GD :flow1: everyone!

BBE, To echo Lexxiss, I look to you to see how maintenance will be some day and how in some ways it really isn't any different than when you/we/me are in the reduction phase of this weight lose journey. I have been both humbled and chastised that life is life and our "job" (should we choose to sign up) is to "work around" all the curves, twists and bends along the way and "accept" (the best we can) that just some things deserve a resounding "Oh Well!"

Lexxiss your day sounds absolutely wonderful! Food, exercise et al.

onebyone ditto on hoping your trip back home "works". :hug:

maryann Well, what's a game without hot dogs, right? I think you did the best you could in the given situation and major credit for handling it well especially afterwards because like you said, it is just so easy to go home and try to make up for it.

Alana in Canada I have gone through two computers in the past three years. I did not back up a lot of the last photos of Mom and I when she was alive. TG, I have them burned on my brain because I go there often to remember those last precious days together. Backing up hard drives should come with most computers. Seriously. When I bought my first computer, Dell, many years ago all of the back up disks came with. Now, you have to pay $20 per disk! How things have changed.

rubidoux I have been cooking out of several diabetic cookbooks from American Diabetes Assoc for the past several months and, boy, is the stuff tasty!! No white flour in the lot of 'em. P.S. I keep glucose tablets in my purse for "crashes". 15 calories per tablet, taste like fruit-flavored Tums and they are the equivalent of 8 oz of orange juice without the 120 calories attached. P.S. I have a great recipe for carrot prune whole wheat muffins. Yum!

gardenerjoy I have a ritual with daily weighing in. Pee. Clean underwear. Weigh. In that order. :D The only thing I worry about is the fact that the doctor's scales usually have us weigh about 8-10 lbs more than at home. :mad:

eusebius Hope the headaches are improving. Is it possible it could be hayfever? Now is the month for that to rear its ugly head up.

SuperChick As others have said here, which echo what Dr. Beck says, weighin in daily "should" have the effect of desensitizing us to the numbers on the scale. Not everyone looks the same at the same weight, even if they are the same height. It also depends on the physical condition that you are in as well. I will never forget overhearing (no I wasn't eavesdropping--just very close at the time-machines close together) to a woman weighing herself with her personal trainer at a fitness center I belonged to. When the trainer said "157 lbs" I turned and looked and this woman was teeny tiny!! I bet her BMI was 11%. I swear. So, again, it is only a number, a piece of data, to record and not to dwell on, judge yourself or put yourself down with.


missyj, Ditto, thanks for sharing your personals with us. As a person who just plains love to go out to eat, even though I can really tear up the kitchen on my own, any insights or suggestions, please do share. It is a slippery slope for many and there is part of stubborness of me that says I will tame this beast. I will!

Shepherdess Sleep fixes physical, mental and emotional fatigue. It took me a long time to figure that out but that is what I have found to be the case. However, with a new infant daughter, it will present a challenge. Right now, her schedule will be yours but babies do grow up. Sooner than we all wish.:(

happygoal and anotherchick Hey, how's things on your end?

ovwgirl I have heard that the "invention" of the 100-calorie snack was a virtual (actually real) goldmine for those marketing folks in the food industry. They know that we will buy anything if it is packaged into such an amount, irregardless of whether it is good for us. Cynical? Yes, I was in marketing for 9 years yet I too still get snuckered every so often. After all, I love trying anything new. Major Credit for knowing when to say when.

Credit:
* added ankle weights for my lower body toning exercises to add more resistance (besides the actual weight of my own legs themselves). Yup, expected my knees to hurt afterwards(they did) so added 2 EX Tylenol to my lunch of curried couscous with seasoned ground turkey, mushrooms and onions. It was the curry that brought the taste up a huge notch! Now, I know how to "get rid" of the rest of this couscous. Thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions.
*Hey, eusebius we must be on the same page. Thanks gardeningdeb for sending me a ton of sweet potato recipes. I am making the Thai Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup tonight along with some soy ginger Thai noodles. It is going to be soooo good!

Have a great remaining Friday all!

Not doing great. Have been Off plan the last couple days. Stress and anxiety along with increase after weekend at lake that I did not expect. I am trying to get back on course.

Becky

Oh Well...
 

Phew! The end of a busy couple of days and a strange week... this has definitely been my most testing week to date plan wise, and thank you all for your ideas and words of encouragement. I’ve slipped up here and there, nothing too major but enough to make me feel disgruntled. I also think part of the reason I’ve slipped up is because I feel disgruntled, if that makes sense! I just feel like I’ve been picking more, been less strict with my plan and drinking more. Boyf is away this weekend so i’m going to have a quiet one, regroup and take the opportunity to try some tasty and healthy recipes he may not be so keen on... i’m currently roasting chickpeas with curry spice and a mixture of roast veggies, and i’ve made some homemade spicy buckwheat bread to have a small piece of with dinner... i’m excited to see how it will turn out! :D

Debbie – credit for a good day! And i echo your thoughts; BBE is definitely the patriarch of this forum ;)
Maryann – kudos for using the Beck techniques to your advantage, and yep, the ‘oh well’ card definitely is getting some use with me right now – just digging in my heels and keep on truckin’
Gardenerjoy – that cracked me up ‘nothing but a crapshoot’ you are so right, there are days when you know it’s going to be up but if you think about it logically (time of day, time of month, physical weight of food eaten, water retention etc) it’s never gonna be the same or consistently going down. I just need to try to apply this logical more often and be more removed in my thoughts about the scale :D here’s trying!
Shepherdess – are you really a sheep herder? I just thought it was a cool profile name, silly me :lol: a long walk with DD sound delightful, and credit for fitting in some exercise on a tired day.

Ooh, good smells coming from the kitchen... I may have to finish personals after dinner!

Omg...
 

... roasted chickpeas are awesome! loved them :love: super tasty and really crunchy – a good way of getting extra protein into my diet without eating meat... I’m not vegetarian but meat can be expensive, especially a good quality cut, and I don’t like to eat too much of it... that and I love veggies! The ‘bread’ (gluten-free) was good too, but now i have loads of pans to wash :lol:

Anotherchick – keep your chin up. You can do this; we’re all rooting for you.
Pam - GD and thanks. I knowdeep down ‘weight ain’t nothing but a number’ and I should concentrate more on how I feel . I think I’ll start measuring my waist, hips etc so that I can see if I’m slimming down but gaining muscle, which could affect the scales. I’m sorry to hear that when you’re dressed up and looking and feeling your best someone else brings you down – keep your chin up and you’re doing well – don’t let them rain on your parade. It’s hard in that situation to solve that without appearing rude – removing their hand gives a definite signal to them but may also make a scene where one wasn’t intended.
Missyj – keep up with the Beck – it’s an eye opener! I’ve only been doing it for 6 weeks but with a background reading in intuitive eating it’s making me so much more aware.
Erika – hope you enjoyed HP, I watched the first part last week in preparation for this one :)
Oriana – Good job with the Beck behaviours :strong: – it’s eye opening when they work – you wonder why you didn’t do it before!
BBE -TGIF indeed! Hope your renovations are not causing too much tension
Rubidoux – sewing a new top is impressive! Credit for an OP day when faced with a tough start.
Alana – ouch for computer problems. Hope to see you back here soon :wave:

Right, I’d best go do the dishes and clean the kitchen! Night all

Hello everyone. Nice to get a sweet note!

Im slowly working my way through the book...very slowly. The section on not eating standing up is a huge eye opener for me....very good lesson.


Hope all of you are having a nice friday!

I'm going to try to have a strong positive focused weekend of activity and eating less. But weekends are hard.....

Saturday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Moving along at close to plan, CREDIT moi. Exercise was lugging stuff from the second floor to the basement, CREDIT moi. My next house will have a service-sized elevator, LOL.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – The bean burger was a good choice in itself; slaw instead of chips is a bonus.

Shepardess - Yay for having a DD who likes a long walk.

Erika (eusebius) - Ouch for losing a gig, but Kudos for making it quality time with your DD and Harry Potter. [TSP is trisodium phosphate - a strong cleaner that is sometimes the only thing that will work. I used it in small quantities, being aware that massive phosphate releases are environmentally unfriendly. TSP... CLEANING FOR THE BIG DOGS!! ]

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Kudos for navigating Costco. My take is that once you've beaten Costco the first time, it's easier thereafter. [Thanks for the reminder, "These projects will have a conclusion."]

maryann - Such a good idea to remind yourself, "I'll eat again tomorrow."

pamatga - That extra exercise sounds like a workout alright, Kudos. I might drop by for that Thai Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup.

SuperChick - Yay for roasted chickpeas. Kudos for using your BF-less time productively.

Becky (anotherchick) - Yep, Stress and anxiety sure lead to the Sabotaging Thought that food will cure them. Keep the faith.

Oriana (ovwgirl) - Methinks one can go a long way with this awareness, "It's really not worth eating the food if it doesn't taste good" - Kudos for getting your head around that. I've seen a C-130 do a touch and go's at a Lockheed-Martin airfield coming in right over my head; that's alotta plane!

missyj - Kudos for using your ARC's to fight off additional servings.

happygoal - Yep, I felt sure that I didn't eat standing. No way. The first thing that happened after reading that day in the book was to find myself eating from my plate as I walked the eight feet from the stove to the table - just blew my mind.

Readers -

Morning Coaches/Buddies!

Feeling less groggy this morning. I was dead tired by 10 PM but couldn't go to bed yet ... my 8 year old was still up. (Yes I know ... she is a Taurus and stubborn as a mule. If we put her to bed at 9 or earlier she just lies there, stays awake, and gets up and goes to the bathroom every hour until midnight. So I think she gets more sleep this way.) So I just lay down on the couch and fell asleep instead. Net result: 2 extra hours of sleep. I'll take it.

The Thai Vegetable Curry was fantastic and believe it or not, my daughter ate it!! (I went a bit light on the red curry paste ...) I think I will make it again this week. I was out of brown rice but I did have brown rice vermicelli, which are yummy.

Today: rehearsals in Toronto with kids getting ready for their singing exams. I'm happy that this will involve a bit of walking to and from places. Then a BBQ party at our place with friends. I have planned pretty well - got some veggie kebabs, tempeh and a fruit platter to set out. So I will stick to that. I was supposed to go to another BBQ tomorrow but I think one is enough to negotiate on the first weekend of my new plan, so I'm skipping it.

missyj - WTG sticking to one serving of popcorn!! Cool how you found your career path. Good example of "following your bliss" ...

Shepherdess - Great solution to the fatigue problem! I think after 8 years I have not solved it yet, but I'm getting some clues ...

gardenerjoy - Nice job choosing your lunch! And kudos for continuing to stay consistent.

maryann - I love "It is just one meal" - will be remembering that.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Congrats on finishing your massive task, and WTG staying OP at Costco! Enjoy your time with family! Will PM you an email ...

pamatga - Your soup sounds amazing!! Kudos for upping the resistance on your lower body workout. Yes, the headaches are improving - thanks! I don't think it's hayfever - never had that before - but you never know.

Becky (anotherchick) - ((((Hugs)))) for the stress and anxiety ... hang in there!

SuperChick - Ouch for being disgruntled ... do you know why? Sounds like it's been a bit of a stressful week for you - good for you for taking the weekend to regroup! HP was awesome - I think you will really enjoy it!!

happygoal - Sending positive vibes for the weekend. Weekends can definitely be challenging. I often work on weekends so I try not to see them as different from any other day eating-wise, but that is easier said than done ...

BillBE - LOL at the service sized elevator! The piano movers would like it if I had that. Kudos for continued OP eating during your reno progress. Wow, that TSP seems like TNT for cleaning ... be afraid! Be very afraid! LOL!

OK, time to pour the rest of my smoothie into my coffee mug and head for the bus to Toronto. Enjoy your Saturday, all!
Erika



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

Hi Beck friends. I haven't been posting for a while. But - I am going to keep trying again. I had a healthy day yesterday. I am grateful. I wrote everything down that I ate, measured, stayed within my plan and drank lots of water. It's a good start.

Have a great day. Treat yourself as well as you'd treat a good friend. (I need to remember this too)

Well, string camp is over and with it my cloistered food plan. Last nite I had dinner with friends and they did not have what they said they would have so my plan went awry. Then They made a special key lime pie for us. I know. I know. I have tools but I made the choice to eat it and boy was it good. This morning I had a week's loss of 1.4 pounds. I know it would have been 2 pounds had I not eaten the pie. Credit for back OP today. This is a long race and the fact is I would be skinnier if I had no social life, no travel plans and no extended family. OH Well.
Lexxiss: What a great day yesterday, biking, healthy food, good choices. I love days like that.
Pamatga: Credit for those ankle weights. I am always amazed how sore I get when I do some new move.
anotherchick: Thanks for checking in. Traveling is tough, no denying. Sometimes I tell myself "OK. Do all the strategies but don't modify eating i.e. At least eat sitting down. At least write down what I eat." This gives me a feeling of some success.
superchick: It is funny how everyone is eating curry. I wished I liked it because it is a lot of spice and not many calories. Sad to say I am really a bland girl.
happygoal: Not eating standing up continues to be my greatest challenge and yet it sounds so simple. For me it is the difference between denial and truth. If I am standing I am in denial. If I am sitting I am in truth. Simple as that. And often, All I want is a vacation of denial.
BBE: My exercise plan today is teaching DS how to clean the house. Hopefully I will also take an evening walk.
Eusibius: Sleep is probably my number one risk factor. Thank God I have a hubby who stays up late and catches "drink" walks with DS.
Beverlyjoy: Hello!

GD although I had to wait until the huge t-storm passed before venturing onto the computer.

[Sidenote (and digression)June 2008---I was on my computer and lightning struck the nearest phone pole and ran up through our home wiring right into my computer. I worked at home at the time and I was on the phone to a client, a doctor, when everything imploded. I had to have our home completely rewired. Yes, I had the strongest power surger but one lightning strike has 6x the heat of the surface of the sun. P.S. Down here the weather man includes lightning strikes when talking about the severity of the storm. Just to give an idea: the other day there were 2400 lightning strikes in 10 minutes!--who needs 4th of July fireworks??--all new to this Northern transplant.]

Okay, now that I have shared that, now you understand why I hang back until the t-storm passes.

Yes, the Thai Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup was great. I will admit that I have had limited exposure to Thai food overall although one of our favorite Chinese restaurants is two doors down from two different Thai restaurants.

Another misconception that I learned after moving down here is that the Deep South is not all about fried chicken, collard greens and grits. There is such a fascinating variety of cuisine within 4 miles either direction from our home that I could try a new restaurant every week and be still trying by Christmas time. In general, Southerns love to eat so all restaurants are busy in spite of what the economic gloom and doom says and they LOVE spicy, hot food so I really didn't know what to expect. Fortunately, there is also a huge population of Indian and Asian peoples here in Atlanta so this is not "Americanized" but the "real deal". [P.S. I like to share this because I feel that there are a lot of misconceptions about this area that I pleasantly discovered and want others to know as well]

DH tried one TB. (he's a staunch Midwestern meat n potatoes kind of guy so he was being more trusting of me than the dish) Of course, this made a huge batch so I divided it in half and froze one half. It is totally organic and vegan so I figured when my son comes during the holidays, I can warm this up for him. It filled the air with such aroma. I just walked in and out of the kitchen and took a deep breath when I opened the lid to see how things were going.

I accepted a "buddy challenge" with one of my friends over on BLC. I don't do these since they can end up being a lot of people doing things for all the wrong reasons (IMO) and it seems like hurt feelings can end up and then really who wins in that case? No one IMO! The last one I did was back in April and I vowed I wouldn't because that is exactly what happened (I love their tools but it seems to bring out the beast in some people---including me, which I don't like that side of me--bad Pam :mad:.) but this is a dear person who has really coached me with my knee issues and has done things I would never put my body through not only to get in shape (ice baths after walking 13.1K!!) but also travels around the country raising a lot of money for good causes. So, I am going to reshuffle my Beck ARC cards and I am going to really apply all of these Beck principles the way I know would do me the best.

So, starting on Monday, my personal goals during this "challenge" are:
** to actually eat within 1800-2100 calories (which is what BLC recommends for me). Instead, I average between 2300-2500 calories per day. 37-45 grams of fiber are part of those calories so "out they go to the Chatahoochee"In WW lingo, I think these are calories that are subtracted because they flush out your GI, if I remember the Points System from a while ago.
**seriously keep my sodium under 3000 mg per day. (Eating out can have me between 3500-5000 mg when I do eat out--no matter how healthy I think I am choosing and how I divide those huge meals)
**continue with my exercising. Once I get on the right path with that, I'm fine. I am like one of those work horses that you put into a yoke, crack the whip and I just start walking without even thinking about it. No resistance there. TG!!:D (one thing going in my favor)

Last night I did a "test drive" again with the hunger experiment and although I was sort of fidgety I stayed within 1800-2100 calories. Doing that every day for nine weeks will be the "challenge" but I think it's time I kick myself in the butt. I have a tendency to get a little too relaxed with my boundaries with calories consumed so I have been losing super slow. Maybe, I am just a little too comfortable with everything I have been doing.

Credit:
**recognizing when I have a :cheer3:GREAT:cheer2: group here and reveling in it. You "guys" are almost as good as the best chocolate. You all are just yummy.......
**adding 5 minutes today to my walking on the treadmill. TY for not laughing at me or rolling your eyes (I "saw" that....;)) when I say that but that is where I am at and I am okay with that. Next week will be 15 minutes and then the week after will be 20, etc. I will always eat maryann's and shepherdess's dust :running: but I'm okay with that too.

It's not how fast you run :woops: the race, just that you finish. :bravo:

Have a great weekend everyone! Love you all a whole bunch :cb: and even more :broc:

Pam

missyj and gardenjoy, Thank you for the info re Claritin. I am going to pick some up. The cat thing could explain what's going on with me. I went to the doc before my vacation to visit family (who all have cats) and the doc recommended allegra, it worked great while I was gone, but since I've been home I've felt terrible. So, I've been wondering how the allegra could get me through with all those cats and then let me down so when I get back to my usual not so bad allergies. Huh! I think maybe my allergies are getting worse as I get older though. Blah!

I don't have time to do personals right now, or even to read all the way up to this point. My son has got to get to his basketball game in 45 min! But I wanted to do a quick check in. I'm still doing really well with my plan. Yesterday we went to the zoo with some out-of-towners (out-of-towners always want to see everything, rather than the usual "lets go see the gorillas today"), so we walked for FIVE straight hours and the zoo is very hilly. Afterwards I realized that we only sat down once for about 15 minutes, maybe not even that long. But I felt very energetic and strong (for me) and I was AMAZED that I did it all without any food. :carrot: After that, my friends had other plans so I took my kids to their regular friday playgroup, then older ds to his b'ball practice, and we didn't get home to have dinner until 7:45! I actually felt quite good, though I did fall asleep with the kids at 10 rather than stay up till my usual 1 pm. That could be bc I hadn't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep all week, though.

I will come back and check up with you all when we get home. I hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Another evening check in for me, which is unusual as i usually do it in the morning before / at work, but as BF is away i can do whhat i like! and it feels good to have checked in on the weekend too - a big achievement for me maybe the first weekend i've checked in in 6 weeks!

Weighed in again this morning, down another lb! it's crazy, maybe i was just having a really bad day on thursday when i weighed in. anyway, i'm pretty much back to what i weighed at the start of the week now. also managed a pretty intense gym session, and eat pretty much OP all day. Like maryann, my social life got in the way slightly (visited a friend for evening meal and whilst i didn't overeat it was more carbs than i was planning on eating, but she made pasta. oh well.) credit for making the effort to go visit when i could have stayed in. Maryann - i hear you on the social life vs thinness; i know what i'd much rather be doing! I'd rather be having fun and slightly larger than i want to be than thin and bored / lonely... we're in this for the long haul ;)

Pam - glad we are being helpful! i love :love: being able to share all this with people in a positive manner - it's a total revelation!
BBE - LOL at the service elevator!
Beverleyjoy - welcome back :wave:, glad you had a good day
Erika - no idea. busy at work, not enough sleep? who knows. i'm regrouping and redressing my inner harmony... or something like that! hopefully a surf tomorrow will sort me out :goodvibes

Sunday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - A low tension day on the home make over. Eating close to plan included modest portions with a group of us for dinner, CREDIT moi. Where 'modest' included a bit too much of mango salsa on corn chips because it was so good. But I had three servings of salad greens instead of seconds on the pasta salad that was tempting.

Erika (eusebius) - Fantastic that your 8 year old DD will eat Thai curry - a sign that you might be able to have real food as she grows up. [LOL at "be afraid! Be very afraid!"]

Beverlyjoy – Yay for a healthy day! I hope your foot/ankle is recovering to your needs.

maryann - Ouch for key lime pie sneaking into your life. I passed over key lime pie at a buffet the other day, felt smug. Then succumbed to the shortbread of strawberry shortcake, which was OK, but left me wishing that'd I'd done the key lime pie if I intended to be that decadent, LOL.

pamatga - Pretty amazing (and awful) computer/lightning story. Hard to imagine what you told your client as your computer smoked in front of you. Kudos for incrementing your treadmill time - with thanks for introducing the notion that we are all on our own exercise path without benefit from comparing ourselves to each other. (I've never been compared to chocolate before, LOL.)

SuperChick - Kudos for that intense gym session and OP day. Neat that you're using your time without DBF to do different stuff instead of just pineing away.

rubidoux - Yay for five hours at the San Diego Zoo - you guys got one of the best in the world. Kudos for a lot of walking.

Readers -

Hi folks... yesterday was a healthy day... I am grateful. I did many important tasks: planned& measured food/ lots of water/ wrote it all down and always left a bite on my plate.

Thanks to all for the hellos, welcomes, & positive and kind thoughts. I feel like a turtle now. I will try to incorporate more tasks today.

Have a good day.

Today is going to be a "Day of Rest" for me on purpose. I agreed to participate in a "buddy Challenge" on BLC site. As I have said, I don't have "feel good" feelings after the last couple that I have done. It seems to bring out the "bad Pam":devil: in me which I like to "stifle" as often as I can. I was just telling my DH last night that as soon as I saw that it had a specific beginning and end, it makes me think "diet" rather than "healthy eating" and sets up all sorts of negative stuff related to what the word "diet" means to me. Namely: depriving myself, suffering, hunger I have to ignore, feeling left out, being more strigent; the immediate ones that come to mind.(yes, Beck confronts this so it's back to my ARC cards!)

Having said that, I will admit (somewhat reluctantly) that I really do need to push myself a little harder with my food plan. In general, it is very healthy and one that I am pleased with. However, having said that, I know that this is not about be a healthy "obese" person (an oxymoron in of itself) but being a healthy "normal weight" person so I have decided to apply myself harder to eating less food. Period. That is really all I need to change.

Credit:
*having the humility to admit that although I am well-intentioned, redefining healthy to include a number on the scales is also important. The high end of a normal BMI is 168 lbs. I have been there before and I thought I was overweight. When I am between 135-138 lbs, which was my norm decades ago, I maintained it without any dieting and that seemed to a "good place" for me. I usually don't talk about this often so now, I am going to really start focusing more on numbers than I have previously said. I think it was gardenerjoy that said recently "What if I am wrong?" Well, I will take that one step further. I know I am wrong in just focusing on being healthy without any nod to the scales. We've had a robust discussion about the scales and just what we should take from it. I reread the section in the Beck pink book about the scales and she also says (direct quote) "Start using the scales as an information tool that provides data you can use to guide your eating. Use the number .... as a guide to decide whether you should keep doing what you're doing or to CHANGE". Well, fellow Becksters, it is time for CHANGE for Pamela Jo (what my mom used to call me when she was admonishing me) here.

I have got to change what I am doing so I am this same weight week in and week out. That's my "revelation" for today. More tomorrow (maybe);)