Quick post today as the nephew is on his way to help us out with yardwork today. Welcome to Mikkijoe! Yay for seadwaters finding herself in the zone! Congrats to Beverlyjoy for being in Onederland (and finally believing it)!
And greetings to everyone else!

Good morning everyone!

Did my usual 45 minutes of Walk It Out, then about 20 minutes of a lower body weight workout.

Oh, and my weight dropped back down a bit today, yay, lol!

I've been feeling bloated the last few days, so I know what I've been eating is a bit too much for my gastro stomach to handle, so today I've gone back to blander, more digestible foods. I brought a big jar of vegetable juice to try to get some veggies in (obviously WON'T drink the whole thing, lol). I've been trying to eat a little bit of black beans in a psuedo chili (not really chili because I can't do the spices, lol, sheesh, lol), but I think the beans are too much. The gastro diet I've seen warns against them, but I thought maybe just a little (like 1/4 cup) would be okay. Ha. LOL!

Today's goal is to do my Weight Watcher's Punch DVD again.

gardenerjoy I'm so glad the girl was found!!!

Houston2Command I think you hit the key! We are often so focused on the food and the hunger! I think this is where distractions come in handy, but it's hard to get to THAT place too, lol. MAJOR credit for eating only half of that sandwich. CONGRATULATIONS on your 2lb loss!

Mikkijoe Just saying hello as you've already gotten some great answers to your question.

FutureFitChick Being tired definitely affects my ability to stay on track. Sometimes it helps me to NOT think about ALL the stuff I have to do, but to try to accomplish only ONE thing. Maybe I'll eat whatever I want, but just focus on WAITING until I'm hungry to eat it. I think this really does get easier as we practice it more and more, but the beginning is pretty tough to overcome our years of conditioning.

maryblu Very cool on hearing the war cry. I was able to see several eagles in Alaska, but never heard the cry!

seadwaters (Cheryl) I think putting the program on your iPhone is a GREAT idea!! Nuts indeed, HA! :D YAY, on your downward trend!!!! Yes!

BillBlueEyes Definitely YAY for airconditioning! During the summer months here I have to have a fan on me AND the airconditioning or I tire to soon. LOL on the evaluation reference! :)

Beverlyjoy I'm so glad you got your surgery date! July 21 will be exactly 2 years since MY foot surgery, so you were almost on my anniversary, lol. Hope the testing shows you are in perfect health! YAY for onderland!!!!! :D MAJOR credit for washing your hands instead of licking, lol!!!

great job Beverlyjoy!!!! I saw your number before I read your post and I was like Lookee there! Woo Hoo! Believe!

Coaches/Buddies, dinner plans ended up changing twice last night! Augh! But, I managed to stay under my calorie target and had no interest in eating to fill in the missing calories. I’m continuing to have sleeping issues. I spent some time in fairly intense meditation this morning, so I am feeling much more whole than yesterday. What a mess I can get sometimes! Thanks for all of the support. I appreciate that I can be honest with my coaches & buddies.

Today’s Essentials:
Weigh-in: did not weigh
Read Advantage Cards two times: once
Read Response Cards at least two times: once
Ate slowly, sitting down, noticing every bite: yes
Gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful eating behaviors: yes
Did spontaneous exercise: yes
Did planned exercise: no
Wrote out food plan for tomorrow: yes
Tracked today’s food: yes
Left food on my plate: no


BeverlyJoy, you deserve 50 happy dancers for your accomplishment. That is going to help you so much for your surgery! Your words of encouragement are really precious to me! One by one, things get done!

BillBlueEyes, great point about gym A/C. I never would have appreciated that a year ago. That is progress for me. Thanks so much for your words of wisdom. One by one, things get done!

Houston2Command, hello!

Maryblu, love hearing about the creatures at the lake.

new2me2, great job with all of the exercise and I really appreciate your kind words. One by one, things get done!

Seadwaters, I think your trainer is nuts. That is totally a great idea! Thanks for your comforting words.

Hello Beck friends:wave:

My relationship with food is seeming to continue quite well as I embark on another extremely busy day. *credit* for working the Beck tools into my life at a point when I could never have imagined my life being so demanding. I notice many moments during the day when I refrain from eating behaviors that used to go right alongside major stress. Interesting, especially when a big focus right now is continually working with many tempting foods as we encourage my Mom to eat.

I read posts every day and thought I'd try to get back to some personals today. I have a chore which needs to be taken care of which I can do on my bike :cp:,so I'll try and return later.

Have a great Beck day, everyone!

ETA-It seems these days I "plan" what I am going to do then actually "do" what is put in front of me next. My family contacted me-they all want to come out to visit Mom. They will start arriving next Tuesday. I spent the entire afternoon on the phone. It is dinnertime and I still need to attend to my patients. Good news-as my hand went to grab a piece of curried tofu that hadn't made it's way to the frig, I stopped, and took a moment to reflect how many times each day I stop myself from grabbing-at least 20 times-it's the stress response. 20x7=160 times/week I don't put some small bit of food in my mouth-it sure adds up. *credit* for noticing.

Hello All,
I'm back from vacation--we had a wonderful trip to DC, walked to 14 museums from our hotel, and I was averaging 15,000 steps a day! The food was great--Spanish tapas, Greek, German. The app for my calorie counter was hard to use and I ended up not tracking my calories--I figured the sheer amount of walking was my rationale. I only gained 1.2 pounds! I was amazed.

Unfortunately, after getting home, and returning to work on Tuesday, my boss met me at the door to tell me the hospital was closing the library and I was laid off. I still can't quite believe it. It was a shock. He was very kind and told me to take all the time I needed to pack up my stuff--I was there 12 years so I had a lot of things to bring home. I'm sad about not getting to say goodbye to people, and that my projects are all abandoned in mid-air, and of course that my paycheck and health insurance will soon be gone.

I have a lot of time to snack, but my therapist advised writing out a schedule for each day, to keep myself moving, and less likely to obsess. I've been going to the gym to walk every night--since it's been 102 degrees! And the habit of eating out when we are tired will need to be broken--which will probably lead to lower calories. Of course a good friend and neighbor showed up with a "sorry you lost your job" plate of freshly baked brownies. . .oh well.

Shepherdess--I was so sorry to hear about your dog Maggie! We are feeling creatures, and I'm sure Maggie was part of you at a deep level. It makes perfect sense to me that you would grieve deeply.

Quick hi to all my dear Beckies, and while I am not organized enough to do personals, I appreciate all of you who are!!!

That said, Lexiss, *credit, you, for not only your Beck behaviors, but *recognizing them as such. I think that is a very important part of behavior modification..that recognition. CREDIT YOU!!

Nuxmaga, I have no words to express my feelings/thoughts for you. No words of wisdom; I got nuttin'. Am searching, searching for something meaningful, helpful. This is a Beck thread, so I should say something meaningful and smart about CBT as it relates to weight loss, correct? Here is what I am going to attempt to say.....hope it makes sense, not sure if it will help.

You got handed the worst of the worst situation, and totally out of your control. You will have your hands full trying to deal with replacing the income/benefits/personal fulfillment rewards of the job you lost. That was/is out of your control. The neat thing about Beck is, it gives you the tools, the steps, the no-brainer-just-do-this way to control your eating. Just do it. Just do it, and you have control, at least of that part of your life. If you are like most of us, the weight control part of your life has eluded you, so if now, if at this of all times, you can exert control on *that, it will be empowering and amazing. Just grab onto the Beck tools, cuz they apply to other areas of your life as well. We all wish you well, and are here to *listen.

Hi Beck Folk,

Maryblu: I think you said it wonderfully for Nuxmaga. Beck skills help quiet one area in life that, for me, used to be a loud part of my day. That allows me to think about other problems so much more clearly. I only hope that one day if I'm handed such as difficult challenge as Nuxmaga, that I'll be better prepared to deal with it.

Thanks everyone, for all for your daily posts. I lurk around, but do get so much inspiration daily from you!

Woodland

Friday Night
 

Hi Coaches

Another wet day here - but I still went swimming. I was the only one there (usual lately on Friday and in winter) - the group leader was fairly tolerant for my exuberance given she gets paid when no one turns up or just l'il old me. I am getting to the point where I lap the others in the group - lol. I started out way back and now I am getting stronger - still hopeless on land but it is good to see progress. This is the last week I can come to all sessions because next week work. My weight is still dropping - today a new low of 214.6 - if it is still there on Sunday I get a new vegetable (and $250 - $50 per pound)! Not sure why the large drops this past week but I won't complain

BillBlueEyes - So hot there - I didn't realise it got so hot. Good thing for air con in gyms. I would be incapable in that heat. Gazpacho a good remedy.

Beverlyjoy - Yay for Onederland and Yay for a happy-dance. It is official. I am glad you have got a date to work towards for your surgery. And yay for the expert use of resistance techniques - credit

GardenerJoy - hope the gardening with the nephew went well. Mine didn't turn up because of the rain

Donna (new2me2) - Shame about the beans - I am doing low carb and need to be careful with how many I have and I love chilli beans so can feel your pain!

Futurefitchick - Ouch for not sleeping - that makes life really difficult. Meditation is always worthwhile and I hope it does the trick. You are maintaining a good list of credits

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Crisis management mode is wearing to say the least - and is always disruptive of plans. Well done on the resistance techniques. Take care

Nuxmaga - Glad you had a great vacation. It is hard to come back to real life - especially the reality of what you have to face at the moment. I really like what Maryblu said about the programme - in the midst of all the unpredictability it might offer control and stability. Sending good thoughts your way. Credit for exercising in the heat and finding a solution to that

Maryblu - great advice - something I need to think about often
Woodland - :wave:- hope things are going well

Credits - :sunny:
- I motivated myself by reading A&R cards - NO
- Consciously gave credit for positive eating / exercise behaviours - yes
- Limit junk food to once per day - Yes (progress!) - $1
- Made food plan - Yes - $1
- Logged food soon after eating - yes - $1
- Food on-plan - Yes
- Posted to the list - Here I am
- Ate seated every time - YES - $1
- Ate mindfully and slowly - sort of
- Put down fork occasionally - not that I remember
- Weighed myself - Yes - down 1# - 214.6 - $1
- Drank water - YES
- Exercise - YES - :swim: - $1

TALLY (only red ones earn money!) - DAY = $6; Week = $35; Grand Total = $35

Working on - :running:
Shopping lists for Farmer's Markets tomorrow

Have a good day Beckies
-----
Cheryl

Friday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Another walk in the heat - CREDIT moi - but not as hot as earlier in the week. Did observe that if I reversed the direction of my walk, I would pass the kids water fountain in the park at the end and could just indulge - returning home wet, cooled down, and happy, LOL.

Had one yummy ear of corn with my lunch. Boy do I ever like cold corn on the cob (no butter, no salt). That's worth mentioning as a CREDIT moi because last summer I ate an ear of corn every single day. Finally figured out that a hundred extra calories a day adds about a pound in a month - DUH! And, was gratuitously reminded by my DW that corn had little nutrition despite being a vegetable.

Blueberries are down to $1.50 a pint and both DW and I are just scarfing them down. I do like my blueberries.


maryblu - Waving back. Wondering if you typed your message from your "island" in the middle of your lake.

FutureFitChick - Kudos for focusing to pull yourself out of a funk. Yep, it's difficult to stay on a food plan when dinner plans change twice before even sitting down.

Margaret (Nuxmaga) - Welcome back from vacation - Kudos for a lot of walking.

Sending my best supportive thoughts for handling the awful news about your job. That's a rough one to deal with after 12 years, but sounds like you're taking a sane, thoughtful approach to it - despite facing a plate of brownies from a well-intentioned friend.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for the nephew who does yardwork.

Beverlyjoy - Honking Congrats for reaching onederland with Massive Kudos for your willingness to try and willingness to wash peanut butter off your hands. Letting go of the licks is such a big step forward in changing our relationship to food.

Cheryl (Seadwaters) - Congrats on the additional pound. I just love that in my mind you're getting rich by losing weight at $5 per pound. Kudos for the progress you're making with your swimming. I like the idea of a personal swimming coach.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Oh Yes, Kudos for giving yourself credit for those "20x7=160 times/week I don't put some small bit of food in my mouth" - that's really incorporating your Beck strategies. LOL at the reality that what you "do" is what's put in front of you next rather than your plan. Good luck with hosting all your family and staying on your plan nevertheless.

Donna (new2me2) - Yay for a big jar of veggies - already juiced.

Woodland - Neat reminder that using Beck skills for our eating and exercising frees up our energy to face the other issues of our lives.

Houston2Command - Waving back toward Houston. Are you feeling the effect of the Gulf oil spill yet?

Readers -

Hi beck folks - yesterday was on plan all day until right before bedtime. I started reading the forums about my surgery and it's recovery - I was totally freaked out and terrified. I did eat extra - but, stopped. I did get a lot of helpful hints and information, but - I think I need to stop reading them for now. I have a very long list of questions. I'll call the doc's nurse and maybe go see him again. It’s amazing how things can trigger an emotional response with food. (well, not really that amazing for me LOL) But, I am working on it every day.

Thanks to you all for your cheers and support as I moved into the land of One.

I must be willing to use all the techniques it takes to have some level of sanity with food. It is a daily process. I wish I could just do these things without thinking and writing about it daily. It takes what it takes….... (I need to think of them as a daily gift to myself - rather than a chore)

Yesterday:

plan/log/measure - yes, eat extra before bed
count my calories - yes
put fork down between bites - some of the time
slow mindful eating - I need to do some timing today - some of the time
really TASTE it - some of the time
leave a small bite of food - all the time -
lots of water - yes
Exercise - yes
meditation - I'll need this soon more than ever
no second helpings - all the time
eat seated only - most of the time
give myself credit when I do things right - some of the time
use my resistance techniques - some of the time
say Oh Well to any unfairness I might feel - forgot that one
Weigh - no

say 'No Choice' - do I just drive right through a red light - of course not - there's no choice. If I want food sanity I must to willing to say No Choice to myself when necessary - working on it

Billbe - credit for arranging that walk near the drinking fountain. I am loving the blueberries, too. My mom always said - “Remember, corn is what they feed pigs to fatten them up.” I hate that thought. But, it’s true. We eat fresh corn a couple times a week when it’s in season - would want it every day like you did last year, too. Credit for realizing you need to fit it in your plan the most healthful way you can.

Seadwaters - so, so glad to hear that you are getting stronger and stronger.
Even if it’s not as strong on land. Progress is progress! Wonderful to see that weight going down. YAY From where do you get $50 per pound? From yourself? Awesome.

Woodland - hi!! Glad you posted. Carry on.

Maryblu - I totally agree with recognizing the behaviors as Beckisms. It’s helpful to me too.

Nuxmaga - so glad you had a good vacation..sounds wonderful! That small gain should go quickly once you get back into your food comfort zone. I am so, so sorry to hear about your job being eliminated. It’s hard to see your projects end and not getting to say goodbye to friends. I hope you can go back and maybe have coffee together. I love the idea of a daily schedule. I think that will help you transition to a new routine with out it feeling like you are freefalling.

Lexxiss - you have many challenges with your mom now. I am glad to hear that the Beck techniques are helpful in getting through this with a semblance of food sanity. Credit for not grabbing the food all day. Hope all goes well with the family visiting.

Futurefitchick - credit for getting through dinner changing twice!! I used to meditate daily. I too find it helpful. I’ve already decided that I’ll need to get back to it before and after my surgery. I agree - we have to be honest here with our coach/buddies/friends. If we start fibbing here, I don’t think it will work very well.

Houstontocommand - thanks for your shout out of happiness for my reaching onederland!!

New2me2 - credit for such good and consistent exercise. Sorry your tummy stuff can be a such a daily challenge. But, you understand it and know what to do to feel better, thankfully. Of course, it doesn’t mean you have to like it ! What kind of foot surgery did you have a couple of years ago?

gardener joy - so glad you have your nephew to help in the garden! Gardening is such good exercise, too.

Good morning coaches/buddies!

I stuck to my exercise plan and did the advanced workout off the WW Punch DVD. It was a great workout and my heart rate monitor said I burned 415 calories! Now, that seemed a little high and generally I would write that off a glitch with the monitor, except that I use a really good heart rate monitor and it usually shows a pretty accurate picture of things. It takes into consideration my age, weight, height and heart rate and if anything, in the past, it's shown calories on the "low" side. Pretty awesome even if it was a little high, lol.

Eating was on plan, but again felt bloated. Today is WW weigh-in and I'm pretty sure it will show a slight gain. I haven't lost anything this week, and am still up slightly from this time last week (two-tenths of a pound, lol).

I think the weight gain is partially because I introduced a little more carbs back into my plan because of the WW points...I may just say phooey on the points and eat what I need to. ;)

FutureFitChick Yay for no interest in eating to fill the missing calories!! :) Hope you got more sleep!

Lexxiss Excellent on recognizing how well you're doing in changing your thinking about food!

Nuxmaga Sounds like a GREAT vacation!!! Everyone has already said it so well on your job loss, so I'll just add that I'm so very sorry!

maryblu Quick hello right back at you! :)

Woodland Waving to you! :wave:

seadwaters(Cheryl) Yay on your fitness progress! CONGRATULATIONS on your new low!!!! Yay!

BillBlueEyes Yeah, I always seem to like the things with little nutritional value, lol!

Beverlyjoy Credit to you for stopping when you did!!! For all of my surgeries I did a lot of Internet research, and it really can be overwhelming! I had a very painful bunion caused by a deformity of the foot. I could barely walk by the time I sought help--every step was excrutiationly painful. They had to cut the bone in two places in order to get it set correctly and put pins in to hold it together, lol. The pain after the surgery was less than the pain I was having before the surgery, and as the year went on, the pain from the surgery got less and less until now, at the two year mark, there is no pain whatsoever when walking.

Confession of a Repeat Dieter
 

Since none of you know me, I feel that I must for myself be honest which right now seems very hard. I have a terrible fight with dieting/weight loss in that when I screw up -- better yet, have a bad moment -- I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW. I AM SO ASHAMED of that bad moment. I know you will judge me. I know you will think: Houston is pathetic. She shouldn't even be here.

The problem is, that by not admitting it, I don't get over it, I beat myself up more, and I continue in the wrong direction.
:club:
So I had a bad moment. I screwed up. I ate horribly. I haven't even started the diet part yet. I am not supposed to start until Tuesday. So there. Now you ALL KNOW my dirty secret.

Why is that so shameful for me to admit? And it wasn't like I ate a whole cheesecake. It was a few slices of pizza and cheesy bread. geez.

This is why the Beck Solution is so important to me. My mind thinks I am a failure today but if any of you said the same to me, I'd think how silly, so you ate some pizza. you aren't fighting mystical creatures and now you've lost your ability to carry the holy sword which is the only way to beat the creatures and win the battle. How absurd!

I hope that by being so honest here I can continue to be honest every day and thereby stop the cycle. I really need to be okay with being honest and not feel like if I tell you, you will label me a failure AGAIN.

I actually feel better admitting it too and feel a new sense of commitment. Now that's something to be excited about! Thanks for listening and not judging!!!

I worked for hours in the yard yesterday, but didn't count any of it as exercise because I have plenty of minutes to apply to my goal for July. I like having both life activity (spontaneous exercise) and exercise in my day.

WI: +0.3kg, Exercise: +30 640/1800 minutes for July, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: no

Houston2Command: CREDIT for being honest here! It's a great place to do it since we've all been there, too. Keep this in mind "I haven't even started the diet part yet." You can't be off your diet if you aren't on it, yet! I'm so glad that you've discoverd Beck -- these principles are so helpful in cutting that cycle of overeating, guilt, overeating.

new2me2: Good job with your workout! Maybe your WW leader will have some opinion about how to fiddle with the points to get you into losing mode?

Beverlyjoy: Way to go with stopping once the emotional eating started. You've got a lot to deal with. But, you also have a lot of new tools that you are handling really well.

BillBlueEyes: yay for summer produce and finding ways to make them fit into a healthy food plan

seadwaters: glad you were able to swim and it's great that you are really noticing results!

Woodland: hello -- glad to have you hanging around!

maryblu: thanks for your words for Nuxmaga -- excellent observation for all of us.

Nuxmaga: so sorry that you are dealing with this at such a time. I love your therapist's advice about having a schedule and goals for yourself each day. This is a shock and it's going to take some time to even fully integrate the new reality into your mind and life. Take care of yourself during the process!

Lexxiss: CREDIT for building that resistance muscle and noticing that you're doing it! I find days that don't go according to plan particularly difficult, so I'm really impressed that you are doing so well in the face of that. Will having more family around mean you can take a bit of a break for yourself next week?

FutureFitChick: glad that meditation led you to a place of more groundedness. Hope sleep improved -- that is such a big key that we often miss, I think.

Hello Beckies! Getting to DH’s office to check in has proved difficult, but I’m doing my best. DH’s sister, her husband and two boys had been staying with us for several days and since they left, food has been a bit sloppy. I’m not planning ahead and waiting until I’m hungry to figure out what to eat, and recently, I’ve been hungry constantly. I’ve got just over a month until I run my marathon and I’m getting close to my peak mileage and DH has had a ton of projects for me that require heavy lifting. I’m grunt labor around here. I believe the phrase is, “Strong back, weak mind,” LOL.

The scale is staying steady, but that’s only because of all the extra activity. Once my activity levels go back to normal, I’m afraid the eating habits will remain. So I’m trying to get a handle on all of this—figure out how much I need to eat to fuel all this activity and do it in a responsible and controlled way.

On a positive note, in spite of being ignored, the lettuce and spinach are growing in my garden and I’m getting some nice salads out of it. They’re a bit leggy because I never got back to thin them and they’re trying to grow around thistles. I write this with shame knowing all the great gardeners in this group. It’s so nice to have forgiving plants. I’m harvesting these plants a bit early, but calling it a late thinning and trying to clear some weeds around the lettuce and spinach still left. There is just not enough time to do everything I want to do. . .

A big warm welcome to all those new to this forum! After years of yo-yo dieting, Beck is the first thing that is actually working for me for the long haul. I wish you all great success with it and look forward to getting to know you.

Maryblu, I thought about your lovely Caprese salads yesterday when I got my first cherry tomato. I don’t know if it was cheating that I bought a plant that already had a couple starting, but in gardening, I need all the help I can get.

Beverlyjoy, congrats on reaching Onederland! Kudos for setting the surgery date and hugs because I know it’s a scary thing to look forward to.

BillBE, LOL at the prospects of buying Frudenthal’s prime WY real estate. PETA put in a bid for it as part of an anti-grazing campaign. The gov’s office replied that they were only considering serious bids so it’s still available if you’re interested.

Houston2Command, I just wanted to tell you that I know exactly where you are coming from. Admitting those slip-ups is so difficult, but none of us on here are perfect. I’m constantly working to silence that voice that says I shouldn’t bother if I can’t do this perfectly. That’s the same voice that kept me heavy for years. Kudos for recognizing the problem and admitting it so publicly.

Seadwaters, kudos for getting a personal trainer and starting a strength routine. I’m so impressed with how far you have come with exercise since I know it was struggle.

Nuxmaga, I’m so sorry about your job. It’s frustrating that after years of work, they ended it so abruptly. It just seems so unfair. Sending hugs while you sort everything out. Great job recognizing the potential pitfalls and coming up with a plan to deal with it.

Waving to everyone else and sending cooling thoughts to all of you facing record heat.