Starting the no 'S' eating regime today to lose weight, anyone want to join in?

[standclear]

Hi, have got decidedly porky over the past few years.
I feel tired and lethargic, and none of my clothes look good anymore.
I also need to lose weight for health reasons and increase my (currently woeful) level of exercise.

I want to follow a simple and 'do-able' eating plan that is fairly simple and that I will be able to sustain ie hoping to lose 0.5 kg each week.

I'm planning to follow the no 'S' "diet":

book here

A summary of the basic rules is:

no snacks
no sweets (it's an American book so that covers puddings as well as biscuits and confectionary)
no seconds

except on days that start with 's' ie the weekend, and 'special' days ie birthdays and big holidays such as Christmas.

I've got the book so can answer further questions but that is basically it!

I'm going to be using MFP to log calories and I have also found the free NHS weight loss plan (includes exercise) helpful too

see here

I am planning to post my weight here every Sunday too (but that is not obligatory of course).

The other reason for posting on here is that I don't want to bore my family and friends to death about it in rl!! But it would be nice to have some companions along the way .

Anyone want to join in?

Hi everyone
I've been trying to keep to the no s plan for about 3 weeks, having found the book during my Amazon searches of no diet diet books. I know that diets don't work for me -in the past 20 years or so, Ive done lots of diets and work hard at them when I'm on them almost to the point of obsession and take all of the weight off, sometimes more than I should for my own own good and then, surprise surprise, I put it all back on again in 6 months!

My mum has been very ill for 4 months and is now in a care home and it's been a very stressful time of almost daily 100 miles trips to visit her and negotiating the minefield of funding, carehomes and social and health services. Not to mention supporting her and my siblings through this. During this time I've put on weight, unlike some people who lose it during stress

So, how do I get myself out of the bad eating habits that I've acquired during these past few month of my mums illness? I am trying not to snack or have seconds - sweets, I'm trying not to have so many but they've along with a couple of glasses of wine have become my stress relievers.

Oh Uphill, what an awful time you've been having. I think you can absolutely forgive yourself for doing whatever you need to, to get through. I hope things are a little more settled now and that your mum is in better health, but remember to be kind to yourself still!

I find the support here helps more than anything else. Always someone to be encouraging or sympathetic, and I got some great ideas to keep me away from the fridge this evening - mainly I cleaned and decluttered DD's room while she's away on hols (it's a teeny room but looks really lovely now).

I think this was my first day following the rules properly - So helen, I hope you've stayed away from the wine too!!

for you and your mum uphill, that sounds incredibly tough. I want to write a proper response for you but am rushing off to work right now so will gather my thoughts and write tonight.

Julie - no wine and well done for last night!

I had a pretty good day, too:
B - protein bar
L - salad (beans/grains/boiled egg/veg), small bag salted cashews
D - fish fingers, baked beans, veg. Fruit and natural yoghurt.

Uphill I'm so sorry to hear about your mum's illness and the stress you have been under. (Pil needed long-term care for four years so have an inkling of what you must be going through.)

Totally, totally understandable that you have taken to stress eating and the odd glass of wine - I really wouldn't beat yourself up about it - think most people would cope in that way. On the contrary, I think it is amazing that you are trying to stick to an eating regime when you have so much else going on!

I think, in your shoes, I wouldn't try and cut out the sweets and wine totally but just limit yourself to a certain amount and reduce that over time.

Good luck with everything and don't forget to post on here for support when things get tough! x

Helen and Julie some great mutual support going on on this thread! Well done everybody!

Uphill - I would echo what julie and stand have said, and also add the following thoughts which may or may not be relevant to you

• breaking or making habits is tough - especially if you are having a rough time in other ways - but does get easier (I've been told that three weeks can be a bit of a turning point). If you mess up on the plan don't beat yourself up or try to starve yourself at the next meal. Forgive yourself and move on.

• take care of yourself: get enough sleep, rest and exercise and ask for support here and in rl

• for me, wine helps me to switch off and also is a ritual when I get home after a tough day. Drinking less caffeine makes me less wired and so less in need of a drink. Also, having a different coming home ritual helps (e.g. making your bedroom into a lovely sanctuary and then going straight there for a short lie down when you get home, bypassing the kitchen and wine rack).

I hope something there is helpful. Do post here for more support when you need it

As well as the support I'm getting here, John Lewis appears to have got in on the act

Not impressed actually. I bought a mini box of my fave super-expensive chocolates this evening with the plan of having one each night left that I'm home alone. The box was sealed with a little piece of tape, but when I broke in, someone had eaten one of the three chocolates. Over a quid, that missing chocolate cost me!

I know I'm not meant to be eating chocs but it was my treat to myself, especially as I was too busy at work to have lunch today. Now I'm extremely disproportionately upset by the foiling of my plans

I think I need to get a grip...

I can see how that would be VERY annoying julie!

I had a good day yesterday. A bit heavy on the bread but given that I stuck to no s and no wine, tbh I don't care!
B - egg muffin
L - spicy bean & cheese wrap, apple
D - lentil soup, salad, bread roll. Blueberries & natural yoghurt
Bed just after 10.30

Very impressive helen!

I started well yesterday with:
B - yog/fruit/granola
L - too busy working
D - noodles and miso soup
but then had a couple of glasses of wine and some cheese before a very late night. I still thought that was quite good overall, but the scales thought otherwise

I've stuck to the rules today but had quite high fat foods. And I'm having one of my two chocs tonight. (I sent a complaint to JL about the missing one and was highly amused to get an email saying they were "saddened" by my story and would be in touch. I only wanted to warn them that someone was tampering with the boxes!)

Ha! Julie. Tbf jl are usually quite good about these things - you might get some free chocs

Yesterday wasn't so great for me. Ok in the day, but was tired and grumpy in the evening after a long day and a miserable commute and ended up grazing in the kitchen after dinner. Also felt quite chilly which often makes me want to eat. Managed to stop before it turned into a full blown binge though, which I'm thankful for. And no wine.

B - porridge with almonds and cranberries
L - salad with egg/beans/grains/anchovies, nakd bar
D - mackerel salad with a bread roll
Evening grazing: apple, olives (lots!) and some random bits of veg.
Bed about 11.15 which was too late really. Onwards and upwards!

How is everyone else doing? rivier, EltsihT, grumpy, stand, Mrs risotto, uphill, Holmes, Emma and anyone else who I have missed off?

I had a really good day Monday and Tuesday, was at work and running around trying to figure out what I was doing next. Looks like I will be outside for all of Tuesday afternoons so I that will be great exercise.

I have put tic taks in my car, as driving is one of the times I snacked and have found I can have just one or two and suck them when my mouth gets dry.

Was really good on Wednesday not so good yesterday, had some baked beans with the kids, had seconds of the Cajun pasta I made and then had a couple of chocolates from the box Dh brought back from Switzerland.

Today is a new day so hopefully can stick to the plan today.

I'm still having trouble with evenings. Possibly I should have a bit more lunch? I survive fin till dinner, because I'm busy at work, but the moment I get in I eat everything in sight and am just really hungry. (and tired).

I was doing much better at the beginning, going out for walks etc.

For such a simple plan, I find it remarkably hard to stick to

I seem to be possessed of amazing powers of self-delusion that two chocolates (yes, I ate them both in one go) and a load more cheese and wine don't count because I am in need of treats due to being alone in the house.

And of course a few treats are fine and lovely - but will not result in me losing weight. Quite the opposite...

Helen, if my grazing consisted of olives, apples and veg, I'd be proud of myself!

Hi everyone,
I am having an OK food week, but am about to go out for dinner, so might not say the same in a couple of hours time!

Chocolate, cheese and wine is an awesome combination :)

Arg it is so difficult! Heading home after a stressful day and just want to eat! Anything, I don't care what, just lots of it!

Back to 'fess up that I have eaten a warm chocolate pudding with a runny middle and vanilla ice cream. So nice at the time. And that was after a main course and a shared starter. So much for just one plate....

I blame peer pressure (not greed, honestly not greed, tries to convince self)

So I've probably had the least success today out of all of us.

Ooh lots of posts on here!

Arf at John Lewis being "saddened" by missing chocolate!

Grumpy you are definitely not the only one! Like many of you, I am definitely much hungrier atm, especially in the evenings.

Julie YY - about being this regime being simple but definitely no less hard as a result!!

Rivier I guess with your job you are far too busy to eat a proper sit-down lunch? If you are getting starvingly hungry at night, would a very small healthy snack (such as one portion of home prepared veg soup from freezer) be totally against the rule? I know we shouldn't be snacking, but surely it is better to eat something healthy than to get so hungry that you eat more as a result later on.

Helen well done for having the self control to resist the full blown binge earlier in the week!

Waves to Eltsih and everyone else I have missed!

Sympathies to eveyrone who is finding it tough going currently. I think dieting is particularly difficult at this time of the year when the clocks change and the nights are so much darker (and when we traditionally put on fat to get us through winter) and it is getting colder in the evenings. I definitely start to crave 'stodgier' foods. Salads just don't cut it somehow.

I've had an ok week but not felt particularly well so not as active as normal. Going to need a spectacular day tomorrow to set me up for weighing on Sunday.

Suffice to say dh bought back a huge bag of mini toblerones from the airport upon his return from business trip (WHY???). Managed to palm a load off on to the office but quite a few made their way in to my big mouth too!

Am very impressed by the very healthy menus on here though!

Keep going everyone! Let's have as good a Friday as possible!

Regarding the no snacking rule, does the book say specifically 3 meals a day?

Just wondering if a 4th (small, healthy meal, like the soup you mention above) meal could be included without breaking the rules?

If you had breakfast at 7am, lunch at 12 noon, 'extra' meal at 4-5pm, dinner at 7.30-8pm.

Or early dinner at 6pm then healthy supper at 9.30pm?

Rivier - I find eating nuts at lunch time keeps me full for ages and keeps my blood sugar steady. The suggestions of an extra small meal also seem sensible.

Hope you feel better soon stand!

Hello and happy Friday to everyone else

II actually managed to make it through last night!
B - salmon bread roll
L - prawn wrap, seeds and dried fruit
D - lentil & spinach soup, ryvita, blueberries and natural yoghurt.
Bed at 11ish and no wine.

There will DEFINITELY be wine tonight

Grumpy It doesn't specifically say 3, but it does say that for almost everybody that is what is meant. But the main part about no snacking is not mindlessly snacking. So you could have five meals a day, but you couldn't keep changing number of meals.

Thanks for the suggestions. We do take quite a bit of time out for lunch as it is, so I definitly have time to eat. I can't however have an extra meal midafternoon, unless it was something I could hide in the desk and eat between patients. Which would make it too much like snacking for me.

I'll try adding nuts to the meal. And I've mealplanned next week anyway and will be cooking all sorts this weekend and freezing in portions. That should help.

I'm also sorting out the kitchen cupboards tonight and making one the designated S day cupboard.

Anyone got any ideas of how to cook pumpkin so that it is actually nice? Have a vast excess from pumpkin carving (after a very long trip round the supermarkets of Cambridge, trying to find one that actually had any left!)

Two kids and husband all carving away - kitchen smells lovely - but what to do with it????

Happy Halloween for tomorrow :)

grump chop it up (no need to peel) and put in on a baking tray in the oven till the skin is eaily pierced with a fork. Now you can do anyrhing with it: soup (whizz it up with coconut milk and sage), pie (whizz it up and add the sweet stuff), add it to a risotto with some rosemary or sage, whizz it up and add it to hummus, throw the chunks in a stew or casserole and in any recipe calling for courgette or carrot or butternut squash or sweet potato you can use the cubes of pumpkin instead.
Ooh there's pumpkin pasties à la Harry Potter train trolley as well. And don't forget to roast the seeds and coat with salt and pepper.

Can you tell I've been going pumpkin mad lately?

Sorry I didn't get back on here to answer snacking queries soon enough! I see rivier has kindly supplied the answer.

Fwiw, my doctor firmly believes in six small meals a day for optimum weight loss [no idea if that is breaking snacking rules but presumably not if each meal is planned and thought about and prepped in advance]

I'm sure the four-meal regimen you describe Grumpy would be fine! Btw, was going to suggest roasting too (usually chop mine into unpeeled eighths - remove pips - brush with oil or salt and roast for 30 mins on a high-ish oven). Also sometimes add a few herbs or spices prior to roasting ...ras el hanout works well or simply a bit of nutmeg. Not as easy to roast when flesh has gone through carving/scooping out process but noticed these ideas on Mnset home page this morning!

Rivier was also going to suggest always including a fair bit of protein in your lunch to fill you up. Great idea about the kitchen cupboard reorganisation btw! And at pumpkin 8 different ways!!

Cheers Helen ! I find nuts really helpful too - they say six almonds will see one through the sugar cravings - have yet to try!

Have a scarily wonderful weekend everyone!

Hello everyone and thanks to all those who replied to me - it's just the kind of reality check I need when I'm getting fed up with myself for putting on weight. Yes, I am being hard on myself and sometimes I need to remember that I'm living in a sort of parallel world that is all about addressing my mums needs at present. It is getting a bit better though.

I've been trying to find another nursing for my mum this week as we can't sustain the exorbitant top up fees, so haven't had a lot of time to come on here.
Wishing you all a good no S week :)

66.0 last week. 66.6 this week, bit cross with myself but suspect that Friday night at a friends and a bottle of wine, and crisps and dips did the damage! Frustratingly on Thursday I was 65.2kg so I feel like I undid all my hard work.

Feeling really motivated now to be good next week