Hi Mitchelll,
Would it help you to relax and enjoy your process if you realize that there is no actual requirement for 3 meals per day. Because guess what? There is no actual requirement for any specific number of meals per day. The "rule" is simply no more than one plate of food at any one meal. No worries about skipping breakfast if that is the way your body want to handle the day. Just be sure that it doesn't set you up for the mid-afternoon snack monster.
I'm sure if you play around with it a bit, you'll figure out what meal plan works best for you on days you don't want breakfast.
Enjoy the weekend,
Mitchelll's Daily checkin
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
ginngerpie, thanks for the advice. I totally agree with you about the 3 meals being somewhat arbitrary, and I know that there's no magic involved with 3 meals a day, and that 2 a day might work, or 4 a day. that said, however, in the past, one of the factors that always led to success in my weightloss/maintenance was very regular meals---the number of them per day, the timing, what I ate. Often they did include 4---3 and a planned snack. But the important thing was that they were planned, thought out in advance, and I usually stuck to the schedule. When I invariably began gaining weight, one of the first things to go was the regularity of my meals---I would start skipping one, then have massive pig out sessions, or I would graze all day. Eventually, I do want to ease up on the 3 meal a day structure when it seems appropriate, but I think I need to have it more clearly imprinted as a habit first.
The last week or so has been fine as far as NoS goes. Both weekends invovled relaxed eating, but nothing too insane. I had a couple of minor fails on NoS days, but they were minor. One issue I am seeing though, and will monitor today, is that I'm having some trouble snapping back into NoS on Monday, especially if I've had a significant amount of sugar on Sunday. I don't want to be too controlling, but I think I may need to make weekends a little less free.
The last week or so has been fine as far as NoS goes. Both weekends invovled relaxed eating, but nothing too insane. I had a couple of minor fails on NoS days, but they were minor. One issue I am seeing though, and will monitor today, is that I'm having some trouble snapping back into NoS on Monday, especially if I've had a significant amount of sugar on Sunday. I don't want to be too controlling, but I think I may need to make weekends a little less free.
I've had some minor red days over the past couple of weeks, but nothing serious or upsetting. Weekends have been fairly low key; however, I do find myself allowing my esses on weekends more because I can than because I really want them, at least on most occasions. and one concern is that when I do eat sweets on sunday, I want them on Monday, and am finding it difficult to go back to no sweets on Monday. In fact, most of the minor fails I have mentioned have been sweets eaten on Mondays, which makes not eating them on Tuesday an issue. when I don't eat sweets, though, I rarely crave them.
In the past, scheduled cheat days haven't really worked well for me. what tended to happen was that I would enjoy my cheat day, but then go ahead and indulge when temptation proved too much as well---the release of the cheat day and the promise of a coming cheat day was never enough to overcome the temptation. during my longest running time of maintaining my weightloss, I did not use the concept of scheduled relaxed eating. I strictly followed my eating plan, which was very much like NoS, everyday except really special occasions. When I did indulge, I just enjoyed it and moved on unless the indulgences starting happening more frequently, at which point I regrouped. (if you are curious as to why this maintenance plan failed, it wasn't the plan itself; i mean, I didn't snap under the restriction. I underwent a truly stressful event, a natural disaster that had major impact on my life. I was displaced for months, living with a lot of uncertainty. I was so upset, I made a conscious decision to eat to deal with the stress, feeling at the time that the stress relief from unrestricted eating was more important than staying the. After emotionally eating for 3 straight months, I managed to erased the positive eating habits of 4 years and it has taken me almost 10 years to get my eating back on track)
related to this, I'm finding that I actually enjoy NoS days better than S days. I genuinely prefer three simple meals: I feel better, enjoy my food more, and have much fewer digestive issues and cravings. At this point, I've been on vanilla NoS for six months with decent compliance. I feel my eating habits have normalized. I plan to NoS 7 days a week, relaxing for S events rather than days. I thought about doing less extreme mods for weekends, like restricting to one S per day, but that somehow seems more rule-like than I want. I will try this for a few weeks to see if I do like Nosing on weekends as I think I will. If it seems too restrictive, I'll go back to vanilla NoS
In the past, scheduled cheat days haven't really worked well for me. what tended to happen was that I would enjoy my cheat day, but then go ahead and indulge when temptation proved too much as well---the release of the cheat day and the promise of a coming cheat day was never enough to overcome the temptation. during my longest running time of maintaining my weightloss, I did not use the concept of scheduled relaxed eating. I strictly followed my eating plan, which was very much like NoS, everyday except really special occasions. When I did indulge, I just enjoyed it and moved on unless the indulgences starting happening more frequently, at which point I regrouped. (if you are curious as to why this maintenance plan failed, it wasn't the plan itself; i mean, I didn't snap under the restriction. I underwent a truly stressful event, a natural disaster that had major impact on my life. I was displaced for months, living with a lot of uncertainty. I was so upset, I made a conscious decision to eat to deal with the stress, feeling at the time that the stress relief from unrestricted eating was more important than staying the. After emotionally eating for 3 straight months, I managed to erased the positive eating habits of 4 years and it has taken me almost 10 years to get my eating back on track)
related to this, I'm finding that I actually enjoy NoS days better than S days. I genuinely prefer three simple meals: I feel better, enjoy my food more, and have much fewer digestive issues and cravings. At this point, I've been on vanilla NoS for six months with decent compliance. I feel my eating habits have normalized. I plan to NoS 7 days a week, relaxing for S events rather than days. I thought about doing less extreme mods for weekends, like restricting to one S per day, but that somehow seems more rule-like than I want. I will try this for a few weeks to see if I do like Nosing on weekends as I think I will. If it seems too restrictive, I'll go back to vanilla NoS
Hi Mitchelll, glad to see you are doing well. I know what you mean about following no-s 7 days rather than relax for those two days a week. It makes sense in a way and I was thinking something along the same lines myself. For myself, I decided that the S-days will probably shift direction on their own accord. I mean, I don't think I'll implement any mods or change anything. I think I'll just start eating fewer treats/snacks because I no longer find them as attractive. The hardest part right now is reminding myself when they look So good that they don't (usually) taste as good as they look. I also like the concept of s-days because then there isn't any diet "accounting"; Nothing to remember or keep track of. If I eliminate the 2 days, then I'll have to remember events, which seems more cumbersome to me although I know other folks have done that successfully.
Anyway, glad you are doing well.
Anyway, glad you are doing well.
Resort you had to undergo such an ordeal. I can't even imagine. I think choosing to eat for comfort is totally valid at times. I mean there are plenty of other much more harmful ways you could have chosen to deal with the stress.
Glad to see your back on track though. Definitely do what works for you as far as S days go. I got so tired of the over the top weekends that I finally put some structure in place. I do my 3 meals but add an afternoon snack & a dessert on saucer sized plates. If I go out to dinner though, anything goes.
Good luck & thx for stopping by my thread!
Linda
Glad to see your back on track though. Definitely do what works for you as far as S days go. I got so tired of the over the top weekends that I finally put some structure in place. I do my 3 meals but add an afternoon snack & a dessert on saucer sized plates. If I go out to dinner though, anything goes.
Good luck & thx for stopping by my thread!
Linda
SW: 210 lbsCW: 172
GW:160
good stuff:
in the past couple of weeks, I've seen two people who haven't seen me in at least 6 weeks--both noticed (without being prompted) that I had lost weight. I can also see it in improved definition in my shoulders and jaw line. I've also been able to move my belt one more notch over to the fifth, and last hole. It was a bit too tight to wear comfortably and definitely gave me muffin top, but since I started at the first hole in september, even being able to pull the belt that tight is a huge source of excitement for me.
bad stuff:
nothing serious, but I need to be aware that I can feel the stirring of diet head. the usual idea of "well, if this moderate plan is working, what if you eat less (just a bit, i promise, and exercise more). ignoring the fact that: 1. nos is working, if slowly and 2. i'm not finding it super easy (not the hardest thing in the world, but not easy) to manage compliance with my moderate eating plan and moderate exercise goals (at least a 20 minute walk with the dog and 15 minutes of some form of other activity 5 days a week).
housekeeping:
weekend, considering it was spent at a wedding, was fine. I did have seconds after both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, but not huge amounts. I did end up having NoS fails on both Monday (a few small cookies) and wednesday (a snack before dinner and ice cream after---triggered by too small a lunch and a work commitment that resulted in a later than usual dinner). i will focus on better compliance, but am not willing to cut portions at this point.
in the past couple of weeks, I've seen two people who haven't seen me in at least 6 weeks--both noticed (without being prompted) that I had lost weight. I can also see it in improved definition in my shoulders and jaw line. I've also been able to move my belt one more notch over to the fifth, and last hole. It was a bit too tight to wear comfortably and definitely gave me muffin top, but since I started at the first hole in september, even being able to pull the belt that tight is a huge source of excitement for me.
bad stuff:
nothing serious, but I need to be aware that I can feel the stirring of diet head. the usual idea of "well, if this moderate plan is working, what if you eat less (just a bit, i promise, and exercise more). ignoring the fact that: 1. nos is working, if slowly and 2. i'm not finding it super easy (not the hardest thing in the world, but not easy) to manage compliance with my moderate eating plan and moderate exercise goals (at least a 20 minute walk with the dog and 15 minutes of some form of other activity 5 days a week).
housekeeping:
weekend, considering it was spent at a wedding, was fine. I did have seconds after both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, but not huge amounts. I did end up having NoS fails on both Monday (a few small cookies) and wednesday (a snack before dinner and ice cream after---triggered by too small a lunch and a work commitment that resulted in a later than usual dinner). i will focus on better compliance, but am not willing to cut portions at this point.
I haven't posted in a while, mainly because there hasn't really be anything to report. I am still following NoS, and I love the effect it has had on my relationship with food and eating. I still think about food more than I would like, but it is definitely less of a focus. I find myself enjoying my meals more, and even occasionally enjoying the sense of real hunger before one. I feel so much better eating three meals a day without sweets that I have pretty much stopped using the weekends as S days, saving my S days for major events. When I decided to do that, I initially feared that I might start feeling deprived and it would trigger a binge, but that hasn't happened. I had gotten to the point with my S days where I was starting to almost dread them---I really do feel so much better without sweets and large amounts of snacking.
As far as weight, I still haven't weighed, but based on the looseness of my clothing and my appearance, I think I've lost between 15 and 20 pounds. I'm planning to go for a check up at my doctor's next week, and I'll weigh in then. At that point, it will have been almost exactly a year since my last weigh in. I know that for a lot of people, including me, the slow weight loss is a major sticking point for NoS, and I wouldn't have believed that I would have been happy with a weight loss rate that averages 2 to 3 pounds a month, but I feel that this time, with the slowness, I have a good shot at keeping it off. I'd like to lose another 15 lbs or so, but I am not willing to tweak my diet too much more at this point. I will let the loss happen when it happens, or even if it doesn't, I'm pretty happy with my progress so far and with my new way of eating
As far as weight, I still haven't weighed, but based on the looseness of my clothing and my appearance, I think I've lost between 15 and 20 pounds. I'm planning to go for a check up at my doctor's next week, and I'll weigh in then. At that point, it will have been almost exactly a year since my last weigh in. I know that for a lot of people, including me, the slow weight loss is a major sticking point for NoS, and I wouldn't have believed that I would have been happy with a weight loss rate that averages 2 to 3 pounds a month, but I feel that this time, with the slowness, I have a good shot at keeping it off. I'd like to lose another 15 lbs or so, but I am not willing to tweak my diet too much more at this point. I will let the loss happen when it happens, or even if it doesn't, I'm pretty happy with my progress so far and with my new way of eating
I'm going to go back to regular posting, at least for a while. for the last week or two, I've been overindulging in alcohol which has directly resulted in altering my eating. Over memorial day weekend, for instance, my eating was way disordered---not that I was eating tons, but at random times, too little, and lots of sweets. And more importantly, I've noticed I've been deliberately avoiding wearing the belt that lets me know if I've lost or gained weight, instead chosing an adjustable D-ring one. And when I finally put it on yesterday, the 5th hole is a bit too tight to wear comfortably. So, anyway, I want to recommit to NoS and for a while, at least, go back to my glass ceiling of 0. It wasn't a coincidence that when I drastically quit my drinking in February, I lost weight.
It's been a while, so just checking in. I'm still following Vanilla NoS, and though I don't have perfect compliance, it really has become my default eating systems. At this point, about a year in, my weekends have become basically indistinquishable from by NoS weekdays, with the treats being "sometimes" and not automatic just because it's the weekend.
I still haven't gotten on the scale, which I think I've let become too big a thing in my mind----how much weight have I really lost? is it enough? but will need to soon as I need to have a physical for my insurance. I think I've lost in the 25-30 pound range, which would be consistent with NoS's approximately 1/2 pound per week average. My clothes are hanging on me, and I can now wear certain items that were too small.
Helping the weight loss is that my walking has become more regular, approximately 5 x a week at 45 min to an hour, and I have just started resistance training. My sister, who hasn't seen my in a while and isn't known for empty compliments referred to me as "svelte" and a client asked if my partner was "thin" like me. Those were good to hear, but those things still feel a bit odd for me.
Well, it hasn't been exactly an easy journey, but it's one I'm definitely glad I'm on.
I still haven't gotten on the scale, which I think I've let become too big a thing in my mind----how much weight have I really lost? is it enough? but will need to soon as I need to have a physical for my insurance. I think I've lost in the 25-30 pound range, which would be consistent with NoS's approximately 1/2 pound per week average. My clothes are hanging on me, and I can now wear certain items that were too small.
Helping the weight loss is that my walking has become more regular, approximately 5 x a week at 45 min to an hour, and I have just started resistance training. My sister, who hasn't seen my in a while and isn't known for empty compliments referred to me as "svelte" and a client asked if my partner was "thin" like me. Those were good to hear, but those things still feel a bit odd for me.
Well, it hasn't been exactly an easy journey, but it's one I'm definitely glad I'm on.
Hi Mitchelll,
It's great to hear that things are going so well for you. Sounds like you have really embraced the NoS habits and are adding other good habits in as well. Good for you! (Keep setting the good example!)
It's great to hear that things are going so well for you. Sounds like you have really embraced the NoS habits and are adding other good habits in as well. Good for you! (Keep setting the good example!)
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".
Current situation: Pretty good. I weighed on 12/31 and I was up about 5 pounds, but that was to be expected considering the holidays and the week of traveling I did prior to Christmas week. I also weighed after consuming liquids and was fully dressed, including headphones and jacket. Still, it was a wake up call to return to focus on NoS. For a lot of the fall, I had followed NoS kind of halfheartedly. I didn't return to eat whatever, whenever, but I was definitely having unpure weekdays; how many, I don't know because I wasn't using habitcal or any other logging method.
Anyway, with the start of a new year, and recently having a birthday (44), I want to focus on improving my health in 2016. My goals: continue following NoS, but return to using a compliance tracker. Continue lifting weights at the gym 3 days a week but start tracking my numbers (reps, weights, etc). Start weighing myself and checking measurements---I am a bit hesitant about this as I don't want to trigger diet head. But on the other hand, I'm starting to feel the negative impacts about being vague about my weight-i.e., with no tracking, it's become easy for me to over indulge without being made aware of the impact in terms of a verifiable weight gain or increase in waist size. I'm planning to start with monthly weigh ins and measurements, but will consider going to weekly if that seems like a better idea.
I also plan to start implementing optimized meals for breakfast in lunch to help with my weight loss and nutrition goals. Savory oatmeal and a piece of fruit for breakfast, and a protein rich salad for lunch.
To help with this, I plan to journal regularly to a bit.
Current weight: 224
Chest: 46"
Waist: 42"
Biceps: 15"
Anyway, with the start of a new year, and recently having a birthday (44), I want to focus on improving my health in 2016. My goals: continue following NoS, but return to using a compliance tracker. Continue lifting weights at the gym 3 days a week but start tracking my numbers (reps, weights, etc). Start weighing myself and checking measurements---I am a bit hesitant about this as I don't want to trigger diet head. But on the other hand, I'm starting to feel the negative impacts about being vague about my weight-i.e., with no tracking, it's become easy for me to over indulge without being made aware of the impact in terms of a verifiable weight gain or increase in waist size. I'm planning to start with monthly weigh ins and measurements, but will consider going to weekly if that seems like a better idea.
I also plan to start implementing optimized meals for breakfast in lunch to help with my weight loss and nutrition goals. Savory oatmeal and a piece of fruit for breakfast, and a protein rich salad for lunch.
To help with this, I plan to journal regularly to a bit.
Current weight: 224
Chest: 46"
Waist: 42"
Biceps: 15"
Yesterday was a green day for all the habits I hoped to accomplish except for meditation. I would like to add a few minutes of meditation to my daily schedule---I have great results whenever I do manage to meditate, but for some reason, even though I enjoy doing it, I enjoy the results, and I definitely have the time to fit it into my schedule, I haven't made meditating a priority.
I followed NoS, and the urge to snack was much less. Of course, my meals were substantially larger--more oatmeal and two eggs for breakfast, and my lunch salad was huge--probably too big, though I did try not to get carried away with the chicken and cheese. I did a bit of urban rangering, walking home from traffic court, and I went for a walk with the fiance after he got home from work.
He, too, is trying to lose weight (down 13 pounds since his last physical), and I'd like to make an evening walk or bike ride part of our daily routine. I'm also trying to make our evening meal (the only one we share regularly during the week) as wholesome and as diet friendly as possible.
Tonight will be a bit of a challange: we have a friend who wants to celebrate his new job with drinks at our favorite Cali-Mex eatery. Staying on plan for both eating and glass ceiling will be difficult. I know in the scheme of things that one night's indulgence won't make any difference, but after over indulging during the holidays in both food and wine, I'm a little leery of a weekday NoS event, especially since we're double booked for a wedding and a birthday party on Saturday. I still haven't decided whether to live it up or stick to my NoS plans. I guess something in the middle could also work.
I followed NoS, and the urge to snack was much less. Of course, my meals were substantially larger--more oatmeal and two eggs for breakfast, and my lunch salad was huge--probably too big, though I did try not to get carried away with the chicken and cheese. I did a bit of urban rangering, walking home from traffic court, and I went for a walk with the fiance after he got home from work.
He, too, is trying to lose weight (down 13 pounds since his last physical), and I'd like to make an evening walk or bike ride part of our daily routine. I'm also trying to make our evening meal (the only one we share regularly during the week) as wholesome and as diet friendly as possible.
Tonight will be a bit of a challange: we have a friend who wants to celebrate his new job with drinks at our favorite Cali-Mex eatery. Staying on plan for both eating and glass ceiling will be difficult. I know in the scheme of things that one night's indulgence won't make any difference, but after over indulging during the holidays in both food and wine, I'm a little leery of a weekday NoS event, especially since we're double booked for a wedding and a birthday party on Saturday. I still haven't decided whether to live it up or stick to my NoS plans. I guess something in the middle could also work.
I'm not big on meditation but let me tell you about a recent experience.
In November I had a comprehensive eye exam. The puff test showed high eye pressure. Everything else was perfectly normal. They gave me the puff test about ten times that day. Then the eye doctor said I should come back another day.
Two weeks later I went back, and again the eye pressure was high. Again they gave me multiple tests. The technician told me to close my eyes and relax.
She had said that last time as well, and all I did then was close my eyes. This time I thought "Relax?" and the "answer" that came was: Meditate.
So I closed my eyes and began to meditate. After one breath, the technician told me to open my eyes, and she did the air puff test again. Normal.
That was one breath of meditation, in and out. I breathed in for a count of three and out for a count of five.
Just 8 SECONDS of meditation made a measurable difference.
So if you're really finding it difficult to prioritize meditation, you might want to consider a really tiny amount (like, one breath!).
I don't know if you've read about Tiny Habits but there's a lot of wonderful information about building habits that you might enjoy. I did his one-week free thing a few years ago.
http://tinyhabits.com/
In November I had a comprehensive eye exam. The puff test showed high eye pressure. Everything else was perfectly normal. They gave me the puff test about ten times that day. Then the eye doctor said I should come back another day.
Two weeks later I went back, and again the eye pressure was high. Again they gave me multiple tests. The technician told me to close my eyes and relax.
She had said that last time as well, and all I did then was close my eyes. This time I thought "Relax?" and the "answer" that came was: Meditate.
So I closed my eyes and began to meditate. After one breath, the technician told me to open my eyes, and she did the air puff test again. Normal.
That was one breath of meditation, in and out. I breathed in for a count of three and out for a count of five.
Just 8 SECONDS of meditation made a measurable difference.
So if you're really finding it difficult to prioritize meditation, you might want to consider a really tiny amount (like, one breath!).
I don't know if you've read about Tiny Habits but there's a lot of wonderful information about building habits that you might enjoy. I did his one-week free thing a few years ago.
http://tinyhabits.com/
Queenie, thanks for the reminder that I can start with really small snippets of meditation. I sometimes forget that building up to a certain amount of time often works better than trying to bite off too large a chunk at first.
As far was week: Wednesday night went fine as far as food was concerned (four of us shared an appetizer and I ended up sharing my entree.) As for the glass ceiling....it lay shattered on the floor.
The main issue with that was the fact that I felt awful on Thursday which lead to a dinner comprised of comfort food (including desert and soda) from a fast food restaurant.
Friday was back on track, though dinner was a bit heavy. The weekend was good. I had a wedding and a birthday party, so I indulged in my Ses more than I usually do these days, but nothing incredibly crazy.
I do think I had a close call with diet head. Friday, after the indulgences of Wed. and Thurs., I got to focusing on losing more week and more quickly than NoS's glacial (for me) pace, so I started shopping for diet tweaks on line and landed on intermittent fasting, and did so on Friday morning, skipping breafast (which I do occasionally) so that it would be a full 16 hours between meals.
The testimonials about intermittent fasting are so appealing, but then again, all diet testimonials are appealing. At any rate, I've decided to go back to pure vanilla NoS, with special attention paid to both quaility and quantity of my meals, two areas I have been lax about since this fall. I think that if I pay closer attention to what I eat and implement Reinhart's glass ceiling, I will end this plateau I'm on.
As far was week: Wednesday night went fine as far as food was concerned (four of us shared an appetizer and I ended up sharing my entree.) As for the glass ceiling....it lay shattered on the floor.
The main issue with that was the fact that I felt awful on Thursday which lead to a dinner comprised of comfort food (including desert and soda) from a fast food restaurant.
Friday was back on track, though dinner was a bit heavy. The weekend was good. I had a wedding and a birthday party, so I indulged in my Ses more than I usually do these days, but nothing incredibly crazy.
I do think I had a close call with diet head. Friday, after the indulgences of Wed. and Thurs., I got to focusing on losing more week and more quickly than NoS's glacial (for me) pace, so I started shopping for diet tweaks on line and landed on intermittent fasting, and did so on Friday morning, skipping breafast (which I do occasionally) so that it would be a full 16 hours between meals.
The testimonials about intermittent fasting are so appealing, but then again, all diet testimonials are appealing. At any rate, I've decided to go back to pure vanilla NoS, with special attention paid to both quaility and quantity of my meals, two areas I have been lax about since this fall. I think that if I pay closer attention to what I eat and implement Reinhart's glass ceiling, I will end this plateau I'm on.
Intermittent fasting appealed to me a great deal but it just doesn't work for me.
I've done it, and I actually like the extra time it gives me in my day. But I seem to gain on it.
However, I'm 58-years-old and female. I believe that IF works better for men.
I'm not doing a glass ceiling because I know I won't stick to it for the long term. I don't drink every day but when I get together with my family, we just keep pouring the wine. I don't get drunk but I drink freely when I get together with them. It's once a week except on special occasions.
Otherwise, I usually don't have a drink. If I do, then it's just one or two.
I've done it, and I actually like the extra time it gives me in my day. But I seem to gain on it.
However, I'm 58-years-old and female. I believe that IF works better for men.
I'm not doing a glass ceiling because I know I won't stick to it for the long term. I don't drink every day but when I get together with my family, we just keep pouring the wine. I don't get drunk but I drink freely when I get together with them. It's once a week except on special occasions.
Otherwise, I usually don't have a drink. If I do, then it's just one or two.
Today's not quite over, but I think I will be able to make it through as a green day as I don't have any strong cravings right now, and the cup of hot tea I plan to have soon should be very satisfying.
The only too things of note for today: Yesterday's dinner was one visual plate, but it was definitely very fattening---the main portion consisted of an appetizer a neighbor had given us--a cheese/shrimp dish baked inside of a small loaf of bread. Therefore, as I wasn't very hungry when I woke up, I decided to do a 16:8 intermittent fast today and skip breakfast. I did add some coconut oil to my morning coffee. The fast went okay---I was hungry by lunchtime, but nothing extreme, and I didn't feel the urge to over eat at lunch or dinner.
I used to do this kind of calorie banking in my thinner days when I deliberately cut calories either before or after a heavy meal to balance my caloric intake. One thing that was important for me mentally was that this was a deliberate "balancing" and not something I saw as deprivation punishment for "being bad."
The other item was that I actually found myself craving exercise, so I did a bit of the NYC Ballet workout and then went on a long walk with my partner and our dog. I also find myself looking forward to lifting weights tomorrow.
The only too things of note for today: Yesterday's dinner was one visual plate, but it was definitely very fattening---the main portion consisted of an appetizer a neighbor had given us--a cheese/shrimp dish baked inside of a small loaf of bread. Therefore, as I wasn't very hungry when I woke up, I decided to do a 16:8 intermittent fast today and skip breakfast. I did add some coconut oil to my morning coffee. The fast went okay---I was hungry by lunchtime, but nothing extreme, and I didn't feel the urge to over eat at lunch or dinner.
I used to do this kind of calorie banking in my thinner days when I deliberately cut calories either before or after a heavy meal to balance my caloric intake. One thing that was important for me mentally was that this was a deliberate "balancing" and not something I saw as deprivation punishment for "being bad."
The other item was that I actually found myself craving exercise, so I did a bit of the NYC Ballet workout and then went on a long walk with my partner and our dog. I also find myself looking forward to lifting weights tomorrow.
Queenie, I first came across the idea of "calorie banking" from a great weight loss book called "I'll Never Be Fat Again" by Carol Livingstone. It's from around 1980, but it was reprinted later. It's easy to find cheap online and I highly recommend it. It's not exactly NoS, but it's not a diet book per se. It's about how a woman discovered how to eat moderately--nothing extreme. Bethanny Frankel also talks about calorie banking extensively in her book, "Naturally Skinny."
I used to do this during a period about 15 years or so ago when I was much thinner and maintained my weight loss for 4 years until a stressful event triggered my emotional eating and subsequent regaining. Anyway, it's what I notice most "naturally" thin people do vs. what troubled eaters do.
For example, when I eat off plan, my gut instinct, still to this day, is "I screwed up-----I've wasted this day, I've ruined my diet, I might as well eat EVERYTHING!!!!!! Logically, I understand that eating a small unplanned snack is not the same as eating 2,000 calories worth of permasnacking, but it's what my mind tells me to do. I notice, though, that most "naturally" thin people are more likely to decide: I ate a snack I hadn't planned on. I'll just have a smaller dinner.
At any rate, the idea behind calorie banking is that you want to balance your calorie intake. So if you normally consume say around 2,000 calories a day, over a three day period, then, your calories consumed would be about 6,000. Let's assume you have an event, planned or unplanned, that is going to raise that number significantly---say like a birthday dinner at a favorite restaurant that will include wine, appetizer, entree, and dessert, so your daily calories for that day would be 2,700.
So in order for your three day total to remain 6,000, you find out how to accomodate those extra 700 calories.
So, if it's a planned event, I might increase my workout by 15 minutes the day of and the day after to burn a few extra calories, reduce the size of my lunch the day of to make a calorie deficit going into the meal and to make sure I'm hungry enough to really enjoy the feast, and, assuming I'm full from the dinner, skip breakfast the day after. By doing those small tweaks, I should accomodate at least most of the calories from the extra large meal into my three day total without any sort of real sacrifice or deprivation.
Anyway, I find it useful to accomodate S events, but I have to be careful with it. I do try to make sure it feels like planning and adjsuting my calories and a good, proactive thing and not like a punishment for bad behavior; I have to be careful it doesn't descend into diet head. And second, I try to keep the events that necessitate calorie banking to a minimum, because I am trying to focus on building a habit of moderate eating that would make calorie banking a non issue.
As for as the coconut oil, I just put it in the bottom of the mug and pour on the hot coffee; it melts pretty easily, and I just stir it. I do drink at least two large mugs of coffee, though, so it's only a 1/2 TSP per mug, not a huge glob.
I used to do this during a period about 15 years or so ago when I was much thinner and maintained my weight loss for 4 years until a stressful event triggered my emotional eating and subsequent regaining. Anyway, it's what I notice most "naturally" thin people do vs. what troubled eaters do.
For example, when I eat off plan, my gut instinct, still to this day, is "I screwed up-----I've wasted this day, I've ruined my diet, I might as well eat EVERYTHING!!!!!! Logically, I understand that eating a small unplanned snack is not the same as eating 2,000 calories worth of permasnacking, but it's what my mind tells me to do. I notice, though, that most "naturally" thin people are more likely to decide: I ate a snack I hadn't planned on. I'll just have a smaller dinner.
At any rate, the idea behind calorie banking is that you want to balance your calorie intake. So if you normally consume say around 2,000 calories a day, over a three day period, then, your calories consumed would be about 6,000. Let's assume you have an event, planned or unplanned, that is going to raise that number significantly---say like a birthday dinner at a favorite restaurant that will include wine, appetizer, entree, and dessert, so your daily calories for that day would be 2,700.
So in order for your three day total to remain 6,000, you find out how to accomodate those extra 700 calories.
So, if it's a planned event, I might increase my workout by 15 minutes the day of and the day after to burn a few extra calories, reduce the size of my lunch the day of to make a calorie deficit going into the meal and to make sure I'm hungry enough to really enjoy the feast, and, assuming I'm full from the dinner, skip breakfast the day after. By doing those small tweaks, I should accomodate at least most of the calories from the extra large meal into my three day total without any sort of real sacrifice or deprivation.
Anyway, I find it useful to accomodate S events, but I have to be careful with it. I do try to make sure it feels like planning and adjsuting my calories and a good, proactive thing and not like a punishment for bad behavior; I have to be careful it doesn't descend into diet head. And second, I try to keep the events that necessitate calorie banking to a minimum, because I am trying to focus on building a habit of moderate eating that would make calorie banking a non issue.
As for as the coconut oil, I just put it in the bottom of the mug and pour on the hot coffee; it melts pretty easily, and I just stir it. I do drink at least two large mugs of coffee, though, so it's only a 1/2 TSP per mug, not a huge glob.
When I experimented with no-dairy, I tried putting coconut oil in my coffee but it was like a little oil slick floating on top.
However, I discovered that I'm not dairy-sensitive so I'm back to using cream in my coffee. But I wondered if you enjoyed it floating on the coffee, or if you were blending it quasi-bulletproof-style.
I see what you mean about calorie banking/balancing, and I think I naturally did that yesterday. I had a dentist appointment at "lunchtime" and didn't end up eating lunch until 2PM.
I was ravenous and ate a much larger lunch than I otherwise would have. So then I ate a lighter dinner than I would have. Well, that was partly because I wasn't as hungry as usual at dinner. But I did have in mind that I would probably be uncomfortably full if I ate a normal-sized meal for dinner.
I'm find that choosing to be pleasingly full rather than uncomfortably full is creating its own balancing act.
But I'm just in my third week overall, and I am not really trying to do anything special except keep to three meals a day.
Thanks for the additional information and explanations.
However, I discovered that I'm not dairy-sensitive so I'm back to using cream in my coffee. But I wondered if you enjoyed it floating on the coffee, or if you were blending it quasi-bulletproof-style.
I see what you mean about calorie banking/balancing, and I think I naturally did that yesterday. I had a dentist appointment at "lunchtime" and didn't end up eating lunch until 2PM.
I was ravenous and ate a much larger lunch than I otherwise would have. So then I ate a lighter dinner than I would have. Well, that was partly because I wasn't as hungry as usual at dinner. But I did have in mind that I would probably be uncomfortably full if I ate a normal-sized meal for dinner.
I'm find that choosing to be pleasingly full rather than uncomfortably full is creating its own balancing act.
But I'm just in my third week overall, and I am not really trying to do anything special except keep to three meals a day.
Thanks for the additional information and explanations.
Wednesday went well. I decided to do the 16:8 intermittent fast again, as I was working on a project in the morning, and knew I would be distracted by work. I also wanted particularly hungry.
There was a bit of funny business between lunch and dinner, though noting serious. It wasn't, at least I think it wasn't, caused by the intermittent fasting. I had a satisfying lunch, a chicken sandwich with a bit of left over pasta, and originally planned to eat around 6. Right before 6, I was a bit hungry, so I had some watermelon was I got dinner together, but it would have certainly fit on my plate. However, my partner decided to go run and errand, and he didn't return until an hour later, bringing with him my favorite snack (Veggie Straws----though thankfully not the Ranch flavor which I can't stop eating once started). By then, I was very hungry, especially since I usually eat dinner aroung 5 or 5:30.
So, as I finally finished dinner, I ate some Veggie Straws. However, it was a controlled amount placed in a bowl, and it would have fit on my dinner plate.
All in all, a technical fail, but one I don't feel so badly about.
There was a bit of funny business between lunch and dinner, though noting serious. It wasn't, at least I think it wasn't, caused by the intermittent fasting. I had a satisfying lunch, a chicken sandwich with a bit of left over pasta, and originally planned to eat around 6. Right before 6, I was a bit hungry, so I had some watermelon was I got dinner together, but it would have certainly fit on my plate. However, my partner decided to go run and errand, and he didn't return until an hour later, bringing with him my favorite snack (Veggie Straws----though thankfully not the Ranch flavor which I can't stop eating once started). By then, I was very hungry, especially since I usually eat dinner aroung 5 or 5:30.
So, as I finally finished dinner, I ate some Veggie Straws. However, it was a controlled amount placed in a bowl, and it would have fit on my dinner plate.
All in all, a technical fail, but one I don't feel so badly about.
It's for both health and faster weight loss, Linda. Here's an article about it:
http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-gui ... nt-fasting
The hunger is surprisingly easy. The initial pangs recede and you're not really all that hungry.
http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-gui ... nt-fasting
The hunger is surprisingly easy. The initial pangs recede and you're not really all that hungry.
So, it's time to start over again. Had physical yesterday. Weight was back to 236 where it was when I started two years or so ago.
Sometimes, I wish I had it in me to let go, get really fat, and not care. But it's not the way I'm wired, so here I go again.
Yesterday was first bay back on NoS. My main focus is going to have to be on snacking....that snacking habit has definitely crept back. That, and a total lack of meal planning. They have devolved lately into way too much junk and too little nutrition.
Oh well, back into the fray.
Sometimes, I wish I had it in me to let go, get really fat, and not care. But it's not the way I'm wired, so here I go again.
Yesterday was first bay back on NoS. My main focus is going to have to be on snacking....that snacking habit has definitely crept back. That, and a total lack of meal planning. They have devolved lately into way too much junk and too little nutrition.
Oh well, back into the fray.
Great to see you mitchelll!!mitchelll wrote:Oh well, back into the fray.
So sorry that it's because of the weight gain, but it's always nice to have you among us.
May you reach your goals, and still keep in touch with the ol' gang here!
I'm sure you've got this... patience.
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".