Naturally Slim Program
Replies
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I have small hands. I'd starve. :noway:EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Here is an example of the kinds of stellar advice you can expect from the moderator, and some of the NS faithful.
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
That's 2 of us dead
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EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Here is an example of the kinds of stellar advice you can expect from the moderator, and some of the NS faithful.
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
Lol. No. I absolutely count calories because I am eating foods that I love, but need to make sure I'm not blowing my calorie brains out on them and that they fit into my overall nutritional needs as well.
I don't really feel tracking calories is a diet plan in the strictest sense. The kitchen scale is merely a tool of measurement, just like the bathroom scale is. Is someone who weighs themselves a few times a week dieting necessarily, or simply gathering data points? That's how I view using a kitchen scale, too.
When I think of a diet plan in its purest sense, it seems to be all about what foods you can eat and what foods you can't, usually based around a 'good vs evil' mindset.
Calorie counting isn't.12 -
EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
That's funny. Counting calories has been the only lifestyle change I've ever made that IS maintainable. [edit - with respect to food]6 -
EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Here is an example of the kinds of stellar advice you can expect from the moderator, and some of the NS faithful.
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
Honestly, coupled with only eating twice a day I could see this diet quickly devolving into a VLCD for some people (me, at least). Sometimes the more mindful I become, the more obsessed with the minute details I get. I had this problem during previous experiments with eating mindfully and listening to my hungar signals, I'd slowly eat my way through maybe five or six bites then wouldn't feel "hungry" but had no sense of "eating to satisfaction" and ended up undereating until the inevitable food-fest ended the experiment.8 -
I have small hands. I'd starve. :noway:EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Here is an example of the kinds of stellar advice you can expect from the moderator, and some of the NS faithful.
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
This might be one of the first situations in which I'd be grateful for having giant man-hands, despite being a smallish woman. (Srsly: Size 10 ring finger, even at 120 pounds. Crazy!)5 -
Stellar advice from the NS Message Board of the day in reference to someone concerned that she is only eating about 800 calories per day after tracking for a few days because she is waking up hungry overnight and is feeling lethargic:
"Calories don't matter. Don't worry about them."7 -
EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Stellar advice from the NS Message Board of the day:
"Calories don't matter. Don't worry about them."
Does gravity not matter either? Because then I can just make up my own weight in the fairytale fantasy land where calories don't exist
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I have small hands. I'd starve. :noway:EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Here is an example of the kinds of stellar advice you can expect from the moderator, and some of the NS faithful.
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
This might be one of the first situations in which I'd be grateful for having giant man-hands, despite being a smallish woman. (Srsly: Size 10 ring finger, even at 120 pounds. Crazy!)
My size 6 rings are spinning freely but not quite falling off. With a few more pounds to lose, I'm hoping I don't have to get them resized.3 -
I have small hands. I'd starve. :noway:EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Here is an example of the kinds of stellar advice you can expect from the moderator, and some of the NS faithful.
"Don't count the calories. If you are counting calories you are most likely not eating foods you love. Foods that make your mouth water. Remember, counting calories is a diet and they are not a lifestyle change that is maintainable. A fist sized meal of foods you love is maintainable. "
This might be one of the first situations in which I'd be grateful for having giant man-hands, despite being a smallish woman. (Srsly: Size 10 ring finger, even at 120 pounds. Crazy!)
My size 6 rings are spinning freely but not quite falling off. With a few more pounds to lose, I'm hoping I don't have to get them resized.
That is awesome. Well done 🎉2 -
EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »Stellar advice from the NS Message Board of the day:
"Calories don't matter. Don't worry about them."
Does gravity not matter either? Because then I can just make up my own weight in the fairytale fantasy land where calories don't exist
I am starting to see the GRAVITY of this person's situation.2 -
I signed up for this program through my work for free too. I'm on week 3. I admit, I'm not actually following it because it's stupid. I don't know why I keep watching the videos. Today I posted on their community boards about my difficulties with their "fist sized" amount of food. I'd had a big salad for lunch and I could still eat. They are SURE it's because I didn't what what I love. Apparently, if I ate a fist-sized serving of chicken spaghetti carbonara or a Bacon Temptation Omelet from IHOP (1100+ calories btw) that would have satisfied me for 6 to 8 HOURS and I wouldn't still want food. Oh, and it's not only acceptable, but encouraged to skip breakfast, eat one or two meals a day of only fat-laden, butter-dripping food and perfectly alright that I'd literally never eat another vegetable if I only ate what I loved (except sugar and milk? apparently). I'd still lose weight and be healthy.
That's where they lost me. I may be a terrible dieter...I've never been able to stick even to MFP logging, but NO ONE will ever convince me that it's healthy to never eat anything green. Nope.4 -
I feel this thread is opinion skewed from the get go. I'll admit my work just started offering this and we started the program yesterday. I am definitely skeptical, but not going in to it scornfully. I'm open to learning what I can that will work for me. I'm not trying to lose weight as much as changing how I eat so I don't gain weight. I'll find a different, more neutral fact based thread to follow for others checking the program out, though.
Well, there aren't any other current discussions, so I'll just have to swish a grain of salt around in my mouth and follow here, lol.2 -
I know this is an old post, but it's showing up in my recent post section. So, in the event it's still active...
I've tried to do this program twice, both times through work at a hospital. it was free both times. And both times I tried to do it, I couldn't make it through the first few weeks. The concepts are not that difficult - and they make a lot of sense for me. I know I don't have a good relationship with food. I know I don't eat mindfully. the point of the program is to learn NOT to rely on calorie counting etc, and to learn just how to eat until you are satisfied and then be done. Which makes perfect sense, really. In my head, I wanted to like it. It is well supported with data, it is supported by medical professionals - it's good for diabetics (the orange juice thing, which I know people have problems with is likely a non issue. The ratio of OJ to water is so small...it mostly just tastes like weird water). I know people have been successful with it long term.
BUT....
The videos are the most irritating videos Ive ever had to sit through in my entire life. I didn't find them helpful, they seemed too long and just drug on and on and on. The second time I tried to do it was after the "new and improved" version came out - still boring, still annoying. As I'm typing this I can hear the voice of the creator (who is in most of the videos) and it just makes me cringe. I couldn't keep up with watching the videos every week - they are not really that long, but I'm a single mom with a toddler and I work full time - by the time I was able to view them, I was exhausted. I didn't find the community to be particularly helpful. And the whole H2Orange thing was just terrible. There is nothing about diluted orange juice that is enjoyable - at all. It left a gross taste in my mouth all day. I think it works - it did help me feel better throughout the day without snacking, but its sort of awful. I did start adding some flavoring agents to it (the no calorie powders) and that helped, but I'd rather just drink water.
It was really difficult for me to get behind the "only these things for hunger savers" concept. I get it, but it didn't work for me. Some of the options are just like, triggery foods for me (peanuts and I are not friends) strawberries were difficult to keep around without them going bad.
I had a really hard time (as others have posted) eating one food at a time. Again, I get it - pick your favorite, even if its dessert, and eat as much of it as you want. But once you eat something else, you can't go back to it. For those of us who really struggle with portion control, it's not a bad idea - It just makes you think really carefully about eating and enjoying it, rather than gorging and binging. But, It was difficult to do that in my life - with kids and meals with them and just truly having a difficult time sitting and focusing that much on a meal. It also became sort of nerve wracking for me to not log my food, but that's just me.
I also think that it is a program that is sort of easy to take the wrong way - especially for those of us (myself included) who may live on the fringes of disordered eating. Like...the idea of the program is just to learn to eat "normally" - and I totally get that and appreciate it's goals. But there were definitely times when my slightly disordered eating brain was like "what you really want is pizza. So just eat only pizza, because that's what they're saying. Skip the veggies. You don't want them" And that's not really the point - it's the Konmari of food - don't eat certain foods because you're supposed to - eat what you enjoy and ACTUALLY enjoy it. I get it, I like it, I believe it...be also, no. lol. Sometimes I CAN'T eat the things I REALLY want. Sometimes we have to learn to like salads, and learn to like to eat things without so much butter on them, etc etc etc.
All that being said, I do still try to do some of the things - NS is big on not eating until you're hungry, regardless of what time it is and learning what your hunger schedule actually is. And that's actually super helpful. Turns out, I'm not actually hungry in the morning until close to 11. I do try to pay attention to why I want to eat - am I bored? thirsty? having a bad day? or am I actually hungry? I do try to chew more slowly and actually taste what I'm eating. I do try (and frequently fail) to actually stop eating once I'm not hungry anymore vs. always finishing what's on my plate.
All in all, it's like a lot of other things - its a great program, if you have the time and you're able to fit it into your life. But if it doesn't fit well and you can't make it fit (or you just simply cant tolerate the ladies voice and the irritating videos) its probably not for you. If you can get it free through work, it's definitely worth a shot (and hey, I got a free wireless digital scale out of the deal, so there's that. lol) but if not, its SUPER expensive, and make sure you know what you're getting into before you pay for it.7 -
girlinahat wrote: »EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »The Pringles and peanuts are part of an exercise in taste satisfaction. You smell one chip, lick it, then eat it slowly. Then you eat a chip as fast as you can. Which tasted better? What flavor did you taste eating slowly vs fast?
Repeat with the peanuts.
Pringles have the stated flavour on one side only, so do they tell you to compare sides and which you prefer?
They do, actually.
I'm only on Day 2, but one thing from watching all the videos yesterday for Week 1 that hit home was the part about your stomach not having taste buds. It was the video about slowing down your eating, which is a problem I have. I eat while doing other things and I eat fast and then it's gone. Yes, I knew this was a bad habit before I started the program, but sometimes you need that quote that sticks in your head. My other quote that helps me out is "You can't out exercise a bad diet".0 -
@barefootbridgey We do make fun of the practiced hand gestures and slowing down words for emphasis in the videos during our lunch break at work lol.1
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EvilShenanigansTX wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »My biggest issue would be keeping a straight face at these meetings.
It actually videos you watch at your own pace. I am free to laugh, scoff, or snooze... 🤣
Those videos are just the worst, aren't they?
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elisa123gal wrote: »why does everything need to be so extreme? It isn't natural to eat one pile of food at a time on your plate. Do they realize how weird that is? Can you imagine going out to dinner in a social situation and doing that? Or worse.. talking about it. Shedding pounds is just common sense when you get down to it.. eat healthy foods ..move more..and seek balance where food doesn't dominate life. In short don't overeat.
I get what they're trying to do. One big tip most weight loss experts say is to slow down on eating..don't be in front of a computer.. chew.. take your time. That is good advice. So they build a diet around that and add a timer?
I've tried this program twice and it failed for me both times. In part because of those two things. I'm not a huge proponent of the program myself (at all), and I agree with you - I get what they are trying to do. But...also they dont really build you a diet. And the timer and the "eat one at a time" are (I think, anyway...I never made it past the first month because the videos enraged me. lol) sort of like training tools. At least that's how I looked at them. To me, it was more like a crash course in how people who are naturally thin eat - not that they eat one food at a time, or that they need a timer, but they take their time. That they enjoy their food and taste it, rather than just eating and eating and eating and jumping from hungry to miserable. Not unlike going to the gym and having no idea how to actually workout - it seems easy, but is it? If you are so out of shape and have terrible form etc etc? Sometimes we need training tools. lol
Again. I wouldn't personally do this program again. And I agree with you - but it has been successful for a lot of people I worked with (not me though), so for some people (not me) it might be worth a shot.0 -
100% working for me. I’m not losing fast, but I am losing consistently. Counting everything, making sure everything is the “right” food, logging and weighing was just too much - total lost in a year @ 5 pounds (because I was always falling off and starting over). On this program, I watch the videos on Monday morning, eat whatever’s handy for lunch and dinner and I’m down 10 so far this year (for a total of 15 since the doctor realized how much I’d gained in menopause). I don’t even feel like I’m doing anything - the calorie counting was so much more work. Any time I feel like I overate, I just wait to get back to the right level of hunger and resume good habits. It may not work for everyone, but it’s been a lifesaver for me.0
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Being on programs where someone told me how and when to eat, for the last 40 years, is what brought me to mfp as an obese adult.
I've learned more in the last 4 months here than I did in all those years on all those plans. I'm down 35 pounds, eating in a sustainable way and have adapted to a calorie deficit easily.
Some of the rules on your current plan sound ridiculous to me, one of them being not to combine flavors. That's just plain dumb.9 -
Hi, I just started the program on Monday, and I've been struggling with some parts of it and I'm glad to see a few folks who are doing it but aren't part of the NS boards themselves. I just don't see good advice there - a teacher said that they don't have the freedom to just eat whenever they want (I have a similar problem with my job) and everyone was "H2oj H2Oj!" and that's just... I can't.
Right now, I'm struggling with the sugar reset. My breakfast for at least the last ten years had been a glass of milk and a couple of pop tarts. It got me through the morning to lunch. I would have a single can of soda at lunch and a soda at dinner. Now, they say not to count calories, but I've been counting calories for the last year or so, just trying to maintain at 2000 calories a day, so I know that by losing those Pop Tarts and cans of soda, I've just lost 700 calories a day. Now, even this site is saying if I want to lose the weight I want, I need to be down to 1500 calories a day - I've been a little less this week, because I haven't recalibrated what to buy to make up for some of that missing 700 calories. I am always hungry, all day, this whole week. I've been drinking the 60 ounces of water a day they want me to drink, it's been less of a burden than I thought it would be, but it's still not really possible for me to go eat a meal only when I'm hungry (which, as I've said, has been all day all week).
That Monday night, I woke up at 3:30 AM and I was completely at what they call a level 3, maybe a level 4, of hunger. Was I supposed to get up and make a meal at 3 in the morning? I have enough problems with disordered sleeping to really want to do that.
I'm also not completely sure what I'm supposed to do when the 10-5-10 is up, and I still have food. I remember the videos scoffing at all of us being told not to waste food, but not, you know, WHAT TO DO SO I DON'T WASTE FOOD.
I think the slow eating and mindfulness will be really helpful, and if I can kick sugar back to a sometimes food, that'd be great, but I'm just not feeling supported in this first week and I do worry about long-term stickiness. Just reading this one thread about other people going through it and having some of the same qualms I'm having right out of the gate has been more supportive than a dozen "H2oj" posts.4 -
I feel this thread is opinion skewed from the get go. I'll admit my work just started offering this and we started the program yesterday. I am definitely skeptical, but not going in to it scornfully. I'm open to learning what I can that will work for me. I'm not trying to lose weight as much as changing how I eat so I don't gain weight. I'll find a different, more neutral fact based thread to follow for others checking the program out, though.
Well, there aren't any other current discussions, so I'll just have to swish a grain of salt around in my mouth and follow here, lol.
If your employer signs you up for my "I will make you smarter program", you know the one I will start running soon where I will be smacking each participant for 10 minutes at a time upside their head (in a non permanently harmful manner)... would you stick to it and also feel that my program should be given a fair shake and not be reviewed too negatively?
Just wondering...5 -
mjohemme wrote: »
I feel this thread is opinion skewed from the get go. I'll admit my work just started offering this and we started the program yesterday. I am definitely skeptical, but not going in to it scornfully. I'm open to learning what I can that will work for me. I'm not trying to lose weight as much as changing how I eat so I don't gain weight. I'll find a different, more neutral fact based thread to follow for others checking the program out, though.
Well, there aren't any other current discussions, so I'll just have to swish a grain of salt around in my mouth and follow here, lol.
Hang in there - there is at least one other person on this thread willing to look at behavior instead of counting everything. I’m on week 23 and just had a pulled pork sandwich and cheese fries for lunch. Ate slowly until I was comfortably full and I’m at the lowest weight I’ve been in at least 5 years. Clothes fit, no feelings of deprivation and I got my life back. As I said before, it may not work for everyone, but I’m no longer a skeptic. Did I mention that my blood pressure is also back into the “textbook” range? (Quote from the nurse at my physical).0 -
And people say counting calories is tedious. Eating with a timer? What do you do in social settings? What caused this place of employment to choose this program and what were the other options?4
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Me again - one of the few NS supporters on this thread. I don’t think anyone on this thread is wrong - just know that everyone has to find what works for them. This week I was on a vacation involving lots of buffets. Ate what I wanted, including pizza and desserts, chewed it slowly and enjoyed it and saw another loss on the scale this morning. For most of you, calculating exact calories on vacation is easier than just taking your time to eat, but Naturally Slim continues to work for me. Allow for the possibility that it might work for someone even if your success is found differently.1
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For clarification...
I am on week 3 of the NS program, and I think there are some misunderstandings surrounding several things people are posting. First of all, the program DOES NOT say you must drink H2Orange everyday. In fact it says H2Orange OR water. It simply suggested that you MUST stay hydrated because many people mistake dehydration for hunger. I have only drank water because I’m not a fan of watered down orange juice, and staying hydrated HAS helped my hunger and cravings.
Another misunderstanding is the hunger savers. It clearly says in the program that there are MANY foods that can be hunger savers... not just their suggested list. These are only to used when you are truly hungry and have an hour or so before you can sit down to a meal.
I have lost 6 pounds in the first 2 weeks of the program and feel great. I have no idea what the rest of the program will be like, but so far I have learned a few new ideas that I will add to my knowledge about how I view food.
And so you all know... I am also a fan of MFP and have used it for several years. I see where both NS and MFP can be utilized together.
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chandralanelle wrote: »For clarification...
I am on week 3 of the NS program, and I think there are some misunderstandings surrounding several things people are posting. First of all, the program DOES NOT say you must drink H2Orange everyday. In fact it says H2Orange OR water. It simply suggested that you MUST stay hydrated because many people mistake dehydration for hunger. I have only drank water because I’m not a fan of watered down orange juice, and staying hydrated HAS helped my hunger and cravings.
Another misunderstanding is the hunger savers. It clearly says in the program that there are MANY foods that can be hunger savers... not just their suggested list. These are only to used when you are truly hungry and have an hour or so before you can sit down to a meal.
I have lost 6 pounds in the first 2 weeks of the program and feel great. I have no idea what the rest of the program will be like, but so far I have learned a few new ideas that I will add to my knowledge about how I view food.
And so you all know... I am also a fan of MFP and have used it for several years. I see where both NS and MFP can be utilized together.
From what I understand the program had a revamp since I did it a few years ago. That may be one of the differences. When I took it they recommended making up a big pitcher of H2Orange and recommended sipping it all day long to keep blood sugar levels stable to reduce hunger. They said water was acceptable if you were out of H2Orange, but they really pushed the watered-down OJ as a key to success and not really something that was optional.1 -
it sounds top me it uses a mindful eating approach. Nothing special, nothing new, but you need support and motivation, and a deep understand of mindfulness. I have read a book by Jan Chozen Bays and was very interesting!1
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lol, anything to sell books and programs that are "specific" to people who have problem with weight loss. Let's be honest. People who are leaner just do ONE thing better than those who overeat and are overweight............................they eat what the burn in a day. It's a simplistic approach but people who can't seem to do it ALWAYS claim they say it's not enough food for them. DUH if it wasn't, they wouldn't gain weight. We need to get over the mentality that eating enough for 2 people is why we're a fat nation overall.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I consider diet to be a noun and not a verb. It should be a sustainable eating regimen that you enjoy. Eating one thing at a time is neither enjoyable nor sustainable. Losing weight is basically calories in and calories out. If the calories in are more than the calories out you gain weight. I find meals that consist of fresh foods (legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and healthy proteins work for me). The Mediterranean diet or similar are enjoyable, healthy and sustainable. Avoid highly processed foods. The rest is all snake oil.1
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