[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

I've been absent here yet I've been reading posts and keeping up. I have checked in with my diet buddy every day via email. credit. That is easy for me to do from my iphone yet I've been finding it increasingly difficult to get here from my computer where I can actually "type".
This past week was our busiest of the season at work. I came home every day absolutely whipped yet grateful I can do this work now. My coworker always wears a pedometer and last Sunday she logged 16,875 steps and 6.5 miles during our shift….most at a very brisk walking pace. We do get our exercise in. Prior to my day off yesterday I worked 8 of the 11 previous days. Although I have done many different things in my professional career I have always liked waitressing on the side and now as a semi retired person it fits well into my weightloss plan. To me, it doesnt get much better than getting paid to exercise.
Foodwise, I did great for those past 11 days and my stable lower weight has reflected that. credit. I "hit the wall" Tuesday evening after we traveled over to our other home (right after my shift finished). I had my planned dinner then crunched through the evening with unplanned snacks. My saving grace these days is that my unplanned snacks aren't off limits from my chosen food plan. I had popcorn, NSA icecream w/raspberries and organic chocolate. Not a diet breaker.
My sense here, as I journey forward, is that it would have been far better for my head if I would have planned these into my daily plan instead of eating spontaneously, otherwise my choices were ok.
I have a more difficult time here at our second home. This used to be our primary home and I'm pretty sure I encounter some sort of sadness over here, if even on a subconscious level. I have to plan all sorts of events into two or three days...setting appointments to visit with very good friends I used to see every day. My once beautiful garden is barren and I'm going to go out and dig a rose to haul back over. It's special and I don't want it to expire...."Julia Child" it's called...from the DenverBot.Garden. This used to be my normal life and now it's the only vacation I ever get.
So, what do I do to stay on track while I'm here….make a plan ala Beck and stick with it. That's what I'll do today. credit.

ForMyGirls, kudos for cracking 100. I did the math That's a substantial amount of weight you have lost so far. I enjoyed reading your credits from yesterday morning. To me, sustaining weightloss is about many large and small changes, some of which many of us tend to "not notice" as important. Taking a relaxing day is important.

happyhoustonmommy, great that you took time to give yourself credit. I'm imagining that you sweat a lot vacuuming in Houston this time of year.

nationalparker, glad you had a great vacation and that you're happy to return to oxygenated life. I thought of you as we peaked Vail at 11,000 ft Tuesday afternoon. I took some deep breaths. lol. Kudos for finding a new recipe you both liked and committing to closing the kitchen afterwards.

maryann, kudos for a 90% day. I'm curious as to what you find with your weight fluxuations with the ups and downs of altitude.

reesuh, you said, "I want to keep doing small things that will keep me on track and moving in the right direction." That's a great intention which is card worthy….I wrote it down. Credit.

gardenerjoy, yay for a good day which included switches in your lunch and supper.

Beth(fromDayton), what is your new job going to be? Kudos for thinking ahead as you anticipate switching your exercise.

IBelieveInMe2, welcome back! I'm glad your foot is mending slowly but surely. Remember, personals are not required here. I do what is comfortable for me. The most important thing for me is being able to report in here "stress free."

3rdTimeLucky, congrats on losing 5 pounds. Glad to hear, too, that DS is progressing well.

Tracey on a journey, kudos for getting back here and committing to start rereading your Beck book. Congrats, too, for the weight you have lost so far.

silverbirch, back!

Although it is still early here I'm glad to have found some peace and quiet for checking in. I think I'll stay up and find some more time for me. I get very little of that.

Thanks for being here everyone!

[ForMyGirls]

Evening coaches,

Some credits for today - stopped eating because I was full at dinner even though there was more that I was "entitled to". Did my full stretching this morning and got out for a walk at the start of the day even though it was a work from home day so easy to do the "I'll do it later" thing. Been noticing lately a yearning to just eat whatever I want without calculating whether it is on plan. Oh well!

Gardener joy - well done for managing to adapt your plan on the fly. And thanks for the good news that injuries happen less and resolve quicker at a lower weight :-)

Reesuh - my Mum (who has thought like a thin person all my life - it has only been since reading Beck that I have realised it is not just luck that she is a healthy weight!) has a strategy of brushing her teeth after dinner - as a signal that the eating part of the day is done now. Another possibility might be to plan for an after dinner snack - that way you get to have the experience without blowing your plan. Good work on the personals too :-)

National Parker - yay to that moving scale. Your burrito bowls sound yum - and I am all in favour of being excited about a meal - in fact I count it as one of the side benefits of this gig - I am enjoying food so much more than I used to.

Maryann - pleased to hear you had a pain free day at work. Here's to many more.

Happyhoustonmommy - yay to you for being able to strike that balance between seeing where you could have improved while still being clear that you deserve credit for your achievements

3TL - that juice sounds beautiful. How cool that you took the opportunity during your pig out to really notice how it felt! One of the biggest differences I am finding with Beck is that I am really noticing how I feel when I eat the wrong things, or over eat. It really brings home just how much I was operating in auto pilot before.

Lexxis - I loved your being paid to exercise :-) and wow to 16,000 steps in a days work. When I was working part-time when my kids were very little I went through a phase of wearing a pedometer - on work days I went for a 45 minute walk and struggled to get my 10,000 steps - on days home with the kids I would clock up 12,000 without even leaving home! Wow for thinking through why things are more challenging in your second home and how to work through/ around that. Hope you had some good time for yourself.

[gardenerjoy]

I ate all the right foods yesterday (with an equivalent substitute at supper to please DH's whim), but not all at the expected times. I realize that I'm using my snacks and timing them in such a way as to treat an emotional need -- getting the courage up to work on my project -- instead of anything to have to do with physical hunger. I'm not sure how much to worry about this since I'm staying on plan, but it's worth taking note of and seeing if I can move away from it. Like, I could take a brief walk outside instead and probably get the same effect.

WI: NC in kg, Exercise: +45 195/1400 minutes for August, Food: 90% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

reesuh: Is it possible for you to mentally (or physically) close the kitchen? I do best when I can mentally close the kitchen and, physically, move to another floor (we have an open floor plan so it's hard to physically close things). Our TV is on the same floor as the kitchen, so on movie nights I have to be more creative. Hot tea is the best, but sometimes I'll allow myself to have candied ginger in the house to have after supper as a kind of dessert -- I can eat that as a tiny portion and be satisfied. Lots of options to experiment with and I've tried them all. They all helped at one time or another. Now, I'm pretty used to the idea that I'm done eating after supper and the thought rarely arises to do anything else.

nationalparker: your chicken burrito bowls sound wonderful!

ForMyGirls: Since my scale is in kgs, I loved the day I broke 100, too! It doesn't mean as much around here as getting below 200 pounds, but it was still fun to see on the scale.

maryann: yay for finding a path to a better eating day at work.

happyhoustonmommy: yay for the spontaneous exercise of vacuuming the car! What's your strategy for avoiding chocolate pretzels in the future? I eventually decided to give up on those completely -- something about the salt & sweet that makes them too hard for me to control.

3rdTimeLucky: that's very insightful that the discomfort scale got higher from overeating than from hunger. That would probably be true for me, too, but I never thought of it that way.

Lexxiss: I tend to get blindsided by grief that I'm not acknowledging -- good for you for being aware of the sadness and taking steps to improve things anyway.

ForMyGirls: Yay for all those credits! I've been noticing that yearning lately, too. I was chalking it up to the change of seasons, but you're changing a different season so maybe not.

[reesuh]

Good morning Beck Buddies! Thanks for all the great ideas regarding my post-dinner eating issues. I wish my kitchen had a door on it and could be closed off (out of sight, out of mind) but it opens up into the family room where we spend most of the evening. I managed to avoid snacking last night, but regretfully it was due to overeating my dinner. My plan for tonight is to eat a reasonable dinner, follow it up an hour later with some hot tea, and then immediately brush my teeth. Have a great day everyone!

[nationalparker]

Quick thought, Reesuh - can you post a note to yourself where you first look for something in the kitchen? I have a note in my desk drawer - it's actually a large piece of paper - that reads "what you're looking for isn't in here" ... I open that dang drawer at work whenever I'm overwhelmed or bored. It's a reminder to me that I'm not hungry. If you don't want it to be obvious to others, can you write a motivating quote that might help refocus you?

My day has gone well enough. Volunteering reading gig at elementary school on Thursdays started up and I have two good kids, so that'll be a positive for each week. Lunch was at subway and while I had chips, I chose the baked ruffles for a treat; they never have them and while it certainly isn't a rare treat, I allowed the 130 calories.

Scale dropped down another pound this morning to a tick under my ticker so I sure hope that wasn't in my thought process to enjoy the chips.

DH picked up a variety of peppers, all degrees of heat, to make with turkey sausage and peppers tonight. Cabbage, and caprese salad will round out the meal. This week seems to be going well so far ... will make it a point to come to the forum or read a few chapters of Beck's when alone and tempted this weekend. I struggle when alone - with disordered thinking of I can have this and no one will know. He doesn't monitor it when he's home so what do I do that for? I need to figure that out. Thoughts? I never was a sneaky eater, so not sure why I'm tempted now.

[maryann]

Good Evening, Coaches.

Eating was again a sound 90% OP. Last night ended with a green smoothie and so will tonight. Step class tomorrow. It is my Friday and I am glad to have some time to clean house, catch up on appointments, etc. . .

Lexxiss: I lost two pounds in two days after elevation. That is about normal for me.

Weight is at ticker.

[bethFromDayton]

Hi all,

Today was a good food day and a good exercise day. I didn't post yesterday because I didn't want to admit that "just 3 peanut butter cookies" turned into 6 and then into 9. But they did. I need to get those cookies out of my freezer! Fortunately, I generally think of frozen goodies (being saved for parties) as off limits. However, I saw cookies at Subway, which is what set me off--I'd have been better off getting one cookie there and eating it, rather than exercising my giving in muscle in my own freezer. Today was cookie free, so I'm back on track, so definite credit for that.

I need to plan tomorrow's lunch--we're going out (a farewell lunch for me since I'm changing jobs). The other team I'm on took me out today--and I did great--stayed totally on track. Tomorrow will be harder, but I can do it! (I just checked the website and picked--I'll be fine.)

Because of Labor Day and Tuesday plans, I didn't make it to the grocery store for my regular Monday night shopping. I went tonight and refreshed our produce and bought what I need for meals through the weekend.

I'm worried about the party we're going to Saturday evening--I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, but I do not control myself at parties. I talk about changing that but haven't done it. I have planned what I'm bringing, though--I bought hummus and I chopped a bunch of celery sticks. I'll augment that with petite carrots, green pepper strips, sliced zuke, and sliced cuke. It'll be a nice tray and something that even if I "overeat" from it won't do too much damage.

G'night all!

[VioletDolphin83]

Hi coaches!
Sorry I haven't been here for a while, I just didn't have anything to report. My weightloss is going fine so far. So far if I slip up I get back on track but the problem is that it happens so often. I'm having difficulty sticking to any planned food. Got any advice for sticking to my meal plans?

[ForMyGirls]

Hello coaches,

Pretty close to OP today. Had a glass of wine with dinner which despite having had all my "indulgences" for the week. Noticed that I was trying to find an excuse or justification for it and then realised that I just consumed something I shouldn't have. End of story. Tomorrow I won't do that! Some credits - stopped myself from licking the beaters on my daughter's birthday party cake. I have a habit streak of 9 days for stretching :-) and back up to 6 for my lights out by 10:30 habit.

Gardener joy - was really interested to read your thinking about eating for emotional reasons even when it is on plan. I notice that I "hoard" my snacks and indulgences - I have to keep one up my sleeve so that I will be able to have something when I NEED it - but frankly is cake or wine ever a need??? Will ponder that some more.

Reesuh - looking forward to hearing how your plan to tackle the evening snacking went

National Parker - loved your "what you're looking for isn't in here". Works on so many levels! A thought for your challenges with the "I can have this while no-one is watching" - maybe write yourself some response cards and then make sure you read them in the lead up to being alone

Maryann - yay to you for another 90%OP day

Beth - congrats for feasting up to the PNB cookies and for getting back on track (and frankly for ever being able to not eat PNB cookies that are in your freezer!) with your party on the weekend - what are the sabotaging thoughts that have led you to overeat at parties in the past? What could you do to prepare yourself for those thoughts arising again?

VioletDolphin - did you choose a Plan B diet when you did that day in the Beck book? If so - do you think you should change to the Plan B diet? If it is consistently difficult to stay to your meal plan it might be that your meal plan is not the right one for you. Maybe you need a different balance of types of food - or maybe there are not enough foods you like or too many that you are not very excited about.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

I stuck to my plan yesterday specifically resisting the "goodies" down at our corner store. I have an ongoing issue with them even though I haven't purchased now for months. credit. Exercise was pool x2 and I'm tired his morning. Definitely feeling like I have to fit all kinds of stuff in before our warm weather ends.

VioletDolphin, you say you are still losing weight doing what you're doing. Is there a possibility that what you are eating fits into a plan that you could follow better. I know, following South Beach that often starters want to follow the menu exactly as it's written in the book, which includes foods they don't enjoy. Instead, they could use the parameters of the plan and tweak it so they ate foods they enjoyed.

Beth(fromDayton), great job getting on back on track with the cookies. I purposely avoid eye contact with items that aren't on my plan. I specifically noticed this yesterday at the grocery store. I was looking for day old bread on the sale rack which also included the day old pastries. I focused on the bread and did not make direct contact with the goodies. I notice that when I do it sets in motion a craving that I'd rather not deal with.

I travel today and have lots to do.

[gardenerjoy]

Well, I have an answer to yesterday's question about whether I should fret that I was timing my snacks in a way to address my fears. Bad idea. Add in a dash of disappointment and a smidgen of frustration and I go straight to overeating.

So, learned something. I have a tool for addressing fear directly, but it takes an hour or two and I'm never sure if it's just a form of procrastination. Now I know if I'm using food to address fear, then it's time to do something about it.

Credit for eating two large salads. In the old days when I was overeating, I saw no reason to eat healthy foods -- now I just do it.

Credit for weighing myself. That and posting here should limit the problem to just the one day. Oh, and a food plan. Done! Credit!

WI: +0.7 kg, Exercise: +45 240/1400 minutes for August, Food: 70% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

reesuh: Great plan!

nationalparker: I have the same issues. DH pays no attention to what I eat, yet when I'm alone in the house, I somehow feel "free" to eat more and badly and differently. Weird. What has helped me was to realize that while eating in front of the TV when he's here is okay, I do badly in front of the TV when he's not here. So, I eat at the table. A written plan ahead of the time helps most of the time.
Is there something you can do with yourself that you don't do when DH is around -- watch sappy movies? scrapbook? take long baths? write a novel? compose a symphony?

maryann: yay for 90% OP -- inspiring. I'll aim for that today!

bethfromDayton: good for you for getting back on track -- another inspiration for me! I can do this. Your veggie and hummus tray sound yummy!

VioletDolphin83: posting here that I'm going to follow my plan helps a lot. I don't want to come back tomorrow and say that I didn't!
Why do you think you aren't sticking to your plan? Have you found foods that you like? Are you hungrier than you expected (in which case, adding 100 calories somewhere might make all the difference)? Do you have challenging social situations that you need to devise tactics for?

ForMyGirls: good for you for recognizing the wine as an "ouch!" and moving on.

[nationalparker]

So thankful that it's Friday - even on a short week, it seems to have dragged by. Evening have been so jam-packed with a little of everything, that I've not had time to relax and unwind. Looking forward to that. Dinner was turkey italian sausage and five different kinds of peppers cut up with a huge onion. Enough for several servings, so I'll enjoy that for lunch on Saturday as well.

Busted at work this morning by a coworker - this is how my mind works. Poor choices. There are boxes of Mega stuff oreos all over - i've never seen/heard of them, so CLEARLY (??) I needed to eat the stuffing out of one. A coworker came in and I said I had to try that! Then in antoher area there are Cool Mint oreos - who ever heard of that? SO I took one of those and she walks through that area and was like you gotta stay out of those! I walked to a guy's office and was recounting my embarrassment and ate 1/4 of the cookie and threw the rest out. But now I'm a bit miffed at myself. Well, and at her. But mostly at myself. I feel like she's thinking no wonder she's so fat, she eats cookies for breakfast when it was 1/4 of a cookie and the stuffing from another (no, not for breakfast, but still). I wouldn't think anything of someone else doing that but dang it!

Hope to do personals this evening! Some great thought processes going on in this forum - wonderful help!

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Day off and I am very grateful. Credit for step class and two planned green smoothies. Couldn't sleep last nite and watched PBS "Drop 7" program which promised that "all I have to do is drop 7 foods from my diet and I'll lose weight." Hmmmm This did not seem breakthrough information since the seven foods included sugar, wheat, peanut butter, diet coke etc. . . I have known for years that cutting out those things causes you to lose weight. I should have written a book LOL that people are always packaging the same old news and trying to sell it to people all over again. The truth is food is an addiction and must be approached on the cognitive/ emotional level hence why I read Beck.

gardenerjoy: You reaffirmed a truism: salads and healthy eating go together. I am always fuller and more in tune when I have lots of greens in a day. I wish I did it EVERYDAY.

Lexxiss: The days are beautiful and warm here, as well. I smelled fall for the first time today.

ForMyGirls: Major triumph not licking beaters. I will keep that in my mind as I make lunch snacks for DS.

nationalparker: I have died a thousand deaths over my crazy food behavior. Thank God I don't have to live that way anymore as I strengthen my resistance muscle.

[VioletDolphin83]

ForMyGirls:
I haven't really chosen a plan B diet. I just started off with calorie counting and then combined weight watchers as well. So I don't really have a plan except when I choose what I eat the day before like suggested in the book.

Lexxiss:
I don't really know much about other diet plans. I generally find it hard to follow a diet plan like that.

Gardenerjoy:
I was eating a lot of processed food and takeaway and I'm finding it hard to limit that kind of thing and add it in fruits and vegetables. Eating better seems kind of bland after what I'm used to.

[3rdTimeLucky]

Hi all,

Yesterday was mostly OP but I messed up in the evening. That really frustrates me when I've been 100% OP all day long. And I know I'm sabotaging myself but it's like I have to cram some feed in quick before my thought process can interrupt me.

Anyway, woke up feeling very positive. Had my juice for breakfast (oranges, carrots, mint, lime) and it makes me feel all zingy and amazeballs.

I want to also say thank you so much for all being there. I feel crappy for not doing personals as often as I feel I should/I want to. Someone else summed it up as being a bit overwhelming and I think that's true too because I'm across the pond so there are no posts all day (my day) then a sudden flurry of activity. Anyway, I will a) try not to feel so overwhelmed and b) contribute when I can. So much to focus one's attention on with Beck but I do believe it works.

My DH is away in Asia for 2 weeks. I'm taking the boys to the cinema tomorrow. Feel a bit anxious because I normally find it nigh on impossible to watch a film at the cinema without a few sweets. But I'm only drinking/eating fresh fruit and veg at the moment. So my plan is to take a tub of pineapple which I actually love. Hope that will keep the nibbles at bay. I will feel like I've achieved a LOT if I manage to avoid anything else.

Have a good day all and I will report in before bedtime.