[BillBlueEyes]

MermaidAtSea

And in honor of just joining 3 Fat Chicks,

How did you hear about the books by Dr. Judith Beck?

And how did you find this forum on the site 3 Fat Chicks?

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Moonbeam was waiting for me to make morning coffee - a reassuring feeling that she's still in my life. She had to fight her way in through weak cloud cover. Walked, CREDIT moi, to an evening event with the full moon visible both ways. I saw details in lawns as if late summer evening. More exercise earlier when searching the Atlantic north of here for winter ducks. Saw one Snowy Owl standing on rocks by the ocean - an odd place for an owl. Entertained by Harlequins and Razorbills - a good day.

Stayed on my eating plan, CREDIT moi, including snacks to streak to 57. Part of lunch while birding was a pair of mints distributed by a friend who always does that - and I always eat them. It was easy to accommodate them as afternoon snack although candy isn't on my plan. This candy, in this location, is. By the time I got home, the urge to have more-more-more was worn off. I wouldn't do this in my home when the rest of the package was in my pantry.


onebyone – Happy Rest Day, creativity.

Cheryl (seadwaters) – Neat phrase, "swapping the witch for the b***ch" - Kudos for continuing to seek the right foods for you. [I had no idea that worms hated citrus. I do know that they won't eat the labels that supermarkets put on fruits - every one I forget to take off a banana peel shows up in our compost intact.]

nationalparker – I'd watch anything to hear Maggie Smith speaking Violet's zingers, but the plot twists in the latest episode of Downton Abbey didn't appeal to me, either. I'll be expecting my butler to keep the help in line when we get there.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – LOL at "pilates kicked my abs today" - good start to a new exercise program.

ForMyGirls - Triple Kudos for turning down a seven year old saying "but i want you to have some." [I've never seen a straw bale house. DW asked me some hard questions about my casual thought that we should build one - some of which I now can answer simply by google images. Seems to be a post and beam house with curtain walls made of straw, optionally with an added interior and/or exterior surface. How complex will you build?]

LoseToAll - Yep, Kudos for extra walking. Parking a distance away forces that second walk back to the car - want to or not.

AZtricia - Congrats on that 10% gone. Do you have a planned reward? [Thanks for the "healthy orange julius" recipe.]

MermaidAtSea - Triple Kudos: for eating slowly, for sitting down, and for giving yourself credits for both of those. A Hat Trick day! Glad that you've joined us.

Readers -

day 10 Set a Realistic Goal

What is your goal?
Now, let's talk about the rate at which you should try to lose weight. Although you probably don't want to hear this, the answer is the slower the better. During the first week, you might lose several pounds. This isn't unusual since at the start of a diet most weight loss actually comes from water and not from fat. You probably won't continue losing at that rate, though, so don't get discouraged later on.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 113.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Discouraged this morning. All week I fought the sweet urge at work trying to work through the blues without it. I was a trooper drinking all my water and I was rewarded by a slim .5 weight loss on the scale. I just couldn't accept despite what Beck says about the number on the scale at any given day is exactly what it should be. I didn't realize how angry I was about this until a coworker dropped homemade chic chip walnut cookies on my desk - a thank you for the nuts I had given her. My mind said no sweets at work so I got into my car and ate six!

I know acceptance is the answer to all my problems. All I can do is the footwork and let go of the results. Had I kept my focus on the footwork i would not now be three pounds from ticker. I need to let go that it takes me a week to lose .5 pound and four hours to gain three. None of this is my business and none ever promised life is fair or easy. Oh Well. I have been incredibly self centered during this process, focusing once again on food and forgetting life.

gratitude list:
Back OP for twelve hours.
A binge looks nothing like it use to look. iI is not as destructive being shorter in duration.
I have the choice to treat my body with love and respect today.
I have a place to write about this.
I have a lot of knowledge of what works and doesn't work for me.
I am not the same girl who weighed 200 pounds and was hopeless. It feels like it, but I am not her.

I have a plan for work today. If the blues hit with the accompanying sugar mania i will take a walk to the park next to work.

[AZtricia]

Hello this Thursday coaches/buddies. Wednesday was pizza night for our family (we are so on the go that it is just what works for that day). For my plan, two pieces was to be dinner. I should have stopped at one and brought an apple or something as I was still full (not quite uncomfortable, but close) two hours later. I guess I'm still adjusting to my smaller stomach and appetite, and I will definitely do something different next week. 2-

Walked on the treadmill while the boys swam, 2.1 miles in 38 min. I've been doing 30 second bursts of a faster speed as I read that is helpful. I hope as I get lighter to be able to maintain a higher speed, but now it hurts and 30 seconds is plenty! Doggy is on our routine and sleeps now, hurray, but he is sicker with the kennel cough and quite miserable. Hope he feels better soon...looked it up on the internet and it is at least a 10 day illness.

BillBlueEyes Sounds like a great bird walk & thanks for being our moderator

LoseToAll Congrats for your campus walk and planning.

nationalparker How'd the soup go? My dh is too hot to snuggle with unless it is VERY cold, he just radiates heat and I get uncomfortable and twitch (like kicking him away, but in my sleep)...so I can understand not wanting to be so close.

bethFromDayton Hope your abs are not too sore today, great jog sticking with the class till the end and I hope you enjoy Friday's circuit. Great job planning ahead on Sunday!

MermaidAtSea Welcome and great job for credit sitting to eat, and going slowly, which is huge for me. Hope you find an exercise you can stick to.

seadwaters Like your term "mystery route" and will have to try that with my dog when he has more energy. I've never been thin, so I can't guess at what exactly it will look like...something to look forward to.

maryann I've so been there with the discouragement. Life is not fair, but the scale is not the judge of your progress. If you want a more realistic progress report then you need to get your fat % measured or use a tape measure. When you are exercising you build muscle as well as losing fat and muscle is heavier in a smaller space. I am glad you were able to bounce back from your binge, you are not hopeless but full of hope. I love your plan to take a walk to the park if you need it. Hang in there!! sending:

[ForMyGirls]

Hello coaches,

Superfast check in and i haven't even had time to read posts since my last check in! Yesterday was another close to on track day - about 200 calories over my holiday allowance. I am OK with this. Getting it exactly right is difficult when food is hard to plan and i am mostly making good decisions on the fly.

Credits for yesterday: recognised that i didn't need or want dessert at dinner (dinner at a restaurant being a place where i historically feel like i am entitled to dessert). Noticed that my body was hanging out for vegetables so made sure i had a big vegetable dish at dinner. Chose trail mix as an afternoon snack while rest of family was having choc chip muffins. Managed to notice that i actually desired them ewually and the rewson i was being swayed to the muffin was because i was "entitled". Glad i saw it and had the healthy choice that i enjoyed so much.

Ok. Gotta go. Staying in a place to night with a heavenly veiw and my darling boy has just got back from sourcing some coffee so i am off the balcony to soak up views and caffeine. Life is so fine :-)

[nationalparker]

Checking in from work, as I know with DH home, I most likely won't post tonight. Day 13 here and the stalemate with the scale continues. I am doing a dang good job maintaining, and even when I was IN maintenance for a decade-plus it was never this tight. I'd jump from 135-136-133-131-134 - all over the place and didn't worry as much within a five-pound range. Now, I'm up and down a 0.2 range this stretch. But I'm healthy and need to keep that in mind. That should override any frustration. I'm almost fearful of going UP not down.

But c'mon, Taylor scale. Or whatever your name is. On second thought, I should name it a name I really like, such as Francesca, and develop a positive relationship - sprinkle a little pretty glitter on it, sweep up any cat fur that might have nestled nearby [cough cough] ... who knows what could happen. I'm open to the possibilities.

Snowy day, messy day here. Multiple major wrecks, one with five semi trucks. Volunteered at the elementary school and went to Subway for lunch. I misjudged and my sandwich was 400 calories with the cheese and non-wheat bread and now am a bit disappointed, but life will go on. I still have more than half of my calories for dinner and hope to go lighter than that. Would like to get out on the trail with DH with our yak trax and just burn off some stress. If he doesn't want to go, I don't go alone in the dark.

Lighter lunch of broth-based soup worked out okay; I just don't really like it that much. Staying extremely busy at work probably helped more ... no option to snack in meetings.

Looking forward to the long weekend already.

Goal is to not turn into a slug tonight with DH home.

[MermaidAtSea]

Thank you, coaches! I discovered this method through listening to the Beck Diet Solution audiobook. I have had a great deal of success with cognitive behavioral therapy in the past, so was very excited to apply this approach to diet!

Thank you for your encouragement. Still sitting down to eat, reading my ARC's and following my diet to the "T", as well as recording everything I eat. The thing I am having some difficulty with is eating slowly during lunch. I am a medical student, and typically only have 30 minutes total (if that) to eat lunch during the afternoon, so I frequently feel rushed. Also, my part time job only gives us a half hour lunch break. Between this, and feeling hungry between meals (still in the early stages of my diet) it is sometimes hard not to eat quickly.

Still, though, I am trying to pace myself and take a bit longer than I normally would.

Thanks for your support!

[bethFromDayton]

Hi all,

Today was an OP food day and I definitely felt yesterday's workout in my abs. I count this is a Good Thing. The trainer comes to work MWF, and I won't be in tomorrow (working from home) but I'm going to do the kickboxing class on Monday. I've never done kickboxing, but I really feel positive about working out at the end of the work day 3 days a week!

I've got tomorrow all entered in MFP and ready to go.

Cold here and a tiny bit snowy and I didn't go for a walk. I thought about doing a Walk Away the Pounds video and didn't--I'm going to think about how to make that sort of thing easy to just 'do' so that I don't just think about it--I think I'd feel better right now if I'd moved more this evening.

I ordered a FitBit One--I think visually seeing that I'm not moving enough will help me move more.

Welcome MermaidAtSea!

Take care, all!

[GosfordGirl]

Coaches

I took the dogs for a walk this morning as usual but not quite early enough to avoid the heat - I decided they were having a minimal walk where I stood in the middle of the park and they ran around chasing other dogs. As we did a round of the park I kept telling myself that we were not going on a walk - my back hurt, my hips hurt, my knees hurt - and then said "no choice" and left via the back entrance to park when my car was parked at the front. As I walked my pain eased and I loosened up. Another mystery route! I was pretty hot and bothered by the time I got back but glad I walked further than I was capable of for a long time before back surgery. Further exercise today has been chores and I am knackered as we say. I am trying to get things organised before I return to work next Tuesday and I want to enjoy my last weekend before I go back - so all particularly annoying cleaning chores done. I have done my steps for the day and am getting a sense of the amount of activity and movement over the course of the day that will put me between 7,500 and the magic 10,000 steps needed for health. At work I have a timer that goes off every 25 minutes - I then have to get up and I walk up a few flights of steps and to the end of the building, down 2 flights and then back to my desk. It is a good reminder to keep moving. I don't think I could work with a standing desk however and this is my compromise.

Foodwise I made sensible choices. I probably haven't eaten enough because I was preoccupied with chores and didn't eat anything until about 2.30 - and a smallish salad at that. I am looking forward to my evening meal but I will need to watch that I don't go over the top because I haven't eaten enough today.

Credit for:
Planning today's food
Logging food
Doing today's exercise - 8900 steps so far or 6 km
Checking in
Organising my environment so I won't be so rushed next week when working
Working on new response cards and rereading them all

I will have to write menus for all meals next week and decide what I need to shop for tomorrow to fill the gaps. Weight is still bobbing up and down around the same higher (especially since birthday lunch) value. So I too am "maintaining" when I want to be reducing! I am not sure what to do - maybe just accept that on average weight loss WILL be 1 pound per month for me at the moment and that I need to establish healthy habits of walking (now that I can) and eating.

That is it folks - have a good day

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – At gym, CREDIT moi, I bumped into a gym-buddy who's a hunking huge football-lineman sized guy. I can never compete with him on the gym floor. But in the locker room we swapped tales of the latest music concert we'd been to see and got to compete with the my concert that you missed was better than your concert that I missed. Wish I saw him every gym visit - there's extra calories burned in the laughing. Walked to the library to pick up Philomena. Since DW and I saw the movie I've wondered if the depiction of Ireland of the 1950's was exaggerated from the book. From the first few chapters, the movie down played the utter horror of life as an unwed mother at that time and place. Just Wow.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including only one of my three scheduled snacks to increment my streak to 58. Dinner included fresh green beans simply prepared. DW waits to buy them until they appear fresh - which isn't every time she shops. I didn't mention that at Wednesday night's event I sat for two hours around a table with a dozen choice snack and drink options while having none. The guy sitting to my right offered me the four-sectioned bowl of tree nuts every time he reached for it. I kept repeating to myself, Not about me.


Cheryl (seadwaters) – Our papers are abuz that you've seen 110 F down under - Super Ouch for trying to walk outdoors. Kudos for your walk about every 25 minutes at work.

maryann - Ouch for the attack of the walnut cookies when you were vulnerable. Super Kudos for the immediate bounce back with a plan, "I will take a walk to the park next to work."

nationalparker – Think I'll name my scale Matilda - invokes whimsically walking. Thanks for the idea. Ouch for stubborn scale; I'm suffering the expectation that each day with my hand out of the nut bowl should see a pound drop on the scale. Yay for the benefit of work that there's no time for snacking.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Feeling a workout the next day is a great sign that you're doing something right.

ForMyGirls - Recognizing the Sabotaging Thought, "entitled," is Kudos worthy - especially since its recognition allowed you to fully enjoy your trail mix.

AZtricia - Yay for doggy sleeping through the night. Kudos for evaluating your pizza episode to make a plan for next time.

MermaidAtSea - It's a big head start to begin your Beck program with a positive prejudice toward Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Kudos for working on the eating slowly strategy - the constraints of reality do have to be honored.

Readers -

day 10 Set a Realistic Goal

What is your goal?
In fact, there is no long-term benefit to losing weight too quickly. And there is a major disadvantage: When you suddenly decrease the amount of food that you eat, your body responds in a protective manner by slowing your metabolism. It's your body's natural responds to protect you from starvation.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 114.

[ForMyGirls]

Hello coaches,

Another brief check in as it is late as we have had another really busy and fun day here in paradise.

Credits: OP on food. About 80% OP on health activities. Did my resistance band exercises on the deck gazing out at the views - exquisite. My current home is very devoid of views so looking out windows at natural beauty is like drinking water when in a state of great thirst. Almost fell for "go on you're on holidays" when faced with sweet treats at a bakery where we had toasted sandwiches for lunch. Remembered Joy's alcohol or dessert rule again (I so totally love that rule Joy!)

MermaidatSea - welcome!

BBE - i look forward to waxing lyrical about strawbale houses when it isn't WAY past my bedtime :-)

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Day off today and it feels good to regroup. Yesterday was OP. I had another awakening. I can walk the track at my lunch. How had I not considered this when I was blue? All I have to do is make sure I have a pair of old tennis shoes in my desk. I walked about 25 minutes of my 35 minute lunch break. Funny how my addictive mind narrows to allow NO solution because all it wants to do is eat compulsively. So I join BethfromDayton in exercising at work.

We are heading up to Tahoe for the three day weekend. Food is planned. Frugal January is going extremely well. I am systematically using up all my freezer stuff. I will not even have to go to the store to cook my group meal tomorrow night - Chickpea and sausage stew. The chickpeas are from the coop we belong to and the sausage is from our Mr. Pig.

seadwaters: Great job walking. It takes courage to continue to push yourself in the aftermath of back surgery.

BBE: Thanks for the quote on setting a r

[LoseToAll]

Scale is up today. Just have to remember it is just a number and not my self esteem!!! Or judges my worth. It is a mental game that I lose sometimes.

I ate standing up twice yesterday. It is such a hard thing to break. I do not even realize it until after.

Credits: logging my food and planning for today. Parking on outside of campus and walking in to class. Checking in here. Weighing self and recording it even though it is up 2.5 lbs from yesterday. It is TOM and I have to acknowledge it will cause weigh gain and let it go. So hard for me.

I am having a vegetarian day today. I have squash, broccoli, salad, apples, bananas all planned for today. I am trying to lose that 2.5 by tomorrow. I have not hit my goal of one lb this week. That puts my reward movie off one more week and I am scared Philomena will be out of the theaters before I lose my five lb goal. Oh well I will deal with it and see a different movie.

Ate my last Christmas chocolate yesterday. Put me over 200 calories but I needed it. Now it is gone and will soon be forgotten. I just said Oh well.

Hope you are all well. Love reading your posts. Thanks.

[MermaidAtSea]

Thanks everyone!

Today was a bit of a struggle. Have been having a lot of hunger, even though I am eating enough food. Still learning to deal with the sensation of hunger. Ate breakfast and lunch slowly, but rushed a bit through dinner because I was starved. Feeling a bit resistant to writing down in advance everything I eat. Weekends are the time my husband and I tend to eat out spontaneously, so it's a bit tough to give that up.

Credit for:
Starting exercise program today!
Sticking to my diet.
Sitting down to eat.
Attempting to eat more slowly.
Writing food plan for tomorrow.

[nationalparker]

Happy Friday! Another very busy work day, which, end result is that I don't think about a snack and lunch is usually lighter. Tried to go light in order to hit DH's steakhouse for dinner and not go over too much. Went super light and the steakhouse was mobbed again THIS week, so we nixed that and splurged at a bbq spot - stayed at my calorie range - split an order of fries that are individual sides, and brought home just under half my chicken - skipped the sandwich bun.

Need to come up with the food plan for the weekend and into early next week. Tomorrow night is the dinner theatre to see, Lend Me A Tenor. Looking forward to that.

Francesca is holding her own in the battle of me vs. the scale. With all the sodium and eating at the top of my calories, I know tomorrow will at least bump it differently.

Bill - I hope you and Matilda have a more simpatico relationship I share your expectation with the visible scale reward.

Beth - I'm with you on the ab soreness! The floor exercises I've been doing are a frustrating realization of how little muscle tone I have now - next day awareness is good I keep saying...

Seadwaters - Single digit temps here tonight - hard to imagine the heat you're experiencing. I can never remember how sweltering I was in the summer when my fingers are icy in the winter. Major credits for you to be getting out and walking in the heat.