A busy, busy workday...on plan but chose activity tonight over dishes. I'm going to either leave them (gasp) or get in there when done here and journaling.
I marked that it's week eight but I will cross check that. Now I feel I'm getting more excited about fitting into more clothes than the scale...I feel that is a greater reward that I can see and profit from...more clothes to choose from!
2 more pounds this morning!!! For a total of 8 pounds for this 21 day program. Yay me!
Even though I told myself I would take a few days before I started the next round, I found myself planning and shopping for ‘on plan’ foods for this week. I definitely took the day off today to celebrate my birthday, and will probably have a drink tomorrow night at another birthday event, I think I’m ready to start my next 21 days soon. Will probably take an on plan lunch tomorrow, and eat my regular breakfast.
Thinking that since Wednesday is my late night of meetings at work, I will plan to start the exercise portion of the plan on Thursday, along with getting seriously back to the food plan that day. That gives me a solid week on plan and exercising before my tricky weekend away.
Not even talking about today’s food and drinks, except to say the amazing dessert from lunch actually made me DIZZY it was so sweet. And I didn’t finish it—that’s a first!
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked, CREDIT moi, to the library to return some books even though it was before their due date. I had taken home six books to see if they were good options for our book group. A quick scan allowed me to just return them. I spend so much time trying to catch up to make deadlines that it feels good to do something ahead of schedule - even if just returning a book.
Lunch was constructed from some left overs that were quite old. I ate them quickly before DW found them and tossed them. We have different notions of how long food lasts before it's deadly. There were no more peaches at Whole Foods. It's time to hibernate.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for a plan. [It's almost frightening to think that you could easily teach your DGN such splendid words that his teachers would think him genius. Our DS's kindergarten teacher was blown away when he referred to a dog's "anus." I still don't know what word we were expected to have taught him, LOL.]
Debbie (Lexxiss) – Welcome Kelly! Love the notion of creating your own doggie sign language. Does she stay at home happily while you work?
Nature Girl – Kudos for completing your 21 day plan and contemplating starting another. It's super that you found that dessert too sweet - a sure sign that you've tapered off the sugar intake.
maryann - Neat that the scale responds to a positive thought.
nationalparker – Congrats on achieving "more clothes to choose from!"
flnu - Kudos for exercise and meditation both.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 8 Holiday Traps
#3: The Fit-In Foodie Trap Trap
Deanna had decided before she went to the party that she'd have one treat. She ate several cookies soon after she arrived. "And that should have been it," she said. "But the cupcake decorating caught me by surprise. I started thinking, 'Everyone else is having one, so it's okay if I do, too.' And then once I ate one cupcake, I thought, 'Well, other people are having another, and besides, it's holiday time.' So I had most of a second. And then my friend offered me a taste of hers. It was red velvet cake, which I had always wanted to try, so I had a few bites of it. I really blew it."
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 158
I spent hours correcting and learning grade book system this weekend so I have a little luxury time this morning. Credit for two straight days in the 50s. Credit for rescheduling next week to include the Drs apps I missed in the week. I keep reminding myself of my short priority list: Health first (spiritual, physical, emotional), the boys, quality work. Everything else I can cut right now. Along those lines, I have been using the anti anxiety approach my PT gave me. It seems to be helping. Three days off anxiety med. Also, I have accomplished "NO SWEETS AT WORK" for October thus far.
BBE: I am a food thrower. I have gotten into trouble before with others. When the apocalypse comes, I will eat out of date mayo and the last two tablespoons of guacamole. nationalparker: So exciting to be able to "shop" your closet for new things. Great motivation. Naturegirl: Happy bday and congrats on 21 days. I have reinstated my nightly walk now that my work life is becoming manageable. It is so helpful after a day of students to be alone with music.
I ate two snacks instead of one. That's okay now and then, but I really want to make one snack my new normal.
Weigh-in: +0.1kg
Exercise: +65, 160/1300 minutes for October
Food: 80% on-plan
Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Refrained from eating in the car: yes
News from the midwest: The world didn't end because I left dishes in the sink to choose journaling and reading after biking. They got done when I got up this morning. Scale at 164.6, so dipping back down a bit. I actually have been tracking the daily weight, and it's helpful to see the rises and dips along the way. I'm much more relaxed about the rises, as I figure the dips will come at some point. Dinner was easy since most was prepped on the weekend, and it made for extra time in the evening and this morning since leftovers work for today's lunch on plan. Tonight I think we're aiming to his the movies that are $5 all day
Bill - So are you telling me that when I retire, I will still be up against deadlines? Phooey. I thought all the extra time would eliminate that...but I guess living a full life just means they're here to stay. I am the food thrower in my house, but DH isn't far behind me. I'm the one saying, "ewww...this smells off. Smell it."
NatureGirl - Yes, congrats on the 21-day plan completion! Since following this plan with no added sugar/art sweetener, it's been shocking to see how much is in nearly everything processed. It's pretty shady to me, that on the nutritional labels, they'll give a percentage for everything (fat, protein, etc., but not for sugar... so unless you do the math, it's not apparent how much is in something. Like cereal, 9 g might sound like not too much compared to others that are 12 but then you realize that the serving is 27 g, so one third is sugar. I know I squawked about that last month! sorry ... but it's been bugging me! It's just wrong.)
Maryann - Kudos to you for setting priorities and following through on them. I think I'd like to do that on a weekly basis as my job is gearing up yet again. Nothing to the stress level of crossing a picket line, mind you, that'd be another stratosphere for me, but fast paced and more deadlines. DH and I have been falling asleep many nights to a guided meditation cd - I last much longer than he does as my mind reviews way too much of my day, but we rarely make it to the end of the session awake. Peace.
Joy - You had me thinking about what exercise goals do I want to set to attain before our Italy trip. Eleven weeks for us and so do I want the minutes or miles challenge. I don't want to always choose the bike over walking, though, so I'm thinking minutes would be good
Okay, just letting you all know I am officially on the verge of being ready to come home and we have 2 weeks to go. My cold, tummy bug and rash are gone and I have been so fortunate that I haven't gotten a blister or any soreness yet (knock on wood). I would like a little more of a physical challenge, like to go further each day, but I am being a team player which is way more important.
If all goes as planned, we will walk in to Santiago on 10/14. After that we will bus to the coast for an overnight and then take the train back to Madrid. I have promised my husband I will never go away this long again.
The puppies were born last evening. There are 3 girls and 3 boys, so that will be the next big deal.
Meantime, my eating habits are atrocious and I shall not take the blame. There often are just not good choices. I think I've lost a few pounds, but it's hard to tell. What I can say is I'm looking forward to controlling what is available to eat.
Congratulations to those of you who are doing so well. Maryann, I was so glad to read when the strike was over.
So today was the kind of day that dreams are made of, by my definition anyway!
A friend of mine who recently graduated from a BFA program downtown here, in textile design, told me her alma mater was having grad school day where schools come and chat with you to try to entice you to study there. I talked with people representing Masters in Fine Art (Studio) programs in Halifax, Florence Italy, Los Angeles, Windsor, Waterloo, and London Ontario, oh and Chicago. Chicago had a "low residency MFA" 6 weeks of intense 7 days a week in the summer on campus activity in your program and then online from home stuff during the other months. That was intriguing. I think he said you do that three times. I really hit it off with the Los Angeles person. She said she'd take me to the beach. And the Halifax person also volunteered her favorite 7miles of white sand no people beach in Nova Scotia. To think I may reside near water. I have half a mind to apply everywhere, see what works. at most a dozen grad students are chosen in any of these schools except Chicago who take 100 in that low residency MFA. Locally there are opportunities not far from me.
Very. Very. Exciting.
I weighed this morning on my backup-now-primary scale and saw 264.7. YAY!
I was 266.8 the last two days. 264.4 was my low sometime before two people fed me whenever that was last week.
My breakfast was on plan but I came home and ate kind of sort of on plan food. Too high in carbs. I haven't had enough water today but I will remedy that before I hit the sack.
My 27 pots continue to wait for me. I am non-plussed.
karenrn I am heading over to your blog soon to catch up with you and your travels. Thank you for doing that! In medieval times your trials and tribulations were made for spiritual purposes. Have you felt any kind of a connection to pilgrims past? Does the medieval appear at times and catch you off guard? (so cool to do what you're doing). BTW my friend Austin is walking for his 14th time right now. Everyone he meets is an old friend it seems.
nationalparker Thought of you today when I was speaking with Florence Italy school rep. Art art everywhere art in that place, or so I imagine as I have not been there. More attractive to me than Italy are the Greek Islands. Thank goodness (maybe) they didn't have some sort of rep there too!
Excellent job staying on plan and now knowing, for sure, that even if the scale goes up for a few days, it does come down when you stay on plan. Always a great thing to 100% know to be true. Brava!
gardenerjoy Kudos for staying on plan and for not eating in the car. Excellent. Reading back a day or two, I understand people fatigue as well. I am now a functioning extrovert but it developed over the course of selling my wares. Naturally, I am an introvert so eventually all these people just wear me out. I retreat and become very difficult to pin down from time to time. I hope you've found some you time in your schedule!
maryann Many and varied credits to you! Belated congrats on 29 years one day at a time. That is most credit worthy for sure. Glad your life can go back into a normal routine after the rocky start. Great job keeping it all together. Wonderful.
BillBlueEyes “How about peaches, dear?” murmurs Madame Manec, and Marie-Laure can hear a can opening, juice slopping into a bowl. Seconds later, she’s eating wedges of wet sunlight.”
― Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See
That's a perfect analogy for our coming winter season don't you think?
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked, CREDIT moi, to my class and to a lecture. Since I left the house at noon, I walked away without a jacket feeling like summer was lingering. By the time I got home six hours later, I had to hustle along to keep warm. On second thought, the extra exercise was good for me so leaving the house under-dressed might be a new idea to pursue.
Eating was OK. I'm still reading about Dark Matter and Dark Energy trying to make sense of it all. Reading is not much exercise. Worse, the favorite reading chair, that was purchased for nursing my DD some 34 years ago, is showing its age. I asked DW if we could get it repaired. She laughed and let me know that buying a new chair was in my future - one solid enough for reading to the DGD. I thought La-Z-Boy chairs came with a lifetime guarantee?
onebyone – Exciting, indeed, to be able to visualize an MFA program in your future. [Thanks for the quote from Madame Manec. Alas, it reminds me of how many books I haven't read yet.]
Joy (gardenerjoy) – I do enjoy reading the consistency of your exercising.
maryann - Continued Kudos for continued "NO SWEETS AT WORK."
nationalparker – Kudos for maintaining perspective, "I'm much more relaxed about the rises, as I figure the dips will come at some point."
Karen (karenrn) - Waving back toward Ponferrada, Spain. You are certainly traveling in striking environments. Welcome six new puppies.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 8 Holiday Traps
#3: The Fit-In Foodie Trap Trap
Deanna's sabotaging thoughts were typical. She needed a strong reminder card so the past wouldn't repeat itself.
What anyone else is eating is irrelevant. The fact
that it's a holiday season is irrelevant. I need to
focus on what I have to do to avoid gaining weight.
Holiday calories are the same as all other calories. If
I eat extra treats, I'll gain weight. It isn't true that
it's okay to eat this because it's holiday time. It's
not okay if my goal is to maintain my weight.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 158
Yesterday's lunch was a restaurant salad that I've been eating every couple of weeks for months (after a meeting). Much of that time it was a little too light for me and I found myself hungry all afternoon. In my new lighter eating lifestyle, it was perfectly satisfactory. Yay!
Weigh-in: -0.15kg
Exercise: +40, 200/1300 minutes for October
Food: 100% on-plan
Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Refrained from eating in the car: yes
Work has picked up and the days are passing quickly. Ready to wrap up the evening soon ... DH made pineapple sorbet a few nights ago and looking to enjoying some on the weekend. Not on the plan today or tomorrow. Weight at ticker ... hoping to see another small loss tomorrow. Wore capris I've not fit into for two years to work ... now I have more than enough "bottoms" - until winter. Capris will work for another week or two, I'm sure.
The amount of food on this eating plan has us so completely satisfied for the three meals and two snacks. I read the plan for when you reach the point that you're not trying to lose any more ... and the author says to stick with the three meals/two snacks plan and incorporate the foods for all three phases. And to not start cutting quantities because we've gotten our metabolism stoked with more fuel. It was hard for me to picture that eating more would still result in me losing weight/fat, but ... we can't argue with the success we've had.
I'm feeling more tired as the days are getting shorter. Anyone else?
Last edited by nationalparker; 10-05-2016 at 08:57 PM.
I actually used an awesome strategy yesterday – I stopped eating when I was full! I know that is a no-brainer, but of course I always want to eat every single bite. But I felt myself filling up and said “Wow, that is really filling and I’m getting stuffed!” and then said “Well, quit eating then, genius!!” I did, and threw out the rest, and felt great
On plan breakfast and lunch yesterday, and reasonable 2nd birthday dinner & drinks (Taco Tuesday—how huge could 89 cent tacos be!) Today, on plan all day, with the addition of a small protein bar to get me through the commute. Two days of training meant sitting in the same chair for a total of 11 hours…not what Kindergarten teachers are used to. Tiring in its own way. Will be interesting to see how the kids are tomorrow after two days of a substitute.
So maybe one sliver of the homemade birthday cake DH made for me tonight before DD disappears it (he can’t eat it either – it’s not gluten free.) Then I will start my second “fix” for 21 more days tomorrow, and start the dreaded exercise videos tomorrow evening. Nationalparker I agree with you on volume of food - I've figured it out now so I'm rarely hungry, if only I could overcome the craving for certain favorites. Maryann and nationalparker congrats on clothes fitting that you haven't worn forever - I love when that happens!
Thursday - Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre (London, 1847)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – My major success - my major contribution to the world - was to . . . (wait for it) . . . change a light bulb! It's really sad. The bulb was in a kitchen fixture whose globe had to turn to remove. It wouldn't turn. I tried everything I could do. Finally, I got a second ladder so that DW could hold the fixture while I tried to turn the globe. No joy. I took it down to the basement. Using every combination of clamps and whatever, the glove wouldn't turn. Finally, it moved after I applied so much pressure that it broke the tab. Ouch! I feel like my handyman license should be revoked, LOL.
But, it was an excuse for a trip to Home Depot where I happily look around and want one each of everything. Light bulbs are my newest thing; 60 watt equivalent CFL bulbs were on sale four for 97 cents. They are definitely on the way out. I bought a new fixture (can't buy just the globe) and a four pack of LED bulbs that are to last for 22.8 years.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Reading about the Brontë sisters this morning was a sad reminder that their lives were Spartan despite the joy the world has received from their novels. I did have a hard time getting past your "a restaurant salad that I've been eating every couple of weeks for months" - getting past thinking that it might be getting wilted by now, LOL.
Nature Girl – Super Kudos for "I stopped eating when I was full!" All of Beck's strategies are "no-brainers" - which might be the reason that we need to get whacked upside the head to think of them.
maryann - Clothes that fit is just the best feeling.
nationalparker – Yay for the satisfaction of old clothes fitting. Yep, these shorter days do seem to carry less energy.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 8 Holiday Traps
#3: The Fit-In Foodie Trap Trap
"One more thing about the party," I said to Deanna. "You said there was other holiday food you didn't even touch. Looking back, do you regret not eating more of the food that was there?"
"No. I'm glad I didn't eat even more."
"But you do regret eating the cupcakes?"
"Yes, definitely."
"That's really important. Most dieters get to the point where they don't end up regretting the food they didn't eat. They only regret the extra food that they did eat."
"I think I'm at that point. I feel really good all day long when I stand firm at the office, and after I had the cupcakes, I was definitely sorry.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 158
Starting week eight
Tuesday - Sputnik launched (Soviet Union, 1957)
I am the food thrower in my house, but DH isn't far behind me. I'm the one saying, "ewww...this smells off. Smell it." 
Nature Girl!