Woodland-yay for quickly getting back on track. It is good to remember we don't need to be perfect. We just need to keep going.
onebyone-sorry about your rough day with your mom. And your disappointment about the move. You have so much going on so HUGE credit to you for checking in here.
maryann-welcome back. Good to see you!!!
olfea- welcome to the Beck forum.
julzchiki-I love that you changed the word diet to health. That is fantastic. I also think that the idea of diet can be so defeating. I am trying to get ahead of the urge to eat when things go wrong by identifying that I am being triggered when it is happening, accepting that I will want to overeat or eat off plan, and trying to make a plan to deal with it before it starts.
BillBlueEyes-credit for walking to dinner. You seem to get to eat at some really great places.
Beverlyjoy- thanks so much for the wedding story. Speechless. How on earth did you get through it? I have to say you had me laughing out loud all the way through- especially the image of your DH drinking bourbon in the clawfoot bathtub. Priceless.
Thanks for sharing about your meditation. I did it 15 minutes yesterday and today and you are right- my mind is wandering. But I committed to myself to keep at it and I am. I think I need to try to get a CD to try.
gardenerjoy- hope your day went okay despite having way too much to do.
BelovedK-hope you managed the cookies OK. I find it very hard when my DH brings home sweet stuff.
Lexxiss-good for you for for jumping back in.
maryblu-waving hello.
For me- on plan today. Credit for:
weighing in= down one pound, I'll take it. eating healthy and on plan planning tomorrow and packing lunch walking 30 minutes with DH meditating for 15 mins resisting an invitation for lunch because I just knew it would be trouble reading advantage and response cards checking in with my coaches.
I did away with the dough. I baked it all into cookies, gave my DD some for her to take to school in the morning (she has them in a bag in her backpack (in her room) lol and DH took the rest of them and they are in his car to take to work with him. Yes, I ate more dough and a cookie or two, BUT I don't feel like throwing in the towel (credit)
I feel a bit sick to my stomach and just unhealthy, I don't like to eat crap like that.
I am doing SBD and will have a few phase 1 days (which is not hard) and will drink lots of water and detox tea, anything to purge this feeling after eating chemical laden junk
Before bed, I'm reading my advantage and response cards (actually, that is now, lol
My extended family had a big birthday party dinner last night with tons of food. I ate a little more than planned but that didn't have an effect on my eating today. In the past, eating just a little tiny bit more than planned was a big binge trigger, but not anymore! Next time I am eating with others like that, I will read my ARC/response cards immediately before and eat extra slowly so that I'm not tempted to add more food to my place because others are still eating.
I've been wanting to eat all day today, just because eating is fun. I distracted myself instead - I took a long nap, went to the gym, drank lots of water, and organized my closet. I have a bunch of clothes that are too small right now, but I'm so excited to wear them someday!
Hello! I have been absent for almost a week now and I have missed checking in. I need the support and accountability of people who get what I’m trying to do.
So, an update on this past week: I didn’t get back on the treadmill after Wednesday. I wasn’t particularly sore, I was just too good at finding excuses not to exercise. It has legitimately been a busy week, but I also know that exercise was one of the first things to go off the to-do list at the slightest hint of a time conflict.
Peanut butter and I have been having a tough go round. I had been keeping two kinds of peanut butter in the house, natural for eating sandwiches, and the regular creamy for making the salad in a milkshakes. It worked out well when I had the natural peanut butter because I would keep the other stuff (which is a much bigger trigger) in a cupboard out of sight. But, once I run out of the natural stuff, I get peanut butter tunnel vision. So, I need to get rid of the regular creamy altogether. The truth is, the salad in a milkshake is just as good without it, and I know that I’m keeping it around as a “just in case I want to binge” kind of food. Who knew a love affair with a ground up legume could be so all consuming?
I am also becoming more aware of how being tired is a huge trigger for me. I have had some times in the past few days where I just want to eat anything around and eat a lot of it. When I try to identify what I’m feeling, it’s almost always “tired” (although it’s also been being bored, angry, sad, happy, the dog’s birthday—even if I don’t own a dog, etc. etc.)
Welcome to all the people who are new (and returning) on the board!!
BillBE—The Japanese curry is intriguing. Was it much different from Thai curry? I'm an amateur when it comes to curry. Good for you for using exercise as a way to get to dinner. Is this part of your alternative to man salad lunch plan or something different?
BeverlyJoy—Thanks for sharing your wedding story. It is a hilarious story now, but holy, I don’t know how you made it through all that! I hope that PT went well and here’s to praying that you can make it for the Disney World trip.
OnebyOne—I hope you had success in your goals. And you make a good point in only making changes that you are willing to stick with, otherwise, it sets you up for that revolving diet door again. Good grief with regards to the cat. It sounds like it’s miserable for all parties involved (including the car upholstery!) Thank goodness for vets that can help to alleviate the issues at hand.
GardenerJoy—Overbooking is never any fun. I hope you were able to make it through with as little stress and as many coping skills as possible.
BelovedK—Yay for finding a way to get rid of the cookies. I give you credit for seeking support from the board right away. I hope you are feeling better after a few Phase 1 days of SBD.
Lexxiss—Good job on setting boundaries and recognizing that all those negative automatic responses only hurt you in the end. It’s such a hard thing to internalize (at least for me). Here’s to putting one foot in front of the other again tomorrow and getting done what needs to get done. Safe travels to you, that’s quite the caravan you have going on.
Maryblu—This weather is gorgeous! And it sounds like it might continue, so that’s even better. Wasn’t that a great Vikings game? It was nice for a change to watch them turn a situation that looked hopeless into a very exciting win. Thanks for the tip on the HoneyCrisp apples. Minnesodans do know how to work magic when it comes to food. Except for lutefisk. I have to draw the line somewhere, and I am more than happy to draw it there. Crazy Norwegians.
Woodland—I’m glad you had a good day today. Yay for getting in more exercise with turkey compost shoveling…although I admit that doesn’t sound pleasant to me. Being a farm girl myself, and having driven by a turkey barn or two, I can’t even imagine the aroma that awaits you in that job. As long as you mean what I think you mean when you say turkey compost. If not, then please disregard most of this message. I know what you’re talking about with the hunger variations between days. I can’t figure it out either, but it’s good to keep checking in often to monitor those hunger signals.
CeeJay—Nice work on the credits. How are you liking the meditation? I’ve always been intrigued by what people are trying and what they find works for them.
Grouse—Congratulations on using strategies to minimize the effects of trigger situations. I like the idea of “goal clothes”. It’s such a concrete way to recognize the changes that are happening, without relying on the sometimes unpredictable scale.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - For lunch I had a restaurant doggy-bag from DW - flounder stuffed with crab. An elegant midday meal for me; CREDIT moi. I was the beneficiary of the restaurant serving her twice as much as she considered a reasonable portion.
Did gym; CREDIT moi. Some of their clocks had been set back, some not. But outside knew; It was dark walking home with Daylight Savings Time upon us. It looks like a different city after dark.
maryblu - Waving back to "one irrationally exuberant Beckie" - your joy is contagious. DW cut out some winter squash recipes from the Boston Globe; can't wait - fall veggies rock.
onebyone - I am buoyed by your attitude, "set yourself up to succeed" - good stuff, that. Cringing at the thought of taking your cat Caesar in the car; Yay for rental cars for transporting cats, LOL.
CeeJay - Congrats for your scale tracking you tracking your eating plan. Kudos for your credits, including "meditating for 15 mins."
Joy (gardenerjoy), Joy (gardenerjoy) - (In honor of planning two days worth of work for one day.)
"All this happened, more or less." - [Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)]
Beverlyjoy - Love, Love, Love the Wedding from **** story! Hope you retell it once a year - say on your anniversary, to remind us that 30+ year marriages can start out in a blizzard. Kudos for seeing past your medical stuff to plan a neat family vacation at Disney World.
Debbie (Lexxiss) - Thanks for the reminder, "keep putting one foot in front of the other" - Yep, that's the formula. [Good idea to remember that cookies on a platter don't come with their ingredient list.]
Woodland - Neat strategy to break down that cherry pie to become a real food item, instead of just a compulsion; Kudos.
MinniePaul - Don't I know about, "finding excuses not to exercise," LOL. Wonder if it were labeled, Ground Legume rather than Peanut Butter would it lose it's appeal? [The stuffed sole was the main dish along with my Man Salad which is so standard I don't mention it. Hadn't thought about Thai curry, but you're right, the Japanese curry was closer to Thai than to Indian.]
grouse - Noting, "but that didn't have an effect on my eating today" - great reminder to accept yesterday and move forward. And then using, "I distracted myself instead" - another good Beck strategy.
BelovedK - Good solution to the cookie dough - cookies, whoda' thunk? With Kudos for "BUT I don't feel like throwing in the towel." It takes more than a cookie or two to stop a freight train.
Readers -
Quote:
day 42 Practice, Practice, Practice
Remember that you'll hit rough patches from time to time. All dieters occasionally give in to cravings, forget to give themselves credit, or neglect to follow their food plan. All dieters occasionally question whether losing weight is worth the time and effort. Whenever you hit a rough patch, go back to this book. Flip through each day of the program, reread the passages you need, and start doing the relevant tasks again.
Hi coaches and friends and buddies - Yesterday was a healthy on plan day. I am grateful. I went to PT and did eight minutes on the stationary cycle. I burned 15 calories this time. LOL - that’s seven more calories than last time. Therapist and I discussed a way to insure that I don’t do any overstretching of Prince. (aka - the foot formerly know as the good foot) At PT they have a big container of candy at the sign in desk. I resisted…Credit!! DH got himself some chocolate last night and didn’t eat any. Half credit - it helped to know that chocolate would upset my stomach so it helped me resist.
I am starting to get calls for work this school year. It saddens me so much to still be saying no because of all this foot/ankle stuff. I had to ‘give away 25 jobs last summer. Now it’s starting again. So frustrating. I just want my life back!
Even though I intended to do my Beck tasks yesterday - really the only ones I did were exercises, planning, writing it down and counting my food exchanges. I MUST do more and especially my meditations.
I am trying to stay/act positive with everyone out in the ’real world’ No need for everyone else to be a party to my frustration. I've learned that when people ask "how are you?" - some folks really don't really want to know. It’s nice to have a place here at 3fc where I can just say how it is. I know that you all care about me despite all the ‘stuff’ going on and there’s no judgment. I feel the same way about you all and your ‘stuff’ too.
Onebyone - we had a cat that didn’t travel well. When we moved to a different state ten years ago the vet gave us some kitty ‘valium’ and he slept most of the way. It worked out well. No sugar and wii fit sounds like a doable plan amidst all the uncertainty. You said: set yourself up to succeed and as you see yourself succeed you'll be spurred on to make, and keep, more changes. I need success and I need to work with where I am today and that's at the very beginning. This sounds like a good attitude!
Gardener joy - I hope your plan and path building worked out well for you. You are consistently reading your arc/rc - Credit!
Belovedk - I am so glad you baked the cookies and will send them away. Glad that is over. Life with food is faced these hard situations. So you did eat something that maybe you didn’t plan on. Well - just forgive yourself and move forward. It’s the continuing to eat and eat that is harmful. Carry on.
Lexxis/Debbie - I feel for you and commend you for your open and loving approach to living with DH and his brain injury. It must be tough but, you always move forward the best you can. I am glad you got your green drink in. I have stopped the green drinks for a few days - when I go back I’ll take your advice - also, I’ll start with much few greens and work my way up to bigger and bigger amounts. You said: We are traveling at the moment...pups, kitty, 2 sewing machines, my remaining greens from my garden-in pots, and a bucket of worms heading for a new home. Are you moving from your current home to a new one? Did I miss this somehow. Credit for your food sanity in all this!
Yes - DH and I have discussed redoing our wedding in the summer time. For our twenty fifth anniversary our family gifted us with a trip to Hawaii partly because of our disastrous wedding. If we renew…you’re invited.
Maryblu - things sound good. I miss the seasonal foods too. When we lived in Michigan, friends in the country would dress their kids and the yard ornament deer in orange, just in case.
Woodland - credit for the willingness to ask yourself if you are hungry. Good idea…reading the label on things as a reality check and possible decoy to eating. Love the sound of turkey compost!!
Ceejay - so many good credit! YAY. Credit for avoiding a lunch that you knew would be too ‘hard’. Yes - I am glad you did your meditations. Sometimes when I meditate and my mind wonders and think to myself ‘to the breath’ as I breath in. You can find an anchor word or phrase if it helps.
Grouse - major credit for not letting a little bit of off plan eating throw you into a tailspin of overeating the next day.!! I agree with what you said.. Eating is fun! Credit for willingness to use distractions during the day to stay away from extra eating.
Minnie Paul - Glad to see you post! Credit for realizing how you react to peanut butter. Now that you realize that being tired is such a huge trigger for you, perhaps, you can put a plan of action into place so that you’ll know what to do right away.
Billbe - what a great lunch! I hear you on the difference in the day when the time changes. It feels different in the dark doing certain things. Sure -I can post my wedding story again in January -fact is often stranger than fiction. Funny story now - perseverance. I loved reading your day 42 clip today… yes, practice, practice, practice - thanks.
Only eight weeks until 2011 - Yikes!
Last edited by Beverlyjoy; 11-09-2010 at 08:51 AM.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am working through a book called 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam. (I miss seadwaters who was also intrigued by this title). The first big assignment was to keep track of how I spent my time for three weeks. That's done, so I started analyzing the data yesterday.
Here's the part that has to do with my healthy lifestyle -- I spend nearly two hours a day just in food prep and kitchen cleanup. I guess I knew that, but I kind of hoped maybe I was just whining and that I overestimated that time. Apparently not.
Add to that all of the time I spend eating (has anyone else noticed that it takes considerably longer to eat a salad than a cheeseburger?), exercising, shopping, and posting here. It works out to an average of 36.5 hours a week (almost a full-time job!) or 5 hours a day.
The reason this is suddenly a concern is that I'm ready to do some of what Beck calls enriching my life. I have a business idea that includes an active social networking presence (I miss RobinW, our resident social media expert, who would likely confirm my fears that this will require a hefty chunk of my 168 hours a week). And this is only the marketing piece, there would be actual, you know, work on top of that.
I want to find a way to retain my healthy lifestyle but spend less time doing it. A puzzle. And a bit of a scary one, at that. I worry that pulling the wrong thread could cause this whole healthy lifestyle to unravel.
Another interesting question: is it worth it? If someone had told me when I weighed 240 pounds that I could lose the excess weight if I were willing to spend 5 hours a day doing it, performing tasks that are generally pleasant but not ones I would consider my calling, would I have done it? Yes. But I would have hesitated. It probably would have helped to add up the time I spent eating, cooking, etc at that time. I'll bet it was 3 hours or more a day, so it didn't even double the amount of time, just used it in a way that resulted in a net loss of pounds.
WI: -0.5kg, Exercise: +60 345/1350 minutes for November, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
I woke up this morning with a splitting headache. This is highly unusual for me. I found a pill to take and came downstairs. The headache just grew and grew until I was really nauseous. I went back up to bed and DH was still in it so I pulled the covers up and with my head throbbing and my stomach churning I added to that tears. Usually crying relieves my stress it; just made it worse today. Right before I got up this morning my mind was filled with these thoughts:
-how am I going to tell my mother I'll be gone in a month
-it's going to be hard to reconcile to myself that I have to go to toronto so I can't be around or my mom -what difference will toronto do for me -it's more of the same and worse as I rip upl all my ties here
-i'm never going to make it in toronto i may as well just live in the suburbs and quit doing my art; i'm too old too fat too ...... everything
-how are we going to get a new place anyway? you need first and last month's rent-we don't have that-we'll be waiting until january to get a place moving on new year's eve or something ridiculous Dh will be gone I'll be doing all the packing and then we'll have to move all our stuff by ourselves
-DH has holidays right before xmas and we'll probably be spending them moving and not relaxing. we have had TWO days of holidays together all year. once he starts his new job i won't even see him he'll be working so much let alone trying to get him to take time off -- i'm really on my own here
These were the thoughts I woke up with and they wouldn't leave me (they are still there but quieter right now) I expressed some of them to DH before I jumped up to go sit by the toilet to cry and dryheave. NEVER have I been so physically mentally and emotionally upset all at once like this morning. I went back to bed-DH got up-and I took a "nap" of 6 hours.
I feel completely shut down. My headache is lingering and I am about to get ready to go teach my drawing class. Getting out and moving around will be good for me but I am still on the verge of tears. I left class last week telling them this week I may have news of our overseas move. I STILL have no final news as The Boss hasn't called DH to talk yet today as promised. Maybe that won't happen today. I did impress upon DH to find out about $ for moving/movers, an advance of $ so we can find a place to mve our stuff to. DH and I are too old to be hauling our crap up and down stairways or whatever.
I'm trying to look on the bright side but I'm not very happy about any of this today. Maybe things will change once we get some facts. It's all just stress and anxiety right now For all I know The Boss could call and say we are going to the Isle of Man. Right now, I'm not sure how I would take that--I'm not sure I want any change.
Foodwise credit: no sugar yesteday and none so far today.
Wii fit? None.
A good day with Beck behaviors food and exercise OP. Credit Moi.
I have been reporting on my star gazing in the bright, clear, impossibly warm Nov. nights that I have been savoring. Last night ~10:30 p.m. I got a call from my sis, reporting a star twinkling that she had never seen before, and when viewed with binoculars, it was green/red/twinkling. She did a great job locating it for me from our mutually understood position of the Seven Sisters. I had no trouble finding it or seeing it twinkling red/green in my binoculars. (don't have a telescope, but a great gift idea for Xmas!)..She is even more "Mother Earth" than I am, but also a real internet holdout, so I did the heavy lifting of googling it and identifying the star as Capella. Way cool. Way cool.
Now I know why my dad used to take the family hiking in the November evenings after milking. It was a very enjoyable family ritual..all of us and the family dawg trampling along outdoors all bundled up in the brisk November night time air. My dad could make an event out of nothing more than *that.
Just tonight I heard the reports of the "missile" mystery on the west coast.. glad we identified this heavenly body.
Got an email message from Nutrition Action to contact my senators to support the first FDA Safety reform in many, many years, and way overdue. It is the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Even though I *know my two senators support it, I just *know, I complied and called their offices. Felt good to *know I have two senators who have those values. Now if I only had a governor...*sigh. Only in Minnesoda. Does it have to be this hard???
Confession time. I had good intentions, but didn't read my response and advantage cards so I guess I "forgot", and faltered. I felt a hungry sick feeling from eating the yucky stuff I ate the day before (cookie related, I'm putting it behind me) The churning belly feeling had me eating something carby in the evening.
I am just unplanned, I am destined to fail unless I have a plan (as to what I am gloing to eat)
grouse- yay for dealing with the binge trigger. I know that trigger (eating a bit more than planned) very well and it is a toughie.
MinniePaul-it is so true that being tired is a trigger. Good for you for recognizing it.
BillBlueEyes- your lunch sounded excellent. Sure beat the tuna sandwich and salad I had. LOL. Need to remember that a little variety goes a long way.
Beverlyjoy-credit for resisting the candy at the PT office- really they should know better. LOL. Your thoughts about our Beck place were very welcome. We do care and I am so happy I found everyone here to share this struggle with. Thanks for the advice on the wandering mind during meditation. Mine is an out of control brat. I just keep trying to get back to the breathe each time I wander- about a million times in 15 minutes. It is amazing how much is whirling around in your head.
gardenerjoy- your book sounds really interesting. Wow-so much time on your healthy pursuits. I don't doubt your stats. But then again, look how much weight you have lost. Maybe the maintainers have some ideas about how you fit in all the self care into real life. A minor thing but I have been thinking about stocking up on a bunch of frozen dinners for both home and work to ease up on the meal prep at least a couple of times a week. I am also finding the time commitment huge.
onebyone- so much to deal with and so many really hard challenges. Sending you a big hug.
maryblu-so cool about seeing Capella. You are inspiring me to go outside tonight and spend a few minutes looking up. It is fantastic here- and supposed to be 16 C tomorrow. Awesome.
BelovedK-all you can say is oh well and move on. Don't let it derail you.
For me, another day on plan. I meditated again tonight for 15 minutes. My mind is crazy-busy. It is going to take some time to settle it down. But I am so happy I am doing this.
I'm way too tired to post here but I can't go another day without or I'll give up again. Work is exhausting, DH's job comes and goes, a family friend's daughter died. And my "just do it" trainer wants me to eat fruit instead of Blizzards--she swears it is just as tasty!!.
Yesterday: ate OP except for one giant calorie (DQ) slip. Planned all food, then wrote it down. Read my cards (in my datebook). DH brought the Nordic Trak in--it is ready to go.
Today: Didn't plan ahead, but ate OP at breakfast, only ate half my lunch salad because by 4:00 I gave up on snatching bites between students, had a small glucerna bar instead of indulging when I gave up on lunch, cut my Taco del Mar burrito in half before starting to eat to take 2nd half home for tomorrow's lunch. Cardio for 25, no strength because of 'pep talk' meeting with trainer.
Tomorrow: meals already planned, committment to 8am cardio at gym; will watch for NO CHOICE and IS IT EMOTION OR EXHAUSTION cards when I crave something. Good news: I don't have to get up at 5:15 to grade papers
I've had a really good few days and I'm going to let myself be proud of me. Yay, me! I'm not perfect, but I've made a few good choices these last few days.
-saved money by vaccuuming and dusting the inside of my car. Movement = exercise, right?
-chose to stop running errands on Sunday and cut my list down to just 2 stops (as opposed to the 5 listed stops that would have resulted in overspending and lots of temptation). This gave me more time to stay home on a rainy day and devote my time to cleaning up my space and making home life a little bit more comfortable. A step towards improved health.
-put on my workout clothes first thing in the morning to walk my dog before getting ready for work (rather than get ready for work and then panic that I didn't make time for my own needs to "get moving").
-and my credit for today was walking by the candy jar at work twice without taking any. The best part was my thinking though. "I don't like the way the sugar in the candy makes me feel after I've eaten it". Usually after sugar intake, I feel lethargic, tired, unfocused, and not able to function. I can thank diabetes for that, I think.
This adjustment is HUGE for me. I feel really good at this moment that I've been able to have more positive and productive thoughts. My old patterns are usually full of self criticism, hatred, and defeating thoughts that would send me down spiral. Right now, I feel hope. I'm pleased.
It was a good day for me today. My credits:
-Biked 2 hours
-Ate everything sitting down
-Didn't eat everything I had planned to eat for dinner because I was starting to feel full, even though I really wanted to keep eating
-Read my ARC/response cards, and made a few more
Still having to constantly remind myself to eat slowly. I like eating fast! I don't know why; food lasts longer and I enjoy it more when I eat slowly :-/
MinnePaul: I discovered the same thing yesterday about being tired - I was fighting the urge to eat all morning and I didn't know why because I wasn't feeling anything and I finally figured that I was just tired, so I took a nap. When I woke up, my urge to eat was gone.
weighing in= down one pound, I'll take it.
and just unhealthy, I don't like to eat crap like that.
As long as you mean what I think you mean when you say turkey compost. If not, then please disregard most of this message. I know what you’re talking about with the hunger variations between days. I can’t figure it out either, but it’s good to keep checking in often to monitor those hunger signals. 
Tuesday
Coaches, lend me an ear.
what a difficult time 
weighing in
