I've been away for a while now. Life was just getting hectic and posting here fell by the wayside. I had a healthy baby girl almost 3 weeks ago now. My mom has been here helping out, but she left yesterday. So we're on our own now and everyone's a bit nervous.
I'm proud to report that I finished the pregnancy with a very healthy weight gain and continued to exercise right up until delivery. I was still running up until about a week and a half before delivery, then swithed to walking. I'm convinced that it helped enormously during the delivery itself and I've bounced back pretty well from all of it.
My mom and I have been walking and doing lots of yoga since the baby was born. I've been carrying my DD in a sling and she loves it. I went for a run for the first time this AM. I left DH with a sleeping baby, but she was crying when I returned. DH said she started crying almost as soon as I left the house, so we've still got some things to work out if I'm going to start running again. (Incidently, she's sleeping peacefully now.)
I'm still carrying about 12 extra lbs of baby weight right now, but I'm not focusing on losing weight right away. My goal right now is to just make healthy choices while breastfeeding and reintroduce some self-discipline.
I'm looking forward to getting back into this discussion, reconnecting with old friends and getting to know new ones.
I'm in the final hours of prep before I hit the road. Mostly I have to huint and gather the things I need specifically to do a show: credit card machine + slips, bags, receipts, paint and brushes, wire, cordless drill etc etc. I have it all written down which I hope helps me find it fasterhope springs eternal!
I managed to paint two more paintings since I last posted, finishing one very early this morning. I'm so-so with it. The colours are muted to me but the composition is good and parts of it I like enough. I've learned over the years that my tastes are not everyone's tastes and so it's ok if some of the things don't totally please me--they'll please someone eventually.
I got the car tuned up this morning. Our car is in perfect condition! Yay car! also *credit* officially weighed in today. I won't be able to weigh in until I am back on Sunday now. But today it said 280.4 (-1.1lbs). I will strive to break that 280 juggernaut once and for all this week. I will be active the next 4 days so I can get over the hump if I STAY THE COURSE!
It will be the toughest at my mom's -- but I can do it. *credit* for positive thinking.
I also *credit* DID NOT BUY the very very tempting type of muffin that used to "get me" when I was going toa rt school--the ones that were at the base of the escalator as I passed through the mall on the way to class... the same restaurant chain was at the new-to-me mall where I passed the time while the car was being serviced. I opted for real food instead/real breakfast plus a coffee. I watched as person after person bought the muffins but I am glad I didn't. It is setting me up for a healthy food drive to Ottawa in a few hours.
Anyway better go. I'm attaching the last two paintings I finished for this show. I made 9 new ones in about 2 weeks/ 9 in 14 days. Not bad.
These last two are The Quiet (daisy) yes another flower painting... so moody though! and not sure about the name for the birds... The Rendezvous? Secret Rendezvous? Private Space? Privacy? Lovebirds is the obvious title... Any suggestions??
Gotta run. Yikes! I'll check in tomorrow.
Enjoy your Wednesday.
PS I just looked at the bird painting again. I think I am going to call it "My Love". Thanks Becksters!
I got on the scale again (this daily thing you have all been discussing has been on my mind! I'm not actually at that point in the Beck book). According to it, I've broken the 250 "barrier." --It read 249. I couldn't believe it. I'm posting about it here today because last night I was reading a chapter from "The Happiness Makeover" by M.J. Ryan where she talks about how we do not celebrate really good things because we are afraid that if we do, they may be taken away from us. Doing that, she writes, robs our lives of much joy.
So, even though I have a little voice in the back of my head that says, "don't be silly. Don't get excited. It may be gone tomorrow." There's that other part of me that's so happy I want to jump up and down. So, this morning, I choose happy--and I won't worry about tomorrow.
And ... when my daughter was very young I used a jogging stroller to train for a 10K and a half-marathon. It was a fantastic investment. My daughter is 8 now and I've passed it on to a friend with younger kids, but she loved it at the time and often napped in it while I ran. Another bonus - the actual race without the stroller was so much easier than the training!
It may take a few months for your baby to be old enough to hold her head up in the stroller, but when she's ready I bet she will love it.
Shepardess--congratulations! How wonderful for you! One by One --all the best with your show and family. eusebius--good for you for making your list. That's a great idea. Good for you on follow-through. BBE--Arnold is making bread these days? What a thought. Good for you for getting that work out in! Feeling noble is a fine feeling.
I just finished my lunch--OP.
Right after, I had this incredible urge to EAT. I'm not hungry--not at all. It's anxiety, I believe. I am looking after my 3 1/2 year old nephew tomorrow morning (he arrives at 7:30am--I normally get up at around 9:30)--AND I have to get my son and daughter ready for their respective camps. Ugh. They both leave Friday. I'm going to miss them! (My daughter is a few weeks shy of 11, my son is 13)
Okay really late today, but I did weigh myself again (CREDIT). Eating was really strange yesterday, but I seem to have things back under control today.
WI: -0.15 kgs, Exercise: +80 745/1300 minutes for June and 21/33 miles on treadmill, Food: 50%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
eusebius: great to see you back! sounds like a wonderful experience at your retreat!
Shepherdess: yay for the little shepherdess! great to see you back here, too!
onebyone: Great pictures! I really like the simplicity of the daisy one.
Morning coaches, another quiet, OP, no drama day yesterday.
Credits: up early this morning to get to the gym (had a really good strength / weights work out), planned my meals for the day, checked in with you guys, did some spontaneous exercise and starting packing for my trip at the weekend. In other words, just got on with life and didn’t let food cloud my thoughts!
So, I’m off away at the weekend (again) on a course, where I will have no control over the food and I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a lot of processed / white carb / sugar heavy foods, especially lunch. I can take some snack stuff with me, but as I am going to be active all weekend (it’s a mountain bike skills course), I’ll need to eat and I’ll need energy! I’m just hoping that the exercise will counteract the sugar…
Onebyone – I like the flower too, Gardenerjoy – credit for pulling back the control Alana – good work at recognising that you weren’t hungry when you wanted to eat, and congrats for not eating your emotions! Shepardess - and congrats on the new arrival BBE – mmm, pecans…and banana… and nut butter!!! Taste sensation Erika - hello!
Last edited by SuperChick; 07-21-2011 at 04:53 AM.
Standard advice around here is many small meals a day - like small snacks every hour, without fail, 24/7.
Binging and purging isn't usually recommended, but it works wonders to get attention. Projectile purging gets the most attention. Especially from visitors.
Dark is the neatest time to be awake. Both mommy and daddy are home and you get them both.
[Hope this helps.]
Last edited by BillBlueEyes; 07-21-2011 at 05:51 AM.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Food was OK, CREDIT moi, not perfect since there was a touch of ice cream with DW after dinner. But it's a special pint - a gift - so it will be gone in about three times serving us both a small amount. Exercise was a bike ride, CREDIT moi, to get more peanut butter and coffee - two of the major food groups.
onebyone - Congrats for continuing to produce the paintings that you need for your show this weekend. I'd name the birds, Blue nut eaters with eye rings - but then I'm a birder not an artist, LOL.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for back under control.
Shepardess - Welcome to the Shepardling!!! Such exciting news. Kudos for your exercise regime right up until birth. Wish you well finding a way to include one more mammal into the clan.
Erika (eusebius) - Just blows my mind to think of being present for a whole week. Wish you well finding your way to be that in your home life.
SuperChick - Yay for being able to use "moral support" as an excuse to get in the surf and to exercise. Your mountain bike skills course sounds like super exercise - have fun. Are you a Nutella fan? My prejudice is that most Europeans prefer Nutella over peanut butter.
Alana in Canada - Kudos for taking the risk and celebrating the neat milestone of crossing the 250 barrier. Interesting thought that failure to celebrate can relate to fear of losing the gain. Yay for kids going away for a week; Ouch for kids going away for a week. [LOL at The Arnold making bread (instead of making out).]
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 4 Stage 1The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 2Weigh yourself daily
Are you convinced yet? Here is why weighing yourself daily is so important:
. . .
You need to learn to use the number on the scale as information, making sure your weight is generally going in a downhill direction, even though it won't go down every day. The scale will also indicate if you have plateaued for a period of time, letting you make an informed decision whether it's time to alter your eating or exercise program.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 57.
I had my sanest travel day yet, as I continue to pursue my healthy relationship with food. *credit* I had an hour between getting here and heading to Denver and used it to plan and prepare food to take with me. I enjoyed a wonderful Asian salad at lunch while "observing" the incredibly large pasta dishes being consumed at the tables nearby. I was happy to be "thinking like a thin person" instead of drooling over calories not consumed. I resisted mom's offer of frozen yogurt at Costco remembering it was already in my plan to have a fresh raspberry treat after dinner and happily passed by the samples, too. Exercise was...packing, hauling, driving, unpacking, driving, hauling 55# of our most favorite discontinued coffee out of Costco ($$ouch) and making an extra effort to clean the kitchen after dinner so I could start fresh in the morning.
Shepherdess, congratulations on your DD AND for a successful completion of your healthful pregnancy. What a fortunate daughter that she will have a mom who has a passion for health. over the hill looking East.
to all! I'll hope to return later for personals but need to get my work day started not to mention relocating the coffee from my living room floor. My relationship with food is so much better when I resist procrastination.
Quick Question--How do you handle it when people bring you food as a present?
My mom brought me "sugar-free" chocolate hedgehogs the firstr day of my plan. I refused them and she gave them to my kids, instead.
But then yesterday, hubby came home with some yogurt covered raisins--and way more than the two tablespoons (plain) that would count as one serving of fruit on my plan.
I didn't know what to say except Thanks, and I just left them on the kitchen table, I'm afraid. No one else in the family likes raisins.
credit--weighed in again this morning.
credit--made plan last night. It's not taking quite as long, but I have to figure out how to get more efficient at it. I'm beginning to resent the time it's taking. (1/2 hour plus.)
Thanks for all the warm wishes and kind thoughts on the newest addition to the ranch. It’s great to be back here with all the good support.
I’m feeling good today. I was able to sleep in a bit this AM. My DD went back to sleep after her early AM feeding, so I’m grateful for that. I’ve also discovered that my DH is good at calming a fussy baby when I’m around. I suspect he just needs to know he’s got backup available.
My goals for today are to post here (done), get some exercise, and make a plan and stick with it. The last one is the biggest challenge, since I’m still trying to figure out how to eat while nursing. It just requires some trial and error and some research.
Onebyone, yay for passing up demon muffins and getting real food instead! What a great way to set yourself up to “break that 280 juggernaut once and for all this week!” Sounds like you have a good plan in place to do it. The bird painting is beautiful.
Alana in Canada, congrats on breaking the 250 barrier and kudos for giving yourself permission to celebrate. Great job identifying that urge to eat as anxiety. It always helps to give that emotion a name. RE food gifts: First, don’t be afraid to throw them out when the gifter is not looking. Alternatively, you could divide them up into servings that will fit your plan.
Eusebius, thanks for the tip about the jogging stroller. I’ve been thinking of getting one, but was wondering if she would like it. It’s good to hear that your daughter liked it.
Gardenerjoy, I just saw that you hit your goal. Congratulations! Kudos for weighing in and great job getting your eating back under control.
SuperChick, yay for a no-drama day! Great job getting a good workout. Have a great weekend and best of luck. It’s always tough when you have no control over your food.
BillBE, great job enjoying a special treat in small servings. Thanks for the Shepardling advice. She has definitely taken the “Dark is the neatest time to be awake” to heart!
Lexiss, yay for “sanest travel day yet” and for thinking like a thin person! I love the coffee workout, but ouch that your favorite coffee is discontinued. Hope you find a good substitute.
Good Morning Coaches: Day three of my week's check off sheet. It reminds me of the basics - sit while eating, resistance technique, fullness sets in 20 mins. after eating. Etc... I have lost 2.6 of the 5 pounds gained at the reunion. I am focusing on staying OP one day at a time with the goal of returning to school in three weeks at the exact weight I started summer. This is a major triumph because it will mean I have successfully continued my weightloss journey for ONE YEAR. I have never maintained such a low weight for that long of time. I have one last weekend away to do. I am not looking forward to it because I just want to be home where food planning is easier. I am reminding myself that I have kept OP traveling before and I can do it again. This is important.
Eusebius: Congrats on your retreat. That must have taken quite a bit of discipline. Do you have a website for you 12-step Buddha podcast? Do I download to my MP# player? Pamatga: Your blackbean chili reminded me of my blackbean soup I recently discovered. Yum and a perfect ratio of protein to carbs. Lexxiss: I always wonder why I don't grow basil myself. It tastes terrific with everything. BBE: Credit for making it to the gym. I am always very proud of myself when I plan gym before anything else. And still I don't make it as often as I wish. It is so true that we must plan our dream and then do it on purpose! Shepardess: Welcome back and congrats on a baby girl. You sound tremendously healthy. Credit. Alana: Congrats on the weight loss. You haven't gotten to the part in the book which reaffirms that our weightloss is not an accident. It happens because we now know how to do it. Superchick: I am jealous of your mountain bike technique course. Sounds terrific. I am not envious of you having to be away for the weekend. I have had too much of that. It is difficult, I know. Credit for thinking it through now.
First of all, major on the new baby girl, Shepherdess! I didn't even know you were expecting a child. onebyone GJ on wrangling in the muffins. I have found that once having one bite of those bakery muffins I can not stop. Homemade ones have less of everything in them so they are easier to handle. Again, high fat/high sugar is a deadly combination and has our personal planets out of orbit in no time. Avoidance is the best course! on this major choice to not choose. alana I too went through a period where I thought that losing weight was somehow magical and that only certain people who had certain unknown "powers" could do it. After reading BDS, pink book, I realized that it was like riding a bike, surfing a wave, painting a picture or anything else that can be mastered. You just have to learn how to do and then practice, practice, practice. I still run into people who believe like I used to and they look me up and down like somehow I cracked a very important case. Nah! I just logged my food, exercised, drank my water, read my cards and so on, until the results began to show on the scales. So simple yet so "mysterious" (NOT) Eusebius: back. Being in the moment is really all we have.
The Eternal Now. Going with the Flow of the River of Life. It means letting go, trusting and having tons of patience. An exercise worth doing. Lexxiss: What other herbs do you grow? BBE: Credit well deserved for making it to the gym. I used to do that for over a decade. Then one day I stopped and began walking. Did that for eight years, hurt my foot then stopped. Then, I started to go from one size to another. Don't stop. It is sooooo hard to get back to where you once were. I know! Superchick: It sounds like your best line of defense is a good offense. I think I heard that regarding American football. Correct me someone if it is from somewhere else. I miss being so active. You have half the battle won already.
Credit: I had yet another revelation about my behavior and how it used to impact how I related to food (negatively of course). A problem that I thought was taken care of a week ago resurfaced. In fact, the person whom I dealt with assured me they were taking care of it. NOT! So, I am faced with it again and it has the potential of serious short term repercussions with my finances. I credit myself with remaining calm (thanks to a somewhat better night's sleep) but here it is 4 minutes before the end of their business day and I have not received the afore-mentioned promised return phone call to further discuss this. I have waited for this since 9 a.m.
I did not eat over this BUT I did sulk by myself, told my DH to attend a dinner invitation without me (I do this way too much to him too) because between self-treating this nagging mid-back pain I also had this matter to "address". Now, the revelation part was "C'mon, I am allowing this issue to rule my entire day". Granted, I did not eat over it. Kudos for that but I stopped everything else so I could just wait by the phone. Who's in control here? Certainly, not me!
I thought about what Dr. Beck might say to me in this case. This is what I think she would say: you can't let the bumps in life derail your otherwise possibly enjoyable plans. I am robbing the potential joy from my own life. It's sulking and being somewhat of a martyr too. There are other lessons to be learned in this and I'm thinking it through to what those might be.
It ties into how I would have comforted or soothed my emotions with favorite foods or spending money I didn't have. There is a victory here but I feel I have moved beyond that point and now I need to address how to keep on going through my day without allowing things like this to stop me dead in my tracks. I did do some correspondence. I also did some "time filling" type of activities too. I ate two planned meals and stopped. I felt anxious and I would have liked to eat "just because" but I didn't.
When does protecting oneself from overeating end up pushing other people away?? I am beginning to see remnants of that in my life and it concerns me. I sincerely do want a healthy relationship with food while enjoying a healthy relationship with people at the same time. I will discuss these revelations with my DH when he comes home. I want him to know that I understand how my behavior does rob him of a social companion a lot. I am not proud of that either.
In the meantime, I see that I have a lot of work ahead of me to do.
Wednesday perparations
to your darling little girl.
and congrats on the new arrival
Welcome Shepardling
on the new baby girl, Shepherdess! I didn't even know you were expecting a child. 
back. Being in the moment is really all we have.
