I have to say though, since i started this diet again in February up to now, I have only lost about 2 pounds in total and no major inches. Obviously I am not doing something right.
So a little background.... I used to weigh exactly 40 pounds less than I do now. I don't look overweight, and I am decently toned with good muscle, but I still went from a size 2 to a size 12 in a matter of one year. A little depressing, but I am a problem solver and was determined to get to the root of it!
Looking at the changes in that year, I see that I had a couple of lifestyle changes - I went from leading an active life on a busy campus to a sedentary life with a 9-5. I went from being a strict vegan to being a lacto-ovo vegetarian. What shocked me the most though, was that I was STILL eating healthily the majority of the time. You would think one gains 40lbs by pigging out on potato chips, eating Haagendatz and muffins daily. Instead, I was really eating the same healthy things - yogurt, fruit, beans, salads, sandwiches etc.... I was definitely confused.
So today I did a calculation of the difference in calories between where I WAS and where I am (the number of calories to maintain my weight before vs. to maintain my weight now).
I was SHOCKED to find, the difference was 200 calories per day. THAT"S IT. Just 200 calorie difference!!! That is huge guys!! 200 calories is not a lot of food at all.
What does 200 calories look like?!
From the list, here are the things I frequently eat:
1 cup of milk
handful of nuts
1 container of yoghurt
12 dried apricots
1 cup of corn
2 big apples
handful of grapes
small handful of pasta
Those are all 200 cals. Scarily unnoticeable and scarily healthy foods. Yet over time, that made me gain 40 pounds. INCREDIBLE.
So I've come to the conclusion that as much as No-S is against calorie counting, I have to do it in order to get where I am going. I can't lose these pounds by eating and not counting how much I eat, because 200 calories can slip in in the most unsuspecting ways. That is why I am maintaining my weight, because the difference between where I am and where I am going is one glass of milk per day!!!
Now maybe calorie counting 'disqualifies' me from No-S, but I love love love the plan and will still stick to it no matter what - eating 3 meals a day on 3 plates with treats on the weekend. Only this time around, they will be MEASURED.
I don't know how long I can keep this up, but I do know that FOR ME, there is no other way for me to get down to my Goal Weight without watching what I eat. Vanilla no-s helped me stop gaining, and this modification will help me start loosing. I hope
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Those are my 2 cents. I hope that this post can break the myth that you only gain weight by pigging out on unhealthy food. Nope, it's just Calories in vs. calories out. You can gain weight eating beans, avocados and organic apples. I did.
If anyone else counts calories as well, please post your tips and advice or why you started doing it!