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.
Tomorrow is my birthday, so of course it will be an S day. But my point is... my present to myself is that I"m going to try to get control over my eating habits this year. I have realized that it is not my food selection that causes me to be fat, it is the frequency and the out-of-control amounts that I have been eating my whole adult life. I have been stalking this website for more than a year, just getting up my nerve to make a commitment. This will be a seroius life change for me.
I would like to initially lose 15 pounds so that I can get out of the "obese" category and into the merely "overweight" category. Here we go.
juliek wrote:My danger hours are 4-6 pm. I kept busy and away. What do you all do during your danger hours?
Those hours are tough for me, too. My kids always have a snack after school, around 4:00, so it would always make me crave a snack and I'd usually give into that craving.
I've had ALOT of luck by switching my lunch to 1:30 or 2:00. I make myself take about 30 minutes to eat my meal, so I feel full and aware of all the food I'm eating. Then, by the time 4:00 rolls around I'm still somewhat full from my lunch and have more willpower to wait until dinner. (I tend to be more hungry in the afternoon, so I have better luck with waiting longer between my breakfast and lunch.)
Well, the day went fine until 5:00ish. I was preparing a casserole supper for dinner and indulged in a few potato chips while in the kitchen. The good news is that I didn't continue my usual pattern of grabbing sweets along with the salty goodness. I stopped. That in itself is something. But...I still feel like a blew the day. Fail.
This was a lovely S Day! I thought I'd feel like eating all day, but I really haven't. I had a bit of leftover birthday cake and a few cheese crackers for a snack. Surprising. Good.
Thanks for the ideas. I'm about to leave work to go home. Danger hours ahead! I will have some water and then pop in some gum as I cook dinner. So far today has been a successful No-S Day. If I make it until dinner time, I'm in great shape.
I am enjoying my S Day. Applie fritter French toast for breakfast. For lunch, 1/2 piece of pizza, one more piece of French toast, and a brownie. I'm not as ravenous as I would have expected. I think my body has become accustomed to getting fed less often. Sweet.
juliek wrote:Well, the day went fine until 5:00ish. I was preparing a casserole supper for dinner and indulged in a few potato chips while in the kitchen. The good news is that I didn't continue my usual pattern of grabbing sweets along with the salty goodness. I stopped. That in itself is something. But...I still feel like a blew the day. Fail.
Okay...so that was technically a red fail....BUT....you stopped your normal pattern of eating so that's a victory!!!
And cheese nips are actually evil....truly evil.
I ask everyone who is new if they've read the NoS book. I think I've read it 5 times and get something new out of it every time I pick it up. It's a great book to have on your bedside table.
It's nice to have you here....much success to you!
janie
"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."
Winnie the Pooh
Happy Thanksgiving. We are so lucky that our presenting problem is that we have too much food around to eat. I'm donating money to a local and a worldwide hunger relief organization as a way to honor my new respect for food. And I'm LOVING my S Day today. No guilt.
julie...This time of year is so difficult. There are so many yummies out there waiting to trip us up! I hope you've been able to get up, brush off the crumbs from Thanksgiving and keep going. You can do this!
janie
"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."
Winnie the Pooh
