Everyday Systems

Amyliz

Hi No-S friends! I've been absent from the board for a while, but no news is good news in my case! I haven't been able to lose more weight and get to my ultimate goal of 140, but I still enjoy relatively normal eating thanks to No-S.

I had to have another Root canal a few weeks ago, and it was a ...

Amyliz

thanks! i tried it with Picasa but i must not have had the URL part right ....

Amyliz

photo update... coming soon

Amyliz

Hi, i want to add a picture to my testimonial ... no idea how to do it on this site.

thanks!!!
Amy

Amyliz

Mary - that was one of the best things I learned on this diet. Eating real food can actually help lose weight!! the diet stuff is such a slippery slope to plain old over eating

Amyliz

In the beginning I ate HUGE meals. i actually laugh looking back on the meals i was packing on a plate. between lunch and dinner, i actually felt like i was going to pass out! BUT almost 2 years later, I never feel light headed, rarely grouchy and my meals are way smaller.

there is so much ...

Amyliz

I LOVE GREEK YOGURT! i buy the big tub and eat the recommended serving with a table spoon of really good jam (Bonne Maman 'four fruits' is amazing)

its the perfect finish to dinner and it kills any sweet cravings. plus, a tablespoon of jam goes a long way.

I've been eating ceasar salads and the ...

Amyliz

I don't count applesauce as a sweet, but the baked goods i do for sure. BUT i think it's all reasonable IF it's homemade. ANY baked good that is store bought is going to be loaded.

i live in NYC, and the chains are required to post calories. there is not a single baked item at starbucks under 320 ...

Amyliz

For me it's always been slow even thought i'm shooting for a total 20lb loss.

However, after the first year I lost 10lbs total and I had all the habits in place to start tweaking my meals. More soups, more salads, less on my plate , less junk on weekends total. it has been REALLY suprisingly easy ...

Amyliz

I'm not an expert, but I've been doing No-S for 1yr 7mo. and just in the past two month have almost completely stopped drinking Soda - and i'm loving it! I still drink crystal light, so I'm not advocating no sweetners, i just feel better and less hungry without the soda, give it a try!

I've lost a ...

Amyliz

I'm in! July was a mess, and this past week was the worst of all! in addition to 6 red days, my workouts were patchy.
August Goals:
-lose 4lbs / be in the 145-149 range.
-achieve this by doing strict No-S only, no other extreme dieting allowed
-workout 4 times per week minimum.

When i lost 5lbs ...

Amyliz

Congrats Nichole!! its great to see you're still here and still making so much progress! amazing. 135 is my ultimate goal. this years is 145 though, and on a good day i'm only 3lbs away

Amyliz

Thanks for posting this; it makes me thing of one of the quotes on this message board somewhere ...

'No offense to all the diet and fitness gurus out there (well, maybe a little), but it's like my house was flooding, and everyone is trying to tell me where water comes from, how we need the water ...

Amyliz

I'm in! July was a mess, and this past week was the worst of all! in addition to 6 red days, my workouts were patchy.
August Goals:
-lose 4lbs / be in the 145-149 range.
-achieve this by doing strict No-S only, no other extreme dieting allowed
-workout 4 times per week minimum.

When i lost 5lbs ...

Amyliz

1: Green
2: Red: first day of vacation.
3: yellow: Gave myself one Special S-day on vacation
4: yellow
5: yellow
6: Green
7: Green
8: green
9: red - muffins at work were too tempting!
10: green
11: yellow
12: yellow - and sort of a wild s-day
13: green
14: weighed myself this morning, i'm at the ...

Amyliz

I weigh myself as a reward for going to the gym in the mornings instead of at night or not at all. I don't own a scale, i only use the gym scale. I try to not use it at night b/c you're likely to weigh more, so when i'm trying to motivate myself to go in the morning i'll tell myself i get to weigh ...

Amyliz

Congratualtions Bonnie! I love your posts, and your profile cat pic always makes me smile!

upping the exercise helped me alot - i've lost 6lbs in 4 months, and I really attribute it to the exercise b/c I didn't change my meals very much.

Amyliz

Deb- you can do it!!!

I lost 5lbs in 8 months- then gained back 4 in the month of December alone! But since January I have been 100% committed and I've lost 6 of my total 10lbs in the last 3 months. As you know, I didn't think it was possible, but I've been working out a lot More.

Here's one ...

Amyliz

thank-you so much for your encouraging replies!

Saturday at my once a week weigh in I reached 149lbs! i haven't seen anything below 150lbs since 2006. It felt amazing! I had to shop that day for a dress for a friends wedding, and having a size medium fit with no issue DEFINITELY felt better than ...

Amyliz

Thank-you for all the supportive replies! It took me a while to post my 1 year testimonial. I wrote it as a draft in february and kept coming back and editing it, I was nervous to put it out there.
I considered taking out my history from my early twenties, but I wanted to tell it because I think if ...

Amyliz

I found the No-S diet book at a Barnes and Noble on my 27th birthday - March 30. It was a Sunday and it became my first S-day.
I am 5'1" ; female, medium build. Iâ€™ve dealt with variations of an eating disorder my whole life, and at its worst in 2000, I weighed 125lbs and wore a size 6. Looking ...

Amyliz

hi, want to put an image in my post - please tell me how?
thanks!

Amyliz

I've mentioned it before in postings, but the decision number issue has become a guiding principal in my week. I think of my week as 15 Decisions Total - what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner - 5 days a week.

If I plan any of the meals ahead of time I subtract them. right now i just finished ...

Amyliz

haha, so true! Last weekend I had a gourmet cupcake that was so rich and sweet I was nauseous!! I'll be off cupcakes for a while!

Amyliz

After a totally yellow and red december i've refocused in January, which has made N-days a little tricky again. I'm really into numbers and lists, So i like to think of my week as having only 15 meals = only 15 decisions to make. outside of the meals, the answer is NO. the decisions process is ...

Amyliz

Ha! this is who I was listening to this morning on NPR that brought to the realization that i don't know how to NOT eat meat anymore.

so funny, thanks for the link!

Amyliz

I had a realization this morning, that after 7 months of No-S and LOVING it I still hang onto some dieting world hang-ups.

The hang up I discovered is the idea that I have to eat meat at every meal. This is leftover from my Zone diet days, where you have to keep protein and carbs in correct ...

Amyliz

I have a guy friend who is VERY into fly fishing, so during TV time while his wife is knitting, he makes his own flies or bait or whatever they're called. Its pretty funny to know a guy who LOVES to go to the craft store, but it's all about the fly fishing in the end.

Amyliz

Hi Kathleen,
I loved your post! great story and great bottom line!
I'm adding it to my daily reminders page of things i ready when I think about having a red day.

thanks again!
Amyliz

Amyliz

Hi Kathleen,
I loved your post! great story and great bottom line!
I'm adding it to my daily reminders page of things i ready when I think about having a red day.

thanks again!
Amyliz

Amyliz

Hey Blue,
great post! it really made me think - wow i could eat just 2 meals if i feel like it?? and in the few days since thanksgiving i have NOT been hungry at all, but trying to stick to three meals that don't feel like snacks.

the question is, which meal to skip? my hunger would tell me to ...

Amyliz

I'm a fan of the three meals. I hate figuring out what to eat, planning meals etc. and when i counted calories, the day was all about these little decisions 'if i have that, i can't have this, but which do i want more'

since No-s, I like to think of my day as only 3 decisions to make - other than ...

Amyliz

Thanks for the great reminders and perspective!! I had a great No-S day yesterday, and I'm feeling better mentally just by having a day that was just right - not too hungry, not too full.

thanks again!
Amyliz

Amyliz

Hey guys,
well i was cruising along for over 90 days on No-s, I lost 5lbs and felt great. In the last month, my workouts have suffered, then my n-days were borderline, and then i had the worst week in 5 months last week - donuts at work, ice cream after dinner. I marked the days as red, and i got ...

Amyliz

LA loser, thanks for this post! its been really helpful the past couple days!

Amyliz

Amyliz

Hey Nichole! nice to hear from you ... i've been a little more lax myself.
mostly by having a little something from my lunch, if i know i have to wait another hour until lunch.
overall I still follow the strict No-s, and i haven't lost additional weight but i know my workout schedule dropped for a ...

Amyliz

Hey Jillybean,

after the 5lbs i lost in my first month, i've stayed the same for the past 3 months. one thing I'm realizing is that we often tell ourselves 'but I'm doing everything right, and I'm not losing weight' or 'I'm doing everything i can, but not losing weight - it must be the diet!'

i ...

Amyliz

Hey Blueskighs ... reading your blog, what is a EVOO Misto?? just a regular spray bottle with EVOO? i'm intrigued and it sounds like a better way to get the oil in the veggies without heaping teaspoons ...
thanks!

Amyliz

Amyliz

Hey Nichole,
no worries, i've been posting less too! i think its part of getting into the diet, and feeling comfortable with it . I still love the support from the discussion boards, but i check them out much less - but i'm still on track (for the most part!) :)

Friday nights are my 'yellow' meal ...

Amyliz

Hey Resting, yes since making this post, i've realized that it was the 'virtual plating' that was tripping me up. but i had a good week last week! and so far so good today ...

I'm a numbers person, so I try to focus on the idea of 3 meals = 3 decisions a day, and only 15 decisions a week (on N ...

Amyliz

[/quote]this thread actually stopped me from "fudging" my lunch a bit... I grabbed a big container of watermelon chunks out of the fridge this morning, and was just going to eat them b/c "it's only watermelon."

That was my issue and refrain! the 'its only' excuse was where i was getting fuzzy ...

Amyliz

thanks for all the feedback! just reading these posts is a great boost to my commitment to the rules. Reinhard - thanks for the post, and i like the idea of threatening myself that next time, it will be red!

Amyliz

Amyliz

Thanks Organic Gal, it does! i think i might need a fresh start at the 90 day mark. i don't want to delete my habiticals though, but i wonder it thats what's needed? I wish there was a way to save them or print them? i've tried but it didn't work

Amyliz

Has anyone noticed theyâ€™re getting too comfortable with this â€˜dietâ€™ or smudging the edges on meals??

Iâ€™m approaching 90 days on no-S this Friday :) ! As you know if you read a lot of posts, Iâ€™ve had tremendous mental success, and moderate physical success to date. I didnâ€™t have any ...

Amyliz

anovelgirl - the frappuccino is a prime example - and i had the same dilemma one day a few weeks ago. its amazing how much we rationalize what we eat! if i ordered a milkshake ... there would be no doubt it was a sweet, but somehow a frappuccino is just a normal beverage?!

Amyliz

LAloser, that sounds like a fab. drink. i'm going to have to give it a try this weekend .. .

Amyliz

favorite drink - anytime of day:
flavored seltzer waters with 10% -25% juice
all the great flavor and sweetness, carbonation which i love, health benefits of juice, but less calories per serving. And i don't do sugar substitutes, so no LITE juices.

right now i'm having a Canada Dry - Mandarin ...

Amyliz

Welcome! and i would wish you good luck ... but you don't need luck on this diet! you will need patience though, if you read around you'll see posts about gaining in the first week, or being slow to lose.

i've been on No-S for almost 11 weeks and i've lost 5lbs, with some fluctuation here and there ...

Amyliz

I like what cvmom said about the muffin being a trigger food, and i think thats a critical aspect of NO-s to watch out for. I know I equate eating lite and diet 'sweets' with OVER eating. so on S-days i always get the full fat desserts, i enjoy them much more and eat much less.

When i used to eat ...

Amyliz

Hi Esdaly,
I can say i didn't know i was an emotional STRESS eater, and i was really surprised! I think i spent years hiding behind the 'illusion' of healthy eating. i would NEVER say i was on a diet, just 'watching what i eat' and i would often watch as I ate a whole LOT of food.

now that i no ...

Amyliz

yeah, so Tuesday is my new 'bad' day. i had a piece of cake from the leftover office party last friday. argh.
i don't know why?? i feel REALLY full now, and it wasn't worth it. its funny when this diet feels like a diet .. it doesn't happen often, but when it does i'm reminded of how i used to eat ...

Amyliz

WELL - i tried the friday evening/sunday thing and it didn't work. unfortunately my dessert habits are very maleable to my boyfriends. he is the type of guy who loses weight if he does NOT work out - ie he'll shrink.
so i had dessert on sunday, and i called friday an S-day b/c it was my bosses ...

Amyliz

good to hear you're doing well! i had that one slip this tuesday with the brownie. but i'm so proud of myself for not going 'all the way' i was VERY tempted to have a treat after dinner b/c i already had a red square - but the power of habit helped me to think of the long term.
I also almost had ...

Amyliz

about eating out ... there's an interesting and 'fun' book out called 'eat that not this' (I say fun, b/c it really depends on your version of fun ;)

i skimmed through it at the book store, and it is full of pictures of best and worst choices at most chain restaurants, fast food, grocery items etc ...

Amyliz

Wosnes - what's the Blue Zone ... i googled it but i'm not sure i got the right hit.

Amyliz

Hey Nihcole
well i tried the famous 'lean cuisine' for lunch today, and it was pretty good! i was surprised, and i think i'll get them more often.

Which ones do you like the best? I had the Mediterranean chicken

thanks!

Amyliz

thanks for the reminder, i'm not insulted at all. i really DID NOT think about it that way, so i'll have to watch out i don't drink too much juice or tea in its place.

but part of not drinking any alchohol is to hopefully get used to drinking less and less when i do drink. i can easily drink 5-6 ...

Amyliz

hi,
had a good workout weekend, and i'm consistently at 153 now. thats 4lbs down from my start date 2 months ago, so i think i'm on track.

since the last week of may i've been doing well over all, and i cut out beer and wine altogether for now - going to try to go 3 weeks with no alchohol to see ...

Amyliz

Hey, i've been a little MIA too, sorry! good to hear from you, and that you're doing well after a rough patch.

I had a rough two weeks - weighed 155 on sunday, but last night i was 153 - so that was nice to see.
i've cut back on alchohol severely, and i'm trying to do 21 days without a drink ...

Amyliz

thanks for your post
i recently had a cup of broth when i was very hungry instead of snacking but like a true dieter seriously questioned it .. snack or no snack?? it was all liquid so i rationalized that it didn't count as a failure.

but i like the moral support
thanks
amyliz

Amyliz

thanks everyone for the encouraging posts!

the ups and downs are happening for me too:
end of the first 4 weeks i had lost 5lbs.
end of the second 4 weeks i regained 3lbs.

looking at my habitical for the past 8 weeks i've been on No-s, in the second 4 weeks I have had 2 special S days on top of ...

Amyliz

Hey Nichole,
I somehow missed your post above before, but i had a reckless weekend too. and yesterday wasn't ideal. I had an amazing lunch, chicken, green beans, brussel sprouts and fruit.

went to a show at 8pm, didn't eat dinner b/f because i wasn't hungry, drank way more than 3 drinks, went to ...

Amyliz

My roommate (also male) has the same breakfast issue and avoids eating anything b/f 10am. BUT he's extremely thin and has recently been trying to gain weight so he always eats something at 10 - even if its just a banana or a trail mix/protein bar.

not sure if this input helps, but i think anyone ...

Amyliz

Hi,
I agree with Savita about measurements - they can be helpful in several ways. this past weekend i was feeling like i gained weight, and instead of weighing myself i checked my measurements. They were all the same as they have been for weeks, and that was good news. i have a feeling the scale ...

Amyliz

I eat a lot of fruit with my meal. Especially at lunch time, it goes well with a sandwich to eat an apple. But i cut up the fruit and eat it with a fork, it is amazingly filling and makes a nice end to the meal.

I also eat a lot of fruit at breakfast, but generally I follow Karma Rex's plan and ...

Amyliz

Jill - I vote YES - you can definitly say that, and i too blame the bush administration :wink:

i had a pretty crappy food weekend - my first failure on friday, when my friend broke out bread and amazing goat cheese at drinks friday night. couldn't' resist, and it WAS worth it. the next three days ...

Amyliz

Men are so annoying, of course he lost 10lbs! argh. ha. but Yay! for getting to 143!! thats fantastic and motivating.

I've been feeling crappy myself - last weekend when i was away i was visiting with some long time girl friends from high school. They're all 26, but they're all still in great shape ...

Amyliz

oh, and i forgot to say thanks for explaining your tag line - thats hysterical, love that line!

Amyliz

money is so stressful! my budget is something i'm trying to tackle now, and it is helpful that i'm doing no-s b/c my main expense seems to be food.

groceries are expensive here, sometimes just as much as eating out.
But i feel for you, and it sounds like you're doing a great job staying on track ...

Amyliz

Hey All - and welcome to the check-in Susieokla! i see your goal is 135 - so i hope you'll update us on your progress.

I was out of town since thursday, so I haven't been online in a while. I had a crazy vacation weekend, and i counted friday as an S-day. however, even for an S-day i did a good job ...

Amyliz

any thoughts on the water retaining part?

I had a friend who lost weight by working with a trainer and changing her diet to a high protein/moderate carb intake. BUT her trainer was constantly telling to avoid salt and sodium foods b/c they contribute to water weight and bloating.

anyone have any ...

Amyliz

wosnes - interesting article, thanks!

Amyliz

hey,
so yesterday was a good day in several ways:
1) went to the doctor for routine exam, and they're scale said 152! so thats consistent, and i'm happy about it.

2) was out for a work dinner, and i did have some of the appetizer but didn't finish the whole entree ... so i think there was a good ...

Amyliz

I love to drink flavored seltzer water during - its delicious.
i often add a splash of juice (the no added sugar kind)

check it out if you're looking for soda alternatives!

Amyliz

I think for most of us who have dieted for years, its apparent that the 'experts' often disagree, and that different websites have different facts.

That particular website claims that an ideal body weight for a 'large' women of 5'2" is 118-122. Even at the worst of my eating disorder, at age 19 - I ...

Amyliz

Hi,
this popped in my inbox today from the NYC health department.
its a visual about portion sizes and at the end it shows 'the plate method' which a lot of people chat about on the discussion board.
Its a nice visual, so i thought i'd share it!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/csi ...

Amyliz

Hey Nichole,
i feel your pain, i was 154 this morning. which is still 3lbs down from where i started BUT up from last week.
but in the big picture we just started this diet, i'm in week 6. i've had crazy weekends throughout, but i really think if we focus on the N-days the weight will come off in ...

Amyliz

from the first website link:

"Some perspective: The book preaches three daily meals, says Blatner (the expert). But the book allows no snacks except on weekends and holidays. â€œWe do know that snacking controls hunger,â€ she says. People who lose weight successfully eat about four to five times a ...

Amyliz

Thanks for sharing your success!!

Amyliz

Thanks for all the great responses
Shirls - I hadn't thought about it until you pointed it out, but no, i have not been crazy hungry in many weeks. Looking back, i know i consumed A LOT of sugar, and it makes sense that is where some of the hunger came from.

my 'fear' of hunger is definitely ...

Amyliz

you're right, you're right ... and thats what i try to remind myself.

Amyliz

does anyone else have an irrational fear of hunger?

one of the hard parts of No-s for me has been the looming fear 'but what if i get hungry!?'
A full plate of food is a lot for me in one meal, but i usually eat past when i'm full b/c of this fear.

I have no financial or geographical reasons why ...

Amyliz

haha, i've had a couple of those dreams ... when i wake up i'm so relieved i didn't acually eat a whole pan of brownies!

Amyliz

Debbi - I say if you can keep it a Nday, go for it! you'll be really excited for lunch and it will be an accomplishment to know if you can have an unusual N-day.

Amyliz

welcome back!

I've lost 5lbs and I still can't believe it works! today my hypochondria self started thinking maybe i have a disease that's causing me to lose weight ...

'you have to laugh at yourself sometimes, you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't' - Amy Ray, The Indigo Girls

Amyliz

Hey Missy, congratulations! i've had several comments from co-workers that i look thinner (who are all female, so its genuine ;)
I try to Use them as a motivator, and to talk myself out of body dismorphia (ie. i still see the pudgy 12yr old with bad hair most days)

flipturn - I am prone to ...

Amyliz

hey Nichole, that sounds like a good plan
i try to hold out for lunch until 1-1:30 b/c i don't eat dinner until 7 or 8 (at the earliest)

the afternoon can be rough, luckily i've been really busy at work and that helps as a distraction from work.

as for the banana at lunch, sounds like another ...

Amyliz

Hey Nichole,
i hope you like the morning workouts once you can start doing them, i know i really like how much free time i get at the end of the day now.

but its hard, i didn't make it to the gym this morning, so i'll have to push myself to go tonight.

i've had some borderline cheat days - when i ...

Amyliz

I eat cereal for breakfast every day, with 1% milk, a banana and some juice. my cereal choices vary, but i think cereals are clearly coated in sugar or not.
I vote LIFE is not.
this is the breakfast i've been eating since i started nosing, and it lasts until about 11:45 before i'm starving for lunch ...

Amyliz

I had a good day yesterday, made it my morning workout, yay!
I'm working on making the morning workouts a habit (trying for 3 a week)

I tried the Ziploc steam bags people rave about, and they were amazing! i made a spice rub for chicken i found online, and made a bunch of chicken breasts. Then i ...

Amyliz

Cornelia,

i can't imagine how difficult this situation is for you, and As Buffalo Gal said, go easy on yourself in hard times.

Meanwhile, i think you're on to something, if you can stick to the 3 meals a day now, when life settles you know you can do it!

This past month of nosing, when i've had ...

Amyliz

Hey nichole,
don't stress so much about the 1 to 2 lbs and calories.
i weighed 153 this morning, but I know i'm on the downward trend in general.
have you tried going a week or two without the scale?

Amyliz

1) I feel like I'm trading addiction to food into addition to the discussion groups

haha, so funny ... i've had a similar experience. I've never been in discussion groups, or been a blog reader before No-S.
but after 5 weeks, i'm also online less, but i still like the support here.

If you have ...

Amyliz

Hey Jaymiz,
i'm still in the no scale club too, I'm only weighing in on a monthly basis. it was tempting to get on the scale the day after i saw the 151.5, but then i thought 'if it happens to go up a pound or two, I'll be so disappointed'
I'm staying away until June 1st.

good luck!
Amyliz

Amyliz

welcome!
I felt ravenously hungry in the beginning, but part of the process is figuring out how much to eat AT the meal. I used to eat small lunches knowing i would eat a snack in a few hours. But take every meal as a learning experience.

I've learned, if I'm NOT hungry when i wake up, I either ...

Amyliz

Noel - thanks for the added info. there is so much misinformation out there about the 5-6 meal phenomena.

Amyliz

are you hungry or bored? I have to ask myself this all the time, especially in the afternoon at work ...

Amyliz

Reinhard - many many thanks for this diet and your book! I hope you keep writing.

Amyliz

hey guys,
my first few weeks i didn't see a difference. my start weight was 157.
i didn't weigh myself until a week ago, and i was so excited to see 155!
then on saturday i weighed 151.5!!!! and I can see the 5lbs! I'm aware that scales are not always reliable, but the boost i got from seeing that ...

Amyliz

Hey gals,
Nichole - sounds like a fun S-weekend to me! i had homemade ice cream sundae's sat. and sunday - and they were delicious. I could see i wasn't eating as much ice cream as i used to. I alternate my weights and cardio, and I like the variety. it also means i work out more days for less time ...

Everyday Systems

Search found 168 matches

Help, how do i post a photo??

1 year and 10lbs lost!

How do i upload an image or jpg?

do you still keep any old diet hang ups?

needing a boost ...

Getting a little laissez-faire ...

The Plate Method - from NYC Health

irrational fear of hunger?

Success in week 5!