No S Diet making my problem abundantly clear to me

Lynn123 · Post by **Lynn123** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:43 am

I see more clearly than ever that I am a compulsive eater. I'm on my 10th day. I had only one red day so far. But when the S Days roll around, I basically eat all day long, although that was not my plan for the day.

I read the book and remember that he said many people binge a little on S days at first, then settle down. That's what I want to do. Still have them feel free, but a small sweet or small snack that feels special instead of obsessing with food all day.

So tomorrow is Sunday, and I want to try the above. Wish me luck and thanks for listening.

Imogen Morley · Post by **Imogen Morley** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 9:43 am

Definitely wishing you all the luck! One small reminder, though: S-days DO get better, but it's a long process. How long? It varies much from person to person. But "premature optimization" very rarely brings the results we were hoping for, and that comes from the self-styled "Mod Queen", now at peace with plain vanilla.

RAWCOOKIE · Post by **RAWCOOKIE** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 9:53 am

My experience was that the S days do indeed change. I'm into Year 2 of No S now, and my S days are more like N days, but with a snack or dessert thrown in as part of a meal. But at first, I was cramming in the sweets, cookies, chips, chocolate, all things that I craved. Once my body got used to having three meals a day, I found that my S day 'treats' were filling me up too much to enjoy my meals, and gradually I've shifted the focus to the meals more than the snacks. It IS a gradual process, but because it's gradual, it's also a lasting habit. Keep going with getting those N days right, and the S days will change.

Lynn123 · Post by **Lynn123** » Sun Jul 17, 2016 10:42 am

Thanks so much to both of you for those encouraging words. Even though I knew I was obsessed with food my whole life, the No S Diet really puts it on full display.

But, the encouraging thing is to see that #1-I am capable of sticking to the N Day rules, and #2-that No S Diet has caused my food compulsion days to be herded into a smaller space-two days vs. seven days. That, in itself, is quite a huge improvement. I mean, HUGE!

I reread the part of the book re S Day bingeing. I can relate now to how it feels to fear S Days without the help of the N Days rules. I've shown myself so very many times that I cannot control my eating when left to my own devices. But I look forward to becoming able to do it, even without the rules.

I'm gonna hang in there and not quit. Thanks again for the encouragement-words have great power coming from others.

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 3:31 am

I know what you mean! I never realized how much I used to snack all day until I started following No-S! It also showed me what my triggers were and over time I'm developing different responses (like going for a cup of tea instead of a snack, drinking more water, etc...)

My S days were very binge-y at first, and are less so now. Today I had:

part of a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee at church for breakfast

half a ham sandwich, some potato salad, and a small handful of doritos for lunch.

Around 3 I "had the munchies" which used to happen all the time--where you go to the kitchen to "look for something good," don't really find what you are looking for but feel the urge to just start eating various things to see if anything satisfies. In the past, I'd have eaten quite a few things in that state! This time I had 4 small pretzels dipped in Nutella, and decided my "munchies" phase wasn't really hunger and wasn't really going to be satisfied by anything in the house, and it just didn't make sense to keep eating. This is NOT a thought-process that I ever had pre-No-S!

For dinner I had a chicken thigh, some more potato salad, a spinach and lettuce salad with "Bacon and Tomato" dressing, a scoop of baked beans, and a piece of garlic bread (we used the "large" corelle dinner plates, & all this fit on one plate.)

Then we played a family game and had some ice cream for dessert later. I thought about having seconds on ice cream since I can't have more tomorrow. Then I thought it sounded like a lot of sugar and that I'd had plenty, and didn't really want more. Again, not a thought-process I would have had pre-No-S.

Not the best nutrition overall, but seriously tame for an S day compared with the beginning days for me! Not that I don't still have S days where I eat or snack more--but they are just tamer overall than when I started 7 months ago.

All that to say, yes, hang in there, and don't sweat the S days. They do get better over time, and you really do want to focus on N day habits instead. Those good feelings you get from not overeating and from having more organized and regulated eating patterns are what will eventually start to "leak" into your S days and change how you think about what and how much you eat. Give yourself time. The habits you have now didn't develop overnight

. It's okay to give the S days time to work out and to really just focus on N days.

osoniye · Post by **osoniye** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:56 am

Merry above said it all!
I'll just add that my S days have become a convenience for social events. It's nice to know if I am going somewhere and don't know if there will be a sweet served, or if I'll want seconds of something special, that I am free to have some on an S day. The same goes for a meal out- I might want something from the bread basket or some chips or a dessert coffee.
I rarely buy something to bring home anymore. I might stop and get some cake or a doughnut in a cafe, but that is rare. I really like my meals!

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:47 am

Diets have led us to believe that we are supposed to be able to adopt different eating quite quickly. We gotta get this down! Things have to CHANGE!

Some people rather easily get into the whole groove quite quickly. Most take longer. You're only a couple of weeks in!

If you are open to a gentle suggestion, from a veteran of many wild S days for a long time, try being very purposeful for awhile to plan other engaging activities on the weekend, if you don't already. It's still a challenge for me, but I see now it would have helped not to have so much unstructured time.

If that's not an issue for you, i.e. if most of your permasnacking is social or PART of the activities, well, then, shut the front door!

Give it six months. And enjoy every bite you DO take- or don't take it.