NO-S WHEN SICK?

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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Chotzinoff
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Location: Austin Texas

NO-S WHEN SICK?

Post by Chotzinoff » Tue Dec 05, 2017 3:20 am

I have been sick for more than a week--a cold that turned into a sinus infection with a migraine. I am finally coming out of the other side of it, but i feel a little discouraged. I couldn't get any exercise. I could barely get out of bed. I did a little bit of paying work, but not much. As always, my appetite didn't die out just because I was feeling crappy. Well, it did for 24 hours, but mostly I felt discouraged and bored and excited to eat when it was time and then disappointed as eating bland food you're not really hungry for doesn't really qualify as excitement. I remembered reading that a sick day is an S-Day. I didn't really take advantage of that, but I ate when I wasn't hungry and now that I'm on the mend, slowly, I feel very puffy and fat and as if I've undone my month and a half of compliant No-S.

Has anyone out there dealt with this? Can anyone tell me that after a year, this will be a tiny little glitch that didn't cause much damage and advise me to just keep building the habit?

I'm not tempted to give up, but every once in a while, I realize over again that I'm not going to lose weight fast. There will be no kicks of that kind. And there will be setbacks. Since I don't weigh myself (too scared) I get neither good news nor bad.

I guess I'm just throwing this out there to see if it sounds familiar, or if anyone who's much farther along that me will say something supportive.

oolala53
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:27 am

I don't know what happens with other people and sick days, but I gave up feeling that sick days should be similar to S days at all, nor should they resemble the days my mother fed me foods which might have been comforting but not healing. I tend now to resist the desire to eat for some kind of excitement or intensity of flavor, except the saltiness of chicken broth, keeping it very simple with starch and freggies.

The body will not usually put on fat from a few days of eating more. Just do the routine and see how you feel in a few days. Besides, if you did find out you had gained some, would you actually do anything differently? If all you'd do is berate yourself without changing your behavior, spare yourself the unproductive suffering. You don't deserve it!

Whatever good No S can do isn't worth much if a few days of overeating undoes it all. I think it's better than that.

I'm a little confused: has it been a year or a month and a half?
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)

Chotzinoff
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Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

Post by Chotzinoff » Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:39 pm

Oolala, it's been a month and a half. I was pretty sleepy when I wrote the part about a year. What I meant was "will I look back on this after a year" or words to that effect. Thanks for the encouragement, anyway.

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:57 pm

Has anyone out there dealt with this? Can anyone tell me that after a year, this will be a tiny little glitch that didn't cause much damage and advise me to just keep building the habit?
In a year, this will be a tiny little glitch that didn't cause much damage. Just keep building the habit. :wink:

What's the alternative? Give up and pack it in because you were sick for a week? What about the rest of your life? Do you really want to have to deal with this same issue next year and the year after? Didn't think so. Just keep working at it and commit to the process. In order to reach the goal, you have to first follow the process. One never achieves the goal first then learns the process second. Besides, the process is the part whereby you learn about yourself. The fun part. The part when you learn perseverance and self discipline. The part when you have to deal with disappointments and setbacks.The part that makes you, you. So often we want the goal and only the goal but what then? Another goal? Think of it this way. I do a bit of running. I recently ran a turkey trot and you might be tempted to ask me "what was your time?" and I could tell you but it's meaningless. It's just a number that isn't particularly impressive. The far more interesting question is "What was your process?" How many days/miles did you run. What was the terrain like? What did you think about? What did you do in inclement weather? How did you manage your job and family life? What did you learn about yourself? What effects did running have on your friends and/or family? These are the questions that make me interesting to you (or not) and they are all about the process not the goal.

It's the same with any goal. The goal is the end. A number. You might make it. You might not. What I want to know about is your process.

Best of luck to you this week. I hope you feel better.

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Tue Dec 05, 2017 2:12 pm

Hi Chotzinoff - hope you feel better soon. I've just had a couple of viruses myself, almost back to back, and I think they can make you feel very low and unmotivated. When your health returns in full, you'll probably find your sense of perspective returns, and you'll have the energy to engage with No S again. In the meantime though, you'll probably want to eat anything that distracts you from the symptoms. I was nibbling constantly to ease my sore throat! ..but then, I wasn't No S-ing at that time, I was doing my other eating style, known as 'feed on demand'. 😩😂 !! keep smiling and report back soon.

SpiritSong
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Post by SpiritSong » Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:42 pm

gingerpie wrote: What's the alternative? Give up and pack it in because you were sick for a week? What about the rest of your life? Do you really want to have to deal with this same issue next year and the year after? Didn't think so. Just keep working at it and commit to the process. In order to reach the goal, you have to first follow the process. One never achieves the goal first then learns the process second. Besides, the process is the part whereby you learn about yourself. The fun part. The part when you learn perseverance and self discipline. The part when you have to deal with disappointments and setbacks.The part that makes you, you. So often we want the goal and only the goal but what then? Another goal? Think of it this way. I do a bit of running. I recently ran a turkey trot and you might be tempted to ask me "what was your time?" and I could tell you but it's meaningless. It's just a number that isn't particularly impressive. The far more interesting question is "What was your process?" How many days/miles did you run. What was the terrain like? What did you think about? What did you do in inclement weather? How did you manage your job and family life? What did you learn about yourself? What effects did running have on your friends and/or family? These are the questions that make me interesting to you (or not) and they are all about the process not the goal.

It's the same with any goal. The goal is the end. A number. You might make it. You might not. What I want to know about is your process.
I want to be Gingerpie when I grow up.

ironchef
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Post by ironchef » Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:07 am

I've always taken the advice "Sick days start with S" to mean that if you are feeling terrible, and snacking on salty crackers is the only thing you can face, then by all means do so and break the snacking rule. Or, if flat lemonade is the only thing you can hold down, break the no sweets rule. I've never had an illness where I've thought "well, dessert and lots of seconds will make me feel better!".

To be honest, mostly when I'm really sick I don't want to eat as much, so there is no need for any rules about moderation.

It's only when I'm a teeny bit sick that I tend to overeat. But that's not because I'm sick. It's because I'm sorry for myself, and for me that usually means my brain will try to convince me to snack on junk because I deserve it. If I can get past that knee jerk reaction and remind myself that meals of real food will help me get healthy fast, I'm usually ok.

I promise that in a few years, you'll have done this a few times for various colds and 'flus, and you'll have learnt that a week or two off schedule is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Wed Dec 06, 2017 6:28 am

2 years on no-s and I don't worry about sick days at all. Do what you need to do to get better, and get back on track with No-S when you are able. This is definitely just a small glitch in the road habit-wise, don't let it throw you off track. I hope you feel better soon!
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

Chotzinoff
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

Post by Chotzinoff » Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:17 pm

Gingerpie wrote:
In order to reach the goal, you have to first follow the process. One never achieves the goal first then learns the process second. Besides, the process is the part whereby you learn about yourself. The fun part. The part when you learn perseverance and self discipline. The part when you have to deal with disappointments and setbacks.The part that makes you, you. So often we want the goal and only the goal but what then? Another goal?

I got out my fine-point Sharpie and wrote that on an index card and taped it on the wall above my desk.

Thanks to all of you for the encouragement. Very, very encouraging.

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