Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.
I'm liking this No-S thing. Especially since I found out it didn't stand for No S**t.
I actually started on Thursday and had 2 good N days. Yesterday was my first S day and it was okay, but not as satisfying as I had hoped. I think that's because I really LIKE having regular meals and I didn't have them yesterday.
So today I'm having three meals. Real, proper meals. I've already had sweet snack this morning at 10:30. I was surprisingly hungry in spite of having a decent breakfast. I've got a good lunch and potentially really tasty dinner planned. And a couple of gooey German chocolate cupcakes on hand for desserts if I want them.
Just a quick follow up to my second S day. I had one (well, part of one) of the German chocolate cupcakes at lunch today. NOT that good. In fact, I threw the other one in the trash because I knew I didn't want to eat it.
I had a gin & tonic in late afternoon and then had the delicious Thai shrimp & veg curry I planned. And that was all I wanted.
Got hungry between breakfast and lunch but toughed it out. Odd that it happened since I had two eggs plus fruit and a mini-bagel with butter. That *should* have been sufficient food.
Also noticed that I really wanted to have something sweet at the end of dinner. I wasn't hungry, but I just wanted that taste of something sweet. Again, I just toughed it out and before long the craving went away. It didn't help that my cat was perched on the piano staring at me. She is so used to me having a Tootsie Pop and crumpling up the wrapper for her to play with. Poor old Ethel. She'll just have to wait for an "S" Day for her fun.
JudyPatooty wrote:I'm liking this No-S thing. Especially since I found out it didn't stand for No S**t.
LOL! I had to laugh when I read that as I stumbled upon No S when I googled "eating in moderation", and when I saw "No S" that's the first thing that popped into my mind.
Welcome! Yes, the freedom of No S is a nice break from all the restrictions and rules in most other diets.
I constantly struggle with taming the sweet tooth myself. When I'm good and actually stick with it for awhile, it's worth it as it makes my sweets taste so much better on S Days.
I was so ridiculously busy at work yesterday that I didn't have a chance to post my check-in.
Wednesday 9/14 - Success
I've decided to "legalize" an extra mini-meal on Wednesday mornings before my workout with my trainer. There is no way I'm going to do a strong workout at 5:30 a.m. on an empty stomach! So I had a small banana and a hard-boiled egg.
Thursday 9/15 - Success
I ate too much at lunch and wasn't hungry at dinnertime. So dinner was quite small and later than usual. And I ended it with a Tootsie Pop. Well, not really. I opened a Tootsie Pop, threw the Pop away, and crumpled up the wrapper as a gift for Ethel the Cat. She was very happy.
JudyPatooty wrote: And I ended it with a Tootsie Pop. Well, not really. I opened a Tootsie Pop, threw the Pop away, and crumpled up the wrapper as a gift for Ethel the Cat. She was very happy.
Love it....I wish I was your cat!
Age 56: SBMI=30.6 (12/1/13) CBMI 28.9 (2/2/14) GBMI-24.8
Two mostly enjoyable "S" days under my belt. I ate a bit too much, though, at times. Yuck. I don't like feeling that stuffed. Oh well. It's part of the learning process.
Thanks, Who Me?! Of course, today I have to post my first failure!
Wednesday 9/21 - FAILURE
I went out to dinner last night and just couldn't resist the lure of a margarita with my meal. (And to be honest, if I had tried stacking all that food onto one normal plate, it would have been a tower.)