I was wondering if there is anyone who has been successful with this diet who has only had a little weight to lose. I started a few weeks ago and have five real pounds to lose to be at an acceptable weight. I haven't lost anything yet, but didn't expect to. I was hoping to lose about pound a month. I am probably more restrictive than the average Noeser, as I eat a predominantly vegan diet and do watch calories pretty carefully.
My biggest weakness has typically been snacking, and the structure of this diet has been a blessing. I never thought I could go a day without snacking, and now I've gone three weeks without it! I don't use S days very liberally--for me they're a lot like N days, but with a little more flexibility around dinner time. I just recently started incorporating the 14 minutes of exercise suggestion (I actually am doing two stints of 14 minutes a day, but have psychologically committed to doing at least one), and am hoping this makes a difference over time. Five pounds may not sound like a big deal, but I'm pretty small (only 5'1" and very small boned) and it's a lot for my frame.
More than that though, I just want to feel "normal" about food--not like it's a constant battle. For me, there's been very little joy in eating, only guilt, shame and fear. More than weight loss, I want to stop wasting my life feeling bad about something that should be a pleasure. But I do hope that I can get to my ideal weight this way and stay there, and it would be nice to hear of someone else who has.
Has anyone been successful with only a little to lose?
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howfunisthat
- Posts: 605
- Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:35 am
- Location: New York
I don't know if I'm the most qualified to answer your question, as I'm not down to my last five to lose....don't think I've ever been that close to my ideal weight. I do, however, know what it's like to feel bad about eating...and desperately want to just feel "normal" about it.
Today is Day 80 for me....a huge accomplishment in my book...and what this plan has done for me goes beyond losing weight (although that has been wonderful). I FINALLY, after 48 years, am beginning to feel as if the whole weight issue is becoming less of an issue....as if I'm not only losing pounds, but losing the guilt about eating too. Perhaps it's been because I think of food so much less these days...or because I don't eat when I know I shouldn't...or because I'm just feeding my body good things on a more regular basis...but overall, my attitude toward food and toward myself has been changing dramatically.
Obviously no plan can promise to change you from the inside out, but there's something unique about this....something that helps the whole person and not just encourages you to put MORE emphasis on an already stressed out part of your life. One of the main ideas here is to take a huge amount of emphasis OFF food.
I don't know if this helps in your decision about this plan. I know it's been wonderful for me...this has been my answer to a life-long struggle with food. If you haven't read the book, it's definitely worth getting a copy. For such a small book, it is packed with great information.
Again, I hope this is helpful....
janie
Today is Day 80 for me....a huge accomplishment in my book...and what this plan has done for me goes beyond losing weight (although that has been wonderful). I FINALLY, after 48 years, am beginning to feel as if the whole weight issue is becoming less of an issue....as if I'm not only losing pounds, but losing the guilt about eating too. Perhaps it's been because I think of food so much less these days...or because I don't eat when I know I shouldn't...or because I'm just feeding my body good things on a more regular basis...but overall, my attitude toward food and toward myself has been changing dramatically.
Obviously no plan can promise to change you from the inside out, but there's something unique about this....something that helps the whole person and not just encourages you to put MORE emphasis on an already stressed out part of your life. One of the main ideas here is to take a huge amount of emphasis OFF food.
I don't know if this helps in your decision about this plan. I know it's been wonderful for me...this has been my answer to a life-long struggle with food. If you haven't read the book, it's definitely worth getting a copy. For such a small book, it is packed with great information.
Again, I hope this is helpful....
janie
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy...
I identify with your situation very much. I'm a vegetarian, but my fiance is vegan so I eat vegan probably 95% of the time. I think in the past, the veg mindset really contributed to my constant snacking. It seems like its a pretty common thing among vegetarians and vegans to graze all day, as our meals don't always keep us full for hours and hours. Also, after eating meals that are inherently lower in calories than a lot of omnivorous dishes, it becomes easy to justify taking in more food through snacks and such. I used to snack at least twice a day and couldn't imagine not doing it. I've been doing NoS since August now, though, and really find the idea of snacking in between meals to be kind of gross. Once in a while I still crave sweets after dinner, but I just make do with a cup of tea. My relationship with food has definitely changed, and for the better.
When I started NoS, I was only looking to lose about 5 lbs of vanity weight... Although I never actually weigh myself. I still haven't weighed myself, but I feel like I've achieved this goal because I used to be a size 6 and now I'm a 4. I'm happy with this. Infinitely more valuable than this smaller size, though, is the healthy, moderate relationship with food I've developed. While I haven't gotten my S days quite to what I'd like them to be yet, I'm working on it. I've got the N days down, and feel great about it.
I just want to clarify about vegan or vegetarian meals not being as filling for anyone who might be reading this, though. While I used to get hungry only a few hours after eating a veg meal, this can easily be avoided by making the right food choices. While a lot of veg meals are inherently high in carbs, and can be made up completely of carbs if you're not careful, adding some protein and fats (don't be afraid of the fats!) into the mix gives the meal a lot more staying power. This is another thing I've learned while on NoS!
When I started NoS, I was only looking to lose about 5 lbs of vanity weight... Although I never actually weigh myself. I still haven't weighed myself, but I feel like I've achieved this goal because I used to be a size 6 and now I'm a 4. I'm happy with this. Infinitely more valuable than this smaller size, though, is the healthy, moderate relationship with food I've developed. While I haven't gotten my S days quite to what I'd like them to be yet, I'm working on it. I've got the N days down, and feel great about it.
I just want to clarify about vegan or vegetarian meals not being as filling for anyone who might be reading this, though. While I used to get hungry only a few hours after eating a veg meal, this can easily be avoided by making the right food choices. While a lot of veg meals are inherently high in carbs, and can be made up completely of carbs if you're not careful, adding some protein and fats (don't be afraid of the fats!) into the mix gives the meal a lot more staying power. This is another thing I've learned while on NoS!
Marygrace, that is definitely true with me as well! My meals would generally be smaller and healthier than most (lots of salads, green smoothies, etc.) and I justified eating "healthy" snacks all day long because I wasn't eating big meat-based dishes like most other people. But I know I was eating too many calories, and as Reinhard points out, it was just way too hard to keep track of how much I was taking in each day, though I think I always knew it was too much.
I really like this approach, and it feels natural and right to eat like this. I just don't know whether I'm going to lose any weight with it. I'm really hoping I do, because it feels like something I can stick to (almost too good to be true, actually!). I feel the habit part of it becoming more ingrained as time goes by, and I don't really think about snacking anymore. I also have a sweet tooth after dinner, and sometimes have a few yogurt raisins on my dinner plate to satisfy the craving (probably a borderline sweet, but I don't worry about it too much). For me, I know it was the snacking that made me fat, not sweets.
Sounds like you're doing really well with this if you've already lost a size--congrats! I hope I can report back the same progress!
I really like this approach, and it feels natural and right to eat like this. I just don't know whether I'm going to lose any weight with it. I'm really hoping I do, because it feels like something I can stick to (almost too good to be true, actually!). I feel the habit part of it becoming more ingrained as time goes by, and I don't really think about snacking anymore. I also have a sweet tooth after dinner, and sometimes have a few yogurt raisins on my dinner plate to satisfy the craving (probably a borderline sweet, but I don't worry about it too much). For me, I know it was the snacking that made me fat, not sweets.
Sounds like you're doing really well with this if you've already lost a size--congrats! I hope I can report back the same progress!
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larisa0001
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:53 am
I've also only got 5 lbs. to lose - "vanity weight". But my problem is kinda the opposite - I have never dieted. Ever. I love food, I love to eat, and I'm not at all used to restricting my intake in any way at all. Even something as mild as no-S is hard for me to get used to. I eat fairly healthy for the most part, but I do have a terrible sweet tooth - the "no sweets" part of no-S is the hard part for me.
One of the confounding factors that would make it hard for me to really gauge success or failure on the diet is that I have also re-started my weight training program after a year or so of inactivity. Generally, people tend to gain weight when they begin weight training - water weight being retained in the muscles as they repair themselves, or something like that. So I won't be stressing out too terribly if the number on the scale does not budge, or even if it goes the other way for a while. If the 5 lbs. of fat is replaced by 5 lbs. of muscle, I'll be quite happy.
One of the confounding factors that would make it hard for me to really gauge success or failure on the diet is that I have also re-started my weight training program after a year or so of inactivity. Generally, people tend to gain weight when they begin weight training - water weight being retained in the muscles as they repair themselves, or something like that. So I won't be stressing out too terribly if the number on the scale does not budge, or even if it goes the other way for a while. If the 5 lbs. of fat is replaced by 5 lbs. of muscle, I'll be quite happy.
Larisa, in your case it would probably better to just see how your pants fit (or take measurements) rather than weigh yourself? I was into serious weight training for a while, and the scale never went down. Only slightly up, up, up until I had gained a few pounds of muscle. Similarly, I've always been a runner, and when I stopped, initially lost a couple of pounds because all of the extra leg muscle withered away.
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larisa0001
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:53 am
I have!
I did No-S 6 months ago to lose 5 pounds. In 3 weeks, I lost 7 lbs and was still losing! No drastic changes in exercise level either (I have been exercising regularly for over 6 years - plus I live on a farm and get lots that way). As that was below my "healthy" weight for my height, I backed off a little bit and promptly fell off the bandwagon. Now I'm back to lose 10 lbs gained by emotional eating. Sigh.
Farmmom7