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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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planner lady
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Ready to try

Post by planner lady » Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:48 am

I lost 85 pounds in 2001 and 2002 through Weight Watchers. Almost as soon as I reached goal, I started gaining it back -- very slowly -- about a pound a month. I've gained back 40 pounds and desperately don't want to gain it all back. I want to lose that 40 and get back to "goal". However, I am sick to death of counting points. I just can't do it anymore. I thought about eating meals and no snacks because snacks are what get me in trouble and started looking on-line for information. I found this web-site and was delighted with what I read. This is exactly what I want to do . . . except that it's been harder than I thought. As I attempted to do three meals and no snacks, I found that I really missed eating. I didn't realize how much of a hobby it had become. I have since vacillated between WW and this but I just can't do WW anymore. I want something I can do always and I want it to be SIMPLE. I am going to do this but I definitely have had a few false starts like Reinhard described in the explanation article. I have read some of the posts and was encouraged when I realized that most people have a hard time at first. I guess I thought it would be easy and when it wasn't, gave up. But I'm going to do it! Any comments or suggestions or encouragement would be appreciated.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:23 am

You will love this way of eating Planner Lady!
Don't worry about being perfect, but try hard to adhere to the rules to get your habits down...
I also suggest combining this with daily exercise... Things you enjoy...
Goodbye point counting and headaches from worrying about point values!
Good luck! I have lost about 12-15 lbs since last September, but my waist is down 4.5 inches!!! Slow, but no regaining!!! Even on "bad weeks" you can get right back on the horse and on plan and not regain!
Peace,
Deb

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ClickBeetle
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Post by ClickBeetle » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:33 am

Planner Lady, welcome! Ah, yes, eating, the most satisfying "hobby" of all. Don't forget that your No-S journey will be made easier if you have "replacement hobbies" to occupy you.

After all, the body gets used to doing things a certain way and it will try to fill that vacuum. For my part, I began taking long walks when I had nibbling urges. I did away with TV, since that was a major munching environment. And I never, never keep snack foods in the house, but instead try to stock the fridge with healthy high-fiber things that don't go down so quickly as chips and cookies. Cause those do go down quick and they don't sustain.

As anyone here can tell you, a mainstay of my No-S eating habits is chickpea salad and whole wheat pitas. They just won't lend themselves to wolfing down ... too fibrous, or bulky in the tummy, or something. But they are very satisfying. This has (mostly) kept me on the straight and narrow, and I have already lost several pounds. Good luck to you1!!
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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ClickBeetle
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Post by ClickBeetle » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:34 am

PS Most people say the first week is a challenge, but after that many find it gets easier quickly, with the occasional setback time and again, but the overall pattern not difficult to maintain.
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Sat Jul 09, 2005 5:00 am

Welcome, planner lady. You clearly have enormous reserves of willpower if you could lose that much counting calories, more than enough for this. This just takes a little concentrated push in the beginning and then habit takes over. Big picture, you should be utterly confident that you'll get overthese initial humps.

Some little picture advice:

1) it sounds like you've accepted that there may be some humps. This is important. Just get right back on and keep trying. You may find it helpful to start a daily check-in in the forum for that.

2) learn from you mistakes. Failure is a great teacher.

3) if there really is some little personal tweak you have to make to the system to make it work from you, like (for example) giving yourself an official 4rth fruit-only meal in the afternoon, I'm not going to excomunicate you. I wouldn't jump to this option up front, but know that you have it in reserve in your arsenal if that's the lesson #2 is teaching you.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

planner lady
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Thanks.

Post by planner lady » Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:05 pm

Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement. I especially liked the comment about how I must have determinations since I lost 85 pounds counting calories. I hadn't thought of that. I can do this. Thanks again and I will plan on posting on the daily check-in.

cvmom
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Post by cvmom » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:47 pm

Hey Planner.

I am a lifetime memeber of WW, so what does that mean? It means that I've lost the same 20 pounds and gained it back 3 times. So anytime I want to come back there with my tail between my legs and jump on their scales I can do it for free as long as I'm at goal. Fun huh???

I hate points. In 2001 I was at goal for a few months and then slowly, (oh ever so slowly because you tell yourself you will start counting points tommorrow) the weight came back on.

I see people that went to WW with me 4 years ago and they are heavy again too.

So, I don't believe in it. I think if you will be strict with yourself here for 3 weeks you will see an amazing difference. There is serious freedom because you can plan your meal about what your body feels like eating rather then how many points something has.

I suppose the no S theory could be similar to "banking" but it is about 1000 times less stressful.

Stick around here and you will not gain that weight back. I wish I'd found this place back in 2001 but I don't even know if it exisisted.

Good luck,
Dru

P.S. Make yourself a daily check in. I do a food journal just for my own information. Reinhard doesn't say you need to do one but coming from WW it may be useful for a few weeks.

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carolejo
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welcome!

Post by carolejo » Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:34 pm

Oh goody! somebody else who is starting out.

Reinhard is so right. You must have willpower in spades to stick out something as tedious as weight watchers for so long!

Glad you could join us. I know it'll be OK. I too will fall off the horse a few times (in fact I already did last week and it was only week 1), but every day I manage to stick to it is another day where I started to build the right habits for the rest of my life.

Today has been my first official 'S' day. I've really really enjoyed the guilt-free eating. Tonight my husband and I (He's also starting out with me) are off to a good italian restaurant we know in town to enjoy a wonderful meal out. It feels so good to be able to do that without worrying or feeling guilty about how much I'm going to eat. The really weird thing is that I haven't wanted to binge on tons of stuff today cos I've just not felt like it. It's almost as if allowing yourself to do this takes the 'need' to do it away.

During the week it's not so hard to stick to No S. I personally eat an extra piece of fruit mid afternoon if thats what I feel like doing. I found that I didn't even need to do that on the last 2 days of the week!

It's gotta be *so* much easier for you to do than counting points all day every day! Fortunately for me, I never even tried that cos I could see that for me it would be doomed to failure from the outset. I have several friends who lost tons of weight with WW, but have put most of it straight back on again. All this Yo-Yoing around in body weight just can't be good for us - and that's really what happens with a diet like that, even if it wasn't meant to happen. It's just human nature I guess.

anyway, this has turned into a bit of an essay, and all I really wanted to say was 'Hi' and 'Welcome'. I don't think I need to say 'Good luck' cos I don't think there's any luck involved in free will.

Best Wishes,
C.
CaroleJo

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:04 pm

I am in total agreement with all of the above, Planner Lady. I, myself, found WW made me totally obsessed with food...planning it, preparing it, eating it. It took up the greater part of my day and after all that, the degree of relapse in that program is huge. Nobody wants to spend their life making dieting a full time job. It should be easy and enjoyable, and that is what will lead to the long term results.

I consider NOs to be a great compromise between obsessive dieting (ala WW) and throwing all restraint out the window entirely. You have enough structure here to guide you, but so much freedom to chose what you want that you can be happy with your choices and very nonobsessed as far as calories, fat grams, points and all that crazy making.

I'm new here too, but this is a great board with very supportive people and a very smart and involved fearless leader, Reinhard.

Best of luck,
Peetie

planner lady
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Thanks again.

Post by planner lady » Sat Jul 09, 2005 7:21 pm

You are all so wonderfully encouraging. I really felt bad about not being able to do WW again. Seemed like I should be able to. I've been starting out each day determined to count points and I just can't do it. It is tedious and time consuming and I'm just sick of it. I can't do it anymore and definitely not forever. I really appreciate all of your encouragement and I will definitely do the daily check in. I need some accountability and that may be just what I need.

Thanks again.

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MerryKat
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How are you doing?

Post by MerryKat » Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:33 pm

Hi guys
I am also a reformed WW'er. I did a form of WW called the Wendie Plan where you shuffle your points daily to give you some days where you eat more than others and once a week you have a really high points day. This worked way better for me, but I am, like you guys, sick to death of journaling and counting points.

How are you guys getting along?
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

planner lady
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Post by planner lady » Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:48 pm

I am actually flip flopping back and forth between WW and NOS. What I really want is to be able to eat anything I want, whenever I want and as much as I want. Of course, I know I can do that, but I won't like the results! :)

I think I keep going back to WW because it's familiar. But I can't keep it up for more than a few days. The last three weeks I've had this pattern: 2 good days; 2 okay days; 3 bad days. I'm not losing weight but I seem to be maintaining. However, that's not good enough since I can't wear any of my church clothes! I've been wearing jeans to church instead of a dress because mine don't fit. I finally went out yesterday and bought a few things that were one size bigger and that did not please me.

Last night, I was thinking about what I wanted to do and was leaning again toward NOS. It's just so much easier -- no, not easier -- wrong word -- simpler. I can see doing it the rest of my life but not counting points the rest of my life. I just have to make that commitment to do it! I'm one of those people Reinhard talks about who has to start again and again and again before they get it. I normally am not like that but I'm a little burned out on dieting.

I have decided, however, to have four smaller meals instead of the traditional three. I have something wrong with my digestive system (they can't seem to figure it out) -- maybe IBS or endometriosis -- that makes larger meals bad for me, especially at certain times (like now!). So that's the plan -- at least for this moment.

Thanks for asking.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:18 pm

Dear Planner lady...
Hey what's yer name??? LOL...

I hope this will be a bit inspiring to you...
I too was sick of trying stupid diets (ww isn't stupid but I've done that one two, never with permanent results... just on and off for ten years or something....)

After I found NoS, my intuition told me that this was the real deal...
I know you mention Church, so I'm guessing you are a spirtual lady...
Even with all the inner guidance and "green lights" I got after reading Reinhards homepage, I had my struggles with this for the first four or five months... Then I even went through a recent *major* stress when my work situation changed due to a new, indescribably awful new manager, who is ruining the whole vibe of the gym I'm at...
I've had some times even before that, during Winter, when "my old self" questioned whether I was going to succeed with NOS, since I was slow to have it "click"... Reinhard turned that around with one encouraging letter to me, and I stuck with it...

So, with time and effort and commitment, I have stuck with it this whole time and I've gone down something like 20 or 25 lbs... I'm not exactly sure of the pounds since my first weigh ins were on a bad scale, which now is deceased!!!
I have gone down from a 41 inch waist to a 36-37 inch waist though, and that's not too shabby! LOL... :D

Our minds can screw up the best efforts, before they even happen...
Don't let that happen to you...
I say, listen to your conscience, which is saying "Commit..." and just give it your all.. Some days it will be harder and your all will be only 75 %... But if you stick to it, and you stop thinking about going back and forth between plans, you will put all that energy where it needs to be...
I'm no stranger to vacillating.... I know how draining it can be, physically and emotionally...
You will not gain weight on NOS... If you add some regular activity you like to the mix and just allow yourself your treats on S days, it's a guaranteed win...
Hey.. Try out the 21 days on habit thing... I finally got myself psyched up to do it, to coincide with my one year anniversary of NoS... I wasn't at all able to do it before, but I tried at least 6 or 7 times over that year...
This time, I was totally psyched up and, though challenging, it was a great experience in "Self inspiration"...
I used to have a choral director who would always remind us that we need to give 100 percent to our performance, otherwise, "what's the point"... I think this is a good motto for everything you do which you consider important... That's not to say that your "100 percent" will always be perfect, but you mentally will always feel your best if you know you gave it your all....
Good luck!
Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Blue Daisy » Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:19 pm

Hey Planner Lady,

Glad I'm not the only newbie. I started officially yesterday. I had been putting this off for quite a while until my health has really begun to concern me. My health began changing alot in my late 30's. I started having problems I didn't think I'd experience until my 50's. And they are chronic, I continue with these problems and they seem to be getting worse. I wonder if my yo-yo eating hasn't contributed to them. For a time when I was doing the no snacks lifestyle my problems seemed to have improved. And I agree, this eating plan sounds like it should be so easy but it isn't. It makes perfect common sense I tell myself "Just eat your meals and leave the rest alone. You are not going to starve before the next meal." And habits, I have many of them that I had not been paying attention to until I started the NoS lifestyle yesterday. I am sure I will learn about more as the days go on.

Good luck!! Go for it!!!

Tammy

Kevin
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Four meals

Post by Kevin » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:30 pm

I'm doing four meals a day. The fourth meal is a small late afternoon meal on a very small plate. If anything, it accelerated my weight loss: I suspect that, overall, I'm eating less.

No-S doesn't dictate the number of meals. If you need a fourth, don't feel bad about it, just be reasonable and disciplined about it.
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

planner lady
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Post by planner lady » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:00 pm

I still haven't started -- I've just been talking about it. It's just so hard! Did you hear the whine in my voice???

I am a homemaker but starting tomorrow I'm filling in at my church for two days this week and five days next week. I'm planning to start nos tomorrow. It will be a lot easier since I'll be busy and won't have access to an unlimited food supply.

I have always had a weight problem but it was only about 20 pounds until I started staying home. Once I started staying home to raise my kids, I gained a lot of weight. It was all the cooking and kid's snacking and unlimited food supply and fatigue and moments of boredom.

So that's my plan. I think if I can just get started I'll be fine. It's the getting started that's so hard.

Thanks for all your support. You guys are great.

Patty

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Wed Sep 07, 2005 3:19 pm

You're right, Patty, just making that decision is the hard part. And don't let the staying home discourage you. I found just the opposite. When I was working I didn't have the time I now do to plan healthy meals, exercise and practice de stressing techniques. So, you can make it work FOR you instead of against you!

Peetie

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MerryKat
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Choosing between WW & NoS

Post by MerryKat » Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:50 am

Hi Patty

Take the plunge and commit yourself to the 21 days (3 weeks) that Reinhard recommends. I know it is very hard to break the habit of WW (I also hate change and love the familiar) but believe me it is worth it. The sense of freedom being able to eat what you want for those 3 (or smaller 4) meals is amazing. Thanks to doing WW you know what the healthier options are and you will so enjoy your meals. I really now look forward to meal times and apart from 1 day I have not missed my snacking. It is so great that you can reward yourself with a treat on the S days and I enjoy waiting out the N days as a result.

I have been doing this for 2.3 weeks and loving it. I lost a lot in the first week or so and it has been stable since, but I am definitely less bloated and my clothes are fitting better.

I have also found that it is far easier to resist the kids left overs and treats that they leave since following NoS.

Let us know how it is going
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:54 pm

Hey Planner, Come on! Let's go and do this together....
I'm gonna give it a go for another straight 21 days now...
No time like the present okay!!!???
Carpe Diem!
You can do it! I need a partner here...
Come on......

Hee hee...
(of course this is partially in fun, if pressure and stuff only makes you resist more... but when you make the mental choice to "just go for it" you will be so pleased with the feeling that goes along... I am just trying to psych you up.... forgive it if I'm being too pushy! But lets go~!!!!!!!!!)
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
ps.. Peetie is right... Being at home should make this much easier because you are able to sit down to a well prepared, and non rushed decent meal... Running around usually makes any diet harder, in my opinion... Make each meal an "event" and then just say.. "okay, just four more hours till next meal... " You will take to it with no problem!

Kevin
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Patty... jump in, the water's fine!

Post by Kevin » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:37 pm

If this is of any use to you...

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic. My eating pattern has always been held hostage by my condition.

But, other than treating hypoglycemia with glucose, I've been No-Sing since mid-May. A complete change to my way of eating. Think about the leap of faith that took. :0)

Really, after the first few days, it's very do-able.

Put the crap in the cabinets. It can't be out in front of your face: that's just too hard.

If you are at home, try to do as much prep for the next meal right after your last meal as possible. Snacking while constructing meals is a pitfall.

You can do this, then you can be a traditional mother that tells your kids not to eat before meals because it will spoil their appetites. Give them that three-meal-a-day disciplined eating habit as a gift.
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

planner lady
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Post by planner lady » Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:08 am

Well, you all were right about it being harder while I was working. I have been SO much busier than usual that I haven't been eating very regular or very good. I haven't been eating as much but I've been eating higher calorie so it's not helping that much.

Now, let me tell you something ugly that I've discovered about myself. I love eating! I am having a very hard time with the idea of not eating between meals. It's like three meals just aren't enough eating opportunities (does that make sense?). I can't eat everything I want to in those three meals. And then between meals, I miss eating! Eating has evidently become a hobby of sorts. When afternoon comes or that time later in the evening in front of the tv, I want to eat! I feel deprived not being able to. And the deprivation isn't offset by the freedom of not counting those stupid points. I think I have mentioned a few times that I am sick of counting points.

You know, I feel so bad about myself. One thing I loved about being thin (I'm 5'3" and got down to 140 -- not thin but thin compared to my original weight of 226) was feeling normal. Before, when I was in a group of people, I felt like they were all looking at me and thinking how fat I was. I know they weren't, but I felt like they were. When I got to 140, I felt normal! When I was in a crowd, I felt like no one even noticed me. It was a wonderful feeling. Now I'm back up to 186.5 and I feel horrible about myself. Besides that, I have very few clothes to wear. I threw out all my bigger clothes and I don't fit in the new clothes I bought and I don't want to buy too many clothes because I want to get back down to 140. So I feel crummy about myself because I don't have the right clothes to wear, I'm fat again and feel self-conscious about it, and I have health issues that are worsened by my weight. I know this is the right diet for me. Snacks are my biggest downfall and if I eliminate them, I will be fine.
I just can't get started.

I'm sorry this is so long.

Patty

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ClickBeetle
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Post by ClickBeetle » Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:31 am

Patty, I totally understand what you are saying about clothes, not having any, not wanting to buy any, and feeling frumpy as heck!

Here's what I did to overcome this: the first two weeks of No-S, I was very strict, went on a bit of a crash calorie-reduction program, and walked like crazy. End result, I lost five pounds right off the bat. I know crash dieting is a lousy idea --- but I NEEDED THE MOTIVATOR and I knew seeing RESULTS would help. If I had to wait for results, I knew I probably wouldn't stick with it.

I went to Target and got a few items of great-looking but cheap clothes ... a size smaller than I usually wear!! and, I could also stick my hand down in the waistband of my regular old clothes ... now you talk about a reason not to snack!! all I had to do was stick my thumb in my belt ... where I hadn't been able to fit it for many YEARS ... and I was like, "NO I am not having any cookies today!" And by the way I started at 187 ... sound familiar??

Second observation. The whole "I wanna eat, I love to eat all the time". Yes, that's me, too, and I REALLY hate feeling deprived. Nothing makes me more resentful than a boundary I don't want to follow! HOWEVER ... this is just a habit, not a permanent condition. Give yourself a break, it's tought at first and it'll take time to unlearn. BUT I absolutely promise you if you do 3 a day for two weeks, taking weekends off, you WILL find it much easier at the end of that period.

Third observation. Every time you feel snackish, leave the house and walk a few blocks. I did this for the first few weeks I began No-S and it worked WONDERS. One, it kills your appetite. Two, it calms your nerves. Three, it eases your fidgets, and fights boredom. Four, you can't really snack effectively and walk around at the same time. Five, you are burning a few calories each time you do this. Six, the exercise endorphins help replace the pleasure endorphins you were getting from eating; thus fighting your eating "addiction" on a physical, biological, and hormonal level; and not merely thru timing, psychology, and habit.

Pardon my caps, I just wish I could be there to tell you how GOOD I am feeling ... and I have never, ever been able to diet before ... I know you can do it !!!! Just take one day at a time ... it's Wednesday, and you only have 3 days til you enjoy the freedom of NO RULES AT ALL ... imagine the entitlement you will feel, having earned your weekend! [/u]
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:50 am

Patty, how about four meals instead of three, and you make sure that none of them include high sugar items, like soda or candy..
Does that seem more endurable?
If you need one of the meals to be a plate of popcorn and a few slices of cheese, that still won't kill you... But really, unless you try, you'll never know if it will work...
You sound really sad and upset and conflicted... Hey, btw, we all love food.. There's really nothing freakish or bad about this..
You have to drop all that negative self talk.. It is killing you...
The more you do this, the more you are setting yourself up for resistance..
You were 140 before, and you can be that again...
Believe in yourself.. you are just in a low spot now...
Big Hugs!!!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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