Everyday Systems

Spook

Still not finding myself able to get back on board with No S. I've been suffering from a severe lack of willpower over the past few months.

However, I've taken a (very) small step in giving up chocolate for lent. I need to "build up my willpower reserves" again...

Spook

I'm trying to work out how you were driving with an ice cream cone.

Spook

I've not given up on No S, but I'm on a prolonged hiatus.

I will start up again at some point. I don't know when that will be - it might be next week or it might be next year.

Spook

Kathleen wrote:How about going for green on no sweets?

Good idea, I'll try that!

Spook

I'm still here...

But failing at No S

Spook

Yuck. April is a write off. I haven't been sticking to No S at all this month

On the positive side, I don't think I've been eating quite as badly as I once did, and I have been getting plenty of exercise.

Still sticking with it though. Going for green today.

Spook

Ok, I'm in... 199 lbs (as of last Fri). April is going to be green all the way (apart from today, as I'm having a sick day!)

Spook

Been ill with a virus over the weekend, still recovering today - so it's been S-days all the way. Hoping to get back to normal tomorrow.

Spook

Sounds like you're doing great and being very honest with yourself - well done!

I'd personally go with option (c) in your position, although an alternative secret option (d) might be to allow yourself an exception to some of the No S rules on movie nights, e.g. dessert is OK but no seconds or pre ...

Spook

Ok, I did actually weigh myself again today. As I said, It's not my main measure of progress - that would be unwise. But I'm now 199 lbs, 2 lbs lower than 6 weeks ago, which is encouraging, especially considering nearly half of the days since I last weighed have been 'fails'.

Psychologically, it's ...

Spook

Thanks for posting VintageGeek. I decided that the main reason I strayed from NoS for so long was because I stopped posting here and updating my calendar, so the guilt factor went away. For this reason, I resolved to update my calendar every day for a year, even if I can't keep the diet habit going ...

Spook

Well I didn't go too crazy on Wed, although it wasn't perfect. Thursday was a fail too, for reasons I can't remember now. Friday was good though, and the weekend was pretty sane.

Spook

Tuesday was another GREEN!

Today is RED unfortunately - I had to take my daughter to a doctors' appointment this morning and this made me arrive late for a meeting at work at which we have a buffet lunch.

Because I was late, the only things left were the really horrible sandwiches that nobody else ...

Spook

Great post, very helpful!

But for now, what is more important, is that my whole body image has changed. The number on the scale always made me feel fat and disgusted with myself. However, it really was the out of control eating habits that were the problem. Now I actually do not feel overweight. I ...

Spook

I've certainly thought about that, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't the main factor in causing me to go off the rails a bit. (Actually the main trigger was the sudden death of a family member the following weekend).

OK, so it was my first 'failure day' of the year, but it didn't really derail me ...

Spook

Thanks texark, that helped. I've realised now that failure will keep coming. Sometimes I just won't have the strength to get through the day on No S. Sometimes this might even go on for a couple of weeks. If I can just keep the No S habit at the back of my mind (which is what the habitcal is great ...

Spook

Not doing well at the moment. No green days for a week. I'm forcing myself to keep up the habitcal in the hope that the guilt effect will kick in and I'll get back on track.

Spook

Oh dear... last week was the week of FAIL. Some days were only slightly bad, some were very very bad.

In my defense, it's been quite a sad & busy week.

Tuesday was probably the worst, as it was pancake day I declared an S-day - which in retrospect was probably wrong in itself - and it turned out ...

Spook

I check the ingredients - if sugar is one of them, it's an 'S'.

Spook

Monday was my first failure day. Visited an elderly relative, couldn't say no to cake (and it was very nice).

Never mind!

Spook

Still keeping on, and it's getting (slightly) easier. I find that as long as I'm busy (which I am at the moment, very) I don't feel like eating at work. The hardest time is still late evenings, but I'm coping with those.

I'm still not really doing much to reduce plate sizes, but that will come ...

Spook

Just weighed - down to 201. (At the end of a somewhat excessive S day). Not bad - 7 lbs down. I'm happy enough with that!

Spook

Happy to say that I've got through two more GREEN days. Went running on Sunday (for the first time in months) and then found that I could hardly move on Monday!

Add to that the major snowfall that we've had in the UK, work stress and various other stuff (not good) that's going on in my life at the ...

Spook

Thanks guys!
I think I may go with the once-a-month weighing after all. The 'healthy fear' is a good way of thinking about it.

Last few days have gone well, and I didn't overdo things at the weekend too much (but I did allow myself a few indulgences).

Still managing to cycle every day, except ...

Spook

Spook,
Be careful of adding rules that aren't relevant to whether or not you follow the 3S guidelines on N Days.
Kathleen

It is very relevant, psychologically. Despondency leads to emotional eating. It's a pretty easy rule to follow, and impossible to fail at 'by accident', so I don't think I'm ...

Spook

A few more green days! 23 days on habit so far.

I'm amazed at HOW MUCH EASIER this is second time around. I'm being less legalistic, but I'm also not allowing myself any major leeway (except for my 'FAT' - Fruit Any Time mod - I don't do this a lot, but I do have a small portion of fruit (usually ...

Spook

Welcome! Don't worry too much about breakfast, I (personally) wouldn't call it a fail. The 'advanced No S technique' is to imagine the banana and cereal together on a 'virtual plate', just so you can be sure you're not overdoing it.

But it's definitely best not to be legalistic, because that ...

Spook

I reached 21 days yesterday on my second attempt at NoS.

My next target is 33 days, the longest on-habit period I managed last time around.

After that I'm going for 42 days (because it's the answer), and it's twice 21. Then I'm buying a sledgehammer.

Wish me luck!

Spook

Sat Jan 3: exempt day from Weekend Luddite. Our 4 year old got a concussion and I had to google directions to the hospital. She's totally fine, thank God. Anyway, no way I'm going to give myself "red."

Glad she's OK. I've got to say though, you've done pretty well to get through 4 years without ...

Spook

Yesterday was pretty good in the end, after I got past the desire for some comfort eating. For the first time I didn't get too hungry last thing at night - I think my body's getting used to not being fed at 9pm at last.

Still having fairly large portions at mealtimes, but I don't feel guilty about ...

Spook

Didn't get the job, unfortunately. Feeling a bit down today, and I really feel like snacking.

However, I've done 15 days now and I'm not about to start again from 0. I will make it to dinner time!

Spook

Got through wednesday evening fine. Thursday a little ropey as it was a stressful day, but did OK.

I'm currently allowing myself to have a piece of fruit as a snack, pretty much on an 'as needed' basis, although in practice I only do this at 9/10pm ish. This exception to the rules allows me to stay ...

Spook

Still doing OK - no slip ups yet.

This evening is going to be tough as I'm going to a meeting and there will probably be biscuits or cakes afterwards, probably about 9.30pm which is the time I always feel really hungry. My plan is to make my excuses and leave early. We'll see how that goes...

Spook

Definitely a success - I have days like that fairly regularly!

Spook

Hi Wattgirl, welcome to no S!

Sounds like you've done amazingly well over the past 3 years - I can't offer any words of wisdom except to make the most of the bulletin board, it's full of great people who will give you lots of helpful advice & encouragement.

Spook

Well done! I think that's really sensible.

Spook

Well done! There seem to be quite a few of us who started (in my case, re-started) No S last week! As TexArk says, don't get discouraged if your weight stops dropping, or even increases briefly - it's all about changing habits. If you get the right habits, the weight loss will follow, even if it ...

Spook

Hi Kathleen,

I think your exception day rule does make a lot of sense in that it provides a 'buffer' to failure - in effect you can break the rules of the diet at no 'cost', on a very occasional basis, allowing you to deal with the unexpected situations that life throws at us; those situations ...

Spook

One week, all green. Feeling pretty good right now.

I didn't go too crazy at the weekend, either - finished off some of the christmas chocolate & cake, but not ridiculously excessive.

However, I seem to remember from last time around that it started easy and got harder in weeks 2 & 3, so it's time ...

Spook

lmt2pt wrote:I've noticed a pretty big part of my workout is the stopping before I actually hit something, like the dog.

Spook

Check out Reinhard's podcast on the subject of failure - it's excellent.

I do think that, for me, the word 'failure' doesn't conjure up some of the negative feelings that it seems to for others. I'm happy to chalk up a fail on the calendar and move on - in fact it gives me added motivation the next ...

Spook

I have to admit I don't know what splenda is! But if you're worried about the fat in the creamer, could you switch to skimmed milk instead?

Spook

4 days green so far. One more to go, then it's the weekend. I'm looking forward to the weekend, there's still lots of christmas cake left!

Weighed myself yesterday against my better judgement and got a bit of a shock - 207 lbs, the most I've ever weighed. Admittedly it was after dinner and I was ...

Spook

Apparently it is the system Jerry Seinfeld uses to keep motivated to work on writing new material.

I think it's probably more suited for habits that involve training yourself to do something once a day, which you can squeeze in at the end of the day in order to avoid failing, rather than habits ...

Spook

a long speech about which foods to eat at McDonalds

That's bizarre - none of their food is remotely healthy is it?

Unless she said 'eat the cardboard box and throw away the burger', it sounds like really bad advice.

Also, I can't help laughing at the 'don't forget to eat lots of snacks to keep ...

Spook

Anyone using this site?

http://dontbreakthechain.com/ - kind of like a simplified(!) habitcal.

Spook

I will probably order the book later. Don't seem to be able to purchase it in the UK any more - will have to buy used from Amazon or get the ebook.

Also, I'm using the Habitcal again.

Spook

Good luck! How's it going?

Spook

Wasn't going to post every day, but it's quite therapeutic. Day 2 = SUCCESS .

It's going pretty well so far. I'm MUCH more relaxed about it this time (this is my second serious attempt at No-S).

I'm also allowing myself a late-night piece of fruit and milky drink (see my comments in the 'No S mods ...

Spook

Sounds like you're doing really well!

Spook

I was presented with a fresh out of the oven cookie from the "baker" and I just said, "Oh may I take that home with me to enjoy later?" It is in a sack in the kitchen somewhere. I will put it in my husband's lunch for tomorrow.

Well handled! I would have found that pretty tough to resist...

Spook

Hooray, one day successfully done!

Spook

Hello all,

I decided this morning to try No S again after several months of reckless eating :(

Thought I'd bring this old thread back to life with a couple of ideas that have been swimming round in my head over the past year. They're mostly related to snacking as that's been my main problem.

FAT ...

Spook

Hello all, it's my second (or is it third?) attempt at getting into some sensible eating habits.

I'm not going to check in here daily at the moment, but I might post an update every week or so.

No S went very well for me for a few months in 2008, but I lost the habit as my life got stressful in ...

Spook

The habitcal says it all, really. I'm doing very badly, diet-wise. I'm going to do the clean slate thing, start a new thread and try and get back on track again.

Exercise isn't really happening at the moment either, as I've had lots of stuff going on that's made it very difficult to do my usual ...

Spook

Before NoS - 200 lbs
21st Dec - 183 lbs
21st Mar - 181 lbs

To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that I've only lost 2 lbs in the past 3 months. However, it's still a downward trend, and I keep telling myself that even if I only lose 2 lbs every three months, I'll reach my target weight in 2 years ...

Spook

Tuesday 18th March

NoS - fail

Had a really hard day - an early start followed by a very busy day, and a late night. Spent the whole evening resisting hunger and finally gave way and had peanut butter on toast.

Aside from a couple of fails recently, generally it's going fairly well. My S-days are ...

Spook

Last Monday was a big fail, the first time for a while that I've failed quite so spectacularly.

The last two weekends have been a bit overboard. I think I need to work on a bit more S-day moderation.

Spook

When I started No-Sing a couple of months ago I did find myself in the odd position of having to not eat a piece of fruit at the end of a meal because I'd forgotten to include it in my 'plate'.

This seemed pretty stupid, so I changed the rules to allow myself a "portion" of fruit - usually an apple ...

Spook

The cocoa thing is my solution to this problem too at the moment (although I can't stand the sugar free stuff so I have the real thing, although I do make it fairly weak and use skimmed milk).

When I started I was having a cocoa every evening, now I sometimes don't feel the need so I think it's ...

Spook

Plus, the ONLY way to eat them is toasted, with plenty of REAL BUTTER. So that makes me even more inclined to forbid them on N-days!

Spook

I was thinking about this as I munched on an HCB last Saturday so I looked up the recipe in my breadmaker recipe book, and the only added sugar was a small amount in the dough (no more than any other bread recipe) and the sugar glaze on the top.

So it depends how strict you are being with the 'no ...

Spook

I've been no-essing for about 3 months and my S-days are still pretty crazy. Sunday evenings are especially bad - it's like I'm forcing myself to eat all I can while I have the chance, even though I don't really want it.

Having said that, I think my general level of snacking on S-days is less than ...

Spook

Still keeping with the programme!

I haven't done quite as well as I'd like this month, especially exercise-wise, but it's been... adequate. I've had 8 fails on No S though, and some of them were really stupid.

On the bright side, there have been 13 successful S-days, which is still much better ...

Spook

Good idea, but I can think of two problems...

Firstly, I'd have real trouble sticking to it on motorways. I personally think 80 mph is a safe speed on motorways (in good driving conditions, light traffic, etc).

Secondly, I wouldn't want to start paying undue attention to the speedometer, as I ...

Spook

apple wrote:My sister once said: "if it has more than five ingredients, don't buy it"

I love that quote - I think I'm going to adopt that as a new everyday system!

Spook

Thursday 3rd Jan
NoS
Bad fail, won't go into details but it wasn't good. Well, it was good, but it wasn't sensible :)
Forgot about it, moved on.
Exercise
Life is still in a bit of a mess after Christmas / new year so haven't got back to walking to work yet..

Friday 4th Jan
NoS
Made it ...

Spook

Wednesday 2nd Jan

NoS
Had seconds.

Exercise
Didn't do any

Spook

Monday 31st Dec
NoS
Nearly made it to my 6pm deadline without snacking, but failed at 5.40. I'm being overly harsh, maybe, but I want to motivate myself to do better.

Tuesday 1st Jan
NoS
A very bad day today, permasnacked all day - was working very hard on a project into the early hours ...

Spook

Dunno if this is any help, but when I make waffles I don't use eggs at all - my recipe is:

400g flour
2tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
300ml cold water
200ml milk
150g melted margarine

Presumably with soya milk this would be OK for your vegan friend?

I'm guessing that the eggs may be there to ...

Spook

Welcome christmas tree!

The whole point of the one plate rule is to make sure that you can SEE how much you're eating, so if you can't physically put your meal on a single plate, you need to try and picture your entire meal fitting on one 'virtual' plate. I try to be pretty strict about this - if I ...

Spook

Friday 28th Dec

NoS
Phew, back on track :) It's been a supremely difficult day though. The snacks were calling all day, and I had pasta for dinner which for some obscure reason always results in me feeling hungry at bedtime. I'm glad I got through it though - haven't had a proper S-day for a ...

Spook

Thanks all! This forum is such a great source of wisdom and reassurance, I don't think I could have got this far on my own.

No more weighing until 21st March now! If I've lost more weight by then I'll treat myself to a copy of the NoS book :)

Thursday 27th Dec
NoS
Christmas has been a little ...

Spook

I'd get the box of chocs out of sight if at all possible!

Spook

Well done mimi!

Spook

Thursday 20th Dec
NoS - allowed myself an 'S-evening' for work Christmas party, which was a 4-course meal. Resisted after dinner mints as a token NoS gesture :)

Friday 21st Dec
Weighed myself this morning for the first time since starting NoS. I was 183lbs. That's 17lbs less than the number on ...

Spook

Just wanted to say that I've been struggling with exactly the same problem recently. NoSing at home is really like having a whole new habit to learn. And I've got a few more non-work NoS-days coming up next week - so this thread has been incredibly helpful for me. Thanks!

Spook

I'm going to stop posting here as regularly now as I don't have much to say! I'll carry on using the HabitCal instead and only post here if I need to clarify something.

Spook

Soup

In winter I generally have a large bowl of soup with wholemeal bread, and a piece of fruit. (I make huge batches of soup every few weeks and freeze them in portions which I can take to work and reheat).

Filling, nutritious and yummy!

Spook

Probably because I'm not from the US, I don't know what cool whip is and I've never heard of graham crackers, but reading this is making me hungry anyway

Spook

Made it - after sixty-something days of trying, I finally hit my 21 days without a fail on Friday!

It feels good, and it's definitely getting much easier. My wife reminded me this evening that when I'd just started I used to complain about how hungry I was at around 11pm each day. That's now passed ...

Spook

Jammin' Jan wrote:You can do it! Think how wonderful you will feel tomorrow when you celebrate an S day!

Thanks, it does feel good! Now to decide how I'm going to celebrate...

Spook

Day 68, Friday
NoS
I made it!! 21 consecutive days of NoS. Friday was a particularly tricky day as it was the first time I've had a non-work N-day, as I had a day off.

Usually all my days at home are S days and so I'm used to being able to enjoy a few treats without feeling guilty, so I was ...

Spook

Day 66, Wednesday
NoS - no problems
Exercise - 20 mins walk x2
Day 67, Thursday
NoS - no problems
Exercise - took the car to work

Today is Friday, day 68 - if I can get through the rest of today I will have reached 21 days of success in NoS!

Spook

Day 65, Tuesday
NoS - No probs
Exercise - quite a bit of walking to various places, but didn't make the 20 minute threshold

Spook

Day 61, Friday
NoS
A good day. Worked from home today, which in the past has led to failures, but not today

Exercise
Didn't manage it due to different routine.
Day 62, Saturday - NoS Exercise
Day 63, Sunday - NoS Exercise
Day 64, Monday
NoS
No problems
Exercise
2x20mins walk

Spook

Day 60, Thursday
NoS - no problems
Exercise - no problems

Spook

Day 59, Wednesday
NoS
No problems. I'm now 10 days without a fail, and 22 days without a really serious fail. The habit is definitely forming... I was offered a cookie today and said 'no' without evenhaving to think about it

Exercise
20 minutes walking x2

Spook

Day 58, Tuesday
NoS
Another problem-free day.
Exercise
20 mins walk x2

Spook

Day 56, Sunday
NoS Exercise

Day 57, Monday
NoS
No problems, except a somewhat fragmented dinner due to interruptions from the little one.
Exercise
Short brisk walk to/from work (20mins each way)

Spook

Day 54, Friday
NoS
No problems
Exercise
Long, brisk walk from work.

Day 55, Saturday
NoS
Enjoyed my S-day treat today - shared a bag of yummy chocolate chip cookies with wife while out shopping.
Exercise
Although it's an S day, I did have to do a 20 minute walk/run followed by running ...

Spook

Hi,

Just a suggestion for this forum - I've made some tiny graphics which I'm thinking of using on my check-in posts: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/ee63/wfuidvsuno/success.png , http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee63/wfuidvsuno/fail.png and http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee63/wfuidvsuno ...

Spook

Day 52, Wednesday
NoS
No problems
Exercise
Two 30 minute walks. One of them in pouring rain :(

Day 53, Thursday
NoS
Had fajitas for dinner which for us is not usually a 1-plate meal, more of a help-yourself sort of thing. So I very consciously filled my plate before I began eating, and I ...

Spook

Day 51, Tuesday
NoS
No problems

Exercise
(edited) Got out of sync and wrote Wednesday's check in here earlier. Thinking back, my memory fails me about Tuesday, but I know I walked at least 20 minutes.

Spook

Day 48, Saturday - S-day
Day 49, Sunday - S-day

Day 50, Monday

NoS
Some 'virtual plating' today but no rule-breaking. Still getting hungry in the evenings though.

Exercise
Walked 40 mins.

Spook

Day 47, Friday

NoS
A good day, but dinner was too much of a rush and I didn't plan it properly. Wasn't a very filling meal - ended up ravenous by 10pm so ate some cereal. A fail but not a bad one.

Exercise
No time

Spook

Day 46, Thursday

Exercise
Walked about 30 minutes
NoS
No problems

Spook

Hey, save it for the weekend. Cookies keep.

It is a little ridiculous how people keep pushing food at us -- but we have to focus on what we can control: our behavior, not theirs. If we get irate, well, it might be justifiable, but it doesn't do anybody any good. Instead, think about how virtuous ...

Spook

Day 45, Wednesday

Exercise
A long, brisk walk home from work (about 1 hour).

NoS
Meals were sensible and didn't really feel tempted to snack, apart from the usual late evening hunger.

This was the first day that I've felt really happy with my No S habit for a while. I think I'm getting ...

Spook

Has anyone else found that lots of places these days now offer 'meal deals'?

I was in Subway yesterday buying a sandwich and a coffee and I was told I could have a "free" cookie with this. Obviously (as I wanted to get my moneys worth) I took it. I then ended up carrying it around with me for the ...

Everyday Systems

Search found 144 matches

Re: Dietary advice from my Doctor

Don't break the chain!

Re: Day 11

Spook's check in

Weight update

Suggestion - emoticons for success/fail/exempt

Meal deals