Checking In
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2026 3:00 pm
Hello Reinhard and fellow Systemers! First update for me.
Dave | Male | 5'9" | 50 y/o | Western MA, USA
No-S Diet
12-20-2025: Started
01-04-2026: Finally own a scale again - 286 lbs
04-03-2026: Last Friday - 262 lbs
Progress:
Other than the first week and a single one-week plateau I so far seem to be dropping somewhere between half a pound and three pounds per week. Not sure whether any of that is being offset by muscle gains from Shovelglove, and it doesn't really matter anyway. My weight has never mattered to me in and of itself, it's just a useful quantifier for my progress.
Tweaks:
When by myself (which is much of the time) I only eat one meal a day, usually between 3 and 6pm. If I have company or am visiting people I'll adapt to their meal cadence instead. I use the usual No-S rules in both cases, though occasionally I'll replace the "single plate" rule with an "only items I've selected ahead of time" rule to make logistics easier for the big single meals.
Shovelglove
01-05-2026: Start - managed a shaky single set of 7-ish reps on all standard movements except pushups - 10lb hammer.
04-03-2026: Last Friday - almost two full sets of 7 reps on all standard movements with mods - 10lb hammer
Progress:
Over the past few months I've moved from one shaky set of reps to two solid ones. give or take. I've added in wall pushups and changed some of my squat mechanics. I've also moved my grip on the hammer to choke up less on it and get more lever resistance over time. Also, for clarity, when I say "7 reps" I mean 7 reps on each side for the hammer movements that have a sidedness to them, which is everything except Churn Butter, Hoist Sack, and Tuck Bales.
Tweaks:
The idea of getting down on the ground to do pushups still has no savor for me at the moment, but the wall pushups provide at least some of the benefits. I did some reading and experimentation on squat mechanics and found that a lower, wider-stance squat was working better for me and was easier on my knees. I also sometimes end my routine by doing some Tusken Raider-style two-handed overhead lifts or stretch my arms and shoulders with the hammer slung over one shoulder.
Other Systems
I live in a small walkable town so Urban Ranger has been an effective part of my life for a few years now. And I'm a social-only drinker and a bit of a lightweight these days, so I'm using Glass Ceiling but mostly as a codification of what I was already doing.
Conclusion
I still have a ways to go, but I'm incredibly happy with my progress and how well I've managed to set these habits so far. I've been feeling stronger, more flexible, and lighter on my feet week by week. My overall energy level also seems to be rising slowly.
---
The Detailed Narrative
I've known about Everyday Systems since sometime in the 2010s at least, and I've owned (and sometimes used for short stretches) a shovelglove hammer for most of that time. I've had a lot of issues with my mental health, though, and forming lasting habits proved very difficult. Once my mental health stabilized I was just enjoying being in a good place and indulging myself. My size continued to creep up slowly -- and I've been heavier than I like for most of my life as it is -- and I slowly lost strength and flexibility, countered in some cases by the exertions of my hobbies and volunteer work.
Last fall ended up becoming a bit of a perfect storm of minor annoyances and wistful desires about my weight and general fitness for various reasons, and I decided to try to get serious about solutions. As I already had the hammer and my social anxiety makes gyms a fraught notion at the best of times, trying a serious run at Shovelglove was a no-brainer for the exercise piece. The food plan part was a tougher choice.
I live alone, and when on my own I only tend to eat one large meal a day, in the late afternoon or early evening -- a habit that spun out of a long-ago flirtation with intermittent fasting and that suits me very well. I'd developed some bad routines around desserts, snacking in the evenings, and sodas, though. I considered attempting a low-carb plan again, as they mesh decently well with my natural tastes and I'd had some success with them in the past. However that would have required a lot of small and ongoing changes and annoyances as well as giving up some foods that I'd once again come to relish. While I was already familiar with No-S I'm not sure I'd ever taken it seriously. It seemed too simple, like it couldn't possibly work for me. In the absence of a better immediate option and in the interests of getting something going I decided to give it a try anyway.
I started No-S on December 20, the day before I boarded a sleeper train to stay with my parents for a week over Christmas. This was about the worst possible time to start -- my mom bakes like crazy for the holidays -- but I wanted to get things started and figured it would be a useful test. Between dining car meals on the train, holiday meals, and holiday sweets, the next week or so was a trial. I did make some compromises and allowances given that there were several holidays involved and the whole week was technically a vacation. So I had more sweets than I should have under normal circumstances, but I set myself strict limits on those and stuck to them. I also completely stuck by no snacks and no seconds. All in all it worked out pretty well, and I ate much less than over any other Christmas week in probably the last couple of decades.
Once I got home things became simpler. I did a little calorie calculation in the beginning just to assure myself that the big meals I made were sufficient and more or less equal to each other so I wouldn't feel snacky afterwards. I added some sides or mix-ins here and there as a result of that, and also managed to find the Mestemacher pumpernickel that Reinhard mentions in his book at a local store. Good stuff! I did my best to get everything onto one plate, and adopted a "prior selection" rule in cases where that didn't work -- no changing what I eat after I get started, unless it's to not eat something because I'm full. Snacking and sweets stopped as well. Mostly I drink water, plus local farm milk with my meals when I have it. Sometimes I feel the desire for a soda while relaxing in the evening, so I found a decent tasting zero-sugar one to scratch that itch. I don't even feel the need to waive the rules much on weekends, though it's nice to have the option. I've occasionally grabbed something like locally-made rice pudding as a weekend treat.
I started Sholvelglove on January 5, after the holidays were over and I finally had a scale again. As mentioned in the summary above the first week was rough, but it got steadily easier after that. I'm still using the same 10lb hammer and I still feel the exercises during and after. I vary the cadence of the routine as needed day to day, to keep the habit without pushing myself too hard if I'm sore or tired. So far I've only missed one day of it since I started, and I noted that in my log.
I can feel the little changes from these new habits week over week. Everyday lifting tasks getting easier. Having more energy and more desire to move when I don't have to, like awkwardly dancing around my kitchen to music while prepping my meals. Increased ability to crouch and to get back up off the ground. Finding ways to hang more habits -- like better and more consistent self-care -- off of the ones around No-S and Shovelglove. It's all been very encouraging.
So thank you, Reinhard, for coming up with these ideas and keeping them posted. I'm going to try to update quarterly until I think I've reached a stable weight and fitness level.
--undarl / Dave
Dave | Male | 5'9" | 50 y/o | Western MA, USA
No-S Diet
12-20-2025: Started
01-04-2026: Finally own a scale again - 286 lbs
04-03-2026: Last Friday - 262 lbs
Progress:
Other than the first week and a single one-week plateau I so far seem to be dropping somewhere between half a pound and three pounds per week. Not sure whether any of that is being offset by muscle gains from Shovelglove, and it doesn't really matter anyway. My weight has never mattered to me in and of itself, it's just a useful quantifier for my progress.
Tweaks:
When by myself (which is much of the time) I only eat one meal a day, usually between 3 and 6pm. If I have company or am visiting people I'll adapt to their meal cadence instead. I use the usual No-S rules in both cases, though occasionally I'll replace the "single plate" rule with an "only items I've selected ahead of time" rule to make logistics easier for the big single meals.
Shovelglove
01-05-2026: Start - managed a shaky single set of 7-ish reps on all standard movements except pushups - 10lb hammer.
04-03-2026: Last Friday - almost two full sets of 7 reps on all standard movements with mods - 10lb hammer
Progress:
Over the past few months I've moved from one shaky set of reps to two solid ones. give or take. I've added in wall pushups and changed some of my squat mechanics. I've also moved my grip on the hammer to choke up less on it and get more lever resistance over time. Also, for clarity, when I say "7 reps" I mean 7 reps on each side for the hammer movements that have a sidedness to them, which is everything except Churn Butter, Hoist Sack, and Tuck Bales.
Tweaks:
The idea of getting down on the ground to do pushups still has no savor for me at the moment, but the wall pushups provide at least some of the benefits. I did some reading and experimentation on squat mechanics and found that a lower, wider-stance squat was working better for me and was easier on my knees. I also sometimes end my routine by doing some Tusken Raider-style two-handed overhead lifts or stretch my arms and shoulders with the hammer slung over one shoulder.
Other Systems
I live in a small walkable town so Urban Ranger has been an effective part of my life for a few years now. And I'm a social-only drinker and a bit of a lightweight these days, so I'm using Glass Ceiling but mostly as a codification of what I was already doing.
Conclusion
I still have a ways to go, but I'm incredibly happy with my progress and how well I've managed to set these habits so far. I've been feeling stronger, more flexible, and lighter on my feet week by week. My overall energy level also seems to be rising slowly.
---
The Detailed Narrative
I've known about Everyday Systems since sometime in the 2010s at least, and I've owned (and sometimes used for short stretches) a shovelglove hammer for most of that time. I've had a lot of issues with my mental health, though, and forming lasting habits proved very difficult. Once my mental health stabilized I was just enjoying being in a good place and indulging myself. My size continued to creep up slowly -- and I've been heavier than I like for most of my life as it is -- and I slowly lost strength and flexibility, countered in some cases by the exertions of my hobbies and volunteer work.
Last fall ended up becoming a bit of a perfect storm of minor annoyances and wistful desires about my weight and general fitness for various reasons, and I decided to try to get serious about solutions. As I already had the hammer and my social anxiety makes gyms a fraught notion at the best of times, trying a serious run at Shovelglove was a no-brainer for the exercise piece. The food plan part was a tougher choice.
I live alone, and when on my own I only tend to eat one large meal a day, in the late afternoon or early evening -- a habit that spun out of a long-ago flirtation with intermittent fasting and that suits me very well. I'd developed some bad routines around desserts, snacking in the evenings, and sodas, though. I considered attempting a low-carb plan again, as they mesh decently well with my natural tastes and I'd had some success with them in the past. However that would have required a lot of small and ongoing changes and annoyances as well as giving up some foods that I'd once again come to relish. While I was already familiar with No-S I'm not sure I'd ever taken it seriously. It seemed too simple, like it couldn't possibly work for me. In the absence of a better immediate option and in the interests of getting something going I decided to give it a try anyway.
I started No-S on December 20, the day before I boarded a sleeper train to stay with my parents for a week over Christmas. This was about the worst possible time to start -- my mom bakes like crazy for the holidays -- but I wanted to get things started and figured it would be a useful test. Between dining car meals on the train, holiday meals, and holiday sweets, the next week or so was a trial. I did make some compromises and allowances given that there were several holidays involved and the whole week was technically a vacation. So I had more sweets than I should have under normal circumstances, but I set myself strict limits on those and stuck to them. I also completely stuck by no snacks and no seconds. All in all it worked out pretty well, and I ate much less than over any other Christmas week in probably the last couple of decades.
Once I got home things became simpler. I did a little calorie calculation in the beginning just to assure myself that the big meals I made were sufficient and more or less equal to each other so I wouldn't feel snacky afterwards. I added some sides or mix-ins here and there as a result of that, and also managed to find the Mestemacher pumpernickel that Reinhard mentions in his book at a local store. Good stuff! I did my best to get everything onto one plate, and adopted a "prior selection" rule in cases where that didn't work -- no changing what I eat after I get started, unless it's to not eat something because I'm full. Snacking and sweets stopped as well. Mostly I drink water, plus local farm milk with my meals when I have it. Sometimes I feel the desire for a soda while relaxing in the evening, so I found a decent tasting zero-sugar one to scratch that itch. I don't even feel the need to waive the rules much on weekends, though it's nice to have the option. I've occasionally grabbed something like locally-made rice pudding as a weekend treat.
I started Sholvelglove on January 5, after the holidays were over and I finally had a scale again. As mentioned in the summary above the first week was rough, but it got steadily easier after that. I'm still using the same 10lb hammer and I still feel the exercises during and after. I vary the cadence of the routine as needed day to day, to keep the habit without pushing myself too hard if I'm sore or tired. So far I've only missed one day of it since I started, and I noted that in my log.
I can feel the little changes from these new habits week over week. Everyday lifting tasks getting easier. Having more energy and more desire to move when I don't have to, like awkwardly dancing around my kitchen to music while prepping my meals. Increased ability to crouch and to get back up off the ground. Finding ways to hang more habits -- like better and more consistent self-care -- off of the ones around No-S and Shovelglove. It's all been very encouraging.
So thank you, Reinhard, for coming up with these ideas and keeping them posted. I'm going to try to update quarterly until I think I've reached a stable weight and fitness level.
--undarl / Dave
Thanks for putting all this together back when, and for maintaining the site and the community. This turned out to be exactly the right set of solutions at the right time for me.