Everyday Systems

Well, today starts two weeks at home - except for when I'm traveling to friends/family.

I am really lucky to have that kind of time off, I know. However, as I posted on my "habit maintenance" thread, No-S@home is challenging for me. And while the time period is liberally studded with S-days, I really don't want to have an S-two-weeks. I'd feel SO crappy at the end of that!

So here's the plan. This weekend and possibly next (technically S-days, but "small s"), I'm going to work on the perma-snacking habit. I can have seconds, sweets, and ONE afternoon snack IF I want it. And I'll try to focus on "real treats" so I don't just consume junk.

Christmas Day and New Year's are both full-fledged, have what I want S-days. (And both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day - we host a big brunch on the day.) No rules, though I may try to be semi-sane.

Other days are normal N-days. I have already planned a real menu for this week. I made sure to include lunches - since I usually do those at work, I don't tend to plan them the same way. I'm making healthy things I like, that I hope that will forestall the snacking that is my downfall at home.

This feels reasonably indulgent to me, with just enough sanity to keep me from being angry with myself at the end of the two weeks.

Anyone else planning how to handle changed schedules like this?

Sounds like you have everything well-planned, and I agree, this should make it *much* easier to stick with your no-essing even while home for two weeks.

As a stay-at-home mom I have to deal with having food in front of me all the time. It was really hard at first, but it gets easier. Plus my DH has Friday's off in addition to S/S so it makes it hard to be good on Friday for me. In fact, he's on an extended vacation too-he's been off since the 5th and doesn't have to go back to work till the beginning of January! Very nice, but I'm getting really used to having him here

What I do is I'm good all day (meaning I follow No-S), then I allow myself a snack or sweet on Friday after supper. Then on Sunday *after* supper, I start No-S again and follow it through Friday evening. It's working for me. I find if I waited till Saturday to start I have a reaaaalllly hard time-I feel deprived Friday all day, lol- and this helps me stick with it far more consistently for some reason

We don't have much in the way of company or parties to deal with so the holidays are relatively easy for me as far as No-s goes. I think what you have planned sounds good, though; reasonable and easy to stick with. Good luck!

KCCC,

That sounds very reasonable.

It's interesting all the ways people tweak no-s around the edges to find the right balance of control and freedom. For you, vanilla no-s doesn't provide *quite* enough control, for Jaxhil not *quite* enough freedom. But all it takes is a slight modification one way or the other to get a very comfortable fit.

I should probably put up a repository page of no-s "mods" at some point, with links to posts like these. Keep us posted as to how they work for you -- because promising as they sound, there's nothing like evidence.

Best of luck (and keep the "mods" coming, everybody),

Reinhard

Update so far...

I had the "small s" S-days on the weekend, as planned. That felt good. Monday was an N-day, and also went fine. (Planning meals helps a LOT.)

Tuesday was Christmas. I ate normally until our "big dinner," then had a big dinner with desserts (yes, plural - but small servings).

Wednesday was "family Christmas" - another S-day, at my mom's (whose mantra is "food is love"). This one was far more indulgent, since we were there all day - I ate a LOT, and did some perma-snacking on sweets.

Today I woke up still feeling yucky-stuffed, and glad to eat "normally." The plan is for today and tomorrow to be N-days.

However, we have PLATTERS of home-made sweets around (courtesy of my mom), so may be a little difficult.

On the plus side, I have done 15 minutes of exercise (minimum) every day except Christmas itself.