Everyday Systems

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My mealtimes vary quite a bit; breakfast happens any time between seven and noon, lunch half noon to three, and dinner somewhere in the space between five and nine. The gaps between them on any given day are reasonably consistent though.

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There's a vending machine in my office. It prominently displays crisps and chocolate. I don't buy them. If other people do, that's their concern.

Having said that, the thing hardly ever gets used. Most people in my office would rather go and get some decent food (or bring it with them).

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Hello, all.

There's a brief history of meals on the BBC News site today, and how we came to have three of them. I thought it might be of interest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20243692

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Soaking the mats in a strong solution of vinegar or bicarbonate of soda (not both at the same time) may help to speed the odour away. I haven't found anything that's immediately effective, but repeated applications should improve matters.

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I used to run a bit, having the intention to participate in a running event of some sort. I later realised I didn't like running and stopped, but that's by the by. I never found I needed to eat anything extra outside mealtimes to facilitate exercise; just ensure your meals are balanced and providing ...

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Convinced that I had developed some deep, incurable, psychological neurosis
It's called being human. Welcome! I started when I was 26 (No-S, not being human. I've been at that a while longer.) and am still going at 32. It works if you work at it (much like anything else worth doing).

I tend ...

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This is quite fun; a variation on the BMI calculator that shows how your body fat compares with the rest of your country and the world.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18770328

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Snorting powdered doughnuts sounds like delicious pain.

I feel the urge to eat if I drink, as do a great many of my friends and, I believe, pretty much everyone else. If it weren't such a widespread phenomenon, pubs wouldn't sell so many crisps.

On a vaguely neurophysiological note, it has to do ...

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Yup. One here.

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reinhard wrote:http://www.bigtimeattic.com/blog/upload ... ELS_v2.jpg

That image puts me in mind of Dick Whittington.

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I'm not a fan of learning from DVDs, but can recommend Tom Kurz's stuff. I have a copy of Stretching Scientifically and consider it very useful. I'm informed that he also produces DVDs on the subject which are on a par.

Pavel Tsatsouline also comes highly recommended, though I haven't any ...

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Blithe Morning wrote:Break a leg!

Thank you kindly.

Perhaps I should suggest that the next play be Moira Buffini's Dinner.

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That's a good general rule, I think; if it's planned and deliberate, there's little danger of mindless consumption.

We're doing The 39 Steps at Progress Theatre in Reading (starting next week, if anyone's in the area and interested).

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I've come across a new obstruction to No-S in the form of my theatrical hobbies and thought I'd share.

I'm currently in rehearsal for an amateur production of a comedy show in the local theatre, during which I'm required to take a few bites of a sandwich. It's not a huge amount, but it's definitely ...

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For those unfamiliar, Martin Lewis is a self-styled expert on money-saving in the UK. His blog usually contains financial advice, but this week's shows what happens when you apply the logic from one discipline to another.

http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2011/ ... pert-diet/

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I've been loitering here since 2006, which is long enough ago that I had to find one of my posts to look at the date. I started eating this way at the same time, reached a healthy weight and build within a year, and haven't moved much since.

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My views on supplements are summed up by Hippocrates; "Let your food be medicine and your medicine be food."

On the other hand, I've never had any specific problems that might require supplementary nutrition.

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An observation on illness I haven't seen from anyone else; I've had a StinkingRottenCold(TM) for the last few days and, in keeping with the old "feed a cold, starve a fever" adage, have been eating constantly for the duration (hurrah for S-days there) as I seem to burn through ridiculous quantities ...

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A pint is 567.5ml over here (minus an acceptable head).

Metric, indeed.

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My first thought after looking at your list is that you should eat more vegetables. The stuff you're eating is all quite quick-burn fuel; adding in some bulkier plant-based foodstuffs might help you feel fuller for longer. A brief enquiry; when you say 'beans', are those fresh beans or baked beans ...

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I think this is one of those areas where us menfolk have it easier (I also think I've said this before somewhere on the boards). People comment on my size, ask me how I do it, agree that it sounds sensible and then don't do it. A week later, I have the same conversation with the same person, who ...

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A quick tip on strength training: slower is better. Don't try to get it all done as fast as possible; you'll end up kicking off with the wrong muscles and using momentum to drive the movement, leading to possible injury. That's probably why your neck is sore. It's a lot more beneficial to do the ...

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1. if you could offer 1 tip for all us newbie's what might that be?
The same advice I give in most subjects: relax. You don't have to be perfect straight away, and you don't fail until you give up.
2. were you one that got it right away, or have you struggled thru the years?
I got it pretty much ...

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The one thing I've noticed is reading about various traditional cuisines is that most home cooks around the world don't stray from their own cuisine. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to get ingredients for other cuisines even in affluent countries. Many still eat quite locally and seasonally ...

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A method I've seen mentioned on here before is allowing one S-event per vacation day, allowing a relaxation of the rules but not letting yourself off the hook completely. I tried it on one holiday and found that it relaxed my mindset so much that I didn't really want anything on offer; I'd pass up ...

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If you're eating larger amounts in any one sitting, it might take a while to get used to. Slowing down your eating to give you time to digest may help.

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I have the bowl and a side plate, or put the bowl on a dinner plate and fill around it.

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Who Me? wrote:You forgot the part where one's brains are removed through one's nostrils.

That's three pounds lost right there.

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Are our No S friends who are not in the good ol' U.S.of A aware of what the "Food Pyramid" is? I see that toosolidflesh and ThompsonsPier seem mystified (I love TP' s take on what this could possibly mean!).
I wonder what other government's do, if anything to "direct" their citizens' eating habits ...

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Spam fritters were a favourite at school (for certain values of 'favourite'), and some friends of mine had an interesting culinary experience using them as a template. For those unaware, Spam fritters are composed of a slice of (allegedly) meat carved from the malevolent pinkish block that comes out ...

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What? After I replaced all my dinner plates with these?

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I just had a quick look on the SPAM website to concoct a joke about tinned meat and herbs, and discovered that a spreadable version of SPAM exists.

Now I feel ill.

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I'm with wosnes; I don't think this has anything to do with No-S. It sounds like gingivitis or periodontitis from your description, caused by build up of bacteria on the teeth. My guess would be that the symptoms were already there; they're just more noticeable because you're more aware of your ...

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I bought some 100% sugar-free lard yesterday. That must be healthy, right?

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I had a similar realisation. Hunger does occasionally become a problem when it's enough to stop me from sleeping, but that's usually after a heavy exercise session and a glass of milk tends to take care of it.

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I don't know if many people are in my position of not wanting to lose weight. Maybe this diet just isn't for me?
I'm in a similar position; I am right in the middle of my ideal weight bracket and my health is fine. I'm here because I'd like it to stay that way. In that sense, this diet is for you ...

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Not unless you count tea.

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When queried I said that I do "no s" - odd looks all around - what is that? When I told them they were interested - for a few minutes - and then moved on to other things.
This happens to me on occasion. I'm sure I've told the same people about it at least six times. Each time they experience ...

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I possess no scales (if you don't count the Wii Balance Board or the ones in the kitchen, which would break if I sat on them) and judge solely based on appearance. I do weigh myself occasionally if I'm somewhere with a set of scales, but don't do anything with the number save log it somewhere in my ...

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It's interesting enough as an article, but it does seem to take six pages to reach the conclusion that you get good at stuff by doing stuff whilst paying attention.

There's as much meaningless gumpf about exercise around as there is about diet. Simplicity and effectiveness often go hand-in-hand, No ...

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I always take my own food and drink to the cinema if I do take anything (in the UK) - we aren't MEANT to but they don't search you so.... buggered if I'm spending Â£10 on a massive drink and gross food!!
The staff at the cinema near me seem quite content to allow us in openly brandishing coffee ...

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cjgoodson2 wrote:How do you guys deal with the hunger pangs?

I make sure I have something good to look forward to at the next meal. I quite enjoy hunger pangs if I know when I'll be eating next.

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I have a similar attitude to breakfast, and have therefore taken to bringing a packed breakfast into work. Inspired by Graze , I bought a segmented clip-shut food storage box and fill it with assorted fruit and cereal things (effectively a breakfast bento box). It allows for variety in meals, and ...

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Say I want to limit the number of times I eat out per week to 3 lunches and 2 dinners (a lunch and dinner out could fall on the same day). Or say I want to limit book-shopping episodes (which could be a trip to a bookstore, or buying stuff on Amazon) to 4 per month.

Edited to add: what if there's ...

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The rule is not No Sugar, it's No Sweets. A sweet is a food which is not savoury.

Root beer is a drink. There is no fail here.

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I've never thought of pizza as particularly unhealthy, anyway. There is, I suppose, a world of difference between American style deep pan pizza in a box and a thin crust Italian pizza the same size as a dinner plate. I favour the latter, for the most part, and the sum total of the ingredients is ...

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Light but large motions and relaxed movement are generally good for warming up. Arm circles, knee raises or marching on the spot, twisting and bending. Any movement is fine, really; it's more a matter of starting light and not pushing the muscles before they're warm. Dynamic stretching is also good ...

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The best way to start doing something is to start doing it.

The advice above to pick a day and start is good. I'd go further and tell you to pick today, rather than tomorrow. (EDIT: Oh, you did) This is based largely on the fact that I consider the best way of learning to make mistakes, and you can ...

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Have you been doing NOS for long? What's been your experience with it?
By my count, about five years. I don't really think about it very much any more.

I started as a pre-emptive measure when I noticed an increase in the midriff, and took to it fairly easily. It was the only diet I considered, as ...

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Here's one.

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I just had a quick look and the quantity of food they suggest is a bit high for me. I prefer this one, anyway.

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Turkey! I thought it would be a standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding.
Yorkshire pudding does generally make an appearance. The traditional UK Christmas bird is goose, but I've yet to find a supplier who doesn't charge a ridiculous amount. Turkey has taken over since they were brought in from ...

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So, yeah, have your cake, and eat it, too. :) (Never understood why those are supposed to be contradictory. Eating your cake and still having it, too, now that'd be unusual.)
Your latter phrasing is, apparently, the original form. I can't find the source that told me that at the moment ...

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Given that December is replete with festive eating opportunities (and for a number of other reasons), I decided at the beginning of the month that I wouldn't be too strict with my eating and allow an S-event every day in celebration. I tend to forget to take them through the year.

It appears that ...

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http://www.sanctepater.com/2010/06/insane-weight-watchers-recipe-cards.html

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/silly/good-for-a-laugh-old-weight-watcher-recipe-cards-111000
These are fantastic. I imagine that their chief contribution to weight loss is to put you off food. Forever.

Am I the only ...

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oolala53 wrote:I also invite successful No S long-timers to check in here once in awhile to cheer the strugglers on!

Have a cheer!
*waves flag*

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As mentioned on the home page, nowhere does No-S state that three shall be the number of meals, or that the number of meals must be three. I would probably try to adjust to three meals first, however, and add another if it proves impossible (and few things are impossible).

Though I've no experience ...

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Kung fu and bodyweight interval training.

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I'm not picky. I'm demanding.

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Like it was trying to taste like something but lost interest along the way.
I'm quoting this phrase because I like it.

A good move on switching to water, I'd say. Have you considered buying a water filter for your tap water, and maybe a sports bottle to carry when you're out and about? I only ...

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I imagine this is more of an issue in the US. I forgot in was Halloween until the day after.

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Hello, and welcome to the forums.

As far as diet is concerned, I'm unable to offer much perspective; this is the first and only codified manner of eating I've ever tried and, barring medical requirements, will be the last. From that standpoint, however, I will tell you that you're in the right ...

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I'd say it was fine and treat it as a vegetable dish, but stick to the one-plate rule. What you've described is essentially apple sauce with a lid.

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In terms of No-S, beer is allowed in whatever quantity you like. Glass Ceiling is a separate system to cut down your drinking, and allows two drinks per day.

No-S doesn't make reference to alcohol on the basis that there are worse health problems to worry about if your caloric intake from alcohol ...

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An apposite post;
and delaying one's pleasure
sweetens enjoyment.

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I think your plan is very wise. I have little personal experience with medication side effects, but know a great many who do. Those who are the healthiest adopt a similar approach to yours and tend to return to normal functioning soonest.

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I tend to use a bowl and a small side plate with a roll on it and think of the soup as a sandwich filling. I also tend to get bored of soup about halfway down the bowl, so overeating is never a problem.

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Hiho,

I haven't read the book and I seem to be doing all right. I don't necessarily stick to the one plate rule, but I've been here for a few years now and have a reasonably good idea of how much food I need. Obviously, I can't speak for you (and I don't know how big your portions were) but I would ...

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I've recently tried kohlrabi for the first time, but that was because it turned up in a vegetable box rather than through choice. "Alien cabbage" is one of the more common descriptions, though it tastes more like swede.

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I usually eat breakfast just before nine, lunch at about half one and dinner anywhere from six to half eight, dependent upon what I'm doing in the evening.

Time between meals, therefore, ranges from four hours to seven if you don't count time spent asleep.

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I don't rely on my stomach to inform me what I should be eating once I've started; I determine what to eat by noting how hungry I am and designing a meal accordingly. It has taken a while to establish the right quantity of food, but now I rarely misjudge it. Sometimes I eat too much, whereupon I'm ...

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I tend to buy as I go, but that's more because I rarely find anything I like and I have to grab stuff when I see it. You might try buying a few items that you really like in the new size; you'll make the effort to continue because you'll want to wear them. I seem to have changed shape rather than ...

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You know you're eating diet food when that pile of gravel you bought to resurface the drive looks more appetising than your lunch.

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Since this has been resurrected, I shall weigh in. It might be interesting to see what the difference is. Looking at my previous response, it seems that i neglected to mention a great deal of what I do.

As with KCCC, the core of my exercise has changed little; my main physical activity is kung fu ...

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Another suggestion is to ensure that you're last in the queue, as then there is no-one behind you to complain. This is not without its drawbacks, however, as there's not guarantee there'll be anything left.

In my opinion, if the supplied food is supposed to be a meal and there's not enough food for ...

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Wow, I feel so terrible now. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my slight aggravations. I'm sorry. I just wanted clarification. I am starting the S diet and want to succeed. I have the book by my bedside and even purchased the S Diet pin to put on my labcoat to wear at work. :(

I will stick to ...

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I'm thirty and have been doing this for about four years (No-S, not being thirty). I've never tried any diet, as they all seemed extremely stupid.

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Without asking ThompsonsPier we can't know whether he judges fat people or not
I try not to judge anyone, with varying degrees of success. The reason for the somewhat strangled English in my last post was thanks to an attempt to frame my argument without relating it to anyone specifically.

Your ...

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I have to admit that when I started No S and before I read that article and The End of Overeating, I was in the "personal responsibility" camp.
I still am, and am unlikely to be moved from it.

One thing from the article that really struck me was this simile: Putting individual solutions and free ...

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Scientific American has an article about the differences in the ways men and women suppress food urges. It's just a preview unless you subscribe or buy the article, but I thought it might be of interest.

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If anyone wants to read an interesting story about patience, and waiting, check out Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot . It's a play, you might be able to find a screen version somewhere as well.
The current production with IanMcKellen is touring at the moment. I saw it last month and it's ...

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I'm afraid it wasn't just a question of eating less :)
You are, of course, correct; I was grossly oversimplifying to make a point, which is rather hypocritical of me because that's what I just accused the government of doing. My apologies.

The education campaigns run to assist people in making ...

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You know that five-a-day thing the government threw down our throats? It's an approximation based on poor diet and is largely without value; a lowest common denominator approach to making people eat vegetables without actually educating them. I'd say it failed, as a sizeable proportion think that a ...

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mrsj wrote:I let go of all my negative feelings about myself

(...)

There are so many more important things in life to use my time and energy on.

I think that the above realisations are probably the finest available for personal well-being. Well done there.

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When I started, I was not yet overweight and hoping to keep it that way, prevention being better than cure and all that. Like you, most people would categorise me as trim, though that's veering toward stocky (in a good way). I have succeeded, but losing further weight took a long time and it was ...

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Just to offer a variation on the above view I don't generally worry about sugary cereals (assuming you're only eating them for breakfast), at least with regard to the sugar content. The main problem I do have with them is that if breakfast consists of one bowl of cereal (which is what's technically ...

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I don't count calories, but I am aware of them in a nebulous way. Knowing the calorific values of foods helps to make choosing them easier, and I'm very much an advocate of keeping things as simple as possible.

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There's no problem I have to discuss here, just a matter of curiosity; I seem to drink a lot more than most other people I see. How much fluid do you take in during a normal day? For me, it's about six mugs of tea, one of coffee, two to five glasses of water (sometimes substituting one of those for ...

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Starbucks are currently launching VIA, which is the best I've found (I had a free sample).

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In my opinion, mints are sweets. By extension, so are Tic Tacs. I can't imagine one consumed periodically for breath-freshening purposes would be a problem though.

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Sound like success from here.

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All of the above! I think a number of factors contribute, the primary being that people often go straight back to eating garbage once they reach their target weight, but now they have an extra, bulletproof, resolve that means they're obviously able to eat whatever they like because that's what all ...

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I'm a great advocate of balanced meals. I think a common mistake is to view the foods on your plate separately: that's not how food works. The more protein you eat, the more water your body needs to process it; if you eat vegetables with it, you get that water in the meal and, as a result, digestion ...

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I fear my stomach won't shrink
The stomach doesn't shrink. It has an inherent size and will distend to accommodate excessive intake of food. You'll know if that happens, because it's extremely uncomfortable. When the food is digested, the stomach returns to normal size: there's no way to make it ...

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If it's something you've bought & thus has added sugar then you're breaking the no sugar rule.
There is no "no sugar" rule. The rule is "no sweets". The distinction, I understand, is there to establish a difference between putting sugar in your coffee (acceptable) and eating cake because it's made ...

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would you sit at the dinner table ... in a restaurant for a whole hour before eating your dessert?
With the service in some places around here, there's not much choice.

In response to the thread question, however, I'd class that fruit as a snack, but I wouldn't relate it so much to the time ...

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Though someone always seems to say 'you're so 'good' or I wish I had that kind of willpower - I'm always hungry' or something like that.
I get this a lot; people don't seem to be able to bring themselves to believe that I'm actually not hungry, don't really like sweets, or actually prefer my ...

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Just started last week, into my second week. Want to commit to a year also. Need to loose 25 lbs, so I can fit into a closet full of clothes and refuse to buy more. I'll make that commitment with you. Good luck to the both of us and welcome.
Have caution! I had to buy new clothes thanks to this ...

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I'd say it depends. If you're taking a brief test for flavour and seasoning, I'd call that legitimate. Testing the meal beforehand to make sure it's right is only sensible; if your meal is your only food intake, you want to make sure it's enjoyable.

In the instance you described, however, I imagine ...

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I fast between meals and eat during them.

The notion of fasting on alternate days just sounds like No-S at lower frequency to me. Is there any actual difference?

Everyday Systems

Search found 321 matches

Three Meal History

Re: 11:59pm -- Friday night

Global Fat Scale

A vaguely amusing difficulty.

Interesting post from a moneysaver...

A thought on S(ick) days

Re: Questions for the experienced/long timers?

Re: Juice?

Re: the hunger pang thang

Re: Could we use Everyday Systems for this?

Re: uk anyone?

This habit thing has some clout.

Re: Just for December

Science!

Re: Throwing in the towel...

How much do you drink?

Re: HUGE Platefuls

Re: starting again (Monday!) - meal duration question

Re: Me too!!

Re: On-Off Fasting Helps Obese Adults Lose Weight