Wednesday, March 14, 2012

So long, farewell...

You know the rest of the song. Anyway, that's what I have to do.

I don't know quite why, but No S is not working for me right now. It's not only not working for me, it's working against me. So I'm going to listen to my body and stop.

I know for some people that will be difficult to understand - how 'normal' eating - eating the way people did for generations - could be detrimental for someone, and I don't know myself why this is happening. All I know is I am getting clear signals from my body that this is not a good idea for me right now.

A couple of years ago when I first discovered it, I had no trouble with it at all. I don't know what changed, but something did. It took me a while to notice the pattern, but eventually it became too obvious to ignore.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do other than follow my doctor's advice and of course, keep listening to my body. I have to focus totally on health right now, so I'm putting my scales out of sight and breaking away from all diet related websites and blogs - including this one.

If anyone would like to be administrator of this blog, please email me at nosladies at gmail dot com and I'll send you the information.

At times like this I wish I had something profound to say. I have been thinking about this for a few days, intending to write some well thought out post, but I have been unable to come up with anything that expresses what I'm feeling now. I decided I just have to do this, put it behind me and focus on the next step.

So, so long for now. I wish you well.

Monday, March 5, 2012

March Monday

A week or so ago I posted that I was going to stop tweaking, which for me always leads to problems, and just get on with it.

So, how'd I do? Not too bad, really. If I had a habitcal, Monday would have been red, but after that I did well.

This week didn't get off to a brilliant start, though. I think I've been eating too little. I thought I was going to pass out this afternoon, so I ate something. The light-headedness went away, but I'm left with a residual headache. I'll have to be sure to plan a better lunch tomorrow.

I Surrender!

I give up. I've obsessed, fussed, resolved, analyzed and spent hours again on the diet websites. So......... I make a public commitment to do NoS Vanilla one day at a time for these last weeks before Easter. This is in many ways a spiritual journey, a fast if you like. Not so much about food but about fasting the hours of mental obsession. I turn again to a season of thankfulness for where God has taken me in the last 18 months- still 70-75 lbs down, but more importantly I can do life normally- walking, shopping, taking care of my grandchildren, playing with them. Yes, there are the normal aches and pains of an almost 67 yr old lady.

I choose to enter the joy of thanksgiving. I AM NORMAL. Today I choose to surrender to normaiity One meal and one thought at a time.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Welcome Monday

It's not been easy keeping to the straight and narrow this past week, and a couple of times I wasn't able to. I honestly don't mind. I didn't expect to be able to jump right back in with a 'perfect' week. I know it will take some time to get back into my routine. But I'm feeling very positive about it.

Since then I had a great weekend. We had sunshine and blue skies and even some spring-like warmth for a while. I spent time outdoors and did things I really enjoy. Of course, I ate some food I really enjoy, too.

Every day is a new start, but Monday is especially so. Here's to a good week everyone.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

If It Ain't Broke...

I don't know why I get the urge to tinker with NoS when it's been working so well for me.  I was in a comfortable routine and the scale was going down - even if it was very slow and irregular. Between age and hypothyroidism weight loss is especially difficult to achieve, so slow or not, I was very happy with it.

But eventually I felt the urge to tweak. Of course, this tweaking involved adding more rules. More restrictions. If basic NoS is working, cutting a bit more here and there should work better. Right?

Wrong.

Maybe for some people, but not for me, and not long term. It works for a while, but then feelings of deprivation - either real or imagined - set in. Perfectionism reappears, followed by all or nothing thinking. The results are not pretty.

So here I am, finding my way back to what worked for me.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Sugar, Sugar

I saw this article the other day. I'm not crazy about the title, but the graph is interesting. Here's a quote:

".....It's a remarkably straight line, increasing steadily from 6.3 pounds per person per year in 1822 to a maximum of 107.7 lb/person/year in 1999.  Wrap your brain around this: in 1822, we ate the amount of added sugar in one 12 ounce can of soda every five days, while today we eat that much sugar every seven hours."

I've been thinking of doing an experiment to see how much sugar my family goes through on average. I know it would only be an estimate, but I think it would be interesting.

How do you think your sugar consumption compares to this statistic? Do you feel it's changed significantly since you began the NoS Diet?

Sunday, February 12, 2012

A Day in the Life

Things have been very busy and I haven't felt much like posting here. I think part of it is that NoS is so easy, I don't think about it every day. It's not like I have to constantly monitor my food or keep track of anything. It's nothing more complicated than eating three times a day - which isn't complicated at all.

This is one of my days. It's quite bread-heavy, which isn't usual for me, but I bought one of those artisan bread loaves which doesn't keep well so I planned meals to use it right away. It also happened to be a Saturday, and I always make homemade pizza on Saturday for our family 'Pizza and a movie night'. All the butter and cream, however, is normal.

Breakfast was french toast made with thickly sliced rustic bread, (soaked in an egg and cream mixture) butter, (real) maple syrup, bacon, sausage and two cups of tea.


It was a cold, snowy day, and I spent a good couple of hours outside. When I got home I had homemade broccoli and cheddar soup with bread and butter and iced tea. The swirly pattern is cream.

 Dinner as I already mentioned was homemade pizza. Today's toppings: Italian sausage and artichoke.



And being an S-day, I can't forget these!


What does one of your NoS days look like?

Friday, January 6, 2012

Foodspiration Friday!

Bored with the usual meals and looking for some inspiration? Maybe you have tried a different restaurant or a new recipe lately and think others might like to hear about it.

Most discussions about NoS revolve around the rules. However one of the most pleasant benefits of NoS is that it allows us to enjoy good meals, including all our favorite foods, without guilt. Foodspiration began as a way to exchange ideas and recipes or share the plate photos of some of our favorite meals with readers and other members of the NoS community.

We always look forward to hearing your comments, but on Foodspiration Friday you're extended a special invitation to join in. Got a question about what other members are eating? Looking for a recipe or just a new idea for meals? Maybe you're just happy to be able to eat a food  that was previously 'forbidden' ?

Whatever it is, if it's food related, tell us about it in the comments.  Submissions of photos have slowed over the past few weeks, so new plate photos would be especially welcome. They don't have to be anything special - just whatever you happen to be eating.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

My Personal No S for 2012



I have to admit it. I'm a bit 'humbug' when it comes to New Year. I'm have never been much of a social animal, and I'm perfectly happy to greet the new year at daybreak on the first rather than midnight. I don't make New Year's Resolutions, either. I prefer to set goals whenever I feel I need to, whatever the date on the calendar. I'm also much more likely to succeed when I do it that way.

However, it's only natural at this time of year to look back on the year that has past and ahead to the year before us.

Right now you're looking at one of the changes I made this past year. I joined this blog! I haven't written as much as I had thought I would, but I wanted it to be an outlet, not  a chore. I also hoped it would be of help and encouragement to others. We have more than 2,400 views from over a dozen different countries since we began, so hopefully it has been.

As far as No S itself goes, I feel I may have settled into my own, personal version.

The first personal alteration to No S rules is to the first rule: the 'No Snacks' rule. I now do not just avoid snacks on N days, I avoid snacks completely. Sure I might pick up a sample in the grocery store if it's something I really intend to purchase, or like the other day, join the rest of the family in a hot chocolate at Starbucks after a five mile walk in the cold, but for the most part, I no longer 'snack'.

Rule 2 - No Sweets: Long before No S, I was working to reduce  not just my own consumption of sugar, but that of my whole family. Because of this I already had lost much of my 'sweet tooth'. Many foods have lost their appeal because they are too sweet. When I was following the second rule, I actually ended up eating more sweets. So I tried repealing that rule and found that N days or S days, I just don't care if I eat 'em anymore. I do enjoy cooking and baking, so I may try allowing homemade, reduced sugar desserts - as long as they fit on one plate, of course.

Which leads nicely to the third rule, which is, of course: 'No seconds'. I have never had to bother with this rule, since I never was one to take seconds. There is always space on my plate for more food, and it's always enough.

As time goes on, I care less and less about weight, and more about health. When I was younger I used to say I just 'want to be healthy' because that was the 'right' answer. But truthfully, I wanted to be 'thin'. It didn't matter that I already was. It didn't matter that the things that I was doing to get thin were decidedly UNhealthy. Really. I'm amazed when I see photos of myself from that time. All I remember is continual dieting because I believed I was fat.

Now I really am overweight, but I refuse to spend any more of my life fighting my body or feeling like I should be some other size or feeling like I'm somehow 'less' because I weigh more. I want to appreciate my health and my strength. Appreciate the amazing creation that is my body. Appreciate it, listen to it, care for it and use it well.

What about you? We'd love to hear what worked or did not work for you this past year and what your goals are for the year ahead. Please feel free to share in the comments section. Even if you don't feel you'd like to comment just now, consider becoming a 'follower'. If you'd like to write a guest post, or if you'd like to join us as a regular co-author, send an email to nosladies at gmail dot com.

Whatever your goals for the coming year, we wish you the best.