I have not started NoS yet (this time around), but I get so frightened just contemplating it.
I'm afraid of the time after that last plate, when eating is FINISHED, come what may. I'm so afraid I'll eat. I'm not really afraid of being hungry, but I have no trust or confidence in myself, in my willingness or ability to say NO if I want to eat after Meal 3.
The only thing I truly care about at this point, after decades of dieting, is having peace of mind, not being tortured almost every waking moment by thoughts and fears about eating, having a stroke, etc.
Not that I don't need to lose weight - I am close to 250 pounds, and most certainly do. But I would settle for the slowest, tiniest progress in my weight if I could only stop the torment in my head.
Those of you who sometimes eat something after that final plate, how do you handle it? How do you not jump to, "Oh, this isn't working; I can't do this. Now what diet will I do?"
Are others terrified and panicky and obsessed and in hell?
J
Panicking
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Dear J.,
My thoughts exactly. I'm on day 5 today, and though the first 4 days went well, were even exciting, I woke up this morning with exactly the same fear: what if I can't keep this up? What if I crack and then can't get back on track?
I am a binge eater when the going gets tough. I love the idea of habit taking over willpower, but that old habit, the inclination to eat when anything tense happens, is so very strong. And I've been trying, unsuccessfully, for years, to put an end to it.
I don't even want to say the word "unsuccessful" here because I might jinx what seems to be a very good thing. Any other compulsive eaters out there who succeeded in slaying the monster through NoS???
My thoughts exactly. I'm on day 5 today, and though the first 4 days went well, were even exciting, I woke up this morning with exactly the same fear: what if I can't keep this up? What if I crack and then can't get back on track?
I am a binge eater when the going gets tough. I love the idea of habit taking over willpower, but that old habit, the inclination to eat when anything tense happens, is so very strong. And I've been trying, unsuccessfully, for years, to put an end to it.
I don't even want to say the word "unsuccessful" here because I might jinx what seems to be a very good thing. Any other compulsive eaters out there who succeeded in slaying the monster through NoS???
The past couple of months
The last week of April I rejoined Weight Watchers and started doing their Core program. Though I have started and stopped WW literally dozens of times, this time it seemed to take. I had six excellent weeks, during which time I lost 26 pounds. I loved the diet! I loved the food! I was happy!
I do not know what went wrong. There were a couple of occasions when I ate out, which I had been avoiding till then, then I started eating some sweets, then ONLY sweets. I've put on 18 pounds the last eight days. Had a pretty good day today, for the first time in a month, but it doesn't feel solid in my head. I don't feel committed, or determined, or even willing. I don't know why. I truly liked the program.
Maybe it's decades of failure, thousands of diets over the years. Yes, thousands - I can easily start 300 diets a year, quickly followed by 300 failures. How often can you do that without a cumulative effect of hopelessness and despair?
Sorry that this train of thought is such a downer, but I am definitely feeling down. Down, and teary, and scared.
J
I do not know what went wrong. There were a couple of occasions when I ate out, which I had been avoiding till then, then I started eating some sweets, then ONLY sweets. I've put on 18 pounds the last eight days. Had a pretty good day today, for the first time in a month, but it doesn't feel solid in my head. I don't feel committed, or determined, or even willing. I don't know why. I truly liked the program.
Maybe it's decades of failure, thousands of diets over the years. Yes, thousands - I can easily start 300 diets a year, quickly followed by 300 failures. How often can you do that without a cumulative effect of hopelessness and despair?
Sorry that this train of thought is such a downer, but I am definitely feeling down. Down, and teary, and scared.
J
Hello mondurvic! So glad you're going to begin No Essing! Believe me, you will love it! Here are some things that maybe will help you as you get started:
1. Use a small glass of milk to get you through the time between meal 3 and bedtime. Don't beat yourself up for doing it - milk is okay.
2. Push your evening meal up an hour or two so that you are eating later than you would normally do and then your evening stretch isn't so overwhelming. Use some milk if you need to get you through the afternoon - or chew some gum, drink water, or keep your hands busy.
3. Remind yourself that the first day of No S is the hardest! Each day becomes easier. Believe that you can do this because you can.
4. Remind yourself that you no longer have to restrict what you eat at mealtimes - only the quantity. So you no longer have to choose foods from predetermined lists. You no longer have to weigh or measure your food. You don't have to use no-fat, low-fat, tasteless foods. No counting for you either. No S eating is so easy!
5. Get out your favorite cookbooks and recipes! Chuck the WW and other diet cookbooks and prepare some good food! Eat just one plate. You will read posts from people who piled their plates pretty big to start. Once they got comfortable with the idea of three plates a day, they worked on portion sizes. You can do this too.
6. Remind yourself that No S is not another diet - it's a lifestyle that you can adopt and do for the rest of your life.
7. Give it a real chance. Nothing else has worked, right?
8. Get on the boards and post instead of eating something!
Hope this helps! Best wishes to you!
mimi
1. Use a small glass of milk to get you through the time between meal 3 and bedtime. Don't beat yourself up for doing it - milk is okay.
2. Push your evening meal up an hour or two so that you are eating later than you would normally do and then your evening stretch isn't so overwhelming. Use some milk if you need to get you through the afternoon - or chew some gum, drink water, or keep your hands busy.
3. Remind yourself that the first day of No S is the hardest! Each day becomes easier. Believe that you can do this because you can.
4. Remind yourself that you no longer have to restrict what you eat at mealtimes - only the quantity. So you no longer have to choose foods from predetermined lists. You no longer have to weigh or measure your food. You don't have to use no-fat, low-fat, tasteless foods. No counting for you either. No S eating is so easy!
5. Get out your favorite cookbooks and recipes! Chuck the WW and other diet cookbooks and prepare some good food! Eat just one plate. You will read posts from people who piled their plates pretty big to start. Once they got comfortable with the idea of three plates a day, they worked on portion sizes. You can do this too.
6. Remind yourself that No S is not another diet - it's a lifestyle that you can adopt and do for the rest of your life.
7. Give it a real chance. Nothing else has worked, right?
8. Get on the boards and post instead of eating something!
Hope this helps! Best wishes to you!
mimi
Discovered NoS: April 16, 2007
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!
I hope you will give nos a try. Mimi gave you some great tips. I just want to add that after 1 month, mentally my thinking about food is starting to improve. I never thought I could go 5 days without a piece of chocolate. But guess what? I can. I can't even say that I have many cravings for sweets at this time and I use to eat a lot of sugar. Just telling myself that I can have something on the weekend seems to be enough. My obsession with food seems to be much less. Could I still revert back to the old days. I am sure I could, but I don't want to. I need the peace of mind. I am losing weight slowly - which is hard for me. But I decided to set a goal of 4 lbs a month. It is a slower goal than I really want, but doable and can get me to goal in 2 1/2 years. That is okay, especially if I am not tortured day in and day out about food and weight and failure. I think fear is at the heart of a lot of the overeating/starvation cycle I have been on (overeat because I fear never getting to goal/starve because I fear never being able to control my eating etc.)
This is a very gentle system to your body and mind. I love it. I hope you give it a try.
This is a very gentle system to your body and mind. I love it. I hope you give it a try.