Everyday Systems

Betty

I'm of two minds on this one. On one hand, I hate how much crap my kids are offered at school. It seems like there's a birthday party every other day. On the other hand, when I was growing up in the 60's we had snacktime at school and another after school, and no one seemed to be overweight then. My ...

Betty

I'm thinking about two posts here, the one on the emrald reward ring/ (no) sugar daddy and shamrockmommy's post about being at the end of her rope with her husband's deployment.

Could we set up a reward system for ourselves that benefits those of us who needs it the most? Like: we all put 25 cents ...

Betty

Tiffini,

I'm so sorry you are in the position of having to deal with all this. You are an incredibly strong woman!

I don't know if I have any advice that hasn't been given but my prayers are with you and your family, all of you.

Don't forget: you ARE sucking it up. You have the right to feel sad ...

Betty

We don't eat much junk in our house, at least not of the processed kind :roll:

But because we don't eat processed foods like chips very often, I can really see what they do to my kids. My oldest son is very thin. He just doesn't like to eat very much and will not eat a mouthful after he's full ...

Betty

Thanks Mimi! I'm so inspired by your reacing 21 days (I did No s pretty solidly for about 8 months and only went 21 days straight once :oops: ) That I'm going to number my days rather than go by days of the week.

This habit will be mine (pause for evil scientist laugh: Brahhahahaha!)

Thursady ...

Betty

mimi-- Congrats! Hope the delivery went well!

Oh yes, and congrats on making it to 21 days. I'm going to get there too!
Yesm I will!

Betty

Betty

Wednesday: S Day (Hubby's B Day)

Made a nice meal, two courses. Desert was fruit with a small homemade chocolate covered orange peel (hubby's fav.) But, after dinner I kept nibbling on the bread. It's an S day, so it's ok, but I didn't really need to, and would have felt better if I hadn't.

Betty

Sunday Success
Monday Failure
Tuesday No Binge Failure

The problem 'both Monday and Tuesday was snacking after my night classes, especially my evening spinning class on Tuesday.

Also, the stretch from 7-1 is hard going.

Betty

It seems so easy to be taken wrong when writing on the boards:my main concern is not with my husband doing or not doing No S, but with my own "go with the flow" tendencies. That is, when he snacks,boy do I want to snack too!

I'm totally fine with my husband's weight-- that's his concern. But I do ...

Betty

Make Salty Snacks an S. Eat chips only on S days, sometimes. You've got the structure to beat this right in front of you. Nothing wrong in adding another "S" as needed

Best of luck,

Betty

Betty

I was wondering how many of the people on the board who are married or with partners are doing no s with their spouse? My hubby, to be honest, has gained a bunch of weight in the past few years, but he has no desire to diet.

I find that this makes it harder for me to be strict, since he's not. Does ...

Betty

Thaks for the warm words, everyone! I was pretty good this week but did have a failure last night. Went to my French class (which is from 6-9 in the evening) and thought I'd eat before I went, but came home feeling peckish and just folded. And then folded again. got a good failure under my belt ...

Betty

Rereading my last post, I think my tone was a bit off. Maybe using the word "obsessed" was a bit strong.

Nevertheless, when I visit friends in France I always feel uncomfortable with the way my friends eat and think about food. Maybe my reluctance to take the hows and whats of eating to the ...

Betty

This thread is a really good reminder for me, as I try to get back into the swing of No S. The first time around I would reward myself weekly if I did no s and stuck to my exercise goals, and the thought of the reward did help a lot.

One thing that was really satisfying to buy after a good week ...

Betty

I'm back!

Here I am at my all-time highest weight: My clothes don't fit, my belly looks like I'm 5 months pregnant, and I have totally lost sight of those good habits I started and maintained until xmas last year.

Sigh. Why oh why did I stop doing No S when it was really working (slowly, but yes ...

Betty

But the real reason French women don't get fat is because they are obsessed with being thin. Don't let the studies fool you--I have three or four French girlfriends who are absolutely manical about what and how much they eat. They enjoy their full-fat meals with a lot less guilt than many of us ...

Betty

Marjolein,

Welkom! I have also modified No S to include a snack between breakfast and lunch, with the stipulation that the snack is always the same. 1 boterham en 1 stukje fruit (1/2 sandwitch and a small piece of fruit for the non-dutch speakers!).

You could go with the traditional dutch ...

Betty

Christine,

I've been having a hard time lately, too. Don't know why-- it was going well for months, then BAM! I hit a wall. Had 2 weeks of reds in a row, and some of those days, sigh, were so red that I just left my habit cal blank to show that I didn't even try.

I don't know why my mood has ...

Betty

Hi KCCC,

Thanks for the relpy (and for coming to my check in page, too). I think I'm finally climbing out of the hole.

Phew, almost vacation time. Hopefully I can get back on track then, and have time to post... until then... thanks, again

Betty

Betty

FAILURE
FAILURE
FAILURE
FAILURE
S
S
SUCCESS

Thnks KCCC and Blueskighs!

I think I'm finally pulling out of this pit. It's true, I've had almost NO time for myslef in the past few months, not even to visit the NO S forum. And it makes a difference, but there's not much that can budge in my ...

Betty

God bless you and yours. Our thoughts are with you,

Betty.

Betty

Hi KCCC,

I wanted to post you on your check in because you seem so sane. That is, you've had your ups and downs but have managed, time and again, to get back on track.

I need to get back on track, and wondered if you have any words of wisdom for me?

I have been doing pretty well, some red days ...

Betty

December 8 FAILURE

Binge, guilt, binge.

This has got to stop.

Betty

Hi Shamrock!

What a hard time for you and your family. I'm glad you got some help.

Last year I had a breakdown too. Stress, anger, denial. Gained 10 lbs. in a month. I got some help, too, and it's been good. But slow.

But hard is hard. Stick with us. I've watched your ups and downs over the ...

Betty

Ohhlala,

I'm in exactly the same boat. I've been No Sing for about 7 months, have lost more or less a pound a month-- until November, when everything started to slide.

I don't know why, but I've grown very complacent. It's like I think, "oh, well, a failure isn't so bad..." Though it clearly is ...

Betty

Dec 7: Success, but

darn, it's hard to get back on track.

Betty

I'm finding myself falling into the trap of having one or two failures a week. Lately the failures have been more than just minor slip ups and have a little bit of the old binge mentality about them. So I'm starting this check in to keep track of myself, especially during the holidays.

7 N 14 NWS ...

Betty

My daughters (6,8) are allowed one small sweet a day, no matter what. They can have it at breakfast or afterschool, whenever. It's very rare, even on true "S" days, that they ever ask for more than that one sweet. They have been known to refuse candy from Santa Claus!

So, I would say, decide what ...

Betty

Hi Guys,

My strictness has gotten raggedy over the month of November

. Stress, lack of light, who knows? I have tons of excuses but no real excuse for the number of failures over the past few weeks. Any advice for picking myself up and getting back, all the way back, on track?

Betty

Betty

I am the poster child for taking No S veeeeerrry slowly in the beginning. I started by eliminating snacking after dinner, then eliminated the mid morning snack, then (hardest of all) the pm snack. My weight loss has been as slow as my adherence to the rules, but it has worked for me. Following up on ...

Betty

Hi guys,

I haven't posted in a while. Busy, busy life! But I did want to check in and tell you all that, despite glitches here and there, I'm still No Sing and it's still going well. Down 5 pounds in 6 months. Hey, I'll take it!

Best wishes for the holidays. Let's see what 2 weeks at my snack ...

Betty

The "tweek" that got me started losing weight on No S was to standardize my breakfasts and lunches. For breakfast I almost always have a bowl of oatmeal with a big dallop of almond butter. I make lunches for the work week on Sunday and put them in tupperware. Lunch this week is a curry with tons of ...

Betty

Hi Deb,

Five green days in a row is fantastic!! I totally understand your impulse to move the habit on to S days too.

I hope I can make one tiny comment without putting a damper on your enthusiasm or taking away from a serious victory, but maybe you should rack up a few more green weeks before ...

Betty

My no-S journey has taken the long and winding road rather than the straight shot. The first three months I followed the letter of the law, but not necessarily the spirit, and was happy but didn't lose a pound.

Then, I tweeked the plan a bit (ate a bit more fat at breakfast and standardized my ...

Betty

Tiffini,

Ouch. Sorry you are having a hard time. Sounds like things are pretty crazy for you right now and I hope you can find peace. Hang in there.

I am an expert binger. Years and years of stress eating. It's a horrible, out of control, masochistic feeling.

The only way I know of to stop a ...

Betty

I think part of the problem is that sugar really is addictive. If I have a NWS day in conjunction with my weekend S days, I crave sugar the days after. Two S days doesn't really do this, but three days with sweets definitely gets me programmed for more.

But... it's also a habit. For me, the hardest ...

Betty

Do you LIKE oatmeal? What I mean is, don't think of this as a diet. Just because Reinhard (or anyone else) likes oatmeal or suggests it doesn't mean that you should eat it. If you want lasagne for breakfast, go for that.
Seriously. Eat what makes you happy three times a day.

That said, I do like ...

Betty

I want to write a quick post to encourage those who don't lose right away with no s.

I've been no-sing for 5 months now. In the first three months I lost one pound. In the fourth month I lost another. In the 5th month I lost two (despite 5 failures in September :oops: )! 140-136: not a major loss ...

Betty

Roast the eggplant, or salt it for 1/2 an hour to make it less bitter.

Great in Turkish and Middle Eastern recipies.

Though, when I was a kid, I just hated it...

betty

Betty

I totally second what Mavilu says; I think even in "traditional" cultures of eating people must gain weight during holidays and then lose it again when returning to normal patterns of eating.

But, since you have the wedding dress issue (congrats!!!) I would just make a plan to be extra strict ...

Betty

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

Crazy Cat: It's true, I should have just had a latte and waited it out, but :roll: ...

Deb: I started with Friday and Saturday as S days because 90% of our special dinners are on Friday and because our end of the week meetings on Friday afternoon at work are ...

Betty

Welcome back!

To be honest, I've lost a total of 3 lbs in 5 months. maybe less. But No S has given me peace of mind in the way no diet on earth can. Success has become a daily behavior issue, and has nothing to do with girth or loss of girth. When dieting you can only feel successful at the end. I ...

Betty

I take my S days on Fridays and Saturdays for 2 reasons: 1) We always have a big Friday dinner, 2) I have a lot of vacation time, and using Sunday to practice being at home and still on habit has been invaluable.

I think the point is to make a decision and stick to it. So make Tuesdays an S day ...

Betty

I just want to make this more public than my habit cal, if I may. I failed today (Sundays are N days for me). At first it was a minor slip-up, then it tumbled into a binge. I feel gross, physically and spiritually.

The minor slip up thing: definitely a "fencing" problem. it's happened a lot lately ...

Betty

I really love this post. I eat emotionally for a lot of reasons (stress and anger being the biggies) but there is this other reason that I've always called "transition eating." That is, snacking as a way of marking one thing completed, before I start something else. (finished marking one set of ...

Betty

This isn't an "avoiding temptation" post, but I just want to give myself a pat on the back. This is the first week (and I've been ding no S for 4 months, this time) that it has been easy not to fail.

Betty

Betty

For the past two months I've had fewer failures, and, in part, I think it's the new way I deal with the habitcal.

On the first day of the month I mark all Fridays and Saturdays yellow. Then I figure out what the NWS days are (This month it's my daughter's birthday) and I mark those yellow too. Then ...

Betty

Love this string of posts!

YES I can change the way I behave around food. YES I can deal with emotions without binging.

Betty

Betty

I read somewhere that framing things in the negative doesn't work. So when you say "no sweets" to yourself, your brain hears "Sweets."

On the other hand, I suppose, once the habit is all settled in you don't have to keep repeating the no-s mantra all the time.

When I feel like a binge it does help ...

Betty

Welcome!

1) Enjoy your latte. Drinks, even caloric drinks are fine between meals. Just avoid the sugary ones.

2) Technically, the idea is to put all the food on one plate so that you can see how much you are eating. But I tend to think that the second part of the sentence is the most important. I ...

Betty

Deb-- Love the image of you smashing your scale!!

Betty

Denise,

I agree with Tiger Crane: eat what you want. In the beginning you may find yourself wanting chips fries pizza, all those things that you might have denied yourself or felt guilty about in the past.

As time goes on, you may find yourself wanting other things, more "healthy" things.

I ...

Betty

When we have dinner parties, I always make a caraf of table water with real mint, slices of orange, and some lemon grass. UM!

Betty

Betty

Hi Deb,

I totally support you in your decision to go back to your mochas. Some of life's little pleasures should be sacred!

However, could I suggest something? Maybe you could get some good cocoa and mix your own hot chocolate mix. (I'm not sure if you'd need to make a syrup that would dissolve ...

Betty

The best thing is to decide what you want, what you're willing to do, and then stick with it.

I do count alcoholic beverages as S's (mostly because if I have a beer I almost always want a salty snack with it :) )

On the other hand, I almost always have a latte in the morning, which most likely ...

Betty

Fantastic!!!!!

Betty

Betty

Good Tip, Jessdr. I noticed in the summer when I had time to make exactly what I loved and wanted at the moment, No S was so much easier. Now that I'm at work and rushing all over the place, I tend to make what's fastest, and eat with a whole lot less enjoyment.

Need to think about that.

Deb ...

Betty

I've been thinking about whether "the last 15-20 lbs" is or isn't a realistic number. When I was in my 20s and was not thinking about what I ate, I weighed about 122 lbs every time I looked. So, to me, that seems like an obvious goal: the weight I was before I started this binge/diet/binge ...

Betty

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. It's nice to hear people say not to make things harder for myself, as I tend to get down on myself.

I do a fair bit of exercise (75 minutes of biking each work day as a commute. Shovel glove monday wednesday and fridays (more and my tendons start to ...

Betty

I don't count lattes (I almost always have one mid morning) as snacks, but I do count alcoholic drinks as S's. I think you just need to figure out for yourself, and then stick to it, what you're willing to count as snacks or not.

Betty

Betty

I wish no-s wasn't so darn hard. Sometimes I read these rosy posts (Josh's last blog entry, for example) where someone has really taken to no-s and had amazing results both in the habit-creating way and in terms of weight reduction, and I feel so frustrated.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a no-s lifer. I ...

Betty

What about "...not counting a zippy, sometimes"?

I have also recently reinstigated the mini-meal. I bike to work 45 minutes each way, and at the end of the day I often get shaky on the ride home. So I am seeing what 1/2 sandwitch and 1/2 piece of fruit does. I will pack it every day and can eat ...

Betty

I read this article too. I think they were tallying up all the food eaten per person per day, not necessarily for dinner.

What I found misleading, though, was the idea of looking at how many pounds a person eats in a day. Two big apples is almost a pound, but a pound of fritos is a totally ...

Betty

The past few weeks I've moved the "fence" a bit closer to home. The extra strictness has been tough, but I've been tough too, and have been successful.

Yesterday I went shopping for clothes, always a harowing experience because those mirrors make you look so cottage-cheesy. Arms, from the back, so ...

Betty

In some of our vacation pics I looked great, in others, like a whale. Most people look worse on camera than in real life, so don't let it get you too down.

Just keep cruising. You lost 5 lbs, that's amazing! keep on keeping on and you'll get there.

The important thing for me to remember, and why ...

Betty

Bye, Hungry Girl.

Hope your new path takes you where you need to go,

Betty

Betty

Dawn,

Thanks for the info. Your post has inspired me to tighten up just a bit. I don't think I could possibly tweek all three meals at once, but I'm aiming for 100 cals less at lunch!

Kmoreland7118: if you hang in there, so will I. At some point this will start working for us

Betty

Betty

Deb,

Good advice. I usually get something really nice for S days but this time was so strange. I mean, I felt like I just needed a good binge. Totally unhealty attitude.

But, thank heavens for No S. If I had been dieting, I probably would have decended into a three week binge spiral. Today ...

Betty

I had an idiotic day yesterday, close to binge conditions

-- nevertheless, over the whole day I could only eat 5 cookies when before Id eat the whole bag. My tolerance for sweets is sooo much lower.

Betty

This has been a good week. I've added on a bit of strictness and was completely sucessful. By Thursday, though, I was feeling like a snack. Oooh, it was hard to wait for the weekend.

I felt like I had been so strict that I needed to blow off steam. I felt like I *needed* to be an idiot in order to ...

Betty

Dawn,

This was a really inspiring post as I seem to be in the same boat. I've been no-Sing for a couple of months and have lost a total of 1 lb. But I love the no S lifestyle and just don't want to jepordise that. I would really like to hear more about how you went about making changes. What ...

Betty

You could try drinking a glass of milk before your run...

betty

Betty

All week long (after a number of weeks with vey little impulse to eat when not hungry) Ive had the urge to nibble. It's 10 o'clock in the morning and I know I'm not hungry. I stop and feel that I'm not hungry, and yet I watch the clock: 2 hours and 30 minutes till I can eat lunch. 2 hours and 20 ...

Betty

Olivia,

It's tough! When I was pregnant I found it very easy to eat well, but when I started breastfeeding all I wanted was crap. I was so hungry all the time, and though I didn't gain a lot when pregnant, I never did lose that weight.

But tough doesn't mean impossible! Since you're breastfeeding ...

Betty

Hoist the sack is my nemisis; for some reason it just makes my elbows sore. So Ive invented a similar, but more joint-friendly move: paint the wall. I'll try to make a video some time, but in essence it's hoist the sack, only you make the move up and down at about 1.5 o'clock. For those into ...

Betty

Guys, let's be honest: I just eat too much. When I read other's posts about what they have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I think: how is it possible that they make it from one meal to the next on so little food?!

Here's to honesty, looking myself in the face. Yesterday was a typical day:

7 ...

Betty

Hungry Girl,

As a hypoglycemic I am very well aquainted with the sugar shakes, as you so appropriately name them. I can eat tons of calories at a meal, but if they aren't the right calories, watch out! And breakfast calories are, for me, the most important. If they aren't right, the whole day is a ...

Betty

Thanks for the advice, all of it great stuff.

I think what's going on is a little bit of everytihing mentioned here! I've made three concerted efforts to do no-s in the past year , and during each effort I started off losing and then bottomed out. I think my body knows pretty much exactly how much ...

Betty

Stepped on the scale today after a month of serious no-sing. Didnt gain, but certainly didn't lose. Thought I had lost, but. Stepping on the scale ruined my mood and I've already failed today.

I've been pretty "good," this month. Had a couple of red days, but nothing too idiotic.

Maybe it's time ...

Betty

I find that a handful of raisins at dinner quenches cravings for sweets. Or dried figs.

Betty

Betty

It"s amazing how mean we can be to ourselves. I say things to myself sometimes that I would ditch a best friend for. And if we don't act like our own best friends, who will? Thanks, 3aday, for the reminder. This is important stuff for me.

Betty

Betty

Beautiful!

Betty

Betty

The funny thing is that I still unconciously tally up calories without actually meaning to. After a third of a hundred years on a diet, looking back at a meal for the calorie count is almost a knee-jerk reaction.

But what I like is not having to. "Success" on No-S is measured by behavior, by ...

Betty

I use the NoBinge habitcal because, like you, if I feel that I've failed I just pack it in and really let go. Sometimes you just choose to eat ice cream with the kids (as in a recent post) or eat a treat that you'd never have otherwise (Armenian friend brought over her grandmother's speaialty ...

Betty

Thanks for the tips, KCCC and funfuture. I think I average about an hour and a half of "me" time during the week. Maybe I'll work on trying to eek out 4 hours in the fall, and see if that helps.

After career and kids all my hobbies just fell away. I think I need to reinvent myself, somehow ...

Betty

Hungry girl,

Also, make sure you eat well for breakfast and lunch. I don't know what you mean by a "healthy" dinner, if you mean lots of fruits and veggies or if you mean "light", but one thing that sets up evening snacking is just plain hunger.

I would suggest that right now you don't worry ...

Betty

I can't last till my next meal on just a sandwitch. If I have one for lunch I make it a really good one-- thick slices of cheese or meat, veggies, fresh herbs, and I add fruit or veggies to the plate and maybe some chips to round out the way the meal looks. Then I feel like I've eaten a meal and not ...

Betty

I think that during the work week it's all fight and flight for me. Dh is away for one to three weeks in a month, and when he's gone it feels like the whole world is on my shoulders. Everything goes so fast and there's no time to nurture myself. There's a constant whine from myself and everyone ...

Betty

Shirls,

I think that is a good idea. I could only get a handle on no-S when I let myself adjust to the habits one at a time. I never had a problem with seconds, but I started with 3 weeks of no sugar, then three (actually 6 because it took me so long to get it down) no snacking between breakfast ...

Betty

Stay strong, novel girl. You're doing great.

Keep breathing and know that we all wish you the very best.

Betty

Betty

Thanks for the tips, gionta.

For me, the killer is lunch. We don't have passing periods where I work, so all the one-on-one time happens at lunch. That whittles my 40 minutes down to 20 minutes on most days, and, if I need to get the class set up for the next class, I have only 10 minutes or so to ...

Betty

I'm a teacher at a "type A" school (ie: stressful) and a busy mom of 3 under the age of 6. Right now we're in the thick of summer vacation, which means less scheduling, more time to cook. I'm finding it extremely easy to do No S right now. I make beautiful sit-down meals three times a day, and this ...

Betty

I think the newscasters were trying to avoid alienating their audience by showing that they know how hard it is to diet.

Too bad the dietician got the spirit of NO S a bit wrong, though.

Betty

Yeah, it's funny. Sleep is mostly normal now, but all my body functions (when I'm warm or cold, when I have to pee, when I'm hungry) are struggling to catch up.

Milk. It does a body good.

Betty

Fun Future,

From reading your last posts, I'd say that the future has arrived for you.

Betty

Betty

Way to go, FunFuture.

Our stories sound very similar. I hope that in a year or so I can write an equally excellent post! Keep it up!

Betty

Betty

Fantastic!!!

Betty

Does anyone have any jet lag tips? I wake up at 3 am and am STARVING. I just can't seem to wait till 7 o'clock for my regular breakfast time. And the sleep deprivation makes me feel all snacky too. I have found it impossible to be strict about not snacking in the past two days.

Betty

Betty

Your vacation sounds amazing.

But don't forget, restaurant food is so high in salt. If I go out to eat, I always weigh a kg more the next day. And who knows (sorry guys!) where you are in your cycle.

I suggest getting back to your pre vacation habits, being strict with vanilla no-s for a month ...

Betty

Count me in!

Betty

Everyday Systems

Search found 198 matches

Emralds and Deployment

Betty's Check In

Spouses....

Another fallen no-ser coming back to the fold

Betty's Getting Back on Trac--Strict on N days--Holiday Plan

I need a kick in the ---

Just wanted to say hi

Fear of Success??

slow progress

Failed today

habit trafficlighting as a visual motivator

I wish...

clothes shopping

Preventative Idiocy?

Emotional eating

paint the wall-- new move

Woe

vacations are easier

Jet lag