Bert's occasional check-in

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:17 pm

New here! I stumbled across the No S Diet when I searched for 'no snacking' diet - snacking between meals has always been my #1 problem with weight loss. Anyway, combined with 'no sweets' and 'no seconds' except on days starting with S, it is exactly what I needed to get serious about weight loss. Not hugely overweight - just over 170 lbs for a 5' 10" guy, 59 yrs old. Dedicated runner, already 550 miles for the year, several weeks of 50 miles+. Just goes to show that running alone or other exercise won't do it, you have to address the 'input' as well!

Bottom line: the No S Diet started working almost immediately. I am on Day 5 and I have already dropped 3 lbs, down from 171 to 168 this morning. I don't feel deprived and nobody in my household has even noticed that I am 'dieting'.

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:43 pm

I was worried that this weekend - traveling in an area where I did not have access to my usual foods - would prove to be disastrous. Not so, actually down one more pound to 167. I hope never to see 170 again! Will be super-compliant this week to try to drop another couple of pounds.

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 12:11 pm

Almost accepted an Easter egg marshallow candy from my wife last night while watching Mad Men on the DVR. Almost, but not at all! No S immediately came to mind and I politely declined, saying I will have it some other time. I live to fight another day!

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 1:08 pm

"Nobody in my household has even noticed that I am dieting."

This is the beauty of No S. You can make it work anywhere any time without much fuss. And if you have a Special day now and then when you want to step outside the rules, it is allowed!

I am 56 and also a runner. I had pretty much slowed down to a crawl before starting No S because I had gained so much weight. I am now training for a walk/run half marathon in May. This is my first half marathon. In the past I have pretty much chosen the 3-5 mile options while the rest of the family did longer races.

Welcome and Good Luck!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:46 pm

Thanks for the welcome! My running is going pretty well, but I know it will improve by leaps and bounds if/when I can drop about 20 lbs. On my way! My goal is to be competitive in my next age grouping which is coming up soon: in May.

I have been trying to improve the quality of breakfast - instead of sugary cereal, getting back to steel cut oats (easy in the pressure cooker), with a couple of dried figs or a small portion of fresh fruit, and a slice of whole wheat or rye bread with Marmite (for B-12).

determined · Post by **determined** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:54 pm

I saw photos of the destruction in Houston! I hope you & your family are all okay!!!

janie

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:08 pm

Thanks we're fine here, the tornado damage was in Dallas, which is several hours by road north of here. Devastating for them, though!

KL · Post by KL » Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:15 pm

Welcome Bert - sounds like you're getting the hang of No S and understanding the simplicity of it.

I ran XCountry in H.S. and go through periods of running a lot and then not so much. I've added in yoga and other types of cardio over the years.

Since starting NoS (March 1), I haven't done a whole lot of intense exercise. I wanted to see how much I needed to eat at each meal to make it comfortably to the next without adding in intense activity. I think now that I've got the jist, I'm ready to add more movement. Went running today - felt awesome!

I usually eat oats for breakfast - a mixture of oatmeal/oatbran, almond milk, banana and/or apple. Sometimes I add protein powder (pea or hemp) or wheatgerm or seeds of some sort. I've never tried steel cut oats but I understand that they are really chewy and yummy.

determined · Post by **determined** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:17 pm

Right state, wrong city. Sorry I got that mixed up....I'm glad you're safe though...

janie

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:16 am

Hi Bert! You inspired me to give this a try as well - what a treat to find you on the check in board!

I have high hopes for this - it makes so much sense and like you said, no one even has to know what you are doing, so there is no fuss.

groetjes!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:02 am

Amy hi - great to see you here! Yes I have very high hopes for this program too! So many 'diets' are too difficult or time-consuming to follow; and/or they set unrealistic behavior standards on the part of the dieter. Not this one: it allows you to indulge on S days, yet makes it super easy to be compliant the rest of the week.

As for yours truly, I find that I re-gained a couple of pounds over the weekend, but it is as much a result of (increased) S day food consumption as it is a reduction of exercise volume the preceding week. So I am not concerned, will be upping the running mileage again this week to near 50 so the downward trend will resume.

LoriLifts · Post by **LoriLifts** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 9:21 pm

Another No S runner! Welcome!

Lori

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 1:00 pm

I was worried that not snacking prior to running or other workouts may affect my performance but it hasn't; in fact my last race - last Saturday - was one of my best ones so far this year.

Weight down to 166 this morning, haven't been in the 160's for a while!! Will be spending the weekend in Boston where my wife will be running the Boston Marathon. Would normally be worried about maintaining a 'diet' while traveling but with No S it does not make a difference. Friday and Monday will be No S, Saturday and Sunday - whatever comes along. It is going to be more challenging to find vegan food options than it will be to stay No S.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:42 pm

Welcome and you're off ot a great start!

NoSRocks · Post by **NoSRocks** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:01 pm

CONGRATULATIONS, Bert! and Welcome to the No S Board! Sounds like you're doing great!

(From someone who has yet to crack the 170 lbs barrier!

)

SophiaLara · Post by **SophiaLara** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:22 am

Hello Bert and Welcome to No S! I just started not too long ago. When I read this in one of your posts, "I love to fight another day!" I had to copy it and the saying now sits on my desk next to my computer. That's the kind of attitude I need! I'm a vegan, too, though not a runner. I'm a grandmom with bad knees, so I walk, practice yoga, and do low-impact aerobic dancing and Pilates. Good luck to you! Sounds like you're doing a great job! Very inspiring!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:52 am

Thanks for all the encouraging words of welcome, what a nice group!!! I will try not to let you - and me - down! So far so good. This weekend in Boston I will probably indulge in a few too many 'fun calories' (ahem, some of the liquid variety...) but nothing too extreme. The daily discipline of avoiding sweets, saying no thanks to seconds and bailing out on snacks will hopefully rub off on the S days at well, to some extent. Just moderating the fun a little bit, not all the way. After all, that is what makes this program such a winner: you do not have to give up everything all the time. Just some things some of the time.

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:29 am

I think the discipline during the week does rub off on the S days to some degree...at least I sure hope so!
Have a great time in Boston!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:10 am

Back from Boston and considering the totally non-routine activities - it went pretty well. Friday worked out OK - lunch at Wagamamas in the Prudential Center and dinner at an Italian restaurant in the North End. Monday - the day of the actual marathon - was also mostly good with lunch at a vegan restaurant in Cambridge (Veggie Planet) and dinner was take-sway from PF Changs. Then things went awry because my wife - who ran the marathon - ended up in the hospital with We spent most of the night in the emergency room at Beth Israel Hospital, and she was admitted around 4:30AM. The sleep deprivation & stress completely detailed Tuesday which was a major fail. Will pick it back up today - No S all the way! PS: my wife is fine, no permanent damage done - but it was pretty bad there for a while.

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:03 pm

Looks like I am still suffering from sleep deprivation... My wife had hydration issues, a combination or variation of dehydration and/or hyponatremia, which is a dangerous condition if sodium level of blood drops too low; likewise potassium, which is vital for heart function.

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:34 am

Oh no, so sorry to hear about your wife! Hope she is recovering okay - that is a huge bummer. I heard it was going to be very hot - did she finish? It must have been very scary to go through that. Hugs to you both!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:10 pm

Amy hi yes thanks - Kathy did finish, she has her medal and very proud of it!

I am down to 165 lbs this morning, bodyfat percentage down to about 18% to 19%. Down a total of 7 lbs from when I started 'No S' on March 26; not bad for a little more than 3 weeks. Best thing is I don't feel 'deprived' in any way, and there are no daily hassles with counting calories!

On Sunday I am off to Africa for 18 days but it should not be too difficult to stay on track as we will be very busy during the day, not many opportunities for snacking or junk food etc. My only worry is not getting in my usual near-daily run. Will just have to put in a few miles here and there and not totally give up on it.

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 7:04 pm

So glad to hear that for all that suffering she did earn her medal! A DNF would have really been a shame...

It's very encouraging to hear of your No-S success, Bert. Have a great trip to Africa, perhaps I can look forward to seeing some of your fabulous photos when you get back! And get your thoughts on doing No-S while travelling...

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Mon May 14, 2012 10:37 am

Back from Africa and eager to resume the No S Diet in full force; managed to stay mostly on course while in Uganda and Rwanda the last few weeks.

Even so all the travel days - we spent many hours in a vehicle driving between towns - and the lack of exercise opportunities as well as limited food choices made it tough to be 100% compliant.

The good thing is that I did not put on any weight while away, which is very unusual on trips like these!

Will get right back to my usual running program and weight-lifting today; in fact ran 6 miles yesterday and it felt great.

I hope all the mothers and grandmothers had a fantastic Mother's Day!

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:27 am

Thanks and welcome home!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:43 pm

About time to check in again! Had a few lapses recently but in my 'defense' it was during a 6-day long weekend in South Beach. Too many mojitos and other tall drinks with lots of ice in them. Back to the usual routine now, and also in a new age group (for running). So lots of motivation to maintain the downward weight trend. I was down to 165 but have crept back to 168. Time to re-focus!

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:13 am

Nice to see you here again, Bert, and congrats on getting a new age bracket for running!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:12 pm

Have been unable to run for almost 2 months now (except for a few short jogs with the dogs) due to plantar fasciitis. Which caused my weight to go back up to 172 (was at 160 in Mid-April). Rather discouraging but I haven't quit yet. Have been doing quite a bit of rowing on the C-2 ergometer, and still working out regularly with a PT 2 to 3 times per week.

As for 'No S' it got sidelined there for a while due to the no-running blues, but I am firmly back on the bus, today will be my 5th straight green day.

Interestingly, my weight is not coming off as quickly as the previous time when I adjusted to No S, when I lost several pounds within a matter of days. Nothing so far this week; I will cut down a bit on portion sizes and take it very easy on the weekends as well.

Georges Sen-Gupta · Post by **Georges Sen-Gupta** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:49 pm

Hi Bert

Is there anything that really helps your motivation?

regards

Georges

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:15 pm

For me success begets success; for example when my 5K times start to improve, I want to see more improvement, so I train harder, drop more weight and so on. I guess it is a kind of positive re-inforcement.

Same thing with weight loss; as soon as I start to get some compliments about looking good, or fitting into clothes better, it encourages me to be even more diligent.

Up to a point though; usually some kind of emotional or work-related stress or an injury derails the whole thing after a few months and then I have to start over.

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 11:37 pm

Back again, this time combining the 'No S' diet with a DietBet, participating in a 28-day friendly 'bet' with several hundred other people. Each of us put up $25; if you lose 4% of your body weight over the 28 day period, you get your money back plus a share of the amount forfeited by the ones who don't make it.

Red day today - even though it was only a couple of chips and some hummus... Been drinking a lot of tea (white and oolong) whenever I feel a 'snack attack' coming along.

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:40 am

Hi Bert! Nice to see you back here!
Good luck with your bet - that sounds like some serious motivation!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:31 pm

Plantar fasciitis seems to be finally gone after 2 years of preventing me from running, back on the roads now for 5 weeks, very happy about that. So it is time to focus on consistent and sustainable weight loss again, my weight has crept up by nearly 10 lbs over the last few months, nearly 20 lbs in 2 years' time... Today will be day 2 for the new and improved No S program, 2014 model year. Good luck to everyone else on the bandwagon!

BertinHouston · Post by **BertinHouston** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 3:42 pm

Yesterday = fail. All went well until dinner time but there happened to be an open packed of Dove chocolate around... Instinctive behavior I guess...

Still down 2 lbs for the week.

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 10:44 am

Oh, I recognize that fail. In the past, I found that over time, once I had a couple of 21 days down, the automaticness of it reversed and I forgot that I'm allowed on S days (just to be clear - I'm not there currenlty). Hope we both hit that spot soon - I know we can.

Everyday Systems

Bert's occasional check-in

Bert's occasional check-in

Still down after first weekend

Motivation