How often did you screw up the first few months?

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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Jenniferk32
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2016 4:41 am
Location: California

How often did you screw up the first few months?

Post by Jenniferk32 » Fri Oct 28, 2016 12:02 am

I've been attempting no s since October 1st and so far I've got more yellow and red on the habit calendar than green and I haven't lost anything. The not losing part is okay (so far) because I'm more interested in developong a lifelong habit of not overeating so that I don't have to always worry about my weight. I wat to lose about 35 pounds and if it takes me a whole year then so be it, as long as it doesn't come back.

Anyway, I'm screwing up a lot. I stress eat mindlessly. How long did it take you all and how many failures before you started seeing mostly green and yellow on the calendar?

Help?

oolala53
Posts: 10069
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Fri Oct 28, 2016 2:55 am

Well, I was so convinced of the value of No S that I didn't have any fails for the first three months. But I had a change in routine temporarily and then started careening. It took quite awhile to get back on track. I just kept reminding myself of how well the program would counter my compulsive eating and how I would likely keep overeating for the rest of my life if I didn't do something. Then when things felt tough, I would say to myself, "THIS is the moment when I have to be strong." I would think about what I was going to have at my next meal and hold on. Eventually, 3 meals became the default, even though I've had ups and downs over the years.

This doesn't quite answer your question, but I hope it helps.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

Bluebell
Posts: 633
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:17 pm
Location: Hampshire UK

Post by Bluebell » Fri Oct 28, 2016 6:35 am

Hi
I have been following No S since the beginning of October too. So far it is going very well, I have only had one red day.
Can I ask if you have been on many diets before? I am in my 40s and have tried every diet going, have lost weight on all of them only to gain it back and more. I would say my main reason for doing this is to sort out my poor relationship with food and to end the yoyo dieting.
The reason I ask is that, in comparison to all the diets I have followed in the past, this one seems the most sensible and realistic one. No counting calories, grams of fat blah blah, no cutting out major food groups, I can eat what my family is eating. And treats at the weekend, so its not endless misery!
I wonder if you could write a list of all the reasons you want this to succeed, to help focus. Things that have helped me in the early days are having large satisfying meals, having a glass of milk if I am hungry, or maybe a flavoured coffee with no sugar, lots of cups of tea and squash, and planning my treats very carefully for the weekend!
I have had some great advice on here, have a look at my other threads especially 'a little support in the early days please'.
No S is turning a lot of my ideas on their head, and its taking a while to get there, but Like you I have around 35lb to lose and am happy for it to come off slowly as long as I sort out my eating habits once and for all!
I don't know if any of my ramblings are helpful but you are definitely not alone. Good luck and keep posting :D

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kaalii
Posts: 745
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 9:42 pm
Location: switzerland

Post by kaalii » Fri Oct 28, 2016 6:38 am

in the first 3 months i actually failed less than afterwards... 2 times per months only... and i hardly ever take NWS - non weekend S day... so this was excellent... and working amazingly weight and fat loss/maintenance wise...

then the summer came, off routine... the next 3 months were almost half red and half green... i regained a bit but only slightly...

im back to pretty green this months and noS works even more than i need it to work again...

BUT - 90% of my failures were minimal! i make sure i write down exactly what i have failed with... that is almost the same succes to me as the green days!
and the fact that i dont give up...
i fail, get up, dust myself off and continue... :)
Age:40
BMI: 18.8
Body Fat %: 17.6
in it for maintenance and, more importantly, sanity!!

LifeisaBlessing
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:08 pm

Post by LifeisaBlessing » Fri Oct 28, 2016 4:00 pm

Hi Jennifer, and welcome to the NoS boards! :)

My reasons for doing my modified version of NoS this time (I had attempted NoS a few times in the past and always failed based on no sweets during the week and the weekend S days) were extremely motivating for me, so I had zero failures from the time I started until I reached my initial goal two months later because I personally would not tolerate them. I talked myself through many temptations, stresses, and hungry feelings because I wanted to reach my goal both successfully and quickly. I will say that this was a very bootcamp-y approach to doing NoS, and is not for everybody. It really depends on how motivated you are, what you are willing to give up, and how tough you can be on yourself. The payoff for me was so worth it, and I wish I would've done this years ago!

When you are tempted to "stress eat mindlessly," maybe take a step back and ask yourself "What am I doing??????" Remember that extra food/calories at any time will never get you to your goals, whether it's regulating your eating patterns, or weight/fat loss.

To this day, anytime I'm tempted to eat more calories/food than I need, I remind myself that unnecessary food is NEVER the solution to anything. It won't counteract whatever stress is occurring, won't make a bad day better, and it DEFINITELY will not contribute to maintaining or improving on my results.

Maybe doing some mental self-talk will help you in getting more green days on your calendar?
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

oolala53
Posts: 10069
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:02 pm

Notice that failing for awhile can actually lead to resolve, though even Reinhard admits that there is no such thing as before and after, only before and during. We are all only at during, whether doing vanilla or mods.

But keep trying even if it's only one s at a time.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

oolala53
Posts: 10069
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sat Oct 29, 2016 5:11 pm

Notice that failing for awhile can actually lead to resolve, though even Reinhard admits that there is no such thing as before and after, only before and during. We are all only at during, whether doing vanilla or mods.

But keep trying even if it's only one s at a time.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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Merry
Posts: 1658
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:14 am

Post by Merry » Sun Oct 30, 2016 3:30 am

Like some of the others, my first 3 months were my strongest, with two NWS days each and no red days.

Since then, I've had at least one red day several times--and 2 or 3 times I've had 3 red days (including this month--I'm up 3 lbs. after having 8 of the last 12 days be either S days, NWS days, or red days...oy! Time to get back on track!) Usually my fails have a reason (this time my mom was visiting, so I didn't stick to the rules much at all). Overall though, I'm down 20 lbs. since last Thanksgiving.

I agree to list out what motivates you--why do you want to do this, and what do you hope the benefits will be? Gaining self control & a better relationship with food are certainly good goals to have along with weight loss. No-S has helped me in many ways and has been very worth while. I think it helps too if you can be convinced this is the best way for you to eat. I have tried other diets in the past but did the yo-yo thing--lose some, gain it all back and more--I don't want to do that anymore. I need better life-long habits instead.

Anyway, don't be too discouraged when you have some red days. Look at each day on it's own (each meal if you need to), and think how to make it through that day. And when you start to build up stamina after making it through a green day or two, that's a foundation you can build on for more green days.

Hang in there!
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

ModBod
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 3:00 pm
Location: Europe!

Post by ModBod » Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:02 am

This is really helpful to read, thanks everyone!

I think it is about not giving up, but dusting off and going again the next day. It is so helpful to hear of other people's struggles/failure days on here because it shows there are ups and downs for everyone - but definitely the sanity that comes with not mindlessly eating is liberating and worth the effort.

I think what I tend to do is make allowances for tiny infringements and try to show to myself they're not 'actually failures' but this doesn't do me any favours.

I've been here just a month and my first two-three weeks were pretty good, although not perfect like some, then the week before my holiday it all went a bit wrong! I've just come back from a week away where I didn't think too much about the 'rules' but thankfully came back the same weight. But now, I am feeling like I want fresh resolve to not bend the rules but stick with the vanilla programme, because it really does work, even though there can be tough moments at certain times on certain days.

But olala53, for example, and others, have great tips on coping with those moments. One way is to come on here in that moment and have a vent! I think if we allow ourselves to let this be long-term rather than a quick-fix then we can see it as a gradual reprogramming process and then maybe feel less stressed by the odd slip-up.
I'm looking to lose about 12lbs...
31.09: 65.7kg/144.8lbs, BMI-25.7!
14.10: 64.9kg/143lbs, BMI - 25.4!

User avatar
Merry
Posts: 1658
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:14 am

Post by Merry » Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:43 am

ModBod wrote:
I think what I tend to do is make allowances for tiny infringements and try to show to myself they're not 'actually failures' but this doesn't do me any favours.
I find that marking those small infringements makes me think twice about allowing them the next time. Once I had that first red under my belt, I wasn't so afraid of having one (as the saying goes, mark it and move on!), but not wanting to mark it also keeps me in check many times.
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

ModBod
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 3:00 pm
Location: Europe!

Post by ModBod » Thu Nov 03, 2016 9:49 am

Yes, Merry, and that's one of the reasons this board is so useful!

Especially the monthly challenge, I'm discovering (first time on it) - as there you see everyone else doing well, and i don't want to have a month plastered with reds!! That is certainly motivating me right this minute to wait until lunch!

It's good for thinking about the reason for wanting to eat in that moment rather than going down the 'mindless scoffing' route as I've done so often!
I'm looking to lose about 12lbs...
31.09: 65.7kg/144.8lbs, BMI-25.7!
14.10: 64.9kg/143lbs, BMI - 25.4!

Lilbec
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2016 11:16 am

Post by Lilbec » Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:19 am

ModBod wrote:Especially the monthly challenge
Yes me too! I was so mad at myself yesterday for staying on track all day then stuffing it after dinner and having to put a red, I thought about that today when I was tempted to snack!

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