How long did it take for you to stop overeating at meals?

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.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
levictoria
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:25 pm
Location: Minnesota

How long did it take for you to stop overeating at meals?

Post by levictoria » Sat Aug 26, 2017 4:01 pm

Hey everyone. I just started this this week and am happy o be on board. Due to my history, I am tracking what I'm eating (mostly calories)at the moment so I won't have any surprises in the fbeginning here.

What I've noticed is since I am not snacking, my brain wants me to load up on food at meals and because of this, I'm eating more calories than usual.

I'm eating "healthy", Whole foods and and almost nothing is packaged. I was just eating more of the high calorie stuff (more avocado, more quinoa, etc).

It seems that for many people, they started off this way on here. How long do does it take most people to stop over eating at meals?
Victoria
Starting Weight 204.6
Starting Date Aug 24, 2017
Current 200.4
Total: -4.2

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sat Aug 26, 2017 4:57 pm

I'm in seven and a half years and I still sometimes overeat at meals, but most of my N day meals were moderate from the beginning. Semi-bingeing outside of meals was my issue. That went on, but much less frequently, for years. I did not let that stop me. Many N days meals have gotten smaller over the years just because, well, they just have as I've had to accept that I just don't need the amount of dense food I used to. I maintain about a 50-lbs. loss with about a 3-lb. fluctuation. My losses were not steady, but happened in spurts, and took a long time. I was just happy to have reduced bingeing, so I kept going.
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)

levictoria
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:25 pm
Location: Minnesota

Post by levictoria » Sat Aug 26, 2017 5:17 pm

oolala53 wrote:I'm in seven and a half years and I still sometimes overeat at meals, but most of my N day meals were moderate from the beginning. Semi-bingeing outside of meals was my issue. That went on, but much less frequently, for years. I did not let that stop me. Many N days meals have gotten smaller over the years just because, well, they just have as I've had to accept that I just don't need the amount of dense food I used to. I maintain about a 50-lbs. loss with about a 3-lb. fluctuation. My losses were not steady, but happened in spurts, and took a long time. I was just happy to have reduced bingeing, so I kept going.
What a story! That's amazing, and what I want! I want to be at a stable, healthy weight. No more fluctuations.
Victoria
Starting Weight 204.6
Starting Date Aug 24, 2017
Current 200.4
Total: -4.2

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

Post by Merry » Sat Aug 26, 2017 5:38 pm

I just got back from a vacation and was thinking, that "overeaters brain" has never completely gone away. Or hasn't for me anyway! But it's much less frequent these days.

I just read your other post about why you left/came back--so now I'm sorry I was a bit negative about calorie counting here! I tend to agree, if that's what helps you achieve moderation, it may be a positive for you--but I'll leave my post anyway, in case it gives you some new thought processes. (I've never been able to stick with calorie counting every meal for more than 4 months, and it has always made me want to really rebel and end up gaining weight after--but I know some people are more successful with it).

I'd encourage you, as you are able, to not think in terms of calories so much. I found interesting transitions with No-S over the first few months:

One, since I wasn't thinking about calories or types of food--I was just eating my plate and moving on--I started thinking about what I really wanted to eat and enjoying my meals.

Two, as I got used to meals and not perma-snacking all day, for the first time I started noticing hunger and full cues (I remember being shocked to realize I had previously been full all the time, when I thought I had been hungry all the time!).

I especially noticed what "overfull" felt like (sometimes hunger and full still elude me but I almost always notice overfull now). Overfull doesn't feel good. I started to notice how full my plate needed to be with certain meals. My mind could say, "I really want a full, big plate of xyz," and then it could say, "you know, the last time you ate that much, you felt awful." I never used to have thoughts like that. Now, here's honesty though--I don't listen to that thought 100% of the time. Sometimes my mind says, "I don't care, I want..." But I can tell you that every time I don't listen, I regret it! And, I even remember that more too! "Last time you didn't listen and said you didn't care, you regretted it..."

This is a subtle change in thought process that happens over time. The reason the mind wants to say, "I don't care, I want..." is because it's used to years of conditioning that restriction is meant to deny me something that I want or even feel an emotional need for. And when I feel that restriction isn't really giving me what I need, I'm not going to listen. But now--the mind is starting to learn that that thought process is really a lie--the restriction isn't about denying myself--it's about caring for myself. Hunger is satisfied with less, and the body feels better with less.

No-S is helping me, gradually, realize what taking better care of myself really is like--that it's freeing rather than restricting. That it's helping me (whereas restriction in the past felt like denial and almost like harming me).

I used to wolf down the first 2/3 of my food almost unconsciously--so of course I wanted more. That's not satisfying. No-S says--slow down. Enjoy every bite. You'll be satisfied sooner (and not feel awful afterwards).

I think focusing on calories naturally leads us to a negative thought process--it's hard to enjoy food if we are focusing on the numbers, and it makes us restrict things in an unnatural (and sometimes unnecessary) way. It also makes eating seem like work and makes us want to give up on any plan sooner.

Over time, I've learned that for many foods, I'm going to be happier with a smaller plate. I won't feel that awful, over-stuffed feeling if I just put it on a smaller plate so I don't overload. That's so much easier than calorie counting!

Anyway...welcome, and enjoy discovering about yourself as you do No-S!
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

vainglorious
Posts: 29
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 2:24 am

Post by vainglorious » Sat Aug 26, 2017 10:36 pm

I'm still really new to No S too (few weeks), but for me, historically, I haven't really had a problem overeating, but I was snacking a lot instead. Kind of sounds like your situation? I didn't really like feeling "full," so I would just eat until I was just kinda full and then snack. Now that I'm not snacking I'm eating more at meals, and sometimes I feel a little too full--especially depending on the meal, like if I'm eating a lot of zucchini for instance. But I think sometimes it's appropriate--like if I won't be able to eat for five hours, I might want to be a little "extra full" rather than just how I used to feel after a meal because I would get hungry so soon after. But I do think there's a difference between the way I experience "extra full" and how Merry describes "overfull." I just kind of like a constant of "neither full nor hungry," so I'm trying to adjust to the feeling hungry and letting myself feel hungry and then feeling full but not feeling gross. I could see how as time goes on I might become accustomed to it, and eat less at meals than I do right now, but I think it would probably take me like a year or so?

I guess that doesn't really answer your question. :\

splandrea
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2017 1:21 am
Location: Northern California

Post by splandrea » Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:27 am

I'm almost two months in and I eat notably less now. My N days are amazing, but my weekends feel quite glutinous still.
07/01/17: 258
Current: 238
Aiming for 180. We shall see...

healthyskillz
Posts: 70
Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:24 pm
Location: Netherlands

Post by healthyskillz » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:28 pm

I think after 2 months i found out how many servings of fruit/veg/starch work for me at every meal to not feel overly full but full enough to hold me over till the next meal. It makes N days easier and i dont have to overthink my intake. So e.g. I know if i have 1/2 cup of oats w 2 servings of fruit for breakfast will hold me over till lunch. Some days i wont feel satisfied enough after finishing my pre-plated meal and then i'll think: "okay, i can get more food but i'll have to mark this day off as a red day, or just have some tea/coffee to fill me up, suck it up and get on w life."

I never would have thought this to be possible for(i ALWAYS had problems w overeating & the weekends still aren't the way i always want them to be) so what i'm trying to say is, if you just stick to no s, eventually you'll get the hang of what your body needs. And sometimes not, but that's okay. We're humans, not robots :)
"Not giving up = winning!" // healthyskillz.tumblr.com
F/30-ish. BED recovered. Mod: pre-dinner fruit.

ironchef
Posts: 1630
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:12 am
Location: Australia

Post by ironchef » Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:41 am

I spent a long time just building habit: putting 3 meals a day on a plate and sitting down to eat the plate in one sitting.

After a while, I guess several months(?), I came to trust that I could put a bit less of the dense foods on my plates (especially at dinner time) and still not be over-hungry for the next meal. I also came to trust that if I misjudged and under-ate, that I would just be a bit hungry for a few hours, which as it turns out is nowhere near the catastrophe that I used to believe it was.

My goal now is to arrive at each meal pleasantly hungry, but not ravenous. I usually start to get hungry about an hour or so before the next meal is due. However, after 5 years of practice, I don't have to do anything special to meet this goal: I have a bunch of "intelligent dietary defaults" as Reinhard calls them, which are meal types and amounts that I know will work for me and my schedule - e.g. my morning bowl of oats. I know that if I eat my oat and fruit porridge at about 7:30 / 8am, by midday I'll be hungry for some lunch.

For me, the beauty of No-S is the simplicity - the fact that I don't have to dedicate any brainpower to it. If I had to spend too much time tinkering with exactly what is on my plates, eventually I'd give up. I know this because I've done a lot of different diets in the past, and the mental workload meant I always gave up after a few months, hence my yo-yoing.

r.jean
Posts: 1653
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by r.jean » Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:42 am

If I get what you are saying correct, your plate was not full and it left you unsatisfied. Then I think it is okay to add to the meal and not call it a second. If the plate was full, then it is a RED.

I purposefully start with a small serving sometimes hoping it will satisfy, but if it does not then I add a bit as long as it is not more than a moderate plate fill.

This is probably not an exact interpretation of No S, but it works for me. Conversely, I could go ahead and put it all on the plate and trust myself to quit eating if I get full.

I just ate a Brat (no bun), some Swiss cheese, and some grapes. It all would have fit easily on a plate. Yet I ate it in stages thinking maybe I did not need all that. Well I did tonight.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

levictoria
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:25 pm
Location: Minnesota

Post by levictoria » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:14 pm

Merry wrote:I just got back from a vacation and was thinking, that "overeaters brain" has never completely gone away. Or hasn't for me anyway! But it's much less frequent these days.

I just read your other post about why you left/came back--so now I'm sorry I was a bit negative about calorie counting here! I tend to agree, if that's what helps you achieve moderation, it may be a positive for you--but I'll leave my post anyway, in case it gives you some new thought processes. (I've never been able to stick with calorie counting every meal for more than 4 months, and it has always made me want to really rebel and end up gaining weight after--but I know some people are more successful with it).

I'd encourage you, as you are able, to not think in terms of calories so much. I found interesting transitions with No-S over the first few months:

One, since I wasn't thinking about calories or types of food--I was just eating my plate and moving on--I started thinking about what I really wanted to eat and enjoying my meals.

Two, as I got used to meals and not perma-snacking all day, for the first time I started noticing hunger and full cues (I remember being shocked to realize I had previously been full all the time, when I thought I had been hungry all the time!).

I especially noticed what "overfull" felt like (sometimes hunger and full still elude me but I almost always notice overfull now). Overfull doesn't feel good. I started to notice how full my plate needed to be with certain meals. My mind could say, "I really want a full, big plate of xyz," and then it could say, "you know, the last time you ate that much, you felt awful." I never used to have thoughts like that. Now, here's honesty though--I don't listen to that thought 100% of the time. Sometimes my mind says, "I don't care, I want..." But I can tell you that every time I don't listen, I regret it! And, I even remember that more too! "Last time you didn't listen and said you didn't care, you regretted it..."

This is a subtle change in thought process that happens over time. The reason the mind wants to say, "I don't care, I want..." is because it's used to years of conditioning that restriction is meant to deny me something that I want or even feel an emotional need for. And when I feel that restriction isn't really giving me what I need, I'm not going to listen. But now--the mind is starting to learn that that thought process is really a lie--the restriction isn't about denying myself--it's about caring for myself. Hunger is satisfied with less, and the body feels better with less.

No-S is helping me, gradually, realize what taking better care of myself really is like--that it's freeing rather than restricting. That it's helping me (whereas restriction in the past felt like denial and almost like harming me).

I used to wolf down the first 2/3 of my food almost unconsciously--so of course I wanted more. That's not satisfying. No-S says--slow down. Enjoy every bite. You'll be satisfied sooner (and not feel awful afterwards).

I think focusing on calories naturally leads us to a negative thought process--it's hard to enjoy food if we are focusing on the numbers, and it makes us restrict things in an unnatural (and sometimes unnecessary) way. It also makes eating seem like work and makes us want to give up on any plan sooner.

Over time, I've learned that for many foods, I'm going to be happier with a smaller plate. I won't feel that awful, over-stuffed feeling if I just put it on a smaller plate so I don't overload. That's so much easier than calorie counting!

Anyway...welcome, and enjoy discovering about yourself as you do No-S!
First off, thanks everyone for your replies to this. It's interesting to read the responses, but reassuring to know that this changes over time.

I wouldn't be counting calories except that it comes second nature to me. I'm not weighing or measuring anything at this point. Just eyeballing it. I could probably have a doctorate in calorie counting given the amount of my life I dedicated to it. And the what of what I'm eating has been a combination of me being lactose intolerant (I actually, am. Was diagnosed in the 2nd grade) and me actually liking to nourish my body with natural food. if I really wanted a slice of pizza, I would let myself have that too, no question, but I'll opt for the avocado, bulgar, tomato dish instead.
Victoria
Starting Weight 204.6
Starting Date Aug 24, 2017
Current 200.4
Total: -4.2

ironchef
Posts: 1630
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:12 am
Location: Australia

Post by ironchef » Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:12 am

leVictoria wrote:I wouldn't be counting calories except that it comes second nature to me. I'm not weighing or measuring anything at this point. Just eyeballing it. I could probably have a doctorate in calorie counting given the amount of my life I dedicated to it.
I would say I spent at least a decade, maybe more, on and off calorie counting, so perhaps I need to apply for past credits to get that PhD?? :)

I've stopped completely now, but that's by choice and mostly because I was keen to get my brain space back for other things. Plenty of people combine NoS with other approaches like calorie counting, and if it's something that helps you that's no issue.

Post Reply