Everyday Systems

Starla

"Bad" green day for No S - I ate a lot of pizza last night, but it would all fit on one plate.

Exercise failure.

Starla

Green for No S; yellow for exercise, and that really couldn't be helped. It does mean that I have to exercise every day through the weekend, though.

Starla

Tuesday was green for No S; yellow for exercise. I had a hair appointment after work and didn't get home until 7:00. I was way too hungry to exercise before eating.

Starla

Monday was green for No S and exercise.

B - Bagel with peanut butter and an apple;
L - Salad and an orange;
D - Pasta with tomatoes and sausage; toasted Asiago cheese bread with butter

Starla

I just checked in your thread for the first time in a long time; I had no idea what you've been going through! Our stressors have been different, but we're kind of in the same part of the journey right now, aren't we? Let's both pat ourselves on the back for re-starting No S.

You sound like you are ...

Starla

Friday was a green day, although I ate quite a bit at a fish fry Friday night. No exercise, so it was my second yellow for the week for that.

I've exercised both days this weekend, but eaten a LOT. Still, I had a green week on No S, and I did get in my 5 days of exercise for the week. I got up this ...

Starla

Thanks for your encouragement, tobiasmom! My weekends always include chocolate-covered almonds!

Yesterday was green, and the Girl Scout cookies made it into the freezer. I really wanted some after supper, and what stopped me was knowing I would have to report it in my daily check-in. Obviously, I ...

Starla

Wednesday was green; meals the same as Monday and 30 minutes on the treadmill. 30 minutes is the maximum I want to spend on the treadmill; now I will work on increasing the speed.

There were 6 boxes of Girl Scout cookies on my desk this morning. I hope I have room in my freezer! These are meant ...

Starla

Yesterday was another green day. Meals the same as Monday and 26 minutes on the treadmill.

Starla

Day 1 was green!

B - bagel with peanut butter and an apple;
L - salad and an orange.
D - scalloped potatoes and andouille sausage with toasted Asiago cheese bread and mixed vegetables.

I also walked on the treadmill for 18 minutes, and it felt great. It would have been longer, but every music ...

Starla

Today is my 26-month anniversary of starting No S. I have completely fallen apart. My long-time boss, a man I regarded as my second father, died unexpectedly one month ago today. My aunt died the following week, and I have responded by abandoning No S. I have gained 9.6 pounds in the past month. 9.6 ...

Starla

I think the important thing is that you have a rule that's clear enough so that you know when you're breaking it, whatever that rule may be.

I count fruit muffins as sweets; they're cake. I count butter-slathered corn muffins as deliciously decadant and N-day allowed. I'm sure my corn muffins with ...

Starla

Congratulations! That is a truly exciting accomplishment.

I do have one quibble with your post, though. I'm sure you were never a monster, regardless of weight. You were, and are, a woman strong enough to tackle this problem. You should be so proud of yourself!

Starla

Today is my two-year anniversary of No S. I reluctantly posted my two-year testimonial here: http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7993

Starla

Today is my two-year anniversary of starting NO S. You can read my far more inspirational first-year testimonial here: http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6745

My second year has been much different than my first, and not in a good way. I've tended to blame it on stress and change - a new ...

Starla

There's a picture of my front counter at work in the "Catch Phrases" thread; it has two candy jars on it. We also have treats for birthdays, pot luck lunches, bagel runs, and virtually an unending supply of food at the office. So when I stopped eating this stuff, people noticed, and I had to explain ...

Starla

Today is my 23-month anniversary of starting No S. I gained 2.6 pounds last month, for a total loss of 67 pounds. I have one more month before my two-year check-in, and I really want to show at least some weight loss this second year.

Again, I am still not exercising and eating too much on ...

Starla

I had experience with this many years ago, when I was 25 or so. I became obsessed with losing weight, and ate no more than 500 calories a day. I had a magic number in my head (115 pounds), and I wanted to get there as soon as possible. What it took to stop me was fear. I had dieted all week, made it ...

Starla

I am a couple months away from my two-year anniversary of starting No S. My tips:

1) Keep it simple, but build a fence around the law. I added no additional restrictions (which means I DID have a lunch consisting of Cheetos!), but I was very strict about sticking to the three rules of No S.

2 ...

Starla

Today is my 22-month anniversary of starting No S. I lost 2.4 pounds last month, for a total lost of 69.6. Unfortunately, my behaviors have not changed, so I think I've found the place where I'll stabilize with no exercise and pretty wild S days.

I haven't given up, and, just to be clear, I have ...

Starla

Congratulations!! This testimonial made me so happy for you.

I love that you titled this "The First Year of the Rest of my Life," and that you have found something that will stay with you forever. We experienced many of the same things during our first years, not just in terms of weight loss, but ...

Starla

I'm pretty stingy with NWS days. Apart from the obvious (Christmas, Thanksgiving, my birthday), I ask myself "Can I enjoy this event as an N day?" Usually, the answer is "Yes." I can celebrate someone else's birthday without consuming cake. I can have dinner out and keep it to one plate without ...

Starla

I think the No S book suggests that a bowl of hearty soup and a hunk of bread constitutes a meal. For a broth, or lighter soup, you can plate the rest of your meal on a salad plate.

I bring a big salad to work for lunch almost every day. In that case, my salad container IS my plate.

Any of the ...

Starla

Oh, I was so tempted to skip this month, but I've let my accountability lapse, and I'm paying the price for that.

Today is my 21-month anniversary of No S. I gained 2.8 pounds last month, for a total weight loss of 67.2 pounds.

The trend is pretty clear here, and I can't pretend I didn't know ...

Starla

First of all, congratulations! What an inspiring story, not just of a weight change, but of a life change.

Your testimonial really struck home for me, because I have been struggling ever since returning from vacation over a month ago. In your words, I've become "sloppy." And, like you, I realized ...

Starla

Congratulations, Nicest!

I want to chime in as another No S'er who does not restrict beyond the requirements of Vanilla No S. I always tell people that the only foods I have eliminated are the foods I don't like.

I DO eat more vegetables, especially, as I find I appreciate the taste of vegetables ...

Starla

I want to second what TexArk said. I didn't know how I could tell when something became a habit until I realized it was when I no longer needed to make decisions. I didn't ask myself "Can I eat this?" because the absolutes of S days and N days meant I already knew. The bright line rules of No S are ...

Starla

Clearly, people can gain weight while eating anything. People can also lose weight while eating anything. Moderation in all things! (Including excess!)

The "diet experts" of the world have much to answer for, but perhaps the single worst thing is this insistence on certain magic foods being "the ...

Starla

Today is my 20-month anniversary of starting No S. It has been a rough month with lots of S days, including my birthday and a vacation. I gained 0.8 pounds this past month, leaving my total weight loss at 70 pounds.

I actually gained less weight than I had expected. I had 11 straight S days, and I ...

Starla

This was very interesting to me, because our office's two candy jars are on my counter (there's a picture of them and my strategy for dealing with the candy, in the "No S Catch Phrases" thread).

This quotation from Brian Wansink was striking to me: "Even for a person with the greatest resolve ...

Starla

Welcome, yuka! My father's family came from Poznan many years ago. Dear old great grandpa didn't want to join the German army. I grew up in an area of the US with a high concentration of Poles; one of the churches still has a Polish mass every Sunday, and there were Polish programs on the radio ...

Starla

Congratulations! Your happiness in your new life is inspiring!

Starla

I am someone who had no false starts. It stuck with me from the beginning, and in my first year I believe I had only 4 failures. No S was obviously the right diet for me, and I think I was at the point where I knew I had to do something or face the fact that my weight was going to eventually kill me ...

Starla

That was hilarious! I remember having a similar reaction when I read the website for the first time. Hearing the unvarnished truth was a little disconcerting. Of course, I was no where near as clever expressing that fact as this guy is. Thanks for posting!

Starla

Today is my 19-month anniversary of starting No S. I gained 1.2 pounds last month, bringing my total weight loss to 70.8 pounds. I'm not too upset by this. It's tax season crunch time and the most stressful time of year for me. The same thing happened last year - I have no eating failures, but my ...

Starla

Ah, you've discovered one of the joys of No S. There are no forbidden foods! Now, does that mean calories don't count? Of course not; you can't fill your plates with high-calorie food every day and expect to lose weight. But fried potatoes (and any other non-sweet) are a perfectly acceptable part of ...

Starla

Becoming , don't you be so hard on yourself either. Sick days are S days too; you're allowed to snack if that's what makes you feel better.

My last failure was an ice cream cone eaten on an N day. It was the day before I moved; I was hot, tired, everything was packed and I really wanted an ice ...

Starla

One lesson I have had to learn over and over and over is that I cannot eat what I do not have. I can't snack all day on sweets if there aren't any in the house. I am much more likely to limit my S day to a single, decadent treat if that's all I buy.

This weekend my treats were:

Saturday ...

Starla

Reduk74, best wishes for your surgery and recovery. I would think No S compliance is not as important as being kind to yourself, making sure you get every nutrient you need for tissue repair. Reinhard himself advises not worrying about No S when you are unwell, you do what you need to recover.

I ...

Starla

I totally agree with this, and I've also found that I've applied the skills of No S to the rest of my life. I am much more able to break down a problem into little parts. I finally believe that I don't need draconian, dramatic solutions to problems. Baby steps WORK!

Starla

Welcome, Lightning! Don't worry, this board isn't about judging anyone for their weight, just about helping each other win the fight against overeating.

Congratulations on your coming baby! My brother is 359 days younger than I am; we were exceptionlly close all through childhood.

Of course, you ...

Starla

I hope you are really proud of yourself, Marc. You've worked so hard for your incredible success, and I'm sure it was devastating to see it start to slip away. Congratulations for reversing that slide! It sounds like you've found a plan that will work for you in getting back to your acceptable ...

Starla

I would call it a fail IF you chose to drink the soda, knowing it was not allowed.

I have to qualify this by saying I have been very strict about the rules and that I found this extremely helpful in the long run. Being strict means you teach yourself clear rules, and once these rules are ...

Starla

Today is my 18-month anniversary of No S. I hate it when my monthly weigh-ins occur on a Monday after an S-filled weekend!

I lost 3 pounds last month, for a total lost of 72 pound. I'm quite proud that I had no exercise failures last month; I think it will be even easier to exercise as the ...

Starla

When I started No S, almost 18 months ago, I saw that Reinhard and various long-timers said not to worry about S days, so that is how I approached things. I've had every kind of S day possible, but I don't stress about it. For me, by far the most important thing about S day is the release of any ...

Starla

Welcome, Becoming (I love your moniker). You've been given lots of great advice, and I'll second it. It really helps to learn other ways to distract and/or comfort yourself.

It helped me to make a list of things that appeal to my various senses, and to use the list when I wanted the release of a ...

Starla

I'll sometimes have dinner completely planned in my head by 10am!

I don't think this is a bad thing. I ALWAYS know what I'm going to eat for my meals on N days, and I've been doing this almost 18 months! It's much less stressful for me to not only know when I'm going to be eating, but to know ...

Starla

I had the same problem when I started No S. I became too hungry at about 11:00 - hungry to the point where I had headaches and could think of nothing but eating.

What worked for me was adding some fat and protein to my breakfast in the form of peanut butter (on a bagel). You may just need to eat a ...

Starla

I had a success yesterday that I really DO consider a victory. I wanted to participate in a protest yesterday, but I also needed to get in some exercise in order to live up to my 5-days-a-week commitment. I ended up parking my car far enough from the scene of the protest so that walking there and ...

Starla

I'm with KCCC - 54; still in peri-menopause hell, but able to consistently lose weight with vanilla No S. This is something that obviously varies tremendously from person-to-person; I just don't want someone in the 45-55 age range to think they're doomed to gain weight without draconian measures.

Starla

Hi, tobiasmon -

I read your comment on my thread, and so I had to come get to "know" you. I want to congratulate you on your tenacity. You've been knocked down a few time in this process, but you always get back up. That's the hardest thing to do; as you said, it's so much easier to quit ...

Starla

Today is my 17-month anniversary of starting No S. I lost .8 pounds last month, for a total loss of 69 pounds. I consider today's weigh-in almost irrelevant, as it comes the morning after a wild Super Bowl Sunday (I'm in Wisconsin and am a huge Packer fan). I ate WAY too much and drank too much ...

Starla

Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating, by Geneen Roth: http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Free-Compulsive-Eating-Geneen/dp/0452270847

Her eating system is not practical for me, but her understanding of the emotional side of eating blew me away. This book also profoundly affected how I approach S days ...

Starla

I love the idea for this thread, because I'm a strong believer that No S is "won" in those little moments when we make a different choice than we had been making, and those different choices become habit.

This week was my boss's birthday. He likes old school pastries (cheese danish is his favorite ...

Starla

You're your own best ad for your systems. Congratulations!

Your family is absolutely lovely.

Starla

Quadruplet signing in here. I, too, am 54 years old. I've been doing No S since September 7, 2009, and have lost 71 pounds so far. Like KCCC, No S has changed my life - in my case I believe it SAVED my life.

Oh, and welcome librarylady!

Starla

That was a great column - I agree with every word, and that's really how No S allows me to eat my treats. After our discussion yesterday, it amused me that her first point involved how to serve ice cream!

Starla

You can find lots of ice cream bowls here:

http://www.nextag.com/ice-cream-bowls/products-html

I like to eat ice cream out of stemware. It's just the right size and feels elegant and special.

Except, of course, when I am eating it out of a waffle cone, which feels indulgent and decadent.

Mmmmm ...

Starla

I would say people are asking you if you've lost weight because you look like you've lost weight. Congratulations! I've found too that sometimes I get comments about weight loss that aren't reflected on the scale. I don't know why this is, but I've learned to just enjoy it. The opposite will happen ...

Starla

I weighed myself this morning, and I have now lost 71 pounds. Woo hoo!!!! It took me almost five months to go from a weight loss of 65.2 pounds to 70 pounds (yesterday I was at 69.8 pounds lost). I am so happy! I really think my renewed focus on commitment has made the difference. I have had one ...

Starla

The weight loss is delightful, but your happiness is even more so!

Congratulations and continued success as you enjoy this journey.

Starla

You could use any of the above suggestions, or do what I do with soup - put your salad in the bowl and use a smaller salad plate for the rest of the meal.

Starla

Of course, since she was in Florida, she would go to the Everglades with her binoculars as she would be able to add some exotic birds to her life list (Miss Hartshorne is a serious birder for how could a Miss Hartshorne NOT be?) Of course the prospect of alligators AND crocodiles delights her too ...

Starla

I want to second everything NoelFigart said.

I know I've said this to you before, but YOU CANNOT FAIL ON S DAYS!! You can binge and splurge and eat until you vomit, and it is not a failure. It's a learning experience about what eating experiences are pleasurable to you. S days are a release of the ...

Starla

There was a segment on The Potato Diet on the Today Show about a month ago. As the man who did the experiment says, it's not meant to be the next fad diet, but an experiment to show that potatoes are a nutritious food and part of a healthy diet. There's more information here This wasn't news to me ...

Starla

Congratulations! It's especially impressive to see you lost weight during the holiday season, which can be so difficult. You sound very calm and certain in your post - I think "Ease" is working out for you!

Starla

Congratulations! It's those small victories that win the war.

Starla

I had two treats each day this weekend. On Saturday I had chocolate-covered almonds (I had these about 1:15 AM when I was up late and realized I could legally eat them). Later that day I had a large spiced ginger cookie from a bakery near me. It was absolutely delicious, and I will be having more of ...

Starla

Dandelion! It's SO good to "see" you again! I hope the rest of your 2010 went well. I have to tell you, I read your posts about making mead and clotted cream, and I picture you working in the kitchen of a medieval castle.

Keep in touch!

Starla

Congratulations! I've been doing No S for 16 months and have had to replace my entire wardrobe a couple times. I spent years replacing my clothes with bigger and bigger sizes; it's a lot more fun the other way around!

Enjoy your new suits!

Starla

Part of the problem is that I ate too little for breakfast in an attempt to keep my calories lower so I was hungry all day and I guess I didn't eat a hearty enough lunch either.

The same thing sort of happened on a previous binge day when I waited too long to eat so clearly along with the 3 meals ...

Starla

Today is my 16-month anniversary of starting No-S. I lost 3.4 pounds last month, for a total weight loss of 68.2 pounds. I am really happy about this, for several reasons: 1) I stopped the upward trend of the past couple months; 2) I lost weight during a month that included excessive eating during ...

Starla

Oh, you are SO hard on yourself, and all this for an S day, a day when you CANNOT FAIL! Seriously, you need to repeat this a few times - you cannot fail on S days.

OK; you binged. That doesn't mean you can't do S days. It may just mean you went too long without eating. You may want to read KCCC's ...

Starla

Congratulations! What an awesome affirmation of No S. You truly are changing your LIFE, not just your eating habits. I, too, have noticed I feel a sort of repulsion toward other forms of excess now. My entire life is more orderly.

I wish you continued success in 2011; you've done a wonderful job ...

Starla

Remember: you cannot fail on S days! Relax and enjoy.

Starla

I really like this idea. I wasn't going to make a New Year's resolution, but I WILL choose my word for 2011, and that word is COMMIT.

I whined about not being motivated on my check-in thread, and Bright Angel pointed out that No S isn't really about motivation; it's about commitment. That's exactly ...

Starla

I would vote against this. Not only is it impossible to define "only healthy ingredients;" the beauty of No S is that it's a sytem that includes ALL foods in moderation. Salads, veggies and fruit are a part of my No S experience, but so are cheeseburgers, asiago cheese bread and spaghetti with ...

Starla

I down Diet Cokes and enjoy every drop of their acidic goodness. So, yes, you can enjoy your Crystal Lights between meals!

Starla

I have made it a point since starting No S to eat only things I enjoy. Of course there are times (when I'm eating something new at a restaurant, where I'm eating at someone else's home) when I find that I've plated a meal I don't like. The internal whining begins: But this shouldn't count! I don't ...

Starla

BrightAngel, I replied to your comment in my thread, but I want to make sure you see this. Yesterday I got home from work to find that a friend had left a tin of homemade Christmas goodies on my doorstep. I debated internally, with one voice telling me I could just make it an S day or take a failure ...

Starla

KCCC, your Internal Voice of Reason is so smart! I had not seen this before, and I find myself needing it now.

It's nice to know the origin of your posting name too; I'll remember that!

Starla

Thanks so much for the encouragement, BrightAngel and funfuture!

BrightAngel, I really needed to hear that; you're making me ask myself what I'm really committed to. I might not like the answer I come up with, but that question needed to be asked. I know what commitment means, and I know it doesn ...

Starla

Another month, another 1-pound gain, so my total weight loss is now 64.8 pounds. My S days have been excessive, and I am just not motivated to change. I don't know what's going on with me. I did SO WELL for a year, and now my attitude seems to be "Eh. Whatever." This is not a good mental outlook for ...

Starla

Welcome, Callie; is sounds like you're doing great!

I've had some very bad S days, but they're usually pretty moderate. As oliviamanda said, when you're not eating sweets all week, they just don't taste the same on weekends. What I found happening was that I wanted BETTER sweets, not more sweets ...

Starla

I am so sorry. I know how difficult this can be; I was in the middle of a what seemed to be a successful diet (not No S) when my father died, and my eating habits completely fell apart. I regained everything I lost and more.

I hope you don't have this experience, and I don't think you have to ...

Starla

There are many good ideas in this thread. I'd like to add that I think it's especially iimportant to have meals you enjoy during the holiday season. It's easier to turn down treats if you're looking forward to your next meal instead of feeling sorry for yourself because all you have to eat is a ...

Starla

I try to exercise a minimum of five days per week. Two of those days I do a circuit training routine with hand weights (pathetic 3-pound hand weights, although I am getting some 5-pounders soon). The other three days I walk - either an outdoor walk that takes 55 minutes to an hour, or a half hour on ...

Starla

Today is my 14 month anniversary of No S. Unfortunately, I gained a pound last month, bringing my total weight loss up to 65.8. I had friends over last night for pizza and ice cream, and I'm sure that didn't help, but I have to admit that I have been finding lots of excuses to eat more lately. I had ...

Starla

My understanding of the BMI is that it was never intended to classify an individual, but to be applied to a population . It makes sense that using it to categorize individuals leads to some odd results.

Thanks so much for posting that link - it was very interesting. As I went through the pics, I ...

Starla

Ick, another weekend where I overindulged past the point of enjoyment. I remembered last year I had a tough time with Halloween, so this year I put my Halloween candy in the basement, which helped, but eventually I did have to bring up the candy to give to trick-or-treaters, and I ate way too much ...

Starla

Good morning, mimi -

I'm so glad I checked in your thread. If my testimonial inspires you, that's all well and good. But you may be able to inspire yourself by re-reading your own thread. You've been through WAY harder things than kids not turning in their assignments, and WAY bigger temptations ...

Starla

One that's been showing up in the forums lately and I believe originated with KCCC: You can do hard things . I love it because it's honest and acknowledges that sometimes (especially at the beginning), No S can be hard, but it also affirms the power each of us has to do this (and other hard things!)

Starla

Thanks, tobiasmom! It really has been a journey - a wonderful journey - for the past year or so.

This past weekend was a little better, but still excessive. I ended up throwing out some bars I had left over from the housewarming party, and which I had stored in the freezer (after thawing them out ...

Starla

Kim -

First of all, I'm so glad you realize that there is a lot more to you as a person than food. You're right - you are not a loser; you are someone who has a problem with snacks.

Secondly, it's good that you've identified your problem. Some of us come into this with no real understanding of ...

Starla

I had the same problem when I started No S - hunger so intense it caused headaches. What helped me was adding some fat to my breakfast in the form of peanut butter.

You may have to experiment with what you're eating and how much you're eating. I now expect to be hungry before meals - after all ...

Starla

Welcome, Darrell! I think you've come to the right place.

About exercise: my motto is that moving is better than not moving. It doesn't have to be on a treadmill, and it doesn't have to involve any equipment whatsoever. When I first began an exercise program, I walked for five minutes/day. I ...

Starla

Thanks, ZippaDee! I know when I started I was inspired so much by other posters' success; I'm thrilled if I can help someone beginning this journey.

Unfortunately, I am here to report that I had my worst weekend since starting No S. I had a house-warming party, and I ate and ate and ate lemon bars ...

Starla

I do the same as you - I stick to the structure of No S, but my plates may be larger and less healthy. I may not lose weight, and I may feel like my eating is somewhat chaotic, but at least it's controlled chaos.

I also try to be more mindful of other ways to cope with stress - take a hot bath or ...

Starla

I'm another one who completely agrees with KCCC; there's no magic number. Learning what and how much YOU need to eat is an essential part of No S. I know I personally had a LOT to learn, but I think taking the time to learn it instead of having it dictated to me is one of the things that have ...

Starla

Happy Birthday, mimi!

And congratulations on the weight loss and especially your "good enough" realization. It sounds as if this is coming from within, which means it will probably stick around. I am SO happy for you!

Everyday Systems

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