Everyday Systems

freegirl

Thanks Virginia. This guy spoke to me, too. I watched another video where he talks more about self-compassion and mindfulness. I decided to start No S again, this time with much more self-compassion and patience. And with my own definition of success

freegirl

Oolala, I want to thank you for these wise words on Clarinetgal's thread:

I've had many times when I've wondered what the heck is going to get me to stop eating compulsively in some similar situation. Honestly, I don't know why things will change and I start doing it, BUT I will say that I have ...

freegirl

Kathleen, thank you for sharing your journey so openly and honestly. It helped me gain insight into my own behaviour. You and I make the same mistakes:

- We focus on weight loss, not the process/ habit building
- We are perfectionists: as soon as we experience 'failure' on the plan, we either start ...

freegirl

I am changing focus from what I shouldn't eat to what I SHOULD eat to nourish my body. I won't be posting here any more.

freegirl

I am changing focus from what I shouldn't eat to what I SHOULD eat to nourish my body. I won't be posting here any more.

freegirl

Kelly's program sounds interesting. It has to be good if it is based on compassion and mindfulness. I am for it. How would you like to partner up? Or maybe later if you don't have time now?

freegirl

Thank you Oolala for your support.

Actually, I was thinking about you and your mod 'eat sweets only in company of others' . It makes a lot of sense to me. I want to try something like that. Striving for perfection does not work for me. I think on some level I am rebelling against it. There is a ...

freegirl

Thanks Sonya and Virginia!

Virginia, I think that your approach brings sanity to 'no sugar'. If I understand correctly, you generally don't eat any added sugar, but have some occasionally on S days (birthdays, other celebrations). Do you try to restrict how much you eat on S days?

freegirl

<r>I cannot believe that I did it to myself again. After my last post I just continued eating sugar. And sure enough, now I feel heavy and bloated, my joints started hurting again, I regained all the weight I lost + some <E>:cry:</E> Where is this self-sabotage coming from? <br/>
<br/>
I am re ...

freegirl

I am re-starting my no sugar habit tomorrow. I've read my notes from Feb and March when I was off sugar. I felt so much better! My life was so much sweeter without sugar! Now I feel heavy and bloated, my knee and my shoulder started hurting again. But I am sure I'll feel better in a week

freegirl

I eat my salad on a separate plate/bowl. I have other veggies on my main plate. I am not concerned at all that it does not fit onto one plate. On the contrary - I consider it a good habit to eat a lot of veggies.

freegirl

I do not consider having more veggies than what's orriginaly on your plate a second.

freegirl

Sonya, you are doing fine. There is no point in obsessing about every little bit of sugar. It is important to notice how much you eat. If you are eating just a couple teaspoons worth of sugar a day, In my opinion you can consider yourself sugar-free. Especially in social situation - you don't want ...

freegirl

Virginia, I am so sorry for what you and your family are going through. Take care of yourself.

freegirl

I'll post my updates here.

Yesterday was my first sugar-free day in a new series. I will not aim for perfection this time. We are going to our friend's birthday party on May 9. His wife always makes a lot of delicious cakes and cookies. I will not eat sugar until then.

Note that I am eating ...

freegirl

In my last attempt I was sugar-free 51 days. Then I started eating it, and went on vacation soon after. In 2008 I was sugar-free 8 months.

I feel much better when I don't eat sugar, but striving for perfection is not the answer either. Two S days a week are too much for me. I'll try with once a ...

freegirl

I am very inspired by this blog:

http://justmaintaining.com/2011/06/15/an-open-letter-to-weight-management-scientists/#more-444

Quoted from the article:

'I would like to share what may be my only â€œinspirationalâ€ discovery during my weight-management saga. Prior to 2002, the year I began losing ...

freegirl

Last three days were not good at all. I ate sweets on Friday. It started with drinking too much coffee. That created imbalance in my body and I craved sweets. I did not even enjoy the sweets I ate.

But then, I ate sweets yesterday and today, too. What's even worse, I started reading about various ...

freegirl

No sugar: green
No morning and evening snack: red

I decided to track morning and evening snacking. Mornings are not hard for me, but evenings are. Today I ate a banana after dinner. I haven't started exercising regularly yet.

freegirl

Thanks, Gingerpie.

I am currently doing only yoga. I found workout video by Jillian Michaels using kettlebells. It combines cardio and strength training. It is challenging, so I expect it will take me some time to go through it at once from start to the end, even though it is 'only' 25 minutes long ...

freegirl

I wasn't able to reduce my snacking. And sure enough, I gained back a few pounds. I've seen this over and over again: I manage to lose some weight by restricting my food intake, then my hunger increases, I stat to eat more, and gain it all back. I've read about it, there is a scientific explanation ...

freegirl

It has been 40 green no sugar days for me. I made two cakes during that time for my family and friends, and did not even try them. :D

But, I am eating after dinner more than I'd like. :oops: I was considering adding 'no snacks' rule, but I will not do that just yet. I decided to add exercise and to ...

freegirl

You are right, Gingerpie. Last night I ate fruit after dinner ( a little bit of this, a little bit of that....) , probably looking for something sweet. And I know I have to watch my fruit intake. When I eat a lot of fruit, it triggers my cravings for sweets.

I will try the trick with 'milky' drink ...

freegirl

yarianal seems like another spammer.

freegirl

My no sugar rule is going strong - so far 35 green days. But my after dinner eating is going out of control. That's why I decided to establish a modified no snack rule: no eating between breakfast and dinner ( I am following that without a struggle), and no eating after dinner. I'll track no sugar ...

freegirl

Thanks, Gingerpie

freegirl

31 green days

My results after one month of no sugar, and less eating between meals

After 1 month
1. I am emotionally stable. I've been in the good mood consistently this past month.
2. I am much calmer, less reactive.
3. I have more energy.
4. I am more confident.
5. I am better organized, both ...

freegirl

Welcome, Lisa! All the best in your journey. Posting and being accountable definitely helps.

freegirl

Thanks, Lisa! I wish you good luck, too.

For me, focusing on eliminating sugar first works. No snacks rule gets easier. For the past three days I did not eat anything after dinner, today I had three meals only. But I don't want to make 'no snacks' a rule yet. I just avoid snacking whenever I can ...

freegirl

My cold really lasted only three days

I think that my healthy eating and no sugar is the biggest contributor to that.

29 green days.

freegirl

Feeling better today. 27 green days. I had both afternoon and evening snacks. I am OK with that. I don't want to increase the size of my meals, I hate feeling stuffed. Maybe snacks will fall off naturally in time, maybe they won't. I am writing everything I eat in my food log, so I am aware how much ...

freegirl

On the weekend I did not eat an afternoon snack. But on workdays I have to have it. Maybe it is the combination of nervousness, needing something to comfort myself with, sitting for too long... When the weather is nicer I'll try to go for a walk at lunchtime.

26 green days so far. I have a cold ...

freegirl

Thank you all for encouraging me. It means a lot to me that you are following my progress and rooting for me.

I learned the hard way that focusing on weight loss, and eliminating any food just for weight loss, does not work. Establishing habits should be the goal, then weight loss follows. These ...

freegirl

I can button up my nicer winter coat :) I was wearing another, bigger one since the winter started.

I look forward to wearing again my clothes that are currently too small, and getting rid of everything that is too big! Honestly, I think I have 5 clothing sizes in my wardrobe.

24 green days. I had ...

freegirl

http://terrywahls.com/minding-your-mito ... xiowacity/

I am not following Paleo diet, and I probably never will. I was focusing on increasing my vegetable intake, even before watching this. Now I am even more convinced that's the right way to go.

freegirl

Linda, I feel your pain. I am in the same boat.

One thing that helps me is to realize that not all friends have to be all things. By that I mean, maybe the mom's group meets some of your needs but not all of them. That's ok. No one person or any one group can be perfect.

I wish I understood this ...

freegirl

Linda, I have a huge sweet tooth! I used to eat a lot of sweets. Since I can't eat just a little, and I don't feel good after I eat them (physically and emotionally), I decided to avoid them. When I am not eating sweets I am not tempted. I think I turned the switch in my head - I no longer see ...

freegirl

Things are pretty stable. 23 green days.

I am no longer hungry mid-morning. Today I ate my lunch after 1PM. Also, I often do not eat anything after dinner. I have my afternoon snack. Today I ate crackers and almonds, I was reaching into the bag with crackers several times. I decided for the future ...

freegirl

Hi Kathleen,

I'll write what work for me, maybe you'll find some useful tips there. I am focusing on habits, not so much on weight loss. I fee much better when I don't eat sweets, and when I avoid snacking. Feeling better is what counts, weight loss will follow. I am not following no snacks rule ...

freegirl

Thanks, Eschano

Instead of focusing on my weight, I am focusing on treating my body well. eating healthy food and exercising ( I have to work more on the last one). So far 19 green days.

freegirl

I am doing OK with my no sugar rule - 16 green days.

I stepped on the scale today and was disappointed that it hadn't moved down since the last time. Than I started moving the scale around and stepping on it again and again, hoping that I'll see the number I want. Crazy! After some thinking I ...

freegirl

Eschano, I understand what you are experiencing with no coffee. I wasn't drinking coffee for a year and a half, and it is so freeing! I was less tired and sleepy than when I was drinking it. I also noticed that I did not have any headaches during that time. I was reading about coffee and caffeine ...

freegirl

Eschano, if you are not eating sugar on N days, and you feel OK when you eat it on S days, you don't need to worry about cutting it out. I believe different approaches work for different people.

My status: 14 green days.

Yesterday two people told me that I look good. I don't look any different ...

freegirl

Thanks, Gingerpie.

Your sugar craving is probably not a coincidence. And it's good that we write these experiences down, so we try to avoid those triggers in the future. I am also very suspicious of most packaged foods.

Something I noticed during these ten days: One day I had beet salad (pickled ...

freegirl

I've lost 4.6 lbs in ten days. And I was eating three meals and snacks: lots of grains, legumes and vegetables, 2-3 fruits a day, some nuts and seeds, couple of times fish and meat.

For anyone reading this: don't try to quit sugar just to lose weight. Do it only if you are thoroughly disgusted with ...

freegirl

I have much better hunger control when I don't eat sugar. I experience what I call 'normal' hunger, that I am able to tolerate for hours. There are no blood sugar ups and downs, with immediate need to eat.

10 green days

freegirl

Mmmm....yum! Almond butter and banana on my breakfast cereal are so sweet! Why would I need any added sugar?

8 green days

freegirl

I am following No Sweets and No Seconds since January 28. My No Sweets rule looks a bit different: I don't plan to eat any sweets at all. I feel much better physically and emotionally when I don't eat sugar. For me it means: no jam, no dried fruit, no juices and no sugar or other sweetener in my ...

freegirl

Thank you, Gingerpie.

For me sugar is a big problem. Once I start eating it, I cannot eat it in moderation, it gets out of control. And it's getting worse. Last year I was behaving like an addict. I would decide to follow No S and not eat sugar on workdays, and then change my decision (sometimes ...

freegirl

Hi Gingerpie, my email is tmilacic@hotmail.com if you want to connect. Walkerlori, feel free to contact me.

Today is day 2 on my sugar free life. In the past I have been sugar free for several months, and felt fantastic. But sugar slowly crept back in. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN THIS TIME! Below are my ...

freegirl

Thank you, Gingerpie! You'll be the perfect buddy. You went through the process, so you'll be able to support me better through the obstacles. I'll send you my email.

freegirl

I need a Quitting Sugar Buddy. I know that sugar is allowed on S days, but I want to try this as an experiment - for three months. I want to commit to three months without sugar, document my journey, evaluate the results, and then decide if I want to commit to another three months. Having a buddy ...

freegirl

I am starting today with one S - No Sweets. I am also starting with two other habits: at least 1/2 hour of exercise 5 days a week, and relaxation. Regarding relaxation: I'd like to eventually do daily meditation; I'll start with deep breathing and mindfulness exercises. I'll record my food intake to ...

freegirl

I am starting tomorrow with one S - No Sweets. I am also starting with two other habits: at least 1/2 hour of exercise 5 days a week, and relaxation. Regarding relaxation: I'd like to eventually do daily meditation; I'll start with deep breathing and mindfulness exercises. I'll record my food intake ...

freegirl

Thanks, Mitchell.

Day 5 (Friday): Success. Ate four meals. I ate the fourth meal at 10 PM, after gym. I was very hungry. I am usually able to go to bed hungry, but I could not tolerate this level of hunger. I would not consider that a fail even if I was following vanilla No S.

Day 6 and 7 : S ...

freegirl

Hi Oolala,

Thank you so much for stopping by my threads. I can learn so much from you â€“ your successes as well as your struggles.

Even though I wasnâ€™t successful with No S in the past, and I just restarted it on Oct 20th, we have a few things in common. I am also leaning towards vegetarianism ...

freegirl

Thank you oolala for your advice. I have been overeating sweets for the whole past year, and they caused me a lot of pain and emotional instability. I mean, I was overeating them for many years, but last 12 months was terrible. Oh, how much chocolate I ate! I was obsessed with chocolate, deciding to ...

freegirl

Uuups.... posted too early.

freegirl

I agree oolala, that's the magic! You tested it over the years. I feel soooo good, and only after three days! :D I feel like shouting from the rooftops!

I know it's only the beginning, and I'll face many challenges ahead. Sweets are challenging for me. I cannot stop eating them after I start, and ...

freegirl

Yes, these past two days were succesful with my tea time meal added. And today I only ate 20 almonds for my tea time meal

It feels soooooo good to have a meal after being genuinely hungry for some time. Not only food tastes better, but I actually feel satisfied after eating!

freegirl

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I'll start on Oct 20 with four meals: breakfast, lunch, tea time, and dinner.

I need some food in the afternoon. I think it's more emotional need than physiological need. But if I follow all the other rules, I'll be making a lot of changes to my eating ...

freegirl

Thank you, everyone! I feel less alone now.

I'll start on Oct 20 with four meals: breakfast, lunch, tea time, and dinner.

I need some food in the afternoon. I think it's more emotional need than physiological need. But if I follow all the other rules, I'll be making a lot of changes to my eating ...

freegirl

I am struggling what and how much to eat for a meal, so I am not stuffed, but still I can avoid snacking until the next meal. I'd appreciate a few daily meal plans from th eold timers. Also, wer eyour meals much bigger in the beggining?

freegirl

Question for successful No S-ers: Has anyone had a slow start? For example, less than 50% success rate the first month, then it increased gradually month over month.

I am struggling. No S makes sense to me, but for me it is difficult to execute perfectly. For example, I am sometimes successful with ...

freegirl

I'll work on these habits first:

- no snacks between breakfast and lunch, and after dinner
- sweets once a day
- exercise 5 times a week

I'll weigh myself once a month only. And I'll be VERY gentle with myself. Like I would be with a friend who suffered a lot with food, weight and self ...

freegirl

I'll work on these habits first:

- no snacks between breakfast and lunch, and after dinner
- sweets once a day
- exercise 5 times a week

I'll weigh myself once a month only. And I'll be VERY gentle with myself. Like I would be with a friend who suffered a lot with food, weight and self-esteem ...

freegirl

Thank you everybody for your comments and suggestions! I like the phased approach, so I'll try that. When I think of I, I already made some positive changes in my eating one habit at the time.

And I will not focus on weight loss this time.

freegirl

I am desperate to end this emotional and weight roller-coaster!

But, from the posts of successful No S-ers, It looks to me that the only path to success is to follow vanilla No S from the beginning. That did not work for me. I tried it several times, was successful for a month or so, and than ...

freegirl

Thank you all for responding.

I'll try eating a small piece of dark chocolate after lunch and after dinner every day. I am not planning to add much more sweets on S days - maybe occasionally a few bites of something, but only after a meal.

I am hoping to tame 'the sugar beast' this way. I don't do ...

freegirl

Has anyone here tried following No Snacks and No Second rules, with a small sweet treat every day, on N days as well as on S days? For example, a small piece a chocolate after a meal.

freegirl

I am back. I tried No S a couple of times in the past, was successful for a month or so, then started failing day after day, and finally gave up. My mistakes:
- I wasn't eating sweets at all. I feel so much better when I don't eat sweets. But I should eat some on S days for balance.
- I was trying ...

freegirl

Happy New Year to everyone!

I decided to try again with these mods:

- fourth meal 3-4 hours after dinner (carbs to trigger serotonin production and prevent depression)
- 1 square of dark chocolate after dinner (it works better for me than eating a lot at once)

I am making some other adjustments ...

freegirl

Thanks clarinetgal and oolala!

I don't want to give up completely, just to make adjustments to support my well being.

freegirl

I am leaving No S for now. My (repeated) experience tells me that vanilla No S does not work for me. Both times I was very successful for more than a month (followed the rules, felt great, lost weightâ€¦.), but then depression started with cravings for sweets. Both times it happened in December. Now ...

freegirl

You couldnâ€™t have said it better, Patty! It's not circumstances of our lives that bring us down, it's our self-pity.

Today was red day again, although it was better than yesterday. My main concern now is not to sink into depression. I may try a carb snack before bed (it's supposed to help with ...

freegirl

Red day again :oops:

I wasn't depressed today, but I still ate a lot. It was as if I was rebelling against all limitations caused by my food sensitivities, and others that I imposed on myself even though they are not necessary. I guess I was rebelling against my lack of control in other areas of ...

freegirl

Thank you Patty and oolala! Your kind words mean a lot to me.

I am prone to low grade depression, especially in winter. So I crave sugar, but as oolala pointed out, eating a lot of sugar only makes it worse. I also have food sensitivities to gluten and dairy (learned it the hard way). Believe it ...

freegirl

December 8 & 9: S days
I ate a lot. I did not try to restrict my eating for the first time in over a month.

December 10:
Food: :oops:
Exercise: :mrgreen: - 45 min on a treadmill, 1 hour of yoga

I ate arond 3 PM: apples, dried pineapple, nuts. I am so tired and depressed today. These dark days ...

freegirl

December 7:
Food:

- NWS day - had a buffet lunch, visiting friends tonight
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill

freegirl

Red day today

I was very hungry around 4 PM, but managed not to eat anything till diinner. However, after dinner I kept eating dried fruit and nuts, even some chocolate. I don't feel stuffed, though.

On the bright side, I finished 45 min ona treadmill and will do 1 hour of yoga.

freegirl

Thanks Renee and Patty!

I keep reminding myself to be patient, and not expect weight loss every week. There are so many other benefits to focus on !

freegirl

Thanks oolala and milliem! Opinions of succesful No S-ers really help.

Sunday Dec 2 : GREEN - 3 meals

Monday Dec 3 :
Food: GREEN (3 meals)
EXercise: 45 min on a treadmill, 1 hour of yoga

Tuesday Dec 4 :
Food: YELLOW - S event ( getting together with friends tonight)
EXercise: 45 min on a ...

freegirl

I think that maintaining a 45 lbs loss in the second year is a BIG SUCCESS! Congratulations!

freegirl

Saturday December 1:

I was hungru between breakfast and lunch, so I had a snack (rice cakes, hummus, fresh pepper). I had a proper lunch, but wasn't very hungry for dinner, so I did not finish it. However, when we came home from the movies I felt a sudden hunger that felt like an emergency. I ate ...

freegirl

Friday November 30:
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min ona treadmill

I am happy how November went. I am planning December with not too many S events.

freegirl

Congratulations on the green month, Ironchef!

freegirl

I buy hazelnut butter in Fortinos or health food stores ( like Noah) here in Toronto. The brand is 'Nuts to you nut butter'.

freegirl

Thursday November 29:
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 1 hour of yoga

freegirl

I lost 6.2 kg ( 13.6 lbs) in a month! :D

When I re-started No S on Oct 8, I was very afraid to give up snacks. So, I allowed myself fruit and nuts snacks. However, it did not work so well. On Oct 29 I started with a new mod: if I need snack in the afternoon, I can eat only nuts. I ate like that ...

freegirl

I am starting a thread with interesting recipes.

Here is my recipe for all Nuttela lovers (chocolate/hazelnut spread):
- 1 tsp of pure, unsweetened, good quality cocoa powder
- 1 TBSP hazelnut butter
- 4 dates

Mix cocoa powder and hazelnut butter in a small bowl. Split dates, take out pits ...

freegirl

I am in. My goal is to continue with S events rather than S days - two per week, more when I am on vacation. I will be going on vacation for a week, but we'll cook our meals. We'll be with friends though, so that will be a challenge.

1 :D - S day
2 :mrgreen:
3 :mrgreen:
4 :D = S event
5 :mrgreen ...

freegirl

Yes, eschano, let's make this week green! :D

Monday November 26
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill, 1 hour of yoga

Tuesday November 27
Food: YELLOW - S event
Exercise: RED

Sometimes my S days are the same as my N days. At other times I have something extra on N day ...

freegirl

Thanks, Milliem! I came from vacation early this morning. It was great, warm weather and swimming in the ocean.....
I lost one pound on vacation! I ate three meals, seafood and lots of vegetables. I did have seconds, but my second plate was only fruit. I did not eat sweets, but had a few coctails ...

freegirl

Friday November 16
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill

I am off to my vacation today!

freegirl

Wednesday November 14
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill

Thursday November 15
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill, 1 h of yoga

Three meals are so natural now. And just a few weeks back I was so afraid to give up snacking!

freegirl

Monday November 12
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill, 1 h of yoga

Tuesday November 13
Food: GREEN - three meals
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill

There were no S events this weekend. Sticking to three meals was easy.

freegirl

Sunday November 11
Food: GREEN - three meals

I don't have S days, but S events. I haven't decided on number of S events per week. Some weeks I may have one ( or none) S event, while others may have 3.

freegirl

Saturday November 10
Food: GREEN - three meals

I stepped on a scale today: I lost 9.46 lbs (4.3 kg)

CW: 203.94 lbs (92.7 kg)

freegirl

Green days before and after my vacation (17-24 November)

Saturday Nov 10: :mrgreen:
Sunday Nov 11: :mrgreen:
Monday Nov 12: :mrgreen:
Tuesday Nov 13: :mrgreen:
Wednesday Nov 14: :mrgreen:
Thursday Nov 15: :mrgreen:
Friday Nov 16: :mrgreen:
Vacation Nov 17 - 24:
I lost one pound on ...

freegirl

Friday November 9
Food: YELLOW - S Event
Exercise: 45 min on a treadmill

We are going out with friends tonight, so it will be the fourth meal. It will be after 9 PM, so I cannot delay my dinner untill then. I will treat situations like this as S events.
-----------------
I ate only a few bites ...

Everyday Systems

Search found 160 matches

The missing link: exercise

Incredible power of vegetables

Freegirl is following two No S rules

I need a Quitting Sugar Buddy

Starting with No Sweets

Daily meal plans

Has anyone had a slow start?

Freegirl's Road to Success

I am desperate!!!!!!

Small sweet treat every day?

Freegirl's Weekly Check-in

Bye for now...

Interesting Recipes