Pretty good day yesterday, read cards, ate slowly, but at dinner not mindfully enough, I was really hungry and the ravioli I made is really filling and I should have allowed my brain time to catch up and let me know I was full. Had a 2nd helping and was very uncomfortable for the rest of the night. It did make a trip to Walmart better with not grabbing things to snack on! Weighed both days, no change. No exercise yesterday.
I have one of my fundraiser events tonight so I'll be walking for 6.5 hours during the event and only get a couple of chances to sit down. I did remember to wear my pedometre so I can track my steps and use some towards my exercise goal. It won't be all the steps, I know I get around 11,000 for a 1.5 hour walk.
Probably won't be back for personals until the weekend, have a great day!
I am late again today but I wanted to actually read this week's assignment for my Friday night Bible study rather than "winging it". It is so much less stressful that way and like so many other things in life; it just plain feels good to come prepared.
Since my women's retreat was cancelled for this coming weekend I am going to work on the painting I began in my "home office" this past spring. So, that is Saturday's plan. DH is going to do the "high spots" if I can get that "moving target" to sit still long enough to incorporate his help. Out of the blue, he offered to teach a friend to play the acoustic guitar over our usual dinner hour. I reminded him that this is one of the reasons why we eat out so much because trying to get both of us to sit down at the same time to eat is near impossible it seems. I am keeping a watchful eye on sodium these days so I had no problem switching gears for what I am going to eat. I actually want to have the same dinner that I had for lunch: grilled turkey burger, roasted edamame and wasabi dried peas and red grapes. It was sooo good it is worth a repeat.
thanks gardenerjoy I will definitely check Amazon.com out for the yogurt cheese maker. I need to look online for a spring form pan anyway since I wanted to make a traditional New York style cheesecake (I have all of the ingredients) and the directions call for that so that plan is stalled until I get the right "tools". I am going to be hosting a "Cooking Challenge" over on BLC in January so I am already experimenting in the kitchen.
Bill Do you cuss? If you don't, you need to learn to, and I don't mean
diluted version of the really blue words. I mean, really open up and let it rip, man!
I never swore until I took a temp job many, many years ago and I worked 10 hour nights in a factory assembling tool kits for semi-trucks. I was tired of standing on my feet, it was hot, the machines were constantly breaking down and by the time I got my lunch ready to eat it was time to go back to work. So, I was hot, tired, hungry AND frustrated. It was ripe picking for some words to come spilling out of my mouth. Add to that fact that everyone around me swore like a sailor and within 3 weeks, I was quite creative in the use of many words that would make a biker blush.. I try to not swear a lot but sometimes when things build up, you just got to get it out.
You are absolutely correct: There are no amount of nuts in this world that can deal with frustrating feelings. However, a few well chosen cuss words really do get a load off a person's chest. Try it and see if you feel like eating those nuts afterwards! "Nice guys finish fat." Just remember that!
Robin Wow, you did start out with quite a challenge with your shoulders. About 25 years ago I was quite an avid amateur body builder. I just loved how it felt to be so strong physically. Unfortunately, I took that feeling and allowed myself to get fat on top of all that muscle. When I resumed using hand weights, I too had to start so small it hardly seemed worth the money to spend on such light weights but because of the past injuries in my shoulders, especially the right one, and then having arthritis in both shoulder joints, I had no choice. I love the way your trainer is working you with the succession of heavier to light. I have done something similar but actually in reverse---go to 3 sets of 15 repetitions, do that until that becomes easy and then move up a couple of pounds where I then drop down to 1 set of 15 repetitions. I am going to try your trainer's way and see how that goes.
Tazzy I hear you about when something tastes so good you have more than one helping. What I have done is measure out everything as I had pre-planned it and then I stop there. I do not do second helpings on anything any more. Yes, I want more. I just don't have more. Your walking will burn a lot of that off though. I am sure of that.
maryann I am so sorry to hear about your tomato crop. Farming is such a risky business sometimes when Mother Nature has her way. You know, I would be tempted to write a factual personal story and then change the names and a little other "details" to (protect their identity) and then call it fiction. Well, it is in a way since it no longer is exactly the truth. When you write about what you know, 20 pages is a snap.
Lexxiss GJ in reading your ARC cards "no matter what". The important things in life just need to have priority. I was just telling my DH today that although there is a women's social function coming up early next week, part of that includes an appetizer and dessert exchange and I said to him, "You know, I am 118 lbs from my goal weight. Right now, it feels like that is so far away for me although if I am really disciplined for this next year I will be so much closer to my goal weight and then I don't think I would feel quite so stressed if I had someone else's dessert (or maybe I would, I don't know) so I am going to pass. I see some of these women at other functions so why put my plans at risk? Although I am doing much better than I have been in a long time, I want to keep that momentum going because I know that there will come a day when it won't be so regular as clock work." Long story to make the point of "drawing the line" but I think I have really redefined "drawing the line" over many things in the past month or two. This is but another one.
onebyone Hope you are doing well. Thinking good thoughts of you.
Sadie's costume is on its way. Bill , I am just going to hand out mini boxes of raisins this year and no dressing up. I have in past years but this year I'm not. I just want to keep reminding myself that this is one night which does not give me a license to eat miniature chocolate candy bars with abandonment. What exactly am I celebrating here? Hmmmm, good question!
Credit:for giving back to others what I have been so blessed to be given and with humor. Latest daily Team Challenge is putting an empty box by their bedside and once upon arising they are expected to pick up whatever they see in their foot path as they move through the day. Once the box is full they then have to put all of the box's contents away AND then start over refilling that box, doing this throughout the day until they retire. One man whose wife is away, and is also "Felix to his Oscar", I had to modify the instructions so that he had "my permission" to mess the house up but with the idea he cleaned it before his wife came home. Most of the people in this Buddy Challenge are retired so they are home more than a working person. Everyone will get a clean home out of this challenge. Just doing my duty.
Credit Tossing out more ARC cards as they become tattooed on my
frontal lobe.
Beck Skills I am working on:
1)making sure that my food plan is balanced within each "meal" and throughout the day. That means making a concerted effort to combine a protein with a carb. [I agree, Robin, smaller meals are known to keep blood sugar levels normal--especially great for diabetics]
2)eating within calorie range--this is the SINGLE most difficult part of my food plan. I am now aiming for hitting the high calories of my range and if I go over then make sure I have burned that many calories that day. For me to eat under 2000 calories a day is tough. Right now, at this weight, I am still managing to lose weight at about 2 lbs a week but I do know at some point I will have to eat much less than I am doing now. I am thinking that I will probably have to make an even stronger commitment to work out more during the weight lose phase of this, simply because I burn calories up fast and I can eat a very lean healthy meal and be empty within an hour. Credit I have been sitting with physical hunger down pat because I do it every night and I have for nearly two months. I do try to save around 100 calories so I can have a mini bag of fat free microwave popcorn but after 9 pm it is sitting with the stomach growling right up to bedtime at 2 am.
Tazz Was it you who posted the "It's not about will power but want power."? Well, I say that over and over again every day. It is my new mantra. I want this. I want it bad. Thanks for sharing that.
Yesterday I was offered a very part time/fill in job as a waitress at our local diner. I went in this am to spend a few hours "learning the ropes." It was super busy and the hostess went home sick. I jumped in and finished a 10 hour shift without sitting down. I had my morning smoothie at 5:15am and did not have one single bite of anything until we sat down to dinner at 5pm.*credit* for not tasting at all. It is the first time I've waitressed with the Beck inspired "no nibble" policy and it was very comfortable. I decided that we'd have dinner early and I'd just be done with my food for the night.
MaryAnn, I am sorry to hear about your tomato crop and for all the stress it brings your family, especially DH. *credit* for taking care of yourself, too. Yes, sometimes our best is not perfect and that is ok.
onebyone, credit for your hard work which did not have financial gain. I wanted to let you know (as the breadwinner in our marriage) that it can be totally ok. My DH does lots of things around the house he wouldn't do otherwise. We could use more money but we live very happily without. Having the opportunity to devote time to your health and household until February (without guilt) could be the greatest gift. I'd encourage you to be openminded.
Today was not great. I have a lot of things to sort through. Food called to me off and on all day. I did get my min. exercise in. I don't feel motivated to post here these days, so I'll take credit for doing so anyway.
I spent much of the day prepping food. I used to resent the time I spent doing that. Now, it's more that I resent the bill of goods I was sold that modern women don't need to spend time doing that -- when it turns out that to eat healthily takes quite a bit of prep time. Even more, I resent the corollaries:
a) prepping food is onerous. Ha! What could be more satisfying work than making food? The smell of applesauce cooking on the stove and squash bread in the bread machine, the beauty of a huge bowl of newly harvested green tomatoes, and the taste of salad and veggie pasta with the freshest ingredients.
b) prepping food is not a valuable way to spend time. I'm still struggling with this one, actually. Should I have spent the day writing? Or, I don't know, curing cancer?
WI: +0.05kgs, Exercise: +45 635/1000 minutes for October, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
va1erie: yep, your list of farmers market veggies is pretty much what was in my CSA box this week. Our squash was delicata--my favorite because I can slice it into rainbows, marinate it in sesame oil and maple syrup, then pop it on the grill. The skin is so thin that you can eat it!
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Had the same exercise as yesterday, CREDIT moi, for the opposite reason. I climbed up and down the stairs because one thermostat refused to call for heat (in contrast to yesterday's problem with a thermostat that continuously called for heat no matter what). Alas, after detailed and sophisticated analysis, I found the problem. A little switch that I never touch was set to OFF, LOL.
onebyone – Yep, the biggest Kudos for posting are earned when you don't want to post. Hope you're able to feel the sun rising in your life today.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for celebrating food prep. My DW has been trying to get me to just accept that for several years now.
Debbie (Lexxiss) – Monster Kudos for your 10 hours at the restaurant without a nibble - you're now my poster child for today's tolerate hunger exercise.
pamaga – Love the thought of swearing my way out of eating. Since I tend to over snack alone, it won't be a problem. I learned some fine words when I worked construction during college summers.
maryann - Ouch for the tomatoes and all the stress stacking up. Sending you creative vibes so you can sit and write your short story - one sentence at a time.
Tazzy - 6.5 hours is a lot of walking - Kudos for that.
Val (va1erie) – Kudos for continuing to leave a bite. I need to work harder on that one. Yay for fall squash!
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 4Stage 1The Success Skills Plan Success Skill 6Overcome Hunger, Cravings, and Emotional Eating experiment 2Prove to yourself that hunger isn't an emergency.
Before you start dieting, you need to know, without a doubt, that you can tolerate hunger - because from time to time you will feel hungry. The Think Thin Initial Eating Plan will minimize hunger, but it won't eliminate it completely. To avoid ever experiencing hunger, you'd have to eat constantly. Many of the dieters I've worked with have told me that it was such a revelation to learn that they could wait to eat until the next planned meal or snack. Not only were they freed from their fear of hunger, but also they found they actually enjoyed meals and snacks so much more when they were a little hungry.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 77.
I had a good night of rest and feel ready to tackle another day of sane eating. Today's agenda includes both Costco and Whole Foods. Fortunately, my Beck skills teach me a strategy for success.
BillBlueEyes, how DO those switches get switched?? It's always been a mystery to me. Kudos for walking up and down those stairs until you figured it out...and apparently not with the assistance of your tree nuts!
onebyone, yes, credit for posting...especially when you were resisting!
Pam(atga), yay for switching gears and having the same healthy dinner that you had for lunch. I agree, regarding your women's social function. Next year works just fine as you focus on your health and WL this year. Bravo!
MaryAnn, sending supportive thoughts as you write your story a word at a time.
Tazzy, it's a great step forward to acknowledge times when you could have used your Beck skills to aviod 2nd helpings. It will be easier next time.
Val(va1erie), yay for such consistent reporting of your daily progress! I'm trying to remember to leave that bite, too.
gardenerjoy, credit for finding the joy in healthy food prep. Me, too. It is so satisfying to prepare healthy food for my family.
Robin(4EverLearning), I'm excited that you were able to take a suggestion of a cruise and translate it to, "a wonderful way to honor all the hard work I have done to reach and maintain my goal weight, and to celebrate my health…." Your words speak volumes!
report: read my cards, weighed (up 1.6), ate slowly and mindfully until my daughter had a meltdown, at which point I ate two chewy granola bars. But, credit for stopping there. Got little exercise (just my home dumbbells work plus a minor amount on my ped), but this morning I walked to my class and back, and this afternoon I'll likely walk to my happy hour, so lots of both planned and spontaneous exercise today. So glad it's Friday and Jane will be able to sleep as much as she needs for the next two days.
maryann -- good for you for having a plan, even if it isn't the perfect plan! And good for you for realizing that even an imperfect plan is better than no plan at all.
Tazzy -- it's amazing how many times I think I want seconds and then a half hour later regret it. I've definitely gotten better with practice, though. Feeling overfull is a trigger for me, so I have been trying very hard to work on this skill.
Pam -- I love edamame! It's become my favorite thing to serve as an appetizer. The pods slow people down, and there's protein in them, so even though they aren't exactly -low- in calories, they feel healthy.
Debbie -- Good for you for not nibbling at work, and congrats on the new job. I waited tables all through college and really enjoyed it. I was a kick-*** waiter! Totally played to my strengths.
onebyone -- yes, take credit for posting when you don't feel like it. When you don't feel like it is very likely when you MOST need to.
gardenerjoy -- I actually like prepping food, most days. I like sitting down with a pile of veggies and ending up with a mis en place that'll make cooking a joy. Like you I consider my time spent prepping to be valuable. To me, that's time spent creating a healthy, comforting and peaceful home for myself and my family. I can remember as a kid walking into the house to the sounds and smells of dinner being prepared. There was nothing more comforting.
BBE -- Do you wear a pedometer? I'd love to know how many calories you burned climbing stairs the past two days!
It's quite chilly here this morning and with some the help of some fog we ended up with a hard frost. Happy to have a garage to park the car in, it's way to early to start scrapping frost! Looks like I'll have to pull the rest of the green onions and carrots out of the garden. Still have about 10 - 15 feet rows of each one. My coworkers will be happy to see me on Monday morning with the last of the harvest!
I'm feeling kind of tired this morning after my event last night. I got 10,491 steps on my pedometer so I'm going to take 45 minutes for my exercise ticker. I do have to give myself a huge credit for last night though. The hotel we have the event at serves really good food. We always have wraps, chips, cookies and beverages for the staff at the event. This year I decided before going to the event that I was not having any of the cookies (and they are so good). I'm not sure how many times last night I said NO CHOICE and walked away from the room. I had a lot of stuff based out of that room and had to be there frequently, we leave the food for the others to eat when they get their breaks so I could not have it removed. So again big credit for me.
Well off to face what's at my desk today. Happy Friday everyone!
Funny the conversation has turned to food prep because no one mentions about all the dirty dishes afterwards! I have learned that is also part of the "necessary" process so I am taking time while the dishwasher is washing my "mess" before I make yet another one to post here. TGIF!
onebyone If there is anything any of us can do right now, just let us know, okay? I agree with everyone else, the biggest credit always goes to when we do something when we least feel like it. For me, that is about 70% of the time I don't feel like doing what I need to do. 40% of the time I can push myself to do it anyway in spite of how I feel about it and 30% I stall until I "have to do it". I figure that as long as it gets done, it doesn't really matter which percentage it took to do it. It got done! Kudos for realizing that.
Val the edamames I bought are already shelled, dry roasted with a sprinkling of sea salt. I measure out 1/4 cup and eat them right out of the measuring cup so the 100 calorie serving size is within my food plan. So far, this is only way I like them. They taste like sunflower seeds.
I feel for you regarding having an emotional teenage girl in the house. Now, that is an emotional roller coaster ride to live with. It's been a very long time for me and she is gone now but I do remember.
Debbie Wow! A second job as a waitress on top of everything else you are doing. I have only been a waitress once and I was 18 at the time. You run your legs off. You are never still. GJ handling all of that and staying on track.
gardenerjoy Well, that was me last night and will be for the next day or so as I work my way through the recent groceries I bought. I made my black bean chili last night. I'm making pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting to take to our Friday night Bible study tonight. I am hosting a breakfast meeting on Sunday so I am making banana walnut, cranberry and mini chocolate chip muffins to bring along. Whatever will be left over will freeze nicely. I am hoping to make my homemade whole wheat pizza for tomorrow night dinner. Paul doesn't like pizza (yes and I married him anyway )so it will be two minis: one for save keeping. Then, finish off my cooking marathon with ham and lentil soup. I just ordered another cookbook too.
Okay, now about the Beck skills I'm working on:
-I will admit that with getting this "Buddy Challenge" going and on track that I really have put my needs on the back burner, especially exercising. I hate to admit this but it feels kind of good to not be so intent on "all of that". However, I am giving myself a narrow window before I jump back on the treadmill etc. I can rest but just not get too comfortable doing so.
-I measure my food, I log my food on my BLC food log, I do not take seconds, I always eat slowly (in fact way too slow--90 minutes to finish my lunch, for ex), I always sit down when I eat (although often it is right here at this computer).
-I have been working these Beck "behavior modification" skills now for almost seven months without fail. Some I already had down pat and others I had to specifically work on for a while.
-My biggest struggle is, and I have a feeling will be for some time to come, eating more calories than is recommended. BLC has calculated that I need to eat between 1400-1800 calories per day. I have calculated it on another website and that said 1800 calories. My pedometer says that I am burning an average of 165-240 calories per day walking on the treadmill alone. The faster I can walk the more calories I burn, according to both my treadmill and my pedometer.
The main reason why I am hovering around 2000-2100 calories some days is simply because I have the habit of drinking juice or skim milk to take with my daily ritual of pain meds I take. The larger ones get stuck and so when they do, the coating gets moist inside my mouth and the after taste is just plain bitter so I have felt that I need to mask that taste in my mouth with something with flavor. I don't know if that is a "crutch" but I have identified that as a problem for me and one I need and plan to work on.
As I am going through the ARC cards I made back in April, I am trying to determine which skill I need the most work on. I'm thinking about that right now. The one above seems the most dominant for now. If I can't get my calories down, then I am going to have to step up my working out. That is the only other way that I can see a solution.
I accepted a "Food Challenge" earlier this month. It will end on October 31st. I like joining these because they are way to "check in" and "check off" my own food plan against what is "recommended" by BLC and see where I am at. I will admit that I was foregoing cooking with olive oil so I could shave the 100 calories to be used elsewhere but I now recognize that I was also foregoing a healthy fat that I needed. So, even after this food challenge is over I am going to continue to cook with olive oil and try to keep my hands off the 0 calorie cooking spray that I am accustomed with.
We had a "Fruit n Vegetable" challenge last April and since I made a game of it, it actually became fun. One of the tenets of that challenge was to try to eat a real variety of fruits and especially vegetables. I decided I was going to plunge right in and try all kinds of foods I would never have considered trying. Again, if you do anything long enough, it does stick and become a habit.
In fact, in order to keep all of this "fresh" for myself, I am always willing to try something "new" for me. It might be "old hat" for you but for me if it is breaking the mold, I am thrilled. Last night, I did end up having another grilled turkey burger (yum yum!) but instead of the salty snacks of edamame and wasabi peas from lunch, I was cutting up red and green peppers for my chili so I cut some strips and had them with my turkey burger along with some raw carrots. I was "eating the rainbow". Red,green, orange and then the bright yellow mustard on my turkey burger. Pretty!
The best way that I know how to counter any and all sabotaging thoughts for me is to stay focused here in the present. I don't even think about anything beyond a day or two at the most. The main thing that I am not doing is obsessing and then acting it out by being compulsive. Credit for slaying that dragon. Since nature abhors a vacuum; so, what am I doing with all that "freed up mental energy". Well, the next couple of days, I will be food prepping and cooking, painting tomorrow, and going to a couple of Bible studies. Works for me.
Hi folks... I should have the 'part' for my computer tonight. (it worked for a few minutes, then didn't again) I am using Dh's work computer. Just for a few moments. I've been writing it all down and planning too.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - For exercise I walked to and from the subway as well as up all stairs instead of using the escalators, CREDIT moi. Planned food was OK, but extra snacking occurred - Ouch. At a short reception in the evening, I lingered over snacks as if I needed a meal. I wasn't expecting food and didn't have my mind in gear to plan one special nibble.
I did resist going after food when I suffered that frustration from shopping at Home Depot for new shower doors. They sell multiple sizes in multiple styles - but it's a challenge to find the style we like in the size we need. Feels a bit like shopping for clothes, LOL.
Debbie (Lexxiss) – Yay for your proven resistance to FREE samples at both Costco and Whole Foods.
Beverlyjoy – Just the reminder I need today, "We all need to be kind to ourselves."
pamaga – Love the notion of "plunge right in and try all kinds of foods I would never have considered trying." I'm still working on feeling sane while cleaning up the dishes after a big event around here.
Tazzy - Ouch for hard frost - if it can happen to you it could happen here, LOL. Walking 5 miles at an event is reason enough to feel tired, but having to say NO CHOICE all night long is tiring also. Kudos for a fine evening.
Val (va1erie) – Yep, Big Kudos "for stopping there."
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 4Stage 1The Success Skills Plan Success Skill 6Overcome Hunger, Cravings, and Emotional Eating experiment 2Prove to yourself that hunger isn't an emergency. what to do . . . In this experiment, you are going to rate how uncomfortable your hunger really is. Doing so will teach you:
You can tolerate hunger.
Hunger comes and goes.
You do not have to eat just because you feel hungry. You can wait until your next regularly scheduled meal or snack.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 77.
report: read my cards, weighed (down 1), ate slowly and mindfully and made reasonable choices except possibly for lunch. I didn't get to lunch until 2, and I was at a restaurant, and although I hadn't planned it, I decided to order fish and chips, which is a menu item I particularly like at this place and in general never would consider ordering -- there are a dozen items on the menu that are better choices. I ordered a small portion and ate half the fish, half the chips. I'm not sure whether I was just ignoring sabotaging thoughts, but I didn't actually feel too bad about it and I ate a light dinner and got tons of exercise, but the point is I -hadn't- planned to choose a plateful of fried food. Contacted my diet buddy.
Tazzy -- chilly here as well! It also rained all day for three days this week, though yesterday was sunny and I hope today will be for the fm, too. Second to last market of the season. Good for you for getting in over 10,000 steps on your ped! And major credit for following your plan not to have any of the cookies!
Pam -- good for you for recognizing that staying focussed in the present is important for you.
Beverlyjoy -- good for you for planning and monitoring!
BBE -- yay for resisting eating to resolve frustration!
I've checked my morning items off my Stage 4 Success Skills worksheet. *credit* I had a great day in Denver making many very good choices with both lunch and practicing my resistance skills. Dinner was a healthful version of old favorites. I properly portioned and enjoyed, but dipped into land after dinner. Scale was up today, to be expected. I'm back on track and will take a walk today (if they don't call me in to work). I'm keeping my fingers crossed-I'd rather exercise for $$.
I had a big post yesterday that was lost at the last minute. Thought I would try again today.
Story and critical stuff was in the mail by 1:35 yesterday. It is hard for me to mail off because of that compulsive thing - "It is not perfect so I can't send it." Anyway, I am free for the weekend. Free from work for the weekend
Food is ok. Making healthier choices - scale is same. I did make my own pasta for the first time and it was incredibly easy and fun. DS and DH loved it. I tasted a little too often through the process. Big exercise catch up plan today. Pilates this morning and a treadmill walk tonite.
Thanks for everyone's well wishes. DH is really started to move on harvesting the nuts and he feels much better.
. I try to not swear a lot but sometimes when things build up, you just got to get it out.
Thursday
Friday
But, credit for stopping there. Got little exercise (just my home dumbbells work plus a minor amount on my ped), but this morning I walked to my class and back, and this afternoon I'll likely walk to my happy hour, so lots of both planned and spontaneous exercise today. So glad it's Friday and Jane will be able to sleep as much as she needs for the next two days. 
everyone!
)so it will be two minis: one for save keeping. Then, finish off my cooking marathon with ham and lentil soup. I just ordered another cookbook too. 
land after dinner. Scale was up today, to be expected. I'm back on track and will take a walk today (if they don't call me in to work). I'm keeping my fingers crossed-I'd rather exercise for $$.
