Everyday Systems

I threw out all rules out the window this weekend and gained four pounds!! I was definitely an 'idiot' when it came to eating. PopTarts for Breakfast, cookies, s'mores, chips and taco dip...all sorts of delicious stuff. I'm happy for it to be an N day again and get back on track.

I did have PopTarts today. . . I was falling asleep at my desk and might have had TOO much of a light breakfast. I intend to be "good" for the rest of the day and to exercise. And drink lots of water. Part of the gain might be water weight b/c I didn't drink a lot this weekend. The water at the Poconos did NOT agree with me!!

Jill - I vote YES - you can definitly say that, and i too blame the bush administration

i had a pretty crappy food weekend - my first failure on friday, when my friend broke out bread and amazing goat cheese at drinks friday night. couldn't' resist, and it WAS worth it. the next three days were S-days, and i consumed a pint of ice cream over the span of three days ... so thats not too bad.
Reinhard just did a podcast about out of control S-days, and he pointed out that what you think is excessive now is probably nothing compared to what you used to eat. VERY TRUE. my ice cream eating is significantly less than it was two months ago when i would eat ice cream during the week.

how was everyone else's holiday S-day? Did you treat it as an S or an N?

Hey Nichole,
I somehow missed your post above before, but i had a reckless weekend too. and yesterday wasn't ideal. I had an amazing lunch, chicken, green beans, brussel sprouts and fruit.

went to a show at 8pm, didn't eat dinner b/f because i wasn't hungry, drank way more than 3 drinks, went to eat at 10pm and we had Tapas. so i guess i didn't eat more than a plate full b/c i shared 6 small plates with 4 people, but it felt like excess.
k, back on track today!!

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while!

I have been doing okay. I'm back down to about 145.5 from my vacation (thank goodness!).

I have to admit I had a tough couple of weeks there, where, for some reason, I just really wanted sweets!!!! But now I'm finally back on track and not eating sweets. I haven't been eating very much between meals, either, except for a small snack right before I exercise. I need it. And our dinners can be so LATE sometimes.

I've been trying to drink water or diet soda or tea when I get incredibly bored at work to hold me over and to appease my need to eat something. And I have been SO bored and restless at work... Working as a copywriter can be kind of boring. I like my job and it's a comfortable job, but still. I have to really hold back from eating and I really have to remind myself that eating really won't keep me un-bored.

Trying not to gain weight can be so difficult... There is so much good food out there.

Hey, i've been a little MIA too, sorry! good to hear from you, and that you're doing well after a rough patch.

I had a rough two weeks - weighed 155 on sunday, but last night i was 153 - so that was nice to see.
i've cut back on alchohol severely, and i'm trying to do 21 days without a drink. Mostly b/c i really think its the key to my weight loss goals, and getting out of the habit of drinking is worthwhile. my 2-3 drinks on fridays and saturdays aren't harming my life, but they're not helping my waist!!

No-s in general is going well, the weekdays are getting very easy, which is fantastic. figuring out the emotional side of S-days is more difficult. i still have some guilt about the sweets i eat, and i NEVER feel hungry on sat. and sunday - i know its b/c i'm over eating.

glad its wednesday though, i have some great ice cream from last weekend that i'm excited about for saturday.

Nichole wrote: I like my job and it's a comfortable job, but still. I have to really hold back from eating and I really have to remind myself that eating really won't keep me un-bored.

Trying not to gain weight can be so difficult... There is so much good food out there.

Nichole,

I feel your pain. I have the world's second most boring job: medical transcriptionist.

Have a pitcher of water on your desk and a bottle. That way you will always have enough of your daily water and you can just nurse that sucker. Alternatively, have a cup of coffee or green tea as well and just keep switching back and forth.

Assuming you've surfed the Internet to death, remember: a book is your friend. Always bring one.

f

First -- thanks for your suggestions, F! It's finally a little busier, so I'm feeling a bit less bored.

Anyway, before I leave work in 14 minutes, I figured I would update before starting my weekend.

Yesterday was a special day – saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers!! And while I did not treat myself to a $40 tee-shirt, I did treat myself to a $4 waffle cone with cookies and cream hard ice cream. It was delish! It was tempting to drink, but I didn’t. Too many calories and just not worth it. I did have some iced tea, but I was feeling drowsy (he didn’t start til 9:40!) and needed to be awake to drive home!

And now it’s Friday and I’ve done very well. There are Entenmenn’s donuts sitting out on the counter, but I did not touch them. Today is also a special day – Justin got a raise!! – and I want to celebrate by getting him some DQ, but what about me? I’m not sure… Ugh. I think I’ll skip it today b/c I’m hanging out with my sister’s tomorrow and she’s jonsing for some DQ. I’m sure to have treats…

And as usual, I’m fine on exercise. It’s my saving grace. Today it’s really hot and I plan to just do 30 minute walk and my 5 lb weights, so about 50 minutes total exercise.

So I think by Monday I’ll finally be back on the bandwagon. I need to figure out what to eat next week. I am definitely no longer in the mood for soup at this time of year… Maybe some Lean Cuisine paninis/pizzas are in order for my lunches? I’ll figure something out.

And now I only have 6 minutes left.

Nichole wrote: There are Entenmenn’s donuts sitting out on the counter, but I did not touch them.

I don't know what I am going to do for a week in a house filled with the things and probably every other sweet known to humanity.

f

fkwan wrote:

Nichole wrote: There are Entenmenn’s donuts sitting out on the counter, but I did not touch them.

I don't know what I am going to do for a week in a house filled with the things and probably every other sweet known to humanity.

f

Yes, all the prepackaged local fare they might have -- entenmenns and tastykakes -- will be tempting. Just don't go crazy and you'll be fine

hi,
had a good workout weekend, and i'm consistently at 153 now. thats 4lbs down from my start date 2 months ago, so i think i'm on track.

since the last week of may i've been doing well over all, and i cut out beer and wine altogether for now - going to try to go 3 weeks with no alchohol to see if it really helps me with the weight loss.

Blamey wrote:hi,
had a good workout weekend, and i'm consistently at 153 now. thats 4lbs down from my start date 2 months ago, so i think i'm on track.

since the last week of may i've been doing well over all, and i cut out beer and wine altogether for now - going to try to go 3 weeks with no alchohol to see if it really helps me with the weight loss.

As long as you don't replace alcohol with something else, you will surely lose some weight! Surely surely. But if you replaced two beers with, say, two iced teas, you won't really lose weight. You know? Not to insult your intelligence or anything!

I've been crazy and taking 40 minute walks in the heat wave we're having, but it feels so good and I really like the heat. If I had to sit in it all day, that would be another story, but taking my walks in the heat is nice. I make sure I get myself really hydrated at work during the day. Heat makes me really tired, though -- I fell asleep at 8 o'clock last night. But I also blame that on reading in bed.

I had a successful N Day yesterday.

B: Bagel w/fat free cream cheese & a lowfat Frappuccino (the 9 oz. bottle you buy in stores)
L: Lean Cuisine panini
D: Homemade panini with ceasar salad

And lots and lots of water.

Today I weighed 145.6. Yaay.

Oh and I'll also have a spoonful of ice cream to help with my sweet cravings. LoL. Just a small spoonful.

thanks for the reminder, i'm not insulted at all. i really DID NOT think about it that way, so i'll have to watch out i don't drink too much juice or tea in its place.

but part of not drinking any alchohol is to hopefully get used to drinking less and less when i do drink. i can easily drink 5-6 drinks in an saturday night out, and thats a crazy calorie overload!

i had my first failure at work ... we had a free lunch presentation today, and i caved to the brownie platter. i marked it as a red day, and now my goal is to make sure that brownie is just one ... not two or three cookies and ice cream after dinner! its very tempting once you've 'failed' to just go all the way! ack!

Nichole wrote:As long as you don't replace alcohol with something else, you will surely lose some weight! Surely surely. But if you replaced two beers with, say, two iced teas, you won't really lose weight. You know? Not to insult your intelligence or anything!


Today I weighed 145.6. Yaay.

Oh and I'll also have a spoonful of ice cream to help with my sweet cravings. LoL. Just a small spoonful.

Isn't that almost your goal? YAY indeed!

Well, if she drinks two iced teas WITHOUT sugar she'll be ok.

f

fkwan wrote:

Nichole wrote:As long as you don't replace alcohol with something else, you will surely lose some weight! Surely surely. But if you replaced two beers with, say, two iced teas, you won't really lose weight. You know? Not to insult your intelligence or anything!


Today I weighed 145.6. Yaay.

Oh and I'll also have a spoonful of ice cream to help with my sweet cravings. LoL. Just a small spoonful.

Isn't that almost your goal? YAY indeed!

Well, if she drinks two iced teas WITHOUT sugar she'll be ok.

f

Well, yes, this is true! Like I said somewhere before, my fiance switched from ACME iced tea to his own, homemade iced tea with Splenda and lost a lot of weight

And I keep teeter-tottering from 145-147. 140 would be nice, but I haven't been very disciplined!

BUT then again my sister's scale says I'm 142, while mine says 145. My Bro-in-law has tested it with his 100 lb weights and it's pretty accurate. So I don't know which to believe!

Hey Nihcole
well i tried the famous 'lean cuisine' for lunch today, and it was pretty good! i was surprised, and i think i'll get them more often.

Which ones do you like the best? I had the Mediterranean chicken

thanks!

Blamey wrote:Hey Nichole
well i tried the famous 'lean cuisine' for lunch today, and it was pretty good! i was surprised, and i think i'll get them more often.

Which ones do you like the best? I had the Mediterranean chicken

thanks!

I like most of them, especially the ones with a Mexican-food flair. I'm not too keen on their beef dishes -- I mostly stick with chicken. Try the ones with 100% whole wheat too, since they're best for you health wise. They're not the best tasting meals on the planet, but they do the trick and get the job done, plus they're convenient and keep me on track calories-wise.

I am on track no-s wise. Yesterday there was the MOST delicious-looking cake sitting out and I didn't have it. I can't remember the last time I partook in the free food at work, which I am proud of. That's a habit that can have a bad affect long-term...

I went to Chili's and got a meal from their "Guiltless Grill" and to my surprise it was DELICIOUS! My mom got the same thing and she also loved it.

So I've gotten through this week with no major slip ups and my tiny cheats. (Ex. one spoonful of ice cream and one day I had a small snack before exercising because I was starving). My weight has gone down a bit, reminding me that cutting calories through No-S really does work.

good to hear you're doing well! i had that one slip this tuesday with the brownie. but i'm so proud of myself for not going 'all the way' i was VERY tempted to have a treat after dinner b/c i already had a red square - but the power of habit helped me to think of the long term.
I also almost had ice cream last night. i even pulled it out and sat it on the counter so it could thaw a bit ... and then sat down for a few minutes and then put it away. saturday is right around the corner! i think i'm 10 or 11 weeks into No-s, and i still love how much i've changed my daily habits.

one change i might make to my S-day/n-days is to start s-days friday dinner and end them on sunday lunch. i don't really care about treats on sundays and lately i feel like i've been forcing myself to eat a snack on sundays 'just b/c it i can and its about to end'
but fridays are always social dinner or staying in to watch movies with friends ... prime snack time. I think i'll try the experiment this weekend.

Blamey wrote: one change i might make to my S-day/n-days is to start s-days friday dinner and end them on sunday lunch. i don't really care about treats on sundays and lately i feel like i've been forcing myself to eat a snack on sundays 'just b/c it i can and its about to end'
but fridays are always social dinner or staying in to watch movies with friends ... prime snack time. I think i'll try the experiment this weekend.

That is my problem too! Friday nite ritual seems to be Dairy Queen. The fiance turns to me and sweetly asks with his blue eyes wide open, "you want to go to Dairy Queen?" or simply "Dairy Queen." We also usually park on the couch and watch a movie.. It's also hard to resist when he gets ice cream from the freezer.

I have successfully done the Friday evening - Sunday afternoon thing before... it is hard though for me!

Yesterday there was the MOST delicious-looking cake sitting out and I didn't have it. I can't remember the last time I partook in the free food at work, which I am proud of. That's a habit that can have a bad affect long-term...

Nichole,

That is so great!

Blueskighs

WELL - i tried the friday evening/sunday thing and it didn't work. unfortunately my dessert habits are very maleable to my boyfriends. he is the type of guy who loses weight if he does NOT work out - ie he'll shrink.
so i had dessert on sunday, and i called friday an S-day b/c it was my bosses birthday.
i think i will make this coming friday a straight N-day. it is trick to re-arrange the rules!

but in other news, still steadily at 153 this weekend, and i'm ok with that. but i'd love to get down to 150 by the end of the month!

Yeah, it didn't work for me either. I have come to the conclusion that just sticking it out on Friday is better. The less days with sweet stuff, the better!

The scale said 143 today! Wow, yaaay! I don't know if it's because I've been varying my exercise or because I've been more on track with No-S or both... OR because it's been hot out and I've been sweating extra hard when exercising? I hope that's not it.

So I was excited about my weight for about a second, then realized that now I have to try to keep it off. I hope I do!

yeah, so Tuesday is my new 'bad' day. i had a piece of cake from the leftover office party last friday. argh.
i don't know why?? i feel REALLY full now, and it wasn't worth it. its funny when this diet feels like a diet .. it doesn't happen often, but when it does i'm reminded of how i used to eat only 2 months ago ... very poorly.

so ONE day of eating sweets in the office will be over in 50 minutes, then its back on track! the good news is i've been doing very well at the AM workouts. i did 4 out of 5 days last week, and i went to the gym this morning. if i can keep that up this week at least my workouts will still be going strong.

Blamey wrote:yeah, so Tuesday is my new 'bad' day. i had a piece of cake from the leftover office party last friday. argh.
i don't know why?? i feel REALLY full now, and it wasn't worth it. its funny when this diet feels like a diet .. it doesn't happen often, but when it does i'm reminded of how i used to eat only 2 months ago ... very poorly.

so ONE day of eating sweets in the office will be over in 50 minutes, then its back on track! the good news is i've been doing very well at the AM workouts. i did 4 out of 5 days last week, and i went to the gym this morning. if i can keep that up this week at least my workouts will still be going strong.

Sorry that it’s been almost TWO WEEKS since I last posted!!

I hope that you were able to successfully get back on track after your slip up. Let me tell you, I slip up ALL the time. I usually have something sweet on Friday nights, so that’s always a slip up. But somehow, eating less overall and exercising has kept me more at less at 145. So don’t worry too much and don’t forget to give yourself some wiggle room.

I know it’s stressful and difficult… I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that staying thin or some semblance of thin is one of the most difficult things I’ll ever have to do and it’s something I’m going to have to TRY to maintain the rest of my life.

Hey Nichole,
no worries, i've been posting less too! i think its part of getting into the diet, and feeling comfortable with it . I still love the support from the discussion boards, but i check them out much less - but i'm still on track (for the most part!)

Friday nights are my 'yellow' meal now ... not sure how else to treat them, b/c like you said when keeping up the exercise, sweets on friday isn't so bad.
today i weighed in at 152.5, and i'm really happy about it! i've been fluctuatin up in the 153-154 all month, so its great to see 152 again. i also feel like i can say the 5lb weight loss to date is not a fluke. i'm can't wait to be in the 140's again, and i i'm hoping to get there this month.

k, hope you're well
Amyliz

Good luck, you can do it! Keep me posted

I just wanted to make a quick post to say that I've been doing a very laxed version of No-S lately. While most days I do not have sweets, I do indulge in something small sometimes. And while I do not indulge in huge snacks, I do allow myself a small snack when I feel hungry and it's too early for lunch or dinner. Especially before dinner. Dinner is sometimes SO LATE because we're four working adults living together. It gets to be way too much and results in me being VERY grumpy and I couldn't resist seconds or thirds! Now that I've added small snacks back, I'm happy with a one-plate meal and no snacks. I also very loosely count calories -- at least I can count Breakfast and Lunch. That gives me a ballpark for dinner. I've been eating like this for a few weeks and so far I'm still 144 lbs. So I've learned a lot from No-S and still retain many principles, but strict No-S was just not enjoyable or realistic to me.

Hey Nichole! nice to hear from you ... i've been a little more lax myself.
mostly by having a little something from my lunch, if i know i have to wait another hour until lunch.
overall I still follow the strict No-s, and i haven't lost additional weight but i know my workout schedule dropped for a while and now i've picked it back up.

i've definitly learned a lot too! and it sounds like you're in a positive mental place about your weight, and thats more than half the battle

Amyliz