Thanks for the happy birthday messages. I had a really great time this weekend with my family. My nephew did a great job on his first day skiing. i am so proud of him.
I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel on my writing. I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm not feeling panicked about it now.
Yesterday my 9 year old pup (St. Bernard) had a dental cleaning and several sebaceous cysts removed. She looks like she lost a fight a big way! She's got patches all over her where her fur is shaved and in the middle are a patchwork of stitches. Poor girl keeps moaning - sounds like her pain meds aren't quite doing the trick.
Bill - French restaurant sounds amazing. I don't see your decluttering as moving towards the end of life at all. I see it as moving past the "needs" of our more materialistic nature and towards truly meaningful experiences. Yay for heavier dumbbells.
Lexxis - sending positive thoughts your way. Glad to hear you are getting a break from the stress.
Beverleyjoy - hope endoscopy was useful and painless.
Pamatga - great job for walking in Wal-Mart!!!
Shepheress, as always, love hearing about the goings-on at the ranch. How cool are you!! I love your attitude about healthy gaining.
Ceejay - hope you are doing well.
Gardnerjoy, hope things continue to go better for you on your plan. Thanks for the great advice to me. I think that strategy will really help.
Marycontrary, any luck carving out space? That has to be tough with so many women under one roof!!
Seadwaters, glad you got to get rid of that project. Is that the one you had to unexpectedly take over for someone else that left?
Just a quick check in tonight. I am very, very tired and need to go to bed.
Credit today for:
-weighting in
-walking 30 mins with DH
-doing weights
-eating on plan and healthy
-checking in with my coaches
-making tomorrow's lunch and planning tomorrow's dinner
Take care. Hope you all have a great day tomorrow.
Welcome to skygirl and jicarilla! To echo (yet again) a recurring greeting, "You will find peace here."
Sending strong and positive thoughts to Lexxiss and beverlyjoy for steady recoveries and good news, I hope.
Yesterday was some more Off plan eating. I just couldn't resist more of the Chinese noodles that are my favorite. Okay -- I did resist, but it didn't stick. I regretted it for most of the evening, as I haven't over-eaten in quite some time and my body just isn't used to it. Credit moi, I suppose, for being aware of these differences in my body.
I saw what the excess salt and the monthly cycle did to the scale this morning. I am getting used to seeing the scale jump about five pounds when I'm having the monthly hormone party, so I have learned to say many "oh wells" during this time. Still, it's mildly depressing, and I *do* take it as a reminder that I don't want this to be a permanent jump. I can say, now, with conviction, I would rather be thinner.
In terms of the writing, well, I wish February was a full month. But I've begun to see the shape of this conference paper in my head, which is the most important thing for my process. I will make this deadline. I've also (yet again) reconceptualized my calendar for academic writing, AND tentatively reduced my dissertation project to four chapters rather than five. My experiment this week: charting my writing and work out plan NEXT to my food plan. This, combined with the addition of reward stickers (see below), might prove to be some useful, practical incentive to visualize the balance between writing, eating, and working out.
Those folks asking about exercise: l second much of what gardenerjoy said! She gave excellent details and suggestions. For me, I have found that I prefer exercising at home. It just works more with my schedule, and saves me a lot of time. I also prefer the privacy.
Several things have really helped me to maintain an exercise program. First, I found a type of work-out that I really like. It challenges my body, but isn't too hard to follow mentally. I have found this to be extremely important, because I'm in academia and think too much, anyway. I am a big fan of the Leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos. I have always loved walking, so this meshes with my spirit. I do Tae-Bo, occasionally, but only when I'm not feeling like a perfectionist.
Second, seeing the instant results on the scale and in the mirror really helps me to stick with the working out. About a year before I started a workout program, I completely changed my eating habits, but didn't see much of a change in terms of weight loss. But when I started working out regularly, WHOA. The changes were instantaneous, in terms of energy, flexibility, positivity, toning, and weight loss. This fact -- you can't lose weight unless you move -- truly motivates me, especially on the low-energy days.
Third, and last, and maybe silliest -- as I have gushed about before, I have a laminated full-year calendar on my wall, on which I track only two things: my dissertation writing deadlines and my workouts. Every time I exercise, I put a neon smiley sticker on the day. I aim to have 4-6 smiley stickers per week (my weeks start on Sunday). I now have six months full of neon smileys!!! I look in the mirror and at the scale; I look at my decreasing body measurements over the past six months; I look at the bags of big clothing sitting in the car and waiting for a new home -- and I think, that's what six months of working out can do for me. Filling up this calendar makes me so deliriously happy that my DP joked the other day that I should buy a different type of sticker to put on the days when I work on my dissertation. Then maybe I'd work on it as much as I work on my health!
Believe it or not, I'm seriously considering this idea.
SO, all of this rambling is just to say that, in addition to finding what works for you in terms of the type of exercise, and the time of day you exercise, you need to believe that exercise is the only way to be thinner and healthier. And if you can find a way to track your progress visually, so that you see it all the time every day -- my wall calendar is inside our room, right next to the door -- so much the better.
FutureFitChick, oh! I just hear my own struggles in your words. I send strong writing thoughts your way. Know that I'm also facing a deadline on 03/01, so you'll have someone in Southern California grappling with these same issues.
Credits:
* working out
* making homemade chicken and dumplings
* working on my dissertation in the morning and afternoon
* resisting seconds of dinner
* making healthy shifts to my plan today
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Lunch turned out to consist only of vegetables scrounged from the fridge. CREDIT moi despite not being centered around some chunk of protein. The squash had some protein as well as the skim milk. Reminded me of "Vegetable Plates" sold at lunch counters when I was a kid, LOL.
At gym, CREDIT moi, I used the same size dumbbells but did more reps on my third set. That made me deliriously happy. On Monday, I stopped when I just couldn't lift another time without dropping them on me or the floor. Same on Wednesday, but I went further. It seems odd to me that muscles can increase in size due to one workout, but I'll take it.
onebyone - Neat that "You're on the list," perhaps Kate and Wills invitation is also in the mail, LOL. Kudos for a bunch of "DONE's" in your list.
FutureFitChick - Yay for "light at the end of the tunnel" for a little breathing room. [Thanks for the perspective, "towards truly meaningful experiences" - I like the positive outlook.]
CeeJay - I continue to enjoy reading your walks with your DH.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - It's encouraging to read your sane flexibility dealing with the optional snack.
Beverlyjoy - Congrats on that 25 pounds less than last year with Kudos for celebrating that instead of only suffering about your difficulties.
MaryContrary - Kudos for a morning and afternoon of working on your dissertation. Methinks your DP is a genius suggesting stickers for days writing.
ChefJoona - Kudos for confronting the Sabotaging Thought of food going to waste. Yay for planning a specific treat from your stash of Valentine's candy.
Ruby (RubyJan) - Kudos for the insight that doing "tasks I hate" can serve as a trigger - so Beck of you to note that.
Gwen - That's a neat awareness about comfort foods, "The comfort factor of any food decreases according to how guilty and miserable I feel after eating it." Particularly to know that in advance. Does "leg lifts & plie's while brushing teeth" suggest you've done ballet?
pamatga - Kudos for increasing your walking from steps to miles - that's such good news. And Kudos for keeping your wits fighting those attacks on you. When I put a trace on the attempts to log into my computer, I found that it was happening steadily all day long from different IP's around the globe. My smart friends assured me that that's just the way the Internet is.
Jan (jmaf) - Welcome to the 5am club - there's a bunch of us, you won't be lonely, LOL. Glad your DH is getting more of his independence back.
skygirl - Kudos for jumping right in giving yourself credit - that one was initially hard for me.
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 2 Experience the Difference
This time is going to be different because the Beck Diet for Life Program is different. Here is how: . . . It teaches you how to get back on track. It is normal to stray from your diet. I know you will make mistakes. That is why you will practice in advance what to do when you fall off the wagon, so you can get back on right away - not tomorrow, next week, or next month. You will learn how to continually and quickly recommit yourself to the program and reduce the likelihood of making mistakes in the future. . . .
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D, The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 24.
First of all... thank you to everyone for the exercise tips and hints!! I am beginning to realize that one big struggle I have with exercise is that it forces me to connect and feel my body, and my body is something I often prefer to ignore or avoid. Exercise is an emotionally painful endevor for me. I think I need to work on figuring that out. I hear all about the benefits of exercise and how great it can make your body feel, and I want to get to that point- so exercise is not a struggle or something I avoid at all costs.
I am going to take a look at some OnDemand videos, and walking outside in the nice weather really is something I enjoy. I would like to get into some strength training too- my muscles feel weak.
Mid-week weigh-in this morning. The stomach bug of last week really messed up my weight. I went down about 4 pounds very fast- because I was not earint. I have gained 2 back, and eating has been weird the last couple of days as I get back into a routine. I am going to look at today's scale number as a new starting point, and ignore the lowest point when I was sick.
Credit yesterday for good choices at 1/2 price burger night with friends. Started with a salad, and immediately cut my burger in half and brought the rest home for today.
Rubyjan I totally agree with "So it is very comforting to know that we are all working on managing our eating at the same time as trying to manage Life in the 21st Century". Reading everyone's own personal daily struggles that affect and influence the goals we are here to work on brings to light how challenging life is! But all we can do is perservere and continue on.
Wish I had more time for personals, but the concerns of my 21st Century job are calling!
I'm a little bit scattered but wanted to check in. Today will be busy as my sis and I enjoy fun activities before I head to me early evening meeting. After the meeting we'll jump in the car and drive over the divide.
My food and exercise is on track. I had calories left over yesterday because I logged so much exercise. I didn't use them *credit*
Beverlyjoy, sending healing energies to your sister.
Today's challenge is a movie. But this is the last for awhile -- the tenth of all ten movies nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I've never seen all of the nominated films before the awards presentation (not even when there were only five nominees). We'll have popcorn, because we do that, but I'll count it as either lunch or all of my snacks depending on the timing and how much of it I eat.
WI: NAkg, Exercise: +0* 985/1300 minutes for February, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Lexxiss: glad you're finding some fun activities at this time. Yay for not eating your exercise calories!
ChefJoona: Excellent plan to ignore the low point on the scale caused by illness.
BillBlueEyes: love the vegetable plate image! I don't remember those, but my mother used to order a diet plate that was a huge amount of fruit encircling a scoopful of cottage cheese.
Last edited by gardenerjoy; 02-24-2011 at 10:35 AM.
Just a quick check-in this morning. Scones in the break room so I'll have to avoid going there. Already said 'no choice' over and over again and it seems to be working.
Have all of my meals packed with me at work today as I will be going to a class afterwards and don't want to eat on-the-run (that always gets me into trouble!).
So, credits for:
- not tasting the scones
- pre-planning what I'm eating today
Coaches: very short note from me this morning as it's almost the afternoon.
Got up late, got stuck on the phone again and now have 2 hours to get drawing homework done and artist statement written before my drawing group meeting this afternoon. Then coffee with a long-time-no-see friend after that. I come home then to packing/sorting as listed below; or not. If I don't do it today I have to tack it onto tomorrow's list.
O Well. First things first. Must jet!
credit* weighing in: 280 (same)
*planned meals
Today's zones: UPDATE 9:00pm: No Progress Today - Oh Well. Time for bed.
#12 stuff from the fish tank to the wall
#2 entry space
CONTINUE:
#18 stuff in electronics cabinet*leave equipment for DH*
ALSO:
get garbage/recycling out to curb ____
sort laundry____
unload/pack/sort dishwasher dishes___
ZONES COMPLETED: #13-#17= 5/45 (day 3/20 today) note to self: an average of 2 zones a day will get me to my goal and it doesn't need to be PERFECT either
Showing a great deal of patience with the lack of communication regarding the payroll check holds. The reason? Someone stole some blank checks at the business that my husband works for so the bank itself put an "alert" out. I "wish" someone would have told my husband because when this happened to a second check yesterday and he was running around with 1/16th of a tank of gas, E light on, to find some place that would cash it and he couldn't; I pressed DH to call a co-worker and find out what was going on. That is when DH found out.
You will hear me say this many times but I swear most of the problems we encounter in life are all about miscommunication. I want to qualify that I was a double major in college--yes, communication was one of them. Just that one little piece of information would have helped us plan things so differently. For one thing, we wouldn't have had to use credit cards last weekend and now have a new additional bill.
I am sick with the flu so except for drinking lots and lots of plain water (80+ oz) and taking Emergen-C, all I have been doing is sleeping a lot.
Credit moi for taking care of myself no matter what. Scrapped my evening class this week (I'm in a self-paced program) and watched tv along with DH.
He is up to 11 miles. He is training for his 13K marathon on March 20th. He is doing great. I just wish I could be there with him. There was a time, about 10 years ago, when I walked 15 miles every week for over 8 years. I hope I will be able to join him in the next year or two. I need surgery first though.
Calving is still going strong! DH and I have gotten a pretty good night routine where he does the midnight check and I do the 3 AM check. Of course, I’m awake while he does his check and vice versa, but it’s a bearable when you don’t have to go out in the cold twice in the night. We had our first assist the other night. I stayed up even though I wasn’t doing much more than holding the medical supplies. I was pretty tired from that yesterday and tried to get started on baking for shearing this weekend. It was a bad combination. Oh well. I had some baking to finish today and survived it.
I’m trying to come up with a plan for shearing since last year I didn’t eat that well. I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but it will involve allowing myself some extra treats since it’s pretty tough to be around them all day, especially when I get tired. I’m hoping a little extra will help me keep some sanity—I’m taking a page out of Gardenerjoy’s book and giving up that “all or nothing” attitude.
Lexiss, sending a hug your way. So sorry for your friend.
BillBE, Fletcher is starting to settle into all this craziness and finally starting to see this as an adventure.
FutureFitChick, sending supportive thoughts while you hang in there for another week.
Waving to everyone and welcome to all the new people! I look forward to getting to know you better and will get back to personals when life slows down a bit.
Quick check in... My goal between Monday and Thursday of next week is to make an "emergency" box of recipes & corresponding pantry staples for my husband to make and a list of healthy food options for take out at local places (like Beverlyjoy or maybe Gardenerjoy has done??) for two full days of eating. I am finding when things get too hectic I am grabbing the closest and often very indulgent food I can. I should also revisit the hunger experiment to remind myself that hunger is not an emergency. My body has forgotten this lesson. It is difficult to find balance on that last point while trying to keep energy levels up when I am having a fibromyalgia flare up. We'll work this out though! Weight is still hovering where it has been the last several months, which I guess I am greatful for. I will get past 240 though!!!
My poor pup is laying on the floor with her dozens of stiches just repeatedly expelling deep sighs. Come on last pain pill! Kick in for her!!
Ceejay - waving hi and hope you had a good day.
MaryContrary - happy writing and hope you are making good progress today. I know what I'll be doing this weekend! I love the visual of the monthly hormone party!! I also love the smiley stickers! Those used to be such a great incentive as a kid for me, then I had to go and grow up to be too mature to need such a silly thing! Ha! They've always been fun!!
BillBlueEyes - delighted to hear about more reps on the dumbbells! That is fantastic. Great job for continuing to challenge yourself.
ChefJoona - you never would have caught me in a gym 2 years ago. I'm not sure what made me pick up the phone, but finding a Personal Trainer that is well educated, patient, and kind has helped me to get over lots of my gym fear.
Lexxis - delighted to hear your food and exercise is on track!
Gardenerjoy - how fun is your movie adventure! That is so great. I don't know that I've seen any of them this year.
jmaf - awesome job on planning ahead and no choice! I am really excited for you!
onebyone - great job checking in!
Pamatga - 15 k next year is totally doable! Take care of yourself with the terrible flu. I am glad you are getting good rest.
Shepherdess - so glad calving is going well. My mind has created a vivid movie of what you all must experience every year! Good luck with the baking, keeping your energy up with a baby on board, and planning for the shearing. Thanks for the support from you. Your posts always make me smile!
Thanks BillBlueEyes, I am trying to follow the process as closely as I can. I have a feeling I may need to sort of "cling" to the process and follow it as faithfully as I can so that I can get through.
Today was rough, ate healthy foods, but just more than I would like to have eaten. Was really fighting the urge to have sugar or binge, so that's why I just decided to eat more of the healthy stuff. It was hard, but I kept reminding myself why I am doing this. I did not end up exercising today, so I need to work on that. I also need to make my cards and start reading them every day.
Today was not as productive as I wished, in terms of the reading and writing. I slept in too late, lingered too long over coffee and "fun" reading, breakfast became lunch, by which time I just barely had time to exercise before running some errands.
The emotional eating hit me when I learned that the Dept. did not forward my application for the University-wide fellowship competitions. Although I've been blessed with an endowed fellowship this year, I thought I was a pretty strong candidate for the final year fellowships (a different competition). Apparently not. I'm trying, really trying, to be oh well about this.
It was interesting, receiving this news. Almost immediately I wanted a comfort food -- thai or pizza or chili cheese fries. I surprised myself by recognizing this craving as it hit me. I would not have been able to recognize this feeling a year ago. I realized this fellowship news brought up some issues I always have to deal with, namely, my need for validation. It hit me today, that I haven't had to really deal with these emotions because I've been on fellowship. For a year I have been feeling validated because I won this fellowship in a very competitive process.
Now it looks as if I'll be returning to teaching. Although I've applied for external fellowships, I'm even less likely to receive one of these. I feel like a bubble has been burst. I know I am taking this too personally, and I also know that departmental politics are something I can't control. Oh well. This sucks. But it's not about me.
Credit moi for reflecting on these things. The next step is to count my blessings and move forward.
I chose to bake homemade chocolate chip cookies with wheat flour. I followed my rules for this situation. It was just the kind of comfort I needed. And, more importantly, I don't feel bad about it.
Credits:
-- sticking to my (mental) food plan
-- resisting seconds at dinner
-- finding a healthier (and cheaper) option for some emotional eating
-- intense exercise despite low energy
-- coming here
Goals for tomorrow:
--make a plan for this conference paper
--write the introduction paragraph
--buy some stuff for my weekend lunches at the library
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Stood down all thoughts that I didn't need to take my walk after work, CREDIT moi. Instead I concentrated on walking briskly, remembering that I justified walking instead of using the elliptical because I could get the same heart rate while enjoying the scenery. Passed bunches of under-dressed joggers, a sign that spring is certainly coming.
Had a strong urge to have nuts for my afternoon snack since I was out of my usual toasted whole wheat pita chips and taboule. Thought about that while walking, being quite aware that the volume I'd choose would be a hearty snack and that I'd want more. I've chosen an afternoon snack that I like very much and that satisfies instead of feeling like the beginning of a binge. So I had some packaged corn chips (not the best) with humus - CREDIT moi - and went about my life.
onebyone - May today be a day of progress on your zones. Listing your zones is such a neat idea to break down an overbearing task into manageable ones.
FutureFitChick - The hectic life does seem to call for "very indulgent food" - Kudos for observing that as the first step in countering it.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - I don't know anybody who has seen all the Best Picture nominees - maybe you'll make the Guinness Book of Records.
Shepherdess - You've got a special challenge with all that baking of treats for shearing. Sounds like giving up the “all or nothing” attitude is good strategy.
Debbie (Lexxiss) - Yay for "so much exercise" - your sister seems to be a good influence.
MaryContrary - Ouch for the fellowship disappointment, with Kudos for working against "taking this too personally" - that's a hard one, since of course it feels personal. Love your conclusion, "The next step is to count my blessings and move forward."
ChefJoona - Yep, Kudos for eating half of a half price burger instead of two; takes fortitude to cut a burger in half and doggie bag the other half.
pamatga - Bummer on those stolen blank checks - but at least you've uncovered the mystery. Kudos for tracking that down.
Jan (jmaf) - Skipping scones is nearly saintly, LOL. I used to have a scone from Starbucks at the airport when I took a monthly early morning flight thinking they were healthy - until my DD told me why they were so good, LOL.
skygirl - The epitome of Beck's strategies, "but I kept reminding myself why I am doing this" - Kudos!
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 2 Experience the Difference
This time is going to be different because the Beck Diet for Life Program is different. Here is how: . . . It teaches you how to keep going when the going gets tough. Like all dieters, you will find that it is easy to diet on some days and harder on others. This is normal. It becomes more difficult, for example, when you are struggling with negative emotions, tired, or tempted to skip exercising or shopping for and preparing the food you need. It gets harder when your hormones are fluctuating and your cravings for certain foods intensify. It gets harder as life presents challenges at work or at home and as the rate you are losing weight starts to slow. In this program, you will not only learn but also you will actually master a set of thinking skills to prevent yourself from getting discouraged and abandoning your diet when times get tough. You will prove to yourself - over and over - that these difficult days always pass and that you're always so glad later you stuck with it. . . .
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D, The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 24.
Last edited by BillBlueEyes; 02-26-2011 at 04:38 AM.
Reason: Typo
Thursday
my day is spoken for already.
