Diet Coaches/Buddies - Wrapped up my week so I can start a long weekend today; CREDIT moi for planning so far in advance to take a day off before a weekend off. Gotta go get gas and air in the car - lots of little stuff. DW made a terrific corned beef and cabbage dinner on Saint Patrick's Day and I had some leftovers for lunch on Thursday. I do like corned beef with heaps of course ground mustard. But, I ate a chosen moderate amount both times, CREDIT moi. I remember having seconds and thirds in the past, sigh.
So I'm off Saturday and Sunday - be back Monday.
onebyone - Yay for making dinner from scratch; Yay for de-cluttering; BIG Kudos for giving yourself credit for it all.
Shepherdess - Can't complain about "surprisingly easy" from time to time.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for blooming croci and daffodi - much healthier than blooming onions at Outback, LOL. [Wiki: 2310 calories]
Susan (hikergirl) - Waving back. Hope you've found some sunshine to walk about in.
Beverlyjoy - Seems like a plan - "It is all about the willingness combined with circumstances." I do like the notion of planning for tastes of the special foods - particularly since some of them might trigger childhood memories and warm feelings. On my last family reunion type of thing, I constantly felt the urge to eat everything as if family meant food. I even had a vanilla pudding with Vanilla Wafers because it was a common childhood dessert that I loved back then. Now, it's pretty much just so-so instant pudding and so-so cookies - but it sure brought back memories of good feelings from being a kid.
CeeJay - Yep, OK to just check in. Yay for 30 minutes on the exercise bike and super Yay for two weeks without trying to find food in restaurants.
Readers -
Quote:
Week 4 Respond to Sabotaging Thoughts
You'll also learn to respond to sabotaging thoughts, which is one of the most important skills you'll learn in this program. By weeks end, you'll be much better equipped to think like a thin person.
WI-down 0.2 lbs. (new low) Read my cards, but made a plan. Food – on-plan; Exercise – on-plan (40m).
Another good day – for food and exercise. The weather was warm, sunny and windy. The ice is out on most of our lake, but our cove is always the last to go. The blue water is clearly visible so the sun just needs to melt our last bit of ice for us to have ice-out. I think this may be a record early date for ice out. It’s been late April / early May since we moved here… Usually we hear the loon call once we have open water, but I haven’t heard a loon yet this year. Probably is just to early for them…
The Good
- Throughout the day, I identified satisfaction vs fullness while eating, and I stopped eating when satisfied – credit!
- Throughout the day, I identified hunger vs non-hunger before I ate – credit!
- Eat mindfully, enjoying every bite – credit!
- Tolerated non-hunger without eating – credit!
- Used resistance techniques – yes!
- Give credit throughout the day for every positive eating behavior – credit!
- Spontaneous exercise – yes!
- I posted here – yes!
The Bad, and the Ugly
- Read the pink book – nope
Bill Kudos for gaining your strength back, one step at a time. Have a great time this weekend!
Beverlyjoy Kudos for joining in the peanut party fun, without eating the peanuts! Would it help to think that this weekend is a ‘learning’ weekend for you? You’re learning how to eat differently in social situations, and you are doing it so that in the future you can eat reasonably out of habit in the future. And of course, the ‘learning’ part is secondary to the ‘social’ part…
shepherdess Yay! For an easy day.
gardenerjoy Kudos for having a volunteer-job that involves exercise and flowers!
I have a few minutes to check in. Day one of the journey went well. DH got himself some Snyders Mustard Pretzels for the road. (he doesn't have any overeating concerns - or weight challenges either ) So...I just looked at them and*used 'oh well' and 'not fair' - I pushed through the urge to eat a handful. Once the initial wanting was over - I didn't care that they were right next to me. CREDIT!!! The rest of the day I made mostly good choices for dinner and snack. (except for one cashew before bed and a tiny bit of extra bread at dinner) I am grateful for a good day 'on the road'. I am really pleased.
credit
read arc/rc - two times
logged food
left a bite after meals and snacks
used oh well and not fair
read beck book
ate seated only
fork down between bites
mindful, slow eating - most of the time
stretches and strengthening
oops
no spontaneous exercise
extra bread - second helping
cashew - gave into craving
working on feeling fullness
need to slow down and enjoy food while I am in a different place eating all my meals
I will try and check in later, if possible.
Thanks to everyone for encouraging me and helping me as I go forward into a †ime away from home and food that I don't usually have around.
Today I get to record the number seen on the weighing machine and it says 263.4 = +1.2 = maintaining my loss = one credit
I am giving myself, and my body, a credit as I have had my ups and downs this week but, according to Beck, I am within the allowable +/- 2lbs she says we will fluctuate week to week so since I try to follow Beck I am not going to automatically fight her opinion on this one.
I am re-dedicating myself to weightloss this week. And I am going to incorporate some intentional exercise. I will aim for 2x this week.
New day, new week. Ain't it grand?
midlifecrisis57
Hope you have great weather this weekend and you get a chance to just enjoy it. You've been working very hard on many fronts.
seadwaters Glad your treatments are winding up. That must be such a challenge. I hope you have a great Friday and a great weekend.
bennyhannamama Wow. Your whole family is getting super active. hope you enjoy your running group this weekend. Thanks for continuing to check in even when you feel resistance to it.
euseubias TGIF! Have a great weekend.
silverbirch Your comment about the British Library had me wishing I was there aleady. I have a must-see list as long as my arm. Glad to see you checking in. Have a good Friday.
Beverlyjoy I think that this food business is a paradox. By focusing so much on the topic head of time, you end up freeing yourself when you are actually facing the food in real life. It's because you are prepared and you are practicing new behaviour around food so it's noticeable to you right now. It will, as Beck promises, become easier. Have great trip!
Shepherdess Oh it is so nice to have an easy food day! I wish for you another one today. Thanks for your comments about my potential job... it helps me to think this through.
gardenerjoy Thanks for the clear thoughts about the potential new job. I got a new bit of news about it; it's a term position for about 4 months someone thinks. So your observation that if they ran out of funding or if the position had to be terminated I would be terminated whether they wanted to do that or not makes a lot of sense to me. I, also, have the right to do the same thing were I to have the job and then have to move away. So having that settled I am now on to the other thing: do I want to do it, really? So glad you are seeing flowers! I'm still waiting, and I hope we don't get snow. It would completely devastate the flowers which are up due to the warm warm weather all week.
hikergirl Have a great Friday; thanks for checking in.
CeeJay Thanks for checking in and think of all those meals eating out as oppportunities to practice dealing with restaurants and eating out! Before you know it you'll have it behind you.
Billblueeyes Have a great weekend with great weather and great adventure.
ChinaMaine I've been watching the ice leave the river all week. The small areas where the ice surfaces get progressively darker have now given way to open patches of water and the open water on the other side of the ice is slowly eating away at the ice that remains between. There was one day where the river looked like it was full of miniature ice flows. That day a lot of ice had broken up. Everyday the ducks who have returned and the canada geese and the sea gulls all get closer and closer to the actual shoreline and not just the edge of the ice. I always wonder what they eat this time of year, besides the stuff people give them. And yeah, it is remarkable early for the ice to be gone, but they are predicting snow flurries (!) for tomorrow evening - 30% chance. Apparently, it is still March and not May.
Coaches/Buddies:
Yesterday was a great day, other than the fact that I didn't post here
Some of the highlights included:
When I walked into my office, there was an extra large bag of M&Ms with peanut butter in the middle. I promptly wrote a note explaining that they would be in the cabinet! I returned them to the cabinet at least 3x during the day and never had 1!
I took a walk at lunch. It wasn't until I had 10 minutes left of my lunch hour that I remembered that I had planned on walking. I decided I would go for a 5 minute walk. 5 minutes into my walk, I was enjoying it too much and decided to go for the full 10!
This is so huge for me because I always thought a short walk at work wasn't really doing much. After reading "Day 9", and specifically the Sabotaging Thought: What's the use of walking only five minutes?
Helpful Response: Walking for five minutes is better than walking for zero minutes.
Last night I took a walk with Jim (and Suzi, his dog) for 45-60 minutes. I love that he enjoys walking and it's such a nice time for us to relax, etc. We usually do this after dinner.
I planned on posting here, but fell asleep while Jim and I were watching tv after our walk.
Today I plan on reading Day 10: Setting a Realistic Goal and reporting back later. My kids are each having friends sleep over, so it might be a bit hectic!
Oh and I also want to mention that my plan to make sure that Beck "stuff" is my top priority when I have some time to myself is working out well. This morning, I have a couple of hours before I need to pick my son up from pre-school, and as usual, I'm overwhelmed with all the things I want to get done. But, based on my plan, posting here and getting a quick workout in make it to the top of the list!
silverbirch:
I'm glad I'm not the only one posting from my Blackberry Technology is helping me immensely on this quest!
Shepherdess:
Glad you like seeing the broccoli I'm happy to see them again too. Nice job eating on plan and getting in a run... it's so great when these things become habit!
Ceejay:
I love your summary through smileys! You forgot to use a smiley for Wednesday though: I know it can be really tough to have a bunch of crappy days (oh believe me, I know!), but look how you turned it around on Wednesday!
ChinaMaine:
Yeah for 150s for the first time in four years! Wow, did you see your saboteur jumping in there?
Quote:
Just hoping it sticks.
You need to kick the saboteur to the curb! It's not a fluke that you got here and you have the ability to keep it here!
Thanks for reminding me that I'm juggling a lot.
BillBlueEyes:
Enjoy your long weekend; you deserve it!
Beverlyjoy:
I love the "peanut party" and kudos to you for not eating one while holding the bowl for a half hour!
I know what you mean about dealing with food putting a damper on things, but at least the food does not need to be the highlight. There are people you are looking forward to seeing, catching up with, etc. Remind yourself that the socialization is the highlight of the party. Sounds like you have planned well both mentally and physically.
gardnerjoy:
I've been meaning to ask you what your volunteer work is-- it sounds wonderful! Glad that you were able to get some spontaneous exercise in as well.
onebyone:
I was glad to see your use of "oh well" and I think you recovered very nicely. Hope those ants find another home for themselves outside!
hikergirl:
So proud of you and glad to see you made sure to post, even while traveling!
Hope you're enjoying yourself.
CeeJay:
I too struggle with remembering that a short post without personals is just fine! Good for you for doing it. I hope you find some good, healthy choices at the restaurants.
Beverlyjoy:
Yeah for a great day on the road! BTW, I love your use of "oops" for things that need improvement
onebyone:
Yes, it is grand! Isn't it amazing how our attitudes can shift from day to day? It never ceases to amaze me
That's done. This group is, collectively, a wonderful coach with many ears, broad shoulders, and an astounding array of talents and experiences to draw from. I thank each of you for your presence and dedication to your personal journies and our journey together.
The one downside to group coaching is that it's easy to just kind of slip away and not be noticed. Kim (bennyhannahmama) has agreed to notice when I do that and I'm doing the same for her.
WI: +1kg, Exercise: +115, 1015/1550 minutes for March, Food: op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
onebyone: we get ants this time of year -- they don't like it when the ground gets too soggy in the spring, so they start climbing and eventually find their way through a window. Some types of ants follow trails of other ants, so I find if I stay on top of killing them when I see them, the problem usually fixes itself when the weather dries out.
hikergirl: good job checking in during your travels!
CeeJay: yay for quick posts and a plan for eating in restaurants
BillBlueEyes: have a great weekend!
ChinaMaine: yay for that long list of credits! Ice out is a cool concept and interesting way to measure the pace of spring.
Beverlyjoy: good job on the first day of your journey!
bennyhannahmama: I'm volunteering in the Archives at the Missouri Botanical Garden, cataloging a collection of slides by a botanist photographer that will eventually be used to illustrate a plant identification database that scientists use. There are 10s of thousands of these slides, alphabetized by genus. I might get through As before we give up the volunteer work to work in our own garden this summer. Looks like I have a volunteer job for winter for the next decade or two! It's desk work, but we walk around the Garden at every break.
I got my run in early yesterday because a big spring storm was moving in. Credit me for thinking ahead and planning. I got back home before the flakes started falling. The storm has made for a change of plans today. Not so bad. It was just a crazy morning trying to make sure all the animals were OK, getting them fed and checking to make sure new calves were not getting too chilled. But it also means that I cancelled my afternoon plans. I was going to take a load of wool to a mill about 2 hrs north in Buffalo, but I don’t want to be on the highway today so it’ll have to happen another time.
Food was good yesterday. I didn’t even eat all of my planned dinner last night. It usually takes a major force of will to leave food on my plate, but last night I just realized I was full and didn’t finish my soup, which was really good, or the piece of fresh, homemade bread. I think I may have inflated my portions a bit—a problem to tackle another day. But it was still a major success to not feel the need to clean my plate.
Gardenerjoy, I’m imagining crocuses and daffodils in bloom. What a great way to get spontaneous exercise. Ouch for the pain in the neck. Hope you feel better soon. Your volunteer work sounds so cool. My DH and I have gotten into plant identification—it’s for range monitoring purposes, but it’s so interesting.
Onebyone, ouch for unplanned hot chocolate, but if that was the worst of it, it really isn’t so bad. Kudos for maintaining, and yes, weight fluctuates. You had a lot of salt the day before your weigh-in and it may be reflecting retained water. Good job listening to Beck on this one and re-committing to your plan.
Hikegirl, waving back. Kudos for the regular check-ins.
CeeJay, kudos for the check-in. Just like eating, they don’t have to always be perfect. Kudos for another on-plan day. Good luck on another trip to the city.
BillBE, great job having sane portions of a favorite food. And glad you are finally getting some time off. Wishing you sunny skies and a pleasant trip.
ChinaMaine, yay for another good day of food and exercise. Love that warm weather for getting outdoors, even if the early spring thaw does make you wonder.
Beverlyjoy, I’m totally impressed by your willpower with the Snyder’s pretzels right next to you. I don’t think I would have had the strength—those things are dangerous. Glad you had a successful beginning to your trip.
Bennyhannamamma, I love the way you dealt with the bag of M&M’s. Great job being firm about leaving them in the cabinet and not having one. Yay for remembering that 5 min is better than none and 10 min is doubly good! I have a tough time remembering that one—maybe that perfectionist saboteur.
I have been TIRED and going to bed early. I have appreciated the kind thoughts and the chicken soup sent my way. It is lovely to be in my house and I really enjoyed Thurdsday at home with no treatment. But I missed posting Thursday and Friday night. Thursday was an interesting day and I am glad I was here. The neighbour on one side who I rarely talk to (1/3 my age and busy) stopped and chatted and offered help etc. I got to lend her a dog barricade for her sick puppy which was nice. Later in the day another neighbour came to visit (used to drive me to chemotherapy until she herself needed foot surgery) and I was asking if she knew of anyone who I could pay to garden (she belongs to a large church community) and she offered her 14 year old (6ft 2in) son who apparently wanted to earn a bit of money. It is such a relief to have someone to help - the place is looking a mess and really needs love and attention and I just can't manage it. It is a bush block and totally out of control. When I was at work/treatment on Friday the neighbour and two of her daughters (she has 10 children!) "snuck" up and tidied all the deck area around the house and cleaned the outside of the windows - it brought tears to my eyes and energised me in an amazing way. You might have gathered that I live alone and haven't got many social supports in this area - well didn't have.
I am reading back a few days and cherry picking some comments as I progressed - big hello to all my coaches
Onebyone - I am so glad that things are coming clearer about the job for you and that it is now only about whether it will suit your needs. Credit for maintaining you weight loss and rededicating yourself to it.
ChinaMaine - Don't you just love technology! I couldn't live without it all now. It is so frustrating to have chronic tiredness and illnesses that don't respond to treatment. Doctors are great to begin with but they sometimes lose interest when their efforts don't seem to help and they feel defeated. I find it also affects my feelings of credibility but you have to hang in there. Sounds like you have found a good one so hope it all turns out well. I have PM'd you about something you wrote on Wed
Shepherdess - Your commitment to running in almost any circumstance is inspiring - you are amazing and with everything else that is happening.
BeverlyJoy - Planning for your trip looks good - so organised. Enjoy your family and have a great time. Sorry about the foot and the back - we are a body and it dominates our life as many of the posts demonstrate. So I think it is totally appropriate to talk about and in my case whine about how it works. As well as the weather I am always fascinated with the US health system and insurance. I am on a White House mailing list about the health reforms and daily comes a new revelation - amazing that a system like that could survive (hope I haven't offended anyone!). I also think our taxes might be a little easier to do
Gardenerjoy - Congratulations on getting past your plateau in such a resounding way - credit for hanging in there
Bill(BlueEyes) - Impressive rainfall! Feeling very envious (without the drowning bit) as it is dry as a chip here. A shame it all fell in your basement. I appreciate the Australianisation of your spelling so that I feel right at home here. Glad your health and exercise are on the rise. Hope you have a fabulous weekend
FutureFitChick -
Susan (Hikergirl) - good to see you keeping your commitments to yourself - they are the hardest ones
Kim (bennyhannahmama) - it is really good to see the dancing broccoli again - they were a regular when I first joined. I never did so well with Day 8 and scheduling. I took it to mean making/taking time to diet and concentrate on the essentials of menu planning and buying the food and making the food to take to work etc. Otherwise I can't plan any further. And giving up smoking - ouch - tough but doable - took me about 3 years and everyone thought I would be the last person smoking
CeeJay - Doing well to check in - sometimes not having time to do personals stops me from checking in and I have to get over that
Credits:
Reading my advantage / response / anti-craving cards - not always
Checked in to my diet coaches - here I am
Sat down to eat - yes - no apples at moment
Ate mindfully / slowly and enjoyed every bite - YES - still under 100kg
Put fork down between bites - NO
Spontaneous exercise - No as not really mobile at moment
Weighed myself (if at home) - yes
Did a daily schedule? - no
Recognised hunger / fullness / desire / craving - getting better at this
Used distraction and resistance techniques? Yes when I am wanting something totally inappropriate
Coaches/Buddies:
Having a computer set up in my bedroom is definitely working to my advantage today. My kids both had friends sleep over, so they are all sleeping downstairs in the middle of the family room. Yesterday, my only exercise (planned or unplanned) was scrubbing the bathroom floor and some vacuuming. Not sure that I'll get any planned exercise in today (ice-skating lessons for my son this morning, Girl Scout camp open house this afternoon), but I will make sure to at least get some unplanned in.
It was kind of a nice treat do read Day 10 and see what a simple one it is I really have no resistance to setting a realistic goal. So, 5 lbs it is
I'm thinking about doing Day 11: Differentiate Between Hunger, Desire and Cravings today. After reading about it yesterday, I already found myself thinking about it before I ate. For example, before I had some popcorn and ice cream with the kids last night, I fully realized that it was just desire
Since I've been reading both the pink book and the workbook, I'm trying to decide how I want to go about doing the exercise. The pink book just talks about monitoring if I'm feeling hunger, desire or craving each time I eat, while the workbook talks about checking in every hour to monitor those things. I think today will be too hectic to do the every hour one, and now that I think about it, I'm not sure what day wont be! So, I'll try checking in with myself each time I eat, or think about eating.
gardnerjoy:
Glad to see that you came across an "easy" day too-- it's nice when you've already got a task all figured out! Your volunteer job sounds very interesting and I love that you take walks through the gardens on your break.
Shepherdess:
Yes, kudos to you for planning ahead and not using the storm as an excuse to not get your run in! So impressed with your ability to voluntary leave food over-- it's working it's working
seadwaters:
It's so good to hear from you and hear that you are doing what you need to in order to take care of yourself. I love that at a time when you could easily say "to heck with it all" you continue to do what you can with the Beck program... I think that speaks volumes about you and your self-care.
The story about your neighbours (I feel the need to use your spelling ) is so heartwarming, thanks for sharing.
Awww, I'm glad you like seeing the broccoli again! I think I'm pretty much interpreting Day 8 the way you did and it seems to be working. I honestly think it may have just been an (unconscious) excuse for me to not move forward. The quitting smoking is going very well-- haven't even come close to having a cigarette, but I've wanted one every single day! I have quit so many times in the past year and do well with that. The problem is when I think I can have "just one" because I'm out having drinks, etc. I will NOT make that mistake ever again!
Hope everyone has a good day. Hikergirl, I will be back later to check to see if you've posted.
WI-down 0.4 lbs. (new low) Read my cards, made a plan. Food – on-plan; Exercise – on-plan (40m).
Another good day – for food and exercise. I was hungry at snack-time yesterday morning. I don’t normally get hungry then, so I don’t specifically plan on a morning snack anymore. But I have a standing rule that if I’m hungry at 10-ish, I eat a 100 calorie healthy snack. I had a yogurt which held me over until I had a break from meetings at 1 PM. This week at work was downright reasonable – and I don’t have to work over the weekend.
The big change is in the amount of exercise I’m able to do. Even though I’ve had insomnia 6 out of the 8 last nights, I feel more energetic than I have in months. (Although, I’ve felt pretty tired from the insomnia, no fatigue!) As a result, I’ve exercised 7 of those days. And my daily average of minutes of exercise has more than doubled in March vs. the previous months. The new thyroid dosage is kicking in, I’m pretty sure. Over the last months I’ve been working on lowering my daily calorie intake by 200 calories a day and on solidifying my Beck skills. I figured if I did that, the weight would start dropping again once I could exercise regularly. And it seems to have worked.
The Good
- Throughout the day, I identified satisfaction vs fullness while eating, and I stopped eating when satisfied – credit!
- Throughout the day, I identified hunger vs non-hunger before I ate – credit!
- Eat mindfully, enjoying every bite – credit!
- Tolerated non-hunger without eating – credit!
- Used resistance techniques – yes!
- Give credit throughout the day for every positive eating behavior – credit!
- Spontaneous exercise – yes!
- I posted here – yes!
The Bad, and the Ugly
- Read the pink book – nope
Beverlyjoy Kudos for checking in when traveling and for not eating those pretzels! Isn’t it empowering to know that using the Beck skills help you to say ‘ I didn't care that they were right next to me’? And kudos for the mindful eating when away from home!
one by one Kudos for holding steady on your weight during a challenging time in your life! It’s interesting that you are seeing an early Spring, like we are. We have 2 Canadian geese in the lake this morning. I’m hoping they continue migrating elsewhere, since we’ve never had them here before. They can leave quite a mess on the shoreline…
Kim (bennyhannamama) for having a good day! It’s great you are prioritizing your Beck/diet time – it’s so important to success… It’s great that you got so much walking in especially making the 10 minutes to walk after lunch. I think your plan to monitor hunger vs desire vs craving is a good one. It’s actually something I still do every time I think about eating…
gardenerjoy I agree, I can’t imagine a better coach than this group. And what a great insight to realize that the ability to slip away unnoticed is probably the biggest downfall to our coaching. Kudos to both you and Kim to find a solution.
shepherdess for leaving food on your plate – just because I just realized I was full. I hope you get some rest during the storm, after all your running around preparing for it…
Cheryl (seadwaters) I’m so happy that social support has found you. We all need a little help now and then, and we feel better when we know we aren’t alone. Some good credits today for recognizing hunger, etc., and resistance techniques. I’m sorry you are feeling so tired, take care of yourself and use your new-found social support…
Yesterday was not great, foodwise and otherwise. Snow was falling on and off most of the day and the wind was pretty constant. Just a nasty day. So after being out in the elements all morning, I was stuck inside all afternoon with a general desire for comfort food of some kind. I resisted all day until the evening when my DH was having some chips and I just dug in. I wound up not having much for dinner, so as far as calories go it was pretty much a wash, but nutrition suffered, not to mention that resistance muscle. I can’t let this lousy weather and sudden changes in plans for the day derail my eating. It’s spring and it’s just the way it goes. And as far as spring storms go, this one was pretty mild—only a few inches of snow.
Exercise was some pilates and yoga. I needed a good stretch so it worked out. I’ve gotta get going, so no personals today. Will catch-up later.
Another easy day for me. My problem has never been the food that I had at home. I'm not currently working so that eliminates that problem (in my last job, the place where everyone put out treats was right outside my office door -- good riddance, I say!).
For me, the environment problem has always been when I'm out and about. Going to the library? There's a Quick Trip on the way. Need to pick up a prescription? I'll go inside instead of use the drive up window so I can check out the holiday candy display. A trip to Whole Foods? Well, everything they sell is healthy, right?
So, my environment changed when I made two rules:
1) No eating in the car.
2) No eating anything purchased from a drugstore or gas station.
That combined with Beck's rule of eat while sitting down has completely eliminated my foraging behavior.
WI: -0.1kg, Exercise: +130, 1145/1550 minutes for March, Food: op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Shepherdess: my weekend walking friend and I walked on Friday night, instead of our normal Saturday morning -- I suspect we were beating out the same storm that you did with your early run.
seadwaters: so glad you are developing a sense of community and already reaping the benefits!
bennyhannahmama: Yay for an easy Day 10 and good luck working with Day 11!
ChinaMaine: lots of good news with reasonable work hours, increased energy for exercise, and successfully lowering your calorie intake -- yay for the new low!
A good food day yesterday. I avoided all the foods on my stay clear of list. I am enjoying the last of the summer fruits (mangoes, peaches, nectarines, custard apples) and have planned to eat them in this non-diet phase. Also our new season apples are coming in. The other thing I discovered yesterday was Gazpacho - I have never made or eaten it and it was so hot I decided to give it a try - amazing - it will help me see this Indian summer out in a healthy way. Temperatures in the 30s (above 85F) this weekend and all next week - very sick of it. Still really dark in the morning because summer time doesn't stop until Easter - but wonderful to lie in bed this morning with my laptop and watch the red sky as the sun came up.
Kim (bennyhannahmama) - Your life is amazingly full with your children and I am not surprised it is difficult to schedule time for dieting so well done that you do. Day 11 is one I found useful and I have to remember to stop and take a breath before I eat to do that evaluation so good luck with it
ChinaMaine - Glad you are getting a break from full-on work - and that you are able to exercise again without fatigue just normal tiredness! Great insight to lower you calories as your weight drops - I will struggle with that if it happens. And it is all working so credit to you
Shepherdess - Great insight to realise that the unpredictability of spring is getting to your eating - spring is like that isn't it although it sounds pretty wild in your part of the world.
Gardenerjoy - Yay for great rules - I am thinking I need to write some similar ones and need to spend more time thinking about my vulnerable times and make some hard a fast rules - will post them when I work them out. Lots of positives in your post
Credits:
Reading my advantage / response / anti-craving cards - oops
Checked in to my diet coaches - here I am
Sat down to eat - yes - no apples at moment
Ate mindfully / slowly and enjoyed every bite - YES
Put fork down between bites - sometimes
Spontaneous exercise - No
Weighed myself (if at home) - yes
Did a daily schedule? - no
Recognised hunger / fullness / desire / craving - sometimes remember to breathe before food
Used distraction and resistance techniques? Yes
Gave myself credit when on track - usually
Not so good:
No exercise planned or not - but really body not cooperating at the moment
Working on:
Putting down my fork! This will be a long term project
Cheryl
Last edited by GosfordGirl; 03-20-2010 at 05:03 PM.
Hello Everyone!!!! Finally time today to do some personals.
midlifecrisis57- I could really relate to your post- I too am an old hand at taking responsibility for other people's feelings. It is such a relief to practice not doing that. It was very hard at first but I am slowly getting better at it but it is something I have to do some self talk about often.
silverbirch- hello there. Must be wonderful to be in London and heading for the library.
hikergirl-hello and good to see you checking in. Credit for weighing yourself and posting.
BillBlueEyes-yay for walking in shorts. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend away!! Strange to check in this morning and no post from you. You really are our glue here.
Beverlyjoy-glad to see you posting on your trip. Yay for resistance of the pretzels. Congratulations on 3 more pounds gone.
onebyone-I agree new days and new weeks are wonderful. Glad you are feeling motivated. Sorry to read about your mom's condition. My mom had a brain aneurysm and survived it. Unfortunately her short term memory and judgment are impaired - it is hard to see someone you love struggling with this.
seadwaters-your neighbours are awesome. How wonderful to be reminded of all the good people who are out there. Your list of credits is impressive.
bennyhannahmama- yay for Day 10- the 5 pound goals have been such a motivator for me- helps me focus on the present and not a magical, illusive far-off day. I hope you are very proud of yourself for quitting smoking. As for having just one, there is an old saying- "one cigarette away from a pack-a-day." I know the struggle to quit. I did it 8 years ago- it was the best thing I ever did for myself.
ChinaMaine-congratulations on your new weight low. That's fantastic. Glad you are feeling better and hope the insomnia eases up.
Shepherdess-sorry yesterday was not great but credit for exercise. I like your idea for a response card of -“Eating off plan makes me feel sick”, think I will add it in.
gardenerjoy- glad to hear about another easy day and your new low. Thanks for your tip on eating the nuts and dark chocolate chips- I am going to try that. Maybe that will help me fight the sugar cravings. They don't come that often, but when they do--look out.
For me, thankfully I am back on track. Another good day yesterday and one today too!!! Went to the city with DH yesterday. We went out for lunch with a friend- Dim Sum- and I ate the steamed stuff only and ate only until mildly full- what's up with that????- starting to act like a Becker. We grabbed Subway for dinner so that was healthy.
Yaaaaaaaaay for a trip to the city where I did not blow it.
Today credit for:
weighing in
posting to my coaches
riding exercise bike 30 mins
eating very healthy and on plan
reading advantage and response cards
eating slowly and mindfully every meal
I have been keeping a daily checklist of all the things I want to do (like excericse, counting calories, reading cards etc). This week I typed up a page of healthy foods and am challenging myself to eat as many as possible by checking off each day when I eat something on the list. This is fun and is challenging me to eat more of a variety of foods. Well, fun might be stretching it a bit.....
Today's challenge is a family meeting at a new time and with some newly developing personal dynamics. A bit nervous about it all. My mantra today is "no snacks." Grazing throughout the day is the worst thing I do when I'm out there. We're having a potluck lunch -- I'll fill my plate with the salad my mother-in-law promised to bring, the healthy Waldorf Salad that I'm bringing, and tiny amounts of everything else.
If the weather holds off on the predicted rain, we'll likely walk. Otherwise, I'll come home and de-stress with dance videos and yoga.
WI: +0.4kg, Exercise: +100, 1245/1550 minutes for March, Food: op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
seadwaters: love hearing about your summer harvest while we're waiting for the first crops of spring -- we're probably a month away from locally-grown asparagus, rhubarb, and spinach.
CeeJay: what a wonderful Beckian day in the city! There's an experience you can build on!
It feels very strange to be the first to post in the morning. So, Good Morning, everyone!
Last edited by gardenerjoy; 03-21-2010 at 08:37 AM.
Friday
Ice-out today?
WI-down 0.2 lbs. (new low) Read my cards, but made a plan. Food – on-plan; Exercise – on-plan (40m). 
Technology is helping me immensely on this quest!
I know it can be really tough to have a bunch of crappy days (oh believe me, I know!), but look how you turned it around on Wednesday!
Wow, did you see your saboteur jumping in there? 
Saturday Morning
Over the last months I’ve been working on lowering my daily calorie intake by 200 calories a day and on solidifying my Beck skills. I figured if I did that, the weight would start dropping again once I could exercise regularly. And it seems to have worked. 
