EMD's accountability check-in

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:09 pm

Hey to everybody! I've been following No-S off and on since January, but am just now realizing that I really need to keep some kind of accountability besides HabitCal.
I'm a 28 yr. old female, married for four years and owner of a yellow lab who is the sweetest creature alive. DH and I have been hoping for kids for a while now, but that hasn't happened as easily as we'd hoped it would. In the meantime, I'm trying (as always) to rid myself of 20 extra pounds. I am 5'4'' and weigh about 145; I would like to be in the 120's, or as close to that as possible. No-S, I really believe, is the only "plan" that won't drive me insane or backfire. That said, I am constantly susceptible to falling back to old plans and methods of weight loss, such as Weight Watchers, which I know from experience lead me to disappointing results, and take up too much of my time and energy to boot.
So, here I am, trying to keep accountable not only to the No-S rules, but also to the No-S plan itself, without running back to another diet.

Breakfast today was a bowl of mini-wheats with 2% milk

Lunch was a Lean Cuisine flatbread, a small chunk of cheddar cheese, and about 5 Saltines smeared with some peanut butter

For supper, I'm making meatloaf with lean ground beef and some mashed potatoes; we also have fresh blueberries for "dessert"

Have a great N day, everyone, and thanks for reading!

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:21 pm

Day 2! I find that giving myself a "green" to start out with each day keeps me on plan better than waiting until the end of the day; I have to "plan to succeed".
So far, so good today:

Breakfast: two slices whole grain toast, one with a thin spread of peanut butter, the other with a thin smear of grape jam; coffee with 2% milk and Splenda (I do artificial sweeteners; haven't been sufficiently convinced that I should avoid them)

Lunch: lean ham and Muenster cheese on rye/pumpernickel swirl bread with mustard, a small handful (my hands are very small

of Snyder's pretzel nuggets, and a light yogurt; Coke Zero

Supper: Tonight I am making poppy seed chicken (a family recipe) over brown rice with steamed broccoli on the side.

I'm really pleased that I can, thanks to No-S, enjoy a small portion of pretzel nuggets (pretty much my favorite "snack food") as part of my meal without going overboard, which I am apt to do when on "diets." I am also focusing this summer on developing my kitchen skills, in terms of everything from cooking to baking to canning and preserving. I'm glad that I can eat normally on this plan and enjoy, in reasonable portions at appropriate times, the things I make.
I hope everyone has a great day!

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:23 pm

I love the "summer in the kitchen" plan -- how fun!

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:23 pm

Thanks, Thalia, I think my husband loves the idea too

Well, Day 3 of the re-commitment has begun, and I've decided to add a Glass Ceiling habit to my compliance goals, a 2 glass maximum for alcohol like Reinhard suggests. This is something that I'm intimidated by, because, though I don't drink more than twice a week or so normally, I do tend to drink plenty more than two glasses once I get started. I usually go for beer or wine, and even if I try to "go easy" I end up in that "oh, I probably shouldn't drive home" condition. What makes this harder (yes, this is an excuse) is that DH and I are still pretty young and he's a law student, and pretty much all of our friends drink and most of our social interaction with them involves alcohol; however, food is also always around, but compliance with the No-S rules can happen if you want it to.
Well, off to work out; will keep habitcal updated with my compliance with glass ceiling: green= no alcohol, yellow= 0-2 glasses, red= more than 2.

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:36 pm

I came to a conclusion this morning: I've really got to look out for little nibbles as I put together my plated meals; too often I've figured, "oh, this would fit on the plate anyway," but this is such a slippery slope. From now on, I'll have to count anything that I put in my mouth before it has been properly plated as part of a meal as a RED failure.

On a lighter note, as an S-day treat this weekend I'm thinking about one of those new "Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty" things at Wendy's. They look awesome, and coffee, toffee, and Frostys are a few of my favorite things!

hotmailmamma · Post by **hotmailmamma** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 12:36 am

Hi emd! Like what you're doing and thanks for welcoming me. If I'm not being to forward, might add a piece of advice?

Take the word "failure" out of your vocabulary. Use the words Reinhard uses "Slip ups". Failure indicates YOU are a failure or YOU have failed. That is not true! Look at this as a way of life. You slip up yes, but you can't fail.

I look forward to your successes!

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 3:27 pm

Thanks mama! You're right about using the word "failure." No matter what I call it, though, that red square on the Habitcal keeps me from doing a lot of things I shouldn't, which is paying off. Last night I was very tempted to go for a third beer after dinner, but decided I didn't want it bad enough to see that RED. Similarly, I really wanted to snack last night, but the same rules applied; it might have been Friday night, but it was still an N day.

Now today, to kick off my S day, I found myself almost really going overboard with my breakfast (might end up considering it brunch since it was late, and big!) And, as I was eating, something dawned on me: although I was legitimately hungry from the night before, I was about to commence with totally stuffing my face, which had really nothing to do with the actual hunger. Instead, it had more to do with the fertility issues I've been experiencing and my apprehension about going to my husband's boss's house for poker night tonight (I've never met any of these people before and of course want to impress them, and of course I've never played poker before!). No-S has been helping me identify eating triggers; I always just considered myself somebody who likes to eat too much, but I see now that I do use food (and alcohol, hence my glass ceiling addition) to cope with emotions sometimes.

Well, should go get my Saturday started. A merry S-Day to all of you!

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:05 pm

Well, had a glass ceiling slip-up at poker night last night. I drank 4 beers instead of stopping at two, and realized a bit too late that the beer I had brought was 8% alcohol, instead of the normal 5%. So, between that and drinking more than I have recently, I felt rough this morning. Serves me right

Lesson learned, both about that type of beer and about breaking my habits!
Happy Father's day to all the dads out there!

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:54 pm

Since I know, deep down, that I need to get a little more structured wit my eating, I have come to an important realization. No-S, if I follow it by eating whatever I want per plate for three meals a day, will help me maintain my weight, but if I really want to lose it, I need to concentrate on WHAT I eat as well. So....

Breakfast: serving of old-fashioned oatmeal w/ a sprinkling of raisins, pumpkin pie spice, and Splenda; one egg scrambled w/ non-stick spray

Lunch: tuna, turkey, or ham on whole wheat bread; fruit; one fat-free yogurt

Supper: a lean protein source, vegetables, and one serving of starch (whole grain, preferably); one glass of 2% milk.

This is what I plan to eat to see what kind of results I'm able to get. I'm working out hard with The Firm home workout systems (you can find their infomercials on YouTube; let me know if you have questions about these workouts, because I love them and can tell you anything you need to know!) and I want to make sure I'm optimizing my diet to not hold back my progress.
Have a good Monday!

emd1212 · Post by **emd1212** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:01 pm

So, yesterday was a RED eating-wise. I was starving in the afternoon, most likely because my lunch wasn't quite big enough, and snacked (nearly binged) on two slices of cheese and then a bunch of raisins straight out of the container (a big canister, not a little box!) just before I cooked supper for my husband and me. I remember that I was frustrated because it was after 5 and I was legitimately hungry for my meal, but DH had class until 5:30 and so I had to wait a bit to broil the steaks, and I decided I couldn't wait. I am adjusting to eating less starch/white carbs over the last few days, and am not sure if that contributed to it, but I definitely strayed from No-S. On a brighter note, I simply marked it as Red and moved on instead of abandoning No-S altogether. Plus, my steak and broccoli were great! I got hungry again last night, so I had some 2% milk and just dealt with it.

Today was another challenge, but I met it. I was starving for lunch starting at 10:00 am. DH called and asked me to meet him near the law office he works in for lunch at noon, which was great, but then he ended up running behind. I reminded myself of how let down I felt yesterday afternoon after eating, however, so again I dealt with it. I had a healthy and filling lunch and I am so glad to still be GREEN today!