The No S Diet [title edited by MNHQ]

[Asuitablemum]

I've decided that I finally need to commit to losing my baby weight. I have 2 stone (ideally more to lose). But will just take it half a stone at a time. I am not really into crazy diets. So I've gone for the 's' diet which is basically eat sensibly diet! No snacks, seconds or 'sweets' (includes cakes etc ) except on days beginning with s (weekends and special days). So three meals a day basically. Does anyone want to join me or be my supporter? I lost 1.5 lb the first week, but then gained 0.3. Next weigh in is Monday and today I was 2.5lb lighter so I'm hoping I will have lost something. I am piling up a bit on the meals but figure that I need that to stick to it at the moment. Hopefully as I adjust I can make the meals smaller/healthier too. Looking forward to the weekend for a pudding and some wine!

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Hurray for another half lb, Posie!

Jasper, sorry to hear you've been ill - migraines sound nasty!

I have been permasnacking with abandon all weekend due to lack of focus on meals. Back to it today! This week the aim is to eat a smaller lunch - I think it depends what I have, but I used to always have two sandwiches and a bag of crisps and if I eat that after a decent breakfast I'm uncomfortably full all afternoon. I didn't eat breakfast much before starting this diet, so lunch was a combination meal. I'm having to learn that if I have breakfast lunch needs to be smaller. So lunch today will be one sandwich and an apple/banana.

Do you think the point is to stick to the diet regardless of visitors/special occasions - get used to saying no, in effect? My dad, brother and sisters are coming for a flying visit on Wednesday and that would usually mean heaps of booze. It's not the food so much - I can make something nice for dinner and feed them pudding but not take any myself, but I do want to have a few glasses of wine. Wine isn't sweet...

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Cheddar in the book it states that you can have a couple of glasses of wine, so I would say go for it but maybe not in a big way!
I do think you are supposed to carry on as normal but it does get tricky mid week. You are not really supposed to swap a No S day for an S day, the idea I think is to stick to No S Mon-Fri as much as you possibly can. All about building habits I think.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

I must step away from the scales! I'm a lb up. Grr! I am torn between weighing myself once a month and the thought of how pissed off I would be if I got to the end of a month and hadn't lost a thing. I must ramp up my exercise.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Randomly, I was tired and pissed off yesterday afternoon so I decided to have a fuck-it evening. Went to Tesco and bought chocolate and everything. Got home, made dinner, and then forgot to eat the chocolate! So I'm counting that as a win.

Today was going to be an S day because of family coming today and friends tomorrow, instead of at the weekend like civilized diet-friendly visitors, but so far I have been really good so I might try to keep it going. Not sure. I strongly suspect that after a couple of glasses of wine all resolution might fly out of the window.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

That's fab that you forgot the chocolate! Something must be working! I do find once I've eaten dinner I am able to accept that's the end of my eating for the day. Whereas usually I have always always 'needed' something sweet afterwards. Just goes to show how much is purely habit.
Good luck with the visitors. Let me know how it goes. I am out for dinner with friends on Friday, I was wondering if I could just eat a main course and still be sociable! Its so tricky!

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

My two danger times used to be immediately after coming home for work - if I haven't got a plan for dinner, or if it's something that will take a while to cook, then I would eat all sorts of crap. Sometimes I wouldn't bother with dinner afterwards but sometimes I would. And then the other time was after the kids were in bed - tea and chocolate. It's nice to have a rule that I just don't do that, although it doesn't work at weekends! The other thing was just generally eating too much. I'm 5'2". I don't need to eat as much as my 5'11" husband, and actually he also eats far too much, so I definitely don't need to match him!

[PosiePootlePerkins]

I am feeling rather pleased with myself! Have just been out for dinner with some friends, which would usually involve lots of food and wine. I offered to drive so no alcohol, then they had main and dessert, so I was able to have a main, and a coffee for dessert! Success. Really enjoyed my meal, and hadn't eaten anything between 1pm and 8.30pm, a real achievement for me.
Am definitely looking forward to my S weekend!
Hope everyone else is getting in OK.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Guess what, another 1/2lb loss! Had a rather indulgent weekend so I am pleased with that.
I realise this thread is rather slow but I am going to keep using it to log my weight loss, as I find it really helpful to be accountable somewhere.
Cheddar and anyone else who may still be following the diet, I hope all is going well

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Well done you!

I screwed up royally and have had 5 S days on the trot. Oops! Maybe Reinhard is right when he says that you must stick to it during the week regardless of social events. I'm not weighing in!

Back on it today, and I'm going to really try to exercise as well. I'm away this weekend again, though - it sounds like I live in a dizzying social whirl, but I really don't! I was going to treat Friday as a planned S day. I think I'll try to be good on Sunday - not necessarily skip the S day, but have a restrained one. I'll be driving for 3 hours so I won't be able to eat during that anyway.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

It is tricky with the socialising. Lucky for me I don't do it very often! My birthday is this Sat so that's handy. Half term at home with the children, which will test my resolve to not snack, its much easier when I am at work.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Checking in! Doing quite well this week, although have made proper cocoa to get me through Bake Off. It's got a teaspoon of sugar in, but Reinhard says that's allowed in coffee.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Hi cheddar. Just you and me on this thread by the looks of it!
Cocoa is a good idea. I have also discovered Douwe Egberts hazlenut coffee, I can sort of fool myself its a bit like nutella! They also do a caramel one. Only 2 cals a cup, no added sugar as far as I can tell.
I am doing well with half term, its my birthday this Saturday, very convenient that it falls on an S day!

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Just logging in with my weight, a whole pound off! I have come a long way this month. I am beginning to feel the benefits of my No S days on S days. Sweet things taste very very sweet and are not so tempting. I feel less hungry between meals. I can see this being a lifelong way of eating. Still a long way to go regarding the weight loss but I will get there eventually!

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Hurray, well done you!

I'm not going to weigh until the end of the week - big weekend, lots of drink, and although yesterday was a lot more restrained (wasn't going for an S day, but actually I didn't eat much extra - half a bag of crisps and about 4 sweeties and a little bit of coke, plus a can of orangeade), AF has now turned up, so I'm going to just leave it for a while. I still feel hungover after Saturday night!

I still like this way of eating, though - I can keep plodding along and even if I'm having a bad day I just mutter "minimal compliance" and keep going. Content of meals isn't always brilliant, but I've cut out sizeable amounts of refined sugar. It is so nice to have a blueprint for how to eat to maintain. I'm going to try to stick with this forever - although if I haven't lost much weight by January I'll have another think about portion sizes/meal content. My sister gets married in May and I'd like to be a lot thinner by then. I'm also very short (5'2") so it could be that my portions are just too big for me to lose weight. I need a good run at it with no social events! Friday was an S day - I clearly have far too many of these.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Thanks cheddar. I agree about just plodding on, even if you have a bad day just write it off and start again the next day. Maintaining weight is a real achievement in itself and not one I have ever managed with any success. So I am really hoping that once I finally reach my target weight, No S will help me stay there! I bet you will look lovely at the wedding even if you have maintained or lost a few pounds

[ADogCalledDave]

Hello

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but could I please join?

I'm intending to do a variation of the "no S diet" in that snacking on an apple would be OK any day but I'll do my best to avoid other snacking, even at weekends. I'm also (re) reading Brain Over Binge which has been really helpful in the past.

I stuck to this for about a month back in August/September and felt really good (flatter stomach, much more control) but then went through a tough patch with work/relationship and kind of fell off the wagon. Hoping that a bit of mutual support/accountability will help me stick to it and really embed the habits.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Hi Dave yes come and join us! Its mostly just me and cheddar chatting away!
I am no expert and don't know what your relationship with food is like, but for me my S foods at the weekends are essential for keeping on track in the week. I admire your willpower if you can stick to NoS all the time! Anyway, however you fancy doing it, welcome aboard

[PosiePootlePerkins]

I wonder if MNHQ could change the thread title to No S diet. It keeps bugging me to see it as the S diet! I'll ask.

[ADogCalledDave]

Thanks Posie

Ha, yes I did think the thread title was odd!

Re restricting food: yes, agree that being too strict can be counterproductive. I'm not going to try to cut out sweet foods at the weekend, its just that (for me) there is a very fine line between snacking and binging and I feel much more in control when I have a bit of structure iyswim.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Yes I get what you mean. One of my fears was going mad at the weekends and undoing all of my hard work! I'm getting better over time. And slowly losing weight, somehow!
Have asked for title to be changed, fingers crossed.

[LisaMumsnet]

Hi there, we've changed the title as requested to more accurately reflect what this thread is about.

[GreyandGrumpy48]

Fallen off the wagon after relationship issues but determined to recommit for November. I know it's the only way that really makes sense for me. For those that have read the book do you think it is worth buying?

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Yay a new thread title, thanks MNHQ!
Hi GreyandGrumpy I did buy the book, I found it helped me a lot in the early days but I don't refer to it as much now. I think once you've worked out how to follow the diet in a way that works for you, its so simple you just need to plod on with it!
I did the October challenge on the NoS website and will be doing one for November, I find it helps me to log in with success or failure each day. Lots of useful advice on there too.

[GreyandGrumpy48]

Thanks very much Posie that's very helpful I'll check out the website

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

I actually think all the info in the book is available word for word on the website. I believe Reinhard says that's roughly what he was aiming at.

Hi Grey and Dave, welcome!