IBelieveInMe2 Well, not only do we have start weight and goal weight and starting at the same time, we share the commonality of clutter
Yes, I have both body clutter and house clutter! My house is an embarrassment, but I am committed to facing my issues head-on in 2013, so that I can live a happier and healthier life in every way. These issues have dominated my life for way too long!!! I COULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS!
I've started participating on the clutter thread, please do join in and broadcast your successes and plans! I'm way behind everyone there too but Lexxis posted a quote "you are not behind...jump in where you are" OK, I can do that.

My day OP: a bit short on veggies but that's OK for today. Have a snack and a friut serving to get in before I go to sleep, Water, pretty darn close to 8 glasses, Walked 20 minutes. Close enough to call success. Nice long phone call with my sweet son. Evening with friends laughing and catching up. New project endorsed and supported at work! Verdict: Great Day. Reward: read for a bit on new book "The 100 year old man who went out the window and disappeared"
WhooHoo for me!
JuliaWhoHadAPrettyDarnGoodDay

Tuesday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Was a good exercise day, CREDIT moi. Physical Therapy felt successful, although I still find it difficult to stand on one foot for 30 seconds with my eyes closed. Fortunately, that's not a standard activity in my post-therapy life. Gym went well. Walking here and there was a joy on a warmish January day.

Eating was on plan superb, CREDIT moi, until after dinner. Dinner was a potluck at a meeting were I chose wisely and moderately. Then the remaining desserts were passed around the table so they "wouldn't go to waste." Arrrrrrgh! I had ducked the Belgium Chocolates and the brownies when I served myself. I faltered as the stuff kept being circulated. Gotta figure out how to learn to avoid platters of food that I'm handed and need to pass to the next person. It didn't help that I sat near a forever bean-pole friend with an enormous appetite. Oh, well.


onebyone – Yay for moderation. May you and Francesco have a long and fruitful relationship. [Thanks for the Kind words.]

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Himalayan lunch seems an appropriate reward for 4 hours of scanning photos.

Beverlyjoy – Sending positive thoughts to your back, along with admiration for your persistence.

maryann - Keep pushing "writing and reading for pleasure" - I so tire of reading about college in terms of earning power alone without reference to lifelong learning. Love the notion of putting stuff in the fridge in mason jars instead of plastic containers - hadn't thought of that.

Tazzy - I hate meal-time meetings that force me to eat earlier or later than feels right. Yay for walking your dogs for fun exercise.

Ann (Newlifestyle) - Keep the faith - you're marching along a difficult path. Continuing to send supportive thoughts.

nationalparker – Your office candy experience reminds me that when I started working in the 60's, it was OK for men to have cheese-cake pictures on their office walls. It slowly became non-OK, and today is considered sexual harassment justifying dismissal. I'd like to see gratuitous office treats take that same path.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – I like the thought of chicken quietly marinating for tomorrow's dinner - real planning that.

IBelieveInMe2 – I am so glad that professional organizers exist. I had success with one over a period of months to break the back of my stacks of paper. Kudos for facing that challenge.

Julia (Julia150) – It works for me to totally avoid discussing my eating plan except in one-on-one conversations with friends mutually interested. Yay for being so busy that you can forget to eat. [Lifetime diligence does seem to be the future.]

Kitty (Bootedkitty) – Gotta love “più testa meno chili” as a mantra. Neat that The Beck Diet Solution has been translated into Italian. Was Neuro Linguistic Programming useful for you?

Readers -

Hello on another cold day here. My vacation day yesterday turned into just a day of errands and I regret that, but did take time in the evening to relax and read. Feel really good about decisions I've been making - even if not perfect, I'm making choices that I can live with and trying to make the best choice in situations. Today is a staff lunch out, not sure where as the birthday people will come together and choose. But whatever it is, I feel confident today that I can do well.

Lesson to self: don't read backward in the postings here. I had to scramble to see what was up with OneByOne and Francesco, who sounds like a BellaKitty friend, and what happened to OneByOne's DH, etc.? Ah HA! Got it. :) Yes, have a great relationship!

Bill - You did superbly, passing those chocolates and desserts by on the first few go-rounds. We're only human! And the helpful thinking selection today is certainly going to help me. Even in my own home. Hope your warmth lasts more than a fleeting day.

Ann - This is certainly a stressful, trying time for you. It seems to just invade all of our thoughts when we're going through these times. Treat yourself well.

IBelieveInMe - Great decisions about decluttering! I have recipe clutter and that's on my goals for this spring to tackle. I am not a major saver of things, but I do save printed recipes from blogs, magazines, etc., and want to find a way that works for me to non-digitally save them. (I don't want to have to turn something on to find a recipe... so I need to get that figured out!)

Tazzy - LOVE the image of the dogs bounding in the snow. That's one of the winter joys in my life to see our dog boinging through the snow. Credits for choosing the more challenging walk!

BethFromDayton - I, too, need an afternoon snack at work, and have been bringing in a large gala apple each day and now look forward to it. I cut it up and put the slices in a cute bowl (half the fun, seriously) ... and it takes a while for me to get through them all.

Julia150 - What a GREAT day! I smiled reading about your evening. THESE are the times that make our lives so special. Cherish!

Maryann - Your job sounds so rewarding! Literacy has always been important to me - now in my 10th yr volunteering with an elementary school literacy program weekly. Same kids every week throughout the year. I was very fortunate to have been read to nightly. And, I think, to live overseas without tv for seven years, so we were a reading family.

Lexiss - LOVE that you keep getting it done - tackling projects, staying on track, balancing things out. Keep on, keeping on!

Good day, all! I need to take notes to do some personals, I think!

Greetings buddies
Only time for a quick check in before work. I recieved some data from the scale that is motivating. Saturday will be the official recordable data.
In order to get out of bed on this dark, cold morning I had to promise myself a nap/book read when I get home from work.
Best of Tuesdays to all of you.

Hi, Coaches and Buddies.

I'm back from my long "ski" weekend. DH had fun at his race and I got some work done. I am 80% pleased with my eating, but there is still room for improvement. It felt good to get away, but I am glad to get back in the swing of things.

Neuro Linquistic Programming
 

Hi everybody Coaches and Buddies! I’ll go straight to the point, answering to Billy about NLP, it’s night here in Italy and it looks like it’s about to snow, wow, I love snow! :-) But I want to go on reading (for “n” time :-) ) the Beck diet solution, so I’ll try to be quick because I also want to read what you all write here.
Ok, yes, NLP was definitely useful to me…well there is a huge amount of books concerning it and its possibility to approach it in several spheres of life, as you probably know, but what I really appreciated of this aspect of psychology is its being based on positive thinking. I realized (I guess all of us know that in a way, but we may not be really conscious of it) that our brain is much more powerful of what we can imagine. In English you say “fake it, till you make it”. If we think positive, speak positive and behave positive our life will improve and we’ll feel much better. And this is mainly because our brain tries to reach what we think, what we imagine what we make it feel. It works through images and emotions that we send to our mind before words. So if we want to reach a goal, being slim and healthy for example, we will help ourselves also imaging us like we already were slim and healthy in our daily routine making normal things and if we let our body and soul deeply feel the sensation of having reached our goal, we will manage to reach it (I don’t know if I explained myself in a good way for being understood…). I arrived to the personal consideration that someone can call it “positive thinking”, someone else “dreaming”, or “hoping” or “praying”, “ambition”, etc..but we all have that in common: we show our brain the way to arrive where we want to. And there are no limits in being positive, just the ones we ourselves want to put in front of us. I understood that being positive in the way we talk and behave toward people and the world around us is also very important. But what I learned also, even if it may sound egoistic, is that we have to be our priority! If we are happy and love ourselves than we can make happy and give love to others. It’s like an apple tree, you know, they have to think to themselves first because it takes time and big efforts to get strong and tall, through seasons cold and hot, but then the “happy” tree will be ready to give nice and sweet fruits to the world. :carrot:
I had to make a big effort to start this way of thinking, and “practice” it every day, since I grew in a society where if you satisfy yourself first, you have to feel guilty…:o I feel much more free now and happier to help the world around me. I’m still working on it. Everyday can teach me something new! (Reading you is very useful to me...I'm learning new worlds as well!!! :hug: )
Let's go surfing the forum.
Have a good evening/night.
Ciao
Kitty

Hi everyone,
Just checking in, I have sent a message to our EAP at work to do online counseling. Went for a walk today. Reread chapter 1 in pink book.
Thank you everyone for you kind words and thoughts and suggestions. I do appreciate them
Take Care
Ann

Hi all!

maryann--you said the one thing that really does motivate me to plan. I feel the freedom of not having to make any food decisions during the day. Since I'd planned on Hawaiian chicken for dinner tonight, my only question last night was "do I start the marinade now or in the morning?" There was no question about doing it! I came home from work knowing exactly what we were having for dinner.

I made myself a response card for the planning. Planning gives me freedom from making food decisions. Having the decisions already made makes dieting easier.

I think having your lunches planned out and ready to go will make your week go more smoothly.

I planned for two snacks today (a banana and half a package of nuts). It was perfect.

My big accomplishment tonight--I made a lot of food--and didn't eat any of it while cooking 5 meals worth of chicken breasts and cutting up a quart of strawberries. I almost slipped up with the rice, putting a piece in my mouth and then realized what I'd done and all but spit it out! That's probably why I had trouble remembering to slow down while actually eating one of those chicken meals. But I did slow down--and found I didn't need my whole portion.

My slowing down rule for myself is that I can't prepare my next bite until I'm done with the bite I'm currently eating. So, no queuing up the fork with the next mouthful while I'm supposed to be enjoying the mouthful I've got.

BillBE--I like this reminder a lot--I added a variation on it to my "I want a snack--why shouldn't I have one?" response card. ("I remembered that if I could pass on all those temptations at lunch, I was perfectly capable of waiting thirty minutes for dinner.")

Lexiss--Congrats on a great day! Flexible yet in control is my goal, too.

onebyone--Credit for giving yourself credit. Credit for engaging with Francesco. And for not folding in the face of poultry. Sounds like it was a fantastic day.

Julia150: I'll have to remember your tricks for telling people why you aren't eating sweets. And they're not untrue, even--if you eat sweets in the evening, it'll cause tension for you, and you'll have trouble sleeping. Congrats on the scale giving motivating data.

I'm trying to figure out what page I am on in the pink Beck book. I re-read the intro/first chapters yesterday, and the first few days. I think I'm on Day 8 and will be reading Day 9 today. If those of us at the beginning want to pick a day and stay in sync, I'm okay with that.

Have a great night everyone.

IBelieveinMe2: Sitting down while eating is the number one obstacle I have faced as an overeater. Standing is a clear sign that I am going on a rampage. It is like a seismograph before the destruction. the good news is i have gotten a lot better.
Julia150: i was thinkg of having Jenny Craig as my backup. How is the food?
BethfromDayton: Isn't it unbelievable how the fork can go in your mouth without even thinking? One thing I learned to do early on when making lunches is to chew sugar free gum. Which reminds me, I need to buy some!
nationalparker: The blogs can get confusing. I can't get lost both backwards and forwards:)
BBE: Drat the luck. Food pushers - - I mean passers!

As for me, I have two cherished 100% OP days. I am fine with the repeated menu. Things have been so busy at work that it is almost a relief the sameness.

I'm writing, exercising, and eating on plan. Now, my problem is finding the time to post about it!

WI: +0.05 kgs, Exercise: +35 695/1400 minutes for January, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Hugs to Ann (NewLifeStyle)! That is so much to be dealing with right now. Sending supportive thoughts and energies. Good for you for seeking help.

Dear Buddies;
I am so sad tonight, I can't stop crying. Two years ago this month our little family was in the middle of the most difficult time of our lives. No one went unscathed. I just ran into the parents of one my son's friends that I just let fall my the wayside. Tonight was the first time I have talked to them since all the trouble started. I started crying at 8pm at night out on the snowy street. Now my dad has died, my daughter will move away.
sad, sad, sad,
At least I don't feel like eating anything.
JuliaHavingAReallyBadNight

Oh, Julia, I just read your last post and I feel so bad for you!!! Wish I could just give you a big hug in the midst of your intense sadness, but a cyber hug will have to do. :hug: You have gone through so much in such a short time. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself time and space to grieve. I highly recommend journaling about your feelings, if you don't already. It was my lifeline several years back when going through the most difficult time of my entire life. It kept me somewhat sane, in the midst of chaos. I continue the habit to this day, especially when times get tough. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I will be thinking about you and hoping and praying that you will feel some peace about things very soon! Please hang in there and keep posting! We are all here for you. :hug:

Just checking in to say that I can now see my completely clear kitchen island for the first time ever!!! :carrot: So excited about that!!! Now, my homework for next Friday (when the organizer comes back) is to clear 2 other kitchen counters, and I am already on my way with one of them!!! I actually had to finally force myself to quit working and come to the computer to touch base, relax, and unwind before going to bed. I feel so motivated about the clutter now, but there is sooooooo much to clear from this entire house. I will remind myself to slow down and take one thing at a time. I realize that I am taking on a lot to face mental, body, and house clutter all at the same time, but they really are linked in many ways, so I think my work in each area will complement the other area.

Fortunately, today was Day 6 in the pink Beck book ~ Find a Diet Coach ~ and that part is already DONE, thanks to all of you! ;) She really recommends a live person to have as a coach, in addition to her, but I can't really think of anyone who fits the bill (no pun intended, BillBlueEyes) better than the "regulars" in this group!

Someone commented on taking notes to do personals, and I had to laugh, because that is what I had been doing at first, and it really helped. Will try to resume this tomorrow. Just please know that I am reading your posts and keep this group in my thoughts often throughout the day. It helps so much to know that I have you all to rely on and cheer me on. And knowing that I will most likely "come clean" to the group on any slip-ups has already kept me from indulging on several occasions, so thank you for holding me accountable! You guys are awesome!!! :D

Thanks for the advice! :hug:

I found out about these books from this forum. I thought reading books about dieting would help me.


I don't attend WW meetings but do WW online. My avatar picture is of my mum's very fluffy cat.

Thank you to anyone that welcomed me!:) I'm sorry I haven't posted in ages. Life got busy and I'm not used to making time for weightloss.
I've been struggling with motivation to lose weight. I've also been thinking of going with the The Complete Beck Diet for Life (the green book) because it's cheaper than doing WW and I'm low on money at the moment, too many bills since moving a couple of months ago.:(

Wedneday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. Just relishing that my evening snack was fresh pineapple. It's hard to believe that something so tasty was picked, shipped, and sold for a modest price.

Wasn't much exercise - Ouch. I got a new book from Amazon so consumed all my free time using it to review Statistics in preparation for reading another book in the near future. I get a kick out of all the ways that statistics can be misused to describe research. My goal is to learn to be a more informed skeptic when presented with research results such as "Blueberries reduce prostate cancer by 17%."


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Sometimes too busy is just right. Congrats for being halfway to your exercise goal at halfway in the month.

FutureFitChick – I can celebrate 80% with a 100% Kudos. Congrats for giving yourself the "ski" weekend.

maryann - Yay for happy busy. [Interesting, I hadn't spotted that the food 'passers' were just 'pushers' in disguise. I'll remember that next time and use some resistance strategies.]

Ann (Newlifestyle) - Walking is just the best. Kudos for moving forward.

nationalparker – Music to my ears, "I feel confident today that I can do well" - what we're all striving for.

VioletDolphin83 – Kudos for choosing an eating plan as well as for working the notion of how to make time for weight loss.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Big Kudos for avoiding nibbling while producing five chicken meals and a quart of strawberries. Neat to have a plan to avoid cuing up the next fork full.

IBelieveInMe2 – Thanks for reminding us all that this online Diet Coach thing is working. Congrats for progress with your kitchen counters.

Julia (Julia150) – Sending supportive thoughts as you feel so many sad thoughts piled up at once. Kudos for being aware of your eating at the same time. Despite the sadness, I can't help but LOL at your negotiations with yourself to get out of bed.

Kitty (Bootedkitty) – Thanks for the NLP synopsis - I particularly liked, "we show our brain the way to arrive where we want to."

Readers -