SuperChick - I learned a new word from you 'courgette'. We call them zucchini. How do you prepare them?
Yup, the garden is large. I space things out really well, plus there are some flowers mixed in. I think there are 15 tomato plants, maybe 8 pepper plants, etc. Salsa canning season will be here soon..... We try to eat most of the rest as it ripens, although I think I'll be canning beets this year as they are growing nicely.
I had to go to a meeting today, so I challenged myself to climb stairs to it. I did 5 flights up and felt like I recovered pretty quickly. Credit ! Hopefully that helps with the two slices of pizza I had for dinner ;/
All your activities make me think and build on my plans. Thanks for sharing!
I've really come to look forward to checking in with you all every day.
*credit* for a positive attitude today at the dentist's office. Being there is one of life's horrors to me. Found out--no surprise--that my periodontal disease is a lot worse and that I'll need four rounds of root planing. Pricey!
The last time this happened (8 years ago) I was totally demoralised by the whole thing. I was deeply ashamed of myself. I let myself fall into a "what's the use" attitude and basically stopped seeing the dentist entirely. (oops.) This time, the dr. says we can get it under control (I want an implant for a new tooth)--so I'm (finally) ready to step up to the plate and take care of this situation.
The current thinking, apparently, is that periodontal disease is an auto-immune thing--and a chronic condition for some people. In the past the attitude was "It's all the patient's fault." Obviously, I didn't do well with the latter message.
*credit* for spontaneous stair taking (still down and not up. Still, noticed it is getting easier to walk long distances, hooray.--I have horrible problems with my ankle joint and I really need to see someone about it)
*credit* for doing my planned exercise today. I was about to skip it but onebyone totally inspired me--so I sent the husband on an errand and delayed dinner a bit by putting the chicken on slow simmer and did a 20 minute One Mile walk with a Leslie Sansone video.
*credit* for daily weigh-in, making my plan (went off a bit, though I got right back on) and reading the Beck book today.
Woodland--wow, five flights! That's wonderful.
Gardening Deb--glad you booted back up! Glad your day was peaceful, food wise. That's great!
maryann--good for you for putting away your perfectionism!
anotherchick--hooray for naps! Hope you can get lots.
Shepherdess--glad things are cooler and the little one is calmer. I've been wondering is swaps are still 'on plan." __I think they are--it would just be too much on the side of perfectionism to say that because I had a nectarine instead of canteloupe that somehow, now, I was "off plan." I don't think Beck expects perfection either. (Though, I must say, my "no choice" card seems rather stern!)
onebyone--you are amazing! Those all sound like eminently sensible modifications--you should be proud of yourself! I am.
gadenerjoy--I'm glad you are right where you are in this journey. I hadn't thought that maintenance would be the same--yet that makes so much sense. Yet, I too think there ought to be a party! That at the end one should have unlimited cake and ice cream. But it cannot be that way. So, instead of cake and ice-cream can you take a trip? Buy something you've always wanted? Go to a concert? Something to celebrate that doesn't involve food? I'm thinking of what I might do once I reach goal.
Pamatga--hooray for the Turkey burgers! Maybe I can convince my family to give them a try. My husband loves pork sausage.
Billblueeyes--glad you went on that walk.
Superchick--you inspired me to watch 7pounds (with Will Smith) today. It was a good movie in spite of the ultra-romantic and idealistic premise. It was well done.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Cold poached salmon on the patio for dinner as part of an on plan eating day, CREDIT moi. Watermelon for evening snack - I just love watermelon.
onebyone - Yay for "achy" from a workout.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Thanks for, "Yay! We're done! Time to party!" I think that a part of me feels that so finds it easier to justify diversions.
Shepardess - Sleep does wonders for the brain. Perhaps DH found an excuse to come back to the house because he missed his DD.
Woodland - Feeling good about yourself from climbing five flights of stairs should help to make a meeting easier.
GardeningDeb – Kudos for tweaking your food plan in small steps. Yep, this sitting down to eat takes some effort to incorporate.
maryann - Kudos for putting your school year in perspective - and for reveling in the changes you make in young lives.
pamatga - I did better when I gave up the notion of finding foods that "tasted the same" but were healthy, and accepted the idea of liking healthy foods for themselves. We add mango and jalapeño pepper to our couscous - so yummy.
Alana in Canada - Ouch for periodontal disease, and Double Ouch for the feeling that it must be from bad flossing! Glad you mentioned that.
Becky (anotherchick) - Congrats on two pounds lost in eight hours of driving. Vacations are a good time to take naps.
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 4 Stage 1The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 3Eat Slowly, While Sitting Down and Enjoying Every Bite
Study after study bears out the importance of these habits:
Research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania determined that diners consumed more overall food and calories when they sped up their eating pace and consumed fewer calories when they slowed down.
. . .
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 61.
I'm having a crazy busy day today, ate my lunch 2 hours late, spent all morning in meetings and have an inbox full of emails to answer! I will try to check in later properly but so far so OP, having a rest day from the exercise today, managed to read some more beck last night, and shock horror, i bought some new scales! I'll write more about that later, when i have the time... hope all of you are well and feeling positive
Food was OP yesterday, except for a snack that was larger than it needed to be. I’m saying “Oh well” to that. I just need to be more careful in the afternoons. Exercise didn’t happen yesterday. Missing one day is not a big deal, but I need to make sure I exercise today so it doesn’t become a pattern. Not sure how that’s going to happen. I already didn’t get my run in this AM. We had a long night last night and everyone slept through the alarm this AM. I need to remind myself that just because I can’t do my planned workout doesn’t mean I get to skip exercise.
Anotherchick, great job staying OP when you had an unexpected change in plans. Ouch for a late night/early morning. Hope you get a nap and enjoy your much needed R&R.
Maryann, yay for a manageable number on the scale after a vacation. Kudos for getting a jump on work and big congrats for being such a great teacher!
GardeningDeb, great job staying within your plan, even with a few imperfections. A simplified plan sounds good; hope you get the go-ahead from your nutritionist. Yes the picture is from WY. It’s one of my favorite places on our ranch in early June. I love WY in June!
Woodland, great job getting in some extra exercise. What a great reward that you recovered quickly. Love the idea of salsa canning season!
Alana in Canada, great job on a positive attitude at the dentist. It’s great to have a dr that makes a plan rather than blame the patient. Kudos for spontaneous stairs, planned exercise and weigh-in.
BillBE, cold poached salmon and watermelon sound like perfect summer foods. Yay for enjoying an OP day!
SuperChick, ouch for super busy day, but it sounds like you did an amazing job handling it. New scales sounds interesting.
*credit for posting
*credit for weighing in (-0.9) = 281.5lbs
*credit for day 3 workout done
*credit for deciding on a foodplan for now
I just finished the 2nd round of doing the sculpt/weight workout. Same workout as day 1 but it felt harder today. I had a thought as I was starting to do the workout "OMG This is SO BORING! I'll never make it 90 days just doing this. OMG. SO BORING."
Well whatever. I did it anyway. I talked back to it with "Just do the thing and it'll be over and you can move on with your day. You're not getting out of it." And now that it's done I am sweaty I pushed myself and I just did it and am one day closer to accomplishing this workout program.
Today I am completing some funny paintings for the show tomorrow/this weekend. It's supposed to be raining as I set the booth up. That's a Big Drag let me tell you. I'll keep you posted as to the weekend's events.
BillBlueEyes Achey. I have very little experience with achey due to physical extertion. It alwasy feel wrong. How do you talk to yourself about it? BTW you did ask if it was Key West, Florida. The answer is a Happy YES!!
pamatga I haven't talked to the residence director yet but for sure there will be a public exhibition of my work and I am sure you could stop by and visit were you so inclined....
GardeningDeb So you are doing the P90 as well? Have you done the 90 days in a row? Did you follow his foodplan?
Better go. Much to still do. Sorry for not doing personals to everyone... forgive me!
Afternoon Coaches:
Blue today. Maybe the end of summer, maybe just a low bio time. Don't know. Don't feel like doing anything but Credit: OP Breakfast and Lunch. Credit Zumba workout. Credit Making dinner for exhausted hubby who is spending every nite this week tending the walnuts. Credit: I will now spend one hour writing. BBE: Watermelon is great when other people buy it and cut it up. I cannot get myself to do it. Onebyone: Good for you for P90. It has always been so tempting on the ads. superchick: Good luck with the battle of the email. Shepardess: I remember the hurricane of newborn. The sleep was the hardest. In the first month exercise, for me,was strolls and deep breaths of fresh air. Alana: credit for the spontaneous exercise. And I agree - posting here is always and event. Woodland: When you can do you use a pressure cooker?
Hi Coaches! Wow! It's the end of July. My sister arrives Monday morning. This was one of those weeks that I had to turn on the auto pilot, work as hard as I could, trust (and be grateful) that some of my dieting (maintaining) skills come naturally and enjoy the breaks when they come.
We're in the car, I've driven my half, and I'm enjoying life from the back seat with the pup. We're headed to my swimming hole on the Western Slope for the weekend.
Credits today:
~cleaning my mom's house instead of my own
~packing my Vita Mix for fresh green smoothies
~realizing I needed rest thus leaving my bike behind
~anticipating!!! 3 days of casual, healthful OP eating
This week has not been "planned and OP". I have not had formal exercise. I ate cookies that I wished I hadn't. I worked physically 8-10 hours a day and when I could make that "better choice" I did. Every little bit of mindfulness helps.
BillBlueEyes, I'm considering salmon and watermelon for dinner! Thx! I think I'll grill my fish.
SuperChick,*credit* for checking in during a busy busy busy! day.
Shepherdess,*credit* for remembering your exercise goals even when being sidetracked by being a new mom.
onebyone, *credit* for persisting through your exercise even when feeling bored. (BTW-lighter at night)
to everyone else. I've gotten behind and the only thing I can do today is jump back into today's personals. I have 3 miles of internet before we head into our beautiful canyon (15 miles from home)
Hot today. Did my exercise routine but mostly laid low.
Maryann: nope, I boil the jars. It is a long project because I have to harvest, chop, cook, jar, and boil. But it is nice to work at home instead of somewhere else.
Here's to keeping energy up during the hot part of the year !
Hi Everyone,
Just got back from the store. Was getting low on fresh fruit/veggies. Nothing keeps long lately not even in the fridge.
Onebyone, I started doing the Power90 about the beginning of August last year. My son and I were trying to shape up for my daughter's wedding. Worked very well for me. People were asking me at the wedding what I was doing because I looked better than they had seen me in many, many years. I think I was short a couple days of the 90 days. I stopped doing the workout for a bit but am trying to get moving on it again. I do love them.
Woodland, Great job getting your workout in even in the heat. My garden is doing super this year. Want to try using the new canner I got.
Pamatga, I was driving by the Golden arches craving one of their vanilla soft serve cones. No one was in line too. So I forced myself to drive right by. Ouch. But Yeah.
BillBlueEyes, Another good day. Did have a moment of lack of self control. Wasn't too damaging though. Just 6 almonds. I'm happy with the progress again today. Mostly sat when I ate too. Yeah.
My giving in muscle was strengthened today, unfortunately. I just suddenly got very uncomfortable with the thought of becoming a different person.
Is that weird?
I mean, I want to take care of my health, I want to be slimmer, I want to be calmer--yet it is still change--and I'm feeling very apprehensive about it all of a sudden. So, I had an ice cream bar that was in the freezer. I wanted more. I felt the urge to EAT all day--I just wanted to stuff myself.
*credit* I read my "It's not OK" card--and I read over my advantages list. The feeling didn't go away--but I didn't go too crazy, I guess. I took a walk with dh when he asked me too.
Hey, I just realised something--I forgot to eat breakfast this morning! Maybe that's why the urge to eat this afternoon was so strong. I don't know. I still feel like eating a ton of off plan food--but I am, actually, physically full.
Weird.
Do you have a preferred way to handle a craving?
Last edited by Alana in Canada; 07-29-2011 at 12:15 AM.
BillBlueEyes--I love salmon! Poaching seems like such a sane way to eat it, too. I find it hard to get the skin, off, though. Any tips?
Superchick--mega credit for staying OP through such a hectic day. Hooray for you!
Shepherdess I can't tell--are you upset with yourself for missing the excercise--or are you just missing the exercise? Whichever it is, remember to be kind to yourself during these incredibly strange days of new parenthood.
OnebyOne--hooray for just doing the workout anyway! I hope it didn't rain while you set up your booth and that the painting went well.
Maryann--sorry you're feeling blue. Hope your writing was restorative. What does your husband have to do with the walnuts?
Lexxiss--the swimming hole sounds like it's come along at just the right time for you! Hope you enjoy yourselves tremendously!
Woodland--here's to working at home! What are you canning? Do you do a lot of it every year?
Gardeningdeb--good for you for driving right by those golden arches! That's the way it gets done.
Last edited by Alana in Canada; 07-29-2011 at 12:36 AM.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Did some painting which had more frustration than exercise. I'm not a very patient painter. Once I've demonstrated to myself how a small patch should look, I'm ready to do the next thing. CREDIT moi for a sane eating day until just before bed, when I took out my frustration by finishing the remainder of the pint of ice cream in the freezer from two weeks ago - OUCH. Food doesn't cure frustration! (Nor does it remove brush marks from dried paint, LOL.)
onebyone - Big Kudos for just pushing yourself; Yep, one day closer to your goal. [I've always reveled in my achey since it meant that my muscles were healing - and thus growing. Glad it's Key West, Florida. Had to ask since there's a Paris, Texas, LOL.]
Shepardess - Ouch for a long night - may you find a moment for a nap. Kudos for accepting your snack and moving on.
Debbie (Lexxiss) - Kinda nice that your eating skills come naturally. LOL at the notion of "3 miles of internet" left.
GardeningDeb – From my perspective, when almonds are off-plan, stopping at only six is a big deal; Kudos.
maryann - Yep, Kudos for Zumba workout when you don't feel so up. My thanks to your DH for taking care of those walnuts so I can continue to have some for my breakfast.
Woodland - Exercise when hot is worthy of Kudos.
SuperChick - Yay for new scales - to counter any Sabotaging Thoughts that the scale readings are the reason for drifting from the plan.
Alana in Canada - A walk with DH is the best kind of walk there is; Kudos. [hmmmm ... our poached salmon easily slides off the skin; maybe yours is super fresh or something.]
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 4 Stage 1The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 3Eat Slowly, While Sitting Down and Enjoying Every Bite
Study after study bears out the importance of these habits: . . . . .. . .
Researchers from Georgia State University and other institutions found that most people ate more when they were distracted by watching TV, talking to dining companions, or listening to music.
. . .
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 61.
Happy Friday coaches! Things are hopefully going to be a bit less busy here today. I really missed not being able to properly check in yesterday and catch up with everyone. So, yesterday my eating was a bit all over the shop as I was super distracted. I stayed OP but ate way later than usual, and ended up getting home at 9pm without having eaten any dinner… I thought about it, realised I wasn’t that hungry so had some fruit and a cup of tea! Felt very odd for my mind not to be screaming at me ‘missing a meal time!!! Are you mad!!’ but I wasn’t hungry and didn’t want a massive meal right before bed time (I typically go to bed around 10 / 10:30 ) so I did what felt right for me. It felt good to be listening to my body and following my own rules.
Credits: OP eating, todays meals planned, got up earlier this morning to do a strength work out, biked to work, pushed my boundaries slightly last night…
So, yesterday I took an unusual step (forward? / backward?) in that I bought myself a set of scales. I know I’ve mentioned on here before that I struggle slightly with the scale and can become obsessive with it but I was sick of paying to use the scales in the chemists every time I wanted to weigh in, and I want to challenge myself slightly – I feel that now I have you guys backing me up I can tackle it! My plan is to keep the scales in the loft and just try to use them in a sensible manner. The fact I have to unlock a door to get to them gives me the time to think before I get on them – to use becks techniques to prepare my for the number on the scale or rather the emotions that come with it. I’ll keep you all updated.
I started to panic today slightly (again) that I may not lose weight this week again, and what I would do if this happened, how I would tweak my plan… but I then realised I’m happy with the way I’m eating – I’m eating whole foods, preparing stuff from scratch, eating a small amount of good fats but basically treating my body well. I’m exercising, so I know that I just need to keep on trucking and doing what I’m doing and it will sort itself out in the long term… I may start measuring myself as well to track my progress.
Pam – I love couscous! It’s all about the method – the best way to do it is to put the dry grain into a bowl, cover it with boiling water (just covering the grain) give it a stir with a fork and then cover the bowl with a tea towel. Leave it for 5 or so minutes to absorb the water. Viola! Fluff it with a fork before serving. You’ll soon get an idea for how much water, but I usually do it by eye. You can always check half way through – if the water’s gone add a little more but ideally you don’t want any left when it’s ready to serve. My go to add-ins for couscous are – vegetable stock cube or loose stock, sometimes a little soy sauce, cumin / cayenne pepper, coriander (dry or fresh). I mix the dry ingredients into the dry grain before I add the liquid.
Onebyone – good job on the new exercise regime – sounds hard but I love the achy feeling after a tough work out I also love the feeling of completing something (be it a run or class) that you didn’t think you’d be able to do – be proud of yourself!
Woodland – that made me laugh, I totally forget I probably use words / phrase that aren’t common in the US! Just give me a shout if I start talking gibberish I love roast courgette, but I also like them in ribbons (with a potato peeler) then dry fried and put in pasta or on a salad.
Alana – Ouch! Dentistry sounds painful. I have my fingers crossed it’s not too bad. It’s not surprising you’re uncomfortable with the changes going on. If you were not, do you not think you would have done this years ago? The fear of change is what will hold you were you are. You are a strong person – you are really challenging yourself with this, and as a fellow newbie, it’s inspiring to see. You’re challenging your sabotaging thoughts and not give giving to them – that is such a massive step. Have you got to the anti-craving techniques in the book yet? They are very helpful. Stay strong, you’re doing a really good job
Debbie – credit for having such a sane attitude on what sounds like a not very straight forward week.
Maryann – keep smiling – tomorrow is a new day.
Shepherdess – you are doing so well with a newborn – I would not worry too much if a couple of workouts fall by the wayside.
BBE – painting is a pain in the proverbial. I do not know how anyone can do it for living! I always start really excited by the change about to happen, and then 2 coats later when your arm’s about to drop off and you’ve managed to drip the wrong coloured paint onto the other coloured wall… argh! Good luck to you. I’m having salmon (hot) for my tea tonight, yummer! I only wish it was hot enough here to eat outside.
Thursday
Thursday, almost Friday...
thought as I was starting to do the workout "OMG This is SO BORING! I'll never make it 90 days just doing this. OMG. SO BORING."
with "Just do the thing and it'll be over and you can move on with your day. You're not getting out of it." And now that it's done I am sweaty 
I pushed myself 
) so I did what felt right for me. It felt good to be listening to my body and following my own rules. 
I love roast courgette, but I also like them in ribbons (with a potato peeler) then dry fried and put in pasta or on a salad.
