New and hopeful

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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FallingStar
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New and hopeful

Post by FallingStar » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:21 am

Hey,
I was introduced to NoS by my dad who has lost about 17lbs since the new year, and I have been unhappy with myself so I wanted to give something new a try.

I'm living at college at the moment, and plan to live on my own come summer time. Right now my only big question is

1. I have a meal plan, how can I pick foods to eat at my school when I have no idea how they are made because it is hard to cook for myself.


Thanks a lot

CW 218
TW 150
height 5'3" (5'4" on a good day :-D)

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NoelFigart
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Re: New and hopeful

Post by NoelFigart » Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:31 am

FallingStar wrote:1. I have a meal plan, how can I pick foods to eat at my school when I have no idea how they are made because it is hard to cook for myself.
Keep in mind that when doing No-S, you don't have to micromanage that kind of thing. The rule is ONE PLATE OF FOOD per meal. It's about portion. A whole plate of french fries is legal. But let's be real. Who would do that? (Well, more than once. It would give you a bad enough stomach ache not to want to do THAT again!)

It is my opinion that one of the beauties of No-S is that it is NOT a forbidden food diet, so it's flexible. I really do, no kidding, eat a slice of pizza from time to time. What I don't do is eat it every night.

This is about treating the macro problem of portion and shining a spotlight on it with limited opportunity rather than going for the microproblems of perfect nutrition first.

If you want to worry some about it, go to the salad bar and make a habit of making a large part of your plate a salad from time to time. (At least, most college dining halls I know of have salad bars).

Given your youth and your likely activity level just walking to classes, I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised what will happen just cutting out sweets and snacks.
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:25 pm

good luck
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Nicest of the Damned
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Re: New and hopeful

Post by Nicest of the Damned » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:39 pm

FallingStar wrote:Hey,
I was introduced to NoS by my dad who has lost about 17lbs since the new year, and I have been unhappy with myself so I wanted to give something new a try.

I'm living at college at the moment, and plan to live on my own come summer time. Right now my only big question is

1. I have a meal plan, how can I pick foods to eat at my school when I have no idea how they are made because it is hard to cook for myself.
Avoiding certain kinds of food, other than sweets on N days, is not part of No S. It's something that some people do as well as doing No S, but it is not a mandatory part of No S. You can do No S without avoiding any particular foods or ingredients. You don't have to know how something is made to limit yourself to one plate of it.

You'll know what things are sweets by the taste. A good first approximation is "no desserts and no things that you would think it was normal to eat for dessert, except plain fruit". You probably wouldn't think it was weird for someone to eat a donut for dessert, but you probably would think it was odd if someone told you they ate a bagel for dessert. Donuts are sweets, and bagels aren't.

You get your food from the college cafeteria on a plate, right? A meal is one plate of food, no going back for seconds, no extra plates (unless you virtual plate). Rules about beverages are more or less up to you. Most of us would consider sugar sodas a sweet, some of us avoid artificially sweetened beverages (some of us don't), and some of us limit all beverages with significant calories. All of those choices are legitimate approaches to No S.

You don't have to do No S the exact same way that anyone else does. Those other people aren't you, and probably have some different food issues than you do. You might need some extra rules that they don't need to eat moderately, and they might need some rules on things you've never had a problem with.

Sienna
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Post by Sienna » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:56 pm

Welcome and good luck! Oh if only I'd found this plan in college... :-)

To this:

1. I have a meal plan, how can I pick foods to eat at my school when I have no idea how they are made because it is hard to cook for myself.
As others have mentioned, with the exception of not eating sweets, NoS is about how much (1 plate) and when (3 meals, no snacks) you eat.

However, if you are interested in the nutritional information of what you are eating (and I think its completely valid to be interested, even though the nature of this diet is that you don't have to obsess over it) check out your dining halls website (if you don't know what it is, ask someone on staff). Most of the major food service companies have started posting nutritional information and sometimes even recipes as part of a push towards healthier eating.


I also want to address this:
I agree with Noel about having a nice salad every day, because it's satisfying and obviously healthy and filling.
If you like salad, this is good advice (at least assuming you don't go overboard with the extras like dressing). However, as a salad hater, seeing someone tell me to have a salad every day might have been enough to get me to give up this plan in the early stages (and if you happen to be like me in that respect, I don't want you to give up without giving it a chance!). Because it wouldn't be sustainable or satisfying for me. So I'm not saying *don't* eat salad. I'm just saying don't feel pressured to eat things that you dislike simply because you feel you are making the virtuous decision. Eat foods you like and enjoy, just eat less of them and see where that lands you.

If that doesn't go far enough *then* you can start stressing about the minutia.
Finally a diet that I can make a lifestyle!

Started June 2010
6/27/2010 - 226 lbs
10/17/2010 - 203 lbs - 10% weight loss goal!
1/29/2011 - 182 lbs - 2nd 10% weight loss goal!
5/29/2011 - 165 lbs - 3rd 10% weight loss goal! (one more to go)

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:06 pm

...
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Nicest of the Damned
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Post by Nicest of the Damned » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:16 pm

Sienna wrote:If you like salad, this is good advice (at least assuming you don't go overboard with the extras like dressing). However, as a salad hater, seeing someone tell me to have a salad every day might have been enough to get me to give up this plan in the early stages (and if you happen to be like me in that respect, I don't want you to give up without giving it a chance!). Because it wouldn't be sustainable or satisfying for me. So I'm not saying *don't* eat salad. I'm just saying don't feel pressured to eat things that you dislike simply because you feel you are making the virtuous decision. Eat foods you like and enjoy, just eat less of them and see where that lands you.
Seconding this. I'm a picky eater. I don't like most salads, or raw vegetables or fruit in general. I don't consider a salad to be a satisfying meal, unless it's one of those huge 1000+ calorie taco salads you get in Mexican restaurants (I love those, but they're a rare treat now). I let this keep me from trying to eat healthier for way too long. I was so happy when I discovered No S, because it doesn't require me to eat anything I don't like or don't consider to be a satisfying meal. You don't have to eat salad to lose weight.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in restaurants (and possibly your dining hall), salads aren't always the healthiest choice, anyway. At a salad bar, it's easy to go overboard with the portions and high-calorie stuff like dressing, croutons, meats, etc. Restaurant salads are often plagued by huge portions and excessive amounts of extras like dressing and fried chicken. At California Pizza Kitchen, for example, a full Field Greens Salad, with no cheese or seafood, has 998 calories (calorie counts from CPK's nutrition info). Two slices of mushroom pepperoni sausage pizza (1/3 of a pizza) have 463 calories. The salad is not a "safe" choice there. Don't think that, just because you're having a salad, you don't have to worry about portion size.

FallingStar
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Post by FallingStar » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:17 pm

Thanks a lot everyone! I have a lot of habits that I am going to need to kick while I am at school for the week. Soda is a big one, and energy drinks.

I's good that there is also a community for questions and support, you guys rule.

Nicest of the Damned
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Post by Nicest of the Damned » Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:26 pm

FallingStar wrote:Thanks a lot everyone! I have a lot of habits that I am going to need to kick while I am at school for the week. Soda is a big one, and energy drinks.
Do a few at a time, not all of them at once. As a human, you've got a limited supply of willpower. If you spread it too thin, you'll end up trying to do a lot and accomplishing nothing. Work on your No S habits for now, and ignore the other bad habits (remember, this is just for now). When your No S habits are established (it generally takes at least a month for a habit to get really established, according to experts on human behavior), then you can work on other habits, but only a few new ones at a time. I wouldn't try to work on more than three habits at any one time.

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:38 pm

Nicest is right.

And it's funny how we all want to charge in and change all our bad habits at once. It's almost as if we're scared they're going to get away :twisted:
------
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BrightAngel
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Post by BrightAngel » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:47 pm

Posting here about your committment is a good start. Image
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milliem
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Post by milliem » Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:00 pm

Nicest of the Damned wrote:
FallingStar wrote:Thanks a lot everyone! I have a lot of habits that I am going to need to kick while I am at school for the week. Soda is a big one, and energy drinks.
Do a few at a time, not all of them at once. As a human, you've got a limited supply of willpower. If you spread it too thin, you'll end up trying to do a lot and accomplishing nothing. Work on your No S habits for now, and ignore the other bad habits (remember, this is just for now). When your No S habits are established (it generally takes at least a month for a habit to get really established, according to experts on human behavior), then you can work on other habits, but only a few new ones at a time. I wouldn't try to work on more than three habits at any one time.
I definitely agree with this - I think if I hadn't given myself the option of having a diet soda, or fruit juice between meals I would have failed a LOT last week (my first NoS week). Too much restriction never goes well for me!

ellgee
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Post by ellgee » Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:24 pm

Best of luck to you! Please keep us updated on your progress. I would love to introduce this to my daughter who is also in college. She abhors any kind of "diet" and I think this system might just appeal to her. I reckon if I am successful that might pique her interest, too!


Laura

Kevin
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Post by Kevin » Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:12 am

You'll probably do just fine at school. If you find three meals a day easy, then consider increasing veggies and decreasing starches. Other than that, I wouldn't change much.

But start with three meals a day. If your meal habits are anything like my college-student daughter's, that'll be a big first step.
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

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~reneew
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Post by ~reneew » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:18 pm

I gained 50 pounds my freshman year. No kidding! I'd stick to one plate at meals period. If you for some reason start to gain, use a smaller plate. If they give you a tray ~ don't put any food on it. :wink:
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
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Nicest of the Damned
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Post by Nicest of the Damned » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:53 pm

ellgee wrote:I would love to introduce this to my daughter who is also in college. She abhors any kind of "diet" and I think this system might just appeal to her. I reckon if I am successful that might pique her interest, too!
I was like this in college. I'll tell you what I was thinking, maybe it will help you understand what your daughter is thinking. Or not. She's not me, your mileage may vary, yada yada.

I had the tendency, that seems to be common in the young, to think in all-or-nothing, black-or-white terms. I applied that kind of thinking to healthy eating, as well. I thought that you could either:

1. Give up all unhealthy foods (for some definition of "unhealthy foods", there are many to pick from) and spend all your time planning meals/snacks and exercising. Carry weird healthy snacks with you everywhere you go. Count calories, probably have to weigh and measure all your portions out, too. Be unable to have a conversation that does not revolve around your diet or exercise routine. Don't eat for pleasure, eat only for health. Basically, act like people on a lot of diets do, like my parents acted when they would periodically go on diets (without success, or with only temporary success, I should note).

2. Live a normal, non-diet-or-exercise-obsessed life and be fat.

Option 1 still doesn't sound appealing to me. But, as I got older, I learned things weren't all black or white. There are ways to eat healthIER (it's not an all-or-nothing thing, where you either eat healthy or you don't) without obsessing over it, or giving up all the foods you love. No S is one of those ways.

ellgee
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Post by ellgee » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:26 pm

I have lived Option 1 and that is what brought me to No S. I got tired of living the diet. Day in, day out. Normalcy was nonexistent. Everything was the diet. Unfortunately she has seen me like this.

If she is able to have the things she loves, even if just three times a day and then have her S days for an ice cream, I think she might just try this. It seems to me you can do this very sneakily which would appeal to her. I'll bring it up at some point but she is very sensitive about her weight and any comments I have. I know when she is ready, she will take the first step.

Laura

Nicest of the Damned
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Post by Nicest of the Damned » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:38 pm

ellgee wrote:I have lived Option 1 and that is what brought me to No S. I got tired of living the diet. Day in, day out. Normalcy was nonexistent. Everything was the diet. Unfortunately she has seen me like this.
I saw my parents doing that, too. And I saw them eventually getting sick of it and giving up, and gaining the weight back. What conclusion could I have drawn, other than that dieting was unpleasant and futile?
I'll bring it up at some point but she is very sensitive about her weight and any comments I have. I know when she is ready, she will take the first step.
I would recommend just having the book around somewhere where she'll see it, but where it won't be obvious that you want her to look at this. Someplace like the coffee table, or the magazine rack in the bathroom.

Or you could talk with the family (not with just her, at least one other person should be around for this) about No S. Tell them how you've lost weight on it, and how it doesn't have the features that make other diets so annoying. No "you should try this" directed at her, no comments about her weight or eating habits. Just how the diet is working for you.

You can indeed do No S without other people knowing. Not many of the people I interact with IRL know I'm on No S. You can even share a meal with someone without having to tell them you're on No S. My parents don't know I'm on No S, and they just came to visit for a couple of days. I didn't tell Nicest Husband until I was a couple of months into No S. He had noticed I was eating less, but he hadn't noticed the No S pattern to it.

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Post by Sienna » Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:52 pm

I would recommend just having the book around somewhere where she'll see it, but where it won't be obvious that you want her to look at this. Someplace like the coffee table, or the magazine rack in the bathroom.
And/or buy a magnet you can put up. Seriously, I pretty much stumbled on NoS from another internet forum. I wasn't even actively looking for weight loss tips, it was some tangent about shovelglove, and I had to know what *that* was, and while shovelglove didn't click for me, from that site I accidentally clicked over to NoS. I was *this* close to hitting the back button thinking I was on one of those sites that was going to try and sell me magic supplements or a pdf with a magic weightloss secret. But then I saw this:
There are just three rules and one exception:

No Snacks
No Sweets
No Seconds
Except (sometimes) on days that start with "S"

That's it.
That piqued my interest just enough that I read far enough to see that Reinhard was making all the diet info available free online. For real free. Not you have to register and fill out at least 37 "offers" free (of course now I would totally pay for this system, but there is so much useless crap for sale out there my rule of thumb was to avoid it all!). So I read the whole web page, and decided to give the system a shot.

The whole thing was so simple that it didn't take a lot to get me interested. I'd say there is a good chance it won't take your daughter much either.
Finally a diet that I can make a lifestyle!

Started June 2010
6/27/2010 - 226 lbs
10/17/2010 - 203 lbs - 10% weight loss goal!
1/29/2011 - 182 lbs - 2nd 10% weight loss goal!
5/29/2011 - 165 lbs - 3rd 10% weight loss goal! (one more to go)

ellgee
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Post by ellgee » Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:21 am

Thanks Nice and Sienna. Great advice!

My No S book is on my kindle but it might be worth getting a hard copy to have laying around She's away at school right now but I'll think of some way to sneak this into conversation. I really think she might do well with this.
Laura

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:57 am

Just... Be careful.

I started dieting at 12 because my father was sooo worried I'd have a weight problem like my mother.

Let's just say it didn't prevent an adulthood weight problem. While I'm a grown-up and responsible for my own actions, the cycle that was encouraged (kindly, Daddy wasn't MEAN to me) wasn't exactly a helping factor.
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

Imogen Morley
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Post by Imogen Morley » Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:20 pm

Nicest of the Damned wrote: I had the tendency, that seems to be common in the young, to think in all-or-nothing, black-or-white terms. I applied that kind of thinking to healthy eating, as well. I thought that you could either:

1. Give up all unhealthy foods (for some definition of "unhealthy foods", there are many to pick from) and spend all your time planning meals/snacks and exercising. Carry weird healthy snacks with you everywhere you go. Count calories, probably have to weigh and measure all your portions out, too. Be unable to have a conversation that does not revolve around your diet or exercise routine. Don't eat for pleasure, eat only for health. Basically, act like people on a lot of diets do, like my parents acted when they would periodically go on diets (without success, or with only temporary success, I should note).

2. Live a normal, non-diet-or-exercise-obsessed life and be fat.
Been switching between these two for YEARS, with predictable results. No S is the middle road I've always wanted to find.

Nicest of the Damned
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Post by Nicest of the Damned » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:06 pm

ellgee wrote:Thanks Nice and Sienna. Great advice!

My No S book is on my kindle but it might be worth getting a hard copy to have laying around She's away at school right now but I'll think of some way to sneak this into conversation. I really think she might do well with this.
Another option might be, when you've reached some milestone (amount of weight lost, number of months on habit, or whatever), to send out a mass email to friends and family (including her), telling them about your accomplishment, with a link to nosdiet.com. Nothing about how any of them should try No S, but just how well you're doing on it and how happy you are about it.

I like the refrigerator magnet idea, too.

You do have to be careful how you broach a sensitive topic like this with her. I would have gone ballistic if, when I was in college, my mom had said anything to me about my weight. And I knew I could stand to lose some weight, I just would have been furious at her for trying to control my life. I was rather sensitive at the time to any hint that she still thought of me as a child, or thought she could or should try to control me, or any hint that she was judging me. Find a way to mention No S to your daughter without making it sound like you think she needs to lose weight.

ellgee
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Post by ellgee » Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:02 pm

NoelFigart wrote:Just... Be careful.
Well that's certainly a well travelled road between us. She is almost 21 and by BMI standards morbidly obese. I steer clear of recommending anything now that she is older and more vocal in her resistance. I know when she will have to make a decision about her weight in her own time. I've learned all my good intentions aren't worth diddly. And I remember how I hated my mother hounding me about my weight.
Laura

Thalia
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Post by Thalia » Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:41 pm

Yeah, there is not a young girl in America who is overweight and does not know it. And half the ones who AREN'T overweight still think they're disgustingly fat.

No one needs to be told "Wow, you're fat. I really disapprove and here's how I think you should fix yourself."

milliem
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Post by milliem » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:03 pm

It's a sometimes frustrating fact of life that no-one else will ever change anything about themselves because YOU want them to... as a self confessed control freak, this annoys me somewhat :P But I've learned to accept it :)

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