love it but gaining

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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jenabees
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: MA

love it but gaining

Post by jenabees » Thu May 29, 2008 1:34 pm

Hi all,

I love NOS. I got the book, I said, finally, I have found it! This makes total sense, this is great. I feel so free. No more thinking about food all the time, no more (*%$#) weight watchers.

However. I am writing with dismay that I am seriously disappointed with my results so far. I have gained weight, and I really can't afford to gain any more in the hopes of trying to lose. I am really wondering if this really can work for me.

j

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OrganicGal
Posts: 481
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Location: Peterborough

Post by OrganicGal » Thu May 29, 2008 1:48 pm

It absolutely CAN work for you! If you have the N day habit firmly in hand, then you probably now have to take a close look at your portions on those days, AND how much you might be letting yourself indulge on S days.

As has been mentioned in multiple other posts, even with No S it is still a matter of calories taken in over calories burned. If you are taking in too many calories for what you are burning off with exercise and movement, then you will not lose weight. Also remember that No S is KNOWN for being a slooooooow way to take off weight...but it is a permanent way once you tweak it and stick with it.

So, don't give up, start looking at your portions and whether you are eating a lot of high calorie foods in your meals or treats on S days, and go from there.

I have just started a new 21 day cycle so that I can catch myself with calories taken in, and correct things. I am also doing a new 21 day cycle for exercise to build that Habit properly, which I wasn't doing before.

We're all here for each other and in this together, so keep going and get support, strength and knowledge from all the wonderful posts and people on this site. :)
Creating and sustaining the No S habits are the only thing that will take me in the direction I want to go!

rose
Posts: 332
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:06 pm

Re: love it but gaining

Post by rose » Thu May 29, 2008 2:41 pm

jenabees wrote: However. I am writing with dismay that I am seriously disappointed with my results so far. I have gained weight, and I really can't afford to gain any more in the hopes of trying to lose. I am really wondering if this really can work for me.
Hello Jenabees,

how about giving a little more details so that people can give you more precise advice?

for instance
your gender,
your age,
your height,
your weight,
how much you've gained and in what time frame,
how long you've been on NoS,
what you did (food plan/diet) before NoS,
whether you are exercising and how much,
whether you have trouble following the NoS rules,
whether you have moderate or wild S days,
an example of the food you typically eat on N days,
whether you get hungry between meals or not...

Lots of reasons may explain your weight gain. For instance, switching from a very low calorie food plan to NoS can result in a weight gain at first. Or, if the "weight gain" is small, say 1 to 3 pounds, it could be normal weight variation during the week (I typically weigh more on Monday than on Friday) or during the month (water retention etc).

(perhaps we should have a standard questionnaire eh? each person's case is different...)
Started NoS Jan 07 at 74.5kg (164 lbs, BMI 26.7)
Stable since Jan 08 at 64kg (141 lbs, BMI 23)
My progress chart

jenabees
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: MA

details

Post by jenabees » Thu May 29, 2008 4:30 pm

more about me
female
34yrs
200 lbs
2 young kids
began nos April, at weight 190s
had trouble transitioning from s days back to nos days (like sun-mon)
also recent back injury and a lot of pain
intermediate goal 175
vegetarian
I think I am just "able" to eat a lot more on this diet than others, and I take advantage of it. (Full plates to tide me over to the next meal). And the "s" days are a real mess. It's like I try to sabotage my progress. I also have a real fear of deprivation and hunger.
Anyhow, now that I've bored whoever read this...
I really want this to work for me. I'm just afraid of sabotaging myself into oblivion. (200 lbs. is my wake up call number.)
j

jenabees
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: MA

oops

Post by jenabees » Thu May 29, 2008 4:34 pm

how rude of me. :oops:
thanks to you both for your responses, I appreciate them.

also
5'7"
exercise daily walks in neighborhood
diets in past: mostly ww

j

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fkwan
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:04 pm
Location: middle of nowhere, Texas

Post by fkwan » Thu May 29, 2008 4:49 pm

Hi Jenabees,

I'm a vegan with rheumatoid arthritis. :)

Obviously it's probably hard to burn a lot of calories with a back injury.

Even if you're eating good stuff, it's amazing how you can undermine yourself with calorie dense stuff. A cup of beans is 300 calories. A really lovely piece of bread may be anywhere from 100-200 calories. Peanut butter is about 200 calories/2 tablespoons!!!! And of course this has nothing to do with all the sweets you can eat on S days.... :(

One of the great things about No S is you learn portion control in a hurry when everything has to fit on a plate and you don't get seconds.

Also, obviously if it's before your period figure 1-5 pounds of fluid, about which you can do nothing. :(

Even though No S is not about counting calories or charts, a lot of people, myself included, do such things in order to get a sense of how crappy (or efficient) our metabolisms are.

I ran your stats through one of those online calculators that everybody thinks are too anorectic. :) It says that a 34 y/o female 5'7" at 200 pounds needs roughly 1900 calories for weight loss, and the closer you get to goal, it decreases to 1700 calories. (That's walking 5 times a week.)

If you run your calories through a program like www.fitday.com for say a week, you can get an idea how over the limit you are and adjust accordingly and you should be fine, and even then a half pound a week loss is about what you'll probably lose.

f
One must know his limitations. -- John Milius
Beginning weight: 115
Currently: Haven't a clue

jenabees
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: MA

thanks!

Post by jenabees » Thu May 29, 2008 5:06 pm

f,

you hit it on the nose.

my typical breakfast is 2 pieces of wheat toast with honey and PB, two cups of coffee with milk and sug.

lunch rice and beans with salsa and a little cheese

dinner varies, but just looking at what you said I have very little leeway to sneak or cheat.

basically, I am prob eating just enough to lose a tiny bit of weight when I am on N days and then the S days throw me way over, so I end up gaining.

the beauty of the diet to me is the freedom, but I think it can also be its pitfall.

a lot to think about, I just can't decide what direction to go in.
j

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fkwan
Posts: 399
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Location: middle of nowhere, Texas

Re: thanks!

Post by fkwan » Thu May 29, 2008 5:11 pm

jenabees wrote:the beauty of the diet to me is the freedom, but I think it can also be its pitfall.

a lot to think about, I just can't decide what direction to go in.
j
That's what I've referred to as the "fine print". :cry:

Just as there's no such thing as a free lunch, there's no such thing as a free diet. :)

But it's probably the best MAINTENANCE diet around and the best regular diet as long as you understand that you DO have to restrict calorie density but you can pretty much get a feel for that with time.

f
Last edited by fkwan on Thu May 29, 2008 5:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One must know his limitations. -- John Milius
Beginning weight: 115
Currently: Haven't a clue

rose
Posts: 332
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:06 pm

Post by rose » Thu May 29, 2008 5:12 pm

Jenabee,

from what you wrote, the next step might be to reduce portion size a bit. Pick a day (not monday perhaps), pick a meal (the one which is closest to the next mealtime perhaps) and try it. To minimize fear of hunger you can tell yourself that if you really get very hungry you can go back to previous portion sizes the next day. Chances are you won't die of hunger this one time. And you might be surprised at how easy it ends up being :D
Also, I don't know how busy/stressed you are with the kids, perhaps if you eat separately from them you can relax more, enjoy your meal better, and put down your fork when you've had enough.

Personally I don't count calories, but some people do. If it helps, why not? But, if eating only xxx calories at a meal makes you so hungry that you snack, it's not productive. One way to have the filled up feeling on lower calories is to eat a good portion of vegetables/fibers (not lettuce) _first_, then the carbs and protein, eat slowly, don't hesitate to put leftovers in the fridge (you don't _have_ to finish your plate!)

Anyway, yes NoS often does require experimenting with meal size and composition, once the habits are in place, in order to actually lose weight, especially for us women.
Started NoS Jan 07 at 74.5kg (164 lbs, BMI 26.7)
Stable since Jan 08 at 64kg (141 lbs, BMI 23)
My progress chart

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fkwan
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:04 pm
Location: middle of nowhere, Texas

Re: thanks!

Post by fkwan » Thu May 29, 2008 5:14 pm

jenabees wrote: my typical breakfast is 2 pieces of wheat toast with honey and PB, two cups of coffee with milk and sug.

lunch rice and beans with salsa and a little cheese

dinner varies, but just looking at what you said I have very little leeway to sneak or cheat.
What Rose said,

plus stuff like,

kill the sugar. That's about 100 calories right there. Also, based strictly on personal experience, the less sugar you eat, the less you will binge.

Increase veggies to go with rice and beans. Rice is one of the worst calorie density starches out there. One cup is about 300+ calories. So if you were to have 1 cup rice with every meal, which is a normal portion for regular people :), that's 600 calories right there of just rice. One cup of beans is about 300 calories, x 2 600 calories, so that's 1200 calories of JUST rice and beans!!! Of course that's a lot of protein, so it would be a great diet if you were out in the field somewhere. :) Protein also kills hunger.

Drink water. Fills you up fast.


f
One must know his limitations. -- John Milius
Beginning weight: 115
Currently: Haven't a clue

blueskighs
Posts: 1787
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:11 am
Location: California

Post by blueskighs » Thu May 29, 2008 5:20 pm

the best simple way is to allow yourself to get hungry before each meal. I have learned on NO S that if I am not hungry before pretty much each and every meal then I have overeaten.

The tricky thing about this is ... if you are consistently overeating you will lose track of your hunger ... you will not know when you are hungry and you will not sense when you are full ... you will take a blood sugar drop, boredom, excitment pretty much anything as hunger. And since you were not hungry when you started eating then you will be able to keep eating because you are already beyond hunger.

Be a "good mother" and gradually coax yourself to smaller portions and gently allow yourself to get acquainted with your hunger ... if you are getting hungry before each meal consistently you will lose weight, NOT STARVING ... just nice good clean hunger!

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

jenabees
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: MA

wow!

Post by jenabees » Thu May 29, 2008 5:23 pm

great ideas, guys!
I'm really glad I posted a message.
j

MissyMoo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 2:41 pm

Post by MissyMoo » Thu May 29, 2008 5:54 pm

fkwan wrote:I ran your stats through one of those online calculators that everybody thinks are too anorectic. :)
f
fkwan - can you pretty please include a link to one of those online calculators????


Thanx!!! :)

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fkwan
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Location: middle of nowhere, Texas

Post by fkwan » Thu May 29, 2008 6:10 pm

MissyMoo wrote:
fkwan wrote:I ran your stats through one of those online calculators that everybody thinks are too anorectic. :)
f
fkwan - can you pretty please include a link to one of those online calculators????


Thanx!!! :)

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Has a bunch of calculators.

I've found it to be fairly accurate for my lousy, rotten, menopausal, hypothyroid urban metabolism. :)

I also like www.fitday.com.

f
One must know his limitations. -- John Milius
Beginning weight: 115
Currently: Haven't a clue

MissyMoo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 2:41 pm

Post by MissyMoo » Thu May 29, 2008 7:18 pm

Thanks, fkwan. Well, it's depressing, but at my current food intake and exercise levels I should reach my conservative goal weight (which is about 15 lbs more than my real goal) by November 2009.


Crap. :(

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fkwan
Posts: 399
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Location: middle of nowhere, Texas

Post by fkwan » Thu May 29, 2008 7:54 pm

MissyMoo wrote:Thanks, fkwan. Well, it's depressing, but at my current food intake and exercise levels I should reach my conservative goal weight (which is about 15 lbs more than my real goal) by November 2009.


Crap. :(
But then again maybe not. :)

It took me one year to lose 47 pounds NOT on No S, i.e., conventionally.

Think of it this way: you'll be there BEFORE the Hellidays, and will have incentive NOT to indulge. :)

f
One must know his limitations. -- John Milius
Beginning weight: 115
Currently: Haven't a clue

Dawn
Posts: 215
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:47 pm
Location: So Cal

Post by Dawn » Thu May 29, 2008 9:30 pm

First of all you are doing great. The No-S plan is a multi part plan in my opinion. And you can't get to the next step until you fully nail down the previous step.

Step 1. No-Sing M-F (don't worry about meal size or content until this is fully nailed down)

Step 2. Cut portion size and make better choices - (you are stronger and ready for this step now)

Step 3. Exercise - of course this is hard for you right now. Exercise is important, and now that you are in your 30's the pounds won't fall off with just watching what you eat. Your progress may be slower than you like because of your inability to exercise right now, but it will still come off.

Step 4. Re-assess all of the above if you just aren't losing anything in a few months. It took me nearly 10 weeks to see any loss at all. Make small changes and give them lots of time to see if they are working.

Just remember that it has to be easy enough that you can continue this plan for a lifetime. Patience has been the hardest thing for me. I have lost 7 pounds in nearly 4 months. I have never lost 7 pounds without dieting before. And this is not a diet for me, this is just me being me.

Good luck as you moved into your next steps!
Dawn

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Mavilu
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Post by Mavilu » Fri May 30, 2008 12:30 am

Jenabees, you've got good advice here, I just wanted to add that it seems that some people gain some weight upon starting NoS, but then they start losing, sounds bad, but there is a reason for it.
I'm one of those that gained weight in the beginning, I started eating things that I wasn't eating before and it seems that I ate them all at once, that is pretty common and normal, but after a while, you "calm down" and start eating normaly, except that now is less and more orderly and that's when you start losing weight.
I have learned on NO S that if I am not hungry before pretty much each and every meal then I have overeaten.
Exactly.
This is what I do most of the time; not always and that alone allowed me to loose three pounds last month and I can tell that I have lost more since then.

Gaining is scary, but you've got to be patience and keep at it; identify what might have been the problem and correct it.
You are in control and you can do it!.

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