Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 2639 of 3212

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--- In , "crazymom23boys1girl" 
<gobrien25@c...> wrote: 
> Well, my first week of No-S is behind me and I have to admit I 
> didn't do very well at all. I was very good the first day, but it 

> went downhill from there. However, I feel I learned some things. 

....Hi Nancy :) Enjoy your weekend and don't lose hope :)
We all have our own special challenges and crutches we lean on, in 
terms of food, and some of these crutches have been there for 
literally years and years...
The first step in changing ourselves for the better, is simply to 
acknowlege the existence of these obstacles. Now you know, without 
doubt that you depend on sweets for comfort (and I'm trying to 
remember whether your kids are all home with you, young, needing 
lots of attention, etc...and if so who could blame you?) You need 
energy and sugar is a very quick fix for that. Look even health 
professionals I have known suffer from this sugar addiction. I 
recall two surgeons I knew who were both sugar junkies... And they 
*knew* sugar isn't good for the body in large amounts! So don't beat 
yourself up, sugar is a formidable foe, especially if it is serving 
as an emotional medication, as it is for so many of us.
So baby steps, Nancy :) Don't give up. I have been on NOS since the 
last week of August and I was fairly serious in the first few weeks, 
and then I became pretty unstructured from October till December. 
Initially I lost around 6 lbs and took off 2 and a half inches from 
my waist! I will be perfectly content to get through the Winter 
here in NY and just not gain... Once Spring hits I will be walking 
more and burning more calories, so I am sure I will lose more 
then :) But as far as taking the rules really seriously I am re-
committed and ready to roll! Okay so this week you laid down some 
important foundational groundwork and you know what your biggest 
challenge is... it took you a long time to develop these habits, so 
don't cave in and give up if it takes you a similarly long time to 
break some of them... they are toughies.
If you can gradually reduce your sugar, as I have finally done with 
my morning coffee (went from a whopping 4 teaspoons to two! Yikes, 
and this took me a while before I was mentally ready to commit to 
that, crazy as it may seem in retrospect) you will find that these 
everyday adjustments will boost your own confidence and lead into a 
happy cycle, rather than a vicious one... So give yourself a "tweak" 

for being aware of your real diet "demons"... many people would 

prefer to say, "I have bad genes" or "but I am hypoglycemic" or 

other BS...You are looking reality in the face! Kudos! Could you 
try to track the times when you are craving sweets? Also, what type 
of sweets? Are they ice cream? Candy? Soda? If you recognize that 
there's a real pattern going on, you will be more well equipped to 
handle averting it ahead of time... Who knows, maybe you just feel 
frazzled and drained and need some good vitamins? So much of our 
daily dependency on food is mental. Like a baby with a pacifier, or 
a security blanket... From a purely logistical and strategic point 
of view I can say that if you don't bring it into the house to begin 
with, you won't have to say "no" to it when the sugar crazies hit 

you. And don't use your kids as an excuse to have loads of cookies 
and soda around... I did that from Sept 2003 all the way through the 
Winter and into Summer 2004, using my son as an excuse to buy crap! 
We both gained a substantial amount of weight last year, me more, 
but he too had quite a chubby tummy... Not healthy habits for sure.
Tough love was needed and now our sweets consumption is in the range 
of 60-80 percent less! Neither of us feel deprived because we have 
S days to enjoy ice cream. Usually we cheat once in a while but it 
is so rare! Yay :)
Good luck Nancy... Please feel free to write as much as you need if 
you are feeling weak.. I get alot of "comfort" just from my friends 

here :) Applaud every little thing which you do for yourself to 
shape your new destiny! :) (even if it means having 2 cookies 
instead of 3, or 30! LOL :)
Be patient with yourself you are going to do great!
Peace and Love,
Deb