Lena's Daily Check In

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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Lady Lena
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Lena's Daily Check In

Post by Lady Lena » Wed Dec 14, 2005 2:50 am

Hi, I have reading this site for a couple of months trying to decide whether to take on the challenge. I am just tired of trying each new diet or old diet that comes out. I believe I can do and maintain this diet for the rest of my life. So today, I am officially starting the NoS diet.

Failure

I made it through lunch, but it was downhill from there. I snacked from the moment I left work til the moment I went to bed. I have to find to new habit for after work to help me destress that is not food related.

Tomorrow is another day.

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carolejo
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Post by carolejo » Wed Dec 14, 2005 1:31 pm

Hi Lena,

sorry to hear it didn't go so well! Still, you suceeded for the first half of the day, right? Well, that's half a success!

Perhaps you need to think about what you do when you snack in the evening, and do something else instead. If it's sittting in front of the TV, then how about going for a walk?

Hope the next day goes better. This plan is really hard at the beginning, but then it gets easier. The hard stuff is at the start.

Best of luck and I hope to see you here again soon,
C.
CaroleJo

Lady Lena
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Post by Lady Lena » Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:44 am

Failure

This time I did not snack. I had three meals and no snacks. yippee!! :lol:

But I did have a coke for dinner and I am considering that a sweet. This will be a hard habit to break. But I will do it.

So today was a faliure, but it was definitely an improvement.


Also thanks for the encouragement and response!

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:00 am

Hi Lena!
You are learning what your "habit monsters" are, right now... It will get easier to say no to those over time and with perseverance...
Sounds like you are going to do fine!
I guess you're trying to go for the 21 days on habit?
Don't forget that your effort is always worth applauding and, as Carolejo already mentioned, you are enjoying more success now than before you started here... I could only get about a 75% success rating during my first year on NoS and, heck, even now I slip up plenty, but over time I still have lost weight and feel very happy to have found this site!
If you are used to drinking soda often, you will just have to be ultra strict for a few weeks and I tell you, your sugar cravings will diminish greatly...
Go for other nice beverages like juice and teas...
Best of luck!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

Lady Lena
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Post by Lady Lena » Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:57 am

You're right Deb, I am going for the 21 day habit. Right now I am not discouraged with my failures I have given myself a certain amount of days to "fail". But I am noticing with each failure I am learning something or getting better.


Today was an S day. We had the office party at work and I enjoyed myself. I noticed that I turned down a number of sweets without a problem. In the past I would have eaten them all in in order to prepare for the next diet.

Even though tomorrow is an S (saturday) as well. I will try to strictly follow the NoS to build a good foundation for the NoS steps.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Dec 17, 2005 3:11 pm

But I am noticing with each failure I am learning something or getting better.
Good for you!!!
There's something about writing these posts which can make it hard to read the tone of the person...
Somehow, I was just seeing this big red

Failure

at the top and it seems really dismal, and devoid of hope! LOL...

Glad you are feeling optimistic and only using the language to track your 21 days... Within each success there is failure, within each failure there is success.. Nothing is one hundred percent black or white...
I noticed that I turned down a number of sweets without a problem. In the past I would have eaten them all in in order to prepare for the next diet.
Wow!!! Thanks for writing this... I am sure that plenty of people think this way... It's pretty insane psychology but it does seem to happen with yo yo dieters... How much healthier is moderate consumption of treats?
Way better eh?

Look, I really suggest that you don't tamper with the S days mentally...
If it turns out that you don't feel especially like eating any special treats, then, by all means, don't... But to know that this is your steam valve and way to just take a day off, is a very helpful tool in getting through the N days... Maybe you don't feel you earned it yet or something with these "failed" days, but I say you should just enjoy your weekend and then focus on rolling up your shirtsleeves this Monday...
Keep up the good work.. NoS is worth putting in the continued perseverence through the ups and downs, because it is soooo easy to do, mentally, once you have the basic habits down... Most people, myself included, have one *killer* S...
Sweets for some, snacks for others...
Mine was always seconds... I've been here for one and a half years and have found that even my seconds beast has tamed somewhat, but those others are just totally under control... In the past, one bad habit would fuel the other two.. I'd have the crummy mentality, similar to your idea of binging on something in preparation for a diet, that if I screwed up in one arena, I might as well just throw in the baby with the bathwater and say to heck with it all...
I never used to drink soda as a kid, and one year when my eating got totally out of control, I all of a sudden, started drinking coke too.. This sure didn't help my waist... I ballooned up about 40 or 50 lbs over one year... :cry:
Soon after I found NoS... I really don't want to sound like a cliche, but what the heck..
I feel like NoS has really saved my life... Women get heart attacks too, and I was up in the 230's range at only 5'3"... Yo!

Okay, sorry this has turned into a mini rant about me!
LOL..
Good luck on the 21 days! Include the two S days once you start getting in successful days, because you deserve it just like the rest of us...
If you get in five good N days, those weekend days are like a mini intermission, and a way of getting recharged to do five more... Much easier to think of these "mini" goals, rather than 21 N days in a row.. That isn't what we are supposed to do.. LOL..
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

Lady Lena
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Post by Lady Lena » Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:50 pm

It has been a few days since I have posted

Basically, it went like this...

Saturday - Success ( I traded this S day for a no s day, but from now on I will stick to the S days)

Sunday - S day

Monday Failure

Tuesday- Failure

Wednesday- Failure

Thursday- Failure


Looking at this week so far, I have noticed a few things.

First I did not take the time to really look at how I was doing at the end of each day. I was basically living and eating unconsciously.

Second, I failed for different reasons, sometimes it was sweets, sometimes it was seconds, or not eating on a plate. Snacking was not a big issue.

Third, I did not consider the mental aspect of what I was doing. I thought that by just knowing the steps, somehow, I would miraculously do the steps.

So I took sometime today to read over the No S diet. I now know that I have to do some things/effort to make the steps a reality. Here is what I will try:

1. Make a decision at the beginning of each day to follow the No S steps, until they become a unconscious thing.

2. Make sure to write in the daily check in and not wait until tomorrow. (I think I would have caught the pattern of failure before Thursday) I will also mark the calendar in my bedroom.

3. Journal for the last few minutes at the end of the day so that I could live more consciously.

4. Really celebrate the success days with a mini reward for the first 21 successes.

I believe that tomorrow will be a success!! :D :lol:

See you tomorrow ...oh thanks deb for your encouraging words.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Dec 23, 2005 12:37 am

You're welcome Lena and good luck again this coming week!
An additional helpful thing to do is make sure that you have stuff in the house which you can count on *before* you start to get the munchies..
It's a lot harder to justify to yourself that eating a candy bar is okay if you know that a good healthy and enjoyable meal is just in the fridge waiting...
So be prepared!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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carolejo
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Post by carolejo » Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:53 am

Hi Lena,

first of all, thanks and congratulations for posting up your last week. It takes a lot of courage to do that - I think a lot of people would've just dissapeared without a trace rather than come back here and write up all these red failure days. :)

I think your strategy to give it more mindful thought throughout each day is a good one. If you post a short entry every day you can also see what tripped you up that time and how to avoid it in the future. The NoSDiet in 14 little words - it sounds so easy and simple when you read it out for the first time, huh? Unforttunately there aren't any shortcuts and it's actually pretty tough, but it does get easier. It really really does.

So, hang in there. Just the fact that you're still going already tells me that you're actually doing pretty well and the sucesses will come. Please be careful that you don't end up taking 'revenge' on yourself and trade off your S days just because it didn't go so well during the week. You really need that safety valve. The other way to look at it is are you actually eating less than before NoS? If your eating habits are anything like mine were, you can do quite a bit of spectacular 'failing' before you reach preNoS proportions! :P

Happy holidays, Lena,
C.
CaroleJo

Lady Lena
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Post by Lady Lena » Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:54 pm

S day

Happy New year!!

Today was an S day so I had chocolate chip cookies and a coke. I bought toll house...umm delicious, but I could not eat all of them.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:31 am

I had chocolate chip cookies and a coke
What????
No milk?!!!

LOL..

I love tollhouse cookies warm out of the oven...
I don't think there are ever any leftovers when we make those! :P

Have a nice evening Lena :)
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

Lady Lena
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Post by Lady Lena » Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:18 am

Failure

I did fine for breakfast and lunch, but after work was a bust. I was very hungry, but I had to go and pick up my daughter and on the way I picked up a bag of candy and a coke. I've got to find my rhythm for after work. Later I had chinese for dinner with my leftover coke. Since I blew it, I went ahead and had ice cream. Today I am going to search the website for some tips for after work. If I can't find anything, I will post the question. I need help.

on my way
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Keep trying !!!!!!

Post by on my way » Tue Jan 03, 2006 3:06 am

Hello,
I started this no/s diet about 2 weeks ago, and to my surprise, I'm doing okay.
I am very over weight, even though I had weight-loss surgery about 3 years ago and lost 140lbs. Then it started to creep up on me again...45lbs that is. So I needed to put my foot down. I was really depressed. But I am doing better. I could never follow a diet. I stumbled on this diet plan and it's been going pretty good. I am a CHOCOLATE- AHOLIC And a SNACK_AHOLIC, And a NEVER ENDING EATTING -AHOLIC!!!! So I thought it's impossible, but, once again I've proved myself wrong !!!! It is possible, and I feel good about myself.
:arrow: One thing I do is have something to drink in arms length away, anything, my new thing is tea (I never drank it before) Sugar-free kool-aid...and water, sugar-free soda... just anything.
:arrow: Another thing is... I've been chew gum like mad, trying every favor in the world (suager-free of course!)
:!: :!: I never thought I'd be able to go 5 whole days without eatting the sweets. But... I have, unbeilveable !!!!
:arrow: I am not a big fruit eatter either...but I found if I just can't make it to the next meal, a fruit isn't so bad... in fact I'm starting to like them!!!
Oh well, enough of me, KEEP TRYING !!!! I'm looking forward to your post.
EVERYDAY IS A NEW DAY
GINA

Lady Lena
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Post by Lady Lena » Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:39 pm

Well, I am back. I took a small break and I will be honest, I was looking for a different diet to try. I have been feeling so bloated after the meals that I was thinking that maybe I needed a low carb diet.

Anyway, what caused me to turn around was the fact that I refused to spend a huge amount of time thinking about what to eat and what not to eat.

On my way, you sparked something new about the drinking. Others have said similar things, but "keeping it arms length" gives me a strategy to use.

So I am starting again tomorrow. I am not going to count my S days this weekend just to get into the habit. I hope I succeed tomorrow.

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