S days

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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BB
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S days

Post by BB » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:08 am

Hi all,
Been Nos for about 3 weeks and have lost 3 lbs. I have a question about moderation on S days. I've been dieting on and off for a long time and have aquired the idea of binging because I'm "never" going to be able to eat it again. I've enjoyed being able to have treats on S days but wonder if the binge mentality will go away in time or if I need to set myself some guidelines as to how often during the sdays I indulge. Would apprecite any input.

I appreciate the simplicity of the plan and don't generally have a problem passing on the s's during the week. My wife always told me about her mother not allowing any snacking between meals but it never really made sense until seeing it on your site

Thanks,
BB

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:32 am

For me, the key S word is Sometimes. For me this means, stick to the normal NoS diet, but allow a few variations. Usually for me, it's ice cream of some sort. Or maybe an extra snack during the day.

I usually allow myself one big treat per weekend, like ice cream or something. And if something else yummy presents itself, I'm likely to indulge on an S day. But I don't go seeking anything specific out.

BTW, BB, I'm also in Maine... live on Munjoy Hill in Portland.
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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:20 pm

Hi BB,

The habits you build during the week do start to carry over on the weekends. Snacking is no longer automatic, you're full sooner because you've been eating less so seconds are less of an issue, and sweets tastes sweeter so you require less to get your fix. Sort of miraculously obvious, isn't it?

I would not recommend a whole lot of extra, explicit restrictions on S days. Free S days are a necessary incentive and safety valve. What you can do, if you want to be proactive, is to actively reward yourself with the treat you want most instead of hunkering down and hoping you don't get too hungry. You'll enjoy more, and appetite will appreciate the gesture of respect. It will cease simmering and plotting revenge at the first opportunity. You'll wind up eating less and enjoying it more. It's counterintuitive, but very effective (and pleasurable).

Most importantly, don't be discouraged if you have a really excessive S day now and then. It will happen, especially at the beginning. Discouragement is the real danger. As long as you keep your N days N days, big picture, the extra calories of an occassional excessive S day don't matter.

Reinhard

BB
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Post by BB » Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:48 pm

Thanks for the encouragement. I think rewarding yourself with something extra special without the constant grazing might be the key for me.

I had lost 40 lbs on basically the nos diet but I didn't give myself the weekends as a break and fell back into my old obsession with food. I gained back 20 of the 40 I lost and found a calorie counting website and lost 15 of the 20 I gained. The calorie counting although easier on the website is so restrictive and even though I am consistent in my excercise didn't seem to be losing unless I starved myself. The nos diet is such a freeing diet. I no longer think about what I'm going to eat next I just wait until the next meal. My wife has ALS and has tried a number of different health diets and my daughter is concious of what she eats so sometimes it seemed like I was making 3 or 4 different meals at mealtimes, with nos I just eat a sensible portion at mealtime and don't have to worry if I'm sticking with the "DIET". I also appreciate the fact that it comes with its own support group.

Freakwitch,
Thanks for the post. I live up near Sugarloaf.

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Post by Ariel King » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:58 pm

BB wrote:I also appreciate the fact that it comes with its own support group.
Yes - a FREE support group, unlike eDiets and Weight Watchers and their ilk!

Welcome BB and good luck! I'm glad you found NoS. What Reinhard said is quite true - the habits you form for N days affect your behavior positively on S days, and in time, using moderation in S-day indulgences should become almost effortless, as it will take so much less to feel like a satisfying treat after the accustomed discipline of N days. Man, that was a runon sentence. Anyway, welcome.

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Post by JWL » Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:37 pm

Yeah, I agree with Reinhard. You shouldn't be too regimented on your S days; but on the other hand you shouldn't go overboard either. That's what I need to watch....
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Jul 28, 2005 12:12 am

Dear BB! Hi there and welcome :D
Everyone is different.. I think the real beauty of NoS is that it gives you enough structure on N days to keep you in a healthy place, but it also allows you plenty of freedom... When one isn't able to really discipline themselves very well, it's normal to worry that S days (and maybe even N days) might be really difficult... That we will sabatoge ourselves...
Focus on your N days... I personally had some wild and wacky S days for the first 4 or 5 months on this plan... I did it on purpose... We ritualistically went and got the most crappy food available... LOL...
To be specific.. I'd go with my son and get Nachos and cheese, slim jims, donuts and large Coke slurpees... This was our S day "party" Ha ha...
Anyway.. Maybe my weight would have gone down a bit faster if I wasn't indulging to this degree, but I never gained from it... I was only about 80 percent successful during the weekdays, as usually I'd cave in every few weeks and get a chocolate ice cream or something...
Still NoS worked...
If you overdo an S fest... Your body will tell you so! You probably won't even like that feeling anymore... Seriously, the habits on the N days, even if they aren't 100 percent perfect, will spill over into your weekends, as Reinhard mentions in his own experience...
If you are truly interested in doing NOS as a way of eating for life, then don't worry too much and let the experiment begin... Each week you will learn something... Don't beat yourself up.. Reinhard is sooo right about avoiding "self revenge" tactics, eg: skipping a meal if you screw up, etc...
That will kill your momentum... Embrace your successes as well as your failures... It's all good growth and change... Be mindful, but don't get mental! :lol:
You are afraid of falling into old traps, but chances are, you won't fall back in 100%... It seems to be a universal theme here (okay NoS universe!) that most people say their screwups now are way better than the unlimited screwups/binges/endless pit eating sessions, of the past...
I am sure you will lose that weight you want to, but brace yourself for a real change of mindset... It will happen gradually, and, it is my belief that you must pair this with some kind of daily exercise... Not necessarily hours and hours, but something on a regular basis..
I have yet to hear of anyone here mentioning gaining back truckloads of weight from excessive eating on S days... We are all on the honor system so I can only assume that we are all being honest about our experiences here. At most, my weight has only fluctuated within 2 pounds...
Last year at this time, I could have easily put on 5 to 7 lbs in a few bad weeks... It was getting out of control for me... I am grateful that I never have to worry that this will happen again, so long as I don't go back to pigging out.... S days aren't pigouts for me anymore.. I usually have two nights a week where I have some social plans and one day on the weekend when we have some kind of ritualistic S, like icecream or a few donuts...
I understand your concern and was in the same boat as you for a long time.. Losing weight fast then gaining because those habits were still pretty bad... That made me lose faith in myself... I don't want to sound too "Oprah-ish" but I can honestly say that Reinhards wonderful NoS has helped me have faith in myself again, and in the inherent goodness we all have within us to do good for ourselves... We just needed the chance.. NoS makes this possible..
(Cue, emotional breakdown! LOL...)
Seriously, I mean this s*#!

Focus on your N days!!! Don't let S days distract you..they are your fun time!!! Trust your body to regulate those! You'll find yourself becoming much more picky and choosy and even "snobby" about S'ses...
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Re: S days

Post by Catbert » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:48 am

BB wrote:wonder if the binge mentality will go away in time
Hi BB!

I don't have much to add to all the above except so say that for me that "binge mentality" has definately subsided in the 8 1/2 months I've been NoSing. I don't know exactly when it happened but I did notice, like Reinhard said, that a little bit of sweet is all I really need to satisfy that craving and I'm good for a while. I think the same would be true for most. Some weekends are a little more indulgent than others, but nothing crazy since the first few weeks. Give it some time and stick to the plan - I'm sure you'll be fine.

Blessings,
CB
Keeping this all in perspective...
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. --I Timothy 4: 8 (NIV)

BB
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Post by BB » Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:54 am

Thanks for all the encouragement. I definitely am going to do this for a lifetime so I guess I have so time to adjust. I'm guilty of having the right now mentality which is something I need to relearn also. :) I like the feeling of control during the week and will be glad when that feeling transfers to my s'fests. I like the no guilt idea!

Thanks Reinhard for taking the time to put all of this on a website. It is changing my relationship with food to a more normal, healthy one.

Thanks to all the people that post on the forum as it gives a lot of good ideas and encouragement.

Thanks,
BB

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Post by BB » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:17 am

Hi all,

I'm still struggling with S day binging. It seems that my reward still seems to be quantity not quality. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to break the habit of quantity reward into a habit of quality reward. :?: I've been doing NoS since July.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Bob

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Post by spiralstares » Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:43 am

BB,

I have a couple tricks I use.

First, I weigh myself in the mornings of my S days. Seeing the weight that I've lost while no-s'ing during the week serves as motivation not to go crazy and gain back the weight that I lost during the week.

Second, I don't deny myself any type of food or any amount of food on an S day. However, I also don't make it easy on myself either. We'll call it the LPI, the Least Possible Indulgence. Here's how it works in action: I could easily eat 3/4 of a large pizza and a 2 liter of coke for dinner on an S day. Now, I won't deny myself those 6 slices and bottle of coke, but I also won't purchase and eat those things in that manner. Instead I'll go out and buy one slice of pizza and a can of coke. I bring it back to my house, eat it, and if I'm still hungry I'll go out and get a second slice of pizza and a second can of coke, bring it home, eat it. If I'm still hungry, I'll do that again (and again and again and again, theoretically). But you see, I'm never hungry enough to do it for a third time because that desire has already been sated. This is a time when I use my inherent laziness for good rather than evil. The motivation just isn't there to go out and get more food. Whereas if I had the pizza and soda in front of me in the first place I would have consumed it all without thinking. In just that transaction alone I saved myself about 2000 calories.

You can do it for anything. At breakfast make yourself one perfect pancake, wash your dishes, take your pancake out in your dining room or in front of the tv, butter it, pour some real vermont syrup on it, and eat it a bite at a time. Then, if you want, go through that whole process again. But I bet you won't be motivated to. And you'll save yourself hundreds of calories without really denying yourself anything.

Don't have big bags of chips and boxes of cookies laying around the house and you won't be able to binge on those things.

These are tricks, of course, and they work for me. The thing you have to get a handle on is that S-days are supposed to be a treat, but they can easily be abused. If anyone seriously binges on an S-day it's because they gave themselves permission to binge. I don't know that any diet or any trick can keep someone from sabotaging their own efforts. Ultimately it comes down to willing yourself to do what you know is best for you, and as others have mentioned here, that's not an easy skill for most people to master.
Last edited by spiralstares on Tue Oct 11, 2005 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Sep 13, 2005 2:40 pm

GREAT POST SPIRAL!!!

I like that whole LPI deal!!!!
Why not outsmart yourself??? This is taking a very proactive approach!
I am really impressed!
Keep it up!
8) Deb

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Post by ClickBeetle » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:13 pm

It was indeed a great post!

I guess the LPI principle is behind my refusal to bring krinkly bags in the house ... if I don't bring a krinkly bag of snacks in, I won't be putting my hand in the krinkly bag over and over again til it's all gone ...

I paid four dollars for a coke float last weekend, even though I could have made it at home for probably 75 cents, 'cause I didn't want the vanilla ice cream and coke in the house to tempt me during the week.

I just love the part about "putting your laziness to work for you" ... now that is a great idea ... harnessing laziness to "create" willpower where there was none ... talk about making something out of nothing!!
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:23 am

Bob,

If your S-days are more about quantity than quality, plan.

Make sure you don't have so much quantity around, and that you do have some quality. Be proactive about quality. Don't skimp. Give yourself the best, what you most want, and don't wait, do it before you're eating the carpet.

The quality will take the edge off your hunger, and remove any resentment. It will also leave your wallet a little emptier -- helpful if, like me, you can't afford *both* quality and quantity :-).

Hope something here helps. Keep us posted. We don't get tired of hearing the same old thing if you still keep having the same old problem. You'll just hear more possible solutions. Eventually one of them will work.

Reinhard

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Post by reinhard » Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:28 am

Spiral,

Your harnessing of laziness is very much in the spirit of S days, which harness the "weakness" of your sweet tooth as incentive to carry you throughout the week. Amazing how powerful those weaknesses can be.

Reinhard

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Post by BB » Wed Sep 14, 2005 4:58 am

"Thanks again for your support".

Spiral,
Great idea on not making it easy to overindulge. I'm guilty of thinking I deserve the binge because of good behavior throughout the week. I agree that it comes down to doing what you know is the best for you and not what gives immediate gratification and then guilt. Doing a before and after Sday weigh-in and how I felt is what made me realize I need to change my habits. My last binge resulted in a 8 lb gain :oops: . I always seem to get right back down but get mad at myself for being so dumb.

Reinhard,
Planning would definitely help as I tend to go with the flow instead of being proactive as I tend to be indiscriminate in my grazing.
I sometimes wonder if I have a mental thing about the 200 lb mark. I hover around there and can't seem to consistently get below and stay there.
NoS is definetly the easiest to stick with longterm, I just need to work on the self destructive habits.

Clickbeetle,
I've wondered if I should plan on getting my reward outside the house so that I break the habit of cupboard searching.

Thanks for all the good ideas and I'll keep you posted.

Bob

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Post by BB » Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:06 am

Hi all,

Just a note to say had a successful S day. :D
Didn't binge but treated myself both days. I was actually a little lighter Monday than Friday.
Have a good week.

Bob

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:33 am

congrats BB...
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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:46 pm

I'm so happy to hear it BB. All this theory is great, but what you actually wind up doing is the important part.

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