Britt'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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bd88
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Britt's Daily Check-In

Post by bd88 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 12:56 pm

I started No-S on Sunday and want to start tracking here from now on! I am following No-S in conjunction with a version of alternate day fasting.

HabitCal for No-S, binge-free days, and fitness tracking

No-S/ADF Goals
My N-day plan:
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: Fast until 6:30 PM dinner
Tuesday & Thursday: Regular N-day
N-day Meal times:
8:30A Breakfast
1:30P Lunch
6:30P Dinner

The goal for S-days is to stick to square meals and include dessert/alcohol with those meals as desired. I am much better off without snacking, so I will stick to that rule for good.

Fitness Goals
#1: Supplement each post-workout meal with a protein shake to quell hunger and sugar cravings and promote recovery (tested with success on 6/28/17)
#2: Complete the 10-Week Lean Body Workout Plan (6/26/17 - 9/3/17)

Weight Loss Goals
My goal weight is 125, but I am open to adjusting as I go.
HW: 179 (I probably got higher than this, but I stopped weighing because I didn't want to see 180)
SW for No-S (6/11/17): 158.6
2017 Weigh-Ins
July 1: 156.6
July 15:
August 19:
September 16:
October 21:
November 18:
December 16:

Non-scale victories/benefits of No-S observed so far:
No constant, nagging "hunger"
I can tell when I am experiencing actual hunger vs psychological hunger
A sense of calm when experiencing hunger (hunger was an "emergency" in the past)
Stronger mental resolve to combat binges/binging behavior
Savings (less extra food/snacks = more $ and smaller eco footprint)
I actually had leftovers make it to the next day instead of wrapping them up just to eat them later in the day
Less obsession with perfection - easier to move on from mistakes
Last edited by bd88 on Sat Jul 01, 2017 12:17 pm, edited 38 times in total.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

Whosonfirst
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Post by Whosonfirst » Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:52 pm

You clearly have a plan that seems to be working. Congrats and welcome.
https://twitter.com/SipeEngineering
Current weight(9/2020)-212 lbs.
Goal Weight- 205 lbs.
NoS Goal: >= 80% Success days

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:01 pm

Thank you so much for the welcome!

So far so good today, but I didn't finish my breakfast and ended up making a sugar-free Cuban espresso double shot with soy milk (~3 oz total liquid) about two hours after breakfast because I was really hungry. I don't know if that counts as a failure or not. It obviously was very low in calories, but it was calories consumed outside of the 3 square meals. I am tempted to call this day a success so far minus a minor hiccup, but I'm not sure. In any case, I have learned that I need to make sure I finish my meals to tide me over the 5-hour break in between.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

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Post by lpearlmom » Fri Jun 16, 2017 3:00 am

Drinks between meals are fine as long as they're not overly sugary. Definitely not a fail.
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:05 pm

Thanks for the clarification, lpearlmom! I just wasn't sure because of the soy milk. I usually only drink water, but I needed an appetite suppressant after eating so little!
But I will consider this a success! And it also helped instill the importance of eating enough at mealtime.
Last edited by bd88 on Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by bd88 » Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:14 pm

Today is a fast day, so I will be drinking lots of water and maybe some hot tea. My office building is SO cold!
Today is the first day the scale has gone up (to 156, or +0.4 lb), so I am going back to weekly weigh-ins even though ADF encourages daily weighing. I don't like seeing the fluctuations because I become discouraged and neurotic, even if it's just water weight. I will now be weighing in on the morning of the last feast day of the week (which just so happens to be tomorrow). I am hoping that at least the 0.4 is gone by then and that I continue to see a downward trend from then.
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bd88
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Post by bd88 » Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:45 pm

Fasting and set mealtimes during the weekend proved incredibly inconvenient, so I will be adjusting my plan accordingly from now on! My fiance and I are really active on the weekends, and my original plan was not conducive to that. I was still successful with no-S (I actually still stuck to the 3 squares and will continue to do so!), but not with ADF. I have updated my plan on the first post to create something much more realistic for me and my lifestyle.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:19 pm

I posted this in someone else's check-in thread, but I realized I also should record it here for my own historical record:

I also was excited to get back to an N-day today, which is not something I anticipated AT ALL when I began. I thought for sure that I would indulge like crazy on S-days and then really resent having to get back to N-days. Not only is this not the case, but I didn't even feel the need to overindulge in preparation of the oncoming N-day yesterday, which is definitely something I would've done in the past. The no snacking seems to be the key for me. If nothing else, I know I will keep that up forever just because of the drastic change it has made in such a short time for me.
Last edited by bd88 on Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Merry
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Post by Merry » Tue Jun 20, 2017 3:38 am

Yes, it's amazing but I most often look forward to Mondays, or feel relief on Mondays that I can get back to normalcy! Glad you had a good day :-).
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

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:21 pm

Thank you, Merry!

Yesterday was my first ~36-hour fast since beginning No-S, and it was a success! Hunger ebbed and flowed only a few times during the entire time period, and just like clockwork, the pleasant hunger feeling came about 40 minutes ago. I will be eating in a few minutes. It's so funny how our bodies work. How smart and adaptive.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Wed Jun 21, 2017 12:50 pm

Yesterday was another success! I am really hoping to join the 21 Club on July 1!

Today is a fasting day, so I will just be eating dinner at 6:30. I didn't get much sleep last night and have a headache now, so I will likely be tethered to the coffee pot for a while this morning. I try not to drink too much coffee these days after breaking my addiction a few years ago, but today just feels like it's going to be a LOOOOONG day already.
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Merry
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Post by Merry » Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:22 am

bd88 wrote:Yesterday was another success! I am really hoping to join the 21 Club on July 1!

OOOH, awesome!

I hope you made it through today okay--I know what those loong days can feel like!
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

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:10 pm

Thanks, Merry! Yesterday was a success, but I didn't see any movement on the scale today and felt a bit discouraged. I am going to stop weighing as frequently and start really tracking how this lifestyle has helped me so much with my unhealthy relationship with food, and I hope that will translate to a more positive perception of myself. I know No-S is about getting rid of that diet mentality, and that has definitely been a lifelong struggle. I have been on one diet or another since I was 5, so I know it will take some time to get there. I am hoping focusing less on the scale will really work for me. Though I would be lying if I said that I really don't care about my weight. I do and I need to lose it as I am very short, but I am hoping to learn to enjoy the process.
Last edited by bd88 on Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by bd88 » Thu Jun 22, 2017 3:41 pm

I have been reading some success stories on one of my favorite weight loss blogs, and I feel even more motivated to stop weighing so frequently after reading so many stories of healthy and fit women. I realized just how much the scale is distracting me from living most vibrantly. Even small things like not feeling confident in wearing certain clothes even if they fit just because I am not the "right" weight. And my first thought when I see a weight I don't like is that I should binge to make myself feel better, which is extraordinarily counterproductive. It is ridiculous.
Health-wise, I absolutely love lifting weights and resistance training, but I have been avoiding it because my body builds muscle very quickly, which means my scale losses are typically very small or nonexistent even though my body composition changes drastically in a relatively short period of time. When you're following a super strict diet, not seeing decent losses is so discouraging. But now that I am practicing No-S, which is abundantly less restrictive, I think I am ready to get back into exercise. I also was always afraid to work on food and exercise at the same time because an increase in exercise meant an increase in hunger, which would be really hard for me if I was trying to stick to a certain amount of calories. And I would be too afraid to increase my calorie intake for fear that I would gain. I was always left feeling deprived and would usually binge as a result. With No-S, it seems like a perfect fit. I can eat what I want at my meals without having to worry about calories AND get the benefits that come along with regular exercise for me (strength, mental clarity, better mood, better sleep - super important as I suffer from insomnia, increased sex drive, etc).
On Monday, I will start working out again. There are 10 weeks from then until Labor Day, which is a lot of time to make some noticeable body changes. We will most likely be at the beach or pool, and I want to wear a two piece confidently regardless of how much I weigh! From now on, I will only weigh on the first Saturday of each month, and instead I will record the positive changes I am experiencing both mentally and physically by sticking to No-S and a good workout routine. I am going to track workouts via HabitCal as well. I'm excited to embrace a new mindset.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:46 pm

Yesterday was a success!
I am proud of myself because my fiance and I went out last night and I effortlessly avoided the snacks and alcohol. I'm exhausted today, though, so this will be an interesting Friday. I also have a hankering for Chinese food, and I don't know how much of that is a true want or that my taste buds go on autopilot after a late night out after so many years of super late night Chinese and/or pizza. In any case, I am looking forward to the end of the workday, possibly an order of sesame tofu, and an early night in.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Fri Jun 23, 2017 6:10 pm

Today is the first day in a while that I am actually thinking a lot about food. Like I keep checking the clock to see how long it will be until I "get" to eat. Very odd. I don't know if it's because I had such a late night and didn't sleep well or if it's because today is a slow work day. I just cannot stop thinking about food! This doesn't usually happen after I have a few fasting days under my belt, though I used to fast everyday (eating window) as opposed to every other day. I wonder if that makes a difference.
I wonder if this is my "extinction burst." I have literally been looking up all kinds of menus for the past couple of hours while trying to talk myself out of completing my fast, getting a nice dessert even though it's not an S-day, etc. I haven't felt this rush of urgent feelings since my last binge almost 2 weeks ago. I will not give in to the tantrum, and I will knuckle through this. I hope this means I will be on the other side of this mountain soon.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:16 pm

Successes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Talking myself through the "tantrum" on Friday really, really helped. I do feel like I am on the other side of at least a small mountain. I now know that thinking of these obstacles as small bursts makes it seem much more manageable than thinking of them as longstanding challenges that I have historically failed.

Again, I stuck to square meals this weekend, but I only ended up eating two per day with some cookies at each meal. I ate my last meal around 4:30 PM yesterday. I don't want to risk undereating, especially now that today is the beginning of my workout challenge, so I am changing my 36-hour fast to a regular fast-until-dinner day like Wednesdays and Fridays from now on. I think I thought that I would be binging all day Saturday and Sunday and would want/need the gastro rest, but that hasn't been the case really at all. Shortening my fast will be great and will make sure I get enough to fuel my daily workouts.

I am really enjoying eating this way. It has now been over 2 weeks, and it doesn't feel like it's been any time at all because it feels so natural to eat this way! I am so happy I came across this way of eating.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Mon Jun 26, 2017 7:07 pm

I've just signed up to volunteer after work where there will no doubt be lots of food. This will be my first food-in-face temptation since starting no-S. My game plan is to make two plates: one to eat at 6:30 for dinner and one with sweets to take home for the weekend. Hopefully my fiance won't demolish them before I get to my S-day -- he has a serious sweet tooth!
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Tue Jun 27, 2017 12:12 pm

Yesterday was a success, but it was definitely a struggle.
There was no real food at the volunteer site, so I had to make my plate with their random assortment of snacks including chips, plantains, trail mix, and fruit. I was hungry about 2.5 hours later. Luckily it was almost bedtime by then, so I just slept it off.
I'm volunteering again today, and I made sure to pack dinner this time.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Wed Jun 28, 2017 12:00 pm

Had my first red day yesterday :cry:
I was SO close to 21 days!
I am not quite sure what happened, but I think it is related to not eating enough the day before despite working out. Exercise really drives my hunger through the roof, and I am still terrified of working so hard to still gain because I eat too much. I know I need to break that mindset because exercise is good for me regardless of weight loss, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't trying to use it as a tool to help with weight loss. I am just concerned about undoing my progress.
Yesterday, I was starving about 2 hours before mealtime and even though I made a good dinner that ordinarily would've worked for me, when I finished eating, I felt like I barely ate at all. I went back for seconds and then something just clicked in my brain somewhere. I ended up binging on anything sugary that I could find (a couple bites of cake, 2 cookies, some dry chocolate chex cereal, and a few Starbursts). It was nowhere near the size of my usual binges, but it was a binge nonetheless. I just really don't know what happened or how to fix it so it doesn't happen again.


ETA: I have been doing some reading and found some studies that our bodies naturally crave quick-releasing sugar post-workout to repair muscles (which is probably why I binged on sugary foods after dinner) AND another duh moment - we need protein after workouts. I have always known this to be true but wasn't paying much attention last night. I exercise in the evenings, and my dinner was all starch and green veggies. I am going to start having a small protein shake with dinner to get the quick-releasing nutrition and protein AND ensure my meals have a protein source. I almost always have beans or tofu at dinner, but I was too lazy to add them to my meal last night. No more of that! I hope this will be the fix I need to maintain my intermittent fasting schedule.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:38 pm

Yesterday was a success!
Having a protein shake with my dinner really did the trick, despite the fact that I had a completely starch-based meal. No hunger AND no sugar cravings! I will definitely continue supplementing my post-workout meal with a shake from now on.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:50 pm

Yesterday was a success!
Tomorrow is my first official weigh-in since beginning no-S, so I am hoping I have at lost at least 5 pounds over these past 20 days. I would love to see 25 pounds down from my heaviest weight tomorrow (154). If not, I know I have gained so much more, so it won't ruin my day. But it would definitely be nice! I am wearing a shirt today that is noticeably looser than it was when I wore it last month, so I know I have at least lost inches. I may end up doing some measurements tomorrow as well. We'll see.
Worked super late yesterday, which always sucks before a fast day. I like to get ample rest before a long fast, but c'est la vie! I get to leave early today, so I just need to make it until the early afternoon. Then I can rest, workout, and have a nice dinner with my fiance. Looking forward to it.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

bd88
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Post by bd88 » Sat Jul 01, 2017 12:11 pm

Today was my first official weigh-in, and I am down 2 pounds at 3 weeks in.
I said I wouldn't let it ruin my day, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed, especially because I lost a little over 3 pounds in my first week. So somewhere along the way, I gained over a pound. I weighed 4 times because I couldn't believe it.

I just don't understand what I am doing wrong. I have never lost weight so slowly before, and I really thought I could count on at least one pound a week. I definitely didn't think I would gain over a pound.

I know all my meals haven't been "healthy," but the majority are, and I thought nutrition wasn't supposed to be a huge deal. Moreover, I am not even eating 3 meals a day! At this rate, I feel like I would balloon up on vanilla no-S. Maybe this is my body paying me back for all the years I abused it on crash diets and binges. I can't say I don't deserve it, but I am still a little sad.

I'm hoping some of the weight is because I have begun training. I am also going to adjust my weigh-in date because my TOM always comes within the first half of the month, and I always gain weight the week before and during. Weighing the third Saturday of the month puts me about in the middle between the end of TOM and ovulation, when I also tend to gain weight. I'm hoping this will work best for me psychologically.

I have also decided to do measurements for the first time. I had to use a belt and my fiance's rulerboard, so they probably aren't the best, but it's all I have.
I only measured the parts of my body that I care about reducing. I have an hourglass shape, which is one of the few things I like about my body, so my bust and hip measurements aren't really going anywhere anyway. Even when I was at my smallest, I only really lost substantially from the places listed below (minus the thighs - they're pretty resilient, but I am focusing on toning them a lot more this time around):

Arm: 15in.
Lats: 31.75in.
Natural waist: 30.75in.
Navel: 33in.
Lower belly pooch: 33.75in.
Thigh: 25.75in.

I am going to keep going with what I am doing until I weigh in again on the 15th, but if I have gained again, I will have to reasses and figure out what is going on.
Determined to break the diet mindset, confront my disordered eating, and embrace myself fully and unconditionally.

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Sat Jul 01, 2017 5:03 pm

Though the diet sites are fond of aiming at a pound a week, it's actually often harder to pull that off than it looks, unless a person is quite overweight and new to losing. And losing the water can be a temporary thing. Just for the heck of it, I used a device online about a week ago that showed how many calories per week I would have to limit myself to in order to lose a pound a week. Now, I'm old and erred on the side of caution regarding exercise, but my limit would be 6335 calories A WEEK, or about 900 a day to lose ONE pound of FAT. My weight fluctuates a lot more than my calorie reductions merit.

In my years here, I would say that it is actually the exception that people lose right away, even though that was our founder's experience (and mine, but I stalled for a long time after the first 10 lbs.) and definitely the exception that they lose at an even rate, especially if they've already lost weight before they got here. There are so many variables that affect weight.

I hate to add to the discouragement but it does seem short women have a real challenge. Most need so little food! And if they've been heavy and lost, they need even less than their sisters who were never heavy.

If you really can't imagine eating less, you might have to consider yourself to be treading water for a bit. Are you hating the lifestyle? What if you don't lose. Would you go back to the way you were eating? Was weight the only drawback to your old eating habits?

Were you thin when you were younger?

The vanity issue is a tougher one for most in this culture plastered with thin images everywhere. If there's any "diet" I recommend, it's restricting looking at any bodies but real ones right in front of your eyes and adding flattering clothing.

I think you are actually on the right path. I hope you can get a little more peaceful with hunger, as so many have reported that it declined over time in the same situations. And as much as you can, try to time exercise before a meal so that you don't have to eat something outside of a meal after a workout. As you probably know, since you're doing fasting, it's very common for athletes to train in the fasted state nowadays. I also read that Mark Mattson, longevity expert doesn't eat all day until the afternoon after he's gone on a run after work. (He starts early and ends early by the standards.) It sounds like he basically eats two meals a day, that meal and dinner with his family, and fasts daily for 16-18 hours. But he was never heavy. I'm not suggesting his regime, though. It's just an illustration.

If it's any consolation, there's some evidence that fasters who don't lose as much weight actually achieve greater disease-free longevity. Though when you want to look like a bikini model, longevity sounds like a cruddy reward. :evil:

I hope you'll review some of your posts about concentrating on NSV's. My heart goes out to you. I spent my middle teens through my 40's lamenting my body, sometimes losing small amounts but gaining more later. It was what one of my old friends would call unnecessary and unproductive suffering. It didn't actually help me change my eating habits enough to lose! I wish I could spare young women from it while they also learn moderate eating of mostly "real" food, getting consistent exercise, AND putting more attention on other aspects of life. Eating and exercise should support those things.

My goodness, have I preached enough? Can you believe I actually wrote more, but cut and pasted it out? It probably would have been enough just to say, hang in there! You're a wonderful person, you are SO much more than eating and your body, and you WILL find your way!
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
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Post by Merry » Sun Jul 02, 2017 4:35 am

bd88 wrote:Today was my first official weigh-in, and I am down 2 pounds at 3 weeks in.
I said I wouldn't let it ruin my day, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed, especially because I lost a little over 3 pounds in my first week. So somewhere along the way, I gained over a pound. I weighed 4 times because I couldn't believe it.

I just don't understand what I am doing wrong. I have never lost weight so slowly before, and I really thought I could count on at least one pound a week. I definitely didn't think I would gain over a pound.

I know all my meals haven't been "healthy," but the majority are, and I thought nutrition wasn't supposed to be a huge deal. Moreover, I am not even eating 3 meals a day! At this rate, I feel like I would balloon up on vanilla no-S. Maybe this is my body paying me back for all the years I abused it on crash diets and binges. I can't say I don't deserve it, but I am still a little sad.

I'm hoping some of the weight is because I have begun training. I am also going to adjust my weigh-in date because my TOM always comes within the first half of the month, and I always gain weight the week before and during. Weighing the third Saturday of the month puts me about in the middle between the end of TOM and ovulation, when I also tend to gain weight. I'm hoping this will work best for me psychologically.
I think in the book, Reinhard says that if you are going to weigh monthly, weigh on a few different days that week and average them. A weight on any one given day is not that meaningful.

I do think it's really hard to know what's going on (did you really gain, are you retaining water from just starting training, is it a that TOM issue, did you actually lose mainly water that first week and not fat and this evened out over the next weeks, did you eat a lot of salt this past week, etc...)

I'd encourage you to look at this as a net 2 lb. loss since your first weigh-in, and not sweat the fluctuation since there's no real way to know why it happened.

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

onemama
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Post by onemama » Sun Jul 02, 2017 11:16 pm

Hi Britt,

I think you're doing a fantastic job working on your habits :D
What kind of exercise are you doing? I started doing the workouts from the Firm Express because they are 20 minutes and pack a good punch, and will look for other similar stuff on youtube for variety if/ when I get bored with them.

Like you, I've been frustrated with my body and the way it's been responding lately. In my early 30s, I manged to get down to where I like to be through exercise and very little food restriction, but I'm nearing 40 now and my body is not doing what I wish it would do. I'm only 5ft 2, and I've never been truly thin. I'm pear shaped and my legs have been the bane of my existence.

I love Oolala's comment, especially this part:
I spent my middle teens through my 40's lamenting my body, sometimes losing small amounts but gaining more later. It was what one of my old friends would call unnecessary and unproductive suffering. It didn't actually help me change my eating habits enough to lose! I wish I could spare young women from it while they also learn moderate eating of mostly "real" food, getting consistent exercise, AND putting more attention on other aspects of life. Eating and exercise should support those things.
I want to enter my 40s at peace with the person I am, body included. My goal is to work on my habits and let my body decide where it wants to settle. I believe that my body will need time to realize this is for real, I'm changing my habits and I'm treating it a lot better. I guess when it realizes it can relax, good food will come regularly as well as sleep and adequate exercise, it will start relasing those fat stores it's holding onto for dear life. Years of abuse, of starving, binging, purging, have probably caused some damage to my metabolism. It's not going to go away overnight, but I think I can trust my body to adjust as I treat myself with kindness.

I also agree with focusing on other aspects of life. Someone ( I can't remember who it was) said that weight loss happens as we are living our lives and stop focusing so much on that aspect. I believe there's wisdom to that. It's a bit like "a watched pot never boils", right?

Hang in there. It sounds like you're doing great!

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