Beck Diet For Life/Solution – July 2018 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

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  • Welcome to the discussion group, support group, Diet Coach group, Diet Buddy group relating to the two books by Dr. Judith S. Beck:and the first bookThe Beck Diet Solution is a psychological program, not a food plan. It provides a step-by-step program to learn specific techniques to stay on our diet, lose weight, and maintain our weight loss for life. The program is based on Dr. Beck's clinical research in Cognitive Therapy (CT).

    The Complete Beck Diet for Life expands the earlier work and includes a food plan with suggested menus. From the cover:
    With The Complete Beck Diet for Life you'll discover the 5 stages of successful dieting and maintenance. You'll learn how to motivate yourself, give yourself credit for every change you make, create time and energy for dieting, and handle hunger and cravings. Dr. Beck eases you into changing one step at a time. You'll master one task before moving on to the next. And you'll learn techniques to deal with challenging situations, such as sticking with ou plan at celebrations and dealing with "food pushers." With Dr. Beck's skills, you'll achieve a lifetime of healthful eating and lifelong motivation.
    This is a place to discuss the Beck strategies and our daily efforts, to receive and provide support, and, for some of us, is where we serve as on-line diet buddy (coach) to each other.

    If you’ve arrived from a search engine, you've landed at the site of 3 Fat Chicks (3FC), a remarkable place for those interested in a healthy life style, including mindful eating, exercise, and weight loss. More about the site, including how to register so that you can post, can be found here.

    The books are available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking their names above; buying through 3FC helps to cover the costs of running this site.

    You can find the list of previous (or more current) monthly Beck threads here on 3 Fat Chicks via:
  • Sunday - Canada becomes self-governing (1867)
    Diet Coaches/Buddies – Held the second Father's Day dinner - this time with the DS and his SO. It's a sobering reality that I can't get my two kids and spouses to agree on a single date for a dinner. The difficult part was that I'd promised BBQ from the best local place when we first started the process of setting a date for the dinner. When it became two separate dinners, I had to produce BBQ twice. The good news is that I ordered less food the second time. I still ate only one rib. And I sent home most of the leftovers so I'm not tempted. CREDIT moi for that. The winning part was the when I picked up the order, they had included jerk chicken instead of BBQ chicken. I asked for it to be corrected. They chose instead to joyfully just add the BBQ chicken to the order for FREE. Was particularly good for us because the jerk chicken is way too spicy hot for DW and I, but just right for DS and his SO. They left grinning from ear to ear about all the good food they were taking home. Methinks that regardless of how old they become, kids still think of getting FREE stuff from mom and dad as their due.

    Walk, CREDIT moi, included giving the guests a tour of the house being renovated. It is so expanded into its lot that it looks like the Michelin Tire Man - just too big for its clothes. I've got to get over my annoyance since it's in the category of something I can't do anything about.


    onebyone – Waving. Happy Canadian Independence Day - even if not celebrated until tomorrow.

    Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for salads. [When I become czar, Coca-Cola will be banned from the empire. Problem solved.]

    silverbirch – Had to google, but discovered that a Spong Grinder is, in fact, the device that we own and use exactly once each year to make cranberry sauce at Christmas (cranberries, oranges with rinds, sugar: grind once). We love it. Hadn't realized that it was make in England (since 1856!). Will appreciate it more next time. Love the notion of letting a bank know how you feel about their services. [Yes, a 'condo' in our parlance is a separately owned unit in a building. I don't know if 'flat' includes a unit that is owned instead of rented.]

    curlyjax - Yes, it is super that you're still close to your DH's brother and relatives. Congrats to you both for making that so. I'd guess that your teenage DS represents about half of the food volume for your family.

    Readers -
    Quote:
    day 9 Select an Exercise Plan

    what are you thinking?
    Use the following helpful responses to common sabotaging thoughts to create inspiration for making additional cards. . . .

    Sabotaging Thought: I'm too busy to exercise.
    Helpful Response: I have to make exercise a priority. If I needed to exercise each day to stay alive, I'd find the time. I might have to get up earlier in the morning to fit it in, but I shouldn't fool myself into thinking that exercise is optional.

    Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 111.
  • Good Morning, Coaches.

    Credit for yesterday's hike. 6.5 miles and an 1800 ft elevation change. This is the first hike I have done with a length to match one of the legs of our Whitney trip. From car to base camp is 6 miles. Ok. Now I know what it feels like. I have to start working on the 11 mile roundtrip to summit now.

    I think the personal trainer is really helping me. I certainly used all that "step up" practice on the steep parts. I managed to escape the heat wave we are all having but not the crowds at the beach. It was a LONGGGGG trip home.

    I would like my exercise to correlate with a drop in weight but I have been splurging on ridiculous treats justified by all the hiking effort. I will do a list like gardenerjoy. What is a real treat? What has just been faultily assigned "treat" in my head?

    Today I have a family gig. Traditionally my food choices are terrible. Today I will commit to lots of fruit and veggies. This is a new tack. Rather than forbid myself something, I simply add more of what I should eat in a stressful situation.

    Think ing of you Beth as you face the health issues in your family.
  • Quick check-in on a slow day, that I don't want to be quite this slow, so I'm going to step it up a bit now. CREDIT for meeting my goal of 1100 minutes of exercise in June and for setting a goal of 1200 minutes of exercise in July. With our heat wave, I've switched from walking as my primary exercise to stretching and strength-training that I will happily do indoors. My body feels better for the variety, for now. When it cools a little, my body will also appreciate the increased aerobics. I sometimes think of my body as being impossible to please, because I put too much emphasis on a scale reading, but really it's not -- it's more like a puppy and ridiculously excited when I give it any attention at all.
  • Hi everyone

    DH's father passed about 5:30 this morning. DH was there overnight and called me. His mom is distraught--they've been married 63 years and hardly ever been apart. DH, his brother, and I made all the arrangements. DD is taking the train down tomorrow night.

    In the wake of all that, I report LOUSY dinner choices and no exercise. So, 3 products, lots of water, and all carbs and dessert for dinner. Tomorrow will probably also be limited or no exercise--but I'll work at better food choices--even if I have to desert the family to go find something appropriate. I could have done that tonight, or just had the salad and topped it with leftover rotisserie chicken. I can and will do better when tempted and tired.

    G'night all.

    --Beth
  • Fairly quiet day yesterday, resting and regrouping. I was alone in the house during the afternoon and evening which was very pleasant and allowed me space to push a few more things out of the door. Food was not excellent. This is why I'm not losing any weight.

    Beth, my condolences on the loss of your father-in-law. Lousy dinner choices and no exercise are most definitely allowed at a time like this.

    gardenerjoy, this is lovely about your body: 'like a puppy and ridiculously excited when I give it any attention at all'. Definitely worth thinking about.

    maryann, very interesting approach of adding more good things rather than forbidding yourself in those tricky family situations. Another pearl that's definitely worth thinking about.

    Bill, you are a father twice over so double celebrations can be thought to be in order! Credit once again for your prowess at eating only one rib. (Yes, you can own a flat. Or rent one. The property industry has been calling them apartments for a while now but most people call them flats. I think.)

    Take care out there today. Who knows what's waiting to trip us up, food-wise.
  • Monday - Sengbe Pieh, known as Cinque, leads Mutiny on the Amistad slave ship (1839)
    Diet Coaches/Buddies – Standard Sunday walk with DW, CREDIT moi, conducted in heat fierce enough to have us both seriously wet upon arrival. Didn't really cool down sitting for an hour with the aid of a single fan. Welcome Summer!

    Eating was good, CREDIT moi, including eating leftover BBQ. I again had exactly one rib. They're gone now since I had sent away all but two. I made a large green salad from our garden's mixed lettuce. By the time to sit on the patio for dinner, it was perfect summer cool with us both comfortable in t-shirts. Gotta love the nice weather while it's here.


    Joy (gardenerjoy) – LOL at the notion of your body like a puppy "ridiculously excited when I give it any attention at all."

    silverbirch – Yay for occasional alone time to regroup.

    maryann - Congrats on that healthy hike. 1800 feet is a lot of up and down.

    Beth (bethturnaround) – Sending supportive thoughts to you and family at the loss of your FIL. 63 years of marriage is just amazing.

    Readers -
    Quote:
    day 9 Select an Exercise Plan

    what are you thinking?
    Use the following helpful responses to common sabotaging thoughts to create inspiration for making additional cards. . . .

    Sabotaging Thought: It isn't' worth it to me to exercise.
    Helpful Response: Research shows that exercise is essential for most people to lose weight and to maintain their weight loss. If I want the benefits of being thinner, I have to exercise.

    Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 111.
  • Good Morning, Coaches.
    Beth: You and your family are in my prayers this morning. You're in the "life" part of a food plan, it seems to me. You have been on the plan solidly for many months. You can hop back on again solidly when the time is right.
    silverbirch: congrats on some decluttering things "out the door." I love it. My next puttering challenge is clearing out of my school room. I will be ruthless tossing things away. The slight hitch is I must save enough in case I have to go back to teaching English before I retire.
    BBE: I heard the heat was miserable for the whole East Coast. We had a moment of it and now it is cooling down. The West Coast has big problems by the weather is unbeatable.
    gardenerjoy: Nice analogy. I want to remind myself that stretching is just as important as other exercise. I just never count it because I like it so much. Why is it I discount the healthy things I love to do? "If it is easy, there is no credit to be given." I have a tough taskmaster running around in my head.

    As for me:
    I have selected South Beach as my first diet. I started Phase 1 this morning. It involves lots of veggies and other things I know are good for me. Today is my rest day for exercise and do I need it. I turned the barn into a little Crossfit area yesterday because I couldn't get back to the gym. I walked the rows of sunflowers ( early a.m. or the bees would have been a threat). I lifted concrete and did step ups on the tractor implement. I ran up in short spurts the dirt levee. Credit for creativity.
  • Morning, all. A good day at work yesterday. I am cataloguing the art collection and the client is sorting and shredding documents. The art appears to be worth more than the valuation for probate found (that's fairly typical but this is thousands out so the client is pleased and it will pay for me, many times over). We've reached the end of the original budget but he wants to carry on until things are properly sorted out. Hurray! And at home I have quite a few glass storage jars by the front door, waiting to leave when it's opened. They were a sensible buy at the time but we don't use them and they've been taking up a lot of space. Bye-bye! Late afternoon food still a problem.

    Off to the trainer/fixer this morning about my knee and hip. It's a month since I saw him last and things have definitely improved but they need a bit of tweaking.

    maryann, love the Crossfit set-up you've got! Do you remember Debbie/Lexxiss who used to be here? She's over on the SB forum and going great guns.

    Bill, leftovers are sometimes nicer than the first time round, don't you think?

    Beth, thinking of you today.

    Wave to all.
  • Tuesday - Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec (1608)
    Diet Coaches/Buddies – Made progress toward finishing John McCain's book The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations. It has to get finished before Thursday to return to the library before we leave town for a long weekend. It's notable to me that I have to force myself to read it even though I admire the man personally. I re-discovered about myself that I don't like books written about politics, about politicians, or by politicians. Years ago, I picked up books about Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon at yard sales for 5 cents (remember yard sales of days gone by?). Didn't even attempt to read them before, years later, I donated them to some worthy cause. There are still hundreds of books on my lists of want-to-read books so it's OK if I skip a genre. True confession: I didn't even read the six volume set, The Second World War, by Winston Churchill; it sat on my shelf for five years before I let it go - unread. When I become fully centered, I'll stop buying such.

    Eating was OK. The garden salad was stellar as fresh-from-the-garden salad always is. I did fresh pineapple for evening snack feeling grateful that such an odd fruit can be raised, harvested, shipped, and sold to me for such a modest price.


    silverbirch – Love the notion of discovering that your client's art is worth much more. That'll look good in your marketing brochure as yet-another reason to have a professional help organize your life.

    maryann - Neat ad-hoc Crossfit design. Congrats for choosing South Beach as your diet plan.

    Readers -
    Quote:
    day 9 Select an Exercise Plan

    Once I accept that exercise is
    essential and start doing it consistently,
    dieting will be easier.
    Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 112.
  • Dear coaches- a few hard days. I am very sad and missing DH. Also feeling overwhelmed about dealing with house things etc myself. DD was not feeling well which worried me and she gets very crabby and hard to be with. I called my parents and sobbed away, I just feel very alone. I shouldn’t get on facebook at night either, that doesn’t helpl!! So my eating has been downhill. This is one of the hardest summers I have ever had. At least when DH was sick 2 years ago he was still alive, and my mom was healthy and able to visit.
    Clearing the decks and starting reset AGAIN. I always do feel better mentally in the morning so at least that is something. Deep breath. Very grateful for air conditioning working during this heat spell!! I did pick lettuce from my little garden and enjoyed it in my salad yesterday which was lovely.
    Beth- so sorry about your father in law. Hope everyone is doing okay, especially your mother in law.
    Silverbirch- so fascinating to read about your organizing, really interesting clients!
    Maryann- I had good luck with South Beach at one point, and its a healthy diet. I had the hardest time with giving up fruit for 2 weeks, but its only 2 weeks, and you have fresh fruit so much there in CA its probably not as hard!
    Bill- too many books, too little time! DH has a lot of old obscure books I will have to donate somewhere at some point, he was a major history buff.
  • I'm hoping for a bit more energy today -- getting to bed on time helps a lot with that. I wish that thought were more available to me when it's bed time!

    Sending comforting thoughts to bethturnaround and curlyjax and families. Be kind to yourselves; it's a tough time!
  • Lost post, despite new fangled format.

    Drat!!!!

    I am committed to cleaning garage for 1.5 hours in order to find a space for my school things.
    Day 1 in the books for South Beach. I didn't miss fruit yet, but I know the grain/fruit thing will be a challenge (curleyjax)
    Happy to have a plan.

    Wave to all.
  • Morning, everyone. Still no rain here. Yesterday was going well and then two phone calls put me off balance. One was Mum telling me that she had a leak, with water running through the electricity meter and around the gas pipe. Water, gas, electricity are all off now, and the plumber comes today to dig up some concrete to find out what's going on. It was discovered by the carer who came in the front door and heard dripping, yet another advantage of having people coming into the house regularly.

    I am focusing on eating lean protein with every meal. This is harder than it sounds so please do pass on any tips about what works for you.

    Exercise is turning difficult again as I'm not managing to get everything done in the evening and so not having enough time in the morning. More work needed.

    maryann, good luck with the garage. Also with South Beach.

    gardenerjoy, I'd like a bit more energy too.

    curlyjax, big hugs to you. How lovely to be able to pick your own lettuce (I envy you and Bill). I never try to grow it because of the slugs and snails but perhaps this year I could manage it.

    Bill, good luck on becoming fully centred.

    A happy 4th July to you all. (You'll understand if onebyone and I sit this one out.)
  • Wednesday - Lewis and Clark celebrate July 4th (1804, present-day Kansas)
    Diet Coaches/Buddies – Hard to believe but it was too hot outside to eat dinner on the patio. Ouch! It was at least in the high 90's degrees F; maybe it touched 100. DW has a strategy to shut all the windows in the morning attempting to keep the cool of the inside from escaping. We don't have air-conditioning. When the kids were little, we'd sneak out in the evening and soak in their yard pool (10 foot diameter, 4 foot deep). Just thinking of that pool makes me smile; it got so much use all day long from the kids and their friends.

    Eating was good enough, CREDIT moi. It was too hot to snack. Too hot to exercise. I did get more into John McCain's book for the chapter where he took on Vladimir Putin. His disdain for Putin is mutual; they both think the other evil. Believe him or not, it's good reading.


    Joy (gardenerjoy) – Extra energy is great if you've got a place cool enough to expend it.

    silverbirch – Huge Ouch for "water, gas, electricity" coming together. Hope that gets resolved soon. There are days when I think King George III made a smart move.

    maryann - Actually this "new fangled format" is proving to be a challenge to me. It tries to be 'helpful' when what I want is subservience. Congrats on your first day on the Beach.

    curlyjax - So glad that you have your parents to share your grief. Yay for a little homegrown lettuce as a bright spot of the day.

    Readers -
    Quote:
    day 10 Set a Realistic Goal

    Setting a goal for yourself can be a great motivator - but you can easily become overwhelmed if you set a goal that seems too daunting or will take too long to achieve. Don't fall into that trap.

    Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 113.