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?

[MsMargaretCarter]

I'll whisper quietly that I haven't yet lost weight after around 6 weeks of no S BUT I haven't put on, either, and have a poorly managed thyroid issue which was steadily causing me to gain.

I will say that I feel in control of my diet now, very in tune with my appetite and have nearly stopped binging (and when I do i am not eating anywhere near the quantities I used to). I think it is a brilliant sensible way of eating so good luck all.

[standclear]

Thanks for the feedback MsMargaretCarter, we shall see, but I am convinced it is a sensible way to go (and as you say, if it makes you feel more in control of your eating, then that is no bad thing).

Great to have you with us HolmeSweetHolmes! I've had a bit of a shaky start today but determined to improve!

I'm out at a school meeting tonight but will bb on here tomorrow.

Hope everyone has had a good first day.

[WaxyBean]

Fair day today.

Breakfast - poached egg and buttered spinach

Lunch - some of DS's toast, bolognaise sauce and cheese. Hm choc nut bar (I think this technically counts as a sweet, though is relatively low sugar)

Dinner - lamb chops, cabbage, corn on the cob, carrots and brocolli. Raspberries (I've decided that plain fruit does not count as a sweet!)

Lots of water drunk (nothing else). And now not eating till breakfast tomorrow....

[standclear]

Well done Waxybean I am trying to 'up' the water content too! Your intake today sounds really healthy - loads of veg which can only be good!

(will look up fruit question in the book when I get back)!

And forgot to say, thank you for good luck wishes too MsMargaret!! Sending in return!

[Dashes out]

[guineapig1]

Ok, have weighed in at 12st3 so roughly where I had thought I was. In terms of food then have had:
Breakfast: natural yoghurt (full fat), banana, blueberries and pear
Lunch: Chicken and Spinach soup, 1 English muffin (no butter), small wedge of cheese and a tangerine
Dinner: 2 sausages, onion gravy, red cabbage, new potatoes, carrots and broccoli.
Also tea and water during the day. No snacks. Usually I would have had maybe a chocolate biscuit or two with my tea in work and possibly some crisps/peanuts whilst waiting for the kids and then a glass of wine who,e cooking supper - I almost do it without thinking. I think analysing my food is going to prove quite enlightening!

[MsMargaretCarter]

[msrisotto]

Yeah I didn't lose weight until I cut added sugar all week including weekends. I would treat the no S diet as a maintenance diet personally.

[Ledkr]

I had porridge, fruit, cous cous and roasted veg, really healthy chilli and brown rice THEN RUINED IT WITH TWO GLASSS IF WINE!
In my defence tho, I did have a horrible time at work and I have a teenage daughter and a 4 year old

[standclear]

OK, my performance yesterday was certainly not one to shout about involving a small jam sandwich and pizza . However, in an attempt to claw back a bit of credibility on this thread I did not eat supper (had school meeting to distract me).

Trying to do a bit better today and have started off with 2 boiled eggs for brksfast and one piece of brown toast.

Have started reading the No 'S' Diet book in a bit more detail

Msrisotto Author does explain the difference between no sugar and no sweets in the book. He goes for 'no sweets' because it cuts out sugar excess, rather than sugar as a whole. It's the moderation thing again which aims to cut out the excess, rather than ban altogether.

So a fizzy drink (mainly composed of sugar) is not allowed but a small amount of sugar in your coffee is.

Basically -in the end, it doesn't really matter which form of weight reduction scheme we use - everyone has to choose a diet that suits them as an indiv.

The main premise of the book is that "moderation" is the solution. Any diet will work as long as you follow it long enough, the difficulty is continuing to log those calories in detail for weeks on end, or cook those special dishes separate to main family meals.

This diet offers a simple solution: eat mostly everything at the appropriate time (except an excess of sugar) but just eat less of it.

It's what naturally thin people and the French tend to do anyway!

guineapig1 congrats on a v. impressive no-snacking day yesterday!

Ledkr I need to read the book in more detail, but as far as I can see, alcohol (in moderation) is allowed!! And sounds as though you needed it last night! Congrats on healthy eating too!

Waves to MsMargaretC and everyone else! Good luck today!

[standclear]

Also, have been reading a bit more of the book overnight:


-the author says binging on an 'S' day is less of an issue than you might think if you don't anticipate that you are going to do this and set unrealistic expectations - "S days should be S days so that N days aren't"

• a perfect 's' day is not when you binge uncontrollably, it's when you eat reasonably in moderation and add a treat to it
  

• do not 'swap' 'S' days
  

-if you fail on a no-S day, move on. Don't punish yourself by depriving yourself of an S day. It doesn't work apparently and gives you another 'future outlet' for failure.

-fruit is OK!

-alcoholic drinks are ok in moderation (personally I am giving up wine during the week)

-eat regular main meals, the author of the book suggests breakfast at 7.30 am, lunch at 1.00pm and dinner at 6.30pm. I know that this is not possible for many, but try and eat at set times if poss without long gaps in between.

-only have ONE plate of food, including salad (if poss) and bread on that plate AND THAT IS IT!! NO SECONDS!! If you are having soup, either make the soup in to a main meal with cheese and bread, or have a small bowl of soup and make sure the meal afterwards is on a smaller plate. No puddings on an N day.

-your main meals will be your only source of food throughout the day so make sure they sustain you.

-if you get hungry between meals, try drinking a large glass of water

-try not to snack between meals AT ALL (even healthy snacks)

-if you need to keep track of how you are doing, towards the end of the book, the author suggests using a ??traffic light system?? . This tracks behaviour rather than results. Mark green on the calendar every day you comply, a red mark on a day when you fail, and a yellow mark for every S day. This will motivate us by giving us a good idea of how we are altering our behaviours; if and when we are going wrong, and encourages a ??sustainable minimum of compliance?? rather than unreachable perfectionism!

And they have a small website here

HTH

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Stand clear it is very doable. I just think I don't have the metabolism other people have. I get full after a few mouth fulls and eat between 1200 -1700 calories per day if I eat 1700 calories I put weight on. I am also tee total and vegan and am careful about everything I put in my body.

[standclear]

It is indeed v difficult Oliversmumsarmy I used to be stick thin (have v thin frame too) when I was young and after I had my daughter, but have really ballooned in the past 4 or 5 years - in my case I think age has a lot to do with it - it isn't fair is it? Agree, everyone's metabolism is different.

I am certain though that, in my case, I fundamentally need to eat a lot less than I am doing now. My eating has got out of control.

Your eating sounds v. controlled to me though - have no idea what to suggest - but hope you find a regime that suits your individual needs.

[NameChange30]

Just chiming in to add my experience. I did the No S Diet for a month, went travelling for a month (when I didn't do the diet!) and am now back on it.

I am terribly addicted to sugar, especially chocolate, and I think this diet is a brilliantly achievable way to cut down on sugar. It's hard to begin with but fine once you get used to it. I'd never be able to give up chocolate completely but I can do this - I just look forward to my weekend treats all week!

During the week I don't eat or drink anything that contains sugar or sweeteners. The only exception is fruit after a meal - but not as a snack!

It's essential to eat healthy and filling meals. Protein at breakfast helps me keep going until lunchtime. I also try and eat complex carbs and plenty of vegetables. It's quite similar to a low-GI diet actually.

Sometimes I'm just too starving and have to have a snack, in which case it will be low GI: nuts or an oatcake with hoummous.

Drinks are the hardest for me as I don't drink tea or coffee. Although on my travels I discovered that I like jasmine tea so I might start drinking that! As water gets a bit boring after a while. I do try and avoid alcohol in the week but I think an occasional glass of wine with a meal is ok.

[NameChange30]

I meant to add: the weight loss on this diet is slow and sustainable. It depends how much you have to lose, how strict you are, and how much exercise you do, but in 4 weeks I lost 1.7kg / 3.7 pounds.
So, if you want to lose a lot of weight quickly, this may not be the diet for you, but if you want to lose weight and keep it off in the long term, hang on in there!
Just wanted to manage expectations as it can be easy to get discouraged. I try and focus on the fact that I'm eating more healthy and I'm in control of my sugar intake, which is more important than weight IMO. (Although I do want to lose it, I'm not going to lie!)

[MagpieCursedTea]

Just checking in! Here's what I've had today:??Breakfast - an apple??Dinner - Quiche and coleslaw ??Tea - Mac cheese (mostly broccoli)????Now I just need to resist evening snacking. It's particularly hard as my medication (which I take in the evening) causes hunger/carb cravings. I gained 10 stone on it altogether ??I lost about 4 stone when I was pregnant with DS (who is almost 2) but have struggled to shift the remaining 6 stone, mostly due to post medication binging. I'm hoping this will be the way forward for me, it feels like I've tried every diet going!

[MagpieCursedTea]

Not sure what all those question marks are about?!

[guineapig1]

Evening all! Thanks Standclear for more info regarding the diet concept, really interesting. Thankyou too to AnotherEmma for sharing your experience, again really interesting and good to have some insight.

Breakfast today was yoghurt banana and blueberries
Lunch was spicy chicken and spinach soup
Dinner was roast chicken, stuffing, mash, cauliflower cheese, peas, carrots and cabbage. Tried to limit my portion but it was still fairly hefty... Didn't manage no snacking today, but it was two tangerines so not too bad in the grand scheme of things.

[standclear]

Good morning!

Yes, thank you AnotherEmma for all that feedback - really encouraging - and I am finding already like you, that the diet inadvertently helps you cut down on sugar - despite that not being the whole focus ifyswim (and I really need to cut down on sugar too). And as you say, it is do-able because not too draconian and you have the w/e treat to look forward to! And it's brilliant that you lost 1.7kg in a month! Really motivating!

I agree about the drinks being difficult too. I am trying to 'up' my water intake but mainly drink black tea with half a teaspoon of sugar. Going to try and cut that down to a quarter of a teaspoon. Small changes and all of that.

And agree (although have only just begun so early days) that I like the feeling of increased control it is giving me over my eating so far.

Magpiecursedtea (sorry for writing your nn incorrectly down thread btw )Well done re your food for the day. And hope you managed to resist the evening snacking! That is a challenge for me too. I am planning to do patchwork after dinner while the telly is on, because fabric and food snacks to don't mix and the distraction factor is good! Sorry you are having battles with food cravings and your medication though. Could you spk to your gp about it? Sounds tough going as very much an unfair disadvantage. We are all behind you though !!

Guineapig1 congrats on your good diet day yesterday and snacking on two tangerines no great sin I reckon!! (And strictly speaking, if you had had them as part of your meal, then it is allowed anyway!) Impressed by the amount of veg you are taking on board too!

I had a much better day yesterday. Two boiled eggs for breakfast with 1 slice wholemeal toast. Beef and veg Asian soup (home made) with rice for lunch. And the beef made in to different sort of soup with added veg and rice for supper. No snacks except I succumbed to two dates after dinner (this is my danger time). Better than usual though.

Good luck everyone today avoiding those "s's"!!

[MagpieCursedTea]

Thanks standclear! I've tried being on different meds etc but always become ill so I end on back on the same one. Being fat had become the lesser of two evils. I just want to feel in control of my eating. ??I did end up having a bit of bread last night as I was starving. I figured a small amount of food was better than a load of chocolate. I'm considering it progress.??Hope everyone has a good day

[holmessweetholmes]

For me, one of the best things about this diet is that, apart from the 'no sweet stuff during the week ' rule, you just don't have to think much about WHAT you are eating. I am soooo fed up with the constantly changing advice about different foods being superfoods or making you fat or killing you. It makes people obsessive and it's so bloody boring!

Eat 3 normal (i.e. not faddy, not excluding various food groups) meals a day, don't snack, have a treat at the weekend. It seems so sane. Surely it's what generations of people did before the obesity crisis.

So one of my aims is to rid my mind of all of the diet ways of thinking. The food I am eating is not 'good' or 'bad', 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'. It is just food, with no emotional baggage or guilt. I am not going to jump on any new bandwagons about the latest superfood or the latest thing to give up. Just eat like a normal person used to eat.

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

I must join you! I'd love to be 9.5 stone by Christmas -- I'm 11st now and it's just too heavy. I can't fit into any of my clothes, and can't afford to buy new ones! I'm 5' 6".

It's booze that's got me fat. Every night, I'm drinking at least 1 glass of wine with DH. When I lived by mysekf, I never drank at home unless I had people round.

[holmessweetholmes]

Hi WhatsGoingOnEh! I'm the same weight and height as you. I run 3 or 4 times a week and only have a couple of drinks at the weekend, so it's food not drink that's my problem! I'd like to be 9.5 stone too. I got down to 10 stone at one point by low carbing but I find it impossible to stick to long term.

[MagpieCursedTea]

I was doing so well today, boiled egg for breakfast then the left over mac and broccoli cheese from last night for dinner. Then I picked up DS from my parents after work and they gave me a chocolate crispy cake. I was too weak to say no ??Having veggie sausages with veg for tea. Not too bad altogether but I hate that I'm so bad at resisting sweet food!

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

Hi Holmes!! Oh how lovely to meet a body-double to inspire me! I've been right down to 9st 3 before, but it took a LOT of exercise and an unhealthy obsession with food (or lack of it). :)

I'm so unmotivated lately and I don't know why. I feel like I'm depressed but again, I don't know why. Ugh! I got married a couple of months ago and, since then, I've REALLY slumped. Why?!?!?! I really need to snap out of it, it's becoming a spiral. Look crap => eat => look even worse => eat even more.

[NameChange30]

Thank you standclear! I've put some back on during my travels, but not as much as what I'd lost, so I'm hoping I can get back on track. I have plenty to lose!

WhatsGoingOnEh it's probably a simple case of the post-wedding blues. I got those - although they were soon magnified by a v stressful life event so I had a legitimate reason to feel shit - and got through it by eating a LOT of chocolate!
My advice is to try not to be too hard on yourself.