Habit, Routine and Making it Work

[NoelFigart]

I was thinking about habit and routine and why yesterday was a failure for No-S for me yesterday.

I couldn't bring myself to call a Wednesday an S day or to declare a meeting/party I didn't really want to go to an S event. It seemed like a waste. NWS days that aren't actually holidays or birthdays of people important to me seem like a waste. And yet...

Did not declaring it an S-day stop me from breaking habit? No, it didn't.

Part of it, of course, was that the simple act of making cookies on a Wednesday wasa break in habit for me. I only make treats on S-days. My mind, when I am making a treat, says that I have permission to nibble a bit because if I'm making a treat, it must be an S day, right?

While annoyed at the failure, I'm happy at the connections that are being made. I can use that strong, natural tendency to my own benefit!

I'm halfway tempted to "practice" by making S-day treats in advance sometimes to create a mental disconnect between the act of baking/making them and actually eating them. It won't be this month, though. My challenge this month is to stick to S days and create the Urban Ranger habit. I won't work on more than one habit at a time for awhile.

[BuckeyePink]

Noel,

I'm so with you on the "Make Treats Only on S-Days" habit. My baking or holiday preps have only been on the weekends thus far...when I can nibble freely. One's gotta do quality control, right? LOL

But...into everyone's life in No-S land must come those days when you selflessly sacrifice your 5 seconds of taste bud happiness for another person's S day happiness. Ah well.

I'm proud of you for owning to the failure and planning better for the future.

[wosnes]

It's been discussed many times how this is the way people used to eat and various people around the world still eat. But I can't think of many who would not taste something they made because it would make a day a failure.

I suppose it might make a difference if you nibbled on one or two cookies -- or a dozen.

[vmsurbat]

I was thinking about habit and routine and why yesterday was a failure for No-S for me yesterday.

I couldn't bring myself to call a Wednesday an S day or to declare a meeting/party I didn't really want to go to an S event. It seemed like a waste. NWS days that aren't actually holidays or birthdays of people important to me seem like a waste. And yet...

Did not declaring it an S-day stop me from breaking habit? No, it didn't.

Noel,

I call this general realization "growing up" in my relationship to food. Just like we don't HAVE to pig out on an S day (just because we CAN), we don't HAVE to nibble the goodies we make as we make them.

In fact, this is what is making No-S work for me. I am chief cook for a large family; we have guests over for meals several times a week; I cook from scratch 95% of the time (have to--we live overseas where there are FAR less convenience items).

I got fat from "nibbling" what I prepared and cooked. Prior to N0-S, I ALREADY had the habit of 3 meals a day, fairly few sweets, little between-meal snacking EXCEPT while preparing food. It has been truly eye-opening to me to see how much I ate while preparing food--mostly "good" stuff--a carrot while peeling the veggies, the end slice from homemade bread, a spoon from the pot to see if it was done, a pickle wedge just because "it doesn't have THAT many calories" and the list goes on.

It has taken me awhile to learn the difference between legitimate "tasting" as part of my "job" as chief cook and an indulgence which merits a "red" on habitcal--yes, even just that one little bite.

Being honest with ourselves is VERY empowering. Kudos to you for "making the connections."

[connorcream]

I am planning on doing all of my baking on the weekends. There is no way way I can make a batch of fudge and not eat some.

[gratefuldeb67]

That's a very good plan Connorcream
That's what S days are for!

Good luck Noel with your Urban rangering!

Debs