Everyday Systems

spiralstares

yeah, I'm getting a lot of feedback. I've explained No-s to a number of people. It really resonates with some people and other's seem to have no interest in it at all, even if they have weight to lose. I think it appeals to a specific type of sensibility.

spiralstares

Wow, Spiral - that's impressive! I take it you're exercising as well :)

I'm exercising a bit, but I expect to exercise more as I continue losing the weight. (I bet a dozen people $100 each that I would run the New York City Marathon next year. that was an easy bet for them to take when I was 300 ...

spiralstares

I'm posting this here for a couple reason. One is because we get a lot of posts from frustrated individuals who aren't losing weight, and second because I know many or most of the people here don't read the daily check-ins.

I started the No-S diet in the middle of June, now almost exactly 5 months ...

spiralstares

haha! I caught my thread right before it fell off the first page of daily check-ins. There isn't much new to report insofar as the process goes; I'm still using No-S as my basic structure and then experimenting withing that frame.

As far as progress goes, the last time I weighed myself was last ...

spiralstares

I agree with Peetie, have a later breakfast.

You may still get hungry but that's okay. A little hunger (the kind that arises between meals) is a good thing. It means your body is beginning to burn stored energy. That's what you want. You'll get used to it.

spiralstares

Sandy,

I know about loopholes. I counted my first day on the No-S diet as an S-day because it was the first day on the diet and wasn’t that, in and of itself, special? I think my first couple of day on No-S I would use suspension bridge technology to dangle slices of pizza on vertically standing ...

spiralstares

That avi is funny. Especially when you play it to music.

spiralstares

I was reading a book about wheat/gluten intolerance:

"recent medical studies have proven that these grains actually release a chemical into your brain called an opioid. This is exactly the same reaction that happens when illegal drugs like cocaine and opium are taken. The chemical reacts on the ...

spiralstares

It's a strength exercise/cat toy.

See: http://www.shovelglove.com/

spiralstares

I don't want it to seem like I'm disagreeing with anybody's politics or viewpoints on anything here. I just like playing devil's advocate.

I think you can effectively argue about so many outside influences that contribute to making people fat. Capitalism makes you fat. Socialism makes you fat ...

spiralstares

I walk at least an hour a day. Not necessarily all in one stretch, but maybe a few walks throughout the day.

spiralstares

gratefuldeb67 wrote:Spiralstairs,
Lay off my special and excellent club!

There's no need to knock it, if that's what you're doing...

Deb, I wasn't knocking your club. I think it's a great club. I'm shooting for the "My Underwear Fell Off Club," then you really know you've made it.

spiralstares

I think it’s rather sweet the way we all take this somewhat innocuous study and interpret it so that whatever we perceive to be the problem is what’s to blame. Snazzybabe is very anti-carb, so predictably she sees this article as evidence that we eat too many carbs. Freakwitch rather amazingly was ...

spiralstares

Capitalism and corporations made me fat.

I take no responsibility

spiralstares

Well, I thought I'd check in as I am just over 3 months in to my modified no-s, shovelglove, and urban ranger routine. In that time I've lost 38 pounds and I'm about a third of the way to where I'd like to be.

So things are going well. Thanks to everyone for their support.

spiralstares

Yes, I've got a much better name...

The Sledge-a-Sweater!!!

No?

spiralstares

I believe the doctrine of No-S would dictate that if you want fruit it should be included as part of your breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

From the No-S page...

What about healthy snacks?

Eat healthy meals. If you know you have just three, you'll make them count. I'm perfectly aware that an orange ...

spiralstares

Reinhard,

His diet advice during the time of the show was much more standard (lean meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains).

That's why I prefer the 1950's Jack who is a bit less rabid about it all, but no less passionate.

spiralstares

Yes, who knows, maybe if I lived through the era I wouldn't have such a fondness for it. Lord knows I could do without the 80's completely.

spiralstares

Yes, he invented a lot of the gym equipment we're familiar with and I believe he was the first to use those rubber band type things to excercise with (he calls them Glamour Stretchers on the show).

He turns 91 in a couple of weeks and he's going to be on the weekend edition of the Today show ...

spiralstares

I was born in the seventies but I have a nostalgic yearning for the fifties. Actually, in a lot of ways I enjoy mid-century art and entertainment and style despite the fact I didn’t live through it.

If anyone else has any admiration for that time period I have a recommendation for you. Every ...

spiralstares

Yes, I would guess that the majority of the people who gain weight back after they lose it do so because they go back to eating the way they used to, so it's no surprise they gain it back. The beauty of No-S is that it's a relatively painless plan that you can stick to for life.

There are a ton of ...

spiralstares

Someone eating 1200 worth of calories, can slow down their metabolism and not experience any weight loss because the body can compensate. But if you are eating 400 calories it can't compensate.

Hey snazzybabe. Your knowledge of how metabolism works is a little incomplete, as is most people's ...

spiralstares

Yes, of course. I wasn't suggesting anybody actually eat 400 calories a day. But at 1200 or 1500 calories a day, you're not exactly starving yourself. You're just taking in fewer calories than you are burning during the day, and that's the definition of weight loss.

Of course, the reason most of us ...

spiralstares

Again, I'm not saying eating the way I did was healthy or a good idea. If I thought it was, I'd still probably be eating that way.

spiralstares

Sometimes when you go on a low-calorie diet for too long you end up with a very slow metabolism. So you body doesn't need so much calories to function and you end up not losing any weight even though you are on a very low-calorie diet.

This seems to be common diet wisdom, but it's a bit of a ...

spiralstares

spiralstares, did you ever see Super Size Me?

Yeah, I did. It was a pretty entertaining movie although intellectually kind of dishonest and silly. And of course its premise has been thoroughly debunked.

Soso Whaley also ate solely at mcdonalds for a month and she lost 10 pounds and her ...

spiralstares

"maybe you lost weight just because of the reduction in calories... "

What do you mean " just because of the reduction in calories"? The only way you lose weight on any diet is by a calorie deficit.

The Coke and McDonalds diet is actually a very low calorie diet at approximately 1300 calories ...

spiralstares

Actually, if this diet proves one thing it's that weight loss has little to do with nutrition. You can eat poorly and gain weight (as most people do) or eat poorly and lose weight.

I felt great when I was on this diet, but I usually feel great anyway.

spiralstares

We've talked about a lot of different diets here; Atkins, Leptin, 3-hour diet, etc. I'm going to add one more to the mix.

If the simplicity and variety of the No-S diet has you feeling like you're not on a "real" diet, perhaps you'd like to try this diet that I used to lose 35 pounds in 6 weeks in ...

spiralstares

Daisy,

Congratulations on passing your one-week mark. You seem to have the right attitude to make this work.

Oh, and I think our avatars make a cute couple.

SS

spiralstares

BB,

I have a couple tricks I use.

First, I weigh myself in the mornings of my S days. Seeing the weight that I've lost while no-s'ing during the week serves as motivation not to go crazy and gain back the weight that I lost during the week.

Second, I don't deny myself any type of food or any ...

spiralstares

Well, Tonsha, I have to admit that I’m going more by the spirit of No-S as opposed to following it exactly as Reinhard has laid it out. For instance I don’t take an S-day every Saturday and Sunday. I space out my S days in a different manner, more sporadically, through the month and I weigh a couple ...

spiralstares

Just dropping in to make a quick update. Since my last post I've lost another 5 pounds which means I'm down 31.5 pounds since June 16. Not too shabby.

I'm happy that things are starting to cool down a bit and I'm eagerly anticipating autumn which is my favorite time of year. I much happier when I ...

spiralstares

Two suggestions:

First, I wouldn't look to theomnivore.com for anything other than a laugh. He's scientifically illiterate and biased which is dangerous if you're looking for legitimate health advice.

Second, you should eat the foods during your weight loss that you plan on eating after you've ...

spiralstares

Peanut butter and bacon is excellent (with or without a banana).

Peanut butter and sprouts isn't half bad either.

spiralstares

I got to thinking about it; the reasons why most deodorants work is that they plug up the pores, keeping them from sweating.

Well, deodorants don't keep anybody from sweating, anti-perspirants do. And they don't do it by "plugging up the pores," so I don't think you have much to worry about.

spiralstares

Day 55(?)

Or so.

Let's see...what's happened since my last check-in? Well, first I created a new shovelglove scenario called "Escape From A Chain Gang" which starts off with a few "pounding in the railroad spikes" then some "crushing the guards' skulls" and finally some "chopping off my leg ...

spiralstares

I've got a lot to lose, so these numbers might be slightly misleading, but I've lost 21.5 pounds in 38 days. You can see my progress through my check-in thread.

spiralstares

Day 38

It's been a while since my last check-in, but I've continued No-S'ing since that time and I just wanted to drop in and make an update. I've lost another 5 pounds since my last update which puts me at 21.5 pounds down.

What I like about the No-S diet is that it's so basic, in a sense, that ...

spiralstares

Well, I'm a proud member of the 21 day club. I have more to lose than most here, so the weight came off relatively quickly for me.

For those who don't read the daily check-ins, my last weigh-in was at 24 days (15 n-days, 9 s-days) and I have lost 16.5 pounds so far.

spiralstares

Okay, now that I've reached the 21 day milestone, I am going to keep this thread going as a weekly check-in/update.

Since my last weigh-in I have had 3 n-days and 4 s-days. Yes, that's more s-days than n-days, and yet I still managed to lose another pound this week. I would have been perfectly ...

spiralstares

Day Twenty-One: Success

After twenty-one days this diet pretty much works itself, right? Great! I'm going to go have a cake and celebrate.

spiralstares

Day Eighteen: S-day
Day Nineteen: S-day
Day Twenty: S-day

Thanks, Reinhard, et al.

I doubt I'll add much to my losses this week as it's a short week following 3 S-days, but I'm fine with that. I'm very realistic about what I believe my rate of loss will eventually settle in at.

Even once my rate ...

spiralstares

Day Seventeen: Success

And with the week coming to an end, it's now my weigh-in day.

This week I lost 5 more pounds.

Here's the totals...

N Days - 12
S Days - 5

Total weight lost: 15.5 pounds.

spiralstares

Day Sixteen: Success

And one day closer to a long S-weekend of barbecues and ice cream.

spiralstares

I've added one S that really boosts this diet into the miracle class...

No Swallowing.

spiralstares

Perhaps we could invent a plate that consists of interlocking concentric rings. Then every month you take off the outer ring so your plate gets continually smaller and smaller until eventually you're eating your prime rib off of a nickel.

spiralstares

Day Fourteen: Success
Day Fifteen: Success

Two weeks and counting.

spiralstares

Day Eleven: S-day
Day Twelve: S-day
Day Thirteen: Success

But damn, it's getting hot and humid here in NYC. This makes shovelgloving and even just walking around much less pleasant. Oh well, it can't last forever.

spiralstares

Perhaps the only benefit of having a lot to lose is that the pounds really melt away at first. I expect things to even out over the course of the next week and I may lose very little or nothing at all. I'll be fine with that. Thanks to everyone for the kind words.

spiralstares

Day Ten:

Okay, it's the end of my first full week on the No-S diet. And it's my first official weigh in.

Here's the tally...

N-days - 7
S-days - 3

Total weight lost: 10.5 pounds.

Now of course I expect this pace to drop off dramatically. But hey, it's still a good feeling for the first ten ...

spiralstares

Fawnmarie wrote (in the original thread that I accidentally posted the message above in).

In what way is it more of a matter of physics than chemistry?

I don't know about the low-carb thing either. I lost quite a bit of weight on it, kept it off for years and didn't gain anything back until I ...

spiralstares

Before starting No S, I lost about 12 pounds in a month by eating pizza, french fries, ice cream, candy, sandwiches, McDonalds, pretty much whatever I wanted, but just in a limited quantity.

In fact, with the exception of the sweet stuff, that's still the types of things I'm eating during the week ...

spiralstares

[oops, I made this post in the wrong thread]

Fawn, I'll answer your question in the other thread ("No S Diet - My Thoughts").

spiralstares

Day Nine:

Success.

The weekend's almost here, right?

spiralstares

Day Eight:

I think I'll start using the "Success" and "Failure" terminology.

It means something for me to have this daily check-in, but I don't have a whole lot to say unless I have some big crisis of faith ("Oh my god, I almost ate a cookie!") which I haven't had yet.

Success, by my definition ...

spiralstares

Day Seven:

Well, it's been a week. That means, what? I'm one third of the way towards making this a habit? Well, it really hasn't been all that difficult for me. It already feels habitual. And it's been successful as well. I've lost some weight (I'll update my numbers this weekend). And I've yet to ...

spiralstares

Day Six:

Success.

I actually ate much less today then even the No-S diet requires. SG and UR as well.

When I am Urban Rangering I listen to old time radio shows which I have loaded on my Ipod. It makes the time go much faster for me. I buy them here www.dadsotr.com. It's just a couple of dollars ...

spiralstares

Deb, I agree that there should be no rules placed on S-days. I don't think I made myself clear, my S-day choices are in no way incumbent on how much weight I lost during the week. I just use weighing myself on Saturday as positive reinforcement to balance my natural gluttony. For me, weighing myself ...

spiralstares

What I'm about to talk about may have already been mentioned, but in case it hasn't, or for the benefit of those who haven't considered it...

I've been thinking a bit about the diet Reinhard has created and I think it's really ideal for me in a lot of different ways. The simplicity, the philosophy ...

spiralstares

Day Four: S-Day
Day Five: S-Day

I've been enjoying these S-Days but I'm also looking forward to getting back in the game tomorrow.

spiralstares

Day Three:

Happily it was another success for me today. I probably ate more at my meals than I hope to eventually settle in to, but the critical part for me was that I stuck to the principles of the No-S diet. It seems like the important part is to get the structure down and then once I have that ...

spiralstares

Day Two:

Last night I had Chinese food. My fortune cookie read:

Begin...the rest is easy.

I don't know that that really constitutes a fortune but it does seem like solid advice.

My 3 daily goals are:
1. To stick to the No-S diet.
2. Get in my 14 minutes of shovelglove.
3. At least one hour of ...

spiralstares

Thanks, Deb. Just to clear things up. I'm not that big a girl. I'm that big a guy. I appreciate the support.

spiralstares

Day One:

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself and start off this daily check-in thread.

Today I made the decision to follow the Everyday Systems path to health and fitness (It's funny how generic and 1950's that sounds). I'm buying into it completely. The No S Diet, Shovelglove, and ...

spiralstares

Hello.

I realize it may be against the spirit of Urban Ranger to view it strictly as a means to lose weight, but...well, that's what I'm doing. In that respect, is there a recommended minimum amount of time one should set aside to walk per day (or miles, or steps)?

You may say, "Just walk to and ...

Everyday Systems

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Is there a recommended minimum?