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.
DAY 3 – SUCCESS
B – yogurt with fruit and nuts mixed in
L – chicken/cheese salad
D – oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts mixed in, yogurt.
Coffee and tee between meals.
DAY 4 – SUCCESS
I had to go out of town today so I ate my lunch at about 5 pm! I though I’d be so hungry that the plate wouldn’t satisfy me – but it did. I ate a fried chicken thigh and a salad and then I had just some yogurt with fruit for dinner.
Tomorrow I’m going to some fancy restaurant and it has some delightful cake for dessert – so I’m planning to have an S day on Friday instead of having it on Sunday. I think this way it will work better than depriving myself of the treat that I really crave.
And I ate good. From the early morning I knew I’m going for dessert tonight – so I ate less food for breakfast and less for lunch too (not the best strategy, I think). I had a good dinner and had my treat but I was full so I couldn’t finish it...
Well tomorrow I’m up to 70% dark chocolate with cacao nibs – that thing is delightful
Yesterday was saturday - S Day. Or should I call it 'silly day'. I had my best intentions to have just a piece of chocolate but I failed and snacked on cereal and French bread and pumpkin seeds between meals, so in the evening I was sickness full. Not the best feeling – as the whole purpose of an S day (which is to celebrate and enjoy) was ruined.
Oh well, but today I’m back to my three meals.
DAY 8 – FAILURE
Well, I messed up. I had a good breakfast and lunch and then I felt soooo hungry an hour before dinner, so I decided to have a cup of yogurt and then things went wrong...... hate the feeling of failure.... I hope that won’t happen again. I really hope.
DAY B1 – SUCCESS
Back on track. Enjoying my meals again.
Oh, and one more thing – I’ll check the scale tomorrow and then I’m planning to put it away for a while... too much pressure, because of it.
DAY B2 – SUCCESS
I had my heart broken yesterday, but I’m stronger than that and I’ve decided not to use food as an emotional pill!
Instead of – I’m going to the theater tomorrow. And I’m eating good.
B – 2 slices of home made bread with butter and cheese
L – chicken thigh, salad
D – yogurt with dried fruit and nuts mixed in
You are doing just wonderful. You should be so proud of yourself. Don't worry about weekends for a while. Let them be big if they need to be. Your No S days are great. Keep up the good work.
A lot of growing up happens between "it fell" and "I dropped it."
pangelsue wrote:You are doing just wonderful. You should be so proud of yourself. Don't worry about weekends for a while. Let them be big if they need to be. Your No S days are great. Keep up the good work.
Thanks. I hope to succeed with this diet for life, so I’ll use your advice.
DAY B12 - S DAY
Well, I'm not satisfied with my S day again. I have planned everything - every bite of chocolate and ice cream and I did a little of them, but I had nuts and fresh baked bread in addition and some cookies and some candy and at the end of the day I was stuffed sad sad sad
Maybe you should try not planning your S days. Another thing that's helped me is to allow anything, but before having it sincerely ask myself if it's something that I *really* want it. If I do, eat it and enjoy it and no guilt because that's the point of S days. If I don't, then I don't bother with it. Of course, this hasn't worked 100%, but it has worked pretty well.
Thank you for your advice, Julie. I really hope to learn new habbits here.
DAY B13 – S DAY (the good one )
Just a great dessert after dinner. I enjoyed it so much.
Though I had a cup of yogurt and a pear after dinner. One of those would have been definitely out of my plate, but I still count that as a success day, because my snack was healthy and I felt good about having it.
.... but I had promised myself to learn to eat well, and I will 
