Good day here. Big credit because I made an unexpected trip to town, but still stayed on my food plan. I love my little portion cups of pretzels, and "Think Thin" snack bars. Garden Burger with garden tomatoes for dinner capped my day. (I am a vegetarian, can you tell?).
Garndenerjoy - I use a computer for most of my organization. The calendar tool tracks my regular life appointments, and I use a spreadsheet for tracking food and other Beck notes. Each evening I transfer notes for the next day onto paper, which I can carry with me if I go to town, and I cross off things as I get them done. I do use an iPhone app sometimes to reinforce my food plan if I'm going to be away for a whole day. The application I use is called "Nutrition Menu". I like it because it is pretty easy to add favorite foods.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Oooops. Every situation where I often substitute the snack being offered for my planned snack happened on the same day. I over substituted, LOL. Had maybe four snacks instead of one. Ouch. CREDIT moi for turning down the others. Think I'd begun anticipating this week's stress. FOCUS, Bill, FOCUS. Food does not relieve stress, Food does not relieve stress, Food does not relieve stress.
When out for a walk (CREDIT moi) I spotted the worlds best T-shirt on a toddler: iPoo, LOL.
CeeJay - Ouch for not planning, with Kudos for "Already moving on. [And Ouch again for poor tomato weather, especially since ours was a bumper crop year.]
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Kudos for the NSV of doing that much walking and not being exhausted this time - what a gift.
Shepherdess - LOL at your dilemma facing a rare set of vegetarian options at the restaurant. I'm happiest when I study a menu and arrive at a single choice. If I'm stuck on two choices, I try to hornswoggle DW into choosing one of them. Recently I faced four first choices and suffered that I couldn't try all four, LOL.
Beverlyjoy - Yay for 9 hours sleep. And Kudos for planning ahead so that you enjoyed your gathering without fears of what to eat.
Woodland - Staying on plan when challenged by the unexpected is good stuff; Kudos. "Garden Burger with garden tomatoes" sounds good to this omnivore; How do you make your garden burgers?
Marci (madrikh) - Kudos for "2 very challenging yoga classes" and for "But I do get out of bed, everyday!!" You're making it step by step you are.
maryann - Just loved reading of your solo trip to the restaurant ending with, "I have to be enough just being myself." Even though "To thine own self be true" has been chanted at me since whenever, it's still hard to convert that thought into real life. Kudos for making some progress there.
Readers -
Quote:
day 38 Deal with a Plateau
Many dieters think that they should be able to lose weight every week without interruption. Do you think so, too? Let me ask you this: Has that been your experience in the past? Most people lose some weight, stay the same for a week or two, lose some more, gain a little back, lose some more, plateau for a week or two, and so on.
Hi coaches
Busy day and a late check in. I ate to plan and if anything I think I am under. But I won't dwell on that in case I try to make up for it!
Credit today
Drank lots of water which was needed I think
Some incidental exercise
Only ate not sitting down once
No junk food
Made lists and tried to stick to them
Haven't planned tomorrow yet - and I am eating lunch out so better get organised
Weighed myself - down but not my lowest - 206.8
I will try to make an appointment with the trainer for tomorrow afternoon - I need motivating!
gardenerjoy - will post what programmes I use soon - nothing fancy but there are some I am exploring. I quite like ToodleDo for lists and it will synch with iPhone. But can be a bit over the top. The to do program in iGoogle (an add in for Firefox) is also quite useful. Both a lot more useful than the barbaric tasks program in Outlook. ToodleDo has an iPad ap I think!!
Day 22: Say, Oh Well, to Disappointment. It was a cliche before I heard it for the first time, but I like "It is what it is." Partly, I think, I like it because I heard it first from a woman who had just been to **** and back with a sick mother and she and her sisters had found comfort in "It is what it is" when nothing else seemed to provide any hope or comfort at all. It's very helpful to me because I sometimes get myself stuck in a place where I wish something were different so strongly that I can't deal with what's really in front of me. "It is what it is" helps me grasp the reality of the situation which is kind of step 0 to working through it.
I ended up goofing off with Toodledo (a task manager) and Endnote (a note organizer), both free on the web and available for the iPad. I also got a bit of work done on fleshing out my characters for my NaNoWriMo novel. Unfortuntately, I didn't exercise. I suspect, in part, because I never managed to plan to exercise. I've got a plan for today!
WI: +0.25kg, Exercise: +0 1075/1800 minutes for September, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
CeeJay: yay for moving on! And big credit for a food plan for the week.
maryann: you might enjoy the book I'm reading right now -- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. One of the things she keeps coming back to is her commandment to "Be Gretchen" -- she's happiest when she allows herself to be who she is. One of the things she says is that you can't help what you like. I was just reading about her taste in music and she would be jealous that you enjoy Miles Davis because her preference for lite rock seems shallow to her, but she's had to accept that's just the way it is for her.
madrikh: hugs! Like Shepherdess I often do yoga (but nothing that could remotely be considered challenging) on days when my body is just too sore to do anything else. Exercise is such a big mood booster for me that I really work to get it in on bad days. Credit for getting out of bed. I had a professor with MS who was asked by a student once "what makes you get out of bed in the morning?" and he replied "I have to go to the bathroom." Sometimes that's what it takes.
Shepherdess: credit for getting out of bed to run on a great weather day! And more credit for a plan to restock the freezer!
Woodland: thanks -- I'll look into Nutrition Menu.
BillBlueEyes: thanks for sharing the example of snack creep. I've done that and now I'll be more conscious of it and stop it earlier.
seadwaters: thanks for the vote of confidence for Toodledo -- that makes me feel better about it. Yes, I've found Outlook completely uninspiring.
Hi Beck folks - yesterday was a healthy on plan day - I am so grateful. I give myself credit for many tasks: planning/logging/measuring/counting calories, eat seated only, lots of water, exercise/stretching, tasting food, slow eating, arc/rc and more. BUT - my great sleep the night before or something prevented me from falling asleep. For four hours I did all that I knew - meditation, warm milk, chamamoile tea, quiet music and more. At 2am - I was so frustrated that I ate extra. I am so mad at myself for giving in to the food. I awoke feeling demoralized and ready to give it all up. BUT - somehow I’ve decided to get through this day - I’ve had my healthy breakfast. I’ve read some positive things online this morning to break the ‘down on myself’ feeling. I am hoping for another great day and easy sleep. I’ve had just small spurts of not sleeping in my life. But, throughout this hard time of my life - it’s been popping up and impacting me more and more.
Tonight is the annual Dancing with the Stars kickoff gathering. LOL Somehow this started years ago with my little neighbor who was interested in dance. So, we’ve always had the ‘party’ on the first night. The little girl (now in second grade) and her mom will attend. I don’t know if her older teenage sister will come any more. It may be too ‘babyish’ in her mind to participate. I hope she does. I have strawberries and whole grain pretzels. They will bring a couple of things too. I am planning and counting these things in my plan.
Seadwaters - glad you had a healthy day. You have many credits to be proud of!
Billbe - credit for recognizing where a struggle is and could remain. It’s so true - food doesn’t take away stress. I’ve gone back to writing that down in my journal daily lately.
Woodland - wonderful to stay on plan with an unexpected trip and challenges in town…CREDIT!
Shepardess - good credits for running when you didn’t feel like it and enjoying a healthful meal at the restaurant. Planning to stock the freezer with healthful things for the week will be so helpful and it a good idea.
Madrikh - kudo’s for so many Beck tasks in your day - it all adds up to and is helpful. I have been dealing with depression of late myself. I understand how it can undermine your daily living. It’s wonderful that you are seeking help - huge CREDIT. Try to be willing to do all the things that will help yourself. I find meditation is helpful and journaling and proactive & positive things to help me through some of the hard times. The drugs can be helpful - it is a learning process to see what will work the best. Hang in there.
Maryann - credit for that healthy dinner. I don’t imagine people wonder why you would be eating alone. Folks do that all the time. You are finding your way in your comfort zone. The Beck principles help with a food roadmap as you go forward. You CAN do this.
Ceejay - sorry to hear of your struggle yesterday. It’s a hard ‘pill to swallow’ for myself and us all. We must plan, plan and plan some more. At least the it’s in one thing in place…it keeps us thinking about what we need to do for the day. Good for you to recognize that it’s something you need to keep doing.
gardener joy - I am doing a walking in the parade happy dance for you. It’s a wonderful credit to do that much walking and realize that you felt less exhausted as last time…YAY. As far as keeping track. I do it the ‘old fashioned’ way. I have a spiral journal with lines and a couple of pockets where I keep my response cards. Every day I write down my food plan and the many things/techniques to work on (water, exercise, arc/rc, reading beck, fork down, eat seated etc - I can check them off later or not). I write down daily things like: is it hunger or desire or a craving & identifying what’s what, writing the bullet points on overcoming cravings and desires, a place for sabotaging thought & credits etc. This seems to work for me. Also, I have a place in my journal for the calorie for the foods I eat the most - so I can just weight something and check the calories per ounce on my sheet and it’s easy to keep track. Also - I can write my feelings in the journal too, if I am willing.
Have a good day folks.
Last edited by Beverlyjoy; 09-20-2010 at 10:19 AM.
Nothing went according to plan yesterday and my food choices reflected it. Oh well. I have two more days to practice eating carefully amidst chaos. Our fall crunch time is just gearing up and it’s the time of year when I have work crews to feed. I’m baking brownies this AM. I’m planning to put a small piece in the freezer so I can enjoy it later when I can have a sane relationship with chocolate. Today is not the day.
Well, I'm yet again running behind on getting to the library and getting to my writing . . . I stayed up too late last night watching TV and reading in the Beck green book. It seems important to stay well-rested, so I refused to set my alarm. And here I am, trying not to stress about time.
Gardenerjoy, I have an iPhone and a MacBook Air, but I have found that, for me, the scheduling and listing tools aren't as helpful as a good ol-fashioned paper planner and notebook. To be sure, I use the phone for "the rest of my life," especially setting alerts to remind me to pay certain bills or meet certain deadlines that are out of mind . . . But when it comes to planning my dissertation writing, my poetry writing, and my Beck plan, I do these things by hand. I think I prefer this form because a) I spend so much time in front of a screen, it's a good break for the eyes and shoulders to be writing by hand, b) writing with a pen on paper somehow calms me and focuses my attention, c) I can see a structure more on paper than I can on the screen and d) I can use pretty colors, and scratch things out when I've done them, a feeling I like. I do NOT write by hand (except for casual journaling). But I plan by hand. Did I answer your question?
The Beck books finally made it out of the car and into the house, and so last night I spent some time with them, especially the stage 2 section. I've been mentally preparing myself to start counting calories. I still need to purchase a food scale and a set of measuring cups (that are mine), but I began stage 2 by making a list of all the "extra calories" I tend to ignore: all the condiments, the C&S in my coffee, my afternoon lattes, the glass of wine I like every evening. I mean, of course I was aware that these things are composed of calories, but my awareness was vague and therefore inaccurate.
SO I made a list of all the things I just really love, looking up the calories and marking them down. Then, when I made my FP for today (credit moi!), I had to try and figure out where I was going to fit these calories! A little stressful, but I have set my goal for the week to track all these extras (in specific calories) so I can just become more aware. Then I can think about counting and cutting. Credit moi for being excited by this stage, and not too anxious. Also, credit moi for doing this instead of eating a slice of pumpkin pie.
Although I feel like I haven't fully mastered the skills of stage 1, instinct says that moving on to stage 2 might help me to keep some of these stage 1 skills in mind . . . I guess we'll see?
Thanks to all, for listening. You are amazing people, who get out of bed every day and face the world!
BillBE, They are frozen ones, not homemade. I like Amy's brand California Veggie Burger - they include walnuts ! I try not to eat too much processed food, but these are an occasional treat. Plus, I put a slice of Horizon Organic cheese on it, so I'm getting lots of nutrients. Usually I just make toast, add spicy mustard and the cheese slice, and have some peas or corn on the side.
Today I'm going to be busy making another batch of garden salsa. Our tomatoes are doing well, plus I have onions and hot peppers to add. I canned 6 jars last week and should get that many again.
Hi Buddies:
Been away for a few days. Big credit just for coming back. I like to disappear.
As I mentioned before, I always have a hard time with food when my husband is OOT, especially just after he leaves.
The same day as my husband's departure, I was with a friend and her daughter when they found out their husband/father had filed for divorce. It's one of those situations that does'nt make sense, at least with the information you have. One of those koyaanisqatsi (remember that one??!! "world out of balance" in Hopi) moments. After that I was on automatic pilot (sorry to say this, BillBlueEyes but I think the only thing I could hear was "food does relieve stress, food does relieve stress , , , ").
Though I made some effort to create a plan to cope before my husband's departure, I was not too successful with it and lapsed for 2 days. I did get back pretty much on plan yesterday and am doing well so far today.
So far I have been unable to really implement the series of resistance techniques when I need them most. I might toss around and struggle with 'no choice' for awhile, but then give in. My cheat sheet goal therefore is to do something physical, rather than staying in my head, when I hear myself stuggling, e.g. open the Beck book and actually read through the resistance techniques; get up, get my distraction box and do something on my list, etc. Heck, I'd give myself credit for just opening the book or the box.
Gardenerjoy: Like that "It is what it is." There is a phrase used in Buddhism you might like too - "This moment is like this."
Thank you Beck Buddies. Hope you all have a great day.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - For lunch at work I brought a smallish portion of left-over roasted butternut squash with red onions and cranberries. CREDIT moi for smallish instead of thinking that I had to fill the entire 2 cup Pyrex container. And CREDIT moi for just naturally choosing a veggi only lunch. I dealt with tension at work by working harder instead of eating - what a novel concept, LOL. Took a short walk to run an errand at lunch to help clear the old brain.
Gym was gym; CREDIT moi. A guy put his 70 pound dumbbells in the slots where I'd removed my 50 pounders. I was annoyed, but moved them over to their marked location then put mine where they belonged. I'm not really that anal compulsive nor Martha Stewardy that that was required, but I do enjoy lifting the heavier dumbbells just to remind myself that I should be growing muscles.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Thanks for "It is what it is" - life is easier to deal with after we accept the current reality. I've noted some poor choices made by my in-laws as they refused to accept that their age meant lessened abilities.
Shepherdess - Good luck during this period when you're cooking massive quantities of food to feed the work crews. LOL at, "later when I can have a sane relationship with chocolate" - super Kudos for knowing that now isn't that time.
Beverlyjoy - Wish I could be there for your Dancing with the Stars kickoff party - what a Hoot. Kudos for, "somehow I’ve decided to get through this day" - it's a big deal to just keep moving.
Cheryl (Seadwaters) - Noting "Some incidental exercise." I pleased that I'm now more likely to just bring something upstairs, NOW, rather than put it on the steps for the next trip.
Woodland - Kudos for, "canned 6 jars [of garden salsa] last week and should get that many again." Wish I'd do that instead of just dreaming of doing it. [We use frozen veggie burgers, also. They're pretty good.]
MaryContrary - Laughing as well as sending Kudos for, "for doing this instead of eating a slice of pumpkin pie." Must add Pie is NOT a food group to my list.
Pecola123 - Ouch for your friends awful "koyaanisqatsi" experience of receiving an unexpected notice of divorce filing. Glad you were there for her support, but can only imagine that it knocked you for a loop also. Appreciate, "This moment is like this."
Readers -
Quote:
day 38 Deal with a Plateau
Some plateaus are short-lived. You might step on the scale one week and see no weight loss, but the next week you do. These mini plateaus are normal. They might be due to water retention, hormonal changes, or other biological influences. Or maybe you took in too many calories that week or exercised too little. Occasional plateaus and small weight gains are inevitable.
Hi coaches
I ate out at lunch and breakfast actually - it was hard to be out all day and I hadn't really planned to be out for that long. Lunch was a bit of a compromise but not bad. I am cooking tonight's dinner and food for tomorrow night when I get home late and for snacks during the day so credit moi for trying to be organised.
I too love the mantra "it is what it is" - need to use it more often to sidestep my "musterbation" - things must be just so or they are awful. A great CBT term - that and "awfulizing" - (if they are not just so then they are just awful). I am really good at both! Oh well
Credit today
Did some things on my list - but not all
No junk food
Weighed myself - down - 206.6
Had a really productive and positive meeting
I didn't make an appointment with the trainer for today I was in a meeting from 10 and it went until 3pm so glad I didn't. Will need to do weights tonight.
Hi Beckfolks - I am waiting for the day when I can come here and report a total healthy day (like in the 'old days'). Once again stress interfered with my willingness. I just 'gave up' in the middle of the day. I did use my resistance techniques before then - but, later medicated with food. I am thinking about chocolate all the time...
But - I am not running away from here. I have made my plan, got out my journal, will do some reading and move forward.
As I remain here with you , I will try to be helpful to you folks & to remind myself of why and how it works - and that it does work. Lately, I am feeling like it's a lot of "do as I say, not as I do."
So - I hope you all have a good day. I need to remind myself to take my own advice on one thing.... treat yourself as kindly as you'd treat a good friend.
PS - great fun at our annual Dancing with the Stars 'kick off' party. My little neighbor had made herself a scorecard and all. It was delightful.
Last edited by Beverlyjoy; 09-21-2010 at 10:50 AM.
I've been lurking for a little while, but want to officially join the group.
I'm on Day 5 of Beck. A little about me:
I'm 5'1" and at my highest weight was 150. I lost 10 lbs on Weight Watchers and kept it off, but WW kind of quit working for me. So now, I've been posting calories and workouts on dailyburn.com for a month and a half and have lost 4 additional pounds (my goal is 120). Dailyburn is great, because I can plan my meals for the day.
The Beck plan is really helpful, too, in a lot of respects. Just yesterday, after preparing a home-roasted chicken, I noticed that I really wanted to start eat an extra wing that was not on my plan, AND I was standing up, of course. Then I thought, "Do you really want to break your plan by eating this wing?" It would throw off my entire calorie count for the day. So I didn't Yay!
I can't believe how much "extra" I eat standing up.
So I look forward to joining you all because the tools in Beck really seem to help
Day 23: Counter the Unfairness Syndrome. This was, and occasionally is, a big one for me. Most helpful has been to compare myself with "other successful dieters and maintainers" rather than a nebulous "they" that I imagine can eat candybars and half-pound cheese burgers and maintain weight.
It also helps to get mad at the reasons that I think that it's "normal" to eat candybars and half-pound cheeseburgers. That got normalized in my brain by insane food advertising, lax oversight, and inadequate health education. My inner rebel loves the idea of subverting all that by eating healthily and exercising and making it clear here and in other places that I do so. What the advertisers push is not normal, so there needs to be a lot more of us speaking up for what a normal human body really needs.
WI: -0.5kg, Exercise: +60 1135/1800 minutes for September, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
MaryContrary: I'm loving Toodledo, so far, as a way to keep track of things. But, yeah, I already find myself using pencil and paper again when it comes to planning what order I'm likely to do things, making sure that I have time in my day to prep supper and the like. I think you're right the tools are cool for getting things down in a safe place, but actual planning is best done more free form and by hand.
Pecola123: sounds like you're working through things well at what turned out to be a truly difficult time. It is a struggle, but, as Beck says, it does get easier. "This moment is like this" is excellent, thanks!
BillBlueEyes: yay for veggie lunches and being able to move 70 pound weights!
seadwaters: good job with the unexpected meals out and getting right back to your own food.
Beverlyjoy: thanks for continuing to be here. Truth be told, sharing your struggles may be more important to others here than sharing your successes. You're modeling good Beck behaviors just by continuing to make the effort, even when it isn't perfect and among a bunch of obstacles.
Could you consider giving up chocolate entirely for awhile? Or allowing one particular form of chocolate in a precise portion at a precise moment each day? Chocolate is something I can only allow in my life in very structured ways. But once I figured out the structure that worked for me, I no longer think about it all the time.
I've been experiencing insomnia as a perimenopausal symptom. What's worked best for me is to just decide that my body will sleep when it needs to. If I'm awake, then, by definition, I don't need sleep right now. I think of myself as a person that needs 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night to function well. But my body thinks that sometimes I need 5 or 6 and, so far, it seems to be right about that. I remember that my grandparents got up earlier and earlier in the morning as they got older -- sometimes 3 am!
Welcome, jasy! Glad you're here!
Shepherdess: love the idea of putting a brownie in the freezer for yourself so that you can treat yourself at a moment when it will truly be a well-appreciated treat.
I'm yet again running late, but another late night of exercise, TV premiers (House!), and winding down with Beck. I've been sleeping with earplugs so that I sleep more deeply -- we live next to the freeway (an LA freeway), and I also wake up every time the big dogs move around -- and while this is helping me to get better sleep, it means I will also sleep through my natural alarm clocks. Until two cold wet dog noses start tickling my feet . . .
Yesterday was a great dissertation day and Beck day. For the first time in a while, I completed all the success skills. I was careful to track all the "extra" calories I need in my life, and measured everything I could measure (still waiting for a scale).
BillBE: I love your lunch. I've been relying a bit too much on tuna with crackers, adding in different herbs to try and make it more exciting. The problem I'm having is that there isn't a microwave in the library cafe, so my lunches need to be cold. I'm trying to think about how to change up this part of my Plan so that I don't go majorly OP from boredom.
Woodland: Great job with the snacks and the garden burgers! I admire your use of a spreadsheet for tracking food. For some reason, when I get in front of a computer screen, perfectionist-mode kicks in -- good for writing, but not good for Beck.
Pecola123: Thanks for sharing that Buddhist quote. I will carry it around with me!
Beverlyjoy: Thanks for sharing the ups and downs with us. I heartily second gardenerjoy, that it's hearing about the struggles that are often the most educational.
Welcome, jasy!
Gardenerjoy: I think getting hit by the unfairness bug is rare for me, precisely because I have been normalized to think that chili cheese fries and huge portions are the norm. So I am being normal to consume these foods -- it's not my fault that I gain more weight than others. I was surrounded by bad examples, while growing up. It's incredibly hard to surround ourselves with good examples, and not feel "unfair." For me, I tend to feel left out, like I am missing out on something by not consuming the pumpkin pie, like the chance will never come again. I work on this every day.
Credit moi for resisting the pumpkin pie, again. In my mind, I keep saying "It doesn't belong to me, it's not my sweet treat of choice . . . It doesn't belong to me, I give it to them."
Have a wonderful day! And hi to all who are reading . . .
Monday, Monday
Yay!
