Morning Coaches/Buddies!

Yesterday was a whirlwind and today promises to be similar. But great things are happening. The website for our meditation group is set up and we had a council meeting last night where we got all kinds of stuff done and made lots of decisions. And I got on the scale this morning and saw a number I hadn't seen in a long time - 10 pounds gone since July 31! And a total of 17 from my high weight on the ticker. I can hardly believe it. I know I said yesterday that I wasn't going to focus on the scale ... and I'm not, going forward, but it is sure nice to see results.

Today: more work on the website, a consultation with a prospective new student (a retired gentleman - fun!) and dinner out at a new vegan restaurant in our area. I'm excited about that. One of the big bonuses there is that DH, who is allergic to eggs, can finally eat everything on the menu, including dessert, which he usually has to skip.

pamatga - cool that a new gym with a pool is opening near you!! I think you will enjoy going meatless 3 days a week - there are so many great recipes out there. fatfreevegan.com is a site I like.

gardenerjoy - yay for plugging along successfully!

Tazzy - wow, you are learning so much about your hunger signals. Yay for fresh yellow beans - one of my favourites. The mushroom rice burger was made by Sol Fresh which is a Canadian company.

maryann - Congrats on reaching a normal BMI!! That's huge. Also congrats on great productivity in your writing!

onebyone - your mermaid and her beau sound fantastic. Looking forward to the pics. I will be driving through Kingston Saturday so will just miss the show, darn it. Hope I can make it to one of your shows in the near future.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - (((hugs))) for a stressful time in your life, which you're handling so well. I admire so much those of you who need to care for aging parents ... I know that is in my future and I learn so much from you.

BillBE - As a pianist I always laugh when someone wants smaller hands. I'll trade you, LOL. WTG using that resistance muscle (Time to open a chain of Bill's Resistance Muscle Gyms!)

My iphone is buzzing relentlessly telling me to read my response cards, so off I go. Happy Friday all!


Erika


Read ARC: yes
Sat down to eat: yes
Gave myself credit: yes
Walking: no
Qi Gong: no

Hi friends... I am having trouble with my 'typing' part of my computer. Everything.. letters... are jumping around. even my word program.

weighed today - stayed the same
planned
journalled

I hope to get this fixed soon. driving me crazy.

Well Hello Coaches

*credit for weighing in when I wanted to ignore the scale and seeing (-1.1) =279.5lbs.

what a relief. I thought for sure I'd have to let hold my grip on the 270's. So, this is a confirmation to me that THIS TIME IT WAS DIFFERENT. OMG finally. I was under "show stress" and the scale did not rise the usual 3-8lbs. Wow. First time. For me, this is huge. Now I have to "persist in victory" and not "celebrate" that fact with food. for my next weighin, I'd like to be 278 or less. I wll keep that goal in front of me as I travel over the weekend and push myself physically to get things done.

We are off to MIL's place tonight. We are there for a bbq and I am going to bring my complete mermaid installation in the car for her to see and for me to further workout the details on her back lawn. Specifically I need to see how best to position her to make sure her curvaceous self is optimally displayed, lit up, and anchored(!) so she doesn't blow off into the murky depths of the Rideau River. Velcro and duct tape may be my saviours here. I also need to work on her beating heart and his. I discovered, which is really why you want run-throughs, that when it's really dark and the tape sculpture is lit from within, you can create a shadowy shape using areas with concentrated packing tape. Like I have a bike reflector as my beating heart--a red round LED reflector which can either be a steady light, or a gentle flash or a fast flash. The mermaid will have the steady flash and her suitor will have the faster flash. I had the heart beating within her chest cavity and I had masked off the edges of the round reflector into a heart shape and this worked to show a heart shape wihtin the body when lit but when I added a second white light, to light up the whole interior of the body, it cast a shadow where I had taped the beating heart. If I pay attention to the shadow and shape it, I can not only have a heart shaped red light that beats, but a heart shaped shadow around it, thereby doubling the effect and making it more pronounced, especially when it will be floating several feet away from the shoreline. Plus, if the battery dies in the heart, which it could as they will be on for 5 hours+, the shadow shape will still be there so the "heart" will still be a focal point. Yay for problems elegantly solved.

Gotta go. Stuff to do. BBl8r as I get ready to go to the show. Have a great Friday Becksters.

Grrr! I'm frustrated with the scale. It's gone up the last two days, even though I've been exercising and eating well. I've had a couple of eating slip-ups, but nothing close to warranting gains. Hopefully it's just a hormonal thing and the scale will cooperate soon.

My breakfast event yesterday went OK. There weren't many healthy choices (other than some fruit), but I had small portions of just a few things, and used my resistance techniques to stay away from the cinnamon rolls, scones, etc. I felt good about it, as I did a million times better than I would have otherwise.

I'm wanting to stay 100% OP plan today. I want to set myself up well for the weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Good Morning, Coaches. I officially moved the ticker down. Very exciting stuff. I have continued to weigh and measure since strings camp and as much as I HATE to admit it, it apparently works. I also realize that these past few weeks I have been not hungry but slightly "empty" when I go to sleep at night. This is probably what Beck means when she says "normal full." I am on Day 19 of the pink book again and that is what it talks about - I don't have an innate sense of how much I should eat. That is why I was overweight. So I am trying to remember all these things and maybe one day I will not have to weigh and measure, write down my food, weigh myself daily but for now, I am happy for the tools. All of this kind of hurts my ego but "Oh Well."

This morning was a little upsetting. DH had given DS National Geographic to read. I didn't look through it first. I don't know what I was thinking. He read a terrible story on Aghan girls. There was a particularly brutal picture. I am so mad at myself. At least he came to talk to me and I tried to help him through it. DS has a very high reading level. He can comprehend way more than his feelings can process so it is a challenge. Anyway. I felt hungry this morning and I know it was because of the emotions and the sorrow that my boy has to learn about such horribleness in this world. I can't protect him forever. Anyway, food will not make any of the world's problems go away and if I overeat, I'll just add one more problem to the list.
Eusebius: How terrific an older man is taking up lessons.
TriMommy: It is hard not to expect the immediate gratification of a lower number for good behavior. It seems counterintuitive. But Beck is all about the postponement of immediate gratification. In a way, we are asked to grow up.
Beverley: hang in there with the tech troubles.

Happy Friday!

The first week back at work after vacation always seems so long, I'm very happy it's Friday. I stayed OP fairly well yesterday, I did not have any planned exercise for my day and consequently did not get any in. Again I decided a break from my desk was good at 2pm so went for a nice walk for 20 minutes. At dinner last night when everyone else wanted ice cream I decided that a banana with some Cool Whip and a few butterscotch chips sprinkled over it was a better use of my calories. And I really enjoyed it more than I would have the ice cream. I have to admit when I have ice cream in the house it's generally the less expensive kind so it doesn't taste nearly as good as I'd like. And often my DH will ask if I want some and I'll have one bite of his and it's just enough for me to get the taste.

One thing from BDS that I am really noticing that I'm paying attention to is the "sit down to eat". Many times I have been standing ready to put something into my mouth, while preparing plates at the counter, and stop myself and think "sit down to eat". I'm happy that it's become so ingrained already.

Onto Day 15 of the plan. I've been weighing daily since reading the book and trying to become desensitized to the number and accepting it for what it is. "On any given day, the number on the scale is exactly what it should be, given what you ate, how much energy you expended in the past few days, the amount of fluid your body is retaining, and other biological influences." Decided that is now going to be another of my response cards, and I just wrote it out and added to my group.

eusebius - I found 3 stores close to me in Calgary that carry Sol Cuisine so I'm going to check out those burgers. They sound really interesting and I love the nutritional content.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

GD everyone!

Well, it sounds like so many of us here are really getting in the swing of working our Beck program so I will just say one big "Great Job!" to everyone!

onebyone your sculpture sounds really warm, lovely, sweet and light-hearted (no pun intended). It shows a romantic side of you that I don't think you have shared with us before. Could it be that as life gets better for you it is easier to express? I hope so.

maryann I totally agree that we did indeed spend a lot of time, energy (and for me, money lost) on our previous addictions so I think it is only appropriate that we spend equal amounts of time on our recovery. Great insight and comparison. I will never forget when one of my fellow OA-ers turned to me and said, "You know what this is all about: growing up!" I heard that 16 years ago and I will never forget it because that is what I have been doing all this time---growing up. I am uncomfortable when I recall the time when I had to have one 2 liter of soda per day lined up in my pantry for that coming week and if I didn't; I went ballistic. I needed someone to say to me "C'mon, grow up!!" Well, I didn't so it took me a lot longer but now that I am in the process, I am glad that I did.

eusebius thanks for the vegan link. I have already posted it right under how many steps are in a mile, 2 miles and 5 miles. Walking and eating healthy is what will get me where I want and need to be.

tazzy you are on fire, girl! Yum, I am going to try that "banana, Cool Whip and butterscotch chips" thingy-------. P.S. I agree with you totally on the taste of food. If it doesn't meet my specs then not even one taste is going to do it for me. If I am going to "spend the calories on something", then it darn well better be worth it! Do I hear an Amen??

Trimommy There is a section in the BDS which covers about plateaus-both short and long term plateaus. Short is under two weeks and that usually means under-exercise/overeating, hormonal and sodium-induced. Long is over two weeks and her suggestion is to reduce your food plan by 200 calories per day or increase your activity by 200 calories (which by the way is 1 full hour on the treadmill). Hope that helps!

beverlyjoy sorry to hear about your tech troubles. Hope it corrects itself soon.

gardenerjoy thanks for letting us know how you are doing.

BBE Hey, guy! Another month and you will be relaxed in front of your tv watching sports and all of this will be behind you.

Stats for 8/18(yesterday) for Buddy Challenge:

**calories 2175 (75+ high range) 3254 mg sodium (it was the Hebrew Natl 97% fat free beef franks for lunch a whopping 1040 mg sodium with 70 calories for 2)--29 grams of fiber.
**great day for V/F:
**(Veg)- 1/2 c combined chopped spinach/fire-roasted tomatoes, 2 c cooked cabbage (mixed with the cut up franks--YUM!), 2 c cooked carrots, 2 c combined bean sprouts, broccoli and water chestnuts
**(FR)-2 c (from my organic garden) cantalope, 1 lg banana, 1 c red grapes and bits of fresh strawberries in my homemade whole wheat muffins.
**did my BLC strength exercises w 3 lb hand weights and 5 lb ankle weights--upper and lower body
**walked 1.5 miles (use pedometer for accuracy)
**15 minutes in one session on treadmill at 1.5 mph
**Still weighed 259.4 lbs today so I think it is safe to say that I am there by design and it's not a fluke.

Credit:

** Had an amazing moment in front of my mirror yesterday accompanied by a week of real ephinanies regarding my body image. I have been going through my closet again, since the seasons are changing once again, and sorting for more clothes to send to Goodwill. I decided that now after a couple of months of diligent work that I am going to keep those clothes that not only fit but also flatter. This is a huge step for me because in the past I was more eager to just have something that covered up my body. If it flattered me (more often it didn't) well once again, "at least, it covered up my body."

Now, I have the option of also choosing clothes that I own that now, as a result of being 42 lbs less and toning up my muscles all over, I can wear a top that shows I have a waist; hem a skirt so it shows my slender calves; wear a pair of pants that skim my stomach (where there once was a much bigger one and now a flatter version). In fact, I still have a few t-shirts that I have worn around at home that now when I wear them, they make me look huge and to think that I once filled those out. [Note to myself: Get rid of them!! ASAP!!]

Someday, I will look back on all of this and I will wonder why I "allowed" myself to get so HUGE but for now, I am only going to focus on moving forward.

At my heaviest I was a size 28W. The dress that I tried on in the mirror yesterday was a size 24W and it was visibly loose through the hips, waist and shoulders (I have a large bust which is not shrinking as quickly as I wish but that was fine). I walked around in wonder all yesterday. It feels great to start to see some noteworthy physical changes. Thought I'd shared.

Have a great Friday and weekend, everyone!

One of the things I love about the green book is the checklist of daily actions in the back. I LOVE it! I really feel like I have a tool to keep myself on track with it. The format of the questions each day in the pink book felt overwhelming. Odd, but true.

credit--weighed in, down 0.2 from yesterday, stayed on plan except for a small (measured) snack of peanuts and chocolate chips, .

Took a walk with hubby (and dog) before dinner. Stayed caught up with the dishes all day. (I do them by hand--no dishwasher) and this is HUGE for me. In the green book, Beck actually addresses how clutter and being behind in things like doing the dishes makes it harder to lose weight. She's a wise woman.

Onebyone--so cool about the shadows! I'm sure it will be fabulous. I can picture the lovely mermaid and her man in my mind's eye. You sound good. Be careful driving out there!

Bill--Yay for using your resistance muscle! Well done.

Lexxiss--Oh CONGRATS on dealing with stress better! Really, that's so great.

Pamatga--interesting when our view of ourselves changes, isn't it? I am so looking forward to things "being loose." I am actually wearing a few pairs of jeans I haven't been able to get into for a long while--but they are snug and I still look fat.

Maryanne--Congrats on the scale--but even more--congrats for being willing to do what works even when it bruises the ego a bit. You're so right about being asked to grow up.

Tazzy--sounds like things are right where they should be. Great to hear about your journey.

Beverlyjoy--I hope you can get things straightened out. Did someone spill something on your keyboard, perhaps?

Eusebius--10 pounds since July 31? Wow. Just wow. Way to go, girl!

Trimommy--good for you for making good choices at the breakfast. That's the way to be successful at this thing--for life!

Have a great weekend, everyone! I may, just may paint the bedroom this weekend. (Bought the paint a month and a half ago!) We'll see.

Hi Coaches!

It was a good Beck day. I went to Denver w/mom, planning a solo lunch at Whole Foods. Just as I was walking in she called and was finished with her appointment. Instead, I grabbed groceries...no samples *credit* and fell back on my secondary diet plan. Instead, I had a calorie counted lunch at Burger King...a veggie burger(no mayo) and small fries. *credit* for not adding a diet coke since I'm staying away from caffeine after morning coffee. Exercise was parking at the end of the parking lots, which was enough, considering how much physical work I've been logging lately. OP dinner, resisted thoughts of a snack after dessert...travel tomorrow morning. Sometimes it just seems so simple. (when it's so simple I wonder why I don't just do this every day)

BillBlueEyes, major credit for tackling those basement stairs for carrots instead of the fistful of nuts. I did chuckle….thinking if I put the choc. covered almonds in the basement perhaps they wouldn't be so accessible...but carrots...lol

Alana(in Canada), I'll revisit the checklist in the back of the green book. I need something a bit simpler right now. I'm glad Dr. Beck addressed the clutter issue...it's what got me here. I had to start one small space at a time but I'm pretty close and I sure notice the difference in my food habits if I let my housekeeping slip. Great job OP except for measured snacks!

Pam(atga), I really stopped and pondered your thoughts regarding "growing up". I need to think about that….something struck a familiar chord. Thx. credit for persisting in the footwork it's taken to loose the 42 pounds so far and Yay for noteworthy changes. I appreciated your discussion regarding cleaning out the closet and share your question of "why". As I lose more, the answer to the question seems less pertinent.

Tazzy, credit for taking the 20 minute walk especially when you didn't have any other exercise planned. Glad to hear another BDS person noticing how much they eat while standing.

maryann, I'm sorry about the magazine episode….very upsetting to you. You are such a great mom. credit for not adding one more problem to your list by not eating over your emotions.

TriMommy, yay for a creative dessert. I doubt you've had a gain which is why Dr. Beck's scale wisdom is written where I can access it readily, "On any given day, the number on the scale is exactly what it should be, given what you ate, how much energy you expended in the past few days, the amount of fluid your body is retaining, and other biological influences." When I've been eating clean, even small amounts of off plan foods, no matter how small the quantity, can move the scale 2-4 pounds with water weight.

onebyone, I love the line, "This time it was different". Yes, we can have a different outcome...the new normal. Again, best wishes for your weekend.

Beverlyjoy, great credits! Thx for checking in while your computer is on the fritz.

Erika(eusebius), your new food plan certainly seems to be agreeing with you. I love that your iphone reminds you to read your response cards.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Good enough on food, CREDIT moi. And CREDIT moi for accepting that good enough is sometimes what I do. Looking forward to the weekend where no one tells me that my house isn't square, level, or true. Yep, it's not; it's 140 years old, has wrinkles, and sags here and there - just like me, LOL.

For exercise I saw Harry Potter, Book 7, Part 2 in 3D last night. During the movie I had this urge to reread the book to remember the specifics of the action. But as soon as I left the theatre, I was overwhelmed with happiness that Harry Potter is behind me. It's over. Thank you J. K. Rowlings, now on to the next thing in life.


onebyone - Not surprised to see you back,270's. Good luck at your MIL's BBQ. By the by, Lithium batteries last super long - although pricey.

Erika (eusebius) - Congrats on the lost 17. Yay for vegan restaurants - so hard for me to believe they actually exist.

Beverlyjoy – Kudos for planned and journeled. Ouch for computers with minds of their own - that's what kids are for, LOL.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Glad those chocolate covered almonds aren't in my basement, LOL. Yep, "Sometimes it just seems so simple."

maryann - I hadn't thought about the challenge of advanced readers getting into stuff ahead of their emotional age. Kudos for working that issue tenderly. Congrats for believing it safe to move your ticker.

Pam (pamatga) – Kudos for avoiding the pit fall of focusing on why you allowed yourself to get to today, but focusing "on moving forward."

Alana in Canada - For those of us inclined, it's a big deal to get rid of the clutter; Kudos.

TriMommy - Super Kudos for "used my resistance techniques to stay away from the cinnamon rolls, scones, etc" - those smell-good things are the hardest to avoid.

Tazzy - Kudos for working "sit down to eat" - a killer good strategy to keep working on. Love the story of the ice cream. It bugs me when I go off plan for mediocre food. But then I wasn't carrying 80 extra pounds build on caviar, either, LOL.

Readers -

Coaches/Buddies, this month is flying by! Last weekend at my mom’s house went unusually well. I bypassed most of the junk food and stuck with fruits and veggies for snacking. No weight loss when I got home, but I’m still proud of how I did.

I am struggling with carving out time to post in the mornings. I really prefer to get it done first thing, so it is not hanging over my head all day. But, I have to do my workouts in the morning and I struggle to get up any earlier than 6:15 AM to get my posts done. This is the same for my meal planning. I need to figure this out.

Today I am going to an event at the zoo. I’m not sure what they are serving, so it is hard to plan for. I will aim to eat as many fresh veggies as possible and take a minute to myself when I see what is there to come up with a reasonable healthy strategy.

Yesterday/Today’s Essentials:
Weigh-in: no change from yesterday
Read Advantage Cards two times: yes
Read Response Cards at least two times: yes
Ate slowly, sitting down, noticing every bite: no - using internet or watching TV
Gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful eating behaviors: yes
Did spontaneous exercise: yes
Did planned exercise: none planned
Wrote out food plan for tomorrow: not yet
Tracked today’s food: yes
Left food on my plate: no
Ate only to normal fullness: no
Identified and responded to a self-deluding thought: no - Next time I will listen to the little voice in my head that is telling me to eat at the table and not in front of the TV.

[B]Alana in Canada[B], thanks for sharing the difference in the checklist. I have the pink book, so I may check out the green book now –and the clutter thing!

BeverlyJoy, hope your computer gets better soon.

BillBlueEyes, you know that Harry Potter door will get opened again in 15 years, don’t you? Reading the books is something I am saving for after grad school. I’ve seen several of the movies and enjoyed them a lot. Great attitude with the remodel. That must be a struggle for a precise individual such as yourself!

Eusebius, congratulations on the loss! That is wonderful.

Lexxiss, I’m so inspired by your plan B! That is fantastic.

Maryann, it sounds like you handled the issue with your son in a terrific manner. And, you handled your own feelings in a terrific manner. Major credit to you!

Onebyone, great job handling show stress.

PamatGA, your epiphanies were wonderful to hear about. Congratulations and thanks for sharing them!

TriMommy, amazing job at the breakfast! Congratulations.

Hi everyone - just a flyby as I rush around getting ready for the road trip. I just made a triple batch of smoothies to get me through hotel breakfasts the next few days. Apparently they keep well in coolers ... let's hope so! I also made a double batch of salad dressing last night, so that's lunch & dinner covered as long as I can find fast food garden salad.

I'm excited - I love the east coast. And I found out that it's only a 15 minute drive to a giant superstore with President's Choice everything (Yay, Blue Menu no salt added beans!!) so I can eat very nearly like at home.

I'll be reading posts but may not have much time for personals the next few days ... but I'll be thinking of everyone!
Oh and BillBE, you are looking pretty spry for 140

Wishing everyone a great weekend,
Erika

Good Morning Coaches:
Credit for not eating over my emotions yesterday. I had to talk a long while with hubby before I felt calm. And there is nothing my big farmer likes better than to talk about his feelings LOL. But it worked and I was OP all day Scale down .5 this morning and I realize the secret is to stay OP and exercise a lot. HMMMM... this is a secret? DS has his recital this afternoon -a string quartet and a Bach Sonatina on the piano. I am very proud of him. I will bake snacks for reception but bring my own food.
BBE: What is the old saying, "There are no straight lines in nature?" You house just took that to the nth degree. I am a huge H.P. fan and have reread book 7 about 5 times. It is soothing to me - better than Valium
Lexxiss: Credit on having a secondary diet plan. I was just thinking this morning how easy it is to stay on plan. Why don't I just do it all the time?
Alana: Credit for walks and dish washing. I completely agree. Disorganization and clutter do lead me to overeat. I think it is the overwhelm feeling.
Eusebius: Another trick I have tried is freezing the smoothie in individual containers. Take one out and it is defrosted by lunch.
Future Fit Chick: I try to check in on worked days at lunch. It gives me a nice reminder of what I am trying to do.
Pamatga: It is about growing up. A big difference from growing old. Everyone grows old. Few, it seems, grow up.
Tazzy: Enjoy your weekend.

GD everyone!!

I have really wanted to not "compare" the two groups that I am presently "reporting to" but the Beck group is definitely in a very different place and I am finding myself sharing quite a bit of what I have learned here over at the other group. A few have absorbed it. One person came out of his self-pity sulking to "try again" and reaching out in such a touching way. Some haven't made a peep. I have to remember that just because I so thoroughly embrace something doesn't mean the rest of the world will either care enough or simply follow through on these "pearls of wisdom".

As a person who is also a recovering "just let me at it, I'll fix the problem for you", I now realize all too well that people need to be guided not controlled and even then it needs to be done gently. I have met in the past year individuals who have approached me enthusiastic about making changes, requested some kind of individual "accountability" and sponsorship only to back out until they see what is involved. Now, I am wondering if I scared them off. I can easily see how I can get too enmeshed in other people's "stuff". I recognize that about myself. There is a fine line between being supportive and being controlling.

Isn't it interesting the things we begin to discover about ourselves as we remove all the excess food?

I think I am learning the difference between dependence and autonomy; obviously, something that got blurred when I began making "friendships" with all kinds of foods instead of people. I do think compulsive overeating is a really isolating disease. In fact, all addictions are.

I am going to share something someone just commented on today that really struck me about this. She said that she would like to go back stage and congratulate her acting friends about their performance but she has been waiting for when she is thinner before she does. What struck me about this comment is that in our blindness we forget that it is not all about us in life. By waiting until we are where we want to be (perfectly thin) we have deprived a friend of a well-deserved pat on the back. How selfish we are when we think a compliment from a thin version of us means more than the compliment itself? I never realized until this moment how absolutely selfish I have been in my relationships when I withdrew socially because of how I felt about my weight, my size, my appearance, etc. Granted, it isn't "easy" to be social in a world that seems to revolve around food, competitive looks, etc but being in isolation isn't the answer either.

To some of you here, who are working on 50 lbs or less to lose, you may never have encountered some of this which I am speaking of and it may seem very foreign to you but to anyone who is grossly obese, such as I have been for several decades, it does things to your psyche that I am not sure how long it will take for me to "fix". I have moments when I feel like Rip Van Winkle just awakening after a century long nap.

After being virtually ignored as a social creature, now that my presence is being noticed and acknowledged is just plain weird to me. I will say that I don't necessarily feel comfortable with the attention. Last night, I had another experience that was just "unreal". It wasn't inappropriate this time but I will say that some men really act stupid. Yes, Alana, I am becoming very aware of some of the changes my appearance is having not only on myself but on others. This time, I am not going to regain the weight. I will learn to deal with unwanted attention in my own way and time.

Lately, everything seems to have really clicked for me. I used to fear that having a stretch like this wouldn't last but I am finding that I don't have that fear as much anymore. I trust myself and the process more and more each day. That's why. I am really beginning to think that TRUST is the key that will unlock a lot of this for me.

Thank you, my Beck friends, for listening to my insights. If they help you, I am glad. If they don't, thank you anyway, for lending a supportive ear.

Stats for Day 11 of "Buddy Challenge" 8/19:

**2994 calories 28 grams of fiber 4721 mg sodium. (ate at GC for anniversary meal---ate some favorites which I knew were high in sodium---)
NOTE: in future need to make a choice between similar high sodium foods and not have both/all
**walked 1.5 miles (use pedometer for accuracy)
**15 minutes at 1.5mph on treadmill
**Veg/Fruit: 1 whole apple- Servings: 2 corn on the cob, 1 black-eyed peas, 2 fresh spinach , 1 cup mixed tomato, cucumber, red onion and fresh mushrooms

Hey everyone, a rough few days for me - camping was a disaster as it rained non-stop, and was so windy boyf's parents tent fell down, i got ill and made some really bad food choices. we decided to cut our losses and come home. so following a long drive and feeling like my head's full of cotton wool we just got take out really worried the scale is going to go up this week despite my hard work earlier in the week...