Hiatus

This is the middle of my first week of hiatus from the No S Diet boards.

I am not EXACTLY sure why I feel compelled to take such a hiatus, probably several reasons.

Searching for my own undiluted responses and reactions.

Privacy.

Need for stronger boundaries around my time and how I spend it.

Becoming more self-reliant in my No S habits.

I am sure a bit of all of these things are entwined.

Today is Thursdays and I remain, as I have for past 130 amazing days, staunchly GREEN on my N days.

What has been curious is the increase in "mind chatter" this week. Like because I am not doing my daily "check-in" I can now ditch the whole No S diet scheme.

Apparently not so.

Apparently these No S habits are becoming ingrained deep.

In spite of the intensity of certain moments of said "mind chatter" I find myself automatically reaching for and thinking in terms of my one plate or one bowl meals.

It just seems like what's natural.

WOW!

Photo: Peaches and Plums are in season and what I use to fill any extra space on my plate these days!

My Teas!

It is odd I suppose, or maybe not,but what it is coming down to, is that these are my treats - my teas! These are the things that I get most "upset" about giving up when I try to "kick" sugar. That as what I am finding out on my No S journey.

As I move through my S days and proactively plan to give myself whatever I want I have found that I am kind of burned out on chocolate and ... oh my gosh ... DONUTS!

I had moved donuts to Sunday's only last weekend and did the same this weekend. What I found was that when I was finished, I was much to my shock and amazement - totally unsatisfied.

So I went home and had my organic plain yogut, raw, unfiltered honey with walnuts and blackberries.

Ahhhhhhhh! Much better.

But I ALSO noticed that when I drank my chai tea latte www.starbucks.com ALONE (i.e. without donuts), I REALLY enjoyed it and savored it! DELICIOUS. And YES it DOES have as much sugar as a can of coke, but this I am not giving up. This I am starting to understand is what MY S days are for. Some people may swoon over chocolate ... ok, a lot of people do. Other's swoon over their particular tasty treat, for me it's my chai tea lattes.

I suspect I won't have donuts next weekend.
But I know I will have my chai tea lattes and THOROUGHLY ENJOY them.

The other thing I really love is Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf www.coffeebean.com machine brewed iced green teas in the summer. I drink them straight up with no sugar, artificial sweeteners, soymilk, etc. NADA. And I just love them. BUT caffiene is a HUGE issue for me so at the most I can only enjoy one day. On Sunday I tried Japanese Cherry for the first time and surprise! surprise! it was delicious too!

Photos: Starbucks Grande 3 Pump Chai Tea Latte with Soymilk Extra Hot, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Machine Brewed Iced Japanese Cherry Green Tea

I Guess This is What They Mean By Throw Away the Scales!

These are my four month No S Results and my two month working with a Personal Trainer results.

My weight increased this month by 1.3 pounds.
My body fat percentage decreased by .95%
My body fat decreased by 0.9 pounds
My lean body mass increased by 2.2 pounds.

Overall in the two months of training I have lost a total of 11.75 inches. We did the measurments yesterday at the gym.

My two pairs of size 6 pants are on the verge of being unwearable ... to the point that I probably won't wear them because they are too baggy.

Now only 1 pair of skinny jeans and my pencil skirt don't fit.

Hmmmmm..... I am trying to wrap my head around the truth that my weight can go up and my size really can go down.

I guess this is what they mean by throw away the scales!

Photo: Me on the Scale Monster Bwahaaahahhhaaa

Juicy Goodness

I don't really have anything brazilliant to say today.
Not that I have anything brazilliant to say on other days.
I don't have anything compelling to say today.

Perhaps that is it.
Maybe just at four months with no red days, No S is really becoming pure habit and since I don't have to think about it a lot. Maybe I don't have a lot to say about it either.

Rambling, I know.

I wanted to post my picture. I just thought it was so pretty.
The salad and the plums.
Which dripped with juicy goodness.

Photo: Z Pizza Pear and Gorgonzola Salad add Avocado and Plums

Tofu is a Lot Like Chicken

Many people eat chicken as a staple of their diet.

I eat tofu. Tofu is a lot like chicken.

Whether or not it is fresh, and how you prepare it, will have a lot to do with whether or not you like it.

I mean who likes boiled chicken? Get my point?

There are as many ways to prepare and season tofu as there are to cook chicken.
One of my favorite kinds of tofu is Wildwood tofu www.wildwoodfoods.com. They have many flavors, Savory and Aloha are my all time favorites.

I like Savory in and with Salads. (See Above Photo)





And I love the Aloha Tofu with fresh fruit. As you can see in the above photo, I ate it with plums tonight for a very satisfying dinner.

Last night I ate it with the last of our Bing Cherries!

Photos: Z pizza Arugula Salad with Baked Tofu, Baked Tofu with Plums, Baked Tofu with Bing Cherries

Vegan Cheat!

When we went out to eat on Saturday night, our waiter recommended the sole and the bluenose seabass. My husband decided he wanted some. So we went back on Sunday night, it was the last night of the Sardegna regional menu, thus it was the last night for the sole and the sea bass.

I admit, it sounded like something maybe I would like so I started with the Zimino all'Aragosta e Granchio - Crab and Vegetable soup made with fresh Maine lobster stock and my husband had the Insalata de Mare Tiepeda - Warm Seafood salad tossed with fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and pane Carasatu.

Have to admit I only had a few bites of each. BUT I forgot to take pictures. OH WELL.

My main course, pictured above was the Sogliola all Sassarese - Griddled petrale sole with chopped tomato and lemon sauce served with grilled eggplant and yukon gold potatoes.

My husband had the Branzino al Vermentino - Bluenose seabass sauteed with green colossal olives, tomatoes and tarragon on a bed of fregola.

I wish I could say it was great, I loved it.

But the truth was I preferred my vegetarian meal the night before. I always wonder about fish. But the few times I have eaten it the past few years I have just not enjoyed it as much as I thought I would.

OH WELL. Sunday was another good S day, i.e. I was definitely not an idiot!

Photos: Sogliola all Sassarese, Branzino al Vermentino

Definitely Not an Idiot!

Apparently my vacation was very informative!

I took two 3 day weekends in a row with an NWS day in the middle of that. By last Sunday evening I was pretty well stuffed and I don't think I felt hungry again until sometime on Tuesday.

Apparently something registered in the deep inner recesses of my mind, because the last thing I wanted to do this weekend was to revisit that stuffed, bloated, yicky feeling.

For all of you who follow my blog and/or daily check-in thread you know my husband and I go get donuts and tea just about every S day morning.

Last week, after almost four months on NO S I realized I was ready to cut back to just Sundays. I was actually going to start this in August, but apparently I was ready to implement this change this weekend.

So no donuts on Saturday.

Instead I had a machine brewed Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl Iced Tea from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf www.coffeebean.com BEFORE I went to the Farmer's Market and did all my other errands and THEN when I got home, I walked over to Starbucks to get my chai.

I FELT REALLY INDULGED!

When we got home I tried with putting some protien powder in my Monavie. That was pretty much REALLY GROSS! To say it tasted awful was putting it mildly so I won't be naming any names.

Later in the day when I was REALLY HUNGRY I had some Wild Wood baked tofu and cherries. Yes we still have some leftover!

THen I went out with my husband for a delicious Italian dinner at Il Fornaio. They do these regional menus that we really enjoy. You can check it out at www.ilfornaio.com This month the region was Sardegna.

I started with the Insalata al Balsamico - Organic baby lettuces with balsalmic vinagrette pictured above from their regular menu.

My husband started with the Tamata cun Casu - Sardinian Tomato Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Spring Onions, and Sardinian Pecorino from the regional menu.

Then we both enjoyed the Culingiones - Fresh Ricotta, potato and mint ravioli with tomatoes and Sardinian Pecorino from the regional menu. Unfortunately the picture above does not do it justice.

I so enjoyed my yogurts, honey, fruit and nuts last Sunday evening, I was craving this for my treat. So that is what I had for dessert.

It was wonderful to wake up Sunday morning and be hungry. So I have to say that at least for this Saturday I was definitely NOT and idiot!

Photos: Insalata al Balsimico, Tamatta con Cusu, Culingiones, Yogurt with Honey, Fruit and Walnuts

Post Vacation Success

I have to say that for me I was very nervous coming off an eleven day vacation which included 4 regular S days and 3 planned NWS (Non Weekend S) days. Do the math. That left 4 N days out of the entire eleven!

But almost four months of habit made the "transition" back into the real world seamless and pretty much effortless as well.

I am shocked.

Usually after such escapades and episodes there are tragic downward spirals.

Apparently the No S Diet is really different.

Reinhard Engels, the creator of the No S Diet, says that keeping strict with N days is the key.

I would say my direct experience supports this.

The "hard work" you do at the beginning to JUST SAY NO to seconds, sweets, and snacks NO MATTER WHAT really pays huge dividends down the road and I am reaping them BIG TIME.

I am really loving this!

Photo: scrambled eggs and tofu sausage

WHOLE GRAINS plus

I think whole grains are an important part of our diet.

That being said, wheat does not much agree with me. Although I refuse to remove wheat completely from my diet, I do try as often as I can to not eat it and to choose other grains. I will go through periods where I eat a lot of brown rice, corn chips and corn tortillas.

But lately I have been starting eating something for breakfast that I call WHOLE GRAINS plus. It is a mixture of quinoa, teff, and buckwheat. None of these grains have gluten. And I really enjoy it.

This is how I make it:

2 Tbsp Quinoa
2 Tbsp Teff
2 Tbsp Buckwheat
2 pinces of salt
1 cup of water

I place all this in my small Procter Silex Automatic Rice Cooker. I put on the lid, push the cook button and go about my business.

Within thirty minutes the warm button is lit up and I have cooked grains.

I like to eat them with soymilk, fresh fruit and ground flaxseeds. Tonight, I actually ate it for dinner and I made a mix of ground flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

These whole grains have many health benefits and the less processed they are the better they are for us.

I am really glad that I discovered this easy way to make WHOLE GRAINS and now I have it as part of my repertoire.

The most difficult part is figuring out how much water to use in your rice cooker so it doesn't bubble over!

Photo: Quinoa, Teff, Buckwheat mix with Soymilk, Peaches, Blueberry and Ground Flaxseed

Cherry Pie

This weekend we made a cherry pie.

It was not as excellent as our blueberry pie, but I felt kind of proud, pitting the cherries and all.

Tonight our vacation and my bunch of NWS days are over.
I was amazed at how sad I felt and there was this idea of eating, that somehow eating more would prolong it.

I sat on the bench outside of Von's and Starbucks and just felt sad. I knew a piece of cake that I didn't even really want and another chai tea latte was not going to make the vacation last longer.

When I realized it wouldn't I just had to feel the sadness that it was coming to an end and tomorrow all will be back to routine and HABIT, I just went home and had some yogurt. My tummy probably feels a lot better tonight because I had that realization and made that choice.

Vacations are nice.
Much needed breaks.

Hopefully this one has rejuventated me and I can get back into the swing of things tomorrow and just look forward to whenever our next one will be.

Bur right now I just feel kind of sad.

Photos: Homemade Cherry Pie, Slice of Cherry Pie

Maximizing the Real Estate on My Plate

Sometimes on the No S Diet bulletin boards we get into discussions on the size of our plates and how we should stack or not stack things and whether or not we should put fruits and/or salads on our plates. These two pictures show how I use my own plates.

For the most part I use the same size large plate. As you can see in the above picture there is a lot of room/empty space on my plate.

I liken this to a "gourmet dining experience". Often you go to a nice restaurant and a small portion of food is "presented" in the midst of rather large plate. Often the empty space is drizzled with a sauce creating both a tasteful and aesthetic experience.

I forgo the sauce drizzling and enjoy the aesthetics - the clean lines - if you will of the open space.


Other times, I completely MAXIMIZE THE REAL ESTATE ON MY PLATE as in the phote above. Not much more room for anything. It mostly depends on what, when, I am eating and how hungry I am.

This is why I love NO S.
I get to eat as much or as little as I need for that particular meal!

Photos: Baked Tofu with Plums and Z Pizza Pear and Gorgonzola Salad www.zpizza.com , Baked Tofu and Cherries

Life is a Bowl of Cherries

Life is a bowl of cherries.
What does that mean?
That life is ripe and juicy?
That there are pits?
That can be planted?
That life is delicious?
That it is sweet?
Sour?
Tart?
Tangy?

All I know is cherry season is almost over and we have thoroughly enjoyed it this year!

Photo: Bowl of Bing Cherries

Somewhat of an Idiot

I have to say that I was somewhat of an idiot for my Saturday and Sunday S days. We made a homemade blueberry pie. Have never made any pie before. Would not win any contests for beauty but it was delicious beyond belief.

FRESH! Not too sweet. It did not last long and we ended up with tummy aches.

I have to say it was worth it.

I will probably never be able to eat another store bought/restaurant blueberry pie again.

You really just can't beat fresh and homemade.


Vegan Pizza last night for dinner.

Beauty of it all is that today is an N day and I am right back on track.
All of this gives me a greater and deeper appreciation for the No S Diet.

Just wanted to let folks know my blogging slowed way down last week cause we had pet trauma in our home. But now all is healing and getting better.
We are on STAYcation this week, so another week off routine,
BUT NOT OFF HABIT!

My plans are to ENJOY all of it!

Photos: Homemade Blueberry Pie, Blueberry Pie Slice, California Soy Berkeley Veggie Pizza from Z pizza www.zpizza.com

Veggies and Fruit

A few weeks ago I said that I was going to take advantage of the abundance of fresh veggies and fruit at our local farmer's market. I think this particular one plate meal is pretty much a good example of my doing just that.

I have been really enjoying my steamed veggie plates. I was curious how much EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) I was using with my Misto. I tested it earlier this week and three sprays, which is what I put on my veggie plate, is less than a teaspoon.

Pretty good.

The cherries have been delicious too. They usually run through July 4th, so there is a good chance this is the last week.

But now the peaches, nectarines, and grapes are out. There are still strawberries and blueberries.

I'll probably stick with my steamed veggie plates for awhile. They are fun, satisfying and delicious.

Veggies and fruit add up to beautiful one plate meals.

Photo: Steamed Corn, Potato, Green Beans, Carrots, Squash and Red Onion with EVOO, Celtic Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper and a side bowl of Bing Cherries

Whole Grains

I wanted to blog about Whole Grains.

My "new breakfast" is a mix of teff, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, and steel cut oats. I have added in yogurt, ground up flax seeds and fruit.

I like it.

It is satisfying.

At www.whfoods.com World's Healthiest Foods they have a list of the world's healthiest foods and details as to different health properties of each. Many of these alterantive grains are quite impressive.

I bought a little automatic rice cooker this weekend and have been finetuning the water levels so the grains are cooked right and the water doesn't boil over.

I think I am going to stick with this breakfast for a little while.

Photo: Teff, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Barley and Steel Cut Oats with Yogurt, Doughnut Peaches, Blueberries and Ground Flax Seeds