[FutureFitChick]

Hi, Coaches & Buddies.

Posting via phone. I didn't pack gym bag b/c realized I can come home to shower right after workout. Wasted a lot of time today, which really frustrated me. I really needed to be productive. On top of that, had a deadline moved up on me 5x! Weighed down one and a half. Ate at low end of target, but felt like ate a lot today. Better weigh and measure this weekend. Ate some food while cleaning up from dinner. Didn't feel like ate enough dinner. Should have said NO EXCUSES or sat down at least. Read days 27-8 last night and will remember to refer to it in case of "stinkin' thinkin'".

SarahBennett21, I don't think I found eating as much sweets as you desire helpful in the time period I did it. However, having done that + Beck, when faced with a craving for that food I can now imagine how I would feel physically and let it go. I don't know what your experience is with cravings, but in regards to cravings being motivated out of physiologic need, there isn't much strong scientific evidence to support this notion. (Major exceptions would be thirst for water and salt for Addison's disease, for example.) I was TOTALLY bummed when I found this out, because I really wanted it to be true.

PamatGA, great job for all of your credits and thanks for the reminder about balance!

BillBlueEyes, great job for being on track with food. Bummer about the weather stripping. I hear you about condo!!

Melrose and Maplover and OnebyOne, congrats!

SSS may the force be with you on donut day!

Iamworthit, great job getting back on plan.

GardenerJoy, great that you still have chard left today! Good job with NOT EMERGENCY.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - It was too cold to go out for a walk, so I did so anyway - CREDIT moi. Left some of my spaghetti pesto at dinner, CREDIT moi, a win because I love that stuff but felt that I was satisfied and that was enough.

onebyone – Oh Yes, plane tickets make it sound absolutely real. Right this moment I'd like a touch of that Florida warmth myself. Congrats for getting yourself back into your printmaking.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – That is so amazing - chard and lettuce are NOT January crops at your latitude. Kudos for remembering that hunger is not an emergency.

FutureFitChick – Kudos for chasing down "stinkin' thinkin'" - I've done my share of that. Thanks for the info that cravings aren't deep physiological needs; I've worshiped at that altar also, LOL.

maplover – Thanks for the reminder, "It feels great to eat clean,"

Melissa (melroseg2002) – Congrats on those four pounds gone. Yep, it's a rush when the scale says we're losing.

I am worth it – Kudos for "jumped right back on for dinner" - rapid recovery is the BIG thing.

Katie (SeaSideSparkle) – Love it: "no choice - no donuts" - Kudos. Congrats on those 25 pounds gone forever.

Readers -

chapter 4 Stage 1 The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 8 Follow Your Plan, No Matter What
what to do . . .
Whenever you are tempted to eat unplanned food, use as many Resistance Techniques as necessary. In your Diet Notebook, start a new page with the heading "Resistance Techniques." After you practice them, reorder them according to their effectiveness.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 96.

[melroseg2002]

I had a really stressful day at work yesterday and did cave in to some emotional eating. I am not too disheartened though, because I recognized the reason why I was eating, early on, and was able to reign it in before it got really bad. A better solution would have been to get on the elliptical or take a walk outside to relieve the stress. So so happy it is Friday!!

Bill - great job taking that walk in the cold. It is so easy to use the weather as an excuse not to.

Future Fit Chick - I'm right there with you on work stress...it seems to take over my whole life sometimes. Do you find that when you stick to your eating plan it helps to even out some of that stress?

GardenerJoy - I'm so jealous that you have garden fresh produce in January! Way to take advantage of a nice day.

[Tazzy]

Had a good couple of days. Weighed each day and down a bit every time, getting very close to ticker weight again after the Christmas chocolate debacle.

I had an interesting discovery last night. I really wanted something crunchy and salty and got a serving size of Triscuit crackers, my favorite flavor of balsmic and basil. I ate them enjoying the crunch but a few minutes later realized that I didn't like the flavour or the "processed" taste of them. You could not have convinced me 3 weeks ago that I would not want to eat crackers again. Same with a small shortbread type biscuit cookie that I tried from a box we got at work. They both left a weird feel in my mouth, can't really think of the word right now to describe the sensation. Suffice it to say it was weird enough that I don't foresee myself wanting to devour a whole box of crackers!

I have been reading my cards everyday, I put them right beside my scale where I weigh in each morning, seems to have helped.

melroseg2002 Good job in recognizing your reason for eating and taking control.

onebyone Good job on the scale, very excited for you for your trip. I'm sure you are counting down the days to your departure like I am!

gardenerjoy Very envious of a winter garden! My garden plan for this year is to try and get some of my plants started inside this year before planting in the garden.

BBE Credit for walking in the cold. If I let winter get in my way I would never go outside. I love a brisk walk in the cold, lucky for me being a Canadian I get that option a lot. Although our winter seems to have disappeared and I noticed yesterday that all the snow covering my shrubs in the back yard (about 18" deep) has now melted. I hope the trees don't get confused and decide to start budding.

maplover Yeah for strenous exercise and planning. I feel like I've missed something if I don't write down my meal plan for the day. It's a habit I am happy to have.

seasidesparkle Congrats on 25 pounds gone already and hope you had a successful NO CHOICE on the donuts! Just remember they are flour, sugar and water cooked in grease! (Or that's what I'm guessing). Kind of like BBE's mandarin orange chicken description, I told that to a friend yesterday and she did remark that it really did not seem that appealing after all.

pamatga Hope the tax studies are going well and good job in looking after yourself this year!

sarahbennett21 I know how you feel about sugar. Once I can get past having it for a few days the cravings really do diminsh for me. Last week on TV I saw an interview and they were talking about resolutions and such. The doctor (or might have been a nutritionist) had a patient that felt she had to eat chocolate everyday. So the doctor gave her a "prescription" to eat 1 full size chocolate bar at 3pm daily. After about 10 days the patient found that when she had to force herself to eat it on days when she didn't want to she no longer enjoyed it. I'm not sure if that theory would work for me or not. Guess maybe that's some reverse psychology?

Hello to Lexxiss, va1erie, Robin, eusebuis, iamworthit and anyone else I may have missed.

[FutureFitChick]

Hi, Coaches and Buddies.

Posting early because I will be at DH's company party tonight. I have no idea what the food will be. I have left 1200 Kcal for it, so I'll be ok with that. No change with weigh in. I did get to the gym this morning.

Billblueeyes, great job getting in a walk when it was too cold out. Also great leaving some of a favorite food on your plate.

Melroseg2002, good job identifying what you can do differently next time instead of food. I can't really describe at how eating on plan helps with work stress because I always end up focusing on work instead of my health. I am really trying to work at this, but it's tough, especially when it seems like the expectations are always getting higher.

Tazzy, interesting post about the cracker flavor. Great job on the post-holiday recovery.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches/Buddies/Friends!

I continue to be in full caretaker mode as I have mom, sis and DH with me right now. *credit* for seeming to meet everyone's needs (including my own). The one thing I don't seem to be able to manage is time to really "sit down" with all of you.
~food is (not planned ahead) but is OP
~exercise is daily at the pool
~spontaneous exercise today was walking my basket all the way back into the grocery store and counting my steps.
~weighing every day (with normal fluxuations)
~resistance today included flat tire licorice and going out for midnight pancakes/eggs w/DH
Credit for healthy behaviors and continued focus on myself even when it's (more than) busy.

BillBlueEyes, great job getting out for a walk in the cold. I'd be thinking of that heated gym this time of year. (great suggestion since I exercise outside in a pool when its 22 degrees) lol

FutureFitChick, great job posting, planning ahead for the party AND getting to the gym this morning!

Tazzy, count me as one who doesn't Triscuits anymore. It's fascinating how our tastebuds change. I'm not eating much out of cans anymore...can taste the metal. Yay for reading your cards every day. Right beside the scale is where I keep them too.

Melissa(melroseg2002), great job stopping your emotional eating AND coming up with a more productive response for next time. Congrats! on your WL so far!

I am worth it, yay for jumping right back on plan for dinner after you took a detour.

gardenerjoy, fantastic that you were able to use your Beck skills on a day where you were hungry most of the time!

onebyone, credit for OP behaviors which have quickly brought you back to your 5% loss!

maplover, great observation that setting the alarm for 20 minutes helped you to recognize your fullness and resist post lunch cravings.

SeaSideSparkle, I hope that your planning helped you to get through a challenging day at work.

Pam(atga), credit for continuing to seek balance! I love the sound of gingerbread spice tea as an after dinner option!

sarahbennett21, (belated response) I have read the books you mentioned. I find good things in everything I read but have not had success in practice. We are all different and each have to try (and find) what works for us.

Beverlyjoy, I'm hoping your ultra sound gave you some information which will help with your recovery. Congrats on your ticker moving down again!

Donamarie(fyreflie), how was your nutritionist appt?

to everyone else. I hear a car pulling up so it's time to get "back to it".

[maplover]

Great day today. Not only am I down 2 lbs from yesterday, but I had a near perfect day with food. I never felt hungry and I never felt deprived because I was able to incorporated a few things I crave into my plan (300 calories divided among pistachios and dark chocolate). This made my fat percentage somewhat higher than I wanted, but I'll work with the numbers in the coming weeks. I did leave a portion of my lunch salad out. The other thing I am testing in terms of stopping eating is whether I can JUST have 3 squares of chocolate or 1 oz pistachios when normally I would eat the whole bar/package.

I had some stressful news at work. A project I have been working on for months which was interrupted when my Mom was sick is way overdue. The project manager demanded I send it along (not quite finished). I told him I would have it at the end of next week.

On my way home I desperately wanted a drink. This is a bad idea for a number of reasons: 1) I often have more than one drink 2) lots of calories that I don't need. 3) it makes me crave sugar the next day. But I have prepared a response card for this situation and I was able to use it. So credit me.

I'll catch up on personals tomorrow.

[Beverlyjoy]

Hi folks/beckies/coaches - Well, I did it. I managed to put together of day of food within these parameters: gallbladder diet, bland, nonfat & low sodium. Credit. I had my ultra sound on Thursday. My doctor called this morning with the results. My gallbladder does have some stones - however, it’s not infected or inflamed. The next step, she suggested, is a nuclear look at how several organs are working together - gallbladder, pancreas & liver. I am so continue with the above mentioned food plan. But, this food plan actually is helpful.

I’ve been writing it all down, did some stretches, drank lots of water and eating much slower. Credits.

Thanks to you all for your support and kind words in regards to my health stuff going on. I certainly appreciate it!

I am going out of town in a couple of days. I’ll have to bring things to eat. Starting to think of which foods I’ll bring.

map lover - congrats on the two pounds! Kudo’s on incorporating foods in your plan that you really love.

Lexxiss/Debbie - sorry things are so hectic. It’s awesome that you are OP, despite not being able to plan. Many credits. Carry on. Hope you were able to enjoy time with your mom and sister.

Future/fit/chick - kudo’s on saving all those calories for the party tonight. Also, weighing in and getting to the gym! Awesome to see the scale go down.

Erika - thanks for the positive thoughts.

T/azzy - it’s awesome that you realized that the crackers weren’t really that tasty to eat too many.

Melrose - ouch on the emotional eating - but, it’s good that you recognized it was emotional eating.

Billbe - you are strengthening that resistance muscle by leave some of the spaghetti pesto and realizing you’d really had enough and felt satisfied.

I am worth it: I can’t tell you how many times doing the hunger experiment has really come in handy when I think I need to eat.. Just because it’s been a while and doesn’t relate to actual hunger. Carry on!!

Gardener/joy - awesome to see three days of weight loss!!!

Sarahbennet - I have read several books on intuitive eating. I have tried it (and a good try of two months)… and I think that part of me is broken. I do much much better with a plan. Yes, losing some weight always does help any aching pieces or parts. BTW - love your poem.

Pam - credit for remembering to take care of YOU too. I too, find tea is often a good distraction.

Seesidesparkle - I agree! Planning can help me avoid a binge. I always say…plan, plan and plan some more.

Onebyone - SO awesome to see the scale go back down.! Lovin’ your positive attitude… yes this IS your year to lose the weight.

Hope you are all doing well.

[Daimere]

I still haven't done a new Beck chapter. But I'm still eating sitting down, even if I have to sit on the floor to do it! The success rate with that lately has been 90%. I've been eating good and haven't skipped exercise even when I wanted to.

[onebyone]

Hi Coaches

It dawned on me that I have been using food as a reward after my WW meetings. I can't believe I am doing that! The meeting is held upstairs at a large grocery store and when we are done, I take the opportunity to shop for food for DH and me, AND I have been buying a tray of sushi as a treat for me for getting through another week/for weighing in/for trying. This is what I eat on Thursday mornings; I've started to look forward to it=feeling like it's my reward. Ugh! And, in addition, when DH is done the work week, *I* consistently have a very high points day. It's on plan, this is all on plan, but the behaviour is not healthy. I can't use food as a reward and I seem to not know what to replace it with. I'm still not rewarding myself when I lose weight/make my goals either. I need to start addressing this. I need ideas for free things to do.

Otherwise I weighed in and was 0.2lbs up from yesterday so no biggie there *credit* Stayed OP and tracked and checked in *credit*

See you guys tomorrow.

[gardenerjoy]

We got to 70 degrees today! I took advantage of it and, with DH's help, prepped my veggie garden for spring. I get a kick out of stretching the season, but two years in a row I've had a hard time getting an early start because the bed wasn't ready and the ground was too wet. That won't be a problem this year. I could be planting lettuce in less than two months!

That's it for the outrageous temperatures, but still a high in the fifties tomorrow is above average.

WI: -0.05kgs, Exercise:+90 270/1300 minutes for January, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Was going to leave a chunk of my lasagna at dinner, then we kept talking and I just kept eating - Ouch! Just reminds me that eating is a social thing. With good company and a pleasant environment one could just eat 24/7 - say, lying on a couch like a Roman Emperor, LOL.

My walk, CREDIT moi, included an errand so I felt efficient doing two things at once.


onebyone – Kudos for being so aware that it's more than just the calories. WW meetings over a grocery store seems like a tough match.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Just shaking my head that you're already prepping your veggie garden for next season. Kudos on that 90 minute hit of exercise.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Sounds like you have your hands full. Hope your DH has found a way to survive a mom and her two daughters.

Beverlyjoy – Ouch for a gallbladder acting its age. Kudos for seeing that you can use the medically dictated food plan.

FutureFitChick – Kudos for the trip to the gym and for having a budget for your party last night.

Tazzy - Goodbye processed foods. Goodbye Triscuits. Goodbye weird taste in the mouth.

maplover – Interesting to find a way to have a smaller serving of chocolate and pistachios. Those are both hard for me to have in sane portions. Good luck on catching up on your project at work.

Daimere – Love the thought of sitting on the floor in order to eat sitting down.

Melissa (melroseg2002) – Kudos for reviewing your reasons for eating and making plans how to do it differently.

Readers -

chapter 4 Stage 1 The Success Skills Plan
Success Skill 8 Follow Your Plan, No Matter What
resistance technique 1
Say to yourself, NO CHOICE.
This short phrase helps eliminate the struggle involved with following a plan. Make the choice not to give yourself a choice about eating unplanned food. (When you get to Stage 4, you will learn how to eat with more flexibility.) Think how much easier life would be if every time you were tempted, you were able to confidently say to yourself, NO CHOICE: That's it. I'm absolutely not going to eat it!.


Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), pg 96.

[maryann]

Good Afternoon, Coaches.

Checking in after my vacation from Florida, I am amazed and delighted at the number of new contributors. I look forward to getting to know you over the next few months.

I think someone was going to Florida? I have been the week there with DH and DS. Warm sun and my son's delight at Harry Potter World made it hard to leave for Vermont yesterday. So now I am firmly buried in the new semester of my MFA in Creative Writing. I didn't recognize one author mentioned in my advisor group and my cell phone went off in the key note address but I didn't know it was mine until 10 mins. later when it went off again! But, I guess that is why I am here - to be uncomfortable, out of the embalming solution of my twenty something year profession.
Food has been terrific. Unplanned often because of travel but within the structure of one small treat a day, lots of veggie and a portion of protein at every meal. I brought my scale with me and I am 1 pound from ticker which is a huge success having been in the land of intriguing multi colored carbohydrates. Exercise will be yoga before dinner.
Best to all.

[Beverlyjoy]

Hi Becksters/coaches/friends.... yesterday was a healthy day. I kept my food within the many parameters dictated by my family doctor. They are very helpful to the stomach ache and pain situation.

I had some credits yesterday: bought the foods on my plan, wrote down everything I ate, did some stretches, drank lots of water, left a bite, tried to enjoy my 'bland/low sodium/gallbladder friendly/nonfat food. It was kind of comical figuring out what I could eat. A gallbladder food plan includes lots of fiber and fresh veggies. A bland diet are foods with no fiber or spice or onion/garlic/cabbage type foods.- as not to 'stir things up in there'. Non fat is nonfat. I've discovered that matzo's have no sodium, no fat, no fiber. Bingo! It's good with a smidge of jelly. Glad to have google/internet to check out what's what is all this. I've taken it on as a challenge.

I am going out of town tomorrow until Tuesday. I went to the store to get what I need - to take with me. I hope you all have a great day.

MaryAnn - Credit!! for staying within your plan while out of town. Wonderful. Glad to hear you are nearly at sticker weight.

Bilbe - that darn lasgna - it's so tasty .. pair that with friends socializing at dinner. Glad that's over. Carry on. Good you got in your walk.

gardenerjoy - wonderful exericse working in the garden. It's great to be able to do so.

onebyone - I so understand the tendency to overeat the day you weigh in at WW. I did it too. But - you've acknowledged it and can deal with it. Credit.

Daimere - awesome that you've been doing your exercises even when you didin't feel like it. Credit for your determination to sit down when eating!

Have a good day, friends.

[SeaSideSparkle]

Hello all!

Successful day on plan yesterday - no donuts for me; fish tacos for lunch and very, very little nibbling at the after work event. Good for me!

Maryann: Well, well done bringing a scale on vacation!! That's dedication! And yoga too - good!!

Weekends are tough for me - Bill; thanks for the "No Choice" reminder!