[ronnie]

Today I'm working on my 10 pre skills before stage 1. I just got all my supplies I needed. I did the Beck's Diet Solution before, but never made it through the whole book. The Beck Deit for Life seems like it might be easier to follow, it is layed out in a better format. I guess each person has different things that work for them. Just by reading this book, I think it will work better for me. I plan on following her eating plan. The calories seem a little high, but this program is for life.

[ChinaMaine]

A good travel day Yesterday I flew from Maine to South Dakota (2 stops, 13 hours total travel time)

Beck – no weigh-in (and won’t be able to until I’m home again Monday AM. I read my cards, but forgot to pack them. So I wrote them all out on the back of a success skill plan sheet during my long flight. I also read the travel and difficult situation sections of the book on the plane. Although all info wasn’t relevant there (I’m not actually on a diet yet, I’m just watching my %fat, %saturated fat, and %fiber). But I tried to apply all the ideas that made sense…
I also finished reading Stage 1 Success Skill 6 (dealing with hunger/cravings). There’s a lot of meat in that section that I’m going to need time to experiment with and absorb. I spent a fair amount of effort reminding myself yesterday that ‘hunger is not an emergency’, and it worked.

Food – My % saturated fat was the highest I’ve had in months -- 14%. So, I have a lot of work to do on making good heart healthy choices when traveling. My major downfall was succumbing to the lure of McDonalds on the drive to the airport. I rarely go to McDs, but it’s a treat I ‘give’ myself whenever I travel. I had a hash brown and sausage patty. The calories aren’t that high, but the saturated fat is. This is something I need to change…
I used a lot of the tips I got on Tuesday to get me through the rest of the day relatively unscathed. So, thanks!

Exercise – Yesterday I did nothing planned just a lot of spontaneous exercise (sans people movers) in the various airports. Today I’ve done 12 minutes of yoga (in a dark hotel room so my hubbie could keep sleeping. I plan to fast-walk for 20 minutes and do strength exercises for another 12 minutes or so. This is a new habit I’m trying to build with exercise. When I travel I usually totally skip exercising, but now I’m trying to exercise like it’s any other day.

All It seems everyone is hungrier than usual. How funny is that?

Anne - Great for being back on plan (now 2 days!) and starting a new book that’ll keep you focused – credits! I’m impressed with your exercise regimen. I think I missed the beginning of this story – are you working out for a marathon, triathalon, or some other kind of ‘thon’? Since you are working out so much, are you getting enough calories; could that be a factor in you going off-plan? ;-) And super credits for breaking the 200 lb barrier. CREDIT! IMHO-you deserve the reward for breaking that 200 lb barrier! Open that baby up!!

onebyone – Wow you are under such stress. Good luck on the show – I’m sure all the work you’ve put into it will show. Credit! for keeping up with your food logging in spite of the other ‘pulls’ on you and your time.

Bill – You have the best food resistance stories! This may be the best one so far. Credit! Especially Part 2 (this AM), when you were spared the heroism required to foreswear the stale donut. And credit for skipping the afternoon snack!


davidette – Sounds like you’re in a great place. Credits for finding your groove and sticking with it, long enough that it’s actually getting easier. And I'm even happier that the scale is rewarding your hard work! Double credits for accepting the scale is likely to go up again in a few days. (I’m still working on acceptance…) I like the idea of putting the 3 most important cards for a day on top. Thanks!

Lisa – I agree you do deserve credits for sticking to your plan in spite of stress and the fluctuations in weight. Keep plugging, you will reap the benefits of all your hard work.

Robin for the droopy jeans and credits for being on plan!

Jeanie Credits for running and the ‘clean’ eating day!

angelmomma I’m so happy to hear the good news on your latest test. My fingers are crossed for DH.

Ronnie There has been a fair amount of discussion around weighing yourself every day in the last week. You could look back a few days and see – but for me it has helped. I’m much less sensitive to my weight now. So, I’d say it’s a good idea.

[twilit tera]

Hi, everybody. (I see we have some newish faces.) The prodigal has returned. I think I last posted late november or early december?

I'll make this post just a brief update, so everyone knows what's been going on. Those of you with REALLY good memories might recall that I began experiencing acute hip pain late last fall after recovering from a knee injury over the summer. I finally did get to see an orthopedic doctor for it about the first of December and he diagnosed me with bursitis. I've had a series of cortozone shots. The first worked really well, the second not at all, and the third... well... it doesn't seem to be kicking in (I got it on Monday).

Probably causes of the inflammation include my extra weight, my valgus (which I have been told is more severe on the right side) and a lack of strength in certain core muscles, resulting in an imbalance in my legs.

I have been told I need to exercise to improve my core strength, and that I shouldn't exercise when I'm experiencing bursitis pain, as I could cause myself even greater damage. Catch 22.

I signed up for another full time semester - this time registering for a completely online schedule and avoiding all the classes that would take me out on field assignments.

Craving levels have been high. Hunger level has been steadily moderate, even after meals. I've been very naughty for the past month, but got back on the wagon yesterday with a crockpot full of homemade beef and tofu soup with veggies.

The good news is that I haven't gained anything since I last weighed in. The bad news is that my weightloss efforts have become a gorey battle for renewed physical independence and freedom from pain - and it may go on indefinitely.

[AnneWonders]

Coaches/Buddies Another on plan day for me today. I remain under the big milestone, inching closer to that 5 lb goal. Maybe tomorrow. Putting the RCs by the coffee pot worked well, and I'm pleased to say I read them this morning!

I'm starting to come down with yet another cold, and DS pretty much has started Boogerfest 2009 here at the house, so I'm presuming that is the vector. He slept through the night last night--wish I had as well. Congestion and sleep don't go well together. I went ahead and did my run this morning and I'm kind of wishing I hadn't, since I felt worse after than before. That is a sure sign that rest would have been more appropriate.

I have the day off tomorrow and the kids and DH are all at work & school. A few errands for me, and an eye appointment, but mostly I'm just chillin'.

OK, I love that book! Break Through Your Set Point by George Blackburn. The title sounds so bogus, but it was very, very good. Like Thin for Life, Volumetrics, Mindless Eating, and yes, Beck Diet Solution good. I'll try to do one of my huge reviews tomorrow and link to it here.

Jean I'm glad you posted! It is good to see you, and I hope the treadmill is all you hoped for. Prostitutes, huh? What kind of business are you in again.

JenMusic I usually say I'm munchy instead of hungry, unless I'm actually no kidding, stomach growling, hands shaking hungry, which is sort of rare. Helps me to keep it straight in my head. I think it is good that you are adjusting your planning so that it works for your life, and working in a healthy late night snack is fabulous!

davidette My HR monitor is my constant exercise companion. There are some very reasonable ones out there. Yay on being at peace with the scale; long may it last.

Bill Wow! Thanks! Wndrland it is. How went the meeting with the candy pusher? And BTW, I think your response to food is completely sane. I think the world has taken a turn for the weird on the subject. Two thirds of us are overweight or obese, and it wasn't that way a generation ago. I can't believe that many of us are that messed up. I pretty much think that unless you are just genetically gifted, it takes some extra self-discipline to be a normal weight in an abnormal world. Last I checked there were 3900 calories per day per American available to us, and being pushed like mad to make a few extra bucks. Craziness. We are the normal ones.

RobinW Hurray for sunshine!! Hooray for veggies!

Planning vs hunger. Real hunger. A tough one. I think the first thing to do is to replan if you are getting hungry at predictable times to try to manage that better. I think getting through a day or two (with CT strategies) is very doable, but if it is long term and consistent, the lizard brain is going to beat the cr@p out of that rational brain and have its way. I think what you ate was very rational and considered and that you should take a credit for that. Are you working the Cheat Sheet or Problem Solving? Maybe you can do some guided thinking on your situation and figure out a good answer for yourself.

Chris I'm glad to hear your test seemed to go well, and keeping fingers crossed that your doctors confirm that. Sending best wishes on the EEO action.

Ronnie Yes I do weigh myself each day. See this post from a few days ago on this thread. I like the new Beck book a lot, even though I decided to continue with my own food plans.

ChinaMarie Sounds like you are doing an excellent job of staying focused on travel! I picked up a running and triathlon hobby a few years back, which helped me keep my 110 pounds off, at least until the pregnancies came and worked their magic on me. I'm working to get back to my maintenance weight, and would like to push about 20 lbs past that. We'll see what happens. Right now, I'm rebuilding my running base, and am not doing the huge amounts of exercise that I used to. It is all very sane and manageable. I find I have a hard time losing when my training load gets very high, because my appetite goes through the roof, and then I get that lizard brain thing going. One of my goals for this year is to do a half marathon, but I see that happening in the fall or winter.

Tera Welcome Back! I was thinking about you the other day. Sorry to hear about your inflammation. I hope you figure out the core thing. I'm glad you are working with your doctors on it. Have you tried supplements like fish oil that have shown some promise for fighting inflammation? I'd never advocate doing anything without working with your doctors, since I'm a huge fan of Western medicine, thank you very much, but there is a lot of promising research going on now.

Lisa Where are you? I'm calling you tomorrow.

maryblu I think it is time for you to stop by and say something fascinating.

Have a good one, everyone!

Anne

[JenMusic]

Hello, everyone. Checking in to say I'm SICK! I woke up with a slight sore throat, which over the course of the next 4 hours became a cold - aches, throat, drippy nose, tiredness, sneezing, the blahs.

I did not handle this well. I didn't do my planned exercise, which is fine with me, but I also ended up overeating at dinner. My resistance muscle wasn't very strong, and I was tired and not really thinking things through, and I had an unplanned biscuit and more potatoes than planned for.

Oh, well. This will be my first "cheat sheet" (off topic, I don't really like that term) so I might as well get it over with.

I'm using Zicam, which has worked for me before, so hopefully I'll be back to normal soon.

Hope you all have a good night!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Did the elliptical at the gym. CREDIT moi. Continuing to pout that I can't do my weights due to my "golf elbow." Pouting again that I don't have Testosterone Elbow or Big Muscled Elbow. If I'm a doctor in my next life I'll improve the names of diseases and conditions.

I defeated the candy pusher at yesterday's meeting by managing to be in a different room (the meeting is conducted over the net spanning a number of rooms in different cities). Avoidance is an acceptable CT strategy. CREDIT moi.


Jean (kuhljeanie) - Waving. Sending supportive thoughts that your presentation went well, or at least that the Pimps and Johns put money on the table, LOL.

Robin (RobinW) - Amazing that you were able to make a bowl of oatmeal read like food porn, LOL. Smart that you pondered your motives for your 8pm snack; I don't have any insight. If it becomes a regular event, then I would either plan it or fight it.

Your front yard veggies sound fun. Love those fresh snow peas. Last year some critter (we think Robins - but don't take it personally) nibbled every plant before it had a chance, but I'll try this year with some colored ribbons flapping in the breeze. When I was a kid, corn in the front yard was considered the sign of a hillbilly. Today, I think it's the sign of an evolved person. Yay for changes in thinking.

LOL at the creative interpretation of Get thee behind me, Satan.


onebyone - Waving. Hope your show went well yesterday.

Anne (wndranne) - Kudos for adopting the RC's by the coffee pot idea. Ouch for "Boogerfest 2009" and Ouch that's it's found its way to you. Looking forward to your review of Break Through Your Set Point.

Thanks for the reminder that there are some 3900 calories per day available, and being pushed, to each of us.


Chris (angelmomma210) - Congrats on the good news from your heart doctor. Continue to send supportive thoughts for the new phase of your DH's saga.

Tera (twilit tera) - Welcome back! Ouch for the "gorey battle" as well as the inflammation. But Congrats that you've maintained your weight through it all.

Good luck finding the right set of core exercises for your condition. Would think that the various plank exercises might work. I personally hate them all, but that's because they hurt where they're supposed to hurt while strengthening what they're supposed to strengthen. Bet with your web searching skills you can find a bunch of good ideas to try.


ronnie - Welcome back - recalling that you dropped by last fall. Kudos for emphasizing the Stage I skills. Those are the ones that Dr. Beck thinks are the most important. Hope you keep posting; frequent contact with Diet Buddies helps with staying on track.

Lisa (LisaMarie71) - Waving. Hope you're having an on-plan day.

ChinaMaine - Ouch for the saturated fat being offered to travelers. Kudos for seriously working your food plan and Beck strategies while traveling. Doing your yoga in a dark hotel room is a sign of dedication.

davidette - Kudos for your equanimity with the scales reading; big achievement!!!

And Congrats for getting us started with the first post of the day. Naturally I didn't see it until after I had posted mine as I get started and then wander about before I actually post.


Jen (JenMusic) - Ouch for the cold; it's highly contagious and, apparently, being spread by this thread - so wash your hand after typing on 3FC, LOL. Kudos for heading off to do your first Cheat Sheet. Yep, I agree, wimpy name.

Readers -

"It is a biological impossibility for your weight to go down every day." The Complete Beck Diet for Life, pg 57

[kuhljeanie]

hi my coaches,

last day at my client today. i'm feeling weird. ultimately, everything will work out, because it always does. transition periods are tough, though. i vaguely remember reading an article about the trapeze posted on the wall of a yoga studio. it was about our greatest growth coming from those moments when we're willing to let go of one bar while we're flying through the air, reaching for another. something about the willingness to let go and tolerate the fear of free-fall being a necessary element of getting to the next thing. this is now sounding a bit heavy and more jacked-up than i originally intended...i'm a lot more worried than may be appropriate. it's hard to tell, sometimes.

FIL is taking el nino for the weekend, so i will be enjoying a little bit of sleeping in and a lot of tile installation in the old kitchen. am hoping it will feel like a fresh start. once the work on the old place is done, i'm going to start stripping wallpaper and painting in the dayton house. it's time to make it feel nice - somewhere i want to be at the end of the day. so, lots of work coming up but i'd rather that than this depressed, stuck feeling i have now.

i will DEFINITELY get back to daily personals soon - have a lot of clearing (literally) to do today. next week will be better.

cheers,
your project managin' prostitute

[ChinaMaine]

Yesterday was the first full day here in SD. I worked 5 hours; I’d missed some time due to sickness that I wanted to make up. I got the cold just before I joined the group. Hopefully I didn’t infect all of you! Beware it has a dastardly horror-movie-like component. Just when you think you’ve beaten the cold, it reappears full strength for a day or two!! Colleagues in California warned me ahead of time, and I didn’t believe them until it happened to me. So, this is your warning.

Beck – I’ve read my cards but won’t have time to read the book. I’ll review all my restaurant strategies after I’m done with this email.
Food – A good day until we got back to the hotel at 9:30 (the ladies go to bed early). I tried to buy food before heading to their house yesterday, but the health food store was closed. (Safeway has a poor selection of GF food…) So I decided to make do foraging by eating my leftover salad from dinner the night before along with tuna fish. Their day-nurse gave them my salad for lunch, so I had tuna fish and chips. But I counted out a single portion of chips. My lunch was within my goals for sat fat – which really surprised me. We made dinner for the gals, so I was able to easily control the portions and fat. After dinner, we went to the hotel bar, it was just too early to sit in our hotel room. I’m afraid we had a few drinks, which isn’t something I had planned on. We also at couple of cups of the free popcorn they have laying around… oh well.
Today will be harder since all three meals will be eaten out. I’ll do my best to be thoughtful and eat as I normally do. After that, I’ll just have to learn from my mistakes…
Exercise – Today is a 30 minute day, so in addition to my yoga, I’ll take a good fast walk before or after sightseeing with the girls..

Anne - Credit for reading your cards this AM! Hope you feel better soon. You definitely seem to be on track to make your half-marathon goal. Bravo!

JenMusic – I hope you feel better soon too. I hope you are having a better, onplan day today.

Bill – As usual you are a role model (elliptical and avoiding food-pushers) – credit!


twilit tera – I’m one of the recent additions to the list, so welcome back. The hips are involved in all core exercising, aren’t they? It is a catch-22. My best wishes in finding a solution that works for you. Credit for searching for one!

[twilit tera]

thursday
OP food
OP supplements
3FC post

I'm going to kick off my return to sanity with a round of Advocare Cleanse. Bruce is picking it up at the Will Call desk this afternoon after work.

I hope you all don't mind if I brainstorm "out loud" here today. I want to set my goals for the coming week, but I'm not sure how far I should go.

1. 3FC twice a day. One morning report of the day before, One evening "chat" with my cohorts and goalsetting. I will not camp out here, hitting refresh every 10 minutes!

2. Follow the Cleanse instructions.

3. Revisit my ARC. I tried to last night, but when I got to the part about being able to dance more...

Got to do that. If it needs revision, I'll revise, which brings me to:

4. Revisit my goals.

Okay, that'll do.

Anne: Thank you for welcoming me back. One of my first steps getting back on track is to check in here daily. It might be a short while before you see all those smilies at the top of my posts, but even if I have nothing good to report, I'll be here.

About what you said to Bill about this generation's attitude to food (in America at least). It's not so much our attitude that's changed, but a number of other factors that makes our attitude dangerous. Our ancestors, in order to survive one generation to the next, had to face periods of famine from time to time. We have inheretted not only the physiological tools that helped them cope, but also the instinct that says "eat it now, you might not get another chance."

This was never a problem before. Living in an agricultural society with a limited amount of agricultural technology was a pretty high-calorie lifestyle. Even blue-collar work, which was much more common 50 years ago than today, required a lot more energy than we typically spend these days. Add to that the fact that the more nutritious, less energy-dense foods are more expensive than the starches, fats, and sugars, and you have a recipe for obesity.

Maybe it's our attitudes toward exercise and rest that need to be adjusted.

Hi, JenMusic! Nice to meet you and I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I understand about your resistance muscle being weak during a cold. A lot of us find the same about ourselves. One of the things that I do after going off plan is analyse the event and see if there was anything I could have done preventatively. Sometimes there wasn't but usually if I can determine the cause (being tired, bored, depressed) I can figure out how it might have been avoided. Then of course, it's time to press on, hopefully i'll have a plan for the next time I'm tired, bored, depressed, or whatever.

Please take care of yourself. Rest is so important. It's hard to get anything else straight when you're not rested.

Bill: for avoiding the candy pusher. Thank you for sympathies and suggestion that I look into plank exercises. Unfortunately, there was a misinterpretation of "core." It isn't my back and stomach I'm supposed to target, but my hip and knees, the "core" muscles that hold those bones in position. I'm stronger on one side than another, which is pulling them out of alignment (even worse than the valgus would alone, apparently).

[LisaMarie71]

RobinW -- yay for droopy pants! I miss that feeling and am looking forward to having it again!

kuhljeanie -- I'm jealous of your treadmill. I desperately need one, because I think I could possibly fit a run in while the baby plays on the floor beside me. Or not. I'm still trying to work out the whole baby and exercise thing!

JenMusic -- good job on figuring out a good little snack to have when you get home. I'm sorry you're sick -- hope you feel better soon!

davidette -- very good idea about declaring a truce with the scale. I already know that if I do what I need to do, it WILL go down (after all, I managed to lose 110 pounds before). It's just frustrating to have to keep reminding myself of that instead of actually seeing it!

angelmomma

ronnie -- I'm trying to figure out the weigh-in thing as well. I said I was going to go back to weekly weigh-ins but I've done it daily anyway. I just stopped tracking it on a depressing graph. I'll still track my Monday weigh-ins, however.

ChinaMaine -- I too am working on the "hunger is not an emergency" thing. Be safe in your travels!

Tera -- Sorry to hear about your hip/leg pain, but congrats for not gaining anything since last weighing in. That is a MAJOR victory!

Anne -- We just talked, so ...

Bill -- Good job on the elliptical and the defeat of the candy pusher. You inspire me!

My personals may be a little out of date because I haven't read all the second round of posts since my last post. That'll teach me to check in more frequently, huh?

I'm still on 2000 calories a day and doing fine with that, but my scale still says 221. Ugh. I'm trying not to get discouraged about that and instead give myself lots of credit for sticking to my guns.

Today I'm doing one of the hunger experiments in the CBDL book. The first one is to skip any snacks between breakfast and lunch and note your hunger sensations. Dealing with the baby means I'm not really writing down my every feeling, but I'm noting it mentally, which is going to have to be good enough. I ate a bowl of Cheerios and drank a cup of juice around 8:00am, and it's now nearly 12:00 and I can't really say that I'm hungry. Oh, I also had a cup of disgusting-tasting Mother's Milk tea around 8:30, but I'm calling that part of breakfast. I know that once I start snacking, I have a tendency to keep wanting more to eat, which is probably because I don't always choose the healthiest snacks and instead go for 100-calorie packs or other carb-heavy and protein-light things. I need to work on that. I think I'll have no problem waiting until around 1:00pm to eat. I'll be hungry by then, most likely. Hunger's not a feeling I've had that often in my life, because I've always overeaten and have always eaten frequently, even when watching my calories. I truly do need to learn the lesson that hunger is not an emergency. I plan to do the other hunger experiments this week or next week as well.

It will be 60 degrees here this weekend, after many cold days, so I'm excited to report that I will be outside walking/jogging!!

[CammieCam]

Um... Hi. I return to this thread humbled and ask to be let back into the fold. I've been here before (and see some familiar names), but like Oprah I guess, I fell off the wagon with my weight loss efforts (actually I feel like I fell off the wagon and it ran over me!). Anyway, I was doing Beck back at the end of 07, but stopped about halfway through. While I WAS using the techniques in the book I was at my lowest weight ever and feeling really confident and in control. Now almost 40 pounds regained, I'm depressed and upset. I pulled Beck off of my shelf and begain rereading earlier this week... but got stuck at finding a doet coach. Although I do have friends who are also interested in losing weight and I love them dearly, I've always felt that my commitment to weight loss is a little stronger than theirs is, and I needed to pick a diet coach that understood that, who is as motivated as I am and someone who understand what I'm going through and who will push me when I need to be pushed. What that being said, I ask to rejoin the group, just so I can have someone to talk to about my experience with Beck and someone who will push me when I'm feeling like I don't want to keep going with the book.

I'm also curious if anyone here has the new book and how different that one is from the old book. I'm SURE this has been discussed at length here, so just point me into the direction of wherever it's been discussed and I'll be sure to read it. I was debating on whether or not to get the new book, but I'm thinking that I should finish this one first... then decide afterwards.

Anyway, that's that. I hope to get to know everyone here and look forward to hearing your experiences with Beck.....

[AnneWonders]

Coaches/Buddies I'm still nursing this cold. I did OK today. On plan, with a few of the acceptable substitutions that I allow without question. I hit my 5 lb goals this morning, so my new one is now another 5. I think this is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 since I started BDS. I got my Wii Fit today. It made my Mii fat. Not so jazzed about that. I also have no balance, but am going to redo the tests with the board facing the right way and see if that helps. Oops!

Got my to do list knocked off today, so basically just need to get that book review written and get stuff ready for taxes. My 5lb reward book is fantastic so far, which is why I didn't get the review done.

JenMusic I usually do pretty lousy too when I'm sick. Just not enough mental energy to stick to my resistance techniques, and lots of comfort eating going on. I had some momentum going into this round and it helps. Hope you feel better soon! Yeah, Cheat Sheet is a catchy but sort of stupid name.

Bill Testosterone Elbow?? You want testosterone elbow?? Every woman on the planet would think you were an idiot who had overdone a questionable task in pursuit of something stupid if it was really called that. Golf elbow at least sounds sort of, high-brow, maybe?

Jean :hugs: You sound like you are handling big change well on this side of the internet, so I'm hoping that's true. Enjoy your sleep this weekend!

ChinaMaine Someone gave away YOUR food and you didn't chew them a new one. That is some AMAZING self control. I probably would have lost it. LOL, I don't think you can give me a virus from there, but please be kind to my poor computer.

Tera I'm not familiar with Advocare Cleanse so don't know how big a deal that is. I had a big rant somewhere in Maintainers not too long ago on that very subject. I almost ranted again, but just deleted. Too far off topic.

Lisa Go easy on the hunger experiments while you're still nursing. It may not quite work the same way it would with the rest of us.

Cammie Welcome back. This group is my diet coach. I think it is too hard to find just the right situation in real life, unless you are paying your local Cognitive Therapist to help you.

onebyone

Anne

[JenMusic]

Sorry if I spread any diseases through the forum, friends. I'll remember to wash my hands before I type next time. Thanks, BillBlueEyes, that comment cracked me up!

Well, it's true confession time. I've been working on my success skills, but I haven't really be "planning" my days ahead of time. I did once or twice, but after that just kind of had a plan in my head, and mostly stuck to it, rather than being super-strict with writing things down and checking them off. I thought I could handle it, but I know now that I can't. It's too easy to modify the plan in the wrong direction, and I don't have the decision making skills yet to handle that kind of freedom.

So, even thought I think it's a huge pain, I see the worth and value in it and will be planning my days ahead of time from now on. I don't want to (insert whiny voice here) but it's good for me, and doing it my way hasn't worked before, so I need to do it Beck's way.

All that being said, I managed a very slow ramble around the neighborhood today, and ate at my calorie level. My cold seems to be lightening up a little. I really think the Zicam is helping.

Ronnie and CammieCam - Welcome! I've only just begun posting in the last week or so, and I'll think you'll find that they people here are very helpful and experienced with the Beck plan. I've really come to appreciate their advice and encouragement.

Tera - Welcome back. Your life seems very full right now, and I hope your health and inflammation can get under control quickly. I had a brief bout of bursitis in my knee once, and I couldn't believe how much it limited my motion! Thanks for your encouragement about my cold. I think it was good to see, early in this journey, how being sick affected my planning and strategies.

ChinaMaine - I love reading your posts and hearing how determined and motivated you are. It's a great way to kick myself in the rear, too! Way to go on doing so much while you're on the road.

wndranne - Sorry about the cold, I feel your pain. Putting cards by the coffee pot does seem to be a good way to do it. I should try that.

BillBlueEyes - ANY strategy to avoid a candy pusher sounds like a good strategy! Credit! And elliptical, too. When I've had knee or other issues I hate not being able to do what exercise I've wanetd to. It's kind of crazy how, when I have an issue and can't do a certain exercise, that's the exercise I want to do.

kuhljeanie - Just saying hi! Hope things calm down and you get some clarity.

Have a great Friday night everyone, and good weekend planning!

[twilit tera]

The Rules (a refresher)
Log all food
Eat high volume-low energy foods wherever possible
Eat only when hungry
Eat consciously
Eat only until no longer hungry
Take supplements

Goals for Tomorrow
OP Food
OP Cleanse/Supplements
3FC 2x

ChinaMaine: Glad to meet you, and thanks for the encouragement. I know that cold you're talking about. I had it in December and it was a stubborn demon-cold!

Lisa: Thanks for the credit. Congrats getting through the hunger experiment.

Cammie: Welcome back to the wagon. We can have a fresh start together.

Anne: Thanks for the (almost) warning about the Cleanse. (It means you care about my health) No, I suppose this isn't the place for that debate. Let me please assure you that I read the label and the instructions. It's a fibre/vitamin/probiotic supplement kit and isn't supposed to give you diarrhea - if you experience any you're supposed to stop using it.

And now... to bed.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Neat NSV: I dropped off a flat tire at a garage where I hadn't done business in about ten years. When I picked it up after work she said, "I didn't recognize you this morning because you've lost a lot of weight." Since it's been a few years now, it catches me by surprise when somebody notices like that. We exchanged ideas about healthy food and exercise plans - a nice contact.

Had oatmeal for breakfast, CREDIT moi, all the while pondering Robin's vivid description yesterday. Boy did that make it taste good.


Jean (kuhljeanie), PMP - Sending supportive thoughts as you face your transition. Recalling that transitions are loses, that loses must be grieved, and that our emotions tend to go through Kübler-Ross'es five stages of grief even when we believe our brains are handling it all. Give yourself permission to hurt and recover; you are not "more worried than may be appropriate" just because you're not in the soup line.

Robin (RobinW) - Waving. My image is that in your enthusiasm you've gone right out to plant those bush beans, giving them an exceptionally optimistically early start, LOL.

onebyone - Waving on the day the buses return. And you ride for FREE.

Anne (wndranne) - Congrats on your five pound goal and for getting your patiently unopened five pound reward. Yay for the Wii Fit; looking forward to reports. If it seriously helps with balance that might be the excuse I need to indulge since I'm annoyed that balance decreases with age (like many other physical attributes starting from about age 16) even when we think that only happens to old people, using the standard definition that old people are those a few decades older than ourselves.

Thanks for the reminder that Testosterone Elbow might not elicit positive sympathy from all females, LOL. But I'm delighted to feel "high-brow" with my golf elbow.


Tera (twilit tera) - Kudos for following your plan to check in here twice yesterday. Got it about core now; yep, I read it as the abdomen core not the muscles of your hip and knees. I see the Catch-22 now. Good luck in finding a solution until the weather is warm enough for you to get time in your mom's pool when it should be easier.

Cammie (CammieCam) - Welcome back! (Some of the newer posters might not know this, but our generally accepted notion for a hiatus is: no explanations are required; just start posting today.) And Bonjour, mademoiselle - recalling that when your were last here you had just returned from a glorious trip to Paris with good sights, good food, and good times.

Yep, sounds like a good plan to finish the first Beck Book. Anne (wndranne) has posted reviews of both books and has discussed the differences earlier in the January thread. I'll find those and post the pointers for you later.

And yep, I for one will be happy to be one of your Diet Coaches; hope you will be a Diet Coach for me as well. In her new book, Dr. Beck sends us to get a Diet Buddy, which seems a better name for peers.

Looking forward to having you in the discussions. I do recall your "feeling really confident and in control" style.


Lisa (LisaMarie71) - Yay for walking/jogging outside to clear the brain. Kudos for working on your hunger stuff. I recognize that experience that snacking brings out the desire for more snacking. I had to experiment with many different snacks until I found that a quarter cup of unsalted roasted soy nuts satisfies me without that gimme-more feeling. Good luck finding what works for you.

ChinaMaine - Congrats for getting in five hours of work while on the road for a personal trip. And Congrats for feeding your ninety year olds some good salad, even if it was your private planned dinner, LOL. Kudos for continuing to work your Beck while traveling.

Jen (JenMusic) - Yep, planning is a pain. No wonder it's so hard to get it that planning is so key to Beck's strategies. When I find myself eating overboard, inevitably I realize that it happened that I met a source of food without a plan.

Kudos for making it out for your "slow ramble around the neighborhood" despite your cold.


Readers -

"tip: The hungrier your are, the slower you should eat. Eating quickly - which may be your first instinct - will leave you feeling unsatisfied and still hungry!" The Complete Beck Diet for Life, pg 57