Running on a low battery.
 

Literally -- forgot to charge my laptop last night, and also couldn't sleep. Feeling run down, and also down by Other People's Drama. (Why can't all facets of life be fantastic at the same time???) CREDIT for calming down about this. Not getting enough sleep, for me, usually means wanting to splurge, indulge, not care, etc. So over my first americano this morning I pondered my ARCs. The one with the most meaning (for Beck and beyond): "Let it go! Keep your eye on the goals and advantages."

Ade903: REALLY into your Planned Imperfections. Mind if I steal it? Major credit to you for facing your perfectionism head-on. Good luck! As my partner, well . . . we're kind of the same. We both like to feed our emotions, and we both like to nurture with food. And we both enjoying eating together. BUT, she is getting ready to have gastric bypass surgery for diabetes, so she has also been trying to make changes to her habits. So I have hope that as time passes, we'll be able to shift our habits together.

BillBlueEyes: Thanks for the kind and attentive words. I've decided that the real purpose of being in graduate school is to learn to be your own coxswain. . . . Which is a painful pleasure!

Shepherdess: I think I will eventually reap the benefits of planning -- such as saving time and $. I've actually put this on one of my "advantages" cards! The next step is for me to coordinate with my DP, who has a knack for both supporting me and indulging me . . .

Alma 4343: Thanks for the hug! I'm really enjoying being a part of this forum, and I think it helps me to keep my goals in mind. I love your perspective on trying everything, but not getting held up by the need to "master." I think the insane perfectionist in me loves to master! Words I take very much to heart: "I plan on starting from the beginning as soon as I get to the end." And what did you get your Master's in?

AmberPr: Arsenal . . . yes, that's what this feels like. Except I feel like I have a bit of an arsenal all ready, and Beck is helping me to use it!

Lexxiss: You are so right about having the plan ahead of time, it really helps with the "no choice" goal. Credit me for coming up with a plan for today that lets me indulge in some of my favorite LA food. In terms of my success skills, I am trying to be brutally honest when I check them off. I am even giving credits by the quarter, such as : "I ate mindfully: 3/4 credit" :)

Gardnerjoy: Yay for pesto!

New2Me2: Thank you!

Beverlyjoy: USC is indeed like a fortress! I'd never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. I have a very full but amazing semester! I am blessed.

Onebyone: LOVE your tweaks!

BE well to all! Battery's about to go . . . so must I!

gardnerjoy - i hear you on the clothes thing. I kind of did that too. Not too cheap but was poor at the time. I'm feeling the clothes thing now too. I don't want to buy anything b/c (1) I don't want to be happy with this size and (2) I want to save my money for a smaller size. But I think I need to b/c my clothes are baggy and silly looking now and even the smaller ones in my closet won't fit the same since they are pre-baby and so old that most are not really in style anymore. I need a closet cleaning for sure!

so much to do. kind of brings back the laundry basket issue. ;)

I've been on plan and have been steadily running in place. I'm happy with the inches gone and I KNOW my BF is happy. But we both know I've got more work to do.

CREDITS: workouts every day, followed food plans; read ARC;

still need to write down my food. (I just don't ever see this happening. so pathetic!!!)

I think I'm going to do the 2 week diet again starting next week. my "diet" plan is 2 weeks strict and 6 weeks diet and then repeat as necessary. Phase 2 ends Monday so I am planning to repeat Phase I and see what happens. I guess the worst that could happen is that I lose more inches. That wouldn't be too horrible. :)

Hello all,
Just a quick stop on by to say hello. Lots going on...HRH is finally taking regular food (yay) - although he defininitely doesn't want to. He whines the whole time. I guess it's too slow for him. He only woke up twice last night (not the every hour it's been for the past week). I haven't been good with exercising -nor measuring my food. So, of course the scale went up. No matter...If I get back to doing what i'm supposed to it will come down.

The place I'm working at just posted a contract recruiter position...I'm working on trying to get that! Anything to get back into HR..I'm bored to tears!

Hugs all around....cya tomorrow!:hug:

Greetings Beck People,
I thought of you today!
Today was the day scheduled to take DS to his school for a new students' meeting. I knew we'd go out to lunch but I didn't know where. I felt really anxious -- I was worried that I'd get very hungry, and I wanted to eat a huge breakfast to "fill the tank" just in case. But I stuck to plan. :cp:

We went to a deli for lunch and I remembered the techniques you-all have talked about :D It went pretty well... I set aside 1/3 of the sandwich :cp:

I offered it to whoever wanted it... a little hard to watch it disappear :( I'm sure you know what that's like!

The other parts of the day were stressful. I was learning the drive to / from the school, nervewracking with the traffic. DH was in the back seat helping with directions. He's a bit of an aggressive driver so his directions were like "Turn left here. ..Here. Now. Now!"
Arrgh! :mad:
When we got home and I stepped in the door it was like a wave pushing me to the fridge :eek: It really helped knowing that you guys totally understand what it's like :hug: I got through it and have been looking forward to checking in this evening!

:cp: BIG credit :cp:

Good luck to all of you and especially whoever had an extra stressful day today!

Hi All,
This having my dh gone is wearing on me. The HR person wasn't in today, so no news on what they want to talk to my dh about. I did walk 6600+ steps, credit. I'm aiming to get in my 120 workouts before my health insurance runs out end of October, in case dh's insurance doesn't credit my gym visits. I'm up to 87.

Frustratingly, after the gym tonight, I stopped at the grocery store and bought some junk. My calories for the day would've been on target if I hadn't chosen to eat because I was stressed. I will give myself credit though that one of the packages had been opened, and I hadn't noticed when I picked it up--when I discovered it in the car, I didn't go back in to get a new one, and threw it out.

I have my craft show on Saturday, my first big show without my dh helping. A couple friends have volunteered to help, which is great, but it's stressful.

Well, I should go to bed. Have a good evening!

a couple of things day 4/14 check-in
 

Hi Coaches

I had a very up and down day. This morning I completed my first of 3 or 4 sculptures for the festival I am in a week from this Saturday. It's a night-time festival of light so when I popped the portable light inside my sculpture it really glowed nicely and looked a bit creepy which is what I want. I've attached jpgs of it from different views. So once I took the picture I was so thrilled that the idea is sound and it will work and now I can move forward that lunchtime had passed me right by. I was starving. I knew I'd be swapping my dinner for my lunch as I was meeting my drawing group at 3pm and it was 1:30 so I quickly downed my food, not bothering to eat the full meal ie. leaving the veggies and then rushed around getting ready and then I felt... sick. I got super-sweaty and light-headed and just generally felt unwell. I stopped and asked myself what I needed and my gut said "have some cheese" so I listened and ate an ounce of cheese. Then I drank my glass of pure fruit smoothie juice and popped an apple in my bag "just in case" I was still light-headed later. I wasn't, but I was still really sweating. It wasn't very hot today. What I remembered was that sometimes when I really start to lose weight my metabolism (I think) starts to rev higher and I go through this sweating stage, like I literally have turned up the fire in me and it's burning calories now. The other thing that haooens is I will get shivers. Both signs occur during bouts of weightloss which I find to be very consistent. I am telling you this because my usual response is to eat some sugar to stop the physical feelings. "Feeling sick" is a HUGE food trigger for me. I rode it out and ordered a decaf coffee instead of the hot chocolate I was going to give in to. *credit* Then I met wiht the group and we talked past 6:30pm. I missed my dinner. We walked to an art opening and I knew I needed to eat something so I had a few cherries a few strawberries and a wholegrain cookie. Just one. Organic even and made with local wheat flour. It was the right thing to do. I needed fuel as we were then walking over to another gallery and then walking back to the bus and then I walked home from the bus--all on the food power of the cookie and the bits of fruit.

So while not a perfect food day I did not fall face first into the cookie bowl. I tolerated hunger. I walked 30+ minutes. I finished a sculpture and I was social. Tomorrow is official weigh-in. Since I weigh every day I have a good idea of what it could say tomorrow. It should reflect the fact that I wore my jeans tonight, the same jeans that I had stopped trying to weear a few weeks ago cause they were getting just a little too tight to breathe in when I sat down. A good sign after only 4 days. My body and I both want this.

Hello!

Just dropping by for a quick hello. Claim Jumper was a success. I didn't follow my plan to a T, but I did stick to the points I set aside for it (traded in my higher point sweet potato for some no point veggies so I could join in on the appetizer). I'm still having a hard time with the exercise thing. I need to remember that this is about me. If my boyfriend's plans change (gets off work early), I still must work out. He can wait. Now that I'm at my parent's house, it's about 105 degrees (80 at night...still hot)...so the motivation for working out isn't all there. NO CHOICE isn't particularly having an effect on me. *sigh* I'll get there.

Weigh in tonight. Down 2.4 pounds...meaning I hit my 5% weight loss goal! I was surprised. And of course I couldn't accept that i earned it. I had to think "Oh, well it's hot and I'm sweating blah blah blah." Need to work on "Great job, Ashley. You worked hard and YOU earned that weight loss."

Sister's birthday and she is asking for help, so I'm off. Have a happy Friday!

T G I F
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - After three days of continuous, slow rain the sun came out. Yay for the sun. Of course, Yay for the rain, which makes DW, the gardener, deliriously happy. Walked to the community garden and picked a bag of cukes and tomatoes. Unfortunately, too much rain after too much dry had split a bunch of the tomatoes. DW had warned me that that could happen. Oh Well.

Scheduled to make my own dinner, I bypassed the extra large BBQ'd steak tips at the deli to choose a piece of fresh salmon; CREDIT moi for a healthy choice even though it meant that I had to cook it instead of just snarfing it down. And CREDIT moi for saving half for my lunch today.


onebyone - Neat that you can get your eating plan and your art creating plan both working together. Both admiring and LOL at the thought, "My body and I both want this."

Margaret (Nuxmaga) - LOL at the conundrum of facing an open junk food item that you didn't really want; good choice to toss it instead of putting up with the extra pain of returning it. Good luck with your craft show this weekend.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Good move with the new jeans; thanks for the reminder that buying clothes we like helps us to accept our new weight.

Beverlyjoy - Kudos for yelling back at those Sabotaging Thoughts. Neat that you're comfortable with the trip to Bob Evans.

Donna (new2me2) - Goodbye too big clothes, never to return. Great choice to walk the building looking for the owner of the car with lights on. Hope your new tooth and you continue to get along, including some sound sleep.

Houston2Command - LOL at "the worst that could happen is that I lose more inches" - go for it.

MorganleFay - So HRH is making transitions, albeit slowly. DW swears that our DS nursed for 30 minutes every hour during the night. Good luck with that position at your company.

Ashley (ade903) - Congrats on that kilo gone; Yep, "YOU earned that weight loss." Kudos for your success at Claim Jumper; YOU also earned that by preparing.

MaryContrary - LOL that both you and your laptop need more energy today. Yep, Kudos for working to allow yourself to be calm about both. Your "painful pleasure!" gives me thought; the good memories in life often have that.

Carol (Starling) - Yep, I do know the feeling of watching someone else eat that which I put aside - the "painful pleasure!" just mentioned. Kudos for all the strategies you used to stay your plan and avoid the fridge.

Readers -

Today's challenge is two meals out. We're taking my brother and his girlfriend out for breakfast for his birthday. And then we're volunteering and eating lunch there. But, I know what I'll eat in both places, so it should be fine.

WI: +0.2kg, Exercise: +60 1565/1800 minutes for August, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

onebyone: love the glowing sculpture!

Hello Beck friends:wave:

Yesterday, was an "oh well get back on track day." I have a plan for today which includes healthy food and exercise. I am searching for emotional stability-just for today. I will work on tomorrow-tomorrow.

BillBlueEyes, Great job not taking the white pita bread….it saves on the waste a bit-even if your worms might have enjoyed it. I've been favoring fish instead of meat, too. It feels like a great choice!

gardenerjoy, enjoy your break from cooking. Planning assures you will do fine. Thx for the reminder about clothes that don't fit. I put all my winter coats in a pile….now to find some new ones.

Ashley (ade903), Congrats! On your 5% goal!

onebyone, I think you're doing a great job as you work on tweaking your food plan! I remember the sweats, too. I always thought it was a sign of some detoxifying going on. They went away for me. *credit* for making healthy adjustments.

Nuxmaga, great job getting rid of some of the junk. Best wishes for your big craft show tomorrow….they are my favorite!

Carol (Starling), I felt like I was in the back seat, too, reading your post. *credit* for lots of healthy choices yesterday.

MorganleFay, keeping my fingers crossed on the recruiter position. Boredom is hard on eating...hoping, too, that you will get a bit more rest as HRH starts sleeping through the night.

Houston2Command, great job thinking about the details and timing of your food plan.

MaryContrary, *credit* for calming down during "Other People's Drama". Thanks for reminding me to Keep My Eye on the Goals and Advantages.

Donna (new2me2), *credit* for being gentle with yourself while remaining focused as you get through this time with your tooth.

Beverlyjoy, "I'd like to help and and comment again. I haven't been very stellar during my health crisis - so I hope you all will accept my thoughts and support in the spirit in which they are given." Thanks! I'm always encouraged by your words and wish us all "food sanity".

AmberPr, *credit* for exercise and food planning!

Cheryl (seadwaters), I am glad you are happy with the results of your new food plan. Onederland is an exciting goal!

Alma4343, Whoo Hoo! Congrats on your 10 pound loss! I hope the V-D helps. Even in sunny Colorado I'm told we don't get enough D from sun. I take a supplement, too.

Marci (madrikh), :wave: Thanks for checking in.

newbebop, great job finding a way to exercise AND get your reading in at the same time!

Ok, time to get to the pool. I'm too late to ride both directions but will put my bike on the car for a ride home.

Take care everyone!

5/14 & my official weigh-in day
 

:woohoo: Coaches! :woohoo:

I am down 7.2 sweaty lbs from last week.

Can I tell you how relieved I feel?
I think I may put this into a memory box a la Beck. I need to remember how relieved I am to be away from the 280's. That was scary as my body pretty much starts to shut itself off from life itself at that weight.

I know, kind of dramatic :queen:, but the closer I get to 280 the less I move or care about my life and gee it takes so much energy to start again. I want to take advantage of this power surge I have going on right now for as far as it will take me.

The best is knowing I can wear my jeans today. Just my regular size 20 bits of elastic in the waist band, bits of lycra in the cotton, jeans. In the recent past I have hated those jeans for being a size 20, and me for having to wear a size 20 for years and years now but today? I embrace my size 20's! Happy to have them for as long as I need them for, it could have been worse and they could have been a distant memory.

Thanks Coaches for all your posts and your inspiration. I will get to personals eventually but for now know that I read everything you write and it gives me lots of support thorughout the day.

*credit* to all of you for being here and for doing the work.

Enjoy your Friday.

Another quick post...sorry coaches!

I got hit by nausea yesterday towards late morning. It lasted pretty much all day, so my work day was trying NOT to throw up while trying not to annoy the people working around me as I stood up, paced, sat down, etc, lol. Had a hard time deciding if it was a gastroparesis attack or a side effect of the antibiotics. In the end I decided it didn't matter, lol, the work-around was just about the same with the tooth situation anyway. So I ended up doing nothing...no exercise, no decluttering. During the night I slept "okay" but was aware of stomach twinges off and on. Today I'm sticking to an all liquid diet (well except for that little tub of applesauce I just had) hoping that my stomach will calm down. I've got to take the stupid antibiotics through Monday. I've also got a white coating all over my left tonsils though I don't have a sore throat...the left side is where the tooth was pulled. Not sure it's connected, but seems strangely coincidental, lol.

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to Ashley on your 5% goal! My weigh in is today.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Happy Friday!
 

:bravo: A big congratulations to all the lb.-droppers this week, especially onebyone! :congrat: YOU are responsible for all this wonderfulness!

Just dropping by for a quick update. I have a jam-packed day, but I need to make sure I work-out before I start running. I'm really into the Walk at Home DVDs. I actually miss doing them, which feels great.

Yesterday was my one day a week on campus (poor me, right?). Still because it's about a 35 mile commute, and things are majorly overpriced, I made sure to plan plan plan what I was going to eat, and when. I did pretty good, except I didn't plan for the networking Afternoon Tea (deliberately, I think?). I kept resistance techniques in mind, however. Although I had too much coffee, I only splurged on 1/2 a macaroon. My friend was rather appalled that I threw the rest of it away, but I didn't let her emotional reaction bother me. Credit moi.

It's so true what is said about going Off-Plan being a vicious cycle: I didn't plan my time very well between the Tea and my poetry workshop, so I didn't eat my veggies and hummus snack. Therefore, at 7 pm I was famished (true hunger). I was also giddy from the excitement of what looks to be a fantastic workshop, and self-congratulatory for having accomplished so much that day. So I splurged again when I went to my favorite LA eatery, ordering a turkey panini (instead of the mixed greens and pesto chicken breast salad, which I loved, and which I had deliberately planned for!). I tried to bargain with myself about this: "You can order it if you only eat half." But that didn't work. AT ALL. Which I knew when I ordered it! To my credit, all the ingredients were fresh, organic, and unprocessed. Still . . .

SO -- I definitely learned something from this experience. Mostly: whatever happens, I need to eat that substantial snack before my workshop. Sticking to the plan enables you to continue sticking to the plan. Credit moi for learning from this and moving forward.

I second onebyone: credit to all of you for coming here and being supportive!

Have a wonderful day!

P.s.
 

Silly me: congrats to EVERYONE for all the goals achieved, challenges encountered, support offered. You're all amazing!

:grouphug::encore::cheer3: