[Lexxiss]

Hello Beck friends

I am greatful that my desire for a healthy relationship with food has been in line with my actual food choices during a time which includes many spur of the moment choices. Things are settling down a bit with the family but we are going to be quite busy for awhile. We had a positive experience with DD last night as she opens herself to new opportunities for personal growth in order to steer clear of a repeat of last weeks dangerous and very scary experience.

Last night we decided that we will start "commuting" back and forth indefinitely. This is how it will go;
Mon-yard work, help Mom and attend another meeting with DD
Tues-travel to our other home, garden and kitty.
Wed-return to Denver w/kitty for another meeting with DD
Thurs-meeting w/DD
Friday-back to garden
Sat-same
Sun-return to Denver for evening meeting with DD

Writing it down seems to help.

Today I read from my Beck book before breakfast and reflected on my choices this past week. They have been pretty good.
Credits:
I sat down and read from Beck book
I like my chosen food plan because it is flexible.
I am still sticking with my vegetarian choices, except for steak dinner with extended family
I passed on food during KFC drive thru because I wasn't hungry
I passed on blueberries and yogurt last night because it was too late
I brought my own dessert to the country club brunch and ate approved food.
I am maintaining my weight loss
Could do better;
I ate the last piece of crappy dessert yesterday-lesson get rid of it
I am sometimes eating on the run-lesson make time
Ate more than I needed to at brunch-Oh Well!

Not too bad, considering. I am really happy to have worked on putting Beck skills in my brain because amidst the chaos I am continually thinking about my choices and the importance of them relating to my desire to lose weight.

I have read everyone's posts. Thanks for being here and sharing so freely.

[Houston2Command]

Everyone is doing so great!

My weekend was fantastic! Bought 9 new fish for our huge tank. Fun!
Went to the shooting range. fun!
Played on jet skis for hours for the first time ever! Super fun and great work out!

And today marks the day 3 fat chicks gives me my own ticker. woo hoo!

BillBlueEyes - now you make me want to ride in a hot air balloon and find more adventures. Good job on the plumbing work. Takes motivation and determination! I have had a summer full of things like this and it is tiresome.

Today is the last day of my strict 2 weeks. Tomorrow will be more challenging as it starts my 6 weeks of Stage II of the "I" Diet. I'm kind of scared. Yesterday, BF asked when we can go out to eat again. ugh! Never? I feel like a recovering fat chick who is not ready to sit down around the buffet and pick at my steamed veggies.

Credit Me for a very active weekend and some good sore muscles!

[gardenerjoy]

I lost 3.5 pounds last week and nearly 9 pounds so far this month. Which is good, of course, but it's also fast. I don't really need to be losing weight this quickly, especially when it's accompanied by hunger, fatigue, and crankiness. There's a part of me that would just like to keep going with this anyway, stay in a state of rigid control until I get back from a weekend trip in a few weeks or until the Biggest Loser challenge finishes in late August or until I go to my spa trip in September. But, I really don't want to awaken the obssessive parts of myself and apply them to weight loss, so I'm going to strive for some balance.

So, I'm going to make a change. I've been doing the diet in The Complete Beck Diet for Life. She says "1 starch or 1 fruit" at each meal. Since I was not very happy about cutting my starches that low, I have basically eliminated fruit except for the occasional snack. So, as a starting point, I'm going to add a fruit serving to my breakfast and lunch for a week or so to see how that effects things.

WI: +0.05kg, Exercise: +70 1620/1800 minutes for July, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

[new2me2]

Good morning coaches/friends:

A short, quick post...I got a late start this morning and I've been warned I'm going to have a busy morning with some court filings, so just going to hit and run, lol.

Eating was a little off-plan already this morning, lol. Co-worker made some strawberry shortbread cookies, and I had a couple. Oh well.

My weight was up a little today...I think that was to be expected though...I ate a bit more carby yesterday than normal and that seems to always cause a little water retention for me.

[Mikkijoe]

Had a fantastic long weekend with my Business/Personal time trip! Great time with the family, long car drive=water retention, but all is good.

FOUR pages of posts to read since Thursday, WOW that is fantatstic!

Plumbing issues, skin issues, family and dog issues......WOW. Hope those things all come to a positive end soon.

On the flip side I hear of being 'on plan' , making good choices in stressful times, going to the gym, and keeping positive thoughts! EXCELLENT WORK GUYS

You have no idea how motivating it is for me to read these posts.

Today my plan:
Get my list of Advantages entirely done today, I am going to do this during breaks at work, OH, and also MAKING myself take breaks (typically I work 9 hours strait--and I am also on call 24/7)
Do a weigh in , I did not do it this morning, and so I need to consider that when I do, but I have been terrified of getting on that stupid scale!

LOVE all the great posts, thanks for everyones committment

[CeeJay]

Quick check in this morning and then I am off to see Neil Young. Twice!!! Monday night show and Tuesday night show. Life is very, very good!!!! DH and I will be staying in a nice hotel tonight. I will check back in on Wednesday and hopefully be reporting that despite being in the city, my eating was reasonable.

Credit today for:

Weighing in
Doing arm weights
Reading response and advantage cards
Checking in with my coaches
Eating a healthy breakfast and having a plan for the day.

[FutureFitChick]

Coaches/Buddies, yesterday’s food selections were OK, but I ate more at dinner than my hunger level dictated. I guess I didn’t want to throw away my leftovers, because fresh fish is such a treat for me. Still, having a healthy body will be the bigger treat, which I should have reminded myself of.

I am a little disappointed in our hotel, as the “free” breakfast is located apparently in a Styrofoam plant. I haven’t seen that much Styrofoam in use since the ‘80s. Ugh. And, recycling bins are hard to find too. Boo.

Today’s Essentials:
Weigh-in: don’t have a scale, but I’d bet I’m up
Read Advantage Cards two times: once
Read Response Cards at least two times: once
Ate slowly, sitting down, noticing every bite: no, ate a cookie walking around
Gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful eating behaviors: somewhat
Did spontaneous exercise: yes
Did planned exercise: none planned
Wrote out food plan for tomorrow: no
Tracked today’s food: not yet
Left food on my plate: some
Ate only to normal fullness: no, overate at dinner
Identified and responded to a self-deluding thought: no

AmberPr, great job hitting 202! Congratulations.

BillBlueEyes, great job at the pot-luck. It takes effort to leave that place between items on the plate. Your house sounds amazing. Historic places like that are hard to find in suburbia. Someday my husband and I will live in a city, where we won’t need cars.

GardenerJoy, great thought to “strive for balance”. You are so smart to add a healthy fruit to your meals.

Houston2Command, great job with the activity. What did you tell your BF?

Jazzermegirl,

KidsLibraryLady,

Lexxiss, wow! You are busy. I’m glad you are able to plan ahead like that. Remember to try to take care of yourself too.

Mikkijoe, you work intense hours! Glad you had a good trip.

MutableParadox,

new2me2, fantatic job getting rid of the cake mix. You are so smart. I am glad you enjoyed your massage! Good job with the check-in when you are swamped.

Seadwaters, get some rest! Do they sell potty pads in Australia? The make scented ones that are supposed to attract the dog to the absorbent pad. I’ve been hesitant to use them on a younger dog, but if your pup can’t make it through the night, they might be an option.

[silverbirch]

Busy here but good. Gymn and good eating. See you tomorrow.

PS
Amber - grazing is highly dangerous for me but 5 small meals (every 2-3 hrs) work well. I know some people have 6 but having one in the evening/before bed gives me indigestion.

[Mikkijoe]

Lexxis-----I love your new picture! so sunny and cheerful and positive

SO, I have a question for everyone.... something that just dawned on me this weekend. Here's the question, and then I will follow up with the story as to how I came about this pondering.

How many mirrors do you have in your home? Did that number of mirrors change for those of you who reached goal or are getting very close?

I was at the hotel this weekend and baffled by how many mirrors were in such a small area. One opposite one of the beds, The front of the closet door and a huge one covering the whole wall in the bathroom. I was shocked at how much mirror surface there was, and then I got to thinkin'....no this is not that unusual. This is common........
At my house....ONE mirror, and it is the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. NO full view mirrors. NONE. At my last house I had two bathrooms, and two mirrors, small sized that is....
What I thought was over-mirrored is probably common, and what I thought was normal was probably under-mirrored.
So why is that? denial? Just because I cannot see it in the mirror does not make my clothes smaller......but in a way I guess it is denial.

Thoughts anyone?

[Alma4343]

Hello Everyone,

I had a slip up on Saturday after the unexpected guest left. I went on a small binge and took a nap. Stress and tired are 2 of my trigers. I did write down and track everything (credit). The emotional eating quote BillBE posted today hits home with me right now.

I did get back on track and did great on Sunday, planned (credit), ate to plan (credit). I went on a bike ride to one of the San Juan Islands so I got a lot of exercise (credit). It was a beautiful weekend here in the Pacific Northwest.

I am doing well today on plan and tracking. I have planned exercise tonight after work.

I am on Day 15 of the book, Monitor your eating. I am doing well with this right now. But, I have all the "symptoms" listed in the book. I do this very well until I fall into a downward spiral. I must commit to tracking always.

MikkiJoe, I have 5 mirrors in my house. One is full length. I do know that I am able to walk past them and not look. Or, I can look only at my face when I encounter any that go lower. I have "selective seeing" in the mirrors. I am no where near goal. I am curious if I will start looking past my face when I am closer.

Thanks for your support and stories.

Alma

[AmberPr]

Hello Everyone!

My first hop on the scale this morning said 201.4. I was so pleased I decided to jump on again after my walk (just to gloat a bit more) and it was 202.2. That's what I get for being smug… guess I'll see what the magic scale says in the a.m.

Followed mostly on plan. Dinner was sort of up in the air. We had some ham, bean and veggie soup that I had in the freezer and I wasn't really sure how to figure out the calories for it, so I opted for a protein shake, plum and a muffin. (probably a good choice because my protein wasn't much yet today.

Got my two walks in. The dog got her swim. I must say, I'm really lucky to live where I live. We're about 3 miles out of town on a 3 mile dead-end dirt road. I can walk my dog without a leash. She's got a couple of doggie friends that sometimes walk with us with their owner(s). Today my dog treed at least 5 chipmunks and attempted to pounce on some mice. She never catches anything, but she loves to try.

One bummer today. My Tivo is toast. The blasted thing just wont reset. Time for a new one. I don't think I really use it much in the summer anyhow, but come fall, I'm a bit of an addict….

---------------------------------------------------------------
Credits

• Mostly on meal plan
• Weighed myself : -1 ???
• 2 walks
• Meal plan figured out for tomorrow - started
• Lunch and snacks packed for tomorrow - doing next
• Feeling very satisfied with my portions, but am finding it hard to all 2000 calories in. By dinner I had about 1500, so after my walk I added in another muffin. I haven't been needing the extra snack or calories… I think I'll have to add them in for lunch or maybe the earlier snacks… do I dare have some chocolate?
• Read and meditated on BillBE's quote today. I know I do tend to try to avoid negative feelings. I'll ignore them, be short with someone else or completely displace the emotion onto someone else. I've been trying to name my feelings as the happen. Am I mad, sad, anxious, excited… the other weekend I was jealous. I thought I was mad, but I worked through it and it was clearly jealousy. Funny how sometimes it's hard to tell. Maybe because I handle them all the same way?

CeeJay: Hve fun with Neil!

Seadwaters: I'm glad the meds helped the dog.

BillBE: I love all the fresh foods this time of year. I need to get down to the market myself. (Yep, the muffins are in the freezer)

Lexxiss: Wow, that is a very busy week you have planned. How far away is DD? Looks like you are taking time to take care of yourself. You go Girl!

Houston: Congrats on the fun weekend! I have never been on a jet ski… might just have to add that to my bucket list.

Gardenerjoy: Congrats on the major weightloss! That is wonderful. Fruit is my go-to option. It's so funny, because when I'm not dieting, I never eat fruit. Maybe a banana or, of course, cherries. I put dried cranberries or other dried fruit in my cereal, sometimes, for my snack, I'll make a fruit smoothy - just banana, blueberries, a splash of juice and maybe some ice. That way I can sip on it between breakfast and lunch.

New2me2: Tomorrow you can start with a new plan. You are so close to goal. Kick it in the butt!

Mikkijoe: Sounds like really fun trip! I have the same issue with breaks. I need to at least walk around the block or something… I have three mirrors. One in the bathroom. A full length one hanging on the closet door and a little 10x magnifying one that suctions to my window for unwanted hair removal.

FuturefitChick: Ewe - Styrofoam. I'm impressed that you read your response cards. That is something I have not been very goo at.

Silverbirch: the after dinner snack has been tuff for me too. I like to walk after dinner when it's cooler out and then, by the time I get home it's 7-7:30…

Alma: Congrats for quickly getting back on track!

Good Night!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Found myself very frustrated and annoyed with a problem I wasn't able to solve, and running later than my usual gym time. Which meant that if I went, my evening would be shifted later than usual. So I decided to just skip gym.

Then I realized that that was a whole bunch of Sabotaging Thoughts. The gym is the best place in the world to dump frustration and annoyance; running later than usual isn't a catastrophe. So I went; CREDIT moi. Sometimes I remember that keeping to the path is a series of little pebbles.


CeeJay - Waving at Neil Young. Waving again for the second show, LOL.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Nice demonstration of adjusting your eating plan in the face of too rapid a loss, instead of just adjusting to fight a gain, with "I'm going to strive for some balance."

FutureFitChick - Yay for getting into your fresh fish - good use of your vacation eating to get something you really love. LOL at your "Styrofoam plant" hotel breakfast - that's the best I've heard that described. It took me forever to figure out that the self-made waffles were the worst eating imaginable, despite the fun of working the big waffle iron.

Cheryl (Seadwaters) - Waving toward "the dead of winter" - could use just a touch of being cooler right now.

silverbirch - Busy is good. Pondering whether I'd realize a 33% increased workout if I went to gymn instead of gym.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Hallelujahs for your DH's DD taking a new path. Kudos to you for the efforts you are putting in there. And another Kudos for the attitude that lists your schedule for the week and calls it "settling down a bit."

Donna (new2me2) - Ouch for homemade cookies luring you in. Hope you survived your busy day.

Houston2Command - Oh yes, Kudos for "good sore muscles." Sounds like a fun series of activities - do you shoot target or trap?

Amber (AmberPr) - You are so flirting with Onederland; can't wait. Your walking situation sounds so appealing. Interesting thoughts that we have to sort out what we're feeling in order to respond differently - I like that.

Mikkijoe - Yay for "Great time with the family" and Kudos for recognizing that you need to force yourself to take breaks.

Three full view mirrors all rather inconveniently located and maybe five bathroom/dresser mirrors. Had never thought about it before except that we're missing that full view mirror near the front door to check to see if you're all together before you leave.


Alma (Alma4343) - A bike ride on one of the San Juan Islands sounds super fun. Kudos for recognizing that stress and tired are triggers for you.

Readers -

day 33
Eliminate Emotional Eating

How to Calm Down

But negative emotions are uncomfortable, and there are Cognitive Therapy strategies you can learn to feel better. Usually, the best way to decrease your distress is to respond to your negative thinking and to solve the problem associated with your emotional upset. You'll learn how to do this tomorrow. But, it's sometime difficult to go right to problem solving if you're accustomed to immediately reaching for food when you're upset. You might need to decrease your distress first, in non-food related ways.

The Beck Diet Solution, pg 228.

[GosfordGirl]

Hi Coaches

Not a good day with food or plans. Today was a workshop day - tedious, irritating and unnecessary. And it meant there was food all day. Scones in the morning and Thai food at lunch and wine and cheese and biscuits at afternoon tea. As I am responding badly to changes in my timetable and living arrangements I ate it all as if I had never heard of Beck. I am rather annoyed with myself and now it is the hard work of getting back on track.

On a brighter note, Bonnie seemed groggy last night and after she wet herself twice I decided she was over sedated and didn't give her last night's medication. I decided that she had spent a day with my thugs - oops pugs - and should be OK with them. She was tired so I tucked her into bed in the kitchen with them and she happily spent the night with them - no more messing on the carpets. I did check about 3 times through night. Happy, alert and hungry this morning so she is settled - sigh

Given today was disastrous I am not doing a check-list - no money was earned!

[Beverlyjoy]

Hi Beckfolks - gosh life with all of this health stuff has really got me down. I am weary of it. But, I will push on. I have not been doing what I need to do with my Beck tasks. It's amazing how for months I can adopt healthy eating and sane living with food. Yet...I can slip back into unhealthy eating so easily. It not a real comfort - but, it slips back on like an old, soft, comfy teeshirt.

So I will read my cards today and plan and journal and make it the best day I can.

Thanks.

[Lexxiss]

Hello Beck friends

We were driving by 4:15 this morning and I thought about Beck stuff all along the way. I did take time to notice the donuts (and their freshness) as we dropped into 7-11 for our scheduled stop. *credit* for not partaking even though I thought that one wouldn't hurt. Once we got home I picked my first Roma tomato in awe, sliced it into perfect slices and admit I savored every bite while standing.

Beverlyjoy, I can certainly relate right now. I'm so co-dependent that I'm living my Mom and DD's medical situation almost as if it were my own. I'm always glad to hear that you keep pushing on despite feeling weary.

Cheryl (seadwaters), I know firsthand that dealing with an old pup is so challenging. You have made such great progress working on new and healthy habits that I know you will back to your list of credits already.

It's nearing time to head out the door. When I got here I located my Beck workbook since I left the Pink one at my other house. I decided to just open to a page for inspiration and got "Today's to-do List". I think that's a great place for me to start today. I will exercise *credit* and work on checking off my list.

It's great to have you all to work my Beck program with. Have a great day everyone!