Hi Coaches
I will be reading but probably not posting over the next few days as I will be away. Today has been on plan and incidental exercise was rushing about getting organised for travel and being away a few days. Eating unfortunately, while on plan, has been fairly mindless. Hopefully that improves. I have been watching footage of the floods in Queensland and it looks pretty bad. Makes life look simple here
Have a good weekend Beckies
Last edited by GosfordGirl; 01-14-2011 at 03:02 AM.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - It was the day of my monthly meeting where we're served lunch - the one where I had requested that salads with grilled chicken be added to the options. The chicken over salads is so popular that there were only four of the meaty sandwiches included, and two were left over. CREDIT moi for a good lunch, and CREDIT moi again for requesting the change instead of just eating and moaning.
I spent many minutes in the bitter cold replacing a windshield wiper on DD's car. They come with universal couplings so that I have to reverse engineer how to put them on each time. Ouch. And I learned, this late in life, that the left and the right on this car are different sizes - I'd never heard of that.
Spontaneous exercise was walking back down to the first floor to put down something instead of leaving it on the landing til I went down in the morning, CREDIT moi. It's only worthy of a mention because I'm still working on my mindset to minimize all expenditure of effort.
maryblu - It is one of the conundrums - when in the groove, who need's Beck. I look forward to the day that all this Beck stuff was like learning to ride a bicycle - not something I work on every morning.
FutureFitChick - So Cognitive Therapy to walk your dog in place of a snack; Kudos.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - I'm a member of the club that sucks at being aware of emotions. Sometimes I only become aware when I ponder why I just ate something off-plan that I didn't really want.
Shepherdess - Ouch for an off day, with Kudos for not letting it start a trend.
Ruth (Ruthxxx) - Happy 39th Birthday. May it be warm, cozy, mindful, and on-plan.
Beverlyjoy - Ouch for a thousand European Starlings. They annoy me for exactly that behavior - they consume all the berries that the native birds need to survive the winter.
Cheryl (Seadwaters) - It hurts to continue to see the destruction by the floods in Queensland. May you have safe travels.
Debbie (Lexxiss) - LOL at the plumber trekking to Loews three times before 8am. Hope that dishwasher is in now.
Ann (Newlifestyle) - Yay for planning. I weigh daily because I'm very comfortable looking at a sting of number jumping up and down - I don't react to one day's scale reading. Yep, when I tried to give myself credit for the first time, I couldn't do it, until I spontaneously typed in "CREDIT moi" which was so awkward that it felt OK - so I've used that ever since.
maryann - Kudos for mastering the hunger experiment. So neat to read, "food just doesn't have the hold on me it once did" - methinks that's one of our common major goals.
ChefJoona - Yep, Kudos for skipping dessert - with special Kudos for avoiding the Sabotaging Thought, might as well since I've eating this much anyway. Love the Beck island idea - where NO unplanned food exists.
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 1 How the Program Works
On the Beck Diet for Life Program . . . . . . You will build confidence in your ability to follow a healthy diet and exercise plan. Many dieters overwhelm themselves by trying to make too many changes at once. Instead, you will master one dieting skill at a time. You will learn what to say to yourself to ensure that you practice your new skills every day. You will prove to yourself over and over again that you can get yourself to do what you need to do. When dieting gets harder, you won't give up. You will keep on going because you will have learned the skills you need to navigate the tough times. You will know how to stay in control, no matter what. And even when you slip up, you will recover right away because you know what to do and have the confidence that you can exert the self-control to do it. . . .
The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 15.
TGIF! Looking forward to a long weekend (for MLK jr Day on Mon), and getting in some healthy activity like X-country skiing and cooking healthy meals for the week.
Yesterday was a better day. Stayed on plan for eating until right before bed when I snacked on some plain crackers. Still a better day then the day before. I even got out at lunch for 15-20 minute walk on snow-soupy side walks.
Newlifestyle: I weigh weekly... not at the point where I want to see the up and downs during the week.
The scale and weigh-in has perhaps been the hardest thing for me (even harder than exercise). For the last number of years I have avoided knowing my weight... turned the other way when weighed at the Doc's... I think because I knew my weight was slowly creeping up as I advanced through my 20's and did not want to face it. I turned 30 in September and have looked at it as a real turning point. I am 100% an adult now and am committing to a high level of personal responsibility- in this case for my health. No more denial! My weight exists whether or not I acknowledge it and I can only have power over it when I acknowledge it. I was several weeks into the plan before I bought my scale, and several more weeks in until I used it. It became my friend as the numbers dropped, and though I took a break from weigh-ins during the holidays, my first post-holiday weigh-in was a positive experience as I was able to see that though I did not lose over the holidays, I was able to maintain! I'm back on track with weekly weigh-ins on Sunday mornings. I chose Sundays because that helps me stay on track during the possible dangers of unrestrained weekend eating.
Keep up all the hard work!! Just being part of this forum for the last several days has made a big difference for me... THANK YOU!
Thank goodness for a good OP day! Nothing exciting to report except that I ate only what I was supposed to eat, which is pretty exciting. Temps were up yesterday, but so was the wind. I am thankful for those Chinooks since they will clear the roads and I’ll hopefully be able to run in a few days. But yesterday it was the jump rope indoors.
FutureFitChick, great job using walking the dog as a resistance technique. I’m sure your dog appreciated it so it’s a win-win. Yay for getting started for a trainer; yikes for the early hour.
Gardenerjoy, LOL at “suck at being aware of emotions” only because I’m right there with you. Best of luck figuring out how to fit in everything you want to accomplish in a day!
Beverlyjoy, yay for staying within your plan! It’s great that you’re able to do that when busy. Disney World with the family sounds like a lot of fun and a much needed celebration after everything that you’ve been through. LOL at your Alfred Hitchcock backyard.
Maryann, great job on the hunger experiment and discovering that food doesn’t have the same hold on you that it once did.
Lexxis, great job on an unplanned OP day! LOL at many trips to Lowe’s to get everything you need. Best of luck with the project.
Maryblu, yay for Beck being just the way it is when you’re in your zone! It’s great that you’ve found that groove and just have day after day OP. I know what you mean about getting the big stuff and then slipping on the little things. I tend to get very mentally prepared for the big things, but I’m not mentally prepared for those little nibbles along the way.
Seadwaters, have a happy Birthday! No wonder it’s hard to think about food when you have a great trip to look forward to. Kudos for keeping it OP. Hope you have a great trip!
BillBE, yay for requesting a healthy lunch and getting it! It’s great that the healthy option is the most popular. Yikes for a difficult outdoor task in the bitter cold, but you can pat yourself on the back for taking such good care of your DW.
ChefJoona, great job on a mostly OP day. You can work on those PM crackers later. Yay for an improved relationship with the scale! Those daily weigh-ins were tough for me at first and I still get frustrated sometimes, but it does keep me accountable!
My eating has been getting sloppier all month with predictable results. I've changed food plans every few months as I've been losing weight to keep my enthusiasm up and I'm overdue for a new one. I had rather hoped I wouldn't have to make another switch, but it looks like I do. I'm not quite sure what's next. Maybe an automated plan (the same breakfasts, lunches, and snacks each day) plus specific measured exchanges at supper. That has the value of simplicity and matching up easily with my tastes. If it's enthusiasm I need, and it might be, I would be better off trying a new plan from a book because learning new things is fun for me.
I had a bit of a break-through with the emotions exercises yesterday, although it wasn't quite what the book intended. I realized that every time I asked myself "how do I feel?" it was "tense" because I was behind on my list. I decided I was bored with that answer so I was going to wait for a different one. My list works for me as a kind of ideal plan or list of possibilities but it is not something that I need to be anxious over so, by definition, I am not. There's enough complexity in my emotions that I can find some other answer than the default one and that seems to be more useful to me.
WI: +0.95kg, Exercise: +40* 510/1300 minutes for January, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Hi Beck folks - yesterday was mostly on target. I need to work on what to do if I can’t sleep. Ate some extra then. Many credits and even a few twirls. I did alot of writing in my journal - Beckisms and life-isms.
I finished cleaning my office today. YAY
Credit for:
Planned/measured/logged food
Lots of water
No seconds.
Left a bite
Read Beck arc/rc
Ate a little slower
Exercises
Said no choice a couple of times.
Still need to work on many other tasks, of course.
Seadwaters - safe travel to you. Glad you had an on plan day. Running around does count as incidental exercise. I’ve seen the flooding in your country. It’s heartbreaking.
Billbe - many credits for asking for a healthier meal at the meeting. Seems like it was good idea for lots of people. Credit for moving the laundry for just a smidgen more exertion.
new lifestyle - great job on the walk in the slush. Be careful. Credit for planning ahead for your meals for next week. Credit on getting your scale and thinking of when you will weigh. It’s out of your comfort zone - so it’s a big thing.
Shepardess - credit for staying op and getting in your jump rope. That’s a good day, indeed.
Gardener/joy - credit for realizing it might be time for a change in food plans and knowing yourself well enough where to start looking. I am not sure if you are referring to the Beck List - but, if so, I agree that it’s a target for each day.
Maryann - I agree - the hunger experiment IS very empowering. I think it can get you through the times when you have to ‘wait’ for a meal because of any reason. You now know that you can wait. I like your idea of taking 2 meals for Disney. I know all of our meals are included with the ‘package’ we bought. I’ll be with 8 other people and need to figure out how to make it all work. Thanks.
Future/fit/chick - I am doing a happy dance for you! Totally OP and using a distraction to avoid eating are two major credits. Good job arranging the trainer. Carry on.
Chefjoona - often it’s hard to jump back on plan when we eat off. It sort of spins out of control. Dr. Beck says to draw that line in the sand and just start where you left off with your plan for the rest of the day. I know it’s hard to do.
I hope everyone has a great day!
Last edited by Beverlyjoy; 01-14-2011 at 02:39 PM.
Coaches/Buddies, hope you are doing well. Not having as on plan of a day as I’d like. But, moving on from it! I’m posting here even though I’m not excited about it right now…
Still having sleeping problems, which is not helping.
Today’s Essentials:
Weigh-in: +2.5 lbs.
Read Advantage Cards two times: yes
Read Response Cards at least two times: yes
Ate slowly, sitting down, noticing every bite: no
Gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful eating behaviors: no
Did spontaneous exercise: yes
Did planned exercise: no
Wrote out food plan for tomorrow: no
Tracked today’s food: no
Left food on my plate: no
Ate only to normal fullness: yes
Identified and responded to a self-deluding thought: yes
BeverlyJoy, glad you had such a terrific on plan day to report yesterday. You make a really good point about making a plan for when you can’t sleep. I need to do something different, because my current strategy is just leaving me tired and anxious.
BillBlueEyes, great job impacting the health of your non-virtual friends as well. That is terrific.
ChefJoona, thanks for sharing your growth with the scale. Those numbers can be so hard on us at times but are a needed reality check.
GardenerJoy, your book sounds very interesting. Please let me know how your journey continues. I find your plan to change your food plan up every few months very interesting. What food plans have you used so far? I am really excited about your break through!
Lexxiss, glad you had such a terrific exercise-filled day yesterday.
Maryann, interesting insight about bringing your scale with you. Glad you found the hunger experiment insightful.
Maryblu, I’m really excited for you that you are back on track.
Seadwaters, glad you are feeling well enough to travel. I hope you have a safe and on plan journey.
Shepherdess, so glad to hear about your on plan day. Hopefully spring won’t be too far away for you, since I know how much you love your running.
hi Everyone,
I think it's been 2 weeks since I've posted. I got extremely frustrated as my weight just seems not to want to budge. I checked out 4 Day Win and after reading some of it (I like it so far) decided I will buy another Beck Workbook and repeat the process.
Fatigue is still an issue for me; with the treatment plan I'm on, it can take 7 to 10 weeks to feel better. So, my plan for exercise is to do what I can and not beat myself up when I'm just too exhausted.
I'm also going through 2 medication changes, so ugh.
This week, I attended a 3 day retreat and the food was AWFUL. I'm kind of looking forward to the scale tomorrow, because I really didn't eat much.
Credits
-2 of 3 days on retreat, I wrote down everything I ate
-read my cards
-left a bite
-ate tonight's dinner (after getting home from retreat) mindfully
-will plan food and exercise for tomorrow
A good Beck day...planned exercise and eating OP, except for an evening change because DH wanted to take me out for Chinese. I suggested a healthier restaurant. We shared a vegetarian entrée and seaweed salad-a tad better then General whats'his name chix. *credit* Over dinner we discussed our evolving food plan. I've been preparing all meals from our freezer as we switch to a more vegetarian centered fare. We also discussed the ice cream, which DH eats by the gallon, and is an endless source of spectator frustration for me. He has agreed that eating our canned fruits and yogurts is far healthier and he would be willing to stop buying the ice cream. We'll see how long that lasts but it is progress.
BillBlueEyes, I love that the chicken salads are more popular than meaty mayo slathered sandwiches. *credit* for suggesting it. Ouch for replacing windshield wipers in bitter cold. My DH and I have a strategy-I drive to the auto store by myself and smile nice and ask the counter guy to put them on.lol FutureFitChick, you have had many very good days. *credit* for posting after a crummy one and employing the Beck tool of getting right back on track. Sorry about sleep issues...I have them, too. Beverlyjoy, you have posted many credits this past week-but I am still impressed with your strategy for Ben and Jerry's. Sometimes things like that really work. BTW-after doing Universal Studios with a mom in a wheelchair we decided we would always visit with someone with "special needs". You will be the star of the party! lol gardenerjoy, I have enjoyed reading as you work through the 3 Day Diet Solution plan...haven't put it on my list yet. Shepherdess, you said, "Nothing exciting to report except that I ate only what I was supposed to eat, which is pretty exciting." That is exciting! *credit* ChefJoona, you said, " My weight exists whether or not I acknowledge it and I can only have power over it when I acknowledge it." Your words support your statement of no more denial.*credit* for taking control! IslaAzure, nice to meet you! I hope you are able to get the book and start learning Beck tools very soon! Cheryl(seadwaters), Happy Birthday! I hope you are having fun with your Sis! maryblu, yay for joyous days of sane eating….now I am thinking...when you are in "your zone" would you say that many of your Beck skills are on "autopilot". Are they working subconsiously? maryann, your insight is very uplifting for me to read. You said you won't be checking in until Monday...hope you are going somewhere fun. Ann(Newlifestyle), glad to hear that planning meals is working so great for you. M0vingon, your "emotional forensics" is quite popular. I have written it down. Ruthxxx, Happy Birthday! Great job moving along with your reading and Beck skills. I have both books and the pink notebook. I really liked the pink book when I started-every day tasks for 6 weeks was a good practice. Now I read from the green book more. grouse, *credit* for renewed Beck enthusiasm! BelovedK, onebyone, I hope you have made it through your week. NatureGirl, your description of "pleasantly hungry" sounded very sane. Glad to hear, too, that you have been happy with your progress. CeeJay, hope you have made it home safely and that your hotel nights were pleasant. Marci(madrikh), it's good to hear from you. It sounds like you have a solid plan in place as you deal with your changing medication and treatment for CFS. Take care!
The travel back and forth is really hard for me although I am very grateful for the opportunity since we don't really enjoy living where my Mom is. It seems that by the time I get settled here it will be time to return. We have already decided that we will come here and stay once we can start tilling the soil for gardening. I know....my mind is in the future right now, but dreaming and planning ahead doesn't hurt....thinking of how to improve my cucumber crop.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - At dinner last night at a friends house, my eating was OP enough, CREDIT moi. Couldn't help but notice that I was the only one of four who didn't do seconds on the pot roast and the spice cake the host had baked. No one noticed because I had seconds of salad and the roasted veggies.
One walk was to do an errand at lunch and another to our friends house for dinner; we usually drive since we carry some contribution to the meal and are running late, but assumed we'd find no parking spaces after the heavy snow. I like seeing the mounds of snow. CREDIT moi.
FutureFitChick - Great reminder to us all, "I’m posting here even though I’m not excited about it right now…" Kudos.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Kudos for digging deeper into feelings. I'm also a believer that, once named, responses are possible other than food.
Shepherdess - Yay for jumping rope, although that doesn't seem like much exercise for your dog, LOL.
Beverlyjoy - I love reading of your twirls; always gives me a smile.
Debbie (Lexxiss) - Yep, old "General whats'his name" has delivered many fried chicken nuggets directly onto the hips of Americans. Kudos for steering dinner to healthier choices. Hope that commitment to an ice cream less future sticks.
Marci (madrikh) - Ouch for legitimate fatigue, with Kudos for moving forward anyway. LOL at losing weight due to "AWFUL" food at a retreat. I've been known to over eat when facing unappealing food.
ChefJoona - Kudos for conquering your scale phobia, and Major Kudos for maintaining over the holidays. I, too, like your thought, "I can only have power over it when I acknowledge it."
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 1 How the Program Works
On the Beck Diet for Life Program . . . . . . You will turn mistakes into opportunities. When unsuccessful dieters eat something they shouldn't, they tell themselves, Now I've done it! I've really blown it ... Oh, well, I might as well eat whatever I want and start again tomorrow. They may then eat hundreds or thousands of extra calories that day - or over the course of the next several days - and gain weight. This plan provides you with a Cheat Sheet (page 104), a worksheet that helps you recommit immediately whenever you make a mistake. From now on, your mistakes will not turn into an entire day or week of overeating, and you will learn how to avoid this kind of mistake in the future. The more times you get back on track immediately, the more you prove to yourself that you can do it - and it gets easier to do so. Instead of becoming demoralized and hopeless, you will become a stronger and more confident dieter. . . .
The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 15.
Stayed on plan for my eating yesterday, but didn't fit in any exercise.
This evening is the rescheduled dinner with a friend. Again, I will be cooking most of the food, so I have a lot of control over what is offered.
Committed to going x-country skiing today! I am noticing some resistance (partly because its only 1 degree F out there) but the sun is shinning and I want that satisfied and energized feeling that comes after exercise! That is my motivation.
Getting a bit anxious for my weigh-in tomorrow. Not expecting much of a loss for this week, but it is only the first week I've been back on the program.
I did fine on my 3 days on the road, whew. Then after a pretty successful week, I got home last night after a harrowing 3 hour drive through ice and snow with no plan. Ate a fairly lousy unhealthy dinner but other than that I had a pretty great week. Always good to conquer the hotels.
Will check in later to make sure I do the following today:
Plan next week
Do weights
Exercise 30 mins
Eat on plan- yogurt for morning snack, salad and soup for lunch, fruit for afternoon snack, veggie chili and brown rice for dinner and diet pudding for bedtime snack.
Read cards
Eat slowly and mindfully.
Hello to everyone.
I do hope today is a successful day.
After much soul searching (it seems every time I read something here I do this). This is good long term. Right now it is uncomfortable. I am starting to realize that I am terrified of successful weight loss. I am much happier (comfortable) maintaining at this weight. I asked myself why, I am seeing that since I too am a people pleaser and I don't want to offend any one else by doing what is best for me (if it makes them feel bad). I have a friend who we were on this weight loss journey together many moons ago, she has been gaining and I feel bad that I will be losing and she will not. At first it was great maintaining, just to know that I could, but my weight is not a healthy weight so I need to get back on my wagon and start pushing myself. It is not about others I try to please, as beck said, "I'm entitled to do what I need to do to lose weight, as long as I'm mot maliciously doing something to make someone else feel bad." I think I need this as my mantra....I so often do something because I don't want to make others feel bad.
Thanks for all the advice with weighing. I am not there yet. I know it is only a tool but when I see the numbers going up, when I have been on plan it makes me crazy or should I say crazier....
It is snowing here and looks beautiful. I think I should invest in snowshoes, I am told it is a great form of exercise.
Have a great day everyone.
Take Care
Ann
The book I was reading about paying more attention to emotions is called The 3 Day Solution Plan by Laurel Mellin. The basic exercise is to check-in ten times a day and ask "How do I feel?" What I learned is that question will almost always get a negative emotion from me. On the other hand, if I ask "How am I happy in this moment?" I always have an answer. Equally effective is to write the words "Choose to be happy" at the top of my to do list. Or, the bibilical version, "This is the day that the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
I suppose a psychologist might be appalled at that sort of manipulation of my emotions, but I don't seem to be hiding some deep dark emotional well. My biggest unmet desire is for some kind of success that has so far eluded me and that I may find less than satisfying should I ever reach it. The best strategy is to be happy in the moment and strive to be uniquely me and see where it gets me.
WI: -0.35kg, Exercise: +70* 580/1300 minutes for January, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
FutureFitChick: I started with an exchange plan of my own design, loosely based on the government's food pyramid. Then I did the DASH diet, followed by the diet in Beck's green book. Now, I'm using Richard Simmon's FoodMover. I liked them all and they all work!
Beverlyjoy: yay for starting off the year with a clean office! And credit for the mostly on target day.
madrikh: great to see you back!
Lexxiss: good job working out strategies with DH!
BillBlueEyes: excellent strategy to take seconds of the healthy veggies while everyone else takes seconds of the other things!
ChefJoona: enjoy your skiing and cooking dinner for your friend!
CeeJay: that sounds so familiar -- plan the hard parts and then forget to plan what should have been easy and turns out to be hard! Live and learn. Credit for the good week!
ETA Newlifestyle: We used to travel up north for snowshoeing -- very good exercise! I think that's an excellent mantra from Beck! You are worth it!
Last edited by gardenerjoy; 01-15-2011 at 11:13 AM.
Yesterday’s food challenges included dinner out with my DH and then going out for drinks (water in my case) after an Audubon Society program. I’m mostly happy with how I dealt with them. DH was starving when we arrived at the restaurant and dove into the bread. I was able to resist and DH kept apologizing for plowing right through it. I have half of my entrée for a lunch today. When we were out with friends I started nibbling on the pretzel mix on the table. As far as calories go it was OK since I had planned to have an appetizer, but it was the need to nibble what was in front of me that was annoying. I could have had more of a treat off the menu. Just something to remind myself in the future.
It was a bit less windy yesterday and still warm. I took the opportunity to go for a run. It was great to get out and a good reminder that running in the wind isn’t that bad and I have a very happy dog!
Gardenerjoy, good job recognizing the need to switch up the plan. Getting a new diet plan can be inspiring, but I understand the value of simplicity. You can always try automating and if it doesn’t work, find a new plan. I’m so impressed with your ongoing exercise to bring awareness to emotions. I love the way you changed the question to get a positive answer.
Beverlyjoy, yay for getting a chance to do some twirls. Insomnia is a difficult problem. I live with an on-again-off-again insomniac. Maybe you can make a list of things to do when you can’t sleep: some meditation, a book you want to read, chamomile tea, whatever. Just things that may or may not help sleep, but will help with anxiety and keep your mind off of food.
FutureFitChick, ouch for continued problems sleeping. Fatigue can make everything else in life so difficult. Great job posting even when your day isn’t going well. I know it’s tough, but it always helps me move on and get back on track!
Madrikh, it’s good to see you back here. Great job posting even when things are disappointing. I know it’s frustrating that the scale isn’t moving, but with everything else you’re dealing with, you should count maintaining your weight as a victory. Once you have your fatigue under control you can tackle weight loss.
Lexxis, great job making healthy choices when dinner plans changed. It’s great that your DH is willing to try healthier fare to make your life easier. As a bonus, his health will improve. Yay for dreaming about tilling the soil. My thoughts are turning to spring as well.
BillBE, great job taking seconds of the healthy stuff and leaving the second helpings of the high-cal stuff for everyone else. Are you the only people willing to walk on the East Coast right now? Most people use the mounds of snow as an excuse to skip exercise.
ChefJoona, kudos for sticking to your plan. Dinner with friends can be a challenge, but if you plan ahead, it’s certainly possible to stay OP. Great job committing to cross country skiing. It’s something I haven’t done since I was a kid, but it sounds like so much fun. We’ve got some world class trails close by, I just need to get out and go.
CeeJay, yikes for a long drive through ice and snow. Glad you made it home safe! It would be pretty hard to avoid stress eating after that. Great job sticking to your plan for 3 days on the road. It’s great when you get those successes under your belt and teach yourself that you can do anything.
Newlifestyle, it’s great that you identified the “success guilt” trap and you’re dealing with it. Few people talk about how difficult emotionally it can be to lose weight, from getting unexpected attention to feeling guilty of doing well while others aren’t. Kudos for doing the soul searching and recommitting to your weight-loss and health!