I tried to eat away frustration today. It turns out that food doesn't find lost books or solve medical billing mysteries. I'm not sure how to solve problem 1, but problem 2 will likely take long, time-wasting phone calls. Oh well. That's tomorrow's problem.

WI: +0.3 kgs, Exercise: +40 385/1400 minutes for January, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Diet Coaches/Buddies – It was my first day on the elliptical since forever. I had to do it in short bursts - leg wanted a break - but I did it. For that and my physical therapy exercises, CREDIT moi.

Unfortunately, I attended the retirement party for a colleague. The menu: hot wings, nachos, pizza, and a flat cake. Ouch. Shouldn't have been surprised since it was held in a bar. I was slightly constrained during the two hour event, but had more than I would have served myself at home. Hot wings require something to squelch the fire, so each nugget of chicken meat came doused with something white and thick. I doubt it was fat-free yogurt, LOL. I did avoid the flat cake, CREDIT moi for that. Fortunately, that's not a regular affair. I was smart enough to call it dinner instead of appetizers, so the damage was minimal. Otherwise, eating was on plan.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – "Medical billing mysteries" just blow me away. DW was just denied payment for an X-ray since her "insurance hadn't started." Huh? My take is that they simply sprinkle out a bunch of denials since some percentage of folks will just pay without push back.

Beverlyjoy – I don't remember the last time I had a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Yep, Kudos for all those credits being aware of your eating.

FutureFitChick – LOL at "formerly-a-spoon" - Ooops. That's getting your fiber the hard way. Kudos for working strategies to get your head, snacks, and hunger properly aligned.

nationalparker – Yay for the ability to identify Sabotaging Thoughts - I discovered that I had the ability to wallow in them unaware. Seeing deer on your walk sounds fun.

IBelieveInMe2 – Yep, "following through with behavioral changes" is the deal - neat that you're on to that. Some of us have read the book, or books, at least once. Others are on their first read of one book or the other. It doesn't matter where you are, you're welcome to jump right into the discussion now; there's no entrance requirements.

Readers -

Hi Coaches!

BBE, wow, that's alot of yuk food to negotiate around. I have to admit I ogle the hot wings we serve at the restaurant (with white dipping sauce) but fortunately my vegetarian desires seem to be pretty firmly anchored right now which makes it easier to resist. Kudos for your first elliptical day! Moving forward, you are!

I had a pretty good day yesterday with the exception of the TWO vegan blueberry muffins I had after dinner. I did stare them down and recognize I had the skills to resist yet did not. I did leave one large bite of each () and ate one this morning but somehow managed to compost the other. credit. These actions do show me that my cognitive brain is trying to work things in my favor. I weighed this morning and don't see any big challenges in today's food plan. Lunch is at WhFoods with family and I seem to ALWAYS make good choices there. credit.

GoodMorning, Coaches.

Vermont is 13 degrees. That is pretty cold for a California girl. I will glad to be headed home on Friday.
Credit for maintaining no refined sugar, no wheat plan. I was not thrilled with portions yesterday but I know I can do better today.

Lexxiss: I completely understand the TWO muffins. I understand that my biggest struggle is to let a moment go. After I have eaten I want to continue the good feeling of food even if i am not hungry and it will make me sick. One thing I try to remember is there will always be another meal.
BBE: Thank god I have never been a fried food fan. Now if there had been See's Candy and mac and cheese at the bar, I would have been in trouble.
Gardenerjoy: Thanks for reminding me food will not finish the revisions on my short story.

Credit for today that I understand I didn't sleep much last night and to give myself a break on my work load expectations.

Good morning - another unsettled morning on my side as I forgot to set my alarm and woke up hearing a cat tussle, and then jolted away as I realized the beginnings of daylight were filtering in my wooden blinds, which does NOT happen at 6:15. Argh. Rushed out of the house after measuring my quaker oat squares to eat dry on the drive in, which i like - credit. Rummaged around on the drive, though, only to realize that they're awaiting me at home, so all set for tomorrow morning. Lunch plans with a friend, though, and able to stay on plan with that, too.

DH and I (and dog) did a good pace on the trail last night - it's warming up here and getting rather icy, but should be all gone in a day or two. A fire engine went by a distance away and the sirens got the coyotes in the area all vocalizing, which I do like. The young pups yipping as the older ones almost mimic the siren is neat. Home to a good dinner of rotisserie chicken and lots of spinach salad with mandarin oranges, toasted almonds and some crumbled turkey bacon with a homemade red wine vinegar dressing. I really dug into that.

Need time to do personals, but enjoy reading all the posts and the tips/reminders are very helpful. I need to redo my card on why I want to lose weight - I'm skimming it now when I DO read it. Good reminders to slow down, read the cards, and leave bites. Thanks, all!

As for me, I now have two successful days under my belt--OP with food and exercise, logging of food and exercise. No snacks at work. And I've been successful at reining myself in when I want to attack everything at once. 5 goals is sufficient for one month! I even made a real breakfast this morning (one egg, 2 sausage links). (I do best with morning protein.)

DH has wanted to go out to dinner but he's come home late the last two nights so I've eaten as planned (not waiting for him). I have to differentiate between "hungry that can wait" and "hungry that is going to turn into the shakes" (I'm diabetic.) (I never tell anyone that, since I pretend I'm not and can eat whatever I want.) The last two nights, it's been "the shakes", so I've eaten before he's gotten home rather than snacking.

I was hungry at dinner last night, but it was the type of hunger that I just needed to go to sleep and wait out.

The rapid increase in fast walking is causing shin splints, so I'm slowing down a bit--but still walking. If they're bothering me tonight, I'll swap the planned 20-25 minute walk with DH for 1/2 hour of toning exercises: leg lifts, arm workout, and crunches. Strength and toning stuff is something I was going to start next month, but I am not going to derail myself if I can substitute. The shin splints will go away as I stretch them and I can even check if my glider bothers them, since it's a no impact activity.

FutureFitChick: I guess a chocolate/spinach drink with a side of wooden spoon doesn't make much of a snack. I hope your blender has forgiven you and is willing to make drinks for you in the future.

nationalparker: I saved those 4 thought-provokers of not throwing yourself down the stairs. They're all great visuals. I can say to myself, "I dropped and broke this plate. All that means is to be more careful with the next one."

Beverlyjoy: Sounds like yesterday was very successful. I haven't been leaving food on my plate--sounds like something to think about. Changing plans is hard when you're on a mission, but sounds as if you were really successful at doing it.

gardenerjoy: eating away frustration? Yeah, but you still got in good exercise--frustrated or not!

BillBlueEyes: I love your posts! I especially love the book excerpts (mine is supposed to come Friday). Back on the elliptical sounds great!

The Trigger to Eating makes me think about how to change the chain of events. I want to put some thoughts in between

Eventually, maybe I'll get to "that cake doesn't look so appealing", but for now, I'd need to focus on explaining to myself why I'm not going to have any--even if it does look good.

Hello Everyone! I read and completed Day 1 of The Beck Diet Solution (pink) book yesterday. I have made several lists of why I wanted to lose weight in the past, but I created a brand new list of 23 Advantages of Losing Weight. Very helpful ~ again!!! Now, I need to remember to follow through with reading it at least twice a day and to let it serve as constant motivation for me.

I forced myself to sit down to eat breakfast and lunch today. That sounds so basic, but I have been standing to eat most meals for a long time now. I remember reading about the importance of sitting down to eat, but had just reverted back to old habits and put that tip on the back burner. Good lesson to relearn and practice!

gardenerjoy: Good for you that you recognized that you were trying to eat away your frustration. Give yourself credit for that! BTW, congratulations on your incredible weight loss and for getting under your goal weight!!! That is wonderful!!!

nationalparker: I also saw that Beck email (or read in the book) about getting right back on track after a slip. The visuals are really helpful. It was also helpful for me to do a new list on the advantages of losing weight. It brought back the excitement of the process for me! Hope it will do the same for you.

bethFromDayton: I love the thoughts you inserted between the eating trigger (i.e., seeing the piece of cake) and deciding whether or not to eat it. Great and helpful responses!

BillBlueEyes: Good job on remaining in control and eating reasonably with all of that yummy food to tempt you! You seem to be a wealth of information! I applaud you on your weight loss and years of maintenance!!! Hooray for you! I look forward to learning a lot from you!

I don't mean to leave anyone out. Just still getting familiar with the group and with each one of you. Happy to be here!

Hi Coaches/friends... So happy to say that yesterday was a healthy day - I am always grateful for that. I really was able to do many of my Beck goals & tasks.

I took my mom to the dentist and it turned out to be a much longer appointment. Then she wanted to go run errands. By the time I got home it was 2pm. So I had missed my morning snack and lunch. At first I had a moments 'panic'. However, the remembered the 'skip a meal' exercise. How I could easily skip a meal and 'survive'. I was glad to have it to draw back on. While Mom was in the office and used that time to do my daily journal and read arc/rc and beck. I've been reading the workbook to the pink Beck book lately. (want to switch it up). Many credits!

In the morning I was stirring up the new jar of almond butter before putting it into the fridge... I was willing to throw the almond butter spoon in the soapy water and not eating the extra off the spoon. Credit. It's funny how other people would even think one way or the other... but, it's major for me.

One of the best things that happened yesterday was that I didn't eat anything after my evening snack. That's so hard for me...Major Credit.

I had many credits other yesterday(no seconds, left a bite, planned/measured/logged, told myself to 'stand firm' when I wanted to eat in the evening, deep centering breaths before eating and more) - I am grateful. It makes me feel hopeful again. I know that the Beck techniques work when I find the willingness to use them. I don't always have the willingness, of course. Keep working at it. I guess if all this 'food stuff' was easy we would all be at healthy weights.

One of my goals is to start doing my meditations again.

Also.. I got to move my ticker down one pound. YAY. I am back to my preholiday weight.

I have two performances next week and I need to start to rehearse.

bethfromdayton - yes, you have had a good beginning here... many credits. Credit for taking care of yourself when it comes to eating later and managing your diabetes. I really like how you answered your sabatoging thoughts about the cake. One other that I sometimes use is: I can have cake again... but, I have to PLAN for it. Carry on.

nationalparker - oh those crazy mornings getting up late...sorry you missed out on the cereal. Great that you did will out to eat with a friend. Your healthy dinner sounds yummy. Carry on. I got the email from the Beck institute too.... yes, very helpful.

maryann - credit on staying away from wheat and sugar!!! Stay warm.

lexxisis/debbie - oops on extra muffin, but... leaving a bite, That's good. (made me giggle - been there)

billbe - oops on the appetizers... good switcheroo for dinner! Wonderful that you can use the elliptical.

gardenerjoy - sorry about all the stressers. Hop right back on your plan and you'll be OK.

believeinme - credit for doing all this Beck work! I agree... I think one of the most challenging things is sitting down to eat... you are doing great.

futurefitchick - ouch on your splintery smoothie. I hope your headache and medicine 'hangover' is over. I am doing a happy dance in honor of your OP day. Carry on.

Posting a quick hello, as I can hardly keep my eyes open and it is only 7:30 PM. Yikes. Stayed on plan today. Dinner was an on plan pork roast. The recipe was a new one I was trying out and it is way too dry. I will have to make some sort of sauce for the leftovers.

We are going out of town for a ski weekend tomorrow night. I need to get my food together for travel. So, I may not be able to post much until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

I let a snack get super-sized today, which makes three sloppy eating days in a row. Time to get a handle on it. I've got a carefully written plan for tomorrow -- I usually write my plan at my desk upstairs but I took it downstairs to make sure I could really fix what I'm writing down on my plan!

WI: +0.15 kgs, Exercise: +45 430/1400 minutes for January, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

bethFromDayton: An older, very experienced, aerobics instructor taught me to do toe taps to prevent shin splints. You can do it seated or standing with the weight on one foot, knees slightly bent. Tap the toe up and down several times, then side to side, repeat. Then repeat on the other side. I don't get shin splints anymore if I remember to do those before I walk.

OK yesterday was the second day of my Non-resolutions Challenge, and I busted both of them ! Gotta blame the weather though--a serious windstorm came up suddenly and it wasn't safe on the beach or the road for walking because so much stuff (branches, pine cones, etc) was flying around. And internet service slowed to a crawwwwllll - I had a hard time even getting my computer online. So reporting here wasn't feasible either. I finally gave up and went wround charging electronics, checking the surge protectors, looking for flashlights, and stashing extra batteries because I was convinced that we would have a power outage. Actually I was pretty sure the tree in front of my house was coming down, but neither thing happened, just lots of howling and lots o' rain.
Today: one bad choice at the store at lunch; good dinner choice after shopping. Shoulder exercises: check.

Okay, it is really late and I must get some sleep, but I have some questions and major concerns.

1. Have any of you heard of the diet plan called "dietwatch: see yourself succeed?" That subtitle "see yourself succeed" jumped out at me and it looks like it might be a plan that could work for me.

2. Does the newer green Beck book (which I ordered) have a reasonable food plan in it? Can someone give me a quick review of its main concepts?

3. I am anxious, but really nervous, to get started on an eating plan! Should I join dietwatch or wait for the green Beck book to arrive first? I need 2 plans anyway. Dietwatch could be my #1 (since I would be paying for it) and Beck could be #2.

* The dietwatch plan is reasonably priced, I think. And, for an extra fee, you can get access to an emotional eating program that sounds like it would be extremely helpful to me and in line with Beck's principles.

4. I hate the thought of measuring and weighing my food!!! I was just going to focus on portion control. Is this an absolute of the program? I tend to be all or nothing and don't want to throw Beck out because of this, but I really do NOT want to weigh and measure everything I eat!!! It sounds so tedious and we often eat out, which would make it impossible. (I know! I know! Eating out too frequently is dangerous. Working on that one! But I want something that will fit into my current lifestyle. I want to be able to stay on plan even when dining out.)

5. Do we HAVE to plan our food out ahead of each day? I hate the thought of that one, too!!! I never know what I'll be in the mood for each day. And, as I said, we dine out frequently, so it depends where we all decide to go on any given night. We like to be spontaneous. I am really worried about this one!

I am only on Day 2 ~ ~ but I read up through Day 1 in the (pink) Beck workbook, which reviews the main concepts of the Beck program, and I had forgotten about the above concerns I also had last time I read the book. I did definitely get a lot out of it last time, though, so I don't want to abandon ship because of my above concerns. But are they deal-breakers if I choose not to follow them?!? I know that is ultimately up to me, but just need some quick feedback on these concerns. Oh, and that leads me to #6.

6. Will you all serve as my coach or do I need to pick one person?

That's it.......................... for now! I am filled with anxiety about this new weight loss journey, but so excited to begin! I truly am NOT looking for an easy route. Just want to be realistic about what can work for me day in and day out, and especially in the long run (for LIFE)! Thank you, in advance, for any insights you have!

Oh, one more thing! Do My Fitness Pal and Spark People count as "diet plans?" Just investigating all of my options.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – It was a slacker of a day - Ouch. My computer wouldn't boot, so I went to the tech support desk at a big box store. I was willing to pay the cost for someone else to run a diagnostic and, presumably, clear out whatever virus or Trojan got past my own installed virus program. The sales guy was annoyed that I hadn't brought in the power supply since they only had one universal power supply and it was in use. The prognosis was at least three days starting with removing the hard drive to test it independently. Then a second $89 to order the backup OS disks with its own two day wait. I couldn't talk to the tech because he was in the store waiting on customers. Just didn’t get a warm feeling.

So I walked out with my computer and set about to see what I could do. I gingerly rebooted to the last known good configuration of Windows and . . . all the problems went away. Now I'm really annoyed that I didn't just do that in the first place. And further annoyed that it consumed all my energy and that I tried to snack my way out of it. I join the others: food doesn’t fix corrupted Windows. Beck should add that to her next book. Back on track today.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for "a carefully written plan for tomorrow."

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Yay for keeping your wits to leave a large bite from each Vegan Blueberry Muffin - I like the demonstration that we're still on a path even if we've deviated for the moment.

Nature Girl – I cringe when you say "lots o' rain" since you guys know from rain. Yay for being ready now for the next power outage.

Beverlyjoy – Super Kudos for not licking the almond butter spoon - such good strengthening of your resistance muscle.

FutureFitChick – Happy skiing! You'll appreciate each pound lost each time you carve an icy mogul.

maryann - I need this today, "I know I can do better today."

nationalparker – Neat image of the coyotes vocalizing back to the sirens. Can't think of a worse feeling than realizing that the oatmeal squares weren't there in the car with you. Kudos for not turning around to go get them.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Two Kudos for those two good days. And Kudos again for knowing yourself about protein for breakfast. Loved reading your responses to the cake, especially "but I only eat small sweets after dinner and this isn't dinner time."

IBelieveInMe2 – Standing is a hard one because it catches us by surprise. I was agast to discover that I nibbled from my plate as I carried it to the table.It is superb that you are committed "to be realistic about what can work for me day in and day out" - any plan works for one week.


Readers -

Good morning! I was reading through all of the posts here while I ate my dry quaker oat squares - so while not fully focusing only on the food, I have soaked up good thoughts here. On Thursdays a coworker and I volunteer with a reading program at a school then go to Subway for lunch afterward, and it's always 6" turkey on wheat or if I'm wanting something "heavier", a 6" veggie pattie on wheat. I am a creature of habit at times And will really struggle to not get any baked chips. I don't need them, don't want them (?) and they're not on my plan. I don't want the apple slices, either. A sandwich is sufficient.

Is anyone familiar with the young Scottish girl's blog Never Seconds - became very popular last year? I'd like to touch on that in another post. I started reading her very early on and am so amazed at the power of one

Did well last night - dinner was put on a bowl of lettuce/tomatoes/onions and we cut the portions down substantially. Do not have a plan for dinner yet - but will have it before I leave work. I would like to go lighter as tomorrow is part 1 of date night... Dinner tomorrow night at a favorite restaurant on a reservoir (a little upscale and healthy cooked options), and concert on Saturday night ... DH works both days and doesn't get home until later, so we cannot do both in one evening.

FutureFitChick - Have a good time; be safe. I know your thoughts will still be heavy, but enjoy the beauty around you on your trip!

BillBlueEyes - I was getting aggravated right along with you on the repair issue. Major credit for trying it and solving it! And saving the time and big bucks!

IBelieveInMe2 - Great job for thinking ahead as to what will work for you in the long run. No tricks, no magic food combinations, but it's how you will limit the indulgences and eat wiser that seems to be the key. Prepping a food plan doesn't take a long time - maybe do it for the week when you're getting ready to hit the market. If you go to the same restaurants typically, you know their menus and can choose the lighter options ... I ate out a LOT with my last job, traveling with sports teams and more often than not, they were fast food spots, yet still lost 60 pounds with weight watchers - it's in our choices and speaking up for what you want. I haven't been planning as much as I need to, so thank you for bringing that up.

NatureGirl - Good for you for rolling with the flow and not stressing about it - you didn't "bust" your resolutions - Life happened and credit that you didn't eat your way through your frustration. Thankful that the storm didn't do damage.

GardenerJoy - Today's your day to break that little streak - you're aware of it and that's half the battle! You deserve a healthy eating day today!

BeverlyJoy - GREAT job with all the credits. I know exactly the feeling of, "oh no, I missed lunch and now it's so late." Good reminder that that's all it was - not that we won't eat again. Thankfully we're fortunate enough to still have 20 out of 21 meals this week. And kudos for holding off any more eating after your evening snack!

Maryann - Enjoy your last day in Vermont today! And I, too, would be longing for your California weather! Sounds like you've done superb on your trip, sticking to your no refined sugar/wheat plan.

BethFromDayton - I'm proud of you for thinking of what activity you can do that won't bother your shin splints more - instead of just thinking, oh well, sidelined for a while. Great job! I'm with you on morning protein! I love it but need to cook up some stuff in advance. DH loves it, too, when he's home and think that's where my prepped eggs went... hm. Here's to a day Four on plan! (was yesterday day 3?)