Good-bye 2011

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and your 2012 is getting off to a good start!

I've been planning an update for quite some time, but things keep getting in the way. December was a particularly difficult month for me for many reasons I won't go into just now. My last post will probably give you a hint as to one of those reasons! All that is past now...I hope...

I've been reading some interesting things lately I'd like to share, and I'm hoping some of you will share how your year went and what your goals are for the new year. As soon as things settle down here, that is!

Reason Number 187 to love The No S Diet

It makes it much easier to pinpoint possible food poisoning culprits when you eat only 2-3 times per day rather then 5 or 6..or perma-snack.

Don't ask me how I know.

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!

Talking Turkey

Even if you aren't living in the US, you probably know this past week was Thanksgiving for us. For many people it's the start of an all out eat fest that goes on until the first of January. Although for some people, this actually starts with the Halloween candy.

I'm sure there are as many reasons for this as there are dieters, but I have no doubt some of this is because of unrealistic diets that are difficult to live with. People give up and figure they'll deal with it after the holiday season is over. Usually only to try another diet that is possibly even more stringent and difficult to live with than the earlier one.

This is perhaps my favorite thing about No S. It's very easy to live with long term. Which is understandable, since this is how people used to live long term. Those of us who have been around for a few years know this, since we were 'there'. Children usually had snacks - but it was more likely to be 'real food' since the little 'snack packs' so common today didn't exist - but not too close to meals so we didn't 'spoil our appetite'. But others simply ate good meals at meal time and then they didn't eat again until the next one. In some countries, people still eat this way. 

Most people make allowances for big meal holidays like Thanksgiving, and I was no exception. It was an 'S' day for me, which meant I abandoned the rules for the day: In other words, I had pie. That was it. I didn't think about what I was 'allowed' to eat. To tell the truth, I hardly gave a thought to the food. Mostly I focused on family I seldom see. But when it came to choosing food, I only thought about what looked and sounded good to me and put those things on my plate. I didn't have to think at all about how much to eat, since when it's just my favorite foods, one plate is plenty. I had a second plate for my pie. It would have fit on the main plate, but it was neater this way.

No worries, no guilt, no missing out, no trying to 'exercise it off' the next day - and the only thing stuffed was the turkey.

No wonder I stick with NoS.

Feeling Like Myself Again

Do you know that feeling you get when you feel better, and only then do you realise how truly lousy you felt before? That's kinda how I feel now.

I have hesitated to write about this - you know, not wanting to jinx it and all - but for the past week or so I've been feeling so much better, I'm feeling optimistic enough to post about it. My energy and focus are back and I'm dealing with stress better. I'm also feeling that I don't need the extra meals anymore.

It makes me wonder, though, how many 'diets' are there out there that people actually look forward to going back on?

MIA

I know it looks as if I am Missing in Action. Well, life has handed me another detour. I am out of state taking care of elderly parent for awhile....making a change from assisted living to nursing care for the next month or so.  I have been without internet for over 2 weeks...talk about withdrawal symptoms!

The good news is that NoS habits have been my lifeline. The last time I was in this situation (when Dad had stroke)  I wasn't established in the habits and put on 30 lbs. Even though I am having to cook in an efficiency type apartment...induction burner, microwave, small refrigerator, bathroom sink...I have managed to stay on plan. I stayed in the hospital as caregiver 20 out of 24 hours for 10 days and the no snacking rule stayed in place. I claim a huge victory. As others have mentioned, I think the no snack rule is the key to success in weight loss and management.

As I have mentioned before, I don't break the pattern on S Days and that is still working for me too. I enjoy reading the updates you ladies share here. When I can get more time, I will contribute again.

Day 54

Day 54 of the 100 Day Challenge. Well, as Linda the Legalist would tell you it was actually 105 days from Sept 12- Dec 25. But she has given up the obsessive counting of statistics except for a gentle tick on the calendar to indicate days of success.

What's happened in these 53 days?
1. I hit Onderland & have a 65-70 lb weight loss. I've been on a frustrating plateau for weeks.

2. I've redefined the No Snack rule. A snack is ANY non-hunger eating event.

3. I've come to terms with how small the portions need to be to continue to lose weight. I'm 66 and still have about 20lbs to lose to reach a REASONNABLE weight for me.

4. I'm really struggling with my new body image. It's been 33 years since I've been this small. All my clothes are swimming on me & yet shopping is still a fearful place for me. My comfortable fat lady store no longer has clothes for me & to figure out ordinary stores & to shop based on what I like instead of by a number ( 1X- 2X- 3X- 4). I really need a new song in my head.

I so appreciate Suncat starting this challenge. It's not too late for others to join in because numbers DON'T MATTER!

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.


Foodspiration began as a way to generate new ideas, exchange recipes and share plate photos with readers and other members of the NoS community.

Foodspiration is now a monthly feature. It's your opportunity to ask questions or share your meals in the comments, submit plate photos to be included in our NoS plate slide-show, or pass along a favorite recipe so others can give it a try.




We're looking forward to hearing from you.

*** edited to add:

We could really use some new plate photos. Our slide show is looking a bit dated.

They don't have to be anything special - just whatever you happen to be eating.

What? Me Stressed? Part II

I've been putting this off because it's rather a long story and I just haven't had time to go into a long story. Today I decided this had gone on long enough, and a short story was better than no story. After all, it's nearly November!

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I work in education, so after a lovely, lazy summer, I went back to work in mid-August. It is quite an adjustment to go from no schedule other what time tennis lessons are or when we want to be at the pool to work commutes and deadlines, after school activities four nights a week and others on Saturday.

In previous years it's taken me a few weeks to adjust, as it does with most people, but there have never been any lasting effects. This year, unfortunately, I cannot say that and I am convinced that the additional stress of my schedule was what put the situation over the edge.

I started out the year taking food to work to have a late breakfast rather than eating at home. After I finished a stress-filled work, (I only work part-time) I had one hour, minus my 30 minute commute, to go home, fix lunch, eat it and be back in the car to be at my child's school for dismissal time.

When I planned this, it sounded quite do-able. I liked the idea of leaving 30 minutes sooner and not having to pack a lunch for the lunch break I'd never taken anyway. I also liked the idea of having a freshly cooked lunch at home instead of something in a lunch bag.

I really thought it was working, too. That is until I started noticing subtle changes. About the third week I got sick and it took ages to shake it. I was exhausted in the afternoons, but couldn't stay asleep at night. And even though I was more active now that I was back at work, and actually eating less, my clothes were getting tight. I weighed myself and found - get this - I'd gained 8 pounds. Eight! This is a significant amount for anyone to gain in one month, but considering I have not gained any weight in 10 years, for me this was monumental. Clearly my body was not happy at all with the recent changes in my life. What else could that be, but my 'wonderful' new schedule?

So I changed it. I started eating breakfast at home again. I packed a lunch and ate while I worked. Not ideal, but I no longer had a scheduled lunch break. I could have asked to have one added back in, but even when I did have one I always worked during it, so chances are eventually I'd do the same again.

I also decided that this extra half hour could be a good work-to-home transition time for me. Since I didn't have to rush home to fix and eat lunch I now had a more leisurely commute home. I took less congested roads and enjoyed the scenery more. I'd stop on the way home to shop which meant one less task for me to fit into my schedule later. Some days I'd go for a walk, or just arrive early at the school and sit in the sunshine and read...or even snooze in the sun.

Another change I had to make was how and what I ate. Going so long without eating then eating quickly was an additional stress that my body did not need. I changed to an eating schedule recommended by my doctor of four-meals-a-day as well as something before going to bed to stop the 3 am waking. I'm also being even more diligent about what those meals are, making sure that the foods I eat will promote good health and stress-recovery.

It's been nearly three weeks since I started making these changes and I'm noticing improvements. I am sleeping most of the night, and I can make it through the afternoon without falling asleep. My thinking is clearer and I can focus better. I've also lost two of the pounds I gained.

It's not over, yet. But I feel less pressured, less overwhelmed..just...better. I think part of it is knowing that I'm doing something positive - taking action. Sometimes things can't be fixed, sometimes they can but they are difficult. But this one was relatively easy once I realized it needed to be fixed. And life's too short to put up things that are so simple to fix.

What do you know? It turned into a long story after all.

What? Me stressed?

It's been tough to find time to write an update lately. There is so much going on right now, and being sick last week made it worse. Now I have to play 'catch-up' for all the things I didn't get done because I wasn't feeling well.

I'm determined to be kind to myself, and just do what I can, one thing at a time, and accept that's the way it's just going to have to be. I've been thinking a lot lately about the role stress plays in health - including weight. I'm working to reduce the sources of stress that I can, and moderate my reactions to the stresses I can't eliminate.

It's not always easy, but it is important, so I'm working on it. More detail to follow.

Can You Gym Goers Relate?

You already know I prefer to 'work out' at home, whether it's with weights, or by 'playing and stuff'. But I have been known to go to the gym, and I know a few of you are regular gym goers. Whichever category you fall into, I thought you might enjoy this blog post I ran across recently. Maybe you recognize a few of these people.

The 12 Most Hilarious, Awful, and Real Personalities You’ll Encounter at the Gym

Really, I think nothing more need be said.

One Quarter of the Way

Surely, I'm not the only one finding it difficult to believe we're already a fourth of the way through our 100 days?

Are you following along? How is it going for you?

What has been the biggest challenge you've had to face in the first 25 days?

What has been the BEST part?

Twenty Two Days

Looking back on the past week, one word comes to mind 'comfortable'. That's just how the week was. It was easy, but it was more than that. I didn't have to think about it - I didn't even have to try. It just felt normal, natural and completely effortless.

That's saying something considering what chaos things have been around here. It was great to just be able to take life as it came - and not have one more thing added to the mix. It's still more than that, though. It's this feeling of 'nothing'. Food was just a total non-issue. I just ate at meals, and then the rest of the time I didn't eat - and that was that. I didn't even think about it.

Is this 'Zen and the Art of NoS'? Whatever it is, I like it.

Two Weeks Down

It's a lovely Monday morning. I had a perfect NoS breakfast and reflected on the first 2 weeks of the '100 Day Challenge'. Here are the stats: 10 N's; 2S's; 2 total DISASTERS. I've chosen to look at this sanely and consider twelve out of fourteen days being successful pretty good; no really good. Well done, Linda! Note the ' virtual pat' on my own back.

I just thought I'd check in. I have fresh brewed coffee waiting for me so I'll close my iPad and promise to come back later where you'll have the joy (???) of meeting Linda the Legalistic

N day. S day. N day. S day.

Last week had more than it's share of hurdles. It started out like a normal week. Tuesday I felt ill, and though I tried to make it an N - it ended up turning into an S. Sick is an S, so I didn't feel too bad about it.

Wednesday was another 'normal' N day. Thursday we got unexpected company. You know, the kind you see maybe once a year if you're lucky? The kind you cook special foods for, or that want to take you out to nice places to eat in appreciation? That kind of company. Maybe some other people can cruise through a visit like this with nary a splotch of red on their habitcal - but I'm not one of those. I didn't have plans to go nuts or anything, I just wanted to enjoy my company without stressing all the time about whether I'd be able to stick to the rules. The funny thing is, I ended up sticking to the rules anyway, without even trying. Cool :)

Welcome Monday and NoS structure and sanity.

Friday Foodspiration!

It's Friday, and besides being the start of the weekend, Friday means it's time for our weekly 'Foodspiration' post.

Foodspiration began as a way to generate new ideas, exchange recipes and share plate photos with readers and other members of the NoS community.

 

So ask questions or share your meals in the comments, or submit plate photos or recipes. 

We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Stressful Seven

It's a beautiful September Monday in my part of the world, and to make it even better, I have the day off. Work, anyway. I always have plenty to do at home. I thought I'd start it though with a quick review of my first 7 of 100 Days of Success. 

As I mentioned the other day, it was a particularly busy and stress-filled week. There are pros and cons to being busy. When we're busy  time flies and sometimes that makes it easier to keep to eating goals - unless we are so busy we don't have time, or simply 'forget', to eat properly. For many people, being unusually busy is more likely to interfere with exercise goals. 

This is exactly what happened to my goals. I was so busy I didn't think about eating most of the time, but I missed one of my three days of exercise. I did get in a family walk on two days, though, so it sortof evens out.

At times in my life I've been under stress that caused me to eat more - and other stress that left me nearly unable to eat. The particular stress in my life right now is of the first type. I have found myself more than once this past week thinking of eating. Each time, however, I managed not to. 

Perhaps it's the fact that I've committed in public to these 100 days of success and I don't want to mess it up at all, let alone the first week, that helped me stick to my goals. Or maybe  I'm just stubborn. Whenever I started thinking of eating this past week, I reminded myself that the person who's causing all the problems for me is totally not worth all this stress and I was not going to allow the situation to cause me to eat when I don't want or need to. I don't know if this will always work for me, but for now it seems to be. I just hope the situation improves soon and I don't have to keep testing my resolve.  

I had a nice weekend, though. We got out of town on Saturday, and had a lovely walk outdoors, finishing up just as a huge downpour hit. Sunday we caught up on some shopping, went out to lunch and watched a movie together in the evening. Everyone else is out today, so I'm enjoying a peaceful day on my own, catching up things around the house and getting ready for the week ahead. Here's hoping it's a more peaceful week. 

If you'd care to share, how do you keep to your exercise goals when life gets busy? What are some ways you deal with stress in your life? 

Friday Foodspiration!

Every Friday at LWNoS, we will have a post dedicated to 'Foodspiration'. It's a chance for readers to share menus, meals, recipes and even post plate photos to be included in our slideshow at the top of the page.

There are many ways to participate:

• share any or all of your meals for the week in the comments 
• if you plan meals in advance, share your menu ideas for the coming week
• submit a recipe or a plate photo with information explaining which meal it is and what is on the plate, to nosladies dot gmail dot com.  Photos will be added to the slideshow and recipes will be available in google docs. 
• if  you have a No S blog, share a link to your blog, or 
• just check in on Fridays and have a look around. To get details on any of the slideshow photos, just click on the image. If you see a meal that inspires you, feel free to ask for details and recipes in the comments 

So try a new recipe. Snap a plate photo or two. But most of all, share and enjoy! 

4 of 100

I meant to write this yesterday, but a) I wasn't feeling well, and b) someone was borrowing my computer for homework.

Monday, the first of '100 Days of Success', couldn't have been a worse day to start if I'd planned it that way. I had a difficult day at work, and three appointments afterward. I didn't even get a real lunch - I just grabbed a Tanka Bar when I was out grocery shopping between appointments at around 3 pm, and called it lunch. It'd never had one before, but I might buy a few to keep around for other busy days.

I got home around 7 and fixed chili for dinner. it's a popular choice in our house for a busy monday. So, somehow I made it from my yogurt at 7 am, to my dinner at 7.30 pm with only a Tanka bar in between. I think it's just one more indication that my body is adjusting well to both No S and my new schedule.

Tuesday was pretty average, then Wednesday I woke up feeling ill, but not enough to declare it a 'S'ick day so it was a normal N day as well. Today (Thursday) has been a tough day, and there are still a few hours to go. I don't plan to mess things up now, so I won't be 'consoling' myself with food. A hot bath and a good book will do the job just as well. Maybe even better. I'm reading 'The Help' and I'm finding it as 'unputdownable' as everyone else I've talked to. It's probably one more reason I'm not thinking about food. I'm too busy reading.

How have the first  4 out of 100 days gone for you?

The Next 100 Days

Did you know there are 105 days til Christmas? No? Neither did I until I counted them, although the reason I counted them had nothing to do with Christmas at all. It had to do with this post on the No S forum.

I saw it a few days ago and since then the words '100 days of success' have been rattling around in my head. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.

I started by defining success:

• Confine eating occasions to meals 
• Confine desserts to weekends
• 'Exercise' three days a week
• Go out and play with my family at least once a week, hopefully more: tennis, bicycle, after dinner walk, etc- although by the end of the 100 days, this might mean building a snowman!
• Get to bed before 11 pm. 

I didn't mention seconds, because that has never been an issue for me.  'Dessert' means cakes, pies, cookies, etc. Fruit desserts and 70% dark chocolate are exceptions unless I decide otherwise. 

I'm posting this a day early in case anyone wants to join with me. But you don't have to start the same day or have many goals. Any day, any goal(s), just jump in where you are. Write us a comment or use  #100daysofsuccess on twitter. 

Friday Foodspiration!

Every Friday at LWNoS, we will have a post dedicated to 'Foodspiration'. It's a chance for readers to share menus, meals, recipes and even post plate photos to be included in our slideshow at the top of the page.

There are many ways to participate:

• share any or all of your meals for the week in the comments 
• if you plan meals in advance, share your menu ideas for the coming week
• submit a recipe or a plate photo with information explaining which meal it is and what is on the plate, to nosladies dot gmail dot com.  Photos will be added to the slideshow and recipes will be available in google docs. 
• if  you have a No S blog, share a link to your blog, or 
• just check in on Fridays and have a look around. To get details on any of the slideshow photos, just click on the image. If you see a meal that inspires you, feel free to ask for details and recipes in the comments 

So try a new recipe. Snap a plate photo or two. But most of all, share and enjoy! 

Go Figure

As I mentioned in a previous post  my first week back at work with my new schedule was something less than a rousing success.  I had tried to stick with No S, but I just wasn't successful at all. I was hungry hours before meals but didn't feel like eating when it came time to eat. I was unusually tired during the day and it didn't help that I started waking at 3 am which I haven't done in quite a while. The second week I decided to just bag the whole thing and allow my new circumstances to settle.

So for the next week I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and slept as much as I could. I didn't try to exercise, other than an after dinner walk one evening. I went to the pool once, but you can hardly call floating around on a lounger 'swimming', so I'm not counting that.

This week I'm back to No S - easily going up to 7 hours between meals without a problem. I've also stopped waking at night - and feeling like falling asleep during the day. Perhaps the weirdest thing though is that after about 10 days of this, I was sure I'd have gained weight. Instead I found I'd lost 2.5 pounds.

Sometimes the most unexpected things work. Have you ever had to 'shake things up' a bit in order to get back into your routine?

Meal Planning

One of my tasks this past weekend was to plan meals and shop for the month. I know it probably sounds crazy, since that's what I first thought, too. I tried it, though, and found that  it actually injected a bit of sanity in my life. I'm not very organized, so planning means less stress, and more success.

I began with the basics from this website, altering it for our activities and schedule, what leftovers will need to be used and even the season. To streamline the process, breakfasts change day to day, but repeat each week, as do lunches during the school year. Dinner is more thoroughly planned - down to side dishes and dessert ideas, if it's an S day.

If this sounds rigid, it's not. The last thing I need in my life is a list of 'must dos' to feel guilty about if I 'didn't do', and somedays nothing else will do but to ditch the whole plan and go out. But I like to cook, to eat and to feed my family well - and did I mention I'm a bit 'organizationally challenged'? Meal planning helps me avoid standing in the kitchen at 5 pm with no idea what to fix for dinner, and if I do have an idea, finding out I don't have the ingredients. It also doesn't hurt that since I started doing this, I spend much less time shopping, and our grocery bill is only one half to two thirds what it used to be.

What method of meal planning, if any, works for you?

Friday Foodspiration!

Every Friday at LWNoS, we will have a post dedicated to 'Foodspiration'. It's a chance for readers to share menus, meals, recipes and even post plate photos to be included in our slideshow at the top of the page.

There are many ways to participate:

• share any or all of your meals for the week in the comments 
• if you plan meals in advance, share your menu ideas for the coming week
• submit a recipe or a plate photo with information explaining which meal it is and what is on the plate, to nosladies dot gmail dot com.  Photos will be added to the slideshow and recipes will be available in google docs. 
• if  you have a No S blog, share a link to your blog, or 
• just check in on Fridays and have a look around. To get details on any of the slideshow photos, just click on the image. If you see a meal that inspires you, feel free to ask for details and recipes in the comments 

So try a new recipe. Snap a plate photo or two. But most of all, share and enjoy! 

A New 'Normal'

Last week was a tough one for me. I have a new schedule this year that sounded good in theory, but hasn't worked out very well. The way it's supposed to work is that I eat breakfast around 9, then have lunch when I get home at 2. At the beginning of the week I was hungry for breakfast about 8, and *very* hungry for a good two hours before I could get lunch. I also don't have a lot of time at 2 pm. The combined effect has been that I eat a lot very quickly which means I don't enjoy it much and I'm not hungry again in time for dinner. I've tried adjusting the amounts and the timing of breakfast and lunch as much as I am able, but it hasn't really made a difference.

The second problem is that it took me until Friday to adjust to these meal times, which of course, will not mesh with my family life on weekends - which then means I'll be constantly adjusting to two different schedules and for me that is simply unsustainable.

I didn't get any exercise in at all last week. I don't know how much of this is due to my busier schedule, the fact that I work in a very hot place that kinda sucks the energy out of me, or simply because I'm always tired when I start back to work.

Change is part of life, though. I just have to find a new 'normal' that works for me, and in the meantime, try not to get too discouraged.

Friday Foodspiration!

Every Friday at LWNoS, we will have a post dedicated to 'Foodspiration'. It's a chance for readers to share menus, meals, recipes and even post plate photos to be included in our slideshow at the top of the page.

There are many ways to participate:

• share any or all of your meals for the week in the comments 
• if you plan meals in advance, share your menu ideas for the coming week
• submit a recipe or a plate photo with information explaining which meal it is and what is on the plate, to nosladies dot gmail dot com.  Photos will be added to the slideshow and recipes will be available in google docs
• if  you have a No S blog, share a link to your blog, or 
• just check in on Fridays and have a look around. If you see a meal that inspires you, feel free to ask for details and recipes in the comments 

So try a new recipe. Snap a plate photo or two. But most of all, share and enjoy! 

Every Bite Counts

"Every Bite Counts" has been part of my signature at Everyday Systems blog for quite awhile now. At first that was meant as a reminder to help establish the no snacking and no seconds habit. And then I used it to make sure that on my S Days any splurges I might choose were really worthy. Now when I think of every bite counting I think of making sure what I feed myself is good for my body.

You see, I have no calories to spare like I used to when I was a young thing. I have monitored my 3 plates for 10 months now mainly for information. For instance in the last quarter (May 25-August 25) I have averaged 1341 calories daily. This has been all nutritious food..no junk. And I have gained 2 lbs. I am assuming this is not a real gain, but just a 2 lb. fluctuation. Nonetheless, it is obvious that I will not lose weight on 1341 calories. My choices: try to get calorie count lower? don't think so Maybe up the exercise? I am still recovering from a broken foot bone and cannot walk for exercise, but I can work on this some. Get happy where I am? Maybe. I am just 4 lbs. over the BMI suggestions for normal weight, but I am 20 lbs. over my normal adult weight. I think it is just hard for a 64 yr. old to eat what I used to. My appetite and desire stays the same, but I just don't burn it off.

Conclusion: Just keep on NoSing and don't fret. I am healthy, don't look fat, can wear size 12 clothing. And lest I forget, I have lost over 40 lbs. since last October! My body will do its own thing, but I still have to be aware that Every Bite Counts. If I don't, then I will not just maintain, I will gain bigtime.

Fall Ahead

Temperatures are in the 90s here, but the days are shorter, yellow leaves are starting to appear and as of today, school is back in session. As Sojourner mentioned in the comments last week, for many of us, this time of year can feel even more like the start of a new year than January 1 does. I've often felt that way, and this year is no exception.

You're no doubt familiar with the phrase 'Spring Ahead, Fall Back' that helps people know which way to adjust their clocks when daylight saving times begins and ends. I'm feeling quite enthusiastic today, so rather than thinking of falling back - I'm looking ahead. Summer has been lovely and much as I don't want to see it end, I find myself looking forward to fall specialties -  crunchy leaves, backyard bonfires (no mosquitos!), and the golden glow of aspen trees. To  cozy sweaters, hot chocolate and other  comforting, cool weather foods. And to that favorite of parents everywhere - the return of structure and routine to family life.

I've got my goals (health/fitness and otherwise) lined out for the month and I'm ready to give it my best. I've even set up a habitcal, which I haven't used in quite some time. 

Here's to old routines and new challenges. Happy (almost) fall, everyone. 

Friday Foodspiration!

Every Friday at LWNoS, we will have a post dedicated to 'Foodspiration'. It's a chance for the No S community to share menus, meals, recipes and even post plate photos to be included in our slideshow at the top of the page.

There are many ways to participate:

• share any or all of your meals for the week in the comments 
• if you plan meals in advance, share your menu ideas for the coming week
• submit a recipe or a plate photo with information explaining which meal it is and what is on the plate, to nosladies dot gmail dot com.  Photos will be added to the slideshow and recipes will be available in google docs
• if  you have a No S blog, share a link to your blog, or 
• just check in on Fridays and have a look around. If you see a meal that inspires you, feel free to ask for details and recipes in the comments 

So try a new recipe. Snap a plate photo or two. But most of all, share and enjoy! 

Two Month Review

It's been two months now since I started back with NoS, which means it's time for an update. I have been doing weekly updates, but there isn't that much to say, so I've decided to go with monthly for now, and possibly throw in an extra if something unusual is going on.

I guess that's a clue then that things on the NoS front have been fairly 'usual' - which is to say, 'mixed'. On the positive side, I've been keeping up well with some of the goals I set for myself. I've managed to stay off the scale, other than a couple of days this past month. I've also continued my exercise - both 'playtime' and the scheduled type. I've played tennis 2-4 times a week, been for the occasional walk or swim, done some gardening and kept up my strength training 2-3 times a week. I like the way my arms look and feel tighter, but I really noticed the benefits of that strength training yesterday when I went to work and had no trouble with the heavy lifting I have to do as part of my job.

On the negative side, I have been staying up too late, which really affects how I feel the next day. I haven't been very serious about NoS rules, either, which isn't entirely negative, depending on one's point of view. It's not because I've been struggling, but more because I just haven't been too bothered. I have had a 'summer vacation' feeling and I haven't really wanted it to go away. But it's my summer, my NoS, so it's a compromise I'm okay with. If I want to sit with my son on a 98 degree summer day by the pool and eat ice cream that's melting almost faster than we can eat it - I'm going to do it. It doesn't mean I'm going to do it every day, or that because I had an ice cream, all rules are 'off' for the rest of the day. It just means, for me, there's a time for rules, and a time to just live life and make memories.

And for me, summer is over. The weather is still hot and sunny, but summer activities are winding down and school is starting up. So what are my goals for the next month?

• keep up my activity - go for walks or play tennis with the family in the evenings, do some fall gardening and continue with the strength training 
• get to bed on time
• get some sunshine every day
• take some time to relax, laugh and generally enjoy life every day
• tighten up 'da rules 

How has everyone else been doing? Do you have progress to share or goals you're working on?

MM: Judgements and Rationalizations

A friend and I were out at the pool recently with our children. It was a Saturday, and since we were going to be there most of the day, we packed a picnic lunch. I even got up early to early to bake brownies for everyone. The kids and I enjoyed them, but my friend didn't have one. It was just on the tip of my tongue to say 'I only eat sweets on weekends' but I stopped myself. Why did I feel, even for a fleeting second, that I needed to justify eating a brownie?

We all have the right to eat what we want, when we want it.  It's no one's business but our own. Yet many people, especially women or the overweight, sometimes act as if they are embarrassed to be seen eating as if they have been caught doing something wrong. 

I've noticed this behavior in other people recently. We were in an ice cream shop a few weeks ago, where an overweight woman declared loudly to the room in general that she knew she 'shouldn't' be eating ice cream, but was getting the  'low fat'. Was she feeling 'guilty' about eating ice cream? Maybe she felt we were all judging her - so much so that she felt she had to make this announcement to a roomful of total strangers that she would never see again. 

Later a very fit, young woman was heard telling a group at large that since they had walked for a while, they could 'enjoy a second scoop of ice cream' at lunch. That they'd 'earned' it. As if we can only have ice cream if we 'earn' it - or that exercise is for no other purpose than to allow ourselves to eat more later? She would have probably found herself in agreement with the woman I overheard later on the trail, telling her husband that surely she was 'burning off the second cookie'.

Why for so many has it become something to be avoided - almost to be feared? I read a comment once by a woman who was so fearful of gaining weight, she said she hated eating and wished she didn't have to eat at all. 

Judging by the brownie incident, there's still a bit of that kind of thinking in me, but I'm working on erasing it. I will  eat good food and I will enjoy it. I will not explain, justify or apologize  and I will not feel guilty (unless, that is, I steal it).  Food is fuel. It is life. It is also meant to be enjoyed. If it was not, then why were we given the ability to enjoy it? 

FOOD REWARD

There is a huge discussion going on in the blogosphere concerning what causes obesity which bubbled up at the Ancestral Health Symposium this month in Los Angeles. Gary Taubes has put forth the carbohydrate hypothesis (carbohydrates pumping up insulin), and Stephen Guyenet has put forth the food reward theory, and others say it is the Neolithic agents of disease –gluten, excessive fructose, and omega 6s as well as food reward. Lustig of youtube fame says that we are becoming leptin and insulin resistant due to excessive fructose. So if you are interested, it is good reading. However, I am only going to speak for me, an older woman who has lost 40+ lbs. and still has 10 lbs. to go that won’t budge. I have been losing and gaining all my life so I am sure I may have a messed up metabolism. There is probably some reason that I cannot lose weight at 1400 calories a day.  I do practice 3 meals a day without snacks, seconds or sweets. But I cannot lose weight without watching my calorie and carbohydrate consumption. And I have always had trouble with S Days undoing all the good work of my N Days.  Here is where I think the food reward hypothesis does have some validity.

We already know that processed foods and restaurant foods are chocked full of sugar and fat and salt combinations designed to get us to over eat. We are also now living at a time when foods of all types are abundant year round. We probably have the most variety of any diet since the beginning of mankind.  We can go to local stores or walk into our own kitchens and food is readily available. It is obvious that our food environment is contributing to obesity because of all those darn high reward foods calling our name. But shouldn’t I have more control of the available food in my own home?

Here is a list of foods that I really have trouble limiting. Can we say FOOD REWARD?

Salty foods…nuts, chips, fries

Sweet foods…especially if combined with flour and fat…Brownies, pies, cookies

Breads, especially homemade and biscuits and cornbread

Coffee with cream leads to more coffee consumption than black

Creamy foods…butter in mashed potatoes, cheese, mayonnaise, creamy dressings, buttermilk

Fruits…ripe and juicy

Do I ever overeat vegetables without seasoning or butter? Do I overeat unseasoned lean meat? Unseasoned rice or potatoes?  NO… NOT ENOUGH REWARD

I do not plan to put Guyenet’s plan into practice…i.e. eating foods separately, unseasoned, bland, etc. However, since food reward is an area where I do have troubles, I have to be very, very careful. I have learned that it is better for me to have some foods outside of the house on S Days, and there are some foods I just do not eat any more. Even on N Days I have to put some restrictions in place so that I don’t overeat.

How do you handle highly rewarding foods?

Friday Foodspiration!

A few weeks ago I read this post on the No S board. 

"I searched around a bit, but couldn't find a thread for meal planning / brainstorming--either for questions, or just folks describing meals that work well for them.

I get stuck in dietary ruts really easily--I've got multiple, severe food allergies, which means that trying new things often feels like more trouble than it's worth--so it's always useful and helpful to see what other people are putting together!

I've also noticed that with No S, I'm paying much more attention to planning balanced meals, since the need to be the source of *all* the calories and nutrients I'm getting.

So, if you've got regular meals that you make, or stumble across meals or recipes that work well enough to be worth sharing, here's a place for it!"

This post really hit home with me. Around the same time this was posted I was also in the  doldrums as far as meal planning/cooking was concerned. I just couldn't think of anything that sounded good or that I felt like cooking. Sometimes I couldn't even think of things to cook at all. That's saying something considering I really enjoy cooking (and eating!) Once in a while I shopped and cooked, but  we were eating out far too often.

I finally decided enough was enough. Fortunately, stored on my computer I have lists and menus from previous, doldrum-free months. I pulled up a couple of them and started small, planning just a few, easy meals at a time until I was out of my rut. 

Shortly after that, I saw this post and I realized I was not alone. Other people also ran out of ideas from time to time, or sometimes just want to climb out of their rut and try something new for a change. Over the next few weeks I thought about it, wondering if there was a way we could use this blog as a way to share meal planning ideas, recipes and plate photos in a way that isn't always so easy on a fast moving forum. 

Beginning today, I will be dedicating my Friday posts to 'Foodspiration' with the hope that it will become a useful resource for the No S community. A place to share menus, meals, recipes and even post plate photos to be included in our new slideshow at the top of the page.

There are many ways to be included:

• share any or all of your meals for the week in the comments 
• if you plan meals in advance, share your menu ideas for the coming week
• submit a plate photo, along with information explaining which meal it is and what is on the plate to nosladies at gmail dot com and it will be included in the slide show. Recipes should be sent to the address, and will be available in Google Docs
• if  you have a No S blog, share a link to your blog, or 
• just check in on Fridays and have a look around. If you see a meal that inspires you, feel free to ask for details and recipes in the comments 

So try a new recipe. Snap a plate photo or two. But most of all, share and enjoy! 

Whatever the Weather..

It was an absolutely gorgeous day here! There was a breeze, the sun was shining, the temperature was reasonable.,..and no absolutely no humidity! I felt fabulous! I had coffee outside first thing in the morning. I went to yoga class. I cleaned out the car. I washed clothes. I scrubbed bathrooms. I worked in the gardens. I made a lovely frittata for lunch and a yummy veggie and chicken stir fry for dinner. I didn't think of food or eating except at meal time. I am feeling content and happy with the world.
How is this different than yesterday? Extrnally, only the weather has changed but my attitude toward just about everything has done a big turn around. I need to make a plan so that the weather doesn't rule my attitudes. I'm not sure how I can do this. I have air conditioning and heat to keep me comfortable, but nothing is better than being able to open the windows and let the fresh air into the house.. or having meals outdoors..or just relaxing in a hammock under the trees. I'm going to have to learn to not let the weather get me down and head me down that path toward the refrigerator! This may be a bigger problem for me than I believed it to be and I need to take it seriously! For now, I am heading to the outdoors to enjoy the evening and watch the sunset. Wishing you a sunny day and a starry night!

Getting My Ducks in a Row

It's no use denying it. Summer is nearly over. Fall activities are gearing up, we're doing our back-to-school shopping and my family is starting to slip back into the routine we follow most of the year.

While I've been on summer break my posts have been pretty random, but now that my schedule is tightening up I felt it was time my posts did, too. I've decided to aim for posts two to three times a week. I combined the topics that interest me and my affinity for aliteration and, at least for the near future, the following is how I've decided to organize my posting.

Monday Musing. Yes, I know it's a common blog theme for Mondays. Unfortunately, I'm only about to get busy - not clever or even original.  I realize I should probably hang my head - and if I think of a better title, I'll use it. Whatever it's called, Monday will be for observations, articles, book reviews and related topics of interest to me - and hopefully to you as well.

Wednesday will be dedicated to my progress with No S over the previous week. I've been doing my wrap-up (I bet you see where I'm going with this. At least one of us is clever...) on Friday which never seemed entirely ideal, so hopefully this will work better.

It's not uncommon for diet/weightloss boards to feature food as a topic, but I'd like to take it a bit further than that. Judging from a recent thread on the No S board, many NoSers could use a bit of inspiration in their meals, so my Friday posts will be dedicated to 'Foodspiration'. Ideally, this would grow into a lively exchange of recipes, menus and plate photos - and maybe even start an exchange with other blogs and bloggers.

I am really looking forward to at least this part of my new schedule and I hope you are too. Enjoy the last weeks of summer, and for those of you wondering if those ducks are mine. Yes. Yes they are.

My Best

Even though the "rules" of NoS are very simple and straight forward, abiding by them is often a struggle. What seems easy to do one day.. no snacking..one plate of food three times a day.. can be so very difficult the next.
One of the things I need to remember is that my "best" changes every day, maybe even more than once a day. I tend to make my plans when I am full of energy and think I can change, not only myself, but the world! Then I hit a day when my energy and resolve is not that strong. On those days, I need to consider myself successful if I do not stand in front of the frig with a fork and just eat everything shelf by shelf! Those types of days are getting fewer and less intense and I am figuring out strategies to overcome my need to graze.
That is a success and that is my best!

Another week down

For me, June always goes by at a reasonable pace. For some reason, July always seems to go faster - and then August comes along, and I feel like I'm gonna get whiplash. If only I could figure out how to duplicate this perception when it's below zero and dark at five pm. On the other hand, perhaps I should just take up skiing.

As far as No S goes, my week was pretty average. I feel like I have been pushing the boundaries a bit, but somehow managing to stay just within the rules.  I've been aware of it every time and it's been a conscious decision to stretch the rules - but not break them. Sometimes a person just needs that. At least, this person does.

In a few days I'll be back at work and up to my eyeballs in everyone else's problems. But for now, along with stretching the rules, I'm stretching those last days of summer. I'm playing a lot of tennis (four days this week) and trying to balance relaxing (I still have quite a sizable 'to be read' stack) with getting things organized for back to school/work. Speaking of organizing, I've been thinking about how to keep up with this blog when life gets busy, but that's a post for next week.

Biochemistry and No Snacks

Disclaimer: I am not a scientist. This will become obvious as I try to explain the truths I have learned about biochemistry and snacking. But I think it is important to get beliefs in front of me to help better inform my decisions, i.e. shut the refrigerator door and go to bed! Entire books have been written on each of these hormones, and I have probably oversimplified their roles. But this is the way I see it. There is a kind of orchestrated hormonal dance going on throughout our cells. The food we eat and when we eat that food is controlling the dance. None of the following information is original with me, and I would cite it if I could, but I have just gathered notes from various books, blogs, and essays without documentation. This blog is for personal use only. If you are doing research you need to go to primary sources.

3 Important Hormones and how they relate to the No Snacking Rule

Leptin:
Leptin sensitivity and leptin resistance determine the human energy balance. Leptin is to humans as photosynthesis is to plants. It is the most powerful hormone in the human body. What does this have to do with snacking? There is a 24 hour leptin pattern. Leptin levels rise at night, are the highest the first two hours of sleep, fall during the evening, and are lowest around noon. A high leptin level tells a person that he is full. It is normal not to be hungry after supper. Not eating after supper and going 11-12 hours until breakfast is fundamental for establishing healthy  hormonal patterns. Improperly timed eating can disrupt all of our hormones and throw the body out of rhythm. Sleep is our primary fat burning time. But this can only happen when no food has been eaten for 11-12 hours. During the night the body gradually begins to burn a higher portion of fat for fuel. The 9-12 hours after supper is when the body can access the fat stores in the buttocks, thighs, and stomach. Sounds good to me! If anything is eaten before bed, this prime fat burning time is shut off! So no snacking after supper is a good rule, and it is simply a fact of biochemistry.

Insulin:
Insulin carries glucose to various cells. If we overeat at mealtime (seconds) or eat in between meals (snacks) insulin takes the glucose to the liver, muscles, etc. to be dropped off. But the cells do not need the fuel, so they refuse the delivery and turn off the receptors for insulin. This is insulin resistance. And the liver can also become insulin resistant. Eating between meals causes the liver to retain the calories it has in storage. A person who has a "clogged" liver suffers from fatigue, is tired easily by stress, has difficulty going 5 or 6 hours without eating, and the liver turns the calories into fat. Fatigue and getting hungry too often are evidence of an out of shape liver. 

Ghrelin:
Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach that signals that it is time to eat. Cells in the stomach release this hormone which is controlled by a circadian clock that is set by mealtime patterns. Scientists call this group of hormones the timekeepers of hunger. In a normal weight person, ghrelin rises before meals to signal hunger. When leptin is too high in the overweight individual, ghrelin loses its normal function. In an overweight person ghrelin levels before eating are lower than normal, and the levels will stay high after food is eaten. This stimulates excess eating and especially excess eating of carbohydrates.  Eating between meals throws off the natural hormonal signals. We need to "set our clocks" by eating at meal times and not in between.

Conclusion:

When we eat in between meals or after our last meal at night, we are messing with our hormones and their signaling to each other. We need five or six hours between meals so that our bodies can work as designed. When we snack, even on healthy foods, we are interrupting the hormonal communication which controls our appetite and hunger signals as well as stopping fat burning and encouraging fat storage.

So whether Reinhard knew all of this hormonal stuff or not when he said No Snacks, it is nevertheless sound biochemistry. Those folks who advocate eating healthy snacks between meals just don't know how the innocent snack interferes with our hormonal balance.  I know there are some who must have more than three meals a day…diabetics and those who have had gastrointestinal bypass surgery come to mind. But the majority of us should avoid snacking. I personally think this applies to S Days as well. My body does not know it is an S Day, and I don’t want to interrupt the dance if I can help it.

No S Goes on the Road

I know sometimes I come off sounding like a commercial for No S, but in all honesty between the way it can be tweaked for the individual and the ease with which it fits into everyday life, I don't see much negative about it. I'm sure one of these days I will think of something I don't like about it and write about that. In the meantime, here is another entry in a list of 'Things I Like about No S'.

No S makes vacation eating easy. No special foods to pack or search for on the road, no feeling 'different' from everyone else, no feeling shortchanged when everyone else is enjoying something especially nice that doesn't fit into your food plan - or worse, eating it and not even enjoying because you feel guilty or ashamed.

Been there, done that. But those days are far behind me.With No S the freedom to choose is mine. I can maintain my usual routine of 'N' days and 'S' days, or I can declare that vacations are an 'S' and go with that. No matter what choice I make, there is no guilt, no shame, no failure. I did not 'fall off the wagon' because whether it's an 'N' day or and 'S' day - it's my wagon - my conscious choice.

I have not had many vacations in the time I've been following No S, but the choice I've made has been to designate vacations as 'S' events and to pack quite a lot of our own food. We prefer good food and it can be quite difficult to find real food in a strange town. It's also more cost effective - by not spending our money on cheap food we don't even like, we can afford better food later.

It's not so easy these days when traveling by plane, but those most of our trips are by car. We start off with provisions from home but supplement with the best options from local stores. We usually find a park for a picnic lunch and have dinner in a restaurant.  If we get tired of the usual options, or we find a particularly good place for breakfast or lunch, we go out. It's a routine we've evolved over the years that works particularly well for us. We like it, and if it ceases to work, we change it.

What about you? What helps  you stick to your weight loss goals and maintain your good eating habits on the road?

still learning

I just had a week full of company, food, sitting around and gabbing, having a few drinks.. in general, having fun and fellowship with folks we don't often see. Did I eat too much? Yep! Did I drink too much? Yep! Did I get my 30 minutes of walking in? Nope.
It would be very easy for me to decide to give up NoS at this point and call myself a failure and eat my way through a loaf of bread! But, I am not going to do that!
I could get on the scale and make myself feel even worse. But, I am not going to do that either!
Here is what I am going to do: Tomorrow morning I will get up and shower, have a reasonable breakfast and go to yoga class (for the first time in a month.. I have had something going on every yoga day!). I will hit the farm market and load up on produce. I'm going to get my 30 minute walk in and enjoy a coffee with a friend in the afternoon. I will make a healthy dinner and enjoy it with hubby. I will give myself some time to meditate and contemplate. I will assess my day at day's end.
Here is what I will not do: I will not go near the scale for a week. I will not lament the fact that I let the last week" get away from me" (I did the best I could each day.. that is all I can expect from myself or anyone else,) in terms of following my No S plan. I will not deprive myself this week because of my actions last week. That week is over and done with... I can't change what happened then, I can only change what is happening now.
Moving on--one step at a time--some steps are just bigger than others!

Wobbly Week

Most of the time, I don't find sticking to the No S rules to be much of a problem. It just flows from one day to the next without much effort at all. However, I've noticed if I introduce what is known in No S circles as an 'S Day Gone Wild' or even just have a series of normal 'S' Days - like on vacation - it takes me a day or two to get back on track. There was a time when I would have turned this into a whole big deal - beating myself up, wondering what was wrong with me, why I was 'sabotaging' myself. Now I just think 'Eh.  It will work itself out in a few days' .

Last week was a busy week of 'S' Days for me. We slept little, ate at odd hours, and I had a lot more sugar and junk than I usually do. Monday I was very tired and dinner was late (after 8 pm). If dinner had been on time I may have made it, but shortly after 7 pm, the day turned red. I just kept finding myself wandering into the kitchen all afternoon, and then somewhere around 7, I raided the biscotti..and a few other things. Tuesday went much the same way.

Wednesday things finally turned around. I still kept wandering into the kitchen, wanting to eat something - but not wanting to. About mid-afternoon I made a cup of tea, hoping that would help. I still wanted to eat something, but I somehow, I managed not to. (not even the remains of the cheesecake I made on Sunday)

Thursday felt back-to-normal. I went to tennis in the  morning, made pizza for lunch (I always have bread dough in the refrigerator - usually for bread, but lately I've been making pizza with it) and kept busy around the house for most of the afternoon. After I accomplished what I'd intended to, I fixed a cup of tea and read for a while. By then it was 4.30  pm and I realized I'd not wandered into the kitchen like a lost soul once.

I have been considering what role my sleep and food choices played in my week. Monday - Wednesday, I had yogurt for breakfast. Thursday I had tennis, so I made a more substantial breakfast. I toasted a slice of homemade bread, spread on quite a lot of butter and topped it with a scrambled egg. I was also very tired at the beginning of the week and it's much more difficult not to graze all day when I'm tired. I know it's natural for the body to keep seeking food to prop up the energy levels, so I don't feel bad about it - I just don't want to have to deal with it.

Today I had tennis earlier than I usually do, so though I  had the same breakfast, it was much earlier as well, but it really wasn't a problem. Even if it had been,  it's Friday and I always feel like I can handle just about anything on Friday. I have a full day of 'things I like to do' planned, and I don't even have to cook tonight.

And in case you're wondering, my 'S Days' will be rather mild this weekend. It took me too long to un-wobble my week.