An extra snack, again. Sigh. But I think I figured out a piece of the puzzle -- an overwhelming to-do list and the only break I allowed myself was "snack." I designed some new breaks yesterday so I'll try that today. I also worked on trimming the to-do list to something more manageable.
3Ws (Weigh, Write a food plan, Write a post) streak: 7 Credit!
WI: -0.1 kg, Exercise: +25 445/1400 minutes for February, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
ForMyGirls: This is exactly what I think we're up against: "if we didn’t live in ‘normality’ then maybe ‘normality’ isn’t going to work!"
BillBlueEyes: is your "a plastic thingy on a neck cord" a security pouch? I carry my passport and extra cash in a pouch around my neck and under my jacket. I sometimes carry it shoulder holster style so it's under my arm if I don't think I'll need it. In airports, it's hanging around my neck but under a top a layer so it's not completely visible.
Hi, I am in a bad mood. I feel stompy. And apparently I am a tall two year old. Bedtime did not go well with the girls, and I lost my patience. I could have handled that better.
Ok, on to talking about food and eating and not eating. Eating was satisfactory today. It was my light exercise day (I alternate days I run with days I walk/elliptical trainer/yoga to keep my knees happy). I’m really enjoying my current exercise groove. My exercise streak is at 29 days. Fun to look at a calendar with all those x’s.
I’m little bit annoyed at my fitbit because it provokes me into walking circles around my bedroom if I'm just a little under my 10000 step goal. I supposed that’s what I signed up for but I’m bugged that I’m bugged by not getting all green smileys. Why do I care about green smileys?
Maryann: Your framing of the rationalizing brain is really helpful for me. And I had the thought passing by some pomelo today at not-meal-time that just because it’s good for me doesn’t mean I have to eat it.
Tricia:
Quote:
I hurt my back, so I've only been walking for exercise as it spasms when I twist or reach.
See, now, this is great. What I’m not hearing is: My back hurt so I couldn’t exercise. Instead just a casual, not-even-thinking-about-it, oh yeah, my back hurt so I am doing a different exercise. Congrats on being down a pound. (Also what is NQ?)
FutureFitChick: I am so glad to see your latest check in. I am so glad you didn’t give up. Countering that feeling with prepping healthful foods seems just about perfect. (Also, thumbs down from me too on a hack-a-thon. Does not appeal.)
Welcome home, nationalparker.
Seadwaters: It all sounds good. I started doing just walking, then walk/run, and now run/walk, and soon just run (I’m up to 20 minutes straight running and I’ll keep extending that until it fills the whole time) on the treadmill, like what your describing on your bike. My point is: I’ve been really surprised and encouraged about how much ability I’ve gained just in five weeks.
ForMyGirls: I love that your credit included be kind to yourself. That is such a healthy response in so many ways. And a good reminder to me. Also credit for riding your bike.
BBE: You rocked the Travel Show. No excuses for you. You found a table. You planned snacks. You walked. Credit toi (if I may). Laos shares a lot of cuisine (and language for that matter) with Thailand. I wonder if you saw kanom krok – my favorite Lao/Thai snack.
Gardenerjoy: I was going to offer to brainstorm with you about the challenge you’re dealing with, if you’d like, but it seems like you’re already breaking it down. I went and read your truly lovely bio. I am so happy for you and Lexxiss that you reaped such tangible health benefits. And hopeful for myself. (I’m on ACE now, instead of a diuretic, because my new doctor says it is kidney-protective and mine apparently need protecting. I’ve just been on for about a week now, so I want to give it a chance.) Funny that you mentioned giving up diet coke, that is the first change I made a couple of months ago, kind of thoughtlessly, and then it snowballed into diet books and forums and 10 lbs lost to date. I also gave up coffee aka 200-calorie lattes on M-F. Now I’m going to join the Exercise Challenge and I’m off to get The End of Overeating. Intriguing.
Lexxiss: Credit x 7! So good to be reminded of all the potential benefits.
Hello, all! We are back home to most of our pets (the kitties) and will get the pooch back tomorrow. I miss them much more than DH does. Got home to the house about 11 p.m. after a good 20 minutes of scraping layers of ice and snow off the car ... and woke up to -3 this morning. I'm so over this winter already, and we still have a long way to go. Back at work, and will stop at the market on the way home, probably, even if just for a handful of things. If not, then we'll have one more meal out - this one at our cajun spot, and it's one I split in half.
Excited to see the scale at 170.0 this morning and typically I drop down a bit a day or two after a flight... so I'm hoping that I'm down a bit tomorrow. If not, I'll say that gaining 1.5 pounds on a cruise/vacation was good for me at this point. Onward and forward.
Saw Monuments Men on our trip. Loved it. Good cast. Bill - I, too, enjoyed American Hustle, and want to watch it again on DVD to really "GET" some of the set-up that didn't click the first time. I'm not a re-watcher, either
Better get back to work - thank you for the welcomes back and instead of stressing about personals, I'm going to commit to enjoy doing them a few times a week, and not beat myself up when I say I will and I won't But GardenerJoy, I like your three W's and will analyze what works best for me to be on track and track that.
Coaches. Hi. So saw my trainer today she was unhappy with me. No weight loss. I wasn't surprised. I am going to use my fitness pal for keeping track of my food for the next two weeks and I now have a complete upper and lower body work out
I'm posting with my first cell phone from my studio BTW! Very exciting!
We got back late last night from our trip which was wonderful in every way except for my food choices. I didn't read my response cards while I was gone--and I'm sure that didn't help. What does help me is writing response cards when traveling--that is my plan for my trip the end of this month.
I did record everything so that streak continues. I'm going to record today and then make it an early night--it was a great trip--but tiring.
Weight was up today (to 180.8--I never wanted to go above 180 again). Exercise today got changed. Instead of 45 minutes of kickboxing our trainer went with 45 minutes of circuit training. I definitely got a great workout--and she had me up my weights to 10 lbs--I'll probably feel that tomorrow!
Hello coaches,
Walked today on the treadmill plus walking pup...Exercise OP+
Back is still spasming, but icing it has helped reduce the frequency.
Good food choices today, within calorie limit and even stopped dinner before I "thought" I was full, but I was just craving the taste as now over 2 hours later I'm still full. Eating OP+
seadwaters Great job taking time to log as best you can and for walking further. Hope your last PT goes well. Kudos for 8600 steps.
Lexxiss Credit for checking in when it is difficult and your streak of 7. LOL about your physical feats! Yes it will be hot here soon, winter is one of my favorite seasons...not looking forward to the 110's
ForMyGirls Great job using your resistance muscle and positive responses on hot chocolate and for kudos starting your streak.
BillBlueEyes Alaska sounds like fun, three family members have taken a cruise there and were impressed. Whoohoo for 82! Congrats for ignoring the snacks and having positive thoughts. Maybe when the boy's are grown I can do polenta in tubes, instead I made about 8 cups worth and it is gone.
FutureFitChick Bummer about the laptop, hope you are able to find a fix. Kudos for OP and PT.
gardenerjoy Hope you find a better break and have a reasonable to-do, congrats on 7!
flnu I feel about two sometimes trying to get my boys into bed, I just need them to be done! So glad you've found a good exercise groove, congrats on 29! LOL about the green smileys motivating pacing. Thanks for your encouragement about walking!
nationalparker Glad you were able to unearth (unsnow?) your car and make it home. Great job on the cruise eating/exercise, that much could even be just water!
bethFromDayton Welcome back, sounds like you have a good plan for your next trip. Great job recording everything! Hope you aren't too sore tomorrow.
Food was on track today - I planned and stuck with the plan. I am way under calories but it is what I planned and I don't want anything else (fortunately). Exercise was the usual - dog walk and gym - 9000 steps. It was a good PT sessions - I did planks! I have arranged to see him once a fortnight at the moment - I really can't/don't want to pay for more.
I started the day looking at my Response cards and Advantage cards and through old postings for 2010 and 2011 - a bit depressing really because the same themes come up and the same lack of progress. Not sure what to rethink but I know I am committed and taking this seriously. It was sort of motivating
Credits: attended a big morning tea function at work with all sorts of delicious goodies and drank a lovely cup of tea; took the time to make a really yummy sandwich this morning and it was so relish as well as healthy; another day of working my routine
Food ? 80 % OP; Health activities 100% OP? yes ; Drank 2L water? yes ; Went to bed on time? yes ; Streak count: 2
flnu - loved “stompy”. Resistance to bed-time can so totally do my head in!
Diet Coaches/Buddies – There were two errands, each a mile away in the opposite direction. Perfect excuse to walk further, CREDIT moi, even as I grumbled that it would have been easier for the universe to arrange everywhere I needed to go in the same place.
Eating remained on plan, CREDIT moi, including snacks so I've streaked to 83. Evening snack was a California Navel Orange from the same bag as yesterday's but this one was only mediocre. Drat! I'd figured that a superb one meant that the whole bag was superb. Dinner was a new-recipe Turkish dahl (lentil soup) made with Red Lentils that collapse when cooked to become more like mush than the distinct lentil-by-lentil texture of Green Lentils. DW used slightly less water to make it thick. Absolutely yummy. Next time she's going to rustle up some cilantro to sprinkle on top.
onebyone – Yay for being comfortable ensconced in your studio.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – I do like the joy of finishing a to-do list. I find myself adding items that can't be done so I carry them from day to day until I finally admit that I'm never gonna. [Thanks for the reminder about an around-the-neck security pouch - that I forget about until I'm packing the night before when it's too late to go buy one. This thingy was smaller; you could stick a pencil in it, for example.]
silverbirch – Feeling deprived because my childhood didn't have Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.
Stompy (seadwaters) – Massive Kudos for planks - I despise those. And Kudos for making a commitment to a schedule with your PT person that you're comfortable with.
FutureFitChick – I hate diagnosing computer problems. It took me months to figure out that it wasn't my computer - it was a worn mouse pad for my optical mouse!
nationalparker – Welcome home. Congrats for a vacation that doesn't include weight gain. DW and I argued about who was being honest when in American Hustle. My take is that the ambiguity was well orchestrated. (I found the young lady who wasn't wearing a bra more credible; DW had an opinion about my opinion.)
Beth (bethFromDayton) – Yay for a pushy trainer who's going to continue to make you sore.
ForMyGirls - Kudos for "a lovely cup of tea" instead of all the goodies at your work function.
AZtricia - Ouch for spasms; Yay for ice as antidote. I've never figured out when to apply heat vs. cold to muscles in distress. Super Kudos for stopping dinner. Eight cups is a lotta polenta.
flnu - LOL at walking circles to get to 10,000 steps; BTDT. Kudos for your extended successful "exercise groove."
Readers -
Quote:
day 12Practicing Hunger Tolerance
If you've had similar experiences, it's important to learn that you can tolerate hunger. Once you effectively convince yourself of this, hunger won't seem like such a big deal. When you're hungry but it's not time for a meal or a snack, you'll be able to say to yourself, Oh, well, I wish I could eat now, but it's okay ... I can wait.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 121.
Got to the gym and all the treadmills were annoyingly filled BUT I went and did my light day workout instead - a good 25 minutes of fast walking plus a yoga DVD. The streak continues.
I am not meal planning a la Beck but I am doing quite well staying within my own constraints (no snacks, no dessert, and no more than one physical plate of food at each of three meals, M-F. And I always construct my plate of everything I'm going to eat at that meal before the first bite, which reinforces mindfulness. If I'm still hungry at the end, oh well.) If this proves not to work (defined as failure to lose 5 lbs by April 11), I will reconsider planning. Felt like I had to get that out there. Oddly, it is extra motivation for me because I really don't want to have to plan.
Now, for something a little different. I saw a thread in this forum about curbing overspending habits using Beck strategies, and it got me thinking. I don't overspend but I sure do procrastinate. A small step toward accountability for me: I am going to spend 30 minutes per day on the thing I've been avoiding for months. (Wince.) I will do it first thing in the morning after no more than 30 minutes of processing emails. I will report my anti-procrastination streak here along with my exercise streak. (But I won't spend any more time ruminating about procrastination in future posts because I do understand that this is a weight loss thread.) Thank you.
I managed to do much better yesterday. Putting more thought into my breaks made a difference, although I had to fight the urge to snack. I was able to say "No, I'm doing this other thing." It seems a bit counter-intuitive to plan what happens during a break, but, otherwise, I eat. The break still seemed to serve its function, even if it was planned.
3Ws (Weigh, Write a food plan, Write a post) streak: 8 Credit!
WI: -0.95 kg, Exercise: +55 500/1400 minutes for February, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
BillBlueEyes: If your plastic neck thing was from a library conference instead of a travel show, I would say it was a pencil holder for those of us librarians who wear our hair too short to stick it in a bun.
My husband prefers a security pouch that hangs from his belt, but can be flipped around to be inside the trousers.
flnu: I think it can work to choose a rule to flaunt instead of to follow. I've never managed to give up my book while eating alone or TV while eating with DH. Violating the rule that one should eat undistracted seems to amp up my willingness to follow the other rules. As you said, I was motivated to make it work in spite of my one violation, because I really didn't want to make that change.
Good for you for finding another avenue for Beck principles. I think that's a big step in the overall healing of our lives.
Last edited by gardenerjoy; 02-11-2014 at 09:38 AM.
Yesterday I spent THE ENTIIIIIRE DAY fixing my computer. I finally made it to bed about an hour before I like to be waking. So, a late start to the day for me. Lesson learned: if things aren't working well with the machine, DON'T INSTALL MCAFEE anti-virus software... But, as a bonus during my downtime, I did all of my PT and fixed a calculator, a watch, and my Body Media Link. My husband is in the office today, so I have the house to myself again. It feels nice. I miss having my independence and look forward to being able to drive places again.
Food yesterday was on plan, but I did not track. I did not leave food on my plate at any meal. Today I am tracking and know what I will eat. I nap will happen. No change on the scale this morning, which is reality, but not fun.
AZTricia, what kind of pup do you have? We have a foster dog, who is a shiba inu. I am still trying to decide what I think of the breed. This particular one has some bad habits that need addressing or my carpets will die a stinky death. (He has some issues picking up yucky stuff from the backyard and eating it, then regurgitating it once he gets inside.) But that will be easier to manage once I am able to walk out in to the yard without slipping and falling on ice so I can monitor his activity better.
BethfromDayton, writing your response cards in an EXCELLENT idea! Thanks for sharing that, as I am looking forward to trying it. Great job on recording and bummer about the very small weight gain.
BillBlueEyes, that it took you months to figure out it was your mouse and not your computer made me both laugh and envious. I get too rattled by mine not working, so if it doesn't work, you can bet I will be "fixing" it (and making it worse) very soon; this requires completely scrapping it. I guess this happens about once a year or so. Hmmm... I'll have to think about that pattern. As always, your wife's cooking sounds delicious!
flnu, I love your description, though I am sorry you experienced, feeling "stompy". My toothbrush gives me smileys for brushing 30 seconds in each quadrant. It gives super-smileys if you also brush 30 seconds more (on the gums). I like getting my smiles too. I know, it is dumb, but my dentist has been pleased! Way to go on your exercise streak! Good luck on your anti-procrastination technique. I've been using on my iPad a program called 30/30 (it is really just a fancy timer that moves you from project to project). I also really like the program "Unstuck" to deal with the emotional aspect of what is keeping me from being productive.
ForMyGirls, I am really happy for you that you have a routine that is working for you! That is awesome. I struggle with routine (anything), though I crave the balance it might bring me.
GardenerJoy, you always impress me with your ability to analyze your life and see how food choices are fitting in to it. I like that technique so much better than the self-berating that I usually end up doing.
NationalParker, back in the days before mobile pictures, I used to travel with a picture of my pets. My then boyfriend thought I was a little crazy, but he grew to love them almost as much as I did. Good idea of at least getting food for now at the market on the way home. I am bad at that and then hate that the eating out continues once we are back. I will have to remember that strategy. Awesome to see your weight at a nice number upon your return.
OnebyOne, I'm glad you are getting some great tools in hand. A trainer, smartphone, and tracking software are all really helpful.
SeadWaters, great job with your planning and calorie balance. I'm confident you will find what you need to break through those habits that are holding you back.
Last edited by FutureFitChick; 02-11-2014 at 09:57 AM.
AZTricia, what kind of pup do you have? We have a foster dog, who is a shiba inu. I am still trying to decide what I think of the breed. This particular one has some bad habits that need addressing or my carpets will die a stinky death. (He has some issues picking up yucky stuff from the backyard and eating it, then regurgitating it once he gets inside.) But that will be easier to manage once I am able to walk out in to the yard without slipping and falling on ice so I can monitor his activity better.
...
Our dog is from animal rescue, so we are not 100% certain. The vet's best guess was bichon poodle mix. He has a grooming appointment this week, maybe the groomer will have some idea? As far as your foster dog, isn't there a powder you can sprinkle on their food to make them not do that?
EDITED FYI, the last time we tried Norton (sorry, not McAfee! 8 years ago!) it screwed up our machine and dh researched virus programs and found it to be poorly rated and having many complaints. The best he could find was ESET/NOD32 and it has worked well for us. They were hugely helpful the one time we did get a virus and it has completely protected our machines otherwise for several years. The computer magazines regularly rate virus software, so it should be easy to find an article online describing what companies are the best right now.
Another frigid day. I'm tired of the temps below 0. -12 when I left for work this morning. I know I could never live further north than I do now and have any pleasure in winter life.
Scale dropped down a bit more to 169.2, which makes me think that the 170s are not the magnet that I think they are at times and proud that I was able to be gone for nine days and not go off the beaten path too much.
I did not end up hitting the market on the way home, so made breakfast for dinner, and tonight we're going out and celebrating Valentine's Day early as DH starts back on nights later this week. A $10 off coupon and a gift card were calling ... and it's a restaurant that I start with a delish salad and bring home half, if not more, of my entree. I am confident (hopefully not overly so) that this will work in well this week. Going light today for lunch and plan to go soon after I get home, so I'm not getting too hungry.
Work has picked up again to the frenetic pace of the autumn ... but I'm trying to go a bit zen with it and realizing that I cannot control the outcome of much, but I CAN control my side of the work and how I react or rather respond to issues.
FutureFitChick - I love the looks of the shiba inu!! LOVE 'em Maybe the eating crud and regurgitating it will be easier to monitor, as you say, when you're around outside to correct the behavior when it's happening.
Bill - LOL at the credibility difference of opinion I loved the "science oven" line from that movie, and have been using that when able.
Tested out the hunger part of Beck's yesterday. I was VERY hungry in the afternoon, to the extent of walking down to the snack machines, which I rarely hit. When looking over the selections (which aren't all bad in our offices), I remembered the hunger experiment and thought, I can certainly wait a few hours. I won't keel over. Got home and made a cup of tea while deciding what to do for dinner. Felt like a minor accomplishment. And all I did was what millions of people do daily. Go without food. Sad, when I think of it.
RE FOODPLAN:
My new foodplan will be based on the Shades of Hope plan in the book of the same name and I will be tracking my food in the my fitness plan software.
RE EXERCISE PLAN 4-5 DAYS/WK cardio: a)WATP at home for 40minutes most days, OR b) Cardio for 40 at gym or exercise class weights alternating days of upper body workout with lower body workout. At every visit I do crunches and the plank.
I begin today (will add update) and will re-assess in two weeks after my next visit with my trainer.
UPDATE:
did I track my food today?
did I exercise today?
did I stay on plan with my food today?
do I have a plan for tomorrow?
Yes it will be hot here soon, winter is one of my favorite seasons...not looking forward to the 110's
Kudos for OP and PT.
Thanks for your encouragement about walking! 
Great job on the cruise eating/exercise, that much could even be just water!
Tuesday
facing your stuff vs. stuffing your face
