Everyday Systems

I love the simplicity of No S and the 3 meals a day breaks the constant worry and obsession with when to eat but I am still struggling a bit with what to eat.

I know its caused by years of being told what to eat on this diet and that and labelling foods as good as bad.

As I am basically starting from scratch since the holidays de railed me, I really just want to focus on the No S habits for the time being but does anyone have any tips for getting out of the habit of classing food as good or bad and mentally trying to add up the number of calories.

I see this as my biggest downfall because even if I eat these foods as part of a meal, if I feel any guilt for eating certain things I go into 'Ive blown it now, might aswell fill my face' mode

Hi New. I can't offer too much advice, only understanding as I am having the exact same issue!! Years of dieting have created such disordered thinking about food. All I can say is stick with it, as that's all that I can tell myself. The biggest change for me has been that despite my inner voices berating me for my choices, I am not overeating and feel more in control and for that I'm grateful. It is going to take a while to retrain our brains, but I'm certain this can do it. Good Luck.

Hi newlib

It's kinda rough, isn't it? For me, what helped more than anything, was putting a handful of chips on my lunch plate on N days, when I wanted them, which was pretty often at first. Every day, and sometimes with lunch and dinner. Also, I pigged out on an entire bag of potato chips, on one of my early S days. I planned the "event" and even posted about it here and when I was done I was SO grossed out. But guess what...that got it out of my system. I still have the occasional fistful of chips with lunch, but I have NEVER AGAIN consumed an entire bag of potato chips, and I won't. The memory of my lips, coated with salt and grease, and actually painful in the corners...blech.

Another thing that just now came to mind is gratitude. Maybe butter and chocolate, potatoes, bread, and pasta are gifts, to be received as blessings, with joyful and grateful hearts. If we say "no! I can't have THAT!" to wonderful, delicious fettuccini Alfredo, are we casting aside a gift that was intended to bring us great pleasure and joy? And if we see it as a gift, can we relish it, putting each bite in our mouths, and really taste it, enjoying all of the deliciousness one bite at a time, not shoveling it in, but savoring it.

Anyway, welcome! This way of eating has brought me sanity about food for the first time in my life, and I now can spend a whole day at home with my fridge and pantry and only go in the kitchen to prepare meals. It is WONDERFUL.

I have failed at following No S more times than I would care to mention, but for what it's worth here are my thoughts....
I would say you probably already know what to eat from all those years of following diet plans. You know fruit and veg are good for you. You know which foods are high in calories and probably aren't the best choice. More importantly, you know what effect certain foods have on your body. For example, I know that too much dried fruit gives me wind (probably too much information ).
However, the great thing about No S is that you can eat the high calorie foods, but because you've only got one plate you can't eat too much of them. I would say eat what you fancy but really think about whether you are enjoying it.
You never again HAVE to eat something because someone else says it's good for you, or because it's low in calorie. You can make your own choices and that's what is scary at the moment, but eventually you will find it liberating.
Experiment and good luck!

I agree to focus on food as a blessing, whether that blessing is purely the enjoyable taste, or health for your body or both.

Another thing you can do--when you catch yourself starting to feel guilty or starting to count up calories, say, "No! I followed the rules. I didn't have sweets, snacks or seconds today, and I'm doing great!"

Hang in there!

I gently say to try not to judge yourself so harshly for having the diet mentality. It can just become another standard to hang over your head to expect it to be gone just like that. We're not really in charge of what thoughts arise in us. Just try to accept it as an old habit, and then do your best to choose reasonable meals, experimenting with different ratios of food types on your plate. Try not to be on a timeline for when S days will become reasonable or that you never think about the calories involved, etc. I ate the equivalent of bags of potato chips countless times before I was willing to make changes, even though I had decriminalized them years before.


I don't think there's anything besides just practice to reverse these things, although letting go of the scale for awhile may be a necessary. They often seem to go hand in hand...