[BillBlueEyes]

Welcome to the discussion group, support group, Diet Coach group, Diet Buddy group relating to the two books by Dr. Judith S. Beck:

The Complete Beck Diet for Life

and the first book

The Beck DIET solution: train your brain to think like a thin person.

The 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:

List of Monthly Beck Threads for Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walk, CREDIT moi, included Trader Joe's for raisins (sultanas for silverbirch) since blueberries are no longer available (at a price we'll pay). I planned to go in, buy only raisins and not partake of the FREE sample. Like an addict, I did walk by to see what I was missing. It was breaded chicken - hardly rare and unusual. I didn't participate. The high school sports teams were all out practicing in the drizzle. I do enjoy the athleticism of soccer.

Eating was 100% on plan, CREDIT moi. A second day in a row felt so good. My real accomplishment of the day was to write a note of condolence to a distant friend whose daughter died unexpectedly at age 27. So hard to imagine the pain and so hopeless to service my need to make her pain less. So I chose a card, wrote a note, and mailed it - hoping that just the act of making contact provides some comfort.


onebyone – 42 Kudos for "credit 6 weeks no sugar. 6 weeks no seconds. 6 weeks being on a plan of eating" - and an extra Kudos for recognizing that the scale is doing its own thing. I shudder every time you mention 'landlord inspection' - sounds so paternalistic.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Love your story of feeling good about yourself encountering your "first love." It's such a good reminder of how we torture ourselves with negatives about our bodies. [No oranges report; methinks it's early.]

Cheryl (GosfordGirl) – Up every 25 minutes sounds like a good plan. [The late plantings are native shrubs - not veggies.]

nationalparker – Kudos for facing the negative thoughts and coming through. [Haven't done Pomelo Oranges yet this year - they're a treat.]

Karen (karenrn) - "7 1/2 miles with a very steep hill" is a goodly hike - Kudos. And Double Kudos for keeping your cool when stiffed by a contractor.

Margaret (Nuxmaga) - Always Kudos for doing something instead of putting it off.

curlypudge - Only one breadstick and ordering from the light menu is Kudos worthy. Olive Garden can be a trap. [We don't have groundhogs in our area, thankfully.]

Readers -

Day23 Counter the Unfairness Syndrome

Many dieters give themselves permission to eat when confronted with issues of fairness. You might be one of them. We've all grown up with the idea that life should be fair - but life isn't fair. It isn't fair that some people (due to economic conditions) go hungry every day. It isn't fair that some people die young. Life isn't fair. Dieting isn't fair.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 184.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

We just finished our vegetarian dinner and today has been OP. I had my morning coffee on both sides of the Continental Divide. Our spontaneous exercise was packing up the car and heading over for one night. We saw snow on both passes and are thinking this May be our last trip in the new car for the season.... until we see how it handles anyway. I resisted Aspen pastries today. Yay!

[onebyone]

Coaches!

Moved my first carload of boxes to my studio and locker tonight. I may be done in only two more carloads. I have been working toward this day for more than a year. That all the rooms of my apartment could be in order is a very very exciting prospect for me. Really. It is. *credit for coming back to it over and over and for working on it imperfectly cause that's OK too.

Foodwise a good OP day. Cooked from scratch. No seconds. No snacks today. My neighbor returned from her harrowing trip back home (Syria. Yes. Imagine.) and she promptly brought me food. A box of special sweets. Since I am sugar free I had none. It's OK. She gave me a gift of a wooden mosaic box from her home, which is partially destroyed from time to time. When there is damage her brother goes and patches it up. She is happy to be here where there is peace, but she said she left her heart there. We both cried, as we have done before, over the state of the world. I cried but I didn't eat over it. *credit for being here and not in a war zone.

Have a good night.

[GosfordGirl]

Hi Coaches

A quick check in unfortunately. Today I have been totally on plan and I am cooking a late dinner because I was determined to finish some work off. And I have! But all day I have been looking for things to eat. A lot. But I didn't do it but I know I will not be satisfied with dinner. Not because it is not enough food but because I WANT something - not sure what.

Work tomorrow and then a long weekend where we switch to summer time. I don't like all that light that goes on forever - I want darkness, so my rhythms will be out of whack.

Onebyone - great progress and great to read that things are good - and huge thanks that I am not in a war zone too

Debbie - glad things are good and YAY for resisting pastries (Aspen at that!)

BillBE - Yay for 100% on plan. Credit for writing one of those really difficult letters and I think you are right - just the fact that someone wants to connect is healing

have a good day coaches

[curlyjax]

Hi Coaches-
Had a day off yesterday, and decided to waste part of it watching a couple "Call the Midwives" shows, which I love! Great characters, and always makes me feel so grateful for the advances in medicine and health- although those caring home visits look great, and we have lost that piece and that slower pace in medical care.
Lexiss- wow, Alaska and the Continental divide! your life in the west sounds so glamorous to an east coaster. Glad things are going well.
good job resisting the TJ freebies! they are delicious.
Nationalparker- " I wanted to keep on eating"-that sounds familiar! Gosh, we do all struggle with days like that.
Karen- credit for nice long hike! Good luck with home projects.
Onebyone-credit for 6 weeks of OP, that is great!
Gosfordgirl-good job staying on play while wanting something unknown. The change in light patterns does sound like a challenge in the summer.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was 100% on-plan, CREDIT moi. Feels good. I'm still gloating about throwing away some cookies since that was a lifetime first.

Three walks, CREDIT moi, all with some rain. One was in a downpour under my umbrella. The third was a late walk to the library just before it closed at 8pm to get a book that had come in for me. I came home with four books - they just seem to want to jump in my backpack. Walking at night is such fun that I think I should make a habit of it.


onebyone – What a striking example of Beck's Life is unfair - to have one's home country at war. Yay for boxes making their journey.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Surprised that you don't trust your new car in the snow. Kudos for resisting Aspen pastries.

Cheryl (GosfordGirl) – I so agree with this, "I want darkness, so my rhythms will be out of whack." I used to wonder how one lived in the 24 hour darkness of northern latitudes, and then began to feel it would be worse living in the 24 hour sun.

curlypudge - Yay for relaxing during a day off.

Readers -

Day23 Counter the Unfairness Syndrome

You have a choice when you have thoughts about dieting, eating, food, or weight that start with It's unfair that ... . You can dwell on this negative notion and feel bad, or you can say, That's true ... It's not fair ... Oh, Well. Then refocus your thoughts on all the advantages in life you have that others don't.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 184.

[courtrhapsody]

Good morning all,

Credit to me for signing back on. I am really struggling getting started and being very hard on myself. My button popped off of my jeans the other day and I am feeling quite down.

I need to back up to choosing two diets. I don't think my first choice worked well at all. My second choice was tracking calorie on my fitness pal. Let's give it a shot.

[nationalparker]

Hoping to have more time to post in the morning, with personals. Struggling here, and thinking I'm really failing at it, because of a higher scale reading following some chinese food that was fairly decent (nothing fried, and loaded with carrots and celery) ... it's the food I think about but don't eat that is weighing me down mentally - thinking I'm "trespassing" more than I actually am. Not in a great spot today, bickering with DH which is very rare.

[onebyone]

Coaches

Today I didn't get as much done around the house as I had planned. My plans are often non-stop work and my reality is I often stop working for an hour here and there if I know I am in for a whole day of it. Especially if the day includes sorting/decluttering/deciding about things. I am slow with this and it is hard for me to do this most days. Some days I can whip through it but today was not one. I did buy two cheap shelves for the new storage space in my studio and for the locker which I will give up in a month or so. The shelves have made a big imporvement. So much more hopeful somehow than stuff piling up on the ground like trash. I guess it looks cared for. And wanted.

I am finding it very very hard to cull my clothing but I really have too much. I have old tshirsts I don't want to let go of. I have old clothes that are far far from fitting. I have lots of work type clothes I can get messy in and feel I can never have enough of those. I don't know why this is so hard for me. I have one dresser, with two large drawers and then two smaller drawers above the big ones. One drawer holds socks and underwear and the other holds, well, it's like a junk drawer. Maybe I need to put that into clothes service. My closet is fairly useless as I don't really have clothes to be hung up. Not really. But maybe I'll try it with some regular stuff as I bought nice new hangers last week for my mom and I ended up with over half of them.

Anyway, I am sure I am making progress it just doesn't feel that way at all.

Foodwise I am out of ideas for what to make for dinner. I haven't been cooking from scratch much and when I do it seems we have a few things: nachos which DH makes on Fridays usually. Steak or stew, pasta every other week, chicken wings which DH loves and then maybe porkchops or chicken. I'm in a food rut. I'll have to put my brain there and try to make some new stuff--mostly crockpot stuff if I can find recipes for it. I am looking for leftovers for me to eat for lunch the next day. DH won't eat leftovers.
We are both trying to avoid the foods that elevate blood sugar: potatoes, rice (he doesn't like rice anyway) and pasta and bread. He won't eat onions, mushrooms or pepper or cabbage or turkey or vegetarian meals.

I'm complaining aren't I? I don't mean to. I am just finding everything kind of hard. I feel overwhelmed again and it will pass once the landlord inspection is over. Plus having a clean orderly house makes me feel nervous. The only thing I know is I am not eating over it. OP again today.

Have a good night everyone.

[GosfordGirl]

Hi Coaches

Not a lot of action on the board so I hope you are all OK.

A work event today that was catered - pastries and cakes and muffins for morning tea; quiches, bread, Caesar salad with croutons and rice salad for lunch, scones with jam and cream for afternoon tea. Good grief. I had Caesar salad and removed the croutons, and there was grilled chicken on a stick for lunch thankfully. Nothing for morning tea because I forgot to bring a substitute. Practised the 'hunger is not an emergency' mantra. But huge credit that I stayed away from everything else even though I was sorely tempted - it is nice to write this to myself. I was also down in weight this morning to under 190 but won't change my ticker yet. I stayed under the carb limit and the calorie limit and met my steps goals which is good - took the dogs for an extra walk this evening.

Tomorrow will clean and organise and shop so I can have an on-plan weekend - and try to balance work and play

Have a happy Friday coaches

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – On plan, CREDIT moi, with an afternoon snack that was large since I was 'stocking up' to go to a 6pm lecture. Good enough. Dinner was made from appetizers at a spread prepared for a book signing. Again, good enough, as was taking with friends and having a gay old time.

Walked, CREDIT moi, several times - still carrying an umbrella since we've moved into permanent drizzly weather. We had our back porch painted just before this started and I have no clue if it'll ever dry. Right now the water is beading on the fresh paint. It's oil based porch paint - the last we'll ever use since it's now discontinued. Latex dries much faster so I won't mind the switch.


onebyone – What a clear response, "The only thing I know is I am not eating over it" - Kudos. Interesting that the orderly house creates its own tension.

Cheryl (GosfordGirl) – Life's continuing quest, "try to balance work and play." I bet your dogs always appreciate an extra walk.

nationalparker – Ouch for struggles; Kudos for marching forth anyway. Chinese food should come with the label Will show up as 3 pounds on the scale - temporarily.

courtrhapsody - Kudos for posting and getting back into the good fight. Choosing a diet that fits your style is worth a bit of effort.

Readers -

Day23 Counter the Unfairness Syndrome

Putting Fairness in Perspective.
If the thought that dieting is unfair encourages you to eat, do the following:

Remind yourself why you decided to diet in the first place. Unless you're forced to be on a diet due to a medical reason, you've freely chosen to diet. You don't have to diet. You might not feel this way right at this moment, but not long ago you strongly felt that the advantages of dieting were worth the hard work. At that time, you felt that the disadvantages of not dieting were too severe. Read your Advantages Response Card again.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 184.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

Brief check in-otherwise it won't happen today. Yesterday food was acceptable. After traveling over I picked up a coworker to go to our local gambling venue for lunch and bingo. She's needing socialization. We had fun and my buffet choices were reasonable and almost OP. Credit. I started with veggies salad and iced shrimp before having tastes of a few other foods I don't normally have. Dessert was from the sugar free section. Buffet is like Chinese...3 temporary pounds. Dinner ok as well as was evening snack.

We found a new tenant so I must go attack my procrastinated list. On my procrastinated list at home is to reintroduce my 5 min weight routine.

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

I didn't post yesterday, but it was a good day. Credit for 4 mile hike and eating within my calories. I'm hiking the 7 1/2 mile hill route this morning. The weather couldn't be better for morning hiking. I have not lost any weight but it seems when I started hiking a lot more I retain a little water with the muscle soreness for the first bit. I am not gaining though, so hopefully if I keep it up the weight will begin to slowly come off. I am not cutting calories enough to drop weight quickly.

Not much happening with the home projects. It seems someone comes then maybe eventually we get a bid. Because a couple of projects are scheduled, (landscaping, stucco and painting) I'm not going to worry about the bathrooms too much except to try to keep moving forward somehow.

Lexxis I read your bio. We have a parti cocker too. Harley will be 15 in February. He's still doing pretty well and is very spoiled. We know he is in his golden years and has some heart problems, but so far so good.

Courtrhapsody Good luck on your diet selection. I use MFP for tracking and really like it. I love to read the success stories, too. One gal, something like ShannonMaples has lost 130 pounds and her posts are so encouraging. Her advise is a pertinent to those with 20 pounds to lose as 120.

Gosfordgirl I hate that feeling of wanting something, but not knowing what. It would sometime cause me to eat many things without ever being satisfied. I try to just distract myself if at all possible.

Onebyone Good luck with thinning things out. I will have to say it is foreign to me that a neat orderly house would make a person nervous. I too need some new dinner ideas. We eat a ton of salads over the summer. Anything so I don't have to heat the house up any more than it already is. Always with protein on top. Chicken caesar salad, Mexican chicken salad, salad with fajita stuff on top. Now that it's cooling down I am in the mood to look at some crock pot meals and soups. It's still in the 90's in the afternoon, but soon.

Nationalparker I hear you about the struggling. I am back on track, but it seems it is often short lived. I hope things smooth out for you soon. It is discouraging to see the scale go up for sure, but I bet it comes down quickly with lots of water.

Bill I must say your life sounds good. Book signings, lectures, the library. It all sounds so interesting. The only thing that does not sound good is the permanently drizzly weather. After living in Washington State for 50 years, I hope not to do drizzly for any length of time. I will say I would love to live someplace else from about June thru September and I hope one year that dream will come true.

[curlyjax]

Hi Coaches!
Sounds like some folks are having some temporary struggles...I can relate! Sending some good vibes your ways to help you through....and knowing everyone is here to help and commiserate is so great.
(I apologize if my comments sound odd today, there are some folks talking loudly in my envt and I can't focus! but wanted to check in)
Gosfordgirl- great job resisting all that food!! That sounded like a lot of stuff to have to pick through.
Courtrhapsody- good for you for posting! It is hard to start and not see progress. I have had good luck with south beach diet, but it helps if you like to cook and like veggies. I need to get back on track myself!!