[Shepherdess]

Morning all! I have a couple of days to catch up on. . .

We were having beautiful weather on Wednesday, sunny, not much wind. I hadn’t planned a run but did one anyways because it was too pretty not to. It felt great. We went out to dinner with a friend later that evening and I realized it was Cinquo de Mayo. Everyone else at the table was having a margarita, so I did too. Oh well. I was commenting that for the last several years, DH and I have always wanted to go out on Cinquo de Mayo, but it’s been snowing so we just stay home. I spoke too soon, and the flakes started coming down on our way home.

We woke up yesterday to an inch of snow. Just enough to be a nuisance and make a lot of mud. We got the horse trailer stuck trying to get up our hill. We were going to go buy some bulls in a little town an hour north of here, where they had 10 inches of snow. So all of that slowed us down and what should have been a half-day trip turned into an all-day trip. So there was no exercise yesterday. I did go into a sporting goods store while we were killing time in Buffalo, so I don’t know if looking at hiking boots and camping gear counts. I also picked up some trail maps of day hikes, so I was thinking about being active. Food was good. It’s a relief to do something well on a day when nothing goes according to plan. It was late and I was hungry by the time we got home, but I didn’t grab the closest thing I could snack on. I held off and made a healthy, but quick dinner. But it looks like a beautiful day today so exercise shouldn’t be a problem.

Gardenerjoy, ouch for those “I don’t care” moments, but good job recognizing that you really do care. Kudos for not eating in a meeting when your planned food wasn’t available. Yay for lunch meetings that are healthy.

Hikegirl, ouch for the compulsive eating, but kudos for posting. Great job standing on the scale after a tough day. I think it is so important for acceptance and getting back on track. When I don’t stand on the scale after a bad day, it’s too easy for me to pretend like it didn’t happen or that it doesn’t matter.

Bennyhannamamma, I’m so impressed that you resisted at the drive-thru during a tough day. I hope you and the daycare get things sorted out soon. That sounds so frustrating to go round and round with them about it. Best of luck!

MerinoGirl, sounds like you dealt well with your DH. You’re right that you don’t need to turn him into a Beckian; he just needs to understand that this is what you are doing. Ouch for passing a gourmet chocolate store every day. I guess you can think of it as practice for that resistance muscle.

BillBE, thank you for the reminder that 100 calories a day=10 lbs a year. I have had a number of small slips here and there and I needed the reminder that they all add up. I’m imagining you lugging home that text book! Credit for giving your brain some extra exercise too.

Lexxiss, sounds like your reflection has resulted in a good plan. It is so great to find something that works and then to stick to it. Kudos for getting back into the routine and facing a tough food situation like a pro!

Beverlyjoy, sending supportive thoughts while you try to figure out your surgery. It is tough to get mentally prepared. It does sound like a very tough recovery, so not something to go into lightly. Wishing you all the best!

Welcome New2me2! Glad you found us. Eating slowly while sitting continues to be a big challenge for me, but it is so important. Kudos for working at it!

Nuxmaga, waving back. Congrats on lower blood pressure! Kudos for walking and tracking and for getting to the bottom of that urge to forage. Such a tough habit to break.

Onebyone, so sorry about Kitty X, but you did make the right decision. It is so hard to let a beloved pet go, but it is the right thing to do. Sending a big hug. I liked the diet plan in the green book. I was surprised at how much they were having me eat and realized that one of my biggest problems with other diet plans is that I was trying to eat too little, couldn’t sustain it and would binge. Hope it works well for you!

Seadwaters, the Happiness and It’s Causes conference sounds so cool. It seems like we focus on anxiety/depression/anger and their causes. It seems so revolutionary to think about what makes happiness work. Ouch for the difficult food situation. Sometimes we just have to do the best we can in an impossible situation. Kudos for getting into an exercise program. You’re persistence through fatigue is inspiring!

Wndranne, ouch for the migraine and ouch for the lack of time and energy, but lots of credit for hanging in there! Yay for “guilt free yumminess!”

[new2me2]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

BillBlueEyes - I heard about the Beck Diet Solution through a fitness forum. It was mentioned by more than one poster on a thread. Also mentioned on that thread was this forum as a support network. We aren't allowed to talk diet there, so it's helpful to have someplace to talk about everything. I came by a week or so ago and kind of lurked for a few days until I actually received and started reading the book, lol.

Kim - Wow you did a great job with all you had going on! CREDIT big time!

Nuxmaga - congratulations on lowering your BP!

Onebyone - I'm so sorry about your kitty. I've had to make that decision twice, and it's always hard to make.

Hikergirl - congratulations on your 4lb loss!

Beverlyjoy - You are wise to consider all your options and to plan ahead.

~~~

Well, today is about preparing my work space and my home and I'm also still working on choosing a diet.

I have a severe intolerance to gluten and dairy (and a few others that are mild), and I have a stomach disorder (just diagnosed in November, and I think caused by major abdominal surgery a year and a half ago) which causes me to limit fiber, fat, some protein and hard to digest foods. That takes out a lot of foods, lol.

The only diet that has ever worked long term for me was a lower carb diet, which is what I think I'm going to try for. I'm having some trouble coming up with variety and making sure my diet is balanced. When I did the low carb diet before I didn't have to limit fat, dairy or gluten.

I can't eat a lot of veggies or fruits and if I do they have to be cooked well without peels. I've been trying to add veggies and fruits to a smoothie (blending is supposed to help), but I felt really sick the few times I tried.

I see my Internist in a week and a half, so I'll bring this up with her and ask to see a nutritionist. My gastro doctor offered back in November, but I didn't think they could tell me anything I didn't already know.

As far as preparing home and work...I don't usually keep much in the house or at work. Because of my restrictions, I'm not tempted to eat when I see things left out at work, and I generally don't buy many treats for home, although I do usually buy one thing when I go grocery shopping each week. It's usually a small portion and I eat it that same day, then it's gone. I might have to rethink that, but I have a couple of weeks before I actually start the diet to think it through.

[onebyone]

Hi coaches

Credit for weighing myself for my official weigh-in today: 267.8 +1.6 over last week. I did chow down on about 3 sausages before bed, yeah i did that Oh Well, and knew it would up the scale. And it did. Credit for weighing in anyway.

Credit for getting myself over to the farmers' market with my bare bones booth. Credit to my neighbours there for helping me put my lights up which are still not done but credit to them for having all the tools and materials that I, apparently, lack. DH laughed when i told him that my light fixtures screwed to a 1x2 were too rustic(!) for the farmers' market indoor craft building. Coaches, our booths are in former horse stalls, so, how rustic are you when you are downscale from that? really. My neighbours mocked my construction skills and laughed even harder when I offered to make them one and reminded them that I paint paintings and be glad I don't make furniture.

Under the smiles though I felt really fat and really out of shape. I just feel pudgy and like I am oozing out of the borders of my clothes. I don't feel very good about myself. Credit though for instead of feeling defeated this instead has helped renew my promise to myself to get healthy and to get fit. If only I could always remember how awful it feels to feel so flabby and so unfit. It's a real motivator.

I have to get to bed. I really need to get some stuff done tomorrow morning more like tracking down stock for my booth. Yikes. With the month I had I got exactly ONE new thing made for Carp opening. Hopefully my subconscious has it all figured out as I am a tad panicked but nevermind. Time for bed.

Good night.

[bennyhannahmama]

Coaches/Buddies:
I ate a lot, but burned a lot too I had another good therapy session. I hope to elaborate on all of this soon.

Take care of yourselves!

[Nuxmaga]

Hello All,
Well, I tracked food earlier in the day and thought I had a plan for dinner, and got sidetracked with dh when he suggested coffee and splitting dessert. Oh, well. Still, only 200 calories over goal, but frustrating that I am still foraging at work, which gave me very little margin. It was a long slow day at work, which is part of my problem. If I could figure out a way to knit without anyone seeing, that would be ideal!

10,000+ steps, credit. Had delicious broccoli with garlic at the Vietnamese restaurant--no gooey sauce, just garlic and soy sauce, credit. Left some of my rice, credit.

onebyone--I was sad to hear about your Kitty X--but I agree you were in the right place.

new2me2--Welcome! I hope you find a good nutritionist!

Shepherdess--I hear you on the margarita--I had one on Cinco de Mayo, at lunchtime no less. . .But it made me just loopy enough to enjoy my enchiladas and not order anything else.

wndranne--enjoy your pancakes! I am doing a craft show with dh in 2 weeks, the chief lure being all artists get a free pancake breakfast. . .

gardenerjoy--yay for not compensating for there not being a cookie! That's quite a feat, since I am quick to substitute something. I've also noticed a lot of skinny male librarians in my library career. . .

BeverlyJoy--I'm sorry to hear your foot woes are complicated, but credit for making a plan and continuing on.

Bill--Free is one of my worst sabotaging rationales. My therapist offered me chocolates this week, because he didn't want to have to finish them off himself, and I glommed onto free, and ate them. I need to talk to him about his sabotage. . .

Lexxiss--yay for eating moderately at your knitting group!

[GosfordGirl]

Coaches
I still didn't get caught up today and am rushing posting again. I haven't been doing a lot to get credit for - no reading, no cards, no exercise today (incidental or otherwise), no plan, no logging food as I ate it! But food was good - stayed within restrictions. Tried to get the green Beck book today and not available in book stores although local online book stores have it. Will have to order it soon. I want to see what the Beck eating plan looks like. I am still struggling to find a plan I want.

It is great to see more new members - I will try to check in tomorrow morning and catch up!

Cheryl

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Lunch was left over spaghetti with Mariana sauce. CREDIT moi for packing a right-sized serving, instead of all that I could fit into my Pyrex container.

Reading my new $1.99 chemistry textbook is so much fun - much more fun than reading to pass a test. My gratitude to the Russian chemist, Mendeleev, for putting together a Periodic Table of the Elements in 1869 using only his knowledge of how elements reacted with other elements - long before quantum mechanics came along to explain it all. In my next life I'm going to postpone college until retirement when I'm old enough to appreciate it, LOL. And, I found that I can buy this edition on Amazon for $160!!! Does this ever tweak the loves-a-bargain part of me. CREDIT moi for joy.


onebyone - Yay for helpful booth neighbors and Yay for being determined enough to go forward that you accepted their help. And Kudos for rejecting "defeated" instead of motivated.

Anne (wndranne) - Yep, it's ten times harder after the second kid. My take is this is nature's family planing since it's pretty amazing that exhausted couples ever started a third, LOL. I wrote pancakes into my food plan for today, so I'll just drop by - make extra.

Susan (hikergirl) - LOL at 4 pounds in less than 24 hours - expect to read about you on the cover of those supermarket tabloids now.

Kim (bennyhannamama) - Yay for happy busy.

Shepherdess - You can't have snow, it's MAY!!! But Kudos for staying on plan when your day goes asunder. And extra Kudos for buying trail maps. Did you get the bulls and hiking boots? (Not one's usual shopping trip, LOL.)

Beverlyjoy - Greatly appreciate your demonstration that, despite "a very trying time," you can make a plan and live one day. Kudos. And continuing to send supportive thoughts as you wrestle the big decisions.

Margaret (Nuxmaga) - Yep, Kudos for good choices at a Vietnamese restaurant - leaving rice even. But whoa ... a therapist dumping his chocolate is so funny; Yep, he needs a little talking to, LOL.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - OK, so in my next life I'll be a male librarian so I'll be skinny, LOL. (And, presumably librarians have plenty of free time to read new chemistry textbooks, LOL.) Yay for a normal snack.

Cheryl (Seadwaters) - Well, Kudos for staying within restrictions with your food even if winging it. Glad you'll be bringing the Beck green book to Australia.

new2me2 - Good work thinking about your diet carefully. It's boggling to me that there's so much stuff in regular grocery stores now labeled gluten free and dairy free. Perhaps if you bring your diet plan in writing to a nutritionist as the starting point she'll be able to add to what you know instead of just repeating the basics.

Readers -

day 26
Common Thinking Errors

There are nine common thinking mistakes people make when dieting:

. . .
Thinking Mistake #9: Exaggerated Thinking
You make a situation seem greater or worse than it really is.

Examples:

• I can't stand this craving.
• I have no willpower.

The Beck Diet Solution, pg 196.

[Beverlyjoy]

Hi coaches, buddies, friends...

Yesterday was a healthy, on plan, day. I am always grateful for that. I pushed through and was 'willing' to use my resistance techniques to get through the day. It's always about willingness for me. I should put that word on a tshirt.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and support these past two days as I dealt with decisions and physical pain and the stress that comes from both. I haven't made any final desicions. DH and I willl discuss a plan and strategy for what I will do next and when.

Yesterday I got that new salad at Wendy's (the test market salad - chicken, pecan, apple with pomegrante dressing). It's really good. They have a 'mid-size' version that for 340 calories for the whole thing. I emailed Wendy's and encouraged them to keep this on the menu!

So today, I will try and carry on. I have made my plan, have my journal ready to keeping track of my food and Beck 'stuff'

I was cracking up yesterday when I was talking to DS. My just three year old GS said he was thirsty. DS asked him what he wanted to drink and my GS replied, "A frappaccino".

billbe - major credit for taking a 'normal size' portion of the speghetti. It's so easy to go the other way. I LOVE amazon.com. Buying wonderful books and especially used books is one of the best outcomes of the internet.

seadwaters - eating a good amount of food - without all the other 'stuff' is a major credit! Good for you.

nuxmaga - going only 200 over your daily amount is a credit - it's hard at a restuarant. Many good choices during the day. It's hard to be at work with goodies. Since I don't deal with that I don't have any ideas of how to deal with it.

Kim - I am so glad therapy is going well!

onebyone - so sorry about your sweet kitty. I LOVE the sound of your 'bare bones' booth at the market!

shepardess - Ugh! - still snowing in your part of the world. You said -It was late and I was hungry by the time we got home, but I didn’t grab the closest thing I could snack on. I held off and made a healthy, but quick dinner Major Credit!

gardenerjoy - hope your lunch meeting went well! Credit for planning for the cookie - even though there wasn't one after all.

hikergirl - four pounds overnight...soon you'll have an infomercial! LOL We all love weight loss, even when it's water Credit for having your op day.

wndranne - you said. - Note that I'm planning pancakes! I love planning in fun food now and then. Guilt free yumminess! That is the best result of planning - no guilt. I like to plan for pancakes too.

lexxiss - credit for taking your beck stuff and planning ahead for the restuarant day!

nathy - hi...hope things are going well.

merino - you deserve a medal for passing by free truffles. You siad - "They are not on today's plan," and I actually walked right by. I am going to give myself a credit for that. Good thinking!

silverbirch - thanks so much for the hug...felt good.

[Shepherdess]

I took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and went for a run. It was also so nice I was finally able to spend some time in my garden. I finally got my cool-weather seeds in the ground (lettuce, spinach, broccoli, etc.). A week late, but at least they’re in. I had a good food-day as well. As usual, I was struggling with pre-dinner urge to snack, but I distracted myself with my mountain of laundry. If I keep this up, I might actually make some progress on my house.

New2me2, sounds like you have quite a few challenges when choosing a diet. Seeing a nutritionist sounds like a good idea. I think buying a small-portion treat and eating it right away is a great strategy. It keeps a big, tempting bag of something out of the house and out of mind.

Onebyone, kudos for weighing in post-slip-up. It’s so important. Ouch for feeling bad about yourself, but good for you for renewing your commitment to get healthy. Good luck with your farmer’s market.

Bennyhannamamma, waving back! Yay for burning a lot and hopefully the eating a lot was nourishing you for all your hard work.

Nuxmaga, LOL at stealth knitting to avoid foraging on slow days. Have you tried keeping your diet notebook at hand when you’re at work. You could try planning your meals or reviewing your diet when you have the urge to forage. It might be a way to help you re-focus on your plan.

Seadwaters, staying within your restrictions, particularly on a busy day deserves a lot of credit. Good luck finding a plan that is right for you. I liked the plan in the green book, but I still needed to tweak it. I think that’s probably true for any plan. They can offer good guidelines, but you have to individualize it so that it works for you.

BillBE, kudos for recognizing that your pyrex container is not a serving size. LOL at your $158.01 savings on your textbook. Is that so much more satisfying than free food?

And sigh, yes, snow in May. . .We can count on it, but I don’t have to like it. We get 40 degree days in January and snow in May. I need to have a talk with whoever arranges our weather and see if we can get this whole thing straightened out.

Beverlyjoy, kudos for a good day! You are right on about willingness being the key in all of this. That’s such a great way to see it. When I deviate from my plan, it’s not about a situation that’s too challenging, it’s about my unwillingness to face that challenge.

[hikergirl]

Hi Everyone,
Well, a mini triumph. No compulsive overeating yesterday. I now have more days in May with no compulsive overeating than days with compulsive overeating. I will keep at it.

Shepherdess – wow, it reads like you are making great plans and choices with regards to your food and your exercise. A big credit to you. I just read your second post and wow, you really do have good resistance techniques (doing laundry vs a pre dinner snack).

New2me2 – your dietary restrictions sound like they are a real challenge to work with. I look forward to following your discoveries and successes on this site!

Onebyone – a big credit to you for finding credits where it can be difficult to find them. That is not an easy feat (in my opinion).

Benhama- Hi, back at you!

Nuxmaga – a big credit to you for making it through the restaurant scenario. Big credit.

Seadwaters – Hi, back at you too!

BBE – regarding selecting the right spag portions for a large bowl ---- I had the opposite experience yesterday. I admire your fortitude and aspire to be able to write the same thing you wrote. I will be doing that sometime in the future.

Beverlyjoy – congrats on the OP day and thank you for the heads up about a possible fast food alternative at Wendy’s

************

Weight:
May 2nd 160.9, 3rd 159, 4th 158.7, 5th could not do it, 6th 161.6, 7th 157.2, 7th 156.6

Exercise month to date:
220 min

Month to date -Days with out compulsive overeating 4 of 7

[gardenerjoy]

Short and late today, but I've already done some exercise and expect some more as well as shopping at two farmers markets and showing off DH's new truck to his friend. The new truck is big enough to haul top soil, so I hope to report lots of progress in my garden in the next year or so.

WI: -0.65kg, Exercise: +0 270/1400 minutes for May, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: no

[new2me2]

Hello all! I've decided to pay myself for all my credits, lol. This approach worked very well for me several years ago, so I'm going to try it again. When I reach a mini goal I'll go buy something for myself.

Today my I bought myself a new exercise tank top. I figured out that if I pay myself $.50 for each credit I have abou $29 now--the exercise top was less than half that so I still have some left, lol.

Credit for buying some minimally processed turkey slices that I can have as quick snacks if I need to. I don't officially "need" to start my diet until next week sometime I think, but I'm trying to get some things in place so I can start with some healthier choices before then. Credit for not buying some of the high carb stuff I had been buying.

[CeeJay]

Hello Everyone!!

silverbirch-waving hello

new2me2- hello and welcome!!! Yay for your list of credits.

MerinoGirl-good for you for sticking to your plan 100%. Gotta love those days.

bennyhannahmama- darn those lice. Such a total pain doing all that cleaning. Glad therapy is going well.

onebyone-sending you a hug. You made the best decision for her-you would never want to put your sweet kitty through unnecessary pain. I had to make that decision with one of my dogs and it is hard.

nathy-waving hello

Lexxiss-good for you for going back to baby steps.

BillBlueEyes- yay for resisting nuts and dried cherries!

Beverlyjoy- I commend you for drawing your line in the sand. Your surgery sounds scary and no wonder you are struggling to decide when to do it.

gardenerjoy-thank you for the thought- "Life is better with that total disinterest and it's easier to achieve when my resistance muscle is strong." I am working to gain that disinterest." Funny you wrote that because I was thinking that maybe one day chips, chocolate, sugar, cheese, etc. would not occupy my thoughts so much. They would not be important or even a consideration.

wndranne-I love going to concerts, it is just so wonderful. Kuddos for doing something nice for yourself.

Shepherdess-snow again for you. Bleech. Yay for eating sanely on a crazy day.

Nuxmaga- you are doing great. Excellent that your blood pressure is down.

seadwaters- the Happiness confrence sounded interesting. Good for you for doing the aqua fitness, especially since it is not easy for you.

hikergirl- nice to have more days without compulsive overeating than with it.

For me, the first half of the week was great but Thursday and Friday were not great at all. Movin' on cause that is the only choice I am going to make.

Credit today for:

weighing in
planning the day and eating on plan and healthy
doing weights
riding exercise bike 40 minutes
planning tomorrow
reading response and advantage cards
checking in with my coaches.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's here.

[bennyhannahmama]

Coaches/Buddies:
Some good choices and some could have been better. Proud of how I handled the day though.

[GosfordGirl]

Hi Coaches
I have to catch up for 2 days and want to do some personals. I will do some tonight and some tomorrow morning. I am trying to develop HABITS - so will try to read postings and do personals in the morning (unlike today) and I have developed my checklist which I want to routinely do at the end of the day to see / show how I have done. Even if I have done none of what I am aiming for I will do the checklist to remind myself about what I am really trying to achieve. Let's see how I go with that!

I am finding the exercise a bit frustrating - never really liked exercise as exercise, even though I have always been active, but know I need it. It is going to be such a long road back and I will get very sick of hearing myself whine about it but bear with me please

BillBlueEyes - A large container is a tempting thing to fill - so credit for the restraint. What a bargain! And you actually enjoy reading it too - a bonus

Kim (BennyHannahMama) - Yay for a good therapy session - so glad you have landed in a good place finding a new therapist. Credit for a good day

new2me2 - your diet restrictions sound challenging - good luck in settling for a diet that suits all your needs. Sounds like you have good strategies to deal with treats and snacking. I like the idea of paying yourself for credits - have to be sure to notice the positive though or it could be a very meagre haul!

Nuxmaga - Well done to be within goal and with dessert as well. Credit for good restaurant choices. Good luck with invisible knitting!

OnebyOne - Ouch for 3 sausages but credit for the attitude. And credit for renewing your promise to yourself and great to see the refreshed motivation. Good luck with your projects

Shepherdess - LOL that a visit to a sporting store counts as exercise. Great effort to have a healthy dinner when rushed and late home - always something I struggle with. It was lovely to be at the conference and listen to people grappling with the positive - I am trying to hold onto the feelings. Credit for using laundry as a distraction - hadn't thought of that on instead of pre-dinner snacking

Hikergirl - It is reassuring to see your weight results and the fact that they go up and down and not always as a result of eating. I need to learn that. Credit for the result on compulsive eating

Credits
- Read A&R cards - no
- Planned my day - no
- Made food plan - sort of
- Food on-plan - in-so-far as I sort of had one
- Posted to the list -YES
- Ate mindfully and seated every time - so so
- Put down fork occasionally - yes
- Weighed myself - yes - 220.4
- Drank water - no
- Exercise - 10min
- Resistance techniques - yes - no sweet with coffee and WANTED one
- Consciously gave credit for positive eating / exercise behaviours - sometimes
Working on

- Developing useful HABITS around exercise and posting

Cheryl