The Power of Being ON HABIT

No S is about creating habits.

In particular the No S Diet is about creating habits around food that "optimize" our limited will power.

I like that. The acknowledgement that our will power has limits and the idea that we can optimize it.

Since the No S Diet is ALL ABOUT no snacks, no sweets and no seconds except on S days, for me ...

the No S Diet is ALL ABOUT adhering religiously to those three one plate meals each day on N days.

After doing this with consistency and regularity ... unbelieveably,

tomorrow will be my seventh week ....

I have gained quite a bit.

None of it expected,

all of it pretty much effortless.

That is outside of the effort that has been required by me to stick to the simple rule of three one plate meals a day on N Days.

I have gained:

• slowing down when I eat
• being aware of my portion sizes without counting calories or anything else
• enjoying my food
• reducing my treats on S days
• did i say ENJOYING my food?
• being organized in other areas of my life
• being more socially available for events that involve food and eating
• no longer being a member of the clean your plate club

I beleive this is the power of being ON HABIT and I think its pretty darn wonderful!

photo: farmer's market fresh veggies, with avocado-spinach dip, and wyldwood savory baked tofu

Happy Wednesday

Well it's Wednesday. I am not sure that I have a whole lot more to say than that.

It does seem like No S makes it easy to move in and out of routines in life.

This is a neat secondary advantage ...

aiding in organizing your entire life.

Curiously, as I continue on with my No S lifestyle I find that it becomes apparent how much

our eating affects the daily rhythms of our life.

When meals, food, treats have their place ... and ... ahem, have A place, it is ... curious ....

how other things in our lives also fall in line.

I like that.

I like that weekends are even moreso like weekends as accentuated by treats and that special days become even more special days ... and that all this weekendiness and specialness is ... guilt free ... ENJOYABLE ... and manageable.

I also like N days. More sparse and specific, they provide nourishment and ample space for work, productivity ... getting things done.

So today is Wednesday, and back off a little vacation and back into the middle of N days, it is easier to ease back into daily living with my three "plates" a day.

And it is not interminable. Ever. Because there's always the weekend.
And S days ...

never too too far away.

It is Wednesday.

And for me, I would say, it has been a happy Wednesday.

Photo: Amy's www.amys.com Indian Samosa Wrap and urid dal soup with fresh cilantro

No S on the Road

Well we had a lovely time taking No S on the Road! We started out on Saturday evening with a delcious dinner at Native Foods Restaurant. www.nativefoods.com

My husband had the Scorpion Burger ... "Where Scorpion Bay meets Bali... enjoy the slightly spicy ride! Our Bali Burger gets blackened with a veggie chipotle sauce, lettuce, carrot, onion."

While I definetely enjoyed Mina's Macro Bowl ... "Macrobiotics in a bowl. Brown rice, quinoa, tempeh, steamed veggies, sea veggies, sauerkraut & sesame salt garnishes. Served with Mighty Miso sauce. " Chocolate Chip cookies for dessert in our room.

Sunday morning I indulged in a piece of Von's carrot cake and a Starbucks chai tea latte with a water chaser.

That evening we had a special meal at Two Bunch Palms www.twobunchpalms.com Casino Restaurant. We shared the Butter Lettuce Salad ..."tender butter lettuce with poached pear, maytag blue cheese, grapes, toasted walnuts and honey balsalmic dressing."

That was followed by the Oven Baked Portabella Mushroom ... "topped with wilted spinach, garlic and fontina cheese" ... that was so delish it started disappearing before I could get out my camera!

For a main dish my husband enjoyed Vegetarian Penne Pasta ... with sauteed spinach, broccoli, tomatoes and kalamata olives".

While I gnoshed on thoroughly delightful vegan dish especially prepared for moi by the chef. It was tofu, tons of veggies, brown rice and crunchy onion things! WHAT A TREAT!

The next morning was breakfast in the room ... organic yogurt, ezekiel cereal and fresh blueberries topped off with another chai tea latte from Starbucks.

For our final meal on Monday evening we returned to Native Foods and my husband had a Bali Surf Burger ... "What we're famous for! Tanya's sauteed and grilled tempeh, lettuce, carrot, red onion, vegan mayo" with Chile Cheese Fries ... "Native Seasoned Fries covered in Native Chili, Native Cheese and chopped red onions" (sorry those were pretty much demolished before I remembered my camera!)

And I thoroughly enjoyed my Very Voluptuous Veggie Pizza ... "Creamy pesto, grilled veggies, steamed greens, roasted pumpkin seeds, a balsamic drizzle and blackened tempeh "

YUM YUM! That was topped off with a few pieces of Godiva Chocolate and then we were home ... and we woke up and it was Tuesday morning.

Kind of gray and cloudy, outside and in ... it is true, we had so much fun, we were a bit sad to be home.

Raw Food

About four years ago we went RAW.

For about four months. It was actually quite fun.

Another one of our food adventures. It started in the summer, in July.

A very sensible time to go RAW because their are so many great fruits and avocados.

Pretty much both are essential, in my opinion when one goes RAW.

We got a dehydrator, high powered blender, and spiral slicer. We got a very sharp set of knives.

An absolute MUST for raw.

We got raw food cookbooks and went to raw food seminars.

We surfed raw food websites and went to Juliano's in Santa Monica, Ca.

We felt good ... until ... the day came ...

it was November. And more than anything what we wanted was some ...

COOKED FOOD!

Well we kept our dehydrator, our high-powered blender, the spiral slicer, and sharp set of knives and followed a very circuitous route to veganism.

A few months of being RAW will dramatically change your palette.

What used to be scrumptious just is not anymore.

I still use the dehydrator on occassion and make flax seed crackers.

We still use the blender and set of knives.

I couldn't find that darn spiral slicer if my life depended on it although I still make raw "spaghetti" and raw "fettucine alfredo" on occasion.

In the summer I still love some kale salad with Reed avocados and luscious beefsteak tomatoes and I would never give up my scrumptious avocado dips with fresh veggies .

And on occasion I still like to drop in on my favorite raw food restaraunt www.cilantrolive.com

That is where I went for lunch today and had their yummy Spicy Thai Salad.

It IS made of julienne cabbage, carrots, zucchini, green apples, red bell peppers, coconuts and red onions tossed in a sweet almond sauce, topped with spicy cashews.

WHAT A TREAT!

Well I will be hitting the road tomorrow ...

and I will be back on Monday with pictures of my gastronomical one plate expereinces ...

OOPS maybe not!

S DAYS!

Well I WILL be back on Monday with pictures of my gastronomical experiences WHATEVER they turn out to be!!!!

Photo: Spicy Thai Salad from Cilantro Live! restaurant

Short and Sweet

I had a really busy day! It seemed like I just got up and started going and did not stop. Like a top ... all wound up and now I am completely wound down.

I spent a lot of the time at the mall ... wow ... food and eating did not even cross my mind.

I saw a lady with a Starbucks thing and thought ... what is she doing with THAT? It is not an S day!

We had beans and greens for dinner.

I am spent.

Photo: pinto beans, sauted swiss chard and kale, cute little blue corn muffin

Your Hunger, My Hunger, Our Hunger ... Not Reliable!

So I am re-reading the No S Diet Book. I had a professor in college who told me that if I wanted to retain the knowledge that I read, it would be helpful to read the subject matter three times.

There is some truth to this in that it reminds you of things that you registered the first readings, but the amazing thing, is the things that you didn't register...

DID I READ THIS?

We have a lot of concern about hunger these days.

We are told to eat four, five, six, seven times a day. Mini-meals. Healthy snacks.
PRIMING OUR METABOLISM.

But Reinhard Engels points out in his slim tome that this is unnatural, even UNCIVILIZED, making the following point:

"Human beings in traditional societies didn't eat because they were hungry; food was too scarce and precious and hard to prepare for that. Our ancestors went hungry a lot."

I think that is kind of deep.

When you really stop and think about it.

It is really deep.
It kinds of puts food and eating in perspective.

And it is possible, that as Reinhard points at, that as hunger is a biological drive to assure that we do not starve to death,

in the world of 24/7 grocery stores, fast food joints and pizza delivery,

it is entirely possible that your hunger, my hunger, our hunger ....

is not an entirely trustworthy advisor as to when ...

and how much ....

to consume.

Just a thought!

Photo: Homemade rajma curry with cilantro and side salad of mixed greens, carrot, tomato, black olive and EVOO

She Likes to Eat Green Beans

So green beans are in season! YAY!

I am not quite sure what it is about green beans but I JUST LOVE THEM!
They are one of my favorite foods.
So I was super excited when I went to the Farmer's Market and they had ...

you guessed it ... Green Beans!

I love them mostly with Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

All I have to say to that is YUM YUM!

And today as Tuesday, much simpler than Monday.
I am back into work,
back into my N day groove ...

it's all good.

Photo: tofu sausage, steamed GREEN BEANS with EVOO salt and pepper, salad with mixed greens, carrot, tomato, black olives and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

WAhhhhhhH!

The photo today is frozen homemade toll house cookies. Today is Monday, an N day and they are in the freezer where the belong, TODAY.

This morning I was running errands and I drove by Starbucks. My inner toddler through an inner hissy fit as we drove by.
HOW could a chai tea latte POSSIBLY hurt me this morning?
It was so good yesterday!

SHE hasn't quite gotten yet that it was so good YESTERDAY, precisely BECAUSE we do not drink them EVERY SINGLE DAY only on S days.

WAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhH!

was about all she had to say to that. My inner toddler, this tiny chick with a humoungous appetite is not one for logic, common sense or anything even closely approximating reason.

It makes me wonder, you know when I was a REAL KID did they really just stuff a cookie in my mouth to shut me up? Get me off their back? Too much trouble, effort, energy to redirect my energies to something more ... productive?

I don't know how this AWFUL HABIT of mine developed. All I know is that it is possible that playing sensible mommy to an inner two year old might be just as difficult as being a real mommy to a living breathing one.

I'll never know for sure. I can only be certain that she is VERY STRONG WILLED.
Thank goodness I have NO S to help optimize my OWN will power in dealing with her.

Needless to say, mommy won today and she is SULKING but looking forward to the chai tea latte and chocolate chip cookies we will have NEXT SATURDAY!

photo: homemade chocolate chip cookies in the freezer, where they belong, TODAY

S Days

Let's face it, I love S days. Why?

There are so many reasons. First of all they are recommended. I really love that. On the No S Diet you are not only encouraged to participate in S days, you are also encouraged to ENJOY them.

What a concept.

Oh. And there is not just one S day or one S meal ... there are two S days ... every single week.

Imagine that. Saturday and Sunday, every single week.

There are no rules on S days. Finally, that freedom lover within us all get's their day ... I mean ... their DAYS!

I love S days because they give food and eating on the No S diet ... it's appropriate weekend like place. I mean we have weekends for a reason.

But what I really love MOST about S days ... is you can't screw up. There is just NO WAY. I mean THE ONLY WAY you can screw up your S days ... is well, to not insert those five little N days in between them.

I really love that.

Photo: Berkeley Soy Cheese Veggie Pizza and Arugula Salad from Z Pizza

Look Ma' No Hands!

Part of the huge amount of stress of dieting is social occasions.

Now why is that?

Is it because almost every single social occassion involves eating, food, drinking, ingesting, something of some sort?

I don't know for sure, but I'd say .... hmmmmmmmm

Probably.

So if you are on a DIET that implies that you are following a proscribed set of rules about eating, food, drinking and/or ingesting. They might be rules as to WHEN you can eat, they most certainly might have something to do with HOW MUCH you will eat, they might ... if they have a more esoteric bent even have a concern with WHY you are going to eat ... THAT. Most often they will have some say in WHAT you can eat.

Which let me say right now ... is often quite limited in some regard.

SO when you are faced with the myriad and ironically somewhat equally limited options at certain social occasions, well you know ... the opposition ... between WHAT you are SUPPOSED to be eating and WHAT is actually AVAILABLE can often be ... well, HUGE!

So there in is the cause of stress.

But with No S. Guess what? Many of our social occasions fall on the weekend. Now I know not all of them do, but that's all about NWS days ...

ANYWAY ... what I am saying is this.

The large majority of our social engagments occur on Saturday and Sunday ... S days.

When we are allowed to behave like grown-ups with food, take the training wheels off with food and you know take those big hills and drive down those spiral driveways and maybe even dirt bike it and go off road.

This is fun. This is much less stressful than constant inhibition. And just in case we fall over, scrape our hands and knees, forgot to wear our helmets ... what have you ....

there is always Monday when we can pick ourselves up, wash our cuts and scrapes, put on a few bandaids, dust ourselves off, have a nice one plate breakfast and get on with the business of living.

Photo: a rather large piece of Von's German Chocolate Cake

Can't Work ... Too Busy Eating

This week went by amazingly fast. Except for the difficulties of yesterday morning ... which were something like ...

I just wanted to EAT. Pretty much anything would have been allright.

I just wanted FOOD.

When it comes at you like this.

Hard. Strong. Fast.

An instantaneous onslaught of HUNGER

I have learned this is not

Physical Appetite.

No that is EMOTIONAL HUNGER.

Curiously, it was not immediately apparent, the cause. I had to think on it.

For a few minutes.

And then I realized that PROJECT.

That has been on the back burner, the one that has waited

Until all other things got done.

Well, yesterday was the day, to face it.

Apparently I would have much preferred to eat.

Just about anything.

But then I thought of my Habitcal. Hahahaha.

No. Then I realized I was not going to eat.

Pretty much no matter what.

Once I made THAT decision, the only thing left was to

overcome inertia and get on with it.

Which I did.

And by 4:00 in the afternoon I was no longer STARVING.

EMOTIONALLY HUNGRY.

That EMOTIONAL HUNGER it's just so convincing.

I think adhering QUITE RIGIDLY to the precepts of No S is the only way for someone like me to ... you know ... get through it.

And on the other side it feels really nice, clean, even honorable.
Why? Because I DID get to mark my square green on Habitcal and I DID have a tremendous breakthrough on my project ...

which I definitely would not COULD NOT have had if I had slacked off into one of those ...

Can't work ... too busy eating!

photo: homemade pea, cauliflour, tofu curry with cilantro and brown rice