Keep being drawn to No S

That was my major motivaton when I started. Yes, especially since I was compulsively eating sweets/fatty refined starches, and it was escalating, I'm pretty sure my life would have gotten even more miserable. I wish I could claim that I rarely overeat now, but it's just on less food. I maintain a 45-lb. loss, but it's a goal this year to figure out what level of eating is moderate for my body now regardless of weight. For years, that amount of food was clearer and more satisfying. Now I feel full too often, but still want food. But I doubt any diet is going to show me that any better, so here I stay and keep experimenting.

See you on the "How are you doing on No S thread"?

Your last post made a lot of sense Oolala. Yes, I have heard this before and made lists before but I need to face the stark reality that if I do not change my eating I will spend my remaining years like this and almost certainly looking and feeling worse and worse.
Yesterday I ate just three meals and today I am sitting drinking a cup of hot Bovril instead of having a late afternoon snack. Hot drinks of fruit and herbal teas kept me away from food last night and could be a godsend.

I humbly suggest you mull over what pleasure you actually do get from overeating/frequent S's- because we do get some pleasure from it!-, what displeasure you get from them, too, and what the advantages might be to adopt systematic moderation, especially over the alternatives. Also thinking about how much discomfort you'd be willing to put up with periodically to adjust to new habits. And vs. living the way you do with food now for years longer. Getting that clear can often help galvanize efforts. Not necessarily making it a breeze but making it seem worth getting through the tough moments, realizing that they are temporary. It's never really THAT long before you can eat again! And have whatever food you were thinking of eating (besides sweets) on your plate at that very next meal, if you choose.

Gaa, you've probably read these thoughts before, too. I just got to the point where I realized if I didn't do something, I would compulsively overeat for my remaining decades on Earth. This seemed like my best bet.

Thanks for the reply Oolala. I have come across your posts on the main site over the last few years as I have lurked there off and on. More off than on! I will post on the thread you suggested. I have read the No S book more than once. The only thing I haven't done is stick to it for any length of time! Although I could lose some weight that isn't the most important motivation, I am spoiling my long awaited retirement, getting depressed and scared about my health. Jean

Welcome! I hope you'll join me on the How are you doing? thread. It's our chat thread. It's the most likely place anyone will see your questions. Truth be told, we have only a few people posting, but in my experience on Spark, that's all it takes.

I've been doing No S (or some mods that I am evolving, but I'd rather not go into) for nine years,maintaining a 26% loss of my bodyweight. (I didn't lose it all up front.) I considered myself a binger and I continued to pretty much overdo it on weekends for a long time. BUT that meant I was actually binging a lot less often, and was so grateful for N days that I kept going. Though I was at the low end of the obesity scale, weight loss was not my focus. But weight loss continued in fits and starts. Reducing my compulsive overeating was the goal and No S has been THE game changer for me. I'm convinced nothing else could have got me where I am, which is weighing a bit less than I weighed in high school and in the middle of my "normal" BMI range.

I participated a lot (and still do some) on the original site. It's slowed down there a lot, but if you are interested at all in this, I do recommend that you visit occasionally and either listen to some podcasts or read the transcripts. And if you haven't read the main page, that's a hoot. You don't HAVE to read his book, but it is a gem as well. So rational! Without all the gushing of diet books

Sorry to go on so long beyond a simple welcome but I want you to know there is hope!

Edited by: OOLALA53 at: 1/11/2019 (22:59)

I have had weight issues and been dieting off & on for 55 years. I class myself as a binge eater, get strong sugar cravings every evening but once I start eating sugary/sweet foods I eat and eat till I feel uncomfortable. I've been drawn to No S for a few years but never managed longer than a few days, partly because I am usually in "diet mentality" mode and don't eat enough at the 3 meals to satisfy myself so get so hungry I binge eat again, and partly because feeling "full" after a meal feels uncomfortable and can "trigger" me to binge. Sounds daft I know.
But No S seems so sane, so normal, so far removed from my usual routine of counting calories, carbs, whatever regime I am on, that I still keep wanting to do it.
Yesterday I ate three meals, bigger meals than I normally eat. I went to bed not particularly hungry but happy with myself. Today I went out to lunch with friends and ate what they had, pie, peas, chips and gravy. That's the first time in years I have allowed myself to eat such a calorie laden, large meal. I have bought enough food for a quite substantial meal for husband and I to eat tonight and am feeling hopeful I can make a second day.
I expect I'll be posting on this site quite a lot as I will definitely need advice and support.


Edited by: JEANDC at: 1/11/2019 (10:55)