The Honeymoon is Over

[juniebumble]

My first two weeks on this program were effortless. I was smugly assuming that by finding this program, I had already conquered my weight problem. The first two weeks were so easy, and I lost 4 pounds. Sure, everyone said that this was a slow process, but I went ahead and did the math anyway. (You know, at 2 pounds a week I will have lost 25 pounds by June etc. etc.) So, when I stepped on the scale one morning and it said that I had gained 6 pounds my mental resolution deteriorated quickly. Since then, I have struggled with this program and failed a lot of days.

Yes, I have put the scale away. I decided I would weigh myself again after I joined the 21 Day Club. But, now I am wondering if I am setting myself up for another self-sabotage (if I don't reach the 21 Day Club I won't have to weigh myself and get dissappointed again). I am on DAY 1H of my attempts to form that 21 day habit.

That 6 pound gain blew my diet out of the water. I am aware that this isn't logical. It could have been water weight, it could have been a scale malfunction, I could just need to shave my legs (ha ha)......but I am having a hard time getting past it. Each morning I get up and start all over again but for the past four days I've blown it by dinner time.

Has anyone out there experienced a mental hurdle and found a way to get over it?

What do you do when the "Honeymoon is Over" and just picking yourself up and starting over again isn't working?

[mstevens]

I'm not really sure.

It took me 2-3 failed goes before I had the success with no-s I've been having.

I use the scales on and off, but I've somehow persuaded myself not to take them too seriously.

You could try averaging the last few days or something to try to reduce the scary effects of one bad day.

[gratefuldeb67]

Stay in love with your NoS partner Junie!!!!
You don't need to concern yourself with the honeymoon.. You want to concern yourself with reaching your next anniversary!
And to stick with the marriage metaphor, you will encounter bumps and major challenges in your NoS journey, much like you would when in a new relationship with anyone..
Your skeletons (bad habits) have no where to hide here..
This is hard work... Roll up your sleeves and expect to get dirty sometimes...
Not sure what to say about your six pound fluctuation... Weight gain can be a really hard thing to explain... I doubt it was because you have six pounds of hair on your legs, and if you do, I want to see it in the Guinness book of world records soon! LOL..
But, in all likelihood, you probably had some kind of salty meal or possibly strayed from the program (only you can answer that to yourself)
Also, are you doing any weight training? That can cause size reduction and weight gain, and is a hard balance when trying to lose pounds..
You need to pick yourself up off the floor and leave your scale alone for a while...
I personally don't weigh myself unless I have had any kind of significantly long period of being on track and exercising and am feeling like I'm in a good place anyway... Of course I resist wanting to weigh myself at other times and am learning to look for validation that I am doing well, from other sources besides numbers on a scale...
If every time I felt bad and looked toward the scale to tell me "Deb you are a good person" I'd feel like a failure 300 days out of the year, if that was contingent on weight loss alone....

Don't do that to yourself... If you know the numbers will mess up your mind and ruin your future anniversary party with us here at NoS, then stay the heck off it except once in a blue moon.. I wouldn't suggest more than one weigh in a week... I only weigh about once a month at this point...

Everyone loses diffrerently... Nathan and I have both lost about the same pounds, in roughly the same amount of time... 25 or 30? For him, that represents about 2 pants sizes down.. For me it represents 5 inches down from my waist and about 3 sizes down... I've been doing some hard core Yoga for the past ten months and that has made me gain a substantial amount of muscle... I probabaly appear to have lost more like 40 lbs since I started here...

But it's not going to happen in a week or two or even a month...
Reinhard lost 20 lbs in the first few months of doing his plan, but I am 100% sure that he is 10 times more stringent and strict about his rules than any us lowly followers!!! The other 20 he lost took a whole year to lose after that, or maybe a little more... So do this math...
40 lbs in 2 years...
Not by June....
Don't mean to sound too abrupt, but I don't want you to dissilusion yourself either... You can do it!!!!!
Please send me an invitation to your NoS anniversary when you have your party!!!

Peace and Love,
Deb

[mjohnson121]

I think you've received some great advice. I'm in a similar boat (as at least a few others have stated as well) that you expect to lose weight immediately and can get frustrated. I was up 2 lbs on my weekly weigh in this week and I've been thinking about that.

My wife asked the day before my weigh in: "Have you lost more weight?" -- Yet I was up 2lbs. This created some cognitive dissonance as I was getting a compliment from my wife on looking better, I FEEL better and "tighter" than I did last week, and I'm loving the behavior control (ie, being able to control my cravings for late night binging/snacking) that NoS has provided.

In the end, I'm tempted to say screw the scale! I suspect that the body is "fighting" losing weight, as well as what Deb said about weightlifing/resistance exercise. It's actually not uncommon (from my readings) to gain a little weight when starting a diet/exercise regime (initially).

-Mark

[vmelo]

I'm new here, so I may be in that "honeymoon" phase you referred to, and I might not be the best one to give advice. However, after at least two decades of dieting (wow! I can't believe that as I type it), I finally realize that I can't count calories, measure my food, buy special food, etc., for the rest of my life. That's just not normal. That's why I'm here, and no doubt that's why many others (perhaps you, too?) are here.

That said, let me ask you: What's the alternative? Think about it: If you stay with the No-S plan, what's the worst that can happen? You won't gain weight and will most likely lose weight, even if it's only a pound a month. Also, while losing weight, you'll be eating normally. Let's face it: There is no way that we'll be able to eat without boundaries and not gain weight. That's the lie that most other diets seem to promise. Take the Atkins diet, for example. Many people are attracted to it because it says that you can eat as much as you want without gaining. Great! No boundaries, right? Of course, there's the one catch: you eliminate an entire food group. That's a boundary, but it's worse because it's an unnatural boundary that makes you feel like an outsider in society ("May I have that cheeseburger without the bun please?").

So, the key is to find a program that sets normal boundaries. Even "naturally thin" people have boundaries. It's just that their boundaries seem to come to them naturally whereas lifelong dieters like myself must construct those same type of boundaries. Unfortunately, most diets (ala Atkins) ask people to construct boundaries that stigmatize them, i.e., telling them they can't eat like others do. This No-S plan is great because I believe it allows us to construct boundaries that fit in with the mainstream, making it easier to follow in the long run.

Sorry for the long post. In short, I would advise you to put away the scale and get back on the program. Try not to focus so much on the numbers and focus on the fact that you're training yourself to eat normally. Good luck!

[want2bhealthy]

everytime i want to give up , i find all these words of wisdom encouragement and knowledge about why i hated going on diets in the first place. so i am going to carry on an learn to just trust this process, however long it will take. that is the key, boy it is hard to find the patience!! but as someone has said , you feel like you can eat in any social situation and everyday life, like a "normal" person not trying to lose weight. i have found my positive attitude again and i will stick with this!!!!!! thanks to all of you, and the great advice. i am only 2 lbs back up so i can fix that quick before i gain all my weight back. my advice to all is to keep on fighting. i know i will. and i cant wait to share my success story(when i finally get there) with anyone who will listen. thanks again so much.

[juniebumble]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post your advice and experiences. I made it through Friday (and obviously Saturday and Sunday). You know what worked? I just did it. When I felt tempted I just said "No". That is not profound and honestly it wasn't easy but I did do it. No conquering of mental hurdles (that damn six pounds) just perserverance. After all, this only works if you do it.

I decided I would put the scale away for now, and once again concentrate on forming the habit of no S. Carole Jo and I talked about that before.

Thanks again.

[Kevin]

You're doing right to put the scale away. I have a good scale, and If I *move* it, it'll change what I weigh.

Listen, to yourself in your last post: two weeks ago, could you have just said "no?" I doubt it. Think about how much will power you've built in two weeks!

Oh, weight goes up and down. I go up a full three pounds from morning to evening, and I weigh more on evenings when I exercise (go figure).

Stick with it. At very least, you'll do no worse than stem the tide. But I'm betting you'll do better than that.