Everyday Systems

I know the topic sentence is one I've had quoted to me on occasion (WW) but it never hit home until the other night.

I was pretty upset, cruising the grocery aisles, aiming for the chocolate section for a fix. It was even an S day so no qualms about candy. Still, when I got there and looked around there was nothing that drew me.

Since I have not given into food by snacking/stuffing when I was angry, sad, anxious, lonely, or frustrated for the past 2 months, my brain has stopped seeing food as the medicine of choice to make me feel better.

Now that I don't USE food as medicine, I face issues and deal with life with my mind and my heart and my spirit. Clarity and calmness rule.

I am amazed and very thankful!

Resting

That's an awesome quote to remember Resting. Thanks for sharing that.

And congratulations on all the good things you are learning and accomplishing.

Thanks for the quote, think I will print it and post it on the refrigerator, the pantry and any place else that I need to. God Bless.

The idea of 'food as medicine' is a pretty interesting one to me. If food can heal, then surely it can harm. I get the feeling the concept is increasingly popular and not just with the avid nutra-ceutical crowd

For example, I just finished a S day, which was closer to what my pre-noS days were like. Big mistake: more than a slight 'queezy' feeling from eating that much calorie rich junk food. (4-5 slices of pizza, half a can of pringles, handful of M&M's).

Habituation has a lot to answer for

Awesome realizations, Resting!

I used to have this quote as part of my signature when I was on the WW forums. It's a good one...

Resting,

I think what you are sharing is very huge. I think it speaks to what Reinhard says about No S working on your subconcious i.e. after just following nosing for two months as you said, you have "trained" yourself at a deep level to do things other than reach for food when you have certain feelings.

I have had a very similar experience that I desribe as shifting from

"what am I gonna' eat"

to

"how am I going to handle this?"

Thank you for sharing. I think it is very significant and the beauty of it is that it seems to come out of just doing No S day to day ,

Blueskighs

It's rather amazing that changing simple habits can have such a powerful effect. Thanks for sharing such a powerful change.

On a similar note... recently, on S-days, I've thought "hey, I could have...(whatever)" and then I finish by thinking... "but I'm not hungry."

Well, doh! I wonder why that never used to occur to me?

This is a great quote.

It's funny how by disabling reflexing eating with the "no snacks" rule you can force the underlying problem to the fore. No-s doesn't just lose you weight and make you enjoy food again, it's like an auto-psychoanalysis.

Reinhard

Auto-psychoanalysis sounds good, Reinhard! You can also repeat two of my favorite Freudian sound-bites: "just let your mind wander," and, as he ended every session, "I listened." Okay, you have just saved us a ton of $ and resolved a problem that is resistant to almost every type of psychotherapy.

It is good for me to return to this mantra.

Food does not solve our problem.

Thank you, NoS, for putting food into it's right perspective

Resting

great quote. i noticed this happening to me in just the first day of nosing. i realized just how much i turn to food in times of boredom, anxiety, stress, etc. and sense it wasn't meal time i actually had to ask myself, "well what else can i do to stop feeling so ______ (fill in the blank with any emotion)."

telltalemikey,

sometimes the best thing is not to STOP yourself feeling such and such, just ACKNOWLEDGE you feel such and such and move on!

because as the quote says ....

Blueskighs

oh i def. agree blueskighs. actually dealing with the problem is the answer. this is new for me:)

Another truism for me is that wine is not the answer either! Since not snacking at night, I've gotten in the habit of a glass or 2 of wine. Calorie for calorie this doesn't seem wise. Nor does the HABIT of it.

Resting

resting52 wrote:Another truism for me is that wine is not the answer either! Since not snacking at night, I've gotten in the habit of a glass or 2 of wine. Calorie for calorie this doesn't seem wise. Nor does the HABIT of it.

Resting

Whew! I've developed the same routine - not every night, and usually only one glass... but as you point out, it is becoming a HABIT. That really struck me as something to think about....

Hey KCCC,

Glad I'm not alone! Just don't want to substitute one bad habit (or 3-snacking, seconds, sweets) with another. I don't think that wine is bad. It's just my HABIT of it.

Eating IS emotional. We connect with our food. That is one reason it is such a joy to see Blue's food blogging. Pretty food makes us happy. We wouldn't have the same reaction sitting down to a plate of bugs. I think it is because any thing we put into our bodies becomes part of us and somewhere, on some level, we know that to be true.

One of the sweet things about NoS is that we only have to face the challenge or delight of eating 3 times a day.

Resting

I understand that, especially if you have any concerns at all about how much wine you might drink, that you might tend to worry.

However, a few points come to mind. . .
1. less than two glasses (that would mean wine glasses!) of wine a day can be healthy for us as has been documented by medical experts, unless of course there's a specific reason you should avoid it. More than a couple would be too much and would cross over to the Glass Ceiling domain and as Reinard would say, that's another story! And if you're finding that you "need" that wine as a crutch, perhaps you're right to be concerned. . . however. . .

2. Remember that HABIT in and of itself is not a bad thing. It depends on what the HABIT is. We're trying to replace bad habits with good, or at least significantly better habits. I shower every day, I brush my teeth regularly, I check the dog's water and food bowls a couple of times a day--all habits that are positive ones to have.

So I'm just saying, don't beat yourself up about small amounts of wine--as long it doesn't turn into a mug full!

From Reinhard's own comments about (any type of drinks-not just alcohol):

The subject of drinks isn't to be viewed in purely negative terms. It's not just about avoiding liquid calories. Drink water proactively, to ward off hunger. Thirst is often confused with hunger, and a glass of water can be an effective snack replacement. No, it doesn't taste quite as good, but yes it can work.

Regarding the fact that when we think we are hungry, we often just need hydration; quenching that will help replace it. And here comes my solution again-try the H2Orange as described in a separate topic. (my favorite solution to lots of things-a habit worth cultivating)

So raise a glass to: Habits worth having!

I think it is because any thing we put into our bodies becomes part of us and somewhere, on some level, we know that to be true.

Resting,
I believe this to be true too!
it is the premise of the book the World Peace Diet,

Blueskighs

laloser, ITA that there are GOOD habits, worth actively developing and maintaining.

I'm just not sure I consider a daily glass of wine in the same category as exercise or flossing. I don't think I want it to be a HABIT, even at my current low-levels of indulgence.

So, what I plan to do is allow 4 glasses total per week. That can be one glass a day, or two glasses on two days. Just enough under "every day" to make me stop and think "do I really want this TODAY?"

And that's enough.

KCCC,

I didn't mean to imply that wine should be maintained as a habit. . .just that part of earlier comments dealt with whether a little wine WAS a habit and that possible HABITS are not good. I probably read too much into it. I certainly agree that wine and mouthwash are clearly different matters!

I only occasionally have wine or any other alcohol so I probably shouldn't even be in this conversation!

Bottom line--if it becomes a crutch or something we depend on to avoid another negative--probably should be dealt with head on instead.

OK-I'm done with this--think I'll go have a luncheon size PLATE of lunch!

Eh. Half a beer at night helps me relax and unwind without stuffing my face full of chocolate and other treats. I'm not sweating it.

Mistress Manners wrote:Eh. Half a beer at night helps me relax and unwind without stuffing my face full of chocolate and other treats. I'm not sweating it.

Nor should you. At these levels of consumption, we're definitely in "personal choice" territory.

In February,when I quit smoking, every time I felt the urge to smoke I said to myself, "It's not going to solve your problems, Lesley." It worked for me like a charm. Now I see that I can use the same mantra when I'm feeling weak and thinking of going off course on no-s.

I'm just revisiting the fact that here, almost 2 months later, this remains true in my life. I've just CHANGED.

Would love to encourage all the newbies that NoS, as a way of life-eating, is the most sane, sensible, and stable plan around.


Resting