Our cookout got rained out. Plan B was pasta, which, in my current method, is little more than a showcase for roasted summer vegetables, so still appropriately seasonal and delicious!

I got an honorable mention in this week's Biggest Loser Beach Party Summer Challenge!

WI: -0.1kg, Exercise: +90 405/1800 minutes for July, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Lexxiss: good job taking care of yourself while taking care of your patients!

AmberPR: yay for jumping in! Organizing my Beck stuff: the books are on a shelf near my desk, my Advantages and Responses "cards" are really lists on a different sheet but the same Excel file where I record my morning weight, my food plan is sometimes written in a stenographer's notebook designated for it but also ends up on any old scrap of paper that's convenient or often just in my head (although I recommend writing it down at first -- I did that for months).

Overlord: glad to see you jumping in as well. I've largely become an indoor exerciser between allergies and weather. While you wait for the elliptical you could try pacing, walking in place, and stretching at home. Also, putting on some music and dancing, although I grant that might be even more of a stretch for a guy than a gal (and most gals find dancing at home alone pretty strange and embarrassing, at first).
Good job with the hunger experiment and learning exactly what it is supposed to teach! It's been nearly a year since I did it and I'm still able to pull out "hunger is not an emergency" and really believe it at appropriate times.

seadwaters: good efforts on your exercise and taxes!

BillBlueEyes: sounds like a wonderful 4th! Yay for being in control except for freshly roasted pig. Not too bad!

Ruthxxx: happy reading!

Beverlyjoy: Glad your stomach scare subsided. I think I'd assume that it had something to do with the colonoscopy or prep, if it happens only once. If it happens again, dear Beverlyjoy, I'd be recommending the ER.
You did a great job with yesterday's cookout and today's plan sounds great too!

Houston2Command: oh, look! You jumped in, too! Way to go! Great job talking yourself down from scale mania -- been there, LOL!

new2me2: Cool! White stars on purple sounds lovely!

Hi, my dear Beckies, just some random musings about camping/company/fourth of July rituals.

It strikes me as just *wrong, how much focus there is on food with company around. Here we were at the lake, with fireworks, dawgs, canoes, kayaks, great, clean, lovely water, and it seems the whole weekend was prepping, serving, cleaning up after, planning, serving..on and on..the next meal. This was with 5 active kids around. *sigh.

The good news is: I was the hostess, so got a lot of exercise doing all of the above. Guests pitched in more than anyone could ask, just great working together, but it sure seemed that food prep consumed me. Oh, well, all fun, great fire works, and happy, tired and departed company.

Got a great new summer toy. It is a big floaty thang with an anchor, and stairs to climb on and a mesh area as part of it, so you can float on it, roll into the mesh and be in the water. The best "Fun Island" ever.

It just kills me how fast summer is going. It *just *kills *me. Even the anticipation of my first real, summer tomato can't compensate for how fast summer is going.

Gardenerjoy, thanks for advice. I will try five minutes of moving around in some way, each day. Thanks for everybody's feedback and support too!

I'm still in stage one. Today was the first day I ate according to a plan. At this point, the plan does not need to be THE PLAN, but I skipped ahead and modeled the day's food plan according to what the book says I should do (2400 cal. plan). It was too much. I could not finish the meals that were recommended. Besides not finishing the meals, I stayed on plan.

I've made another plan for tomorrow. It is not exactly like THE PLAN, because it doesn't have to be yet. It is healthy and I feel positive that I can stick to it.

Also, I am quitting smoking at the same time! No cigarettes yesterday or today.


-overlord

Good evening everyone,

It was nice to have another day off. The weather was warm, but I still got in a couple of walks.

Today felt more like a start. I began the morning by weighing myself , measuring my food and counting calories . Entered all of it into my diet journal . Wasn't a planned day, but I stayed within my calorie allotment.

Went to the grocery store and purchased some of the usual, healthy suspects . There was a new diet orange pop (soda) at the store. It was sweetened with Stevia. I hate the taste and the aftertaste of fake sugar, and I think it gives me a headach, however, I have used stevia at home from time to time, so I was excited to give it a try. It didn't cut it for me. Still the yucky taste, although the taste didn't seem to linger and I didn't get a headache. I'm not much of a pop drinker anyhow, but it was worth a try.

Good Night!
Amber

--------------------------------------------------

Overlord: Sounds like we're at about the same place in the book. I sort-of tried the eating experiment this morning too. I caught myself once, when I was between projects, feeling like i should find a snack. It was interesting to catch myself- hope I/we can stay focused on it! I also understand the seasonal weather. Living in MN we have the cold and snow. Usually I can still get out, but it can be limiting (at least I can put more clothes on..!) --- Wow, smoking too! You are ambitious!

SeadWaters: Ouch, hope the therapy was helpful today! Thanks for the tip about the iphone - I need to learn how to sync stuff...

Bill: Sounds like it was a yummy 4th! Thank you for the clarification on the signatures and trackers--- that will give me some time to get it to wiggle a little bit.

Ruth: Are you done? Did you finish reading it?

Bev: Great job skipping the trail mix! I really understand that battle well. I'm such a "oh a couple wont hurt" kinda gal. I will keep working on the family--They are usually pretty good. Hope you're still feeling well! I like how you organize your Beck stuff in your journal. I'm going to note that for later (when I'm ready).

Houston2Command: Yeah for the pound! We bought a digital scale a year ago too, I love it.

new2me2: You are doing great! That's funny about the nail polish, I have the same problem. I try to wear it on my finger nails, but I hate how it looks when it starts to chip and I'm so lazy sometimes that I let it look like crap for too long...I've been trying a buff color (so the chips don't show) but I think my nails are sortof splitting more than they have in the past. Toes are the way to go!

gardenerjoy: Looks like you had a great day! I take it these veggies are out of your own garden?

maryblu: I hear you on the food prep. I usually have Thanksgiving at my house and I'm always amazed at how it seems like I just finished cooking and everyone is done eating and we're cleaning up.


Good Night!
Amber

Hi Coaches
A good on plan day - I found myself being mindful of choices and options which is always good. I have found a place that has the ankle weights and the hand weights in the right sizes and should have them in a few weeks so progress. Today I took myself to the gym and did a circuit all by myself without the person with the cattle prod. I am feeling really motivated - the book was useful. A shame I go back to work next week but I guess I had to get to this place first. I have a lovely new iPhone toy where I can log my exercise as see progress - hopefully it will encourage me to keep it up. Also I hate carrying around a bit of paper to remember what weights I used so this solves it.

Found myself eating the olives as I packed them in the fridge - totally mindless behaviour. Fortunately I only scarfed 2 of them

Amber (AmberPr) - You have a good list of credits indeed. I agree with artificial sugar being a problem. But I also have to stay away from real sugar because of cravings I guess. So it looks like I need to tame the sweet tooth

BeverlyJoy - You have been in the wars. difficult to see the bright side that at least you got to see some fireworks but as usual you found something to be grateful for. Ginger is always good for Gastro intestinal issues. I need to create a mantra from "scoping out the food. Making the healthiest choices - fill my plate carefully ONE time. No seconds". Will make a response card for the feeling of wanting to eat everything in sight. I notice you are up in the middle of the night - hope things are OK

BillBlueEyes - Not often that a spit roasted suckling pig crosses one's path - you showed admirable restraint. You seem to have a lot of social events in your life - I would need to go into training for them.

Donna (new2me2) - I don't think I would change my ticker for 2/10 either! Only for substantial and at the end of the month maybe for me. Good luck with decluttering

Gardenerjoy - An honourable mention - you are doing so well at the moment - huge credit.

ETA - didn't do a good cut and paste job!

Houston2Command - Like GardnerJoy's term - scale-mania - I've been there too! Great that your weight gain was small and now gone!

Maryblu - Your lake experience sounds so nice! I love floating around on water and the "fun Island" sounds just the thing. You are right - socially just about everything revolves around food, and then drinking alcohol. Amazing

Overlord - Note "also quitting smoking at the same time" - credit at the idea and I hope you go well. There is a lot of grief to get prepared for with giving up nicotine - or it can hit you by surprise. Good for you that you are starting to plan - it is a rare skill. Good luck with increasing mobility and spontaneous exercise. There are some good books on simple strength training at home - and websites

Ruthxx - Loved the "I've been dieting for the past 50 years" - lol. How true is that! Feels like my life story. Welcome back - it is great to see you here. The book is certainly worth a read. October 1 is coming soon - are you going this year or last?

Credits -
- I motivated myself by reading A&R cards - NO
- Consciously gave credit for positive eating / exercise behaviours - yes
- Limit junk food to once per day - NO
- Made food plan - Yes - $1
- Logged food soon after eating - yes - $1
- Food on-plan - Yes
- Posted to the list - Here I am
- Ate seated every time - NO
- Ate mindfully and slowly - 80%
- Put down fork occasionally - will try tonight
- Weighed myself - Yes - 216.4 - $1
- Drank water - YES
- Exercise - YES - - $1

TALLY (only red ones earn money!) - DAY = $4; Week = $17; Grand Total = $17

Working on -
Staying on plan and making good choices in that plan

Have a good day Beckies
-----
Cheryl

Diet Coaches/Buddies - I followed my plan to spend most of my day in my cool basement playing with patch cement; CREDIT moi for sticking to my plan. And made it to the gym - CREDIT moi - not many people there on the last day of the three day weekend. Eating on-plan during the summer is easier for me than during the winter (CREDIT moi). When we load trays to take outside to the patio, there is no thought of additional food when that's done. And evening eating isn't as tempting since evening around here - married to a gardener - doesn't begin until it's too dark for her to continue tending her plants. By the time I can think about evening snacking, it's bedtime.

Walked to our community garden to pick the one, single cucumber that we had seen from the day before would be ready. It was. We picked it ... and picked some seven others that had appeared by spontaneous generation - I know they weren't there 24 hour before, LOL. Louis Pasteur wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss spontaneous generation if he had studied cucumbers.


maryblu - Just stop all this "how fast summer is going" talk already. Cool new summer toy that allows you to be your own island. Maybe you can sneak up on your loons, LOL.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - So neat that you've turned pasta into "a showcase for roasted summer vegetables." Perhaps pasta, like meat, should be viewed as a garnish for veggies. You're really moving on your July exercise goal.

Ruth (Ruthxxx) - So, it's from the beach to "breach" - this thread can always benefit from good old South Beach experience. Kudos for recognizing that waiting for calm to descend upon your life is your version of Waiting for Godot, LOL.

Beverlyjoy - Yay for diet ginger ale coming to the rescue. Big Ouch for that much stomach pain two days after your procedure. Hope all remains well. Kudos for moving your DH's "homemade trail mix with chocolate chips" - that kinda stuff is hard for me when visible because I so easily pretend that only one, single grab won't count (rather mundane Sabotaging Thought). Even if it didn't count, I'd never stop at one grab if it's good stuff, LOL.

Cheryl (Seadwaters) - Just can't do better than "being mindful of choices" - sounds like a good day. Yay for finding the weights that you need. And big Yay for a new iPhone toy to distract you to staying on your path.

Donna (new2me2) - Yay for watermelon - one of the gifts of the summer gods. Kudos for 65 minutes of good workout.

Overlord - Kudos for staying on-plan even if it's a pre-plan. It'll be fun hearing which recipes work for you. Good luck tackling smoking at the same time - letting some of the CBT strategies leak into that issue should be a good idea.

Houston2Command - Kudos for giving yourself credit for spotting that Thinking Error of predicting a vacation gain even though you knew you were eating OK. Old scales are just fine if they give repeatable results, since we're not so much interested in our absolute weight as we are in our progress. If yours isn't repeatable, maybe having a new scale as an early reward for your next mini-goal is possible.

Amber (AmberPr) - Yay for warm summer days in Minnesota; Kudos for taking advantage of them with several walks. And Kudos for the "usual, healthy suspects" from the grocery store.

Readers -

Hi Beck folks, coaches, buddies,

Yesterday I stayed in my calorie range...I am always grateful for that. I didn’t stay with my exact plan. I had that stomach cramp thing again in the afternoon, (for an hour or so) I think it's related to me eating too much fiber so soon after my colonoscopy. I will watch it carefully. Therefore, I changed what I ate after that to something a little more bland. I probably should check it out with my doctor - but, just can’t ‘deal’ with one more thing. I’ll think about it.

Gosh, it's been hot here! Wow - am so grateful to have air conditioning and a ceiling fan. How did our parents, grandparents and I manage without it years ago.

I've been pretty careful with my food of late - but, I haven't been getting in my stretches or strengthening exercises. Today I WILL do this for sure!!!

plan/log/measure/count calories - yes, but changed plan
fork down between bites - some of the time
eat seated only, no seconds, - most of the time
leave a bite - all of the time
TASTE the food/ slow mindful eating - some of the time
feel fullness - no
lots of water - yes
exercise/spontaneous ex. - no
remind myself that eating everything I'd like to isn't an emergency yes
remind myself that food/eating doesn't cure stress or physical pain -yes
Arc/rc - yes
Beck book - no
Worked in my journal - yes

Houston - so glad the scale ‘smiled’ at you after your vacation.

2newme2 - sounds like you are right on target. Carry on!

gardener joy - yum - roasted veggies and pasta are so good. Too bad no cookout, but - a wonderful substitute. Congrats on your honorable mention.
Thanks for the good advice on my stomach pain and cramps, etc. I will watch it carefully. I am thinking that it may have to do with me going right back into my regular routine of fiber, iron, full amounts - maybe too much too soon.etc.

Maryblu - Fun island sounds fun, indeed. I am glad you had help on the trip and managed to get exercise while preparing things, etc.

Overlord - sending resistance ‘vibes’ to you as you also quit smoking. Hold on tight..you CAN do it. Credit for making a plan!!!

Amberpr - so many great credits…well done. I do like stevia. I have never had it in pop, however. Sometimes other sweeteners give my a headache.

Seadwaters - I found myself being mindful of choices and options which is always good. - isn’t this what we are striving for!! Well done. Your new weights sound good. Two olives - think about it for a moment, forget it and carry on. Yes, I have been up in the night several times…I am thinking about all the things I am facing. I am a worrier - No one need worry in my presence, I’ll do it for them. LOL I am doing a little meditation to help.

Billbe - well done staying on plan, doing your basement work and getting to the gym. Good job using evening gardening as a decoy for late night eating. I’d like the ‘magic words’ for making extra veggies appear overnight in the garden!


Have a GREAT day everyone.

Good morning friends!

I got my 60 minutes of decluttering in, plus 30 more minues of housecleaning...WW counts all that as activity, yay! This is a major credit because everytime I go on vacation, I unpack only what is necessary and the rest stays on the bed in the spare room until I go on vacation again. So I'm ahead of the game a bit now. I still have LOTS to do in there since that is the "black hole" of doom...but at least the vacation stuff is put away, lol.

I did 45 minutes of Walk It Out later in the day. Eating was on plan and in general it was a nice relaxing day.

This morning I lost that .2 and saw it another .2, lol. If I can make it below the 150 mark this week, I may just put another charm on the bracelet even though it hasn't been a full five pounds!

gardenerjoy Your pasta sounds VERY healthy! Congratulations for the honorable mention!!!!!

maryblu It really IS amazing that gatherings of all kinds seem to be centered around food! Oooh, your floating island sounds very fun and relaxing!

Overlord I started before actually getting to the plan part too. I'm doing the pink book, so there wasn't really a plan set out in the book, but I did start my own even before she said to start one, lol. MAJOR CONGRATULATIONS and CREDIT for quitting smoking!!!

AmberPr Impressive list of credits!!! I've been using stevia in my protein shakes...I'm getting used to the taste I think. I still mix it with 1/2 T sugar, but I'm hoping to eventually be able to stand the taste enough to cut out the sugar completely.

seadwaters (Cheryl) Yay for being on plan, working out by yourself and finding the weights you needed. I love my iPhone toys, lol...very handy!

BillBlueEyes Impressive list of credits as usual!

Beverlyjoy Hope that cramping goes away soon!!

Just learned there is an Amber Alert for a little girl abducted from her front yard in the small town where I grew up. So disturbing to think that nowhere is safe.

WI: -0.1kg, Exercise: +120 525/1800 minutes for July, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

maryblu: glad your 4th went well, in spite of including too much kitchen time

Overlord: great start -- I find it helpful to approach it all as a big experiment and you've already got that going!

AmberPr: yay for all the credits in the form of smiley cheerleaders! I got my garden in late -- so far, I'm only harvesting basil from it, although I think I could grab a couple of peperoncini peppers this week. I'm eating mostly produce from our CSA box supplemented a bit from the Farmers Market.

seadwaters: sounds like real progress on the exercise front -- yay!

BillBlueEyes: LOL at the magical appearance of cucumbers

Beverlyjoy: great to see you're here this morning and doing okay. Sounds like prudent changing of your plan.

new2me2: yay for all the activity! I'm amazed how motivating Walk It Out is -- I want to build a rainbow, everyday. Apparently, it appeals to my inner 8 year old.

Update - I spoke to the nurse at the gastroenterologists office and told her of my night of severe stomach area pain. And - my short bout yesterday. She felt it probably had to do with my body reacting to the amount of fiber I was giving it while it was still kinda empty. I am to call them if it happens again.

Thanks everyone for your concern.

Coaches/Buddies, had a good weekend, except ended up eating constantly on Sunday. Stupidly, I was shocked when I recorded my food for the day and found myself over my target. Duh.

Today’s Essentials:
Weigh-in: +.5 lbs.
Read Advantage Cards two times: no
Read Response Cards at least two times: no
Ate slowly, sitting down, noticing every bite: no
Gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful eating behaviors: somewhat
Did spontaneous exercise: yes
Did planned exercise: none planned
Wrote out food plan for tomorrow: not yet
Tracked today’s food: not yet
Left food on my plate: yes

AmberPr, thanks for sharing your history. I think the trainer has really made a difference, but I feel very lucky to have found the right one too. He has really helped take the intimidation of the gym out of it for me. And, starting really slow so having little pain along the way has helped a lot too. As far as organizing my Beck stuff, I keep my posts in a journal file on my computer. I use a GoWearFit to track my activity and log my food, which I can also access on my iPhone. Also on my daily to-do list, I keep the link of my response cards so it is right there when I am ready to tackle that for the day. So, I’m mostly digital.

BeverlyJoy, great job at the Chinese restaurant. That is terrific. Thanks for the comfort over my scale disappointment. I loved putting the temptation in the sock drawer. That puts a new spin on putting a sock in it! Hope the tummy feels better soon!

BillBlueEyes, yeah, I think I didn’t appreciate my mitochondria nearly enough until the last few years in grad school. Are you in science too? I don’t know anyone else that has a biochem in their stack of reading. Interesting observations about your fruit and the bird bath image sounds great. Really, really appreciated your party eating strategy.

GardenerJoy, loved your idea to stay and protect the homefront for the 4th. Congratulations on the award. Bummer for the rain, but your pasta sounds splendid.

[B]Houston2Command[B], yep, scales do messy things with the mind at times.

Maryblu, your lake time sounds amazing.

new2me2, thanks for the comfort regarding my scale disappointment. Your 4th sounds fantastic with a massage and nails getting done!

[B]Overlord[B], curious what you hated about your McDonald’s breakfast. OMG, good luck on the quitting smoking at the same time. Did you have a health scare?

Ruthxxx, loved your post about getting an attitude trasplant! I need that many days too.

Seadwaters, I hope you got good news from the accountant. Enjoy your new toy!

Shepherdess, hope you are well. I miss reading your posts with your computer being so slow!

I didn't know this thread exsisted until recently. I read the book about a week and a half ago, and am trying to implement the skills well enough that I can delve into the eating plan. (I have the complete beck diet solution for life book, one including the skills and an eating plan)

HI Coaches!

Back at work today. Was pretty busy, but I felt like a lot got done.

Played around with the "hunger" experiments today. I had a little larger breakfast at 7:30 and then didn't eat until lunch at 12:00. I came home around 4:30 and had a bannana and now I'm waiting for dinner. Ususally I'm snacking on something a couple times a day - grapes, chocolate chips, nuts, carrots.... It was interesting to see that if I had enough calories for breakfast, I didn't really need to have a snack. I can see how it will be better once I'm planning my meals in advance because then I wont be hedging my calories and not having enough calculated by the end of the day.

I've been looking at differant websites and plans to figure out how many calories I should be having each day. It looks like to lose weight, they recommend 2100 calories. Doesn't that seem high? I usually aim for about 1600-1800 - is that too low? How do you strategies your caloric intake?

--------------------------------------
Cheryl: Yep, sugar is a big trigger for me. If I have too much in the morning, there's a good chance I'll want it all day long. What made you decide to get the wrist and ankle weights?

Bill: What a great system for beating the evening snacks. That and after work are my tricky times.

Minnesota has had a really early spring, continued on with lots of rain and sunshine. Most everything is 3-4 weeks ahead of time. My neighbors just picked 3 gallons of blueberries!

Beverlyjoy: Sorry you're still feeling yucky! Glad you had the fiber confirmed.

new2me2: Congrats for working on the "black hole." I find that those decluttering moods strike once in awhile and I love tossing/giving away all that junk that had been multiplying. Can loose a few pounds that way!

I like the idea of mixing stevia with regular - better 1/2 way than no way.

Gardenerjoy: What's a CSA box?

FutureFitChick: I hate those grazing days!

Thank you for all the tips. I'm going to check out that GoWear fit- sounds like a good way to keep track of it all.

ma26: Nice to meet you! I'm new to the book...only on pg. 80,but progressing!

Hello Beck friends

I wish I could say hi to each of you, but a quick visit will have to do tonight.

Welcome to our new Beck friends!

This is the first time I have sat down today (except for meals) My Mom and I have different schedules so I have been going to bed for two hours and setting the alarm and going over to put her to bed. The pup slept through the night and so did we. I have so many personal things to do, I may actually set the alarm early for myself.

My pink book is sitting outside and I keep hoping to sit down and read, but what it does right now is "remind me".
Today I:
made time to sit down for my own meals *credit*
said "no choice" more than once *credit*
discussed Beck strategies with a friend who came to help and saw the book*credit*
focused on making better choices-I'm having grapes for dessert instead of my allotted NSA ice cream*credit*
made it to the pool for 1/2 hr water aerobics*credit*

Thanks for all your support! I look forward to the day when I can get back on MY schedule. A week from today my pup will get to see if he can bear weight on his leg again. He visited the vet today and she thinks his hip has stayed in the socket. Yay!

Still gearing up for the actual meal plan. Everything going okay.

FutureFit: I guess it was a health scare; i learned my blood pressure was too high for too long. Also just been meaning to get around to it for a long time.

I've lost 10 pounds since I've been keeping track!