[gardenerjoy]

The Twinkie news reminds me that Michael Pollan cares around a pack of Twinkies to illustrate one of his food rules: Food rots. He's been carrying around that pack of Twinkies for years and they appear just as fresh as the day he bought them. Food rots, ergo Twinkies are not food.

WI: NAkgs, Exercise:+40 645/1300 minutes for January, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Did well at dinner with friends when most folks had seconds and I didn't, CREDIT moi. I served myself a large portion of grilled veggies which I ate slowly through a longish dinner.

Walked (CREDIT moi) a favorite route to see the winter ducks that refuse to go south for open water since we're not frozen here. That's likely to change since it's 6 degrees F outside at this moment.


onebyone – Kudos for focusing on your pleasant tasks. It's neat that you have a mini-trampoline smiley.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – My first reaction to the news that Twinkies would no longer be available was that I should buy a carton and freeze them. DW reminded me that I haven't eaten one is at least a dozen years, LOL. Just hope that never happens to dark chocolate.

Erika (eusebius) – Congrats on your scale continuing to move down. Only suggestion is to continue to give yourself credit for juggling your own "whirlpool of life" as Debbie (Lexxiss) called it.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Ah Yes, that old "whirlpool of life". Kudos for backtracking 100 miles to search for your sister's wallet. Did you find it?

Beverlyjoy – Enjoy being reminded that we spend a serious part of our day thinking about food then rush through the eating of it.

FutureFitChick – That's a good plan, "1 plate ... and drink water" - should work for a number of eating events where the food is out of our control.

maplover – Kudos for making a specific plan, "using the distractions" to fight of that awful Sabotaging Thought, discouragement. We're here on your side while you do that.

Readers -

chapter 4 Stage 1 The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 8 Follow Your Plan, No Matter What
resistance technique 3
Dispute your I don't care voice
The tricky part about this sabotaging though is that it is probably true - in the moment. Fixating on food crowds out your voice of reason.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 98.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Back on the soil of my birth and I was welcomed with 65 degree sunshine. Nice but my husband really needs the rain Slept off most of the jet lag this last nite I hope. I have not stopped hugging DS. Good thing he is the amenable type and endures it with a smile. Ended my three week trip with two pounds above ticker. I am seriously considering starting my back up diet because I have plateaued now for a year. But first things first - laundry, yoga, some more hugs.
Best to all.

[onebyone]

Hello Coaches

*credit* for weighing in and seeing the scale finally move down a bit (-0.4lbs) = same low weight I had on Dec 22nd. Finally. I am looking forwqrd to seeing a loss at my official Thursday weigh-in this week.

*credit* for meeting the deadline to submit a Year of the Dragon print to the annual Chinese new year call for prints that I have done for three years now. I considered that I should frame and display the previous ones I have made. They are all over the place right now. I am looking forward to having a full set of twelve animals. I am also looking forward to delivering these prints in person this afternoon. Yay! (I've attached an image of my print below. It's called Anno Draconis - Latin for Year of the Dragon.)

So, since we are heading downtown I have to make sure I feed myself before we go out. Timing will be important today. I am sure to be tempted by the great array of New and Exciting places to eat. I have to put my plan first. I am way way more interested in seeing that scale drop below 270 before I leave for Key West than tasting something for the sheer novelty of it. I need to write this down for mysef before I head out.

Have a great Sunday.

[Tazzy]

Hi everyone!

Quick check in while I have a break from all the activity here! Retired people in a 55+ snowbird park are sure a busy bunch. We start with a 45 minute walk at 7:30am, quick breakfast before 1 hour of aquasize at 9am and then twice a week Zumba is at 1pm. 3 hours of exercise the first full day I was here, not used to that. It's just been the walking and aquasize the last couple of days, also had 3 hours of dancing last night at the clubhouse to a country and western duo. I was really happy to have comfortable shoes for all that dancing. Have not been swimming yet today but still possible. The weather is cooler, only 66F although I think they keep the pool temp at 90F (they tell me it's because they are all so old that they need that).

Food choices have been pretty good, my mom has joined WW here so we are watching things really closely. I was able to get a protein smoothie at the airport when I left Calgary so that worked out well. It had low fat yogurt in place of the almond milk I would use but it was a great alternative. I got a sandwich at the San Francisco airport and only ate the filling as the bread got kind of soggy. My breakfast this morning was the only meal I didn't do really well at and it was a Sunday brunch at a golf course. I had some bacon, sausage, waffle and scones (that were really good and I did eat two). I did eat mindfully though and really enjoyed every bite.

Time to figure out how to get everything into the suitcase for the trek home tomorrow night. I certainly did my share of contributing to the Arizona economy but was successful in finding summer clothes for the cruise in Feb. Think it will be a couple more days before I get back to this site. I skimmed through all the posts and looks like everyone is doing well. I'll be back in touch soon.

[Beverlyjoy]

Hi friends/coaches - yesterday started out well. But, after dinner - I ate extra food in the evening. It's the first time in a month. I think I've figured it out - it's DH and his Werther's candy. I had one - very bad idea. Then another and another and then some extra cereal and milk. I think I may have to ban the candy or something.

However, I was willing to step on the scale this morning Credit! (stayed the same) Some other credits for yesterday were journalling my food, reading my Advantages Response Cards, leaving a bite, lots of water, ate seated mostly, no seconds, said No Choice a few times (before the evening incident) and slowed down to TASTE the food.

I made ham and bean soup the other day. I tried a couple of tastes as I was cooking (planned & seated). It was delicious - but, gave me a tummy ache. I guess my gut isn't ready for that yet. I should get my test results this week.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day.

[eusebius]

Evening coaches - another quick checkin this evening. I was in the big city all day with my daughter playing for rehearsals. I ate out twice - stayed within my points, but of course there will be sodium-related water retention just in time for my weighin. Sigh - it's just a number right?? But I'm 1 pound away from my next mini-goal and I want it now :P It will come soon enough, I know.

Have a great evening all,
Erika

[FutureFitChick]

Hi, Coaches and Buddies.

Once at the party (I had eaten too many calories to plan well for it), I did OK. I had no seconds. They served on the little 4 inch plates, so I got 2 plates of food. Most of it was a couple of bites per item. It was a Minnesota themed party, so I did try 1 bite of the cheese curds too. Stuck with my water. We only ended up staying for 75 min. We both were not very in to socializing with a bunch of people that already knew each other and weren't really interested in talking with us. Our friends who hosted the party were really busy, so we couldn't talk with them much either. So, we called it an early night.

I'm not proud to admit it, but I was a real slug today. I even made time to go to services today and chose not too -- lots of TV and reading weight-loss success stories, playing the what-if game - how thin could I be by August... These activities tend to set me up for unrealistic (for me) expectations, so it is not so good. Eating was on plan and I planned my dinners for the week. No exercise, not even much housework to speak of. Oh well. I was pretty fatigued, but I thought I got over that on Saturday. Oh well, again!

BeverlyJoy, that is too bad that the soup gave you tummy troubles. Great job for slowing down while eating.

BillBlueEyes, that is great news that you were able to enjoy the ducks. Great job with the dinner party and sticking with the vegetables.

Eusebius, hang in there for your busy time! Glad you are losing weight, and good job on the self-check to see if you are getting enough calories. I sense that mini-goal is arriving! Way to go!!

GardenerJoy, I need to read those books!

Maryann, you sound so much more at ease being back at home. How long is your graduate program?

Tazzy, great job for eating mindfully! I am glad your family is so active.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches/Buddies/Friends!

Another crazy day. It took my entire Sunday morning to finish upholstery project which has been sitting in my living room for several weeks now. My food sanity improves when I finish things I start. Hauled it back to mom's before taking her to Denver for a concert with a friend. (she can't night drive anymore) One planned meal out turned into two today. I got home this evening, and as I was going through tomorrow in my head I thought, "thank goodness I have a routine", especially my morning green smoothie and (new) my PBBBB sammie when I work. Today my Beck practice included:
~weigh in (same)
~practiced hunger experiment when I missed my smoothie trying to finish the chair project and didn't miss it until after noon.
~made good choices at Dim Sum (no fried, no pork, no sweets)
~made the best choice possible when mom decided we'd go out to dinner at her favorite Italian restaurant. (I had salad/minestrone soup and a small portion of spag/w red sauce. (I snuck one of my two meatballs onto DH's plate)
~15 min walk in the park with the pup. (even though I 'd rather have been shopping)
Tomorrow will be easier….Work, exercise, routine.

BillBlueEyes, nope on the wallet. Poof! Fortunately she had a passport at mom's so she could travel. Yippee for 1 plate at dinner when most folks had seconds!

onebyone, love your dragon! Often, I will eat at home before heading to the city.*credit* for thinking about timing before you left home.

Erika(eusebius), I ate out twice today, too. Made good choices but feel that salt.

Beverlyjoy, great that you really thought about "why" you had unplanned food last eve and made a plan to counter it next time.

Tazzy, wish I was hangin' with you this weekend! Safe travels home!

MaryAnn, I smiled thinking of your DS smiling while you gave him numerous hugs! Welcome home! What is your back up diet?

gardenerjoy, Kudos to Michael Pollen for carrying a twinkie around for years. I would have eaten them ages ago.lol (even though I would profess not to like them)

FutureFitChick, 1 plate and water sounds good.

Oh, I've been forgetting to mention something which happened last week which reminds me why I like planning ahead, especially when going out. I like having time to think through my decisions. Sis's last day we ended up going out for coffee. They had a gluten free apple pie and she ordered a piece, so I thought, "why not?", and ordered one too. Sis loved the lattice crust (I gave part to DH). She wanted the recipe, so I asked. Here's what I was told, well we use ________gluten free baking mix BUT the reason it's to die for is it is just super loaded with butter. We take butter in big chunks and then add just enough of the mix to roll it out.
Wow! I had another REALITY MOMENT. How I might "think" something is prepared may be very far from the actual reality of it's preparation. I would have never ordered that had I known. I've had a dose of this reality working at the restaurant (diced potatoes are deep fried). Anyway, my new way of thinking is "don't assume anything".

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walked (CREDIT moi) to the hardware store to get a couple of small light bulbs. Alas, in the 6 degree F evening air, I was reminded that base layers are required on the legs in the cold part of winter. From time to time I choose to believe that fighting off the cold consumes energy and so causes loss of weight. Certainly yes, but the amount might be immeasurably small.

Food was good enough. I had my morning snack when I was talking to a bunch of friends and nibbled standing up - Ouch.


onebyone – Kudos for planning before you head out where foods will be calling. Thanks for Anno Draconis - I like that she's a friendly dragon.

Erika (eusebius) – Eating out twice yet staying within points is Kudos worthy. LOL at "I want it now."

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Just love it; the aura of health conjured by "gluten free apple pie" shifts attention away from the reality of pie crust - all butter. Thanks for "don't assume anything."

Beverlyjoy – Ouch for the tummy ache, but drooling here for that ham and bean soup - one of my favorites.

FutureFitChick – Interesting that the mind games can create unrealistic expectations which, of course, can lead to difficulties. Kudos for doing good enough at the party and for taking the smart course to go make better use of your time.

maryann - Yay for hugs. Yay for the world's most motherable DS.

Tazzy - Gotta love that there's a place where the whole community is rally active. Congrats for finding good food for your travels. I could never pass through San Francisco without having some of their sourdough bread - it always tastes better in SF.

Readers -

chapter 4 Stage 1 The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 8 Follow Your Plan, No Matter What
resistance technique 3
Dispute your I don't care voice
Reread this Response Card from page 21:

It is true that I don't care at this very moment.
But if I eat this unplanned food, I am going to care
quite a lot in just a few minutes. I know I will feel
really bad if I give in, but I will feel terrific if I resist.
I need to go do something else!

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 98.

[maplover]

Yesterday I took my mom and her boyfriend and my ex over to my daughter's new house to take her and her husband out to lunch to celebrate my daughter's bday. We spend a lot of time at the house so it was late before we got to the restaurant. It was one of those Texas steakhouse places. Because we were six, we had to wait for a table. They of course had peanuts and you could throw the shells on the floor. I had some of them. Then a roll at the table. The rolls were sweet and the butter was too. I ordered the smallest fillet, a salad and some vegetables. The salad had huge amounts of dressing. I should have ordered the dressing on the side. Credit me for not eating the whole thing; also did not eat the whole steak.

Lesson number one: I was extremely hungry by the time we got to the restaurant. We were all doing our cell phones while we waited. Instead of mindlessly facebooking, I could have looked at my advantages and response cards. I do have them in there for just this purpose.

When I got home, I had enormous cravings for a beer and ice cream, due no doubt to the emotions of being confined in a car for two hours with my ex and my mom. That will be my dinner, I thought. And it was. But I threw away 1/2 the pint of ice cream, so that is a good thing.

Lesson two: I can't just believe my disordered thinking (this will be my supper). I am doubling down on the craving and emotional eating of success skill 6. I am also leaping ahead to planning the food.

So I am up 1.2 today.

[maryann]

Good Morning,

One last holiday and then back in the classroom tomorrow. Terrible food day yesterday - I was at one last XMAS dinner - can you believe it? It is almost like food chases me!
I am researching my back up diet today which is Weight Watchers. Food is logged in. I have planned exercise for this evening. I have bought healthy food for the week.
More later and best to all.

[pamatga]

GD everyone! I just finished reading all of your posts. I apologize again for not being here everyday but I do think about all of you during my days. Just wanted you to know that.

This is what I posted this morning for "The Way" group:

For those who lost less than they wanted, here are a few tips and maybe one of them might be exactly what you need:

1) NO SUGAR-if your body is one of those that has difficulty metabolizing then this is one of the best places to start. You want to "force" your body to use up the "stored energy" (aka FAT) and it doesn't have to be "efficient" unless you force it too. Also, there is increasing "evidence" that for those of us who have chronic pain (or any pain), cutting out sugar in our food plan can reduce inflammation.

2) MINIMAL SODIUM- we have already discussed this in prior posts. Review that.

3)AT LEAST 64 oz PLAIN WATER. Plain coffee and tea also count. If you find it hard to drink plain water, add a slice of lemon or do a half juice and water spritzer (but limit that because of the added calories).

4)INCREASE FIBER-last week we began by paying more attention to eating fruits and vegetables. Although someone pointed out to me that iceberg lettuce and cucumbers do have some "merit" in terms of some fiber in the skins of cucumbers and the "crunch factor", I will stand by my original list since you can still get better quality fiber in raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. besides the "crunch" factor and pack more nutrition besides. Are you constipated? Are you eliminating at least once a day? You might not be showing a weight loss because you need to be more "regular". "Better out than in", my mom always used to say.

5) MOVEMENT. Although this initial challenge is about setting the foundation of a healthy food plan, for those who would like to see more weight loss, start by increasing activity in your day. Don't spend more than 2 hours of time watching t.v. in spite of the fact that this is the dead of winter. During the commercials (yes, I know we all watched the game yesterday--I was rooting for the Packers too) get up and do jumping jacks in place, walk around your living room, jog in place, do deep knee bends. Just because we aren't "counting" exercise during this challenge means you can't sit like a wet sock stuck to the inside of the washer. Move It N Lose It!! (the name of my 2011 Team Challenge).

We have a leader board just like on the t.v. program for those who are participating in the Buddy Challenge. Everyone in the group is privy to it.

In two weeks' time, we have one person who has passed 10 lbs lost, followed by a cluster of several women who have lost 6-8 lbs, another cluster of women who have lost close to 3-5 lbs and finally a few who have lost around 2 lbs. The weight range within the group of 22 participants is 195-365 lbs. You would think that the "biggest losers" would be the heavier women but that "'taint so". Again, based on my "observation": those who post daily (the more detailed the better) are those who are losing the most and more consistently. The second highest loser was a person who just had major surgery last week and a person who is definitely an inspiration. Another person who is doing quite well so she can be best prepared for upcoming knee replacement surgery.

I am in the middle of the pack but I am done " floundering". I bought some Hershey Kisses last week and although I measured out one serving size ( 9 kisses) then ate half in the afternoon and the remaining half of it during the same day's evening until the bag was finished, I maintained my previous week's weight loss. Not acceptable!

By now, I know what to do so there is no acceptable excuse or reason why I am not losing weight other than I am eating too many calories, even if they are only amounting to one extra snack. Yes, I could credit myself for sitting down, eating them mindfully and slowly but it is still empty calories and it is standing between me and achieving my goal weight sooner rather than later. I may have proven to myself that I can eat 1/2 serving of something formerly a "trigger food" but after proving that point once did I really need to continue every day doing so? NO! I need to draw the line more closely "moving forward". I remember what Bill (and, I believe, Robin as well) once said about not even having dessert during the time he lost his weight. It is worth remembering where both of you are vs where I am at.

Onebyone love your dragon

beverlyjoy hope your stomach heals, I know I am hoping mine will soon.

maryann I can feel the love you have for your son from here.

Erika hope you are also enjoying time spent with your DD.

Tazzy Hey, I'm an old lady and yes I do like the water warm (although not hot)

Bill The ducks aren't moving south because it's not much warmer down here. Even the iceberg lettuce is shivering in the community garden.

FFC hey girl!

Take care everyone!


Pam

[Beverlyjoy]

Hi Coaches/friends... yesterday went well. We went over to our cousin's to watch football - and my food was OK. Grateful for that. I did have three M&M's. I savored each one. LOL I hadn’t had chocolate in about five weeks.

I did many things well yesterday: wrote down my food, measured when I could, lots of water, did my exercises, always left a time, ate seated most of the time (too many standing nibbles - need to work on that), wrote in my journal, planned ahead for food at my cousin's, read my Advantage Card, and concentrated on eating slower & tasting the food.

As I mentioned, we went to our cousin’s yesterday. I have some strict rules about what I can eat these days because of my stomach etc concerns. So I packed my own food. (chicken breast, white bread (I haven’t had in a long time!) , cooked carrots and canned pears) Credit!! They had pork roast, buns, and lots of other things I can’t eat. I had told myself, if there were things I could eat I’d have some. I took a very small piece of the pork roast on their potato bun. It worked out well and stayed within my plan. I am giving myself credit for willingness to bring my own food. And guess what - they didn’t think anything about it. In fact, my cousin said… “What do you need.? If we have it, you can have it.” Credit.

Gardener/joy - thanks for the Twinkie as ‘food’ reminder!

Billbe - credit for extra veggies to fill up on. I love how you do a lot of walking for your purchases . What a great way to get your exercise done along with doing something that needs to be done.

Maryann - credit for such a small gain after being gone for three weeks! I am sure you are glad the Christmas food is over. Credit for getting yourself set for a healthy week.

Onebyone - credit for your preplanning as you head out to town - where there are lots of temptations.

T/azzy - credit for your aqua walking and dancing. Awesome.

Erika - great that you stayed within your points while out of town. So close to your next mini goal… awesome.

Ffchick - credit for no seconds and lots of water at the party! I am impressed with you planning your menu for a week ahead.

Lexxiss/Debbie - I agree, routines are SO helpful. I agree… so very often that hunger experiment has helped me too. Glad you got the upholstery done!

Map lover - I can understand the stress of that time with ex’s etc. Sometimes an extra piece of food can snowball. It’s in the past - hop right back on your plan and you’ll be ok.

Pam - Good advice to your group. Interesting that the biggest losers of weight are the ones who post the most. I believe it!! Chocolate is sometimes a trigger food. In the past… I’ve gone ‘out’ for planned chocolate. It’s better than having it in the house.

I hope you all have a GREAT day.

[maplover]

Finishing up successful day with good and tracking. About to watch tv--usually brings on cravings. Am distracting myself with ironing.