Good Evening Everyone,
Well my day was far from perfect but I did do one good thing for myself today. I remembered to eat my AM snack on time instead of when my lunch was due. I set myself up all the time by getting busy and neglecting my snack break. I never eat after dinner usually so it is a 12 to 14 hour stretch from dinner to breakfast. I was a little better today by paying attention to what I need for myself.
So today:
I did a 27 min. workout the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. Was a little easier
today.
30 min. walk with my pup
Didn't preplan last night but am going to do that after I post here
Was low on veggie today
I have some "litte reinforcement messages" in my head reminding me to stick to the plan. I didn't write them down originally but know I need to do that now.
When I am tempted, all logic seems to go out the window.
Well hope everyone had a good day.
Be back in the morning.
Thanks for the warm welcome-backs. Today I felt powerful and all full of Beck-isms. I focused on doing accurate scale measurements of my food, and eating a bit under my calorie goal for the day. I also exercised well. One of my favorite parts is the stretching I do at the end with my eyes closed. After that song is over and I'm all relaxed, I just feel so content !
Credits today:
~ Measured all foods carefully
~ Reminded myself 'you can't have it both ways' (eat loose/be thin)
~ Exercised (stretch and strength)
~ Visited with coaches here
~ Planning tomorrow so that I include more vegetables and fruit in the menu
RubyJan - Yeah for calorie counting. It is my preferred diet method.
BillBlueEyes - Credit for giving those weights a go !
pamatga - Thanks for the warm welcome. It sounds like you are a great planner.
ChefJoona - Congrats on 'discovering' new spring/summer clothes ! Isn't it wonderful when clothes fit that were previously tight? I recently had the reverse happen, which was a wake-up call to get more serious with my Beck skills
Bigknitter - You have made a great choice, not only to get back on track, but also to be kind to yourself.
Lexxiss - Yeah for tracking ! I like your idea of putting a sticky on the computer. Lol, maybe I saw a bright light, or maybe it was those green shorts that were uncomfortable for 'some reason' !
Beverlyjoy - I love your phrase 'I am so thankful'. It soothes me and helps me think about all that's good when sometimes daily challenges stress me out. Thanks for being here.
onebyone - Good for you on identifying difficult areas. I think Beck gives a great framework on how to improve, and it all starts with being aware.
wife2abadge - Thanks for sharing the ice cream situation. Your resistance muscle is so strong and is giving great messages to you !!
GardeningDeb - I love 'walk with my pup' ! That sounds like fun.
I'm back from my trip to Chicago. It turned out to be all about food, alcohol, and art. The finer things in life. I was off plan the entire time. I couldn't even figure out what on plan would look like. Credit, though, for requesting vegetables every chance I got, for leaving food on my plate whenever I was served something that I didn't like as much or when I determined that the serving size was just too large, and for lots of walking.
I'm playing with the idea of only drinking (Day 31: Decide About Drinking) when I'm in the presence of our nephew that we visited in Chicago. He is so knowledgeable about wine and other alcohol that it is all about appreciation, not that different from looking at Dorothea Lange's The Road West on loan at The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago or Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (it's big!). Appreciating good wine is an experience I don't want to deny myself. And it's so good, that there really isn't much point in consuming alcohol at other times.
My next trip starts a week from tomorrow, so I can act on what I learned. (Day 32: Prepare for Travel) I think I'll continue with the focus on vegetables and walking. I want to add in something that helps me feel a little bit more in control of things. I was unable or unwilling to count exchanges for all that I ate, but I think I could pay attention to my starch servings and make sure I eat four or fewer each day. Doing that is likely to naturally help me restrict the protein and fat as well.
Well coaches, I did much better today. I am giving myself credit for sticking to my calories and mostly to my plan. I wasn't planning on exercise but I was craving sweets so I decided to go downstairs and walk for 40 minutes while watching a dvd. I've been thinking and other than sometimes I just rebel and tell myself I don't care and should just drink and eat what I want, I think I gave in to my emotions big time. I was feeling antsy, bored, lonely, and restricted on Friday and just let it all go. I knew what I was doing but I did it anyway. I think this Friday I need to go play a game with my dd or just get out for a walk instead.
I think I probably was trying to restrict too much, I have a hard time accepting that I should just lose slowly - I always want to have a good 5 pound loss in a week of dieting, silly I know because it just comes back! So I'm just going to try and have a reasonable amount of calories while still eating what I want. Ultimately I would like to be able to just intuitively eat, so I guess I was rebelling and giving up on the diet because I don't feel like I should really have to. But I know that I do have to. Whether or not I will ever be able to not have to plan everything and count every bite remains to be seen, but it isn't working right now so I need to stick to the planning. Thanks for listening.
Sounds like everyone is having some great successes, it makes me feel hopeful and is very motivating to me
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Another rainy day. When there was a break in the rain, I took off for my walk, CREDIT moi, to Whole Foods for a bag of 365 brand French Roast coffee - it's odd to me that theirs is a good value when everything else seems so overpriced. Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. I saw a granola bar that needs to be disposed of, but didn't do anything about it - in the past I'd have just eaten it to make it go away.
onebyone - Yep, breakfast is a winning strategy. Yay for making it to the studio so you could smell the clay if not yet get your hands in it.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for seeing Georges Seurat up close and personal. And Yay for thoroughly enjoying Chicago.
Beverlyjoy - Congrats on those 5 pounds gone. "I refuse to let it get me down" is so very you.
Woodland - Yay for taking your stretching seriously - wish I'd do that.
ChefJoona - Kudos for standing down that Cadbury Egg - I used to love those little guys. Yay for walking in the rain.
pamatga - Yay for walking when you didn't feel like it. Love the notion, "The price of maintenance is eternal vigilance." [We have a complex plan to live (camp?) in the small area of our third floor while the first two floors are renovated.]
GardeningDeb - Yay for taking care of yourself per, "I was a little better today by paying attention to what I need for myself." - right in sync with the quote of the day below.
Susan (wife2abadge) - Kudos for berries and non-fat Greek yogurt. Love the insight, "You can have ice cream any time, but perhaps now isn't exactly the best time."
Lauren (Bigknitter) - Kudos for a plan for today. Yep, the Beck strategies can be used to get back on course immediately after one small excursion - the key thing is to get right back before it begins to feel like a long fall.
And Kudos for carefully looking at your feelings from last Friday and seeking a path for a steady eating plan. It's so appealing to lose 5 pounds in a week but you sound really clear that you want the long term results.
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 3 Get Ready to Lose
Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks. task 9 Build a Sense of Entitlement
I was honest with Tina. I told her that dieters who refuse to make time for themselves inevitably fail. I asked her to consider the kind of role model she was presenting to her children. Did she want her daughter to grow up with the notion that she wasn't entitled to take care of her own needs? Did she want her son to grow up expecting his wife to always put him first, even at her own expense? She saw the point. Then I asked her to consider how much of a catastrophe it would be to make some changes. She realized that her family might be disappointed once she stopped catering to their every whim, but they would get over it - and pretty soon her new way of doing things would become the status quo.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D, The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pgs 41-42.
Good morning...
Like Billbe said, those of us in New England are getting more rain today.... blah! But the trees and flowers are blooming, and sometimes I think the grayer the day the more vibrant the Spring colors appear (how is that for looking on the bright side )
Yesterday was an ok day. Food was on-plan. Snuck a couple tastes of some gluten/dairy free brownie batter I made for a co-worker/friend whose B-Day we are celebrating today during our Wednesday afternoon staff meeting. I will adjust lunch to fit in some room for treats during the celebration.
I also have dinner plans after work to celebrate a friend's B-day which is tomorrow. It sounds like we're gathering at an Indian Place. I will check to see if they have an on-line menu. I'm not sure what a healthy choice might be at an Indian place.... I guess I'll just focus on small portions.
I went to a movie last night and while I was buying my ticket I also bought a small bag of Skittles. I left the Skittles in my bag throughout the entire movie! I don't know why I bought them in the first place, as I was still full from dinner.... but I was able to recognize that and not break into them during the movie. I had a few on my drive home from the theater, but gave most of the bag to DFiance to finish. I think that deserves 1/2 credit.
Chefjoona WTG on handing back the Cadbury egg. Isn't it wonderful when we find clothes in our closets without going out shopping? I too have been wearing some "new" clothes bought in past but held onto for hopes of wearing in future. It's nice when that day finally arrives! I would say stopping at eating anything like Skittles is a whole credit! Here's a whole credit for that! bigknitter You are in the right place for having those on again off again moments, days, whatever. I identified that this habit was one of the more powerful ones derailing all the hard work I had done and it is very frustrating. Now, I am adding up the days which are becoming weeks and close to amonth where the slips are few and far between and I am beginning to feel like I have more control over what I eat. You'll get there. beverlyjoy I hear you regarding the ups and downs of dealing with pain and its side effects. I too can not walk comfortably on uneven ground but I am starting back slowly on level ground. Since Atlanta was built on hills it is a challenge to find level ground but I am actively seeking it out. onebyone I don't know which book you are using as your guide but in the pink book there are all kinds of useful tips on how to derail unplanned eating, skipping meals, overeating etc. I understand how frustrating it can be to not eat one meal only to overeat at the next. I have made it three nights without eating late at night, "just cause" and to distract me from joint pain. I made it a rule that I would consider Breakfast any food (healthy, of course) eaten after 4:30 a.m. Maybe, you can figure out something that will give you a sense of control and keep you from overeating/undereating at other meals. gardenerjoy Traveling is a tough nut to crack. Is it possible you could bring a small cooler and pack that with some portable foods or buy som non-perishables you can supplement restaurant meals with? I love to eat out but I can't eat many meals out without it affecting my digestive system. Good luck, we are thinking of you as you face this challenge again.
Well, I have moved through Day 32 Traveling quickly since I don't plan on going anywhere significant at the moment. However in the past I have found out that I enjoy the meals eaten out more when I supplement them with some food I have either purchased at a grocery store or brought from home with me. My DH has a genetic disorder where he needs to carry a protein supplement with him when he travels. I remember him having one whole suitcase just for that to take with on his trip to Ireland.
After reading what Dr. Beck says about Food Pushers, it has made me even more resolutant to just tell everyone and anyone that I have "health concern/medical condition" that warrants me eating specifically at certain times/places/foods. In the past, I have said "I'm on a diet" and people either roll their eyes or smile "knowingly". So, moving forward, just like at that frozen yogurt place, "I have a health concern" and let them fill in the blanks.
After all, we all do here in one form or another: as I mentioned to my DH the other night, if I were to opt out and stay this weight, eat some of the foods I know I shouldn't/can't and now won't, my blood glucose and probably blood pressure/cholesterol would continue to rise and rise....then I would be facing
some serious health concerns. So, why not head it off at the pass when I can actually have better control of the outcome? Right, I am in the normal range for all of those indicators doctors look at when determining whether to give advice or pills for. All I'm doing is practicing "preventive medicine" via my food plan.
Day 33Emotional Eating is something I have been aware of, dealing with for the past three decades. It wasn't until I wrote my Response cards and really addressed both the sabotaging and distorted thought processes that have derailed all my efforts to lose weight that I actually began to have hope once again. I have been victimizing myself for so long it is unreal. I have decided that I don't want to be a victim anymore. The biggest "Food Pusher" was done by me to me.
It does feel like slow progress but it also invokes patience and trust that this system works, as long as we work it.
Credit: ordering some more sugar free food products by the company I mentioned yesterday. 20 pack assortment of "snack size" cookies, of all flavors, sugar free creamy peanut butter (I have tried every brand on the market and I am still searching for The One) and sugar free maple syrup(not pancake syrup either so this ought to be interesting how they worked this one out). Wife2abadge where were you when I needed you when I caved in and had a small reduced fat vanilla cone? Now, I am going to return to my no sugar ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt and stock up for warm weather.
Although I realize that this is not for everyone here, I have found that by significantly removing all known sugars out of my food plan, all cravings have stopped (not all impulses) and I feel I have sanity regarding food. I'm not obsessing about food either. Lower carb works as well. IMO, there still is a strong connection between the kinds of foods I eat, their composition and control over my hunger/appetite and cravings. I have also read that some theorists believe that we overeat because we aren't getting enough nutrients in our existing food so that is why we seek more food. I tend to agree with that because the healthier I eat the less food I want to eat. Makes sense? It does to me. Like onebyone said, I've got a plan, now I'm just tweaking it.
For me, already using the Beck skills of "No Choice", drawing a symbolic line and removing all offenders in my home, goes a long way in fighting unplanned eating. "Oh well" and just getting on with it are also allowing me to set up boundaries that I know not to cross. Feelings are not facts! Just cause I feel like eating doesn't mean I need to, have to or will to. "Hunger is not an emergency".
Got enough "Beckisms" for the day? Well, I'll be back tomorrow if you haven't.
Hi friends.... yesterday was mostly good... I did have a binge last night in a reaction to foot/ankle pain. I took my nsaid pain medication and gained five pounds overnight. I don't know if it's from the medicine or salt or which or both. I am so tired of this foot/ankle stuff. I am going to see my GP for a follow up and I'll discuss it with her.
This is a good day for this. I'm tired, in spite of sleeping over 9 hours last night, and a bit stiff from lots of walking on Monday followed by lots of driving on Tuesday, and feeling overwhelmed and behind on life with overflowing in boxes. In the past, the day after a trip would be a perfect excuse to eat everything in sight. And there will be a lot in sight because, of course, I need to restock the refrigerator.
The mind set techniques she lists will help (especially labeling how I'm feeling -- I'm tired not hungry -- and reading my Advantages).
The behavioral techniques seem less useful. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, things like distractions or cups of tea or relaxing are either impractical or contribute to the overwhelm. Angry Birds distracts me from eating, alright, but it also distracts me from getting the things done that are bugging me. On the other hand, if I'm feeling too overwhelmed and not relaxed enough, Beck is right, I'm vulnerable to overeating as a distraction. Angry Birds is better than overeating, but not by much. I've had this ambivalence before and have yet to come up with a great response. For today, though, my response is to plug along on the things that are overwhelming in as relaxed of a mode as I can manage.
Bigknitter: yay for walking as a distraction for overeating -- that works for me, too, and I think I'll use that today!
BillBlueEyes: Great job resisting the granola bar that presented itself.
ChefJoona: we stayed an extra day in Chicago because our entire trip has been rainy -- I guess all of that moved in your direction. Yay for not giving into the Skittles after you bought them.
pamatga: yay for all of the Beckisms and making them work for you!
Beverlyjoy: so sorry you are struggling with pain and good job with the persistence!
Sometimes I can stop myself from eating emotionally if I do as Geneen Roth advises and ask myself, "what is it I really need RIGHT NOW? A distraction? A nap? A walk? A hug?".
I went to a breakfast at the middle school this morning and ate a small plate of fresh fruit, surrounded by people eating doughnuts, bagels & cream cheese, and rice krispy treats. Honestly, though the doughnuts smelled good, I didn't have to struggle too much to stay away from them. I know they have partially hydrogenated oil in them, which is poison to my arteries!
You are right, woodland -- you can't have it both ways.
bigknitter -- it's great that you walked rather than munching on sweets. The more often we make choices like that, the more often we will make those choies. "Last supper" and I become BFFs whem I try to restrict too much. Patience...
beverlyjoy, I'm sorry the pain is so ruthless. Thankfully, I can forget about my knee a lot of the time.
pamatga, good advice on food pushers -- "I have ahealth concern" -- I love it. So true that we are our own worst food pushers.
Coaches, thank you for the encouragement! I have had a pretty good day, besides being very grouchy. I stuck to my plan, mostly, but I'm not too worried as of yet about being a total stickler as long as I make good choices and stay around my calorie limit. If I need to change that, I will. I made myself lift weights, which I haven't done in a while and I can feel the sore coming on! I got some spontaneous exercise in at the library, climbed two flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator. I still need to get on the treadmill and walk for a bit, it was raining all day or I would have done it outside.
I'm not sure who it was but I think I saw that the cookbook Super Natural Cookbook was mentioned, I meant to say that I have it and just started cooking with it and I haven't been disappointed yet. There are lots of interesting recipes and it is fully whole foods based. I think I will like it a lot once I start using it more! I've actually decided to cook my way through it, since I buy lots of cookbooks and don't really use them. This is the first one I chose to do it with.
Credits today:
~ Measured all foods carefully
~ Exercised (recumbent bike & arm weights)
~ Listened for hunger feelings and practiced distractions until meal time
~ Visited with coaches here
I could use some sunshine, but am glad the early garden plants are getting a nice drink.
Back from a night in the hotel and I ate on plan yesterday and today. So happy about that. This makes almost 2 weeks with only one day off plan. I feel great.
Credit today for:
eating healthy and on plan planning tomorrow and packing up lunch resisting urge to go out for breakfast and ate the cereal and orange I had packed resisted urge to stop and get a warm cinnamon bun on the way to the office resisted urge to order chicken fingers and fries at lunch and ordered salad with dressing on the side instead resisted urge to go through McDonald's drive through on the way to the next office and ate an apple instead
It was a day full of urges. Each time I was able to say to myself "Just forget it right now, think about something else. Today I am NOT doing this."
I am off for a weekend at a cabin with DH tomorrow night. Can't wait to go. Should be able to check in if internet is working well. If not, have a great weekend and see you next week.
Coaches/Buddies I haven't even caught up on the thread yet, but wanted to just touch base. It has become evident that my migraines are coming back after a brief reprieve with the last round of preventative meds. It is, frankly, depressing. In the meantime, I'm having massive flare ups of inflammation in my knee (arthritis/bone spurs) and in my arms/wrists (too much typing). I'm having trouble getting out of poor me mode long enough to see the wagon and figure out how to chase it back down.
I persist. Hoping the tide turns in the mental battle soon. Giving myself credit for every positive step.
Hello Becksters:
There is Thursday and I discovered only three days into it that I have lost 3.5 pounds, just by reading my List and making some better choices. Last night was the first time since I went off track that I ate my supper with blueberries for dessert and not some heart-stopping dessert of the fatty sugary kind. I am thrilled with myself, and feel I have broken through the 'dessert barrier', and the berries were great.
I can't remember how to change the numbers right under my avatar...can anyone remind me, please? Early onset Stupidity on my part.
Today I am returning to a reasonably sized (i.e., not huge) bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and some kind of salad for lunch. I am going for more vege and way less meat than when I was (with terrible consequences) trying to be an Atkins Girl again (too old, too late, too sickening)...
I really like reading the day by day posts that some people are putting up -- very inspiring.
Wednesday
Now, I am going to return to my no sugar ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt and stock up for warm weather. 
