Yesterday defied planning, but I did fine until late last night when I took seconds that I didn't need. Sigh. Today's lunch will also be impossible to plan and be out somewhere, but supper will be the veggie pasta that I posted in our recipe thread, so at least the day will end on the healthiest note I have in my repertoire.

WI: +0.25kgs, Exercise: +0 95/1300 minutes and 3/33 miles on treadmill for August, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

maryann: love your freedom quote -- very wise

missyj: I love being an Aunt! The oldest nephew is all grown up and gives us wine advice. So much fun!

SuperChick: good for you for trying the weighing daily experiment!

rubidoux: I treat my allergies effectively with a Neti pot and an over the counter antihistamine (now that they are so much better than they used to be). But I did see an allergist for years and got shots which helped.

BillBlueEyes: wishing you good house redo vibes. You're making me think I want to keep putting off our projects....

Lexxiss: great observation that practicing Beck when it's calm makes it easier to deal with things when it's not

eusebius: good job negotiating your way through a family dinner (with a little help from Mom)

I have started off badly this morning. :( I woke up with a blood sugar of 47, which is low and requires carbs. Sigh... It might not have required as many carbs as I ate. In fact, it didn't. My biggest sabotaging thought: I've messed up and may as well throw all caution to the wind. I bought some prunes (they don't call them prunes anymore, but dryed plums or something, lol) to eat when I'm low, but then when I actually am low, I have no will power. But I am going to vow to have only prunes next time. I don't think I can over eat those.

If I have carbs in the morning, I have a very hard time getting back on plan. But I'm going to really try today. I attempted to take a nap with my little one to sort of reset myself -- sort of start my day anew, which would have worked except the darndest thing happened, my dogs started howling and howled and howled! One of them has always howled a little bit here and there, but the other one, who's 13 has never howled before as far as I know! It was very cool! But maybe that ten minutes of lying down was enough. I got up and made myself some coffee and now I'm starting again. I hope. I was down another .6 pounds this morning and I don't want to lose any ground.

gardenerjoy, What kind of otc allergy med do you take? I just started taking Allegra about 3-4 weeks ago and it seemed to help a lot for a while, but now I'm worse than when I started.

Thursday am
 

Thanks so much for all your support, everyone. I am having extreme computer problems: I don't know if I did something I shouldn't have cleaning up my hard drive yesterday or if has been a problem in the making for some time. Somewhat distressing is that I cannot seem to open any documents or run any programs--I can go through the motions but it seems to work for a second, then quit, work for a bit, then slip--like the cogs are slipping.

Very frustrating and I'm not sure how I'm going to fix it if I can't run diagnostics. (I'm not a computer expert--I use the stuff over at Major Geeks.)

Scale still showing a loss. (Hooray). I'm afraid, though, that I've lost all equilibrium now that the kids are home and this computer thing is worrysome--it's also inconvenient in the extreme as I'm in the midst of planning our school year which I want to begin next week.

My aplogies for not getting to the personals, today.

GM/GD :coffee: :flow1: fellow Beckies: massive electrical storms yesterday so I was not able to get on the computer. Wow, this has been a busy place in the past 48 hours! I just spent nearly an hour reading from where I posted last.

:welcome2:happygoal :hug: goes your way! I have been participating here since February and I am still tweaking my food plan although I think I am settling on what seems sane to me and fits my objective "To lose weight in a healthy manner." That is my mantra that I verbally say aloud several times during the day. That is how I measure both my choices and the progress I am making. Specifically, what does that mean?

*weighing/measuring every food item I eat each meal/each day and every day without fail.
*logging what I have eaten, broken down into macronutrients (carbs,fats,proteins, fiber, sodium and calories) on my "Biggest Loser Club" food log on my computer--each meal/every day without fail.
*avoiding white sugar/white flour as much as I can possibly. I do best when I make all of my meals, from scratch, at home. Alana: I have found cooking can unleash a lot of creativity regarding meals so that I'm not bored with my food plan. I also eat organic when I can get it (which is more often than not). I make a conscious effort to eat 2-4 servings of vegetables per day and 2-3 servings of fruit per day. (This is where logging my food helps because I can quickly look over what I ate previously and adjust my next meal accordingly if I am "short" on one or the other)
*I have been doing strength exercises consistently with only 1-2 days off in the past 10 weeks. I have resumed walking on my treadmill this past week. I have advanced arthritis and walk with a cane. I was diagnosed in 1994 but it has only been the past couple of years that I have had a lot of chronic pain and " disability".

onebyone- this goes out to you, dear. Please do not give up! If it is any consolation, in 1992 I hiked up to 15000 ft above sea level (double Denver's altitude) in near 100 degree heat in Glacier National Park, Grand Teton Park and Yellowstone Park for 2 solid weeks of constant hiking, in spite of post-operative complications (internal bleeding leaking the whole time).

See how far I fell? I know what my body is capable of so I just "keep on keeping on". I refuse to accept total defeat--setbacks maybe but not defeat.This past week, I decided to accept what my limitations are and I have set this week's daily goal at 5 minutes walking on the treadmill. The first day my knees immediately swelled up and I could barely walk. Talk about eating humble pie. I have no choice to do anything but......HOWEVER, I am going to add 5 minutes each day after 5 days and I figure that by 6 weeks, I should be able to walk 30 minutes per day 5 days a week. So, mid-September, I hope to be singing a different tune.

If you need to go back to square one and do what you can, just don't give up!

So, that is my plan and "I'm sticking to it". I tweak it as I go along depending on trouble spots that I want to iron out.

Credit: rereading my original ARC cards I made three months ago. Wow! I sounded really harsh and stern with myself. I am going to revise them to be more "sane" and less "strigent". Although I tried total "no sugar" for two months I decided that bland tasting food which still has calories but none of the satisfaction just won't cut it for me "long term"---and that is my ultimate long term goal: the plan that will work until I take my last breathe.

Spent yesterday tweaking my whole wheat "uber healthy" pizza. Yum! Now, to find a healthy version of fruit pies since I have been making a baked apple with cinnamon and scant sweetener as my evening snack recently. I want to find a healthy crust to go with. I am leaning towards baking a low carb whole wheat tortilla in a taco shell form along with the apple. I'll report how that works out. P.S. about sodium---since I have good B/P (107/62) I don't worry about this too much but as much as I tweak my pizza it is really hard to get the healthy stuff with low sodium (add the bread, sauce, cheese and you still have significant sodium).

Eusebius those of us who follow/followed South Beach attribute the headaches to detoxing from sugar, caffeine and additives/preservatives. Advice from SBers: drink fat free or low fat milk and/or have some beans. It helps with the headaches and general "flu-like" symptoms.

This past Sunday I wore a very pretty dress with shrug which emphasized all the curves and toned muscles (but not in a suggestive way) to a special event at our church. I saw wearing it more as an affirmation of all the work I have been doing. Period! I got more attention than I "like" including a little bit of touching (stroking my arm???:?:) by a male not my DH(which I don't like--since I am a sexual abuse survivor).

Yes, the strength exercises are toning me nicely but this brings me into a place I don't feel comfortable in: unwanted physical closeness by people not my friends, husband or family. This is something that I remember about when I start looking "normal" that I really struggle with. No, this time, I will not eat over it nor will I regain weight just to "scare off" anyone but it is something that I am going to have to face as I move down the scale. You may ask "Why you, Pam?" Good question! I have had years of therapy to try and figure that out. I have a lot of theories but now I need to prepare myself for the future of thinness because I am not backing down. I have denied myself a "normal" weight for too long because I wanted to insulate myself. No more!!
So, I am giving myself a big Credit for standing up to both my fears and the realities of life. I have my "war paint" on. Nothing or no one is going to stop me from pursuing this dream of mine. I hope you all feel the same for yourselves!:)

Good Morning Beckies:
Quick checkin. I have an assignment I want to finish this morning before going to video my adorable DS 9YO in his first string quartet. The cellist is the cutest little 6 YO girl you have ever seen with a tiny cello.
OP today. Exercise last nite making it 70 mins this week. I will have to step it up to make my goal of 210 mins for the week. Tonite dinner will be away at a football game (kiddie) so I am planning hotdogs no bun and an apple - not terrific but within plan.
Best to all.

So, I ended up doing well today, anyway. Phew! Of course I wish I hadn't had reese's peanut butter chips for b'fast, but I don't beat myself up over what I do during an actual low. My brain is literally not working well. I will, however, try harder to go for those prunes. I will give myself some CREDIT, though, for not having one of the banana chocolate chip muffins that was in the fridge. I hate it when I have flour products during a low, but boy do they call to me!

I didn't really do any BDS work today. My best friend who lives in NH called today and said she wants to come over tomorrow. I haven't seen her in five years, so I wanted to do a little cleaning and stuff today and got caught up. And of course, I had to sew myself a new top. :dizzy: I think it turned out great, but I won't know for sure till tomorrow because if I turn the light on to see myself in the mirror, I run the risk of waking the littles.

I did read my ARC twice and told myself NO CHOICE after my eating this morning (usually it leads to a day of nibbling) and I gave myself credit for a few things. But I didn't start working on the craving stuff.

BBE, Good for you on the key lime pie. Sounds so cool and refreshing right now!

Lexxiss, I think you did a great job with that cake! I usually give up and some point and devour the whole thing, and then dig through the fridge. I would consider one extra piece a very reasonable reaction to cake. I can't wait till I can go on autopilot here and there. Good for you!

eusebius, That's an awesome week of weight loss! :carrot: And impressive restraint at mom's. It sounds like you managed to have a really nice dinner within your plan.

gardenerjoy, Veggie pasta sounds good. I hope your day went well!

Alana, I'm sorry about your computer problems. I always feel like a deer caught in the headlights when stuff like that comes up. I hope it gets sorted out easily and quickly.

maryann, I hope your son enjoyed his first performance! Is he also the football player? Sounds like a very well rounded young man! :) My big guy is going to be 8 in september and I cannot believe how many activities and things he's got going. The driving does get crazy, as well as the dinners on the run.

Goodnight all! :wave:

Woop Woop - it's Friday!
 

Morning guys, another really busy day ahead today, but hey, it's friday :) hopefully it will abate slightly by next week. :crossed:

the daily weigh-in challenge continues, ha ha! down 1lb since yesterday (crazy!), so i'm up 0.8lb since monday. not too bad, as last night was another night of meeting friends in the pub. I didn't stay too late, and hope to get to the gym on the way home...

credits: weighing-in, checking-in, biking to work, planning my meals for the day.

I will try to check in later for a proper catch-up! Have a good day today everyone :wave:

T G I F
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Continuing with the tension of the redo - ameliorated by seeing pieces coming together and issues being fixed before it's too late. I'd taken on a task that involved TSP cleaning and oil based primer on metal because it was so grimy no one else wanted to do it; I finished that yesterday, CREDIT moi. Hoping that improves my perspective on the world, LOL. Gazpacho on the patio for dinner - my favorite - with tomatoes and cukes coming from the garden daily.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – That veggie pasta sounds good. [Don't put off projects - just find an online group where you can whine, LOL.]

Erika (eusebius) - Congrats on those 4.2 pounds gone. And Kudos for selecting from your mother's menu to stay the course.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Glad you're around to encourage me to keep the path during chaos.

maryann - My word - a six year old playing the cello! Does she stand to reach the strings? Kudos for making a plan for the football game.

pamatga - Yay for facing life with your "war paint" on. Charge forth - we're here to cheer you on.

SuperChick - Kudos for having a plan for the pub - a place where it's dangerous to be without one.

Alana in Canada - Ouch for a computer where "the cogs are slipping" - sounds like either a virus or damaged sectors on your hard drive. For less than $100 you can buy a USB Tera-byte hard drive to back up all you data before you head to the geeks to check it out. Good luck.

rubidoux - Yay for dried plums - which are so much more fashionable than the old fashioned prunes, LOL. They also come in container of individually wrapped singles for eating on the go like candy. I'm impressed that you can include making yourself a new top as part of preparing for a guest.

Readers -

Hello all! Well, things are going pretty well this week. I credit myself for strengthening my "willpower muscle" and not eating more than one pack of the 100 calorie chocolate covered pretzels. They were so so yummy, and one bag wasn't enough, but I consciously told myself it was a craving and it went away :) I'm trying to cycle my calories this week and only weighing myself on Mondays, so hopefully the scale will be nice to me in a couple of days!
As far as the 10hr flight, I'm a navigator in the Air Force on C-130's so my job while I'm deployed is to fly for long long hours! It's hard sometimes but like I mentioned before the skipping lunch exercise really really opened my eyes. Now that I know I can survive a long time without eating, I really think about my food. If it doesn't sound yummy, then I decide to wait to eat something I will actually like. It's really not worth eating the food if it doesn't taste good because I don't have very many calories to work with!
Well, hope everyone is great, and has a wonderful day!
Oriana

Morning Coaches/Buddies!

I went to bed earlier last night but I'm still groggy. Detox? Caffeine withdrawal? Who knows ... Anyway it's slightly better than yesterday. I'll stay the course and see what happens. Hoping to finally get to see the last Harry Potter movie today. I have a new Thai Vegetable Curry recipe I want to try ... maybe tonight if I get a chance to pick up the ingredients.

gardenerjoy - Good job dealing with unplannable situations. Veggie pasta sounds both yummy & healthy (I had that for dinner last night myself!)

rubidoux - Sorry you're dealing with blood sugar issues - the prunes sound like a good backup plan.

Alana - Computer problems are so annoying!! Kudos for keeping on track regardless.

pamatga - Indeed, major credit for facing a big issue for you. Also kudos for tweaking your recipes to make them ever healthier.

maryann - that string quartet sounds adorable!!

SuperChick - keep up the great work during your busy day :)

BillBE - What's TSP? I'm so out of the loop. Well done getting a job done that no one else wanted to do.

ovwgirl - Well done restraining yourself on those pretzels. That's great that the hunger exercise has changed your attitude toward food. Your job sounds challenging but rewarding!

Well my singer for 11 AM just cancelled (again) so I"ll be free to go to an early Harry Potter showing - yay! Enjoy your Friday, all.
Erika



Read ARC: yes
Sat down to eat: yes
Gave myself credit: yes
Walking: no
Qi Gong: yes (short session)

Hello all! As you know, this Beck thing is still fairly new to me. Had my first big test last night. I have houseguests coming this weekend and I had to do some grocery shopping. I have taken the prepare your environment step to extremes and there are no proper snack foods/carbs of any kind in my house. So I bought some chips and poporn and the like. Bought some new Skinny Pop Popcorn and had to try it. In the past I would eat most (if not all) of the bag. But I had a serving, and when tempted to continue, started reciting my ARCs in my head. It took a lot of repetitions, but it worked! :) Credit!

eusebius - I fell into my job purely by accident. Majored in Biology in college because I liked it. Knew I didn't want to go to Medical school, so I interviewed with an environmental consulting firm my senior year. It sounded interesting, so I took the job and have never looked back. It's amazing to me where life can take us.......

BillBE - I really appreciate how you include a sample from Beck in your posts. Helps me focus/center first thing in the morning.

gardenerjoy - My nephews are all 12 and under still. I look forward to when we can share some adult interests like wine! But I am enjoying the preteen years when their personalities are developing- especially when they aggravate my brother/their father! ;)

rubidoux - I have tried just about every allergy pill on the market. I have had long term success with Claritin - but only if I take one every day. Without fail.

pamatga - Credit to you for recognizing and dealing with the social challenges your weight loss/exercise are bringing you! Dealing with the underlying issues of weight gain is hard, and sometimes painful, work. Many many credits your way!

I was tired yesterday and I tried to figure out what to eat to make me feel better. Remembered that food doesn’t fix tired and stayed OP. I wish I could say I fixed tired, but have yet to solve that problem. I put DD in the wrap and went for a long walk. It was the longest walk I’ve taken her on and she slept most of the way and was happy when she wasn't sleeping. It was good to get out and moving.

Forgot to weigh in this morning in the excitement of getting the trash out (like that doesn't happen every week). I don't want that to start into a trend, so I already put a post-it note reminder up for tomorrow morning.

I made a reasonable choice at lunch yesterday (bean burger with a side of slaw instead of chips and leaving behind much of the bun) and otherwise followed my plan. Credit!

WI: NAkgs, Exercise: +35 130/1300 minutes and 5/33 miles on treadmill for August, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

missyj: good job for stopping at one serving of popcorn!

rubidoux: like missyj, I've had best luck with Claritin, taken daily. Allegra was better for cats, but now that I have no cats in my life, Claritin seems better against all of my other allergies.

eusebius: I've been kind of groggy this week, too -- summer doldrums? Thai Vegetable Curry sounds wonderful!

ovwgirl: yay for strengthening that resistance muscle. You have a cool job! But I can see how it would present unique challenges to sticking to a food plan. Good job working out what will work best for you.

BillBlueEyes: good job getting to a grungy task -- sometimes life looks so much brighter when dreaded chores are completed.

SuperChick: one of the things that weighing daily gets me is a realization that some days it's nothing but a crapshoot. Which really helps diminish its importance in my life! The long term trend makes a difference, the daily variations do not.

maryann: good job making a plan for a football game meal. I think sticking to a plan even when the available options aren't the best really helps! It keeps my perfectionism at bay and lets me get on with whatever it takes to lose weight in the reality of a sometimes messy life.

pamatga: I also rewrote my ARCs as I went along. I actually think that Beck is a bit too harsh and stern for me in her example ARCs. Over time, I worked toward a tone that was more optimistic, grateful, and enthusiastic. Those are attitudes that work so much better for me.
I don't go "no sugar" either. I often use local honey and sorghum and maple syrup as well as agave nectar and molasses. Not because I'm fully convinced that they are healthier, but they fit nicely in with my overall philosophy of natural, low processed, and local. Fitting into that philosophy helps me keep the sweet stuff in its proper place -- for me mostly as a flavoring for dressings and sauces that get me to eat a mountain of vegetables.
Sorry about the unwanted attention. That just sucks. Good job donning the war paint and getting on with it anyway.

Alana: sending healing computer vibes your way!

Shepherdess: let us know if you find a fix for tired! Good job realizing that food wasn't it.

Good Morning,
OP yesterday. Dinner of hot dogs was not satsifying but I told myself "you won't be hungry in an hour" and it work. I realized that all the prep I put into my meals (lots of veggies and fruit) really helps me to stay on track. The "fast dinner" seemed skimpy but I am happy that I finally understand "It is just one meal" and I'll eat again tomorrow. That allowed me to not "fix it" with more nibbles and bites until I made myself sick. Credit. Last day of Strings camp. I plan to continue to weigh and measure into the weekend.
rubidoux: It is DS cousin who plays football but DS might start next summer. Although I am not diabetic I sure hear you when you talked about hanging on to flour. Treacherous.
Superchick: Congrats on the slow crawl back down the scale. That is as they say life. A hop up of 2 pounds takes a week to lose. Its about as fair as how slow women lose weight compared to men. "Oh Well."
gardenerjoy: I had to skip weighing this morning - I wasn't at home. First thing tomorrow definitely.
BBE: Credit for the cleaning project noone esle wanted to do. I haven't had enough homegrown tomatoes this year.
ovwgirl: What an great occupation. But still, very difficult to travel so long a period cooped up without resorting to boredom eating. I am a teacher and when I am working it is easy to stay OP because I never sit down. But weekends - Whoa.
shepardess: Credit for a nice healthy walk.
missyj: It is funny about what I think I need to have for other people to eat. Half the time it is REALLY what I want to have in the house. Nonetheless, it is important to feed guests, sons, mothers etc... It takes a while to build an arsenal of food that I can make that satisfies everyone but I can be with moderately. It is like when I quit drinking. I thought everyone drank like I did. Nope.

BBE, you have encouraged me greatly, too. I am enjoying a break, but it was one intense week. These projects will have a conclusion, my friend. We'll hang in there, chanting, "this, too, shall pass" (Thx maryann)
Credit us both for recognizing these life events AREN'T free passes for totally unrestrained eating events, too. Food sanity is important.

Hi Coaches!

We worked like maniacs until the final moment yesterday, then packed up and headed West. I had to lie down for an hour before we could go, I was so tired. Costco could have been a dangerous spot but my autopilot (thx to BeckDS) kept me from running into samples and swerving to avoid tempting comfort foods not within the parameters of my plan.
CREDIT:
~picking brown rice sushi and edamame as a healthy dinner addition to my already prepared and packed salad.
~enjoying a normal sized healthy dessert which included fresh peaches.
OUCH:
~I ate chips later, not in my plan, even though I knew they were not in my best interest. Small credit somewhere in there, that I actually put them in a dish these days and eat them sitting down.
TODAY:
Today is going just great. I just jump back in the groove...get on my bike, ride around town, go to the pool then come home to healthy food. I'll have a green smoothie soon then ease into a wonderful salad for lunch. Dinner isn't planned as the rest of the family is migrating over, too. Mom and sis will arrive later today.

onebyone, hoping your Ottawa trip has been good.

maryann, belated congrats! on your 1 year Beck anniversary! Your coaching certainly helps me stay the course. Thx.

Pam(atga), you said, "So, I am giving myself a big Credit for standing up to both my fears and the realities of life. I have my "war paint" on. Nothing or no one is going to stop me from pursuing this dream of mine. I hope you all feel the same for yourselves!" I feel the same. Kudos and thanks for trusting us with some of your most personal challenges.

Alana(inCanada), you said, "Scale still showing a loss. (Hooray). I'm afraid, though, that I've lost all equilibrium now that the kids are home and this computer thing is worrysome--it's also inconvenient in the extreme as I'm in the midst of planning our school year which I want to begin next week." Don't be afraid….just take each day and do your best . I think it's very helpful to read your personal reasons for wanting to lose weight. It helps me to keep my sabotaging behaviors to a minimum.


rubidoux, great job doing so well yesterday, especially when you were a little nervous about it. That is a big credit making a better choice by avoiding the CC muffins.

gardenerjoy, lol at the excitement of getting the trash out. Many of my days have "defied planning", too. Thanks for the recipe...I haven't read it yet, but will today. If it's the "healthiest note" in your repertoire, I'm interested!

Erika(eusebius), *credit* for recognizing that you have made a life shift leading you towards a change in your food plan. Detox can be rather intense (I know from experience). If you google detox from sugar ...or caffeine….or carbs...you can get a full listing of symptoms. On South Beach we suggest dairy and beans to help with the "detox flu"….and lots of water.(If you PM me an email I will send you a photo of the little houses , and my large Victorian. My house was 1887 and the little houses probably close to the same.)

SuperChick, kudos for continuing with the daily weigh in. I began plotting my daily's on a graph at Dr. Beck's suggestion, and it's so interesting to see how the daily fluxuations always end up heading down.

missyj, thanks for sharing your personals with us. I'm 53, born in and living in Colorado after a 23 year stint in Alaska. I'm a caretaker for my 90 yr old mom and DH who has a brain injury. In addition, I navigate through many touchy emotional situations with my mom as I try to move forward with renovating my Grandmother's house which has sat vacant for 35 years since her death (before it's totally unsaveable). My interests are biking, water yoga, dog rescue and pet therapy. BTW-I suppose you missed working on the Exxon project in Alaska. What an interesting field of work. Yay! for recognizing that staying the course in restaurants is such an important part of your plan.. I know that when you stay with Beck you will find that way.

Shepherdess, good for you, remembering that food doesn't fix tired, especially when you're already "there". I don't have children so can only imagine how far into the depths of exhaustion one can go with a newborn. I look at your weight and send great credit for your jumping right back into your healthy food thinking. It seems it would be so easy to comfort with food.

happygoal, how are your days going?

ovwgirl, kudos for using your Beck skills to navigate around the extra 100 calorie pack. What a successful strategy, really thinking about your food, before you eat it. You said, "It's really not worth eating the food if it doesn't taste good because I don't have very many calories to work with!" Right on! That is thinking like a thin person!

becky(anotherchick), how are your days going?

Ok, coaches, I'm off to make my prelunch smoothie: ginger root,apple, raspberries, cucumber, spinach, protein/greens powder. I was pondering this whole relationship I have with food as I was pedaling this morning...thinking about my good (and not so good) choices I make. I decided it's just part of the human condition and my job is to keep striving to make the best choices I can.

I so appreciate all of you who post and lend an ear to one another. Your feedback is important to me. Where else could I come 24/7 and have a spot with such a great group all working on the same proverbial page? Thanks for being here everyone! It feels good when I get through my totally overwhelming moments and get back to basics.

Special Kudos to BBE who is having his own overwhelming moments, yet manages to post here every single day. Wow!