Hi - I'm new

[laurie in ok]

I just ordered the book. I've been reading posts and researching the No S Diet for about a week now - and I'm really nervous. I haven't started yet - we are going out of town for New Years, and then my ds birthday is Sunday with his party on Monday. I am thinking I will start on Tuesday of next week.

I am using this time to be aware of my snacking, and trying to cut it down. I'm eating a bigger breakfast and cut out all morning snacking. It's afternoons and evenings that are getting me. I'm excited to read the book and find out about suggestions for getting through the first 21 days to habit.

I am working at being hungry at mealtime - over Christmas I don't think I went more than a few minutes with a twinge of hunger.

BTW - I am a mom of two 6 and 9 (the 6yo turns 7 on Sun) and I have a great husband. We are both working out alot more - riding bikes (we bought an indoor trainer) and he has lost all of his weight. I haven't.

I homeschool my kids - so that will add a small degree of difficulty, b/c I will be home all day right by all the snacks - but I really want to committ.

I forgot to mention, that I've done every diet in the world; I'm sure like many of you. I lost alot of weight on WW and kept it off for about 2 years before gaining it back and more. I know plans like that won't last b/c I'm not going to weigh and measure every thing I eat for the rest of my life. I was looking for something different, and I'm so excited I found this.

So, hello, and I'm excited to join you on this journey.

[howfunisthat]

Hi Laurie!

Welcome to the plan & the forum. I'm a homeschooling mom too so I understand the "I'm trapped in the house all day with all that food calling my name" syndrome. I've been doing this since early August & I'll never go back to dieting again. I've lost some, but not all my excess weight, but more than the weight, I've been learning to control my eating instead of my eating controlling me. It's been tough at times, but the internal changes have been monumental for me. The first 21 days are hard...but so worth it.

The book is wonderful. I still read it again & again just to get a snippet of encouragement when I'm struggling. It's such an incredibly brilliant plan because it's not a diet...it's a healthy way to eat. How amazing is THAT?

Don't be a stranger to the board...it's a great place to get and give some encouragement on this journey.

Welcome again...
janie

[winnie96]

II've been reading posts and researching the No S Diet for about a week now - and I'm really nervous.

Hi Laurie, and welcome aboard! If you have been looking at the posts and the No-S website information, you've gotten a pretty good idea of what No-S itself is about, and a pretty good idea of what a great help this forum can be. Everybody is on your team!

I am sorry that you feel nervous, though. No-S, to me, is the gentler, kinder way of eating vs. a diet where you can run yourself off the rails for one small slip-up. It's true that not having rigid rules and constant snacking can be a bit intimidating to us professional dieters (I'm WW, too), but I think you will be surprised at how quickly you get the hang of it. Just remember that it's a process -- you have to figure out how much to eat at each meal so that you arrive at the next one hungry, but not ravenous. It's really a very interesting process, not a leap off a cliff, and if you mess up, just mark a "red" day on HabitCal (very useful tool) and move on. No guilt, no regrets -- just move on -- no need to be nervous.

I wish you the best -- be sure to ask questions, seek help, and/or share your experiences here. This is a great forum.

[BuckeyePink]

Welcome Laurie,

I'm in OK, to! Maybe we could do a No-S meetup?

The hungries are nothing to be afraid of...

In my case, if I eat a full plate of good food, I'm alright for 5 hours. Getting to bed at a reasonable time (before 10:30 pm) will curb evening hungries. Otherwise, your body will learn that an adequate amount food will come at a regular interval and give up asking for snacks. It took me about a week to overcome the between meal hungries.

Now, if you get hunger twinges an hour before a mealtime, that's normal.

~Anna

[reinhard]

Welcome, Laurie!

I understand your apprehension, but "permahunger" and "permasnacking" are part of the same vicious circle. Break the snacking habit, and the constant noshy hunger will stop, too. It's really just a matter of habit. Of course, that "just" isn't really fair -- habits can be VERY hard to break. The first few weeks especially can be very daunting. But the toughness of habit is also good news. It means that when your new, good "mealing" habits settle in they'll be hard to break, too. The force that's putting up such stiff resistance now is soon going to be on your side. Don't be embarrassed -- be encouraged!

That positive power of habit is one consolation. The other is that I think you'll be surprised at how much more enjoyable food becomes when you follow the no-s rules. It's not JUST a matter of gritting your teeth and toughing it out till habit rides in to save the day. Almost immediately every little meal gets a little halo of intentionality around it. If "halo" sounds a little much, it's my understanding that the Hebrew word for "holy" originally meant "separate" -- and that's precisely what you'll be making your meals.

Best wishes and welcome aboard!

Reinhard

[gratefuldeb67]

Welcome Laurie
From what I have seen here, people usually find that snacking is actually the easiest S to conquer in their first weeks of NoS.

If you must, add the little snack type foods to your plate at mealtime, if you feel you are dying to have them.
As long as you aren't unconsciously stuffing em in your mouth out of the bag throughout the day.

Good luck!
Debs

[Paul]

Hi

Its January 5th, and today is the first day.

I know that the book stated that we should not believe in or make a new years resolution, but it is my new years resolution to be thin and loose 100lbs.

What I found interesting about the book is the no snacking part. I am 49 years old and I remember - as a child - the rule of thumb was no snacking. Snacking ruined your appetite. I guess mother actually does know best. I did a mental calculation and I figured that on an average day I consumed 1,000 calories in snacks alone. Ouch.

Another profound thought (LOL) is that the book is different from any other weight loss book or program because it focus' on changing habit rather than what you should and should not eat. Without a change in habit, then even after the weight is off, it can easily come back.

Finally, the biggest obstacle I face is beer. Anyone else have weight gain due to beer? My buddies and I always go to the local pub after work to have beers. Naturally we never just have 1 beer. Worse, is that I never consumed lite beer, only the good stuff. Ouch. I want to be with my mates, yet I do not want to drink. Hmmm.

Well, I wish all of you the best. May your 2009 goals come true.

Paul / Chicago, IL USA
email me at pauls1mm@aol.com to say hi

[reinhard]

Welcome, Paul!

I am 49 years old and I remember - as a child - the rule of thumb was no snacking. Snacking ruined your appetite. I guess mother actually does know best.

I recently added "the Grandma Diet" to the list of alternate names for the no s diet on the home page.

the book is different from any other weight loss book or program because it focus' on changing habit

True -- and I'm amazed that this is true. I can't believe that of all the gazillions of diet books that have been written over the years the obvious thing to emphasize was left for me (hence the second alternate name, " "The Why Didn't I Think of That Diet").

Finally, the biggest obstacle I face is beer.

I, too, have trouble with (consistently) limiting it just one beer. But two I can manage.

http://everydaysystems.com/glassceiling/

(I'm in the process of updating this page, so don't be alarmed if it changes slightly).

I did a podcast about glass ceiling a while ago which has some additional refinements that I haven't yet merged into the main page:

http://www.everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=8

Reinhard

[lmt2pt]

Laurie and Paul,

The first weeks are tough. I did this a few times before I got it down. The thing is, failure is part of your success. Each time you slip up, acknowlege it, learn from it and MOVE ON. Really, you need to expect to have failures.

The other important thing I learned was that you need to change your expectations of weight loss. This is slow. Extremely slow. But it is worth it. Honestly if you consentrate on the scale you will get discouraged. Consentrate on the habit and the scale will follow. Not only will it follow but it won't go back in the wrong direction. But don't expect it to follow at any sort of pace but snails.

Good luck to both of you. Let us know when you need advice or support.

[moby]

Hi I'm also new. I researched NO S about 3 years ago. I bought the pins and later purchased the book. I've tried on and off to follow the program, but always got side tracked with a new weight loss diet. I have 10-15 pounds to loose. It's very frustrating being so close to your goal and never attaining it. I'm no longer in a hurry so I'm focusing on the journey, not the destination.