Hey all. Tomorrow for me is Day 12 - Skipping a Meal on Purpose. I'm nervous because at a place like Target where you get a break when they SAY you get a break, it's hard to go without my snack/meal at break time. I'm even more worried because one of my first shifts working there, I ended up having a SUPER late lunch - I was shaking by the time I was eating and the rest of the day I had a bad headache I couldn't shake as well as felt like I had a fever. I know it sounds extreme and Beck is teaching me not to play into this hype... yet if I were working, say, in an office where I had a bit more control over when I could take a quick break if I really needed one then I might not be as apprehensive. I might try moving that experiment until Friday (a day off for me) so that worse comes to worse I can have a snack if I really need it.

Beyond that, I'm starting to really have to work on keeping up with all the 'steps' I've learned so far. It helps that I wrote every step in my diet notebook so that I can run through the check list every time I eat - am I seated? what's my hunger level? did I get rid of distractions? etc. I might need to take a pause week before I move on to new stuff in week 3 just to make sure I can really incorporate all the things I've learned already :dizzy:

Hi all! :grouphug:

Well I followed the Day 12 experiment, and I have to say it wasn't so bad after all.

Being conscious of my hunger and the level of discomfort was interesting.

I had my breakfast, and I didn't really feel hungry until about an hour after my general lunching time. And at that point it was the slightest rumble of the stomach. Like a little "Hey I'm getting emptier" nudge. It wasn't painful or anything, though. The most it reached was a 4 (on that 1-10 scale), and it only lasted at a 4 for about 2 minutes. Any time I thought about my stomach, I asked myself "How does this compare to the thing that I wrote in the #10 spot? How does this compare to the worst discomfort/pain that I've experienced?" Barely a 2 on average for most hours.

I've never been a person who's had terribly regular hours for lunches. It waffles a few hours either way. The only meals that tend to be spot on are breakfast (almost immediately after I wake up), and dinner (6-7 at night).

Anyway, I might need some time to properly accept hunger is not an emergency. But, following the experiment I realize it's a reasonable part of the program. It's not an impossible task. Now to remember it! I think I'll make a card. :chin: Actually that's a good idea. I'll make a card now.

Today I:
*Read A&RCs : Yes!
*Ate in the dining room: Yep!
*Stickers for me (credits): Many & often!
*Exercise/Movement: :yes:
*Skipped lunch to tolerate hunger: A success :D

Hi Coaches!

First, here's the recipe for Zucchini Hashbrowns; http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/misc...ashbrowns.html

Yesterday I accomplished most of my Beck tasks except I was invited out to breakfast with my aerobic comrades. After some tribulation, I accepted and split and omelet with a friend, which worked out ok. I did not eat between meals and I logged and tracked all my food.

BillBlueEyes, kudos on the standown of strong desires to eat!

frankie77, :welcome2: I checked my first books out from the library. You can read and get a lot from this forum but having a copy of the book(s) would be a big boost.

Tazzy, great that your clothes don't fit!

SuperChick, I hope your needed break helps you to refocus!

Beverlyjoy, love love love not going to Dairy Queen because
"it's reinforcing unplanned eating." *credit*

va1erie, ouch for your crunched vehicle! It sounds lucky that no one was hurt. Great Beck credits!

Pamatga, ouch for a cracked tooth!

Erika(eusebius ), great idea to log your calories for more information.

Lovely, great job really thinking through the hunger experiment, then doing it. Yes, it does make sense but it might take awhile to set in.

gardenerjoy, yay for another drop on the scale and for not eating while frustrated !

missyj, great job getting back on track. I'm just always grateful to weigh less than I used to...even when I backtrack a bit.

MaryContrary, ouch for such hot weather...and the fires that come with it. Yay for great credits, especially not feeding a bad mood with bad choices.

Michi702, great job keeping up with all the steps, so far. A day off would be a good day to skip a meal on purpose.

Morning Coaches/Buddies!

Yesterday went well ... up until after dinner, that is, when I went into full-on binge mode. I can see that I'm not working my programs (OA and Beck) to the best of my ability, so I need to commit to putting that first. I know why, too ... I'm being reactive to the busy mode of starting up the school year again, and feeling like everyone else's needs are more important than my own. So I need to spend time in the evenings working my program rather than collapsing into escape mode. I know this will not be easy, but I have to be honest and face this. NO CHOICE is what I need to remember in the evenings.

pamatga - thank you for the wise words about "hand to the plow" - I will try to keep them in mind today and especially this evening. I have this great image in my head of Paul literally juggling Steinways now, LOL.

Val - way to go increasing the veggie content in your chili! So sorry about your car ... I hope it is OK.

frankie77 - welcome! I have found that the Beck behaviours - when I follow them - are the key to success in staying on plan. I use the pink book - the green one has a specific diet plan in it.

Beverlyjoy - great to see your lists of successful behaviours and your consistency with them. Way to go shouting back at DQ and sabotaging thoughts!!

SuperChick - good to hear from you - sorry you have been feeling stressed - I can relate big time! :hug:

Tazzy - cool that you are fitting into smaller pants and that the info on your response cards has really sunk in!

MaryContrary - good to see you here - hope your ear infection and ankle heal up quickly.

missyj - Great job on 2 days OP!

gardenerjoy - taking a break is a big struggle for me too - I really relate to that.

Michi702 - sending supportive vibes for your hunger experiment (Day 12).

Lovely - WTG on completing the hunger experiment!! It really is so educational to do.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - sounds like you did great yesterday!

BillBE and anyone else I missed - :wave:

I am going to read a few pages of the pink book now for extra inspiration. I'm going to need it today. Wish me luck!
Erika


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

Welcome frankie77
 

:welcome: frankie77 :welcome:

And, for your first month on 3FC, :wel3fc:

Neat that you learned about this thread and the Beck books by searching around 3 Fat Chicks.

Thursday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. I note that I'm less tempted by my DW's trail mix since it's been moved to a place where I don't see it often - duh! When we put our house back together after the painting, it would be smart for me to get that stuff out of my daily sight.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Temper tantrums, like naps, should not only be the purview of two year olds. There must be something useful about them or they'd become extinct, LOL.

Erika (eusebius) - Third grade, Wow. Kids lives clearly move forward in time - sometimes I miss that.

Beverlyjoy – LOL that you 'shouted' back at those Sabotaging Thoughts - Yep, that deserves credit, Kudos.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - A split omelet is a good real life choice.

maryann - Congrats for being so close to your goal weight. Ouch for the difficulties of Southern California of late - hope your environment improves.

Pam (pamatga) – Thanks for the explanation to "hand to the plow." Ouch for an absentee DH; Yay for a DH with plenty of work. I accept full responsibility for seducing anyone to peanut butter with pecans and banana on toasted bread ends - it's one of life's gifts.

SuperChick - Kudos for being aware of your feelings and how that affects your eating. Have a good holiday.

missyj - Yep, NO CHOICE is one of the power weapons. Kudos for gym in the rain.

Tazzy - Yay for wearing clothes that haven't fit for two years.

Michi702 - Good thinking to avoid doing the hunger experiment when your schedule isn't under your control. My take is that the benefit comes from making the choice when it's yours. Kudos for working your check list of steps.

Lovely – Kudos for doing the hunger experiment and evaluating your reactions. Neat results, "Barely a 2 on average for most hours."

Val (va1erie) - Monster Kudos for sticking to plans despite the awful accident to your car. I hope your insurance and the garage gets you back on the road ASAP. That chicken chili with triple veggies sounds yummy.

frankie77 - The best summaries of two of the books by Dr. Judith Beck are here, http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/beck...k-reviews.html I use the Beck strategies with my own eating plan. Glad that you're off to get your hands on the books - no one tells the story better than she does. Glad you've joined us.

Readers -

Report: Didn't read my cards, weighed (no change), got very little exercise running around dealing with getting a rental car, picking husband up at work because I'd had his car, so on and so forth. Ate slowly and mindfully and left a bite, contacted my diet buddy!

Beverlyjoy - It's great to keep making new response and ARC cards. I made a new advantage card just the other day.

Tazzy - woo hoo on clothes being too big!

MaryContrary - credit for working out even though you overslept and are on the DL!

missyj - credit for staying OP for a second day!

gardenerjoy - yeah, it doesn't do any good to fret. I'm sure it ruined the day of the guy who hit my car a lot worse than it ruined my day! :)

michi - The point of the hunger exercise isn't to make yourself sick! For some people, being too hungry -is- an emergency. Shaking and headachey from missing a single meal might be a blood sugar issue. Have you been tested recently for diabetes? Also, what did you eat for breakfast the day you had that shakiness/headache episode? If you have blood sugar issues, try having a high-protein breakfast with no refined carbs for the day you try the hunger exercise.

Don't worry too much about going day-by-day, week-by-week. In the later book, she stops doing it that way and just has people go through the skills and move on as they master them. Definitely it's better to wait a few days and master a skill rather than forcing yourself to do Day 21 on the 21st day.

Lovely - See, -that's- what missing a meal is supposed to feel like. Uncomfortable, but not like you're going to pass out. It should come and go as you get distracted by other things. It shouldn't make you feel ill all day even after you've eaten.

Debbie -- thanks for the zucchini hash browns recipe! I'm definitely going to try that!

Erika - Just before you went into binge mode, did you read your ARC?

BBE - credit for noticing you're less tempted by the trail mix, too!

Have a great OP day, everyone!

Val

Good Morning:
Yesterday in the Beck book I read about dealing with stress. I remembered I have a lot of shoulds that I need to analyze to see if they make sense. One of them is - Always do a complete and perfect job! Well, today I have an MFA deadline so I am allowing myself to not completely read all the posts and not respond to all. I know from experience in this blog that my recovery is really helped not so much by what I say but how much I respond to others. Given that, I try always to respond. However, balance is also important and I have to let myself not be complete and thorough everywhere or I will collapse. So, I read one page this morning. Credit. Responded to some. Credit. Weight down 1.4 from weekend :) Op today.

Michi702: I have many strong feelings and "rules" about food. You are not alone when you feel fear for the hunger experiment. Just being willing to be uncomfortable with the fear has made a huge difference in my eating patterns.
Va1erie: credit for trudging through details still mindfully. Not always easy.
BBE: Credit for an insight - funny had an insight to one person is an obvious to a normal eater.
Eusibius: Boy can I relate to school craziness. It is incredibly difficult to put first things first when I have a mind that wants to tell me, "You don't really have a problem anyway. Go eat like everyone else." HMMMM. Self sabotaging behavior.
LExxiss: credit for the split. Something I wouldn't have though about doing two years ago.

Hello to all newbies!

Hi friends/beckies/coaches - yesterday was a healthy day..I am always grateful for that along with the willingness to keep trying.

Dr. Beck said to write down a list of things that are creditworthy to health - so you can learn and reinforce giving yourself credit. (I have that written on my ‘giving credit response card‘.)

I accomplished some of my goals:

leave of bite of food - yes
no seconds - yes
eat seated only - mostly
fork down between bites - some of the time (but, getting mindful of it)
slow mindful eating - some of the time
TASTE the food - working on this
meditation - yes
lots of water - yes
exercise -no
watch sodium - 1550 mg
plan/measure/log/put food in tracker - yes
counter those sabotoging thoughts - so, so
read my cards and Beck book - yes
enjoy each bite - some of the some
feel fullness - working on this
Weighed - yes

So many techniques to slow down and taste the food. Seems my whole life I think about food all day and when it comes time to eat it…. I eat so fast that I don’t enjoy it.

I am finding that the last few days, at the end of the day, when I am putting all the food in the food tracker it's coming out too low. Imagine that! So I've been having extra large evening snack. I am trying to be so careful with the sodium, It's not working right - it's been a while since I've had too little food. I think I'll bump up more low sodium foods.

I think what has been helping me of late is my willingness to do daily meditation. It has helped in the past... but, I was too stressed to do. I know it doesn't make sense. I couldn't quiet my mind. Somehow I can lately.

I’ve got to take my mom to the doctor in just a bit. Thanks to everyone for your support, comments, ideas and more.

okay here we go again
 

Hi Coaches

I decided to take a breather today from my work schedule.
I wasn't sure I would. I need it though as I can see that I am getting pulled off of my food plan and my other weight-loss challenges. The reason, as usual, are the pressing show deadlines. My reaction, to take some time out mid-stream, is not the norm. I have noticed that I cannot get myself to settle down and do the next exercise in my 4 Day Win book: time out for 10 minutes. I didn't even do the basic prep work for it that keeps me focused on it. I have abandoned my reading rewards as well. I am just drifting and as a result my weight is fluctuating and I am eating more, again. Today +2.4 = 280.9 (*credit for weighing in).
I'm puffy again.

This week in the ceramic studio I have made 14 new ceramic pieces (*credit) including 5 cups/mugs. I never make cups or mugs. I usually do non-functional work. I like what my cups look like. I have my ideas mostly worked out for the rest of my pieces. I'd like 30 new ceramic items for my fall shows. 1/2 way there. This is good.

The ceramic process is so slow from start to finish compared to the toher mediums I work in (printmmaing, drawing and painting). My clay won't be dry enough (called "bone dry") to bisque fire until next week the way it's going. The ceramic studio is so humid. Oh well. They have to be bisqued before they can be glazed so that's more time waiting for the piece to be done. As long as the work is completed by mid October and the studio tour I will be okay. And I suppose if they aren't done, I still have older work to show so even then it's not an emergency.

I do need the stress of a deadline to get me going and to get me on edge somewhat. It's the pressure that makes me focused and working. I am a bit better managing it, and certainly I haven't binged or just given in to the food this time, or the last couple of times, but I still haven't worked out how to stay on plan 100% or close to that when I am in full creative work mode. My focus just goes off of the food and the foodplan and onto the creative work and the time pressure of getting stuff finished.
Maybe this will be the time I balance the two important areas of my life better than ever before?
Things are getting better with the food all in all. I can see that.(*credit)

Anyway, I'm reminding myself that I am in this for the long haul. I want a real change that I can sustain for the next 40+ years. I can take the time to figure this out, even if my progress appears to be at a snail's pace.

Another late day in posting. I got up around 12:30 p.m., "visited" with Paul before he was out the door for his afternoon work, reconnected with him around dinner time and then he was out the door again tonight. He has been incredibly busy but I always insist he makes time for a hot meal. In fact, I am adamant about it.

:welcome: frankie77 - Glad to have another newbie!!:hug:

va1erie - Have you tried any of the ground turkey that it out on the market? I really like the Jennie-O brand. I am a "recovering" beef-aholic. I still eat sirloin steak about 2x a month but I am made up my mind that I needed to stop eating so much beef. I used to eat it 2-3x a week in the distant past. Anyway, I have found that the ground turkey can really be "flexible" in varying its taste just by how you season it. I have substituted it in marinara sauce when doing Italian, as a very delicious alternative to 'sausage" tasting meats and a much tastier alternative to a burger than soy. :fr: about the car accident. I am so glad you weren't in the car at the time. I would have hate to think you were flying along with the SUV!

michi702 I have blood sugar issues. In fact, they used to be too high and now that they are "normal", I have to be careful they don't get too low. I keep glucose tablets in my purse with me all the time. I get noticeably shaky and light headed as well. It takes about 10 hours without food for that to happen, usually in the a.m. and almost every Sunday during Mass (since we are "expected" to fast before receiving communion). I am bobbing sometimes. I would try it towards the end of the day. That way you can always lie down in bed if you feel light-headed.

Lovely – I think of all the "experiments" Dr. Beck suggests, the hunger one seems to be the most eye opening. The other one is sitting down and eating mindfully. I have fun with this and sometimes I see how long I can go without eating period (see above about BS issues). So far, it has been 15 hours and even then I wasn't all that hungry. There are some monks in Italy that only allow themselves 10 minutes once a day to eat. According to their doctors, they have no traces of disease whatsoever right up to really old age. Sure, makes a person wonder about the aberrant role food (and especially excess) has in our lives.

****Here is my question to the group though?? Dr. Beck's philosophy seems to fly in the face of some diets that expect you to eat every 2-3 hours so you end up "grazing" 6x a day. These diet experts cite trying to keep blood sugar even as their rationale for eating so frequently. I have tried that since that is what BLC recommends but I just don't like all that eating. After following OA's recommendation of "3 meals with life in between", switching over to all those mini-meals doesn't make any sense to me---once again---if you aren't hungry, why eat??? To me, not eating when you aren't hungry is supporting Dr. Beck's philosophy. What is your opinion, everyone, on this "twist of tales" among the "advice" out there???****

Tazzy - :woohoo: for loose clothes.

gardenerjoy – There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a temper tantrum. Just have it in a safe place where you can really let it rip. I used to close all of my windows and just scream and scream. When I can't do that I get on the treadmill and "b**ch" to the front of the monitor. It is an inanimate object and its feelings won't get hurt.

eusebius - I don't miss my school days as much as my son's. I miss him being so little.

Beverlyjoy – (see above about shouting):carrot:

Lexxiss - Great way to handle an unplanned meal. In the near future, the next time I am in a restaurant where I can't control the portions I am going to ask for the take-out container first thing instead of the last. I am a little nervous about doing that at one Greek restaurant because the owner is fidgety and he constantly asks you how you like the food. I am fearful he will think I don't like it (just the total opposite) but I will just say that it is so good I want to save some of it for another meal at home.

maryann - :congrat: on the nearness of your end goal. Keep workin' it, girl.:carrot:

BBE well, last night I had all the elements of your sandwich but I didn't know how to "assemble" it. Could you share how it's done?

SuperChick - I'm sorry you are in that fuzzy area called " icky feelings". Hope your holiday kicks them to the curb and down the gutter they go.:hug:

missyj - Sometimes, we have to "work out" before we ever get to "work out" :congrat: on exercising the "persistence muscle" on that one!

Stats for Day 30 (9/7) BLC Buddy Challenge:

**2158 cal 20 g fiber 4559 mg sodium (pizza!)
**worked on the two bedrooms for 12 hours throughout the day(8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.) only taking 15-20 minutes breaks here and there.
*banana, red grapes, NS cranberry juice, carrots, celery and onions in soup

NOTE: around midnight had a late night nosh(I was "starved" physically!): banana, raisins, peanut butter on whole wheat toast, chocolate covered almonds and 1 oatmeal raisin cookie. My math skills tell me that was nearly the equivalent of the next day's entire calories. Stepped on scales this a.m. and gained 2 lbs. (whew) I was expecting worse.

Credit:
*** Yup, I logged that nosh on today's food log so I worked around the fact that I had eaten most of today's calories by 2 a.m. Good thing that I was still sorting through a lot of papers (that is so time consuming), then dusting and vacuuming and time flew by so quickly that I didn't even miss eating. I backed into that hunger experiment, eh? HOWEVER, so I didn't think I was "playing games with myself"---I ate right along with DH even though (here's the kicker) I was mildly hungry(see how difficult it is to pin down hunger sometimes?): grilled chicken breast, brown rice, spinach and whole green beans for dinner. Yes, it will make my calories go over but I felt it was important to re-establish a normal meal time.

Sidenote: As I was going through a mountain of papers yesterday, I came across some information my DH had gotten when he went to a Men's Health Expo in June. There were charts of the weight ranges, heights etc. and I just noticed that I am at 40% BMI (extremely obese--I used to be close to 44%) BUT I also noticed that 241-249 lbs is 39% for my height and that is the top of "just obese". I told my DH last night that wouldn't it be neat if I could hit those numbers by the end of this "Buddy Challenge"?

P.S. This photo of me is when I lost 25 lbs. When I lose 50 lbs (I am at 43 right now) I will take another photo of me. And so on and so on.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!!! I have ordered the book and can't wait for it to come. I know I have to learn how to change my eating habits!!!
Looking forward to sharing with you all!

Hello everyone.........Day 3 OP here. Wish I could report that it is getting easier, but it seems I struggle with staying on either the food or exercise plan daily. (And on particularly bad days I struggle with both! :dizzy: ). This go-around it seems to be the exercise plan that is causing me more struggles.

I am contemplating going to the gym in the morning and changing my work hours to start later. I am blessed to have a job where I can set my own hours within reason, so that is not the stumbling block. It is the fact that I am the walking definition of NOT a morning person that is giving me pause. Seriously, the folks I work with do not come chat with me until after 9am if at all possible! :o I am going to have to try and find time to think on this over the weekend.

I was thinking about pam(atga)'s question about the number of meals to eat. It's funny - when I am not OP I only eat three meals, but when I focus on being OP I add in a morning and afternoon healthy snack (usually veggies with cheese or hummous). But just earlier this week I realized I was eating the morning snack even thought I was not very hungry. So today - no snacks with a slightly bigger lunch. So I guess I am going to try to monitor my hunger and let that be my guide on how often to eat. I too am curious what others think/do.

Michi702 - I have not been able to complete one Beck day each and every day. I have stopped several times to spend more time on a task I felt I had not yet fully investigated. I have also found it helpful to set aside a day here and there to review all/most of the past days instead of moving forward to the next day. I am glad to hear some of the "veterans" express that this is ok.

Hope tomorrow is good for all............

Hi Everyone,

Later check in again but it seems to work best in my schedule lately. Had a good day overall. I ended up getting my exercise in before dinner inadvertently. My DH needed more coffee creamer and we didn't want to stop on our way home from work. I told him I'd go out later, jokingly saying I would ride my bike to the store, we got to our neighborhood and the main streets were coated in fresh oil as they are putting down the final lift of asphalt (another bonus of living in a new community and waiting for everything to be done). Well I drove home very slowly and taking my bike out to the store and staying on the sidewalks was the only option. So I got a 35 minute bike ride with a backpack in 27C heat done before we even had dinner. :bike2: It was a hot, sweaty ride uphill coming home but I really felt good after doing it.

Also got some spontaneous exercise today helping a coworker move some boxes around and loaded some in vehicles. One of my other coworkers told me to take it easy but I remarked that any opportunity to get some spontaneous exercise was great for me! She agreed that it is a good concept.

Stayed OP with food today, even left a bite at every meal. Under my calories by about 100 but am going to not worry about it. After my dessert tonight, a freshly sliced peach with cool whip and some chocolate chips I thought I needed more but told myself "no choice" that was all there was going to be for the rest of the day. Watched some TV and forgot about the urge. Credit to me.

Now to borrow some of Beverlyjoy'sstats tracking :)

leave of bite of food - yes
no seconds - yes
eat seated only - yes
slow mindful eating - most of the time
lots of water - yes
exercise -yes
plan/measure/log/put food in tracker - yes
read my cards and Beck book - yes
Weighed - yes

pamatga In response to your question for the group on the number of meals a day I tend to eat 3 meals and have 2 snacks. I think it's because I don't feel comfortable eating a large amount of food at once and tend to have smaller snacks (piece of fruit or veggies usually with a protein). I seem to eat most of my food in the morning having breakfast, a snack and lunch all finished usually by 12 noon. Then a 3pm snack before the drive home and dinner between 5 and 6pm. I can generally get through the evening without a snack and the TV I usually watch is upstairs so away from the kitchen, which I'm sure helps as well.

onebyone Credit for the ceramic pieces you have done so far. Credit for trying to find a balance between your artwork and your weight loss goals.

missyj Do you think you could find an exercise routine you could do on your own in the morning before you are ready to talk to others? Credit for realizing you need to revise your schedule to fit things in.

va1eri Good luck on getting your car situation settled.

BBE Credit for being aware that not "seeing" food makes it easier to avoid. Could your DW use a container that you cannot see into so it's not so visible?

Lexxiss Thanks for the zucchini recipe. Can't wait to try it out.

Hello to everyone else in the group. :cb:

Friday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Stayed on plan with my eating - CREDIT moi. We had strong rain all day. Fortunately we weren't the part of the Northeast that was evacuated due to flooding, but I got reminded that my basement needs a little wet vacuuming once or twice during serious rain. Nothing gets wet because everything is on pallets.

I eat three meals and three snacks each day. It works for me to know that I'm never so far from a planned meal or snack to justify a need to eat. I've worked at choosing snacks that I really like. My morning snack is roasted soy nuts - a nice protein hit. My afternoon snack comes with a cup of tea and becomes a welcome break from whatever. My evening snack is always fruit and could be called a late dessert. I seldom miss any of them. I have no reason to believe my plan is better than any other; it works for me.


onebyone - Thanks for the reminder, "I am in this for the long haul." Kudos for those 14 ceramic pieces - maybe you'll find a new business niche. I absolutely love the hand thrown coffee mug my kids gave me a few years ago. When it breaks, I know where to find the artist to get a similar one.

Erika (eusebius) - Ouch for the reality of getting caught up in caring for everyone else. Kudos for seeing what's going on so you can make choices.

Beverlyjoy – LOL at the thought of spending the whole day thinking about food then woofing it down so fast when it's consumed.

maryann - Wish there was a way for shoulds to be banned from the human mind. When I'm wrapped around the axle over something, it's frequently a should from long ago with little relevance to my current life.

Pam (pamatga) – Kudos for setting a new short term goal that can be met. [Toast the end slices of 100% whole wheat sandwich bread (can substitute sandwich 'thins'). Spread a thin layer of freshly ground peanut butter. Cut each slice in half. Put three toasted pecan halves on each half. Quarter the banana and place the quarter on each half. Voila! Enjoy the challenge that the banana doesn't want to stay on top of the pecans.]

missyj - Kudos for working seriously on making exercise a part of your day.

Tazzy - Kudos for a spontaneous bike ride - hope the smell of fresh asphalt didn't ruin the joy. [Using an opaque jar might be just the change I need.]

Val (va1erie) - Ouch for your life getting redefined by someone else ramming your car. Kudos, again, for keeping your sanity while doing it.

frankie77 - Kudos for ordering the book to move forward. Which one did you order?

Readers -