Newbie Introduction!!

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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Missy
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Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:35 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Newbie Introduction!!

Post by Missy » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:35 pm

Hi! I'm coming off of a few unsuccessful tries at Weight Watchers and thought I'd give the No S system a try. I found Weight Watchers too restrictive and grew tired (quickly) of counting points and finding myself stuck when it came to eating out for dinner (I'm a busy 24 year old who doesn't always have time to cook). I'm still finding it hard to break the Weight Watchers habit of mentally calculating of how many points are in foods, but I'm sure that it will subside in time.

I enjoy cooking (when I have the time) and I have a major sweet tooth. I also love fried food. My plan is to stick to the only eat the sweets and greasy stuff occasionally on S days but we'll see how that goes. I'm going to do my best with the snacks but I often find myself eating late dinners so I might have to eat a small snack in the mid afternoon to keep the grumbles to a dull roar.

My question is this: Do you have any helpful hints or words of advice for a newbie just getting started? Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks - Missy :D

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carolejo
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Post by carolejo » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:41 pm

Welcome to No-S! I'm just starting out too, I've been doing this for a week now.

I'm allowing myself one snack a day which consists only of fruit or raw veg. It helps to have this to munch on mid afternoon instead of visiting the snack machine in the search for some chocolate. I mentally 'plate' this with my breakfast (in fact for the first few days I actually put the fruit on my plate at breakfast so I could see it there and associate it with the meal).

Apart from one small hiccup last week, everything has been OK for me so far. Hope you find it easy, painless and helpful for the rest of your life!

C.
CaroleJo

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sibyl
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Location: Guelph, ON

Post by sibyl » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:47 pm

Since I'm trying very hard to break the 'grazing' habit I got into, I don't have any snacks at all. The first few days were really hard getting from lunch to dinner - I swear my co-workers could hear my stomach begging for food. But I stuck with it, and now its much, much easier to get through the afternoon without thinking about snacks.
I found a two-prong approach of drinking lots of water (which I do any way), plus gum chewing to fool my mouth into thinking it was eating, worked really well. Also, it helped to realize that it was a 'hump' - after a while, the 'hunger' would go away and I would be fine for hours.
Don't skimp on the food you eat during a meal. One plate is all you need, but fill that plate (with good stuff!). If you find yourself stuffed, you can cut back later, but eating enough food at mealtimes is really important. The day I skipped breafast was the hardest to get through.
Let S days be S days - indulge a bit. Knowing you have a couple of days to indulge makes it a lot easier to skip the treats during the week - just tell yourself you can have it on the weekend. By then you may not even want it any more, but at least you know you have the option.
And as Reinhard pointed out in another thread, if you have the willpower to do Weight Watchers, you have the willpower to do this.

Happy No-Sing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:17 pm

Another new person weighing in. Bad choice of words, huh? I found WW to be an exercise in food obsession which is exactly what I DON'T need. Too much focus on something I already have too much focus on to begin with. The thing that is nice about this way of eating is that once you get the hang of it, you actually have time to think about and do other things.

And it fits into your life. Instead of your life having to fit around IT. You can go just about anywhere and still find something to eat.

I understand the calculations still playing around in your head. I still can barely get through a meal without trying to figure out how many calories and fat grams it has. But even when I do, I still have what I want anyway, so I guess that's a good start in breaking away from the numbers game.

Good luck!

Peetie

Missy
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Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:35 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Post by Missy » Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:56 pm

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

I found WW to be the same for me. Obsessive and over analyzing everything. It was all a numbers game where I talked myself out of eating healthy foods because I'd rather spend this many points on junk food than fruits. I just felt chemical overloaded from all the fat-free, low-fat, checmically preserved, chemically sweetened foods that I was eating just because they were low in points. Today I've been trying to eat as natural and organic as possible and I don't feel that same emptiness inside that I used to feel when I ate that stuff. That's a good word for it. I just felt empty, not satisfied. I feel like I'm eating less now but I feel satisfied with what I'm eating.

I'm going to see how I feel. If I really need a snack in the mid afternoons I'll just have it and go full blown no-S next week. So far I'm feeling pretty good hopefully not.

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:43 pm

Missy,
I think you are wise to just take it slow. If you need the snack for now, you are still eating much more wisely than before. I tend to get caught up in perfectionistic thinking, but that's what's so great about this plan. You embrace it at your own pace and if you need to tweak, you do it. Just good old common sense. Something we chasers of the Holy Grail of dieting have left behind!

Peetie

Missy
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Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:35 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Post by Missy » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:22 pm

I know what you mean. But that's part of how diets like Weight Watchers have sabotaged me in the past. They weren't flexible enough and I really strived to be a perfectionist. It was either all or nothing and I'd always fail. So far I'm doing pretty well. No need for a snack yet so who knows, I might just make it thru the day without it.

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