mindful & make better choices most of the time although there are still times when I don’t “need” it & do it anyway, but even those moments are great learning experiences!! Beating myself up never lead to lasting results and even if I could weigh slightly less if I were more strict I’m kind of just over trying too hard

Another boat day for us. I’m so busy with work now & we have too much going on but I don’t want to miss out on fun while my kids are all still home (my oldest heads to college in August). I’m so overwhelmed which can lead to eating in a way that feels terrible so I am working to really focus on making good choices!! Hoping for another green day. My goal is to get a steak of green/yellow with no oranges. I’d love to have a streak of greens but usually can’t make it long without feeling deprived.

[automatedeating]

Sorry to hear you are overwhelmed between work and family time. I hope that settles for you and you can find a slower pace again.

[pinkhippie]

As you know, I have the same issue with eating quickly and then realizing I had enough when I am already overfull. Sounds like you are doing a great job being aware, and giving yourself time to figure out if you are still hungry and if the food you want is worth it ie you wanted it and enjoyed it.

I hope things calm down for you soon.

[Jen1974]

Thanks Auto & Pink!! A storm came in yesterday that made it so we couldn’t go on the boat. After an entire day spent focused in my office I feel so much better!!

Sunday-A little extra full on burrito
Monday-A few extra chips before dinner.
Tuesday-2 mini packs M&Ms
Wednesday-warm brownies & ice cream
Thursday- beef jerky & potato chips on the boat not hungry for & didn’t enjoy.
Friday-Late dinner out, too hungry & had too many chips, chili relleno app & split fried ice cream with my crew for dessert.
Saturday-Donut
Sunday

Yesterday couldn’t have been better!! Overwhelm can lead to turning to food to cope but instead I focused & got a lot done! I was even extra hungry which can be hard to manage but I honored the extra hunger with slightly bigger meals. I was temped to have an afternoon snack but I knew I didn’t need one so I stuck to no snacks. I love having the boundaries of No S!! They help me stay so much more mindful of my choices!!

This week will be busy again. We have friends coming to stay at the cabin for 4th of July weekend so we’re going to head up Wednesday & get ready. We’ll be lucky to have a few home cooked meals this week. No S is great because as long as I’m reminding myself of the rules & stick to “no seconds” eating out isn’t the backslide it is when I tell myself “I can’t be good” and go overboard!! It acually makes eating out & take out better because I’m hungry enough where the food tastes good & no seconds keeps me from eating it in a way that doesn’t feel good!!

[Jen1974]

Sunday-A little extra full on burrito
Monday-A few extra chips before dinner.
Tuesday-2 mini packs M&Ms
Wednesday-warm brownies & ice cream
Thursday- beef jerky & potato chips on the boat not hungry for & didn’t enjoy.
Friday-Late dinner out, too hungry & had too many chips, chili relleno app & split fried ice cream with my crew for dessert.
Saturday-Donut
Sunday
Monday

Another great day!! After a slew of yellow/orange days with extra I was ready for a few lighter days. Old Jen would have set the bar at that level which would lead to epic fails when I couldn’t live up to those standards, but I’m happy having a few light days days & will be ready to have more when I’m hungrier again!

I did REALLY well on No S my first time around, even got down to my lowest adult weight, but from reading old posts & looking back, the one thing I did wrong that kept it from being sustainable was being too strict on the rules when I was physically hungry. This time I’m working to make my meals satisfying & balanced so they last me until the next meal, but hunger trumps rules. And not the “maybe I’m hungry” hunger that drove me crazy with IE (arguing with myself over whether I’m hungry enough to eat or not ) If I know I’m definitely hungry I can have something NOURISHING to hold me over until my meal. Usually an apple, salad, some prunes, or frozen blueberries. Sometimes something a little more substantial if I know my next meal is going to be light.

Normally though sweets, snacks, seconds are all non-hunger eating for me so when I minimize those my clothes start to fit better

[pinkhippie]

Wow it looks like you are doing great and really figuring out how to listen to your body in the structure of No S. That maybe I'm hungry hunger on IE drove me CRAZY! And I still feel it on S days if I have less structured eating. So glad to have a more sustainable way of eating that helps us tap into our hunger signals in a non-crazy making way.

[Jen1974]

So glad to have a more sustainable way of eating that helps us tap into our hunger signals in a non-crazy making way.

I love this Pink It’s so true!!

[Jen1974]

Wednesday-warm brownies & ice cream
Thursday- beef jerky & potato chips on the boat not hungry for & didn’t enjoy.
Friday-Late dinner out, too hungry & had too many chips, chili relleno app & split fried ice cream with my crew for dessert.
Saturday-Donut
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday-8 milk duds & a little extra sushi

Not terrible yesterday, but a little more Sushi than I was hungry for & milk duds after. My husband ordered too much sushi & I always hate to waste it. “It’s healthy” isn’t the best thing for me to think because it gives me a pass to eat more than I need & it really makes no difference if I have too much of something healthy vs. something unhealthy as far as gaining/loosing weight goes

Not even sure why I had a few milk duds after. It’s been a busy/long few days & I think I was just too tired to make a better choice They actually tasted really good though & after 8 I told myself “no seconds”

Today we head to our Cabin. I’m so sick of take out/eating out that my goal is to make dinner & watch a movie. I think after quarantine I was tired of never going out, but at this point I’m craving a night in!

[automatedeating]

Have fun at the cabin! It sounds really peaceful.

[pinkhippie]

I know what you mean about being sick of eating out after a while. The same thing happens to me during times when we can't eat at home, like moving or vacay or kitchen work. I think our bodies really do crave less rich food on a regular basis maybe? I know that restaurant food just feels like too much if I have it too many times in a row.

Have a wonderful time at your cabin!

[Jen1974]

Thanks pink & auto!! I love it here, it’s my happy place.

Pink: so true about restaurant food!! I do think our bodies crave lighter after heavy!! That was something that I noticed from IE was that I didn’t really want to eat pure crap all the time What didn’t happen for me though was my body naturally craving the prefect diet.

[Jen1974]

Wednesday-warm brownies & ice cream
Thursday- beef jerky & potato chips on the boat not hungry for & didn’t enjoy.
Friday-Late dinner out, too hungry & had too many chips, chili relleno app & split fried ice cream with my crew for dessert.
Saturday-Donut
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday-8 milk duds & a little extra sushi
Wednesday-a few chips when I got hungry before dinner

Another great day for me but no luck on the quiet night at the cabin My brother was up at his place too & I haven’t seen him since New Years so we went to dinner with him. It was worth it! He’s one of my favorite people (:


I had a few chips at home before we left for dinner & decided that is going to be off limits going forward. It’s too easy to create a bad habit & tends to soften my hunger for dinner & I’d rather be hungrier & enjoy dinner more!! If I’m starving a salad is great at holding me over until we can eat but anything more isn’t necessary!

I stuck to no dessert when my family pulled out the mini candies after dinner after remembering how the M&Ms WERE NOT enjoyable last week. I’d rather save the S for something better! Plus I’m trying to keep sweets to 3 a week. I track sweets on the habit app Strides & seem to hit 4 a lot of weeks but feel like 3 is a better amount where I really enjoy them when I have them & work to pick things that are worth it!!

We have friends coming today so no end in site for eating out. I am going to really work on stopping at enough though! A lot of times it’s the slightly too much that happens when I eat out that leaves me feeling not that great.

[pinkhippie]

Great job remembering how the m&m's made you feel and then modifying your behavior accordingly! I do the same thing if I eat too much and feel physically bad, or snack and don't like how it feels, instead of beating myself up I just say to myself "Ok, a learning moment, let's remember how we felt if this situation comes up again" Sometimes it takes more than a few times, but I find it so helpful!

I am glad you got to see your brother! My brother is one of my favorite people too.

I have a lot of eating occasions coming up because of the holiday too, and I am trying to figure out how to handle it myself. These can be tricky times. Sounds like a great thing to focus on stopping at eating enough.

[Jen1974]

Saturday-Donut
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday-8 milk duds & a little extra sushi
Wednesday-a few chips when I got hungry before dinner
Thursday-chili cheese fries with marg before dinner
Friday a few extra potato chips before dinner

Pink, Love that about you & your brother (: My daughter & son are BEST friends & I always think bro/sis relationships like that are the best

Thursday was great for me. I can get tempted to eat to make the weekend or the cabin seem more fun at times when I’m bored. I was listening to this podcast as I did some cleaning & she asked if what you really wanted in life was to be someone who needed food/drinks to feel happy & it reminded me to look for all the non-food ways to have fun & be happy when I was tempted to have “just a little” A million times I’ve made food & the weekend less enjoyable never getting hungry enough to make food taste good & feeling a little lethargic from the slight food coma extra food leaves behind!!

This time no snacks feels different because instead of treating like a RULE I’m asking myself do I need this snack? It helps me come up with better alternatives & look deeper into why I’m tempted to eat when I’m not hungry instead if white knuckling alone.

Yesterday was pretty good too!! I had a few extra potato chips before dinner hence the yellow but our guests weren’t ready to eat & we were having chili dogs/potato chips for dinner so it was sort of virtual plating. Zero regrets & even with the chips it was more if a yellow/Green Day.

The friends we are with are VERY careful eaters. She gets very stressed out about how much she eats & avoids carbs. It’s hard because my crew needs carbs to feel satisfied but having them around is just really hard for her & she tends to give in & regret it later. All the work pays off for her & I at times come out feeling as if I should eat less/exercise more but don’t feel it this time. There’s a meme I read about the extra 5-10 pounds being the enjoyment in life & for me it’s really true!! It’s the chili dog on a bun with melted cheddar & potato chips on the side, going out for ice cream with my crew, ordering pizza & eating it with ranch, warm brownies & ice cream. Not those things all the time because that doesn’t feel good but I’m so much happier when those things happen some of the time and that when they do there is no guilt & shame.

No S for me is the happy medium when it’s not the anarchy of IE but also not the forbidden foods & strict rules of dieting. I’m actually enjoying the fun, hungry enough for it to taste good (no snacks) stopping at enough (no seconds) and not including foods that taste better than they feel if eaten too often (no sweets)

[automatedeating]

There’s a meme I read about the extra 5-10 pounds being the enjoyment in life & for me it’s really true!!

Ha! This is really insightful!

[pinkhippie]

No S for me is the happy medium when it’s not the anarchy of IE but also not the forbidden foods & strict rules of dieting. I’m actually enjoying the fun, hungry enough for it to taste good (no snacks) stopping at enough (no seconds) and not including foods that taste better than they feel if eaten too often (no sweets)

I know I am just a broken record but this is so true for me too. It's exactly how I feel about No S. Sounds like you have got a good holiday eating thing going on!

[lpearlmom]

A lot of good insight here! I wanted IE to work for so badly because it it seems like it should work and makes sense intellectually but time & tine again it fails miserably every time. However, the IE principals within a more narrow framework like IF or NoS can work beautifully.

It’s hard being around those friends that stress over every bite. Limits on heavy foods and sweets are good, but I also don’t want to give them up forever. I think it’s good to be honest about what we’re willing to do in the pursuit of health/weight loss. I like the idea of asking oneself if they can do this forever & only starting a plan if the answer is yes. I cannot live without carbs forever so I’ll have to to find a way to keep them!

Happy 4th!

[Jen1974]

I totally agree you Ipearlmom!! IE SEEMS like a great idea but I just never made it much further than “not dieting”. I do think it does work nicely with some gentle boundaries & loose structure!! And you’re totally right about asking if you can do it forever & being honest about what we’re willing to give up.

I really think it comes down to finding what works best for the individual & that intuitively we can find that.

For those that aren’t that hungry in the morning & would rather eat in a shorter window, they are perfect candidates for IF.

For those that love meat & cheese but carbs don’t really do it for them, they are perfect candidates for low carb.

For those who don’t really get much from snacking & like larger meals, they do well with No S!

I spent too much time battling my nature because of what I “should” do. I’d limit carbs, do mini meals to increase my metabolism, and give up all my favorite foods & wonder why I always found myself throwing in the towel & binging

[Jen1974]

Pink: I love that we both have such similar experiences! I think there’s something about doing IE & adding in structure where it all seems to click that is sort of unbelievable It’s like THIS is what I was looking for

[Jen1974]

Another day I was really happy with!! Especially considering it was the 4th & we had friends up. I had a drink early & made a point of drinking it REALLY slow. A lot of times alcohol makes me need food but drinking slowly helped. I did get hungry & have chips/queso (snacks) & dinner was a little heavier than normal (seconds) but didn’t have dessert. I actually only had dessert one day last week which I was really happy with. I came to No S having desserts WAY too often. That’s where using “most want” to choose what to eat always threw me off. Sweets always taste good after meals & it’s easy to develop a habit of having a reward at the end of meals, but that doesn’t mean my body needs sweets at every meal!! No S is making me more mindful where “do you need this sweet?” makes me decide if it’s worth it or not instead of just including sweets because I can!!

Our friends left this morning & I noticed this tiny voice wondering if I should eat more after breakfast I love them but they watch every fricken bite I take & make comments on what everyone is eating. When they leave I’m always tempted to overdo it!!

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday-8 milk duds & a little extra sushi
Wednesday-a few chips when I got hungry before dinner
Thursday-chili cheese fries with marg before dinner
Friday-a few extra potato chips before dinner
Saturday-chips/queso before a heavier than normal dinner.

[oolala53]

And what's worth the "enjoyment of life" can change over time. Doesn't mean it suddenly gets breezy but the battles wane in number and are over a lot faster.

[pinkhippie]

Yes I totally agree on the IE and the structure with the click!

It sounds tough to have people around that comment on the food all the time. I would definitely want to eat after they left too. It sounds like you were still able to listen to your body though, and that is awesome!

[Jen1974]

Not one of my better days yesterday but could have been worse & no regrets!! Orange days for me seem to creep in every 7-10 days. They are almost a reset where afterwards I’m excited for healthier again. I love that they aren’t a binge, I don’t get uncomfortably full, and I don’t go overboard all day, usually just a little extra full at night.

Our friends left & I actually did really well the rest of the day even though I was more tempted than usual to have something. Finally by last night I had a few chips before dinner (clearly need a line in the sand on that as an option), extra sesame chicken with dinner & a brownie out of the oven with ice cream after. Everything but the chips was totally worth it!!

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday-8 milk duds & a little extra sushi
Wednesday-a few chips when I got hungry before dinner
Thursday-chili cheese fries with marg before dinner
Friday-a few extra potato chips before dinner
Saturday-chips/queso before a heavier than normal dinner.
Sunday-chips before dinner, extra sesame chicken & brownie with ice cream.

[Jen1974]

And what's worth the "enjoyment of life" can change over time. Doesn't mean it suddenly gets breezy but the battles wane in number and are over a lot faster.

That totally makes sense!! I notice even now things that used to seem like a big deal just don’t anymore!!

[Jen1974]

Another orange day yesterday. My family was all having a brownies after breakfast & I didn’t want to miss out so I had one too. It was funny to watch my brain respond to this. Thoughts of “the day is blown, enjoy it” are still there along with “have less later to make up for it” but both those thoughts made me feel tempted to eat between meals even though I wasn’t hungry. So instead I reminded myself my ultimate goal is health & “less food” is more about weight loss than health so I focused on no snacking but meals with plenty of nourishing food. I also had another brownie with ice cream after dinner because the brownies are SO GOOD

Normally something like this makes me think I’m failing. In IE I’d think I was being too restrictive & loosen them reigns & on diets I’d think I was being too permissive & get stricter & neither of those responses took me where I wanted to be. So this time I thought that my clothes have been fitting a little looser & that I probably need to take my foot off the gas & let my body get used to this weight & that having a few days or a week with a little more keeps my metabolism from slowing down. It felt so much better than IE where I’d go to ZERO rules & overdo it or diets where I’d go to STRICT rules & eventually rebel. I’m doing the best I can to avoid snacks, say no to seconds, and minimize how many sweets I include in my diet. Some days are better than others but so far there have been no days of eating way past full & for the most part I’m making choices that feel good so that’s good enough for me!!

[automatedeating]

I’m doing the best I can to avoid snacks, say no to seconds, and minimize how many sweets I include in my diet.

This is a reasonable, sustainable, and humane way to go about choosing your foods each day!

[Jen1974]

Tue-Thu were decent No S days for me. 1 blue & 2 greens. It felt nice to get home & have a little normal but we’re trying to get ready for a camping trip so we’ve been busy & ended up forced to eat out a night. We’re all sick of it & commented on how we’ve lost interested in the restaurant foods we used to love.

I feel like I push the limits of enough & could eat lighter at times. I’d rather feel hungrier for meals & feel as if I have more energy when I stop at the right level of enough, but always seem to want “just a little” more. But I also don’t want to feel restricted & get to a point where I “throw in the towel” & do way more damage than just eating slightly more than enough, so I’m not going to put too much effort in, just try to remind myself how much better it feels to have more energy & be hungrier for meals. It’s a fine line that I can cross over where self care starts to feel restrictive & I find myself acting bingey with food again

We are doing a random camping/RV trip. We’re starting in Fort Collins/CSU to spend a little time around campus. My son starts there in August & me & my husband both went to school (and met) there so we all love the town. Tomorrow we’re spending the night with friends who live on a lake and then headed to the mountains to camp for 4 nights. I love adventure but don’t always love how I can eat in a way that doesn’t feel good. In my strict dieting days vacation/camping would be a cheat week that I’d make up for later. I’m much better now but it’s hard because food is part of the fun & I never want to miss out. A few goals I have for myself are to save dessert for after dinner on days when I have it & stick to 3 meals but eat a light breakfast on days where I wake up less hungry because lunch/dinner tend to be a little heavier on vacation & spending vacation in a food coma always a little too full is not enjoyable!!

[pinkhippie]

Your trip sounds fun! That is cool that your son is going to the school that you and your husband met at! What a cool idea for everyone to go hang out there.

I feel like I push the limits of enough & could eat lighter at times. I’d rather feel hungrier for meals & feel as if I have more energy when I stop at the right level of enough, but always seem to want “just a little” more. But I also don’t want to feel restricted & get to a point where I “throw in the towel” & do way more damage than just eating slightly more than enough, so I’m not going to put too much effort in, just try to remind myself how much better it feels to have more energy & be hungrier for meals. It’s a fine line that I can cross over where self care starts to feel restrictive & I find myself acting bingey with food again

I have the same issue and I have to be very careful with that too. Sometimes I just need to eat a little too much to keep my head in a good place mentally. I have come to realize that feeling restricted is more dangerous than feeling like I overate for me.

Sounds like you have some good, sensible and moderate goals for vacation. Have fun!

[automatedeating]

Your vacation sounds so wonderful! I'm excited for you!

I always have a temptation to overeat at family get-togethers because it gives me something to do (and makes me feel good) when I otherwise would feel awkward (and bad about myself). That's me and my crazy self, though.

[Soprano]

So much in this thread resonates with me re IE. I think the best thing I took from it was there is no bad food and I can have what I truly want.

I learnt that actually when I stop and taste what I thought were treats I really didn't like them very much. I think reading The French don't diet by Dr William Clower helped in this respect too.

But deciding if I was hungry was definitely the hardest part.

It's a learning journey ladies and as time goes on everything starts to click.

Jx

[Jen1974]

I’m back from my trip. I’ve been lurking but never found the time to post. The trip was fun! I love our new motorhome & love adventure/seeing new things. I always struggle on vacation to let it be okay that I’m not working out. Since starting No S I’ve worked towards working out less again & mandatory 2 off days a week where I don’t do more than walk. I’ve had a problem with over exercise because I love to be hungry & eat & feel like when I don’t exercise I just can’t eat that much.

I did good enough food wise on the trip, but not great. My structure was still 3 meals but I get these “it’s vacation, you deserve to enjoy it” thoughts that have me doing things like overdoing it on Pirates Booty Or Beef Jerky. Some foods override my “enough” signals where I just keep wanting a little more. It was always hard for me on IE with “all foods equal” because not all foods played fair. I feel so much better & am so much happier with balanced meals & including snacky type foods into meals when I have them. It’s the difference between having ruffles potato chips on the side of my burger vs. grazing them out of a bag before dinner & ruining dinner because of it.

I did come back excited to be a little more strict again with boundaries. The habit I’m going to focus on is saying no to seconds (which for me is pushing the limits of full). That is what needs the most work for me!! And keeping any “snacks” outside of meals to only fruits/veggies that I do just fine with (I’ll eat veggies or a salad if I’m getting hungry as I’m preparing dinner)

Happy to be back, but I have another camping trip next week & my son’s graduation party/graduation on Tuesday so it won’t feel all that normal for a few more weeks as far as my schedule goes. I am hoping to really work on the habits EVEN THOUGH my schedule is off which I felt like I didn’t do on this last trip.

[automatedeating]

Hi Jen! Sounds like you are doing great - enjoying your summer and your family and doing your best to take care of your body, too! Yay for more upcoming camping and celebrating your son's graduation!

[pinkhippie]

Welcome back! Glad you had a good trip!

I also have to work on the habit of no seconds. I have noticed though pretty much every time I do decide to get seconds, I feel overfull and stuffed. Even if I just take half a serving or whatever. It's why I have started eating fruit if I feel hungry instead of seconds. It seems to work so much better for me!

Enjoy your down time!

[Jen1974]

Pink: I do that too with fruit!! My body is really good at registering enough with fruit so it works really well. Unfortunately on vacation or the weekend my brain will convince me it deserves a break from being “good”. I tried really hard with IE to get rid of that mentality but never could get past the fact that some ways of eating left me feeling better but there was a rebel part of my brain that sometimes wanted an excuse to eat in a way that didn’t feel that great!!

[Jen1974]

Thanks Auto (: Such a weird year to graduate!! He was supposed to speak at it I because he was class president but they aren’t having student speakers, or even giving out diplomas at the ceremony. It’s all kind of sad!! I do love that we’re making the best of it at least!!

[Soprano]

Keep working at getting over that being good or bad it is well worth the effort.

Jx

[Jen1974]

Soprano, I do wonder if it’s the good/bad mentality that trips me up. It’s just so hard to totally ditch. I eat in a way that feels better on a normal week day at home than when I’m camping, on vacation, or some weekends. I never feel bad for including chips with a meal when I’m craving chips or having a dessert that I’m craving but it’s the grazing/ “I deserve” type eating on vacation or over weekends where my whole family is having something & I eat it too because I don’t want to miss out more than because its’ something I’m actually craving. Yet once I’ve done it I tend to feel the attitude creeping in of “live a little, it’s vacation, you’re always “good” that makes me know it’s not working for me

[Soprano]

I really believe it's that good bad that causes problems. It has taken me a long time to get over it.

For me now I see good or bad food only in respect of whether it is unadulterated and natural (good) or highly processed, low fat, artificially sweetened, full of chemicals (bad)

Try and view food as something to keep you healthy and vibrant. Enjoy eating as you are meant to. Don't fall for the advertising hype about treats.

Don't get me wrong I do still eat something I would term bad but it is rare and I don't usually enjoy it.

Jx

[Jen1974]

Soprano I think you’re so right!! These are a couple of highlights from a book that I like:

“Sadly however, research shows that classifying foods as “good” and “bad,” or “healthy” and “fattening” sets you up for an overeating train-wreck—overindulging in the “healthy” foods and bingeing on the “junk food.” (For those of you keeping score at home, that’s a resounding lose-lose.)”

“First, by classifying a food as healthy, people erroneously believe that consuming even large quantities of the “good for you” foods won’t negatively impact their weight. Calories are calories. If you eat more than your body needs—no matter how righteous the food—your body will still store the excess on your stomach and thighs.”

I know good/bad is a total train wreck but still find myself feeling that I tend to eat in a way that is “good” during normal eating days & that it’s harder to be “good” on non-normal eating days

[Jen1974]

Yesterday felt amazing!! It was a blue day after a string of yellow/orange ones. There’s just something about getting back to normal after being off my schedule that feels really nice!! I was talking to my daughter about how over snack food she was. She said that the snack food that tastes good never feels that good & the snack food that feels good isn’t even worth eating since it doesn’t taste good at all I so agree with her!! I know I’m so much happier eating really good tasting satisfying meals & skipping the snack foods all together & feeling hungrier for meals!!

For my next few RV trips that’s going to be my goal. Picking meals I’m really excited about & having less snack food around. I think it will be good for my whole crew to set us up that way!! I’ll still have fun treats, like warm cookies after dinner (I figured out how to bake them in my microwave/convection oven), Ruffles potato chips on the side of my burger, & things like that, but I’m going to do away with beef jerky, Pirates Booty, Oreos & other snack foods that we all tend to eat between meals. I bought popcorn to make for when my kids need a snack & will do things like cut up apples but really none of us needs the heavily processed store bought snacks that taste better than they feel

[Soprano]

Sounds like a great plan

Jx

[pinkhippie]

I agree with the good bad mentality. I haven't ever figured out if this helps or not, but a book I have read says that if we eat something "healthy" a carrot stick or whatever if our body doesn't need it and we are not hungry, it is still overeating. That helps me sometimes.

Sounds like a great plan for the snack foods! My kids used to snack all the time and somehow I just started adding the snack foods to their lunches(like you say with chips on the side of burgers) and now they don't ask for snacks anymore. Which is great for me! What is Pirates Booty? It sounds very intriguing.

[automatedeating]

Your plan for RVing sounds really doable, really great, and really fun! Go girl! (And the microwave cookies - that is impressive!)

[Jen1974]

My life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately. I never overbook us like this normally! My son’s graduation was actually really nice! They made each graduate sit with their 2 guests. I didn’t expect to cry, but of course did & had no Kleenex the mask & sunglasses did a good job hiding it at least. We had a party for him that night where we kept it all outside & had food trucks cater it. It turned out really fun!! We left the next day to camp & I’m kind of amazed we actually pulled it off. We camp every year with 2 of my best friends from college & their families & it’s one of my favorite things. I love how our families all interact like cousins.

My eating has been good enough. A few unneeded snacks & seconds but nothing crazy. I’ve kept it pretty good to the 3 meals & chosen to skip desserts most days. Nothing has seemed worth taking an S for. It worked better for me having less snacks around this trip too!! There was nothing that I missed & it kept me from bored eating!!

My clothes all still fit about the same but I’m definitely not losing weight through all of this. My elliptical broke last week & I didn’t even mind. It’s been good for me to camp/road trip & not get formal workouts in & realize nothing really changes except I’m less hungry. I have been walking & hiking a lot though which has kept me in such a better mood than when I get no exercise at all.

We leave on Tuesday for the last RV trip for a little while at least. We’re going to Telluride which sounds amazing! I’ve never been so I’m excited to check it out!! We’re staying at a campground in town but I’m planning to eat out more than we have been.

I love reading everyone’s threads but have no time to respond. Once things settle down I’ll be more active again. I really love this board!!

[Jen1974]

Thanks Auto

Pink: Pirates Booty is like white cheddar flavored air a little like a rice cake that you eat handfuls at a time yet never feel full

[automatedeating]

Thanks for the update during your whirlwind!

[pinkhippie]

Aww congrats to your son on his graduation!

Sounds like eating is going great and that you are busy and active!

Thanks for the Pirates booty info! I thought based on their name that it would be something a lot more hard core!

I love this board too! I am glad you took the time to come update!

Have fun on your trip!

[April]

No S for me is the happy medium when it’s not the anarchy of IE but also not the forbidden foods & strict rules of dieting. I’m actually enjoying the fun, hungry enough for it to taste good (no snacks) stopping at enough (no seconds) and not including foods that taste better than they feel if eaten too often (no sweets)

I know I am just a broken record but this is so true for me too. It's exactly how I feel about No S. Sounds like you have got a good holiday eating thing going on!

Yes! Well said!

I too bounced around back and forth from IE (and several other plans), but I just keep returning to (slightly modified) NO S!

[April]

Really interesting posts to read about IE. I too had some success and similar experiences with it. I would recommend anyone who feels they can't do without certain foods or feels deprived do some reading and work on IE. It can be done within the confines of NoS.

The hardest part for me re IE was deciding if I was hungry or full enough. The best thing was learning that a lot of what I thought were treats I didn't really like eating.

Jx

I agree, that is part of what makes NO S very sustainable for me - not having to feel deprived of anything, just delaying gratification, which is a very good skill to practice for an impatient person like myself .

[Jen1974]

I totally agree April!! I too need to work on delayed gratification. IE was hard because I’d jump the gun on hunger & enjoy the food less because of it!! No S helps me make better choices

[Jen1974]

Stopping in a for a quick hello while I’m waiting for my family to be ready to head to breakfast. No S has been going great this trip!! Even with more eating out & being out of my routine, my clothes don’t feel any tighter & what has surprised me the most is that I almost think they’re looser. When I was picking up snacks yesterday I purposely avoided things that I knew would tempt me & ruin meals. I always tell myself no off limit foods but for me if I really wanted them I’d buy them, but I knew that what I wanted more was to enjoy meals & eating out & some of those foods are just too tempting to have “just a little” of. I’ve also quit letting myself do “just a little”. I either need to commit to an actual serving or skip it. It has helped me SO MUCH. By not letting myself use these allowances “just a little doesn’t count” and “it’s vacation”, I’m making better choices & enjoying all the food so much more

[Soprano]

When I am in the groove I don't tend to gain weight on holidays, it's a great feeling when you get home.

Well done

Jx

[Jen1974]

Yes Soprano!! I love getting into that groove!!

I’m back from my motorhome trip but we had so much fun that I’m excited to get another one planned!! We’re lucky that our jobs are super mobile. We can work from anywhere. I do tend to overbook us though, never spending enough time at home!!

Me & my husband are going to go work from our cabin for the next couple of days. We haven’t been up to check on it in a while. It will be nice to have some time just the two of us but I’m feeling anxious also wanting to spend time with my son before we take him to college in a few weeks. I’m hoping we all can spend a few nights at the cabin before he leaves!!

My eating was so good over the trip. I never ate past full & did a great job of eating less when I was less hungry at meals & sticking to the “no snacking” rule!! Then last night when we got back I was extra hungry at dinner & had extra grilled cheese & decided to make brownies after. By the time the brownies were done I realized I was plenty full but had them anyway & ended up WAY TOO FULL. A night like that is always a good reset though & gives me renewed enthusiasm to eat in a way that feels better!!

I have been so happy to be back to No S eating!! There has been so much less thought involved than when I was trying to eat intuitively!! I think intuitive eating for me was always more entitled eating. Gently reminding myself “no snacks” when I’m tempted to bored eat, “no seconds” when I’m tempted to eat past full, & “no desserts” when I’m tempted to eat something sweet because it’s there have made it to where I’m eating in a way that feels so much more calm.

[automatedeating]

It's been really neat to see how you have kept the basics of NoS with you despite the many different outings and eaing environments you have been in this summer.

[lpearlmom]

Right there with you in regards to IE. Way too much thinking and decision making. It just made my brain hurt and i never could get it to work for me. Im glad you’re enjoying the structure of NoS. When im in the grove of it, it just feels so good.

Also, super envious of your trip but i get wanting to spend time with your son. So they’re not doing school online? My girls have virtual HS for at least the first semester.

[Jen1974]

Thanks Auto, I’m kind of amazed!! I’ve always struggled when my schedule is off so it feels nice to be in a good groove with No S where I actually get to enjoy vacation without a food hangover

[Jen1974]

Linda, my kids are hybrid. 2 days virtual, 2 days online, & one day off for teacher planning. At this point I’d prefer online only. I don’t think in person learning can last!! My oldest gets to move into the dorms & have in person classes through Thanksgiving. I’m worried that won’t last either because he’s so excited although selfishly I wouldn’t mind more time with him this year