Partial Book Review - Economist's Diet - No S compatible

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freeandeasy
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Partial Book Review - Economist's Diet - No S compatible

Post by freeandeasy » Sun Jan 14, 2018 4:40 am

I came across this new book in the bookstore the other day and picked it up. From reading the boards I know I'm not the only who still loves reading diet and nutrition books.

I'm about halfway through this one and enjoying it. I think it's a great companion to the No S Diet. It's also a fun read if you like behavioral economics (one of my geeky loves).

It's written by two formerly fat economists, and they talk about the systems and habits they put in place to lose the weight. Some of it is the same stuff Reinhard has said - create systems and broad habits that give you clear boundaries around food and eating.

The first one, which I've adopted, is weighing yourself daily. I've now taken that up. Their reasoning is that it becomes really clear what and how the foods and meals we're eating impacts our waistline.

There's much more than that, but I don't want to give it all away. Plus I haven't finished reading it yet.

But, thought I'd give it a shout out since I think some of you might be interested in it -- maybe even Reinhard.

osoniye
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Post by osoniye » Sun Jan 14, 2018 4:46 am

Thanks for sharing!!
(Feel free to give more of it away, as relevant!)
-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:48 pm

Hi, Free! I bought the book for my Kindle. It’s very interesting, and very like No S in some ways - quite systemic, and focussed on 3 meals a day. I found the main difference is in how little they advise you to eat (two of the meals have to be very light) and how they urge you to get used to being quite hungry...hungry enough to be angry and distracted (as the two lovable economists admit). They are basically a pair of jolly good dieters, who illustrate the idea that you just have to eat less - much less, and keep it up. Most of us on No S are probably a bit more concerned with the negative effects of eating too little - ie. you can’t sustain it, and there’s always our worry about ‘starvation mode’, how the body clings to its fat if threatened with starvation. These chaps obviously don’t buy into any of that!

Gosh though, I do find myself attracted to their approach, but I suspect that it would be a case of yet more self-delusion for me...thinking ‘right, this time I really will stick to 1500 cals a day!’

I was fascinated by their idea that the number on the scale reflects what you ate the day before. Thus giving you motivating, immediate feedback. If the number isn’t to your liking, it’s probaby because you ate some pasta for one of your tiny meals. Hmmmm. Well when I was calorie counting, I did weigh myself every day, and it was instructive to see the numbers going up and down, yet ultimately for me it was more discouraging than motivating. Can the scale really reflect what you ate the day before? Maybe so. It’s an interesting thought. If it’s true, then I would use it as motivation.

They also advise making up for ‘splurges’ ( S events) by skipping meals etc. Reinhard definitely advises against that, as it gives us the illusion that we can atone for any non-compliance.

Thanks for mentioning the book - always interesting to read new approaches.

freeandeasy
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Post by freeandeasy » Fri Jan 19, 2018 5:23 pm

Hi Octavia,
Cool that you got the book. I finished reading it last night. I agree with parts of it and will be incorporating some parts of the book, and less on other things. I always figure if I can at least 1 good practical tip from a book then it was worth it.

It's interesting about the light meals. It's intimidating to read that, but I've been thinking about it a lot and it has affected how I look at my plates. I used to have quite the issue with vertical stacking, and I'm starting to reign that in a bit. I still eat 3 squares, but it is good food for thought. Pun intended

I've begun keeping a food diary (quite easy now since I only have 3 entries) and weighing myself daily. I can tell the difference in my weight from my daily diet! And they were right, I am starting to notice how I feel and can tell you whether or not the scale will be up the next day. It's kinda cool! For me it's like a game - which, let me tell you, it never was before, that's for sure!

Personally, I'm a big fan of intermittent fasting. So for me, skipping a meal occasionally feels good. This, again, is something I NEVER EVER would have thought I'd appreciate. So for me, if I get too full from lunch, I sometimes skip dinner. And that is beginning to balance things out for me. And it has stabilized my blood sugar and lowered my triglycerides quite a bit. But that's my journey.

Back in my dieting days that would have put me in a tailspin. But I am not dieting anymore, so I'm having fun being a detective and discovering what works for my body. And now I'm actually losing weight and having fun with it. Crazy. I'm sure it's probably snowing in hell because I never thought I'd see the day where I would say something like that! :lol:

I feel like No S had made that possible for me.

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:30 pm

Wow - that is inspiring! Feeling that you can actually influence the scale on a day-to-day basis. I know what you mean about it being like a game, too. I think our primitive human brains like a game! I used to notice these things when I was calorie counting; the game of ‘hit the target’ offered an alternative to ‘stuff in the chocolate’! Games create pleasure, diversion and reward, and that’s got to help us conquer our compulsive eating.

The problem for me, was keeping it up. But I’m certainly aware that when I calorie counted, I tried too hard to incorporate snacks and sweets into my target. I never got on top or those habits. And that’s what No S addresses.

Gillian Riley always said that the best motivation is the most immediate. For her, that means feeling good because you refused the snack. That never worked for me. Seeing the scale go down seemed to me more immediate and much more connected to my actual eating. After all, I could feel good because unknown to me, my jeans had stretched, or maybe a nice bloke smiled at me, or whatever!!😊. I know they say the scale isn’t a perfect measure, but it’s a pretty good one. I think I might start to weigh myself. Terrified, though, as I haven’t weighed for ages, and I was determined to do NoS for the sanity, regardless of whether I lost weight!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience.

freeandeasy
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Post by freeandeasy » Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:19 pm

I hear ya Octavia. I couldn't weigh myself for a long time. And I agree, I came to No S for the sanity too. That is of the utmost importance to me.
I certainly can relate to all of that.

Which is why my current experience is happily surprising me. For me it feels very different than the days when I'd see how much fake food I could eat and still eat only, say 2 points or 150 calories or whatever.

I've been having fun eating real food, that I really enjoy, and then seeing how the foods and quantities affect me. It's been really interesting. For example - I can have a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, but if I eat that for dinner (or bread or pasta) my weight goes up. So for me, eating carbs and breads during the day is fine, but if I eat them or sugar at night my weight trends up. I think it's so cool to find that out!

But, if this ever starts messing with my peace of mind, then that's another story.

Thanks for having this convo with me. It's fun to hear about your journey too. :)

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:50 pm

Ooh, I’m becoming more and more intrigued, Free! 😊 I still haven’t weighed myself. Such a coward. I think I will though...like, tomorrow morning! Unless I forget, like I did this morning.

Sounds like you are gaining a good sense of control, through these weight/eating observations! This is what I long for - a real grasp of cause and effect. We’re often encouraged to see the big picture, or think long-term, when keeping our eyes on the smaller picture is much more motivating.... we can actually do something about it NOW. Focusing on the big picture, the distant future, is probably one of the things that trips us up.

Even when I was calorie counting and weighing every morning, it never occurred to me to link the movement on the scale with the type of food I’d eaten - if I’d eaten low calories I expected the scale to go down, and the opposite if I’d eaten more calories, but it didn’t work out like that - hence many people’s disillusionment with weighing. I started wondering if my weight reflected what I’d been eating two weeks ago!!!!

Perhaps this is the most exciting innovation of the Economists’ Diet! Maybe you CAN control what the scale says in the morning, every morning.

Thanks for the conversation! I’m enjoying it, too. 🙂

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Post by Larkspur » Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:51 pm

Hm. Cool discussion. I have encountered in other places (even long ago when I was first struggling with this post-baby weight, when the baby was a baby) that a low carb dinner is helpful. And if you think in terms of using carbs to fuel your daily activities that makes more sense.

I do weigh almost daily. I think it helps when you are not focused on weight loss to keep things from going all whoa-Nelly on you. I don't agree that you can always tell by next day how things are going to shake out though. I swear I've gone overboard and it didn't really show up for days, or I've been extra careful and I didn't see that for days either. I had been toying with the thought of not weighing for a week, on the theory than on my present regime, the greater danger might be, "Oh well, I haven't gained anything, so I can loosen up." Maybe if I were terrified of a gain when I do weigh I would be more austere in my choices.

I too find my weeny version of IF/TRE (16:8) has been an easy and helpful addition to my health practices.

I would be interested in the systems approach but not so much the small meals/going hungry.

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Octavia
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Post by Octavia » Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:05 am

Finally plucked up the courage to weigh myself. I am 11 stone 1. Not my very heaviest ever, but an incentive to keep up No S. (I am 5 foot 5 and a half).

Have spent two fairly spartan N days, including some quite long periods of hunger, and my weight now is.... exactly the same, 11 stone 1! Not sure weighing is going to be a good motivation for me. It was, in the old days....maybe before the age of 48 or so...but I think my body has changed. Or maybe I just need a day or two more before the scale starts moving.

In the last few years, these sorts of disappointments have led me to speculate about whether eating too little forces the body to hold onto weight. But I’ve decided that’s a really bad, motivation-damaging theory.

I’ve eaten about 1500 cals a day. Last night, dinner was a piece of cod, a single medium boiled potato, some broccoli and peas. Not exactly a carb fest...but I could try skipping the potato and being a bit more low carb! I can’t skip peas! I love them too much. I’d have to limit them instead. It would be a painless experiment, suppose! That’s what the Economists recommend!

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