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 am ready to start. I have read the book and listened to some of the podcasts. I realize the importance of changing habits. Tomorrow will be my first official day. I look forward to learning from everyone here.
My official starting weight is 196 (I am 5'2. This is a really big deal!)
My goal is 150 (at least for now)
I plan to do Vanilla No S like so many of you recommend here.
I also plan to exercise for at least 10 minutes a day for at least 5 days out of the week (at least for now). I don't know if I have the energy to do more right now.
I also don't get nearly enough sleep. I stay up late far too many nights. I have read that sleep is just as important to weight loss as eating and exercise. I am aiming for 7 hours each night.
Welcome and glad to have you on the forum! Go you for getting more sleep! That is hugely important, I agree. I hit the sack at 9pm and get up at 6am - sheesh, I maybe sleep too much, lol. So definitely get at least 7!!
Remember to fill those plates at first as you are developing your habits.
NoS FAILED I was really and truly hungry between lunch and dinner
I tried to talk myself out of eating, but I gave in.
Exercise FAILED I didn't have the energy to workout. I am thinking of moving this to the morning before work. Once I get home, it is really hard to exercise.
In case you haven't already been given this suggestion -- have a glass of milk in the afternoon to stave off until dinner. And I recommend whole milk. Some people just have a cup of tea and that works, but if the issue was real hunger, then milk will do the trick and keep you green.
I am thinking of removing the exercise goal. I don't know if this makes sense, but I don't think I am ready for it yet. Maybe I should just focus on eating and sleeping for now. What do you think?
Then again...in the past...long long ago (lol)...when I did exercise, I did it in the mornings. Perhaps I just need to adjust my morning so that I can make time for it.
I had almost suggested that you not have the exercise goal a few days ago, for the very reason you mentioned. It's a big deal to change even one habit, so you could hold off on the exercise goal until you have had several months of moderate eating. Focus on caring for your body by eating and sleeping first.
Once you have lost 10 or 20 pounds you might surprise yourself with better quality sleep and a desire to move more.
Putting your house in order requires tackling one project at a time. Make NoS Eating your primary objective.
You need to get a string of green days under your belt to see what it feels like. But S days are here now.
So Monday it begins again.
NoS FAILED I was really and truly hungry between lunch and dinner
I tried to talk myself out of eating, but I gave in.
Exercise FAILED I didn't have the energy to workout. I am thinking of moving this to the morning before work. Once I get home, it is really hard to exercise.
Sleep SUCCESS
If it helps I added a nos mod of no starving so I don't count it as a fail if I am truly ready to eat anything hungry and I have a snack. Obviously you shouldn't do it all the time and you need to understand the reasons.
Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.
Soprano wrote:
If it helps I added a nos mod of no starving so I don't count it as a fail if I am truly ready to eat anything hungry and I have a snack. Obviously you shouldn't do it all the time and you need to understand the reasons.
Jx
No Starving sounds like a good mod to me. When I started I allowed myself to have seconds if I really felt like I hadn't had enough to eat. I hardly ever abused the privilege, and eventually I felt ready to give that mod up.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right
not at all. You really want to make exercise a big part of your life! I think as long as it's not undermining your willpower to eat moderately and get some sleep, then there's no harm in leaving it on Habitcal.
automatedeating wrote:not at all. You really want to make exercise a big part of your life! I think as long as it's not undermining your willpower to eat moderately and get some sleep, then there's no harm in leaving it on Habitcal.
I think you are right. I will leave it there. If I do it I will mark it GREEN and if I don't I will leave it blank. I will not say mean things to myself if I don't have the energy or motivation to do it. I will not let it stop me from trying to eat properly either. Right now it probably isn't as important as changing my eating habits. If I figure out to eat properly, I can't imagine that I will not eventually have the energy and desire to be more active.
Day 10 --Thursday was a special day because I cooked a nice Thanksgiving meal. I enjoyed cheesecake. I was quite stuffed by the end of the day, but I did manage to have 3 distinct meals instead of nibbling all day.
Day 11
No S SUCCESS (I kept telling myself "You can have cheesecake tomorrow")
This is where I give my plug for having the same breakfast and lunch every day. That way, if you are too hungry one day, then pack more the next day. Since it's identical food, it can become almost a science of the exact amount that tides you over. And on the days where you realized you didn't pack enough, then have a latte or other milky drink to survive until the next meal.
I was super busy and didn't have much time to post the last few days.
I managed to have two successful No S days. I stayed on target with my sleep (except for tonight). Exercise only happened once. I am not upset about it though. My main focus right now is to work on the eating habits. I have actually been trying to find a simple short workout; something less than 10 minutes. I am still looking.
This week I decided to start over and try NO S again. I did a horrible job when I first tried it, as you can see from my previous entries.
I was thinking really hard about what my problem was.
3:00 PM
This is the hardest time of day for me. I can go without breakfast easily, but sometime around 3 I start getting cravings. It doesn't matter what I eat for breakfast or lunch.
I have an idea. I really don't need breakfast... hot tea or coffee is enough to hold me until lunch. I think that I will have lunch, snack, dinner. My only rule is that the snack can't be junk. It has to be a whole food. Just the thought of rearranging my eating schedule this way makes me feel so relieved.
I don't know if it will work. It probably isn't what you might consider "vanilla" No S, but I think I will give it a shot and see what happens. I will be honest with myself. If it doesn't work, then I will rethink the plan.
It can be very empowering to experiment (without judgement) and see how things work. If they do - wonderful. If they don't, then we can be free to shift our methods.
