Hi Coaches!

I've been keeping up with your posts, and have been thinking of you all daily, even when I can't be here....working my food plan every single day. Every day hasn't been perfect but it's been "good enough". Good enough to be only 1.5 off my ticker which is my best holiday season, yet. Credit. That's the good news.

The other aspect of my life (the vacant rentals) doesn't bode so well. Work is slow and the weather has been absolutely miserable. I'm exhaused and DH and I have both been sick. I'm concerned about our other home, but don't have the time or energy to get over there this week. Oh, well.

I'm really grateful to be staying on track w/food and maintenance of my current weightloss. Lol, yes, gardenerjoy, I don't eat at Hardee's. And...I often use you all as good examples in my life, too!

MaryAnn, I've been think about you lots! My job right now is ideal and it took several years to find it. I received many rejections and yet none of them would have worked out with my current situation. I know you know it's believing what the programs teach us, "you're right where you're supposed to be".

nationalparker, I'll seek out a mountain view for you tomorrow!

CeeJay, thanks for checking in and for recognizing your credits!

LuLu, welcome back!

BBE, now I've got that earworm...RayStevensTheStreak!Lol and kudos!

Kudos to all the other streakers!

I'll be back when I can. Out of sight is not out of mind for me these days. I need to get up everymorning and formulate a plan for the day. When everything else seems daunting, I still enjoy getting dressed in attractive clothes that fit....walking up and down stairs...hauling 50# pipe thawers and tossing all those healthy veggies in the vitamix instead of driving to McD's.

Take care everyone!

Hi everyone.

I'm struggling. Really struggling. Thanksgiving was challenging--and for the 4 day trip to Florida and the weekend party that followed I was just totally off plan.

A friend said he was going to leave some chocolate here when he left on Monday--I told him he could take it or he could dump it, but we wouldn't be eating it. So, credit for that.

I ran errands at lunch today and bought 3 frozen lunch meals to stick in the freezer at work (I haven't been to the grocery store in 2+ weeks since I've been traveling so much). I also bought two bananas and had one for my afternoon snack. At least lunches will be on track tomorrow. And it'll be my third on-plan breakfast in a row.

Time for me to start reading the pink book again--tonight, before bed, Day 1. Again. Again again.

Back on plan....

There were a few times these past two weeks where I wanted to ask for help and it just seemed so hard to get on-line to do it.

Edited to add: I can't find the pink book. But I found Beck Diet for Life (mine is white since it doesn't have a book cover). Reading that.

The plan was to check in for the day before in the morning but I did yesterday in the evening so trying to recalibrate!

Yesterday continued to be good and I added more steps to my total for yesterday. This morning my weight was down again so that is motivating :).

ForMyGirls - you are doing so well persisting with the riding project -I can't imagine it would be easy to lug all the stuff to work that you would need on a bike and in public transport so major kudos. Glad you have a fun project to keep you interested. Bill (BE) - great planning for an event. A great inspiration. I like the rare-and-unusual category but might have to wait a bit - everything could fit that at the moment. Cream = milk fat. Should have written my temptation as scones with jam and cream. Very decadent - and british I think. GardenerJoy - I am inspired - I can't wait to wear even a few things that I am close to getting into. Credit and congratulations on satisfying a goal. LuLu - Good luck with the planning and the event - hope the dancing fueled by merlot doesn't make the knee worse :D; Nationalparker - congratulations on a string of successes. Habitual thoughts are sneaky and ever present to trip us up - glad there was no chocolate to upset your streak; Lexxiss - good to hear from you when it sounds like you are impressively busy but still able to plan, and stay on plan.

Progress
Checked in 2 times in a row
Weight
-0.4 lb (today) / -0.4 lb (total for week)
Steps
8687/5000;
Kilometres
5.9/3;
Food
On plan yesterday and have a plan today

Beth. Good you finally came here. We have all been where you are. I am diving back into the book again too. Holidays are so hard. I have been saved from a family party this Thursday because my DH has to work. Good for me not so good for him. I just hate making conversation and the food is the focus for me to try and avoid uncomfortable situations. The holidays will be over soon and you will be so glad that you got on track and stayed on even if it is to maintain.

I did another fast today and I am hungry but it is bearable. I feel like I am getting better at telling the difference between hunger and cravings. I think the cravings are harder than the hunger. I have to figure out how to handle the cravings better.

Up 3 lbs since Saturday because I let it go on Sunday and ate 3 very full meals. I can not do that any more. I have to stick to a plan. That is what happened on Sunday- no plan. But I am hoping to be down by Friday weigh in.

Hope you all have a good night.

Well we didn't just break our record - we totally smashed it :-) 48 points!!! Woohoo!

6 of those are from me with another OP day. My lovely fella was (unusually) out tonight so I bought eggplant (which he detests) and then decided what to cook - and once the cookbooks are out there's no stopping me so I now have a fridge packed with leftover eggplant pasta sauce, baba ganouj and tabouli. Yum!

I have been out tonight watching my elder daughter in a circus performance. The highlight of the show was the adult beginners - a woman who I am guessing is in her 50's doing trapeze. Like wow - there really are no limits to what you can do in life I reckon!

Some credits - being OP :-) noticing that I had a handful of nuts on their way to my mouth while cooking and redirecting them to the bin.

BBE - I am intrigued to know the rules that go with your rare and unusual category?

Gardener joy - thanks for the detour to J Peterman. I am drooling over the skirts and dresses!

Beth - well done you for checking in. And well done for avoiding chocolate in the house too. And last but not least hooray for you for getting back on track!

Wednesday - International Mountain Day
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Stayed the path, CREDIT moi, for the 21st day. My evening event was from 6 to 7:30 pm and I had to leave home by 5:30. That's too early for me to have completed dinner and I wouldn't get home until after 8. My compromise was to have a half serving of leftover beans at 5:20 and to stop for a vegetarian combo plate at a favorite Greek restaurant on the walk home. It all worked out. Again I skipped the evening snack just to be sure.

Did gym, CREDIT moi, including the non-Zumba class with the Zumba instructor. I continue to dream about getting the courage to take the Zumba class itself. There are a few women with gray hairs but no men. I'd probably have to wear a burqa to feel comfortable, LOL. It's the day to up my monthly counters, CREDIT moi for hanging around. Due to questions, I reset those numbers under the Avatar. Since I lost my weight before I started 3FC and Beck, I've never used those to track and have ignored them since I set them when joining some six years ago. I've gained some from over-snacking starting with my home renovation a couple of years ago, so that I'm pushing my upper red line, as measured by pants too tight, and am now working those down by diligence in the snacking part of my plan.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Neat to have ease of buying clothes as an ARC - Kudos for getting there.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Ouch for the challenges of the renovations of the rentals. Love your positives, "attractive clothes that fit....walking up and down stairs...hauling 50# pipe thawers and tossing all those healthy veggies in the vitamix instead of driving to McD's."

Cheryl (seadwaters) – Yay for more steps to keep the system pumping.

nationalparker – Thanks for the tip about Mountain Day. Are you climbing something today? Amazing Sabotaging Thought, "Oh, I hope there's chocolate in the kitchen..." - they just sneak in from everywhere.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Sending supportive thoughts for the struggling with Kudos for getting back on your horse. Special Kudos for "but we wouldn't be eating it" - chocolate that's not in the house is so much easier to ignore.

Lulu (LuLu01801) – Yep, "if anything hurts, I’ll stop" - it's so easy to get compulsive about exercising. Kudos for sanity. Ouch for facing a gourmet cook who does "fat fat fat, carb carb carb."

LoseToAll - It does seem to be the secret, "I have to stick to a plan." Kudos for seeing that.

Readers -

Morning time--and getting myself in the emotional/mental state to stay on plan today. I don't have a written plan--dinner is uncertain. <think think> Dinner is now known.

I've read the two new cards I made last night while starting the Green Book. I'm even going to try the eating plan as a basis for moving forward. I read the first 3 chapters, skipped ahead a little and calculated a caloric goal (higher than I've used in the past, but I haven't stuck with the 1200-1400 range so perhaps that's not a bad thing.)

I hope to move through the Success Skills fairly quickly--at least, I hope they're refreshers and reminders and re-motivators rather than fresh skills. I know I particularly do need to concentrate on eating more slowly again and savoring each bite.

There are 9 skills listed--and I do need reminders and re-work for each of them (except eating sitting down--at home--[at parties it's a big problem])

Thanks to everyone for being here.

My 100%OP Day streak count is down to 0.

DH wasn't feeling well, so we didn't go to our event, so we didn't go out to supper. I think this is the 3rd time I broke my streak for DH's whim. Oh well. I'm happy that I ate things that I would have planned, had I known what we were doing. So, I'm rating my day 90%.

I think the reason that I never put together streaks of 100% days before was I let the fact that I allow DH to effect my plans to mean that any other thing could change my plan, too. This has been interesting to learn that those are, in fact, two separate issues. I can allow 90% days on DH's whims without allowing them on my own whims. I suspect that seemed unfair when I started but now it feels like a liberation.

I have a plan that I think will work for today.

WI: +0.15 kg, Exercise: +45 460/1400 minutes for December, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

bethfromDayton: glad to see you back here and taking healthy steps. I used the plan in the Green book for awhile. It was a little too effective for me, being the highest protein plan I'd tried to date. I was so used to low-fat dieting that I couldn't get myself to eat as much fat and protein as that plan allowed. So, I just didn't eat enough. I lost nine pounds in three weeks and turned into a big grump. I'd probably do better with it now, since I've gradually tilted my diet into the higher protein range.
Interesting that you don't sit down to eat at parties. I wonder what would happen if you did, if that was the only change you consciously made.

LoseToAll: for me, a lot of handling cravings was about figuring out the triggers. I almost never have food cravings any more. I still have cravings to overeat in general, which is usually about some unresolved issue in my to do list, so I'm getting better at identifying the root cause and finding a path toward acceptance or change.

I stuck with my resolve from last night to enjoy one cookie while setting up the tree - instead of homemade this year for chocolate chip (DH's fave), I bought the preformed dough and bake to order with those. I've done that twice, each time sticking with my ONE cookie. This is working well; good plan on that. Stayed up way too late last night, getting to bed around 1:30 and then when alarm went off this morning, I decided to stay home and take a half vacation day. Enjoyed the sunrise over the snowy landscape - everything was lit with a pink/peach glow.

Ate a large breakfast and will go light at lunch, allowing myself more this evening when DH is working nights again. Will check in tonight to keep me on track today.

Days 24 & 25:Dealing w Disappointment/Sabotaging Thoughts
 

Well, I am back! :coffee: I made a decision to not report yesterday because I needed the day time to work on our porch. Even so it was so cold that I had to go inside, get my coat and gloves on to finish up. ForMyGirls I too love that saying "No bad weather, just bad clothing." The only downside to that is always being prepared. :brr:

I had to give my notice to our community garden. We are moving in 2014 to another county so we can not participate in this garden. I do hope to hook up with another one when we move but still this was a sad day for me. I thanked the director for all of the leadership, great workshops (I have learned so much on non-chemical ways of treating unwanted bugs and visitors as well as small space gardening) and the great friendships as well. It also made me feel proud that our excess went to service our local food pantry. I don't know of many food banks that offer fresh organic produce for those they service. It is being "twice blessed", IMO.

Since I talked about dealing with disappointments with "Oh, well". I will focus on sabotaging thoughts. First of all: I have them! In fact, sometimes I don't even realize I have them until I am in the process of listening to them and then in the midst of acting on them; I realize that I am being "under attack" by a sabotaging thought! Is it possible that some of these are subliminal??


BBE I remember your statement about "rare and unusual" from my stint here before. I have since adopted that myself when faced with a huge and endless array of foods, usually unexpected. Why choose foods that you can make at home or have any time? However, the flip side of that is this "exception" has to be clearly defined so that your inner child doesn't get something just because it wants it. My "inner child" is a very strong-willed young lady and I have to be Mama to her once in awhile and say "No!", even if it means slapping her proverbial hands.

Great Job in not only realizing what the problem is (tight jeans) but also what the solution is (no more snacking). I think my "problem-solving" skills are really being put to the test with my weight loss efforts. This venture is definitely not for sissies. :lifter:

gardenerjoy: Major Credit to You for having a clearly defined goal (clothes from J. Peterman) and then using that to work towards your end goal. Since I have endured menopause for the past decade I decided that once I lost 50 lbs I would "treat" myself to some pjs that supposed the astronauts wear (I didn't even think that they would bother to change from their spacesuits but I guess they must). I paid $140 for pjs (GoodNighties) that have a cooling property in the fibers. Although that seems extreme for price, they actually feel noticeably cool to the touch and made my night sweats much more bearable.

I agree with you about "everyone": exactly who is "everyone" anyway? The one meal that I like at Hardee's is their breakfast. I have it once every 6-9 months. BTW, the guy who writes those books, "Eat This, Don't Eat That" says Hardee's is the worst fast food you can possibly eat in terms of unhealthy fats, sodium and sugar. I still like their biscuit and gravy though. :D--but once a year is good enough for me.

When I lose 100 lbs. I want to go to my favorite store and I plan on holding (along with the help of others) 100 lbs. in frozen turkeys while having a photo taken of me. I know that I will be a blubbery mess when the time comes but it is important to me that I do this. I have seen others do something similar and I want myself to really know how significant that day will be for me. That is my present incentive. BTW, I haven't seen 201 lbs. since summer of 1983. This is a big, big deal for me!

nationalparker Great Job on being OP while traveling. I haven't been able to travel much this past year but 2014 I do expect to so I am reading what you have wrote and taking notes for when the time comes for me. In the past I actually used one whole suitcase that I checked in to carry all of my spices, seasonings and foods that I need to cook while away from home. I also have two sources that have MRE (meals-ready-to-eat) as well as emergency hot cans that once opened automatically heat up on their own. "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."

CeeJay a Major Credit for checking in while finding your way. My heart goes out to because I too am struggling to get back on track long enough to see my ticker go down. I have been at the same weight for 7 months and it is difficult to keep doing the "right things" when you don't see the changes on the scales that you want to see. Dr. Beck has a Day about when this happens but I think it is coming up. I am not there yet.

LoseToAll: Great Job on finding a balance between being hungry and living with it. I think that says it all.

Debbie R(lexxiss) You are a success story for BDS. No need to offer any explanation. You worked hard and earned every bit of your present success. Well done, my friend, well done! I hope you take time to enjoy all of your hard work. It is clearly paying off for you.

bethfromDayton Major Credit for returning. I am struggling myself since going through this book. I am probably taking it too literally and working one day for every calendar day and so it feels rushed since I am trying to get ready for Christmas and all of the necessary preparations involved. You are in my thoughts.:hug:

Cheryl(seadwaters): Keep on steppin'. :dancer:

I have already made a decision for my Christmas Day fare. We are going to have ham this year. I am going to allow myself two foods that I don't eat very often but they will be planned. I am going to have mixed nuts and chocolate fudge mint cookie wafers but I am only going to have 2 servings each between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. What isn't eaten by January 1st will be tossed. In the past year, I have been able to have dark chocolate in a single serving and not be tempted by eating more so it is on my plan but only occasionally.

I haven't read the green Beck book but I think I might buy that for a gift to myself this year. I have found that high protein/lower carb food plan works the best for me regarding cravings. I am convinced that carbs create cravings and not the other way around.

Take care all, Pam :comp:

hello!!
today makes 6 OP days in a row for me, YAY!!
feels really good to put days together as that is where results lie.
my weight is down, happy dance!!

I took it easy at the gym last night, only worked upper body and abs and did light cardio on the elliptical.
I should have iced my knee when I got home but I just hate ice on my skin.
I know I should do it anyway, but I didn’t.
oh well.

I’m grateful to be on this journey again and I’m hoping for better results.
not as much weight-wise but in the space between my ears . . . a dangerous neighborhood sometimes!!
peace is the ultimate goal, peace around food for once in my life.
the weight loss will naturally follow.

I made a terrific Asian salad for lunch today . . . shredded green and purple cabbages, scallions, red pepper, beansprouts, pea shoots, blanched broccoli and peapods.
then I made a homemade dressing with sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, minced fresh garlic and ginger and a bit of spicy garlic chili paste.
OMG, SOOOOOOO DELISH!!!

I look forward to tonight, my night off from the gym.
I’m just going to go home and put my jammies on, make myself my planned dinner, maybe take a hot bubble bath, read some of my pink book, and climb in bed and watch a little tube before getting a long night’s sleep.
sounds heavenly!!!

nationalparker, Congrats for stringing together a few days, NICE!!! Good job resisting the chocolate!! Oh my, you sound so busy . . . hopefully you can take some time for yourself to relax. Your pioneer tree sounds so warm and inviting. Yeah, I don’t let guilt run my life anymore, what a waste of time that is. About five years ago I really worked really really hard at virtually eliminating guilt and worry from my life, a much more peaceful place to be. Good for you, eating one cookie!!!

Lexxiss, Great news that you are having your best holiday season, ticker-wise!!! Hope you and DH are feeling better soon. Thanks for welcoming be back!!

bethFromDayton, Sorry to hear you are struggling. Just keep at it, keep in touch, and the motivation will find you. I’m re-reading the book too, just finished the introduction and reading Day 1 today, so we are pretty much on the same phase!!! I’m planning to use the first 14 days as a refresher too as I’ve been there done that and already have loads of really helpful ARCs, diets picked out, etc., just gotta cement those habits discussed the first two weeks, tough stuff. Hopefully we’re on this journey for real this time . . . for good!!!

seadwaters, I hear ya about the dancing and the bum knee. I thought of that last night and I was discouraged as I don’t think I will be able to dance. Either that, or after a couple glasses of wine, I’ll dance anyway and pay for it the next day. It will be hard not to dance as I love to dance and will be with a bunch of friends who love to dance too, and friends in the band. Oh well!!!! Hey, congrats of another weight loss yesterday morning, YAY!!!

LoseToAll, Looks like you, Beth and me are all at the same point in our journey . . . starting a new with Beck. We all know it’s great stuff, just gotta work it to make it work!! What kind of fast do you do? I occasionally but regularly fast too and enjoy it.

ForMyGirls, I just LOVE LOVE a night in the kitchen all by myself cooking and creating wonderful healthy foods. It’s my passion, my hobby. Good job putting those nuts down, WOW.

Bill, Good choice to get back at it and get those pants to fit better again!! You are amazing, all the perfect OP days you are putting together. I’m gonna do the same thing, right along with you. Fortunately for me, the cook that does the “fat fat fat, carb carb carb” prepares things that I don’t eat anyway (meat/fish/dairy, etc.) so it’s fine with me. Just not sure I want to spend my Sunday at that party. I like to carefully think about how I want to spend my time, as it is very precious.

gardenerjoy, Question . . . when you say you broke your streak due to your DH’s whim, does that mean you didn’t necessarily eat bad foods or heavier foods or more calories than you would have . . . you just ate different foods? If so, you should feel liberated and ok with it because you are still focused on your goal.

pamatga, I’m typically like you “taking it too literally and working one day for every calendar day” because I can be such a perfectionist. I’m doing it differently this time and just reading it when I read it. Sometimes instead of spending time with the book, I spend time with my ARCs and will do some writing on what comes in my head while reading them, sorta talking to myself on paper.

Dear coaches

Yesterday was an on plan day with no real temptations except for some amazing cherries. I managed to avoid them. Very quick check in today. Rack up those streaks!

Progress
Checked in 3 times in a row
Weight
-1.0 lb (today) / -1.4 lb (total for week)
Steps
7287/5000;
Kilometres
4.9/3;
Food
On plan yesterday and have a plan for tomorrow to eat at yet another work function as well as dinner out

I didn't have a solid plan for dinner--and the resulting 'ate too much' happened--however, I only ate half of the meal I ordered (DH gets the leftovers for lunch), so credit for cutting my meal in half before even starting to eat.

Breakfast, lunch, and snack are planned for tomorrow. I have to stop at the grocery store tomorrow evening so I made a dinner plan, too. I'm not sure I'll be ready to shop for the whole weekend, but at least I have a plan in mind.

I recorded all my food today--I ate way more than I thought I was going to -- but I recorded it, so credit for that. I weighed this morning. I wrote a new advantages list. I read success skills 1 & 2 in the green book.

I am considering finding a daily phone-call level coach--It's not an easy thing to ask a friend to do, especially since many of my friends also have weight issues and I don't want to make anyone feel defensive.

Success skills:
1--Read advantages and response cards
2--Weighed. Will start recording the weights in MFP again tomorrow.
3--Ate everything sitting down. Was about 80% at desired slowness and savoring.
4--I gave myself credit

And I have a plan for tomorrow already entered in MFP.

I am not beating myself up for the struggling I'm doing now. Last year at this time, I weighed 230 lbs. This morning I weighed 186. Yes, that's more than the low of 177 I reached one brief shining morning--but it's a lot less than I weighed a year ago--my work and journeying this year has been successful and I have accomplished a lot.

I need to not let myself slide backwards any further and I need to start moving in the right direction--but I don't want to lose sight of how far I've come since I first posted here last January.

Personals again, soon...

Hello, all! Good to see you again in here, Beth! I know you'll reset your thinking or whatever it is that many of us need to reset now and then, but DANG, 34 pounds lighter than last year is a superb accomplishment, and you have made wonderful health improvements along the way!

I knew I would be on errands for a few hours immediately after work, so I took a serving of cashews on the way home. It was smart and staved off the hunger for a while. Ate a small dinner at 9 p.m. Wondered how many calories I burn by shivering. It's freezing tonight (and I'll hush up, my Canada friends - I know this is nothing) - I just can't get warm. It's in the single digits and dropping to 3 tonight.

Streak = 5. I went back and looked and my last off track day was Friday. If I feel this much self-satisfaction after only five days... bring it on! :) I'm not sticking my head in the sand to pretend that I won't be enjoying a few unique treats over the next few weeks, but I've been cutting portions.

Evening is passing me by quickly, so I'm going to cut this short and still aiming for personals. Lulu - your evening plans sound heavenly tonight. Hope it was every bit as relaxing as it sounds.

Bill - I contine to be impressed - 8 years and 3 months being on track is amazing. I'm looking to starting a line like that of my own by the midpoint of the new year, give or take. Great plan for the dinner with the outing!

Whoa- 53 points. We rock!

Sitting in 7 points personally tonight - broken my previous record :-)

Had a shift in plan today. Disappointing weighin again this morning - down from last week, but last week was the "up" week in the monthly cycle so down really means no movement. Which means my weight is exactly where it was a month ago. Which was not long after I did a diet change so I decided to review what I am doing, be stricter about measuring etc. in process of thinking that through I revisited my fitness pal and I think I will use that for a while. I like how it gives basic nutritional info too - realisation for the day was I have too much sugar - and today didn't even seem like a sugary day!

Some credits - killing two birds with one stone and making my morning walk a trip to the grocery store to get the things I forgot yesterday - which also meant it was slightly longer than regulation. Not having seconds of a very yummy dinner.

national Parker- thanks for "If I feel this much self-satisfaction after only five days... bring it on!" I do love the upward spiral :-)

Beth - what a great idea to organise a daily phonecall level coach to get you through this bit. You are doing a really great job of turning things around - your determination is so very apparent. And you are very wise to remember to give yourself credit and remember what you have achieved. Well done!

Thursday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – It's the season for too much food offered. Last night was a party for a non-profit that I support that stages a huge Christmas party to celebrate that it will need more money next year to keep going. I ate moderately, CREDIT moi, from seven tables of food and beverages. I avoided all cookies (including dark chocolate covered shortbread), desserts, liquid calories, cheeses, crackers, Italian pizza squares, Thai noodles, and Japanese Sushi. I even turned down a bite of the cookie that DW offered with, "These are really good." They were from a local specialty market and I could see the whole platter of them. From the abundant remainder, I ate more than a normal dinner, but within my party plan and so much less than I used to eat at this affair; I kept reminding myself that most of the food is food that I'll see again. For some reason, folks who can well afford fine restaurants choose to stuff themselves at this party each year. So I increment my no-extra-snacking streak to 22.

Exercise was a walk, CREDIT moi, to the library to get War of Art that I'd ordered many weeks ago when onebyone suggested it. I'm trying to write some stuff and find the blank sheet of paper staring at me.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Meal planning with a partner with free will is a challenge. I ducked that one; my dinner plan is to eat whatever DW prepares - she's a constant 120 pounds and a diligent nutritionist. That only works for those of us lucky enough to be the recipient of someone else's meal planning and execution. Kudos for juggling your own plans with your DH's.

Cheryl (seadwaters) – Good Grief - cherries are so good. Kudos for avoiding them.

Pam (pamatga) – Yep, "rare and unusual" is easy to use as the excuse to wander. When I was over snacking, I found myself using it at Whole Foods for a cheese that I hadn't tried. WRONG - the cheese would be there next week and was only a minor variation of the other hundreds they sold. Kudos for already having your Christmas meal planned.

nationalparker – Yay for sunrise. Kudos for finding joy in it. Kudos for "a serving of cashews" from someone who doesn't do a bounded serving well.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Thanks for the demo that planning can be done quickly, "<think think> Dinner is now known." Yep, some parties don't have the concept of sitting down - I don't have a solution to that one. Kudos for realistically seeing yourself and giving yourself credit, "my work and journeying this year has been successful and I have accomplished a lot,"

Lulu (LuLu01801) – LOL at "the space between my ears . . . a dangerous neighborhood sometimes!!" Super Kudos for making a homemade dressing that makes you love your salad.

ForMyGirls - It's the little things that add up, like "Not having seconds of a very yummy dinner" - Kudos.

Readers -

My 100%OP Day streak count is up to 1. Credit for the willingness to allow my lunch to be late when that was the only way to eat what I planned.

WI: +0.1 kg, Exercise: +45 505/1400 minutes for December, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

LuLu1801: Yes, I count 100% OP as eating what I wrote down on my plan. A 90% day means I made an equivalent substitute. An 80% day means two equivalent substitutes. I lost most of my weight on 80% and 90% OP days, but I'm finding this attempt to string together 100% OP days has been helpful and educational.

bethfromDayton: good for you for recognizing how far you've come. I think the big secret to my success this time was catching those 5-10 pound rises in weight before they got any worse (they happened a few times on the way down, and once or twice a year since I got to this weight -- although I think I'm getting better and have some hope that I'll prevent that from happening in 2014). What helped me get back on track was exactly what you're doing.

Good morning all! I'm doing a good job of reading my ARC at least once a day - just not always at the planned times. Goal for tomorrow is to read it at 9am and 3pm not just "in the morning and in the afternoon".

I've spent the last few days researching weight watchers. I think that this is going to be the route I take. My first diet will be WW online and my second if that doesn't work will be WW in person - I imagine I'll get extra support from that if just the online version doesn't work for me.

That brings today to Day 3- Eating Sitting Down. Oddly this has been one of the easier ones for me to adapt to every time I've worked on this journey. It feels odd to eat standing up now. However what I am prone to doing is eating in the car. It tends to be junk food like chips and it's always mindless and always unhealthy. Therefore I'm expanding it to mean sitting down somewhere NOT the car. I'm taking a page out of gardenerjoy's book and nixing that dreadful habit.

LuLu01801 I'm so glad to see you popping back in around the same time that I am! You're one of the main reasons I popped back in here. Do you mind if I send you an email later?

seadwaters Major success on vanquishing the cherries. Something I always struggle with is remembering that the POINT is to follow a plan. Adding extra healthy fruit defeats the point of following a set plan. Thanks for that good reminder.

bethFromDayton Excellent job giving yourself credit. Here's an extra helping from me.

ForMyGirls Congrats on the week OP! Excellent job!

sure veganasaurus . . . email me.
do you have my gmail address?

I am doing really good this week but I ate standing up taste testing dinner. I counted the calories and still was within my limit but still.... I have to stop it. I am going to visualize what I will do next time.

Fast day today. And I get out of the family party tonight because DH has to work. I was thinking that I would do better this year with the Beck solution helping. No bread, no dessert and I would just give up on the cashew/shrimp noodle salad. I always take a large serving and go for seconds. Not this year. I get to skip the angst.

Hope you are all having a great OP day.

Day 26: Recognizing Thinking Mistakes
 

As I said a few weeks back once I hit Days 25: Countering Sabotaging Thoughts and then this Day 26: Recognizing Thinking Mistakes, I knew that this would be where I would need to spend the majority of my time and energy "working on" developing and eventually mastering these skills.

Although this is from Day 19: Stop Fooling Yourself. I do think that this is fertile ground for areas of "thinking mistakes" that I could work on from here until "forever":
*I'll eat this only this one time.
*I'll make up for it by eating less later.
*It won't matter.
*I paid for it.
*It'll go to waste.
*I'm celebrating.
*It's free.
*I really want it.
*It's a special occasion.
*I'm upset and I just don't care.
*I'm craving it, and I'll probably just eat it eventually anyway.

Those are my "biggies" that I need to work on. Again, I am beginning to see that the real secret to successfully losing any amount of extra weight is simply to get your mind in the right thinking and then just follow through on that until you have accomplished your goal. Nod to Lulu who also "gets this".

I had yet another opportunity of tackling this when eating out yesterday afternoon. As many of you are doing, DH and I were doing a lot of pre-holiday errands including grocery shopping. I have a firm policy that we do not grocery shop on an empty stomach nor without a list (that harkens to the impulsive side of me---if it looks good, I'll buy anything once!). So, I decided to test some of my rediscovered Beck skills eating out at favorite restaurant. I ate slowly and mindfully. I didn't over order simply based on "what looks good". I set my dinnerware down after 2-3 bites, took one sip of water and then picked up my fork again. I really looked at my food, enjoying it visually as well as taste-wise (Dr. Beck goes into this in the pink book about satisfying sight being equally important in knowing you have "enough" food). It was a resounding success!

ForMyGirls: You can add 6 points from me thus far for this past week.
I seem to have a pattern of 6 days OP and then 2 days off with 6 days OP. I hope that I can break this pattern but that is where I am at right now.

bethfromdayton: I would be willing to be a phone coach if you need a back up. I have been on both ends of this in the past. It is a great life line and it does work.

Major Credit for your renewed efforts to "get this down". You are doing great.

nationalparker Great Job with the continued streaking.

ForMyGirls: For every 4 grams of any kind of carbs, that equals 1 tsp. of sugar. I learned this piece of information this past summer. All of us eat a lot more sugar (how our body breaks down carbs into glucose) then we realize. Thought I would share that. Good job in realizing how insidious this can be even when we "think" we are eating relatively healthy.

BBE Although I can not say for certain that I have moved to an "alternate universe" when it comes to holiday food consumption, the scenario that you mentioned with food being the center of the event does not appeal to me at all any more. I am now diligently seeking non-food celebratory events at this time (or any time) of the year. I like this "new perspective" I have and I hope that it sticks. It will certainly make my "parallel universe" that much easier to live in.

Great Job on 22 days of continual streaking. Your pants should fit by the end of this month at this rate.

gardenerjoy: I agree with you 100% on setting the imaginary line at 5-10 lbs "going over your goal weight" with me it being 3-5 lbs at given time during my weight loss journey.

I have found keeping myself on a short lease works. Period. Also, to back that up anything that is too big on me is out the door. Alternately, anything that is a tad too tight I try on right before I plan to work out. It reminds me why I am working out. I want as much reinforcement as it takes to remind myself that this is not a whim or temporary. I fully and completely plan on being my end goal weight.

Great job joy in finding what works for you and then working it. You too are an "old timer" in this group and your lead is much appreciated. Thank you.

vegan..rex: Glad that you are seeing the value of sitting down. I can not stand longer than 20 minutes because of arthritis in my spine so I have to ask for a chair at any event or simply avoid those that can not accommodate me. I never thought that there would be "upsides" to being disabled but there is. This is one of them.

Well, take care all, including the " readers" and "lurkers". Love you all, Pam :hug:

Another great day for me!!
I think I’m 7 days OP now.
YAY!!

I just did a little shopping on my lunch hour to reward myself for jobs well done.
I quit smoking on October 7th and I’m still 100% off them, that was a huge huge hurdle for me to get over, but I think I’m done with it . . . I hope.
I was trying to lighten up my alcohol consumption and haven’t had a drink since November 24.
so I’ve saved a lot of money not buying butts or booze so I decided to treat myself.
I bought myself these fabulous pajamas that I’ve had my eye on in Lord & Taylor and I splurged and got them!!
got myself a pair of silver hoop earrings too!!
I also got myself a knee brace for my bum knee, as recommended to do so by some friends.
hope it speeds along the healing . . . UGH!!!

tonight is gym night, working with my trainer, and again I will do only upper body and abs and give the lower body a rest to help the knee.
then I will look forward to my planned dinner which is a little homemade pizza with dough that I made.
for my dough, instead of using flour, I use cream of wheat . . . sooooooo delish!!
I’ll use 1 oz. of vegan cheese and pile on the sliced tomatoes and mushrooms, onions, peppers and bake it until it’s all crispy and melty . . . YUMMO!!
then I’ll climb in my new jammies and call it a night!!

life feels so good when you have your act together, huh?
it’s all about the boundaries and doing what you say you’re gonna do.
being a woman of my word . . . to myself.

seadwaters, Good job avoiding the cherries!! Although I understand the importance of sticking to plan, I have a hard time with the concept of not grabbing a couple of delicious nutritious cherries. I know the drill, that the cherries will soon turn into the chocolate or potato chips. But it still bugs me about this program. Just sayin’ . . .

Beth, Yes you sure have accomplished a lot and should feel good about that. I feel good about the fact that I used to be 241 pounds at my highest weight, but this last bit of weight is very important to me to get off. Together we can all do what we can’t do alone. Stick with it!! If you want a daily phone call coach, I would consider it. I would enjoy giving support . . . and getting it too!!

nationalparker, My evening was FABULOUS, thanks for mentioning it. Five day streak, YAY YOU!!!

ForMyGirls, Yes, we do ROCK!!! Good job on the walk and not having seconds (not always easy).

Bill, What a great job conducting yourself OP at that party. WOW!!! Don’t you just love that feeling when staying OP is a priority over everything and we wish that feeling would last forever? Enjoy it!!

gardenerjoy, Your 80/90/100 system seems like a good way to have a little flexibility and still feel good about it. I like it!!

veganasaurusrex, I can’t wait for it to feel odd to me to not eat standing up. I pick while I cook, I love doing that. This is a huge challenge for me. Lucky you for having it licked!!! I follow WW too, love it!!!

LoseToAll, I eat standing up without even a thought, it’s such habit. This will be a tough one for me, for sure. I think I need to put gum in my mouth while preparing food so I won’t pick. Does anybody else do this?

pamatga, I’m pretty much with you on all those “thinking mistakes”. I can justify anything because I’ll bring it to my attention that I’m 5’7”, a size 8, formerly a size 22, and then I’ll say “LuLu, why are you so hard on yourself?” Then I’ll have what I want and feel awful, up 5 pounds . . . a vicious cycle of mental angst. Getting these last few pounds off means just as much to me as when I needed to lose 100. Does anybody get that? I hope so.

Checking in a bit early because I'm psyched having literally stared down the temptation of a second slice of cheese pizza at my desk this afternoon. Breakfast was OP but lunch was an office-wide recognition for a major project (not mine) and free pizza. I went to the buffet and chose two slices of cheese, feeling rather self-righteous when others were going for their seconds, or walking off with plates stacked high. Enjoyed one, and then thought, let me just check the calories on these. 290. OH. Hmm... Okay, one was all I needed. But then spent about two hours debating what to do with the other piece. I struggled HARD with tossing it out because of the family we've adopted for the holidays needing EVERYTHING from toilet paper to gas to get to chemo appts. So throwing it out was a real struggle. I did, around 4 p.m. ... BUT now wish I'd have just moved it to the kitchen because I honestly believe someone would have taken it and eaten it. This actually feels like a more credit-worthy decision than just a regular lunch on plan for me. All that because I ate only one slice. But Bill, I must confess that of all the food, your Italian pizza squares were the ones that would have called me.

Scale was 170.6 today. Slowly trending down... Anxious for the 169.x's.
Streak=6

Hi everyone,

Today was a 100% OP day for me. I ate exactly what I planned to. I feel pretty darned good about that!

I've switched back to water for my afternoon drink, so credit for that as well.

I weighed this morning and am right at my ticker. DH and I were talking about it and realized that we've been pretty stable for the last few months--my weight has been 180-185 since August--a few drops below, a few blips above, but in that 5 lb range for about 4 months. (I guess it's a good thing that I let myself buy clothes in this size :-).

My plan for tomorrow is a bit uncertain--breakfast--fine. Snack--fine. I'll plan dinner when I'm done here--I bought some frozen meals tonight so that I'd have easy things to make when I come home tired from work--that's been an issue, and frozen OP foods are better than fresh things I end up not making. I bought enough produce to have fresh fruit and salad with each lunch and dinner, though.

Tomorrow's lunch is a carry-in at work, though. I'm bringing caesar salad. My plan is to have ONE plate of food. Just one. And that'll be my meal--no seconds and no sweets. I did buy chocolate for the white elephant gift exchange--but someone else will get it!

I ate slowly and sitting down today (lunch, snack, dinner), enjoying the eating. Breakfast, was on the run, in the car. I need to drag myself out of bed earlier so I can have a more leisurely breakfast.

I'm feel good about today--and confident I'll make good choices at the lunch carry-in.

LoseToAll: Credit for having a good week! I know that I sometimes have to taste dinner while making it--sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce--those require tasting. The best I've figured out is to concentrate on the tasting of it, and not allow any "eating"--just tasting. I'm also compulsive about using a fresh utensil for each taste, so that keeps it under control as well.

nationalparker: Congrats on a streak of 5. Major credit for realizing that a snack was necessary and using it to keep yourself from overeating or make 'hungry NOW' decisions! Awesome job on the pizza!

gardenerjoy: One in a row is an essential step to 2! Looks like your exercise plan for December is right on track! You're right about catching those 5-10 lb rises--it's encouraging to me to know that I'm tackling it--and knowing that forcing myself to weigh keeps me from putting my head in the sand.

pamatga: 6 days in a row OP is a good streak. Fooling myself is exactly what I've been doing--I found the pink book so perhaps Day 19 needs another read through for me! (I'll send you a private message about phone info)

Lexiss: I've been starting to dream about those oranges but I can't remember what they're called--how soon do you think it'll be before they start appearing in the stores?

BillBE: Fantastic 22 days of no extra snacking! Buffets are my downfall--I'll have to borrow the thought of "eating the way BillBE would".

ForMyGirls: I've started using MFP again, too--today is day 2 of entering everything I eat. I'm jealous of your walk to the grocery store. Even in warm weather, that'd be quite a hike for me--but it's freezing here!

LuLu: Every pound matters--we all have our 'gotta reach' points--it's amazing how much you've done, but that doesn't make your 'shorter to go' journey less important. I'll PM you phone info.

veganasaurusrex: Eating in the car is hard--credit for recognizing it's an issue for you. Even when it's the planned foods, I know I don't eat mindfully when driving.

BTW, for those who are on Yahoo! instant messenger, my yahoo! id is 'bethohio3'.

Take care, all.

Friday
 

Hi Coaches
I had a day yesterday where I had to go to a work lunch and go out for dinner. For the lunch I had a plan and stuck to it - some protein with a salad. Dinner was at a Japanese restaurant and I stuck to gluten free, low carb options, but there is a lot of sodium I guess hence the weight gain today. I don't think sodium is bad but it is certainly a variable in the picture. I have a plan for Friday which I have logged. I have exercises ordered by the Physiotherapist that I am supposed to do daily so have added them to my progress log - I didn't do any of them yesterday :(

LuLu - healthy the cherries may be but they are really high in carbs and at the moment I am trying to stay under 20g a day to kick start. So as yummy as they were, I bought them before I decided to do this for 2 weeks so I took them to work for everyone. Yay to being a woman of your word and meeting your own standards. I am going to have my favourite salad tonight which is very like the one you mentioned - but I will have salmon with it - Yum; Beth - how is the phone coaching idea going? I often think having an ally would be helpful - someone you report in to and talk about the blocks and successes, the obsessive thoughts etc. But as you say difficult to find. Congrats on a 100% on plan day; Nationalparker - Yay for defeating the lure of pizza - I get a bit tense about throwing out food but as the book says - I am not a garbage disposal. But your quandry was a little more philosophical. You did best by yourself in the end; Pamatga- well done with eating out - I find it difficult to pass up opportunities for food when I am out so you are a great example; LoseToAll - I taste food as I cook - I have to if it is to turn out OK - but tasting isn't eating so not sure it is a problem; Veganasaurusrex - I like one of Michael Pollan's Food Rules- if it comes in through a car window it is not food. I find anything I can buy at a drive through probably isn't too good for me; BillBE - Kudos at avoiding party food - I find it so hard. Credit for listing what to avoid and having a practical plan. I need to work on that more; ForMyGirls - I like MyFitnessPal too - has lots of Australian foods and good breakdown for macronutrients. And I too am surprised by the amount of carbas and sugars in things. Yay for a 7 point streak

Progress
Checked in 4 times in a row; 198.4 - +1.2 lb (today) / -.2 lb (total for week); 7480/5000 steps; Physiotherapy exercises Not done; 5.0/3km; Food On plan yesterday but a lot of salt and sneaky sugar

58! Woohoo!

My streak is 8 tonight. Had a busy day and didn't end up getting to my 'exercise/well-being tasks" till 8pm. So credit to me of doing them - my habitual behaviour would be to say "never mind, there's always tomorrow".

Gardener joy - thanks for your comments about the small gains you had on your way down, and during maintenance. It is really helpful to be reminded that perfection is not a requirement for success.

Friday
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Did gym including the non-Zumba group session, CREDIT moi. For the first time in quite a while the dumbbell rack needed my help; I restacked about ten dumbbells that were out of order by carefully choosing the ones I needed from their out of order place and returning them to their proper place. It does distract me from what I'm doing. I did suffer a quick wince when a guy picked up two 95 pound dumbbells for a simple exercise - I've picked up a single 95 pounder before on a sorting mission, but have never picked up a pair. Oh Well.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including snacks, to make my streak 23. I was close to breaking it last night because I had the fresh pineapple for my evening snack yet the new Tangerines were calling. We have some Clementines in the fridge but they're only 'OK' - the Tangerines are killer good. However, I got distracted installing a new DVD player that's going to be either a Christmas present for me or for DW - we've been married so long that we tend to give each other presents that we want ourselves. I know that sounds awful, but it makes us both happy.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for 100% OP - you hold yourself to a strict standard there with the 10% penalty for equivalent substitutions.

Cheryl (seadwaters) – Those sodium pounds are a bummer, but they feel so good as they melt away in a few days. BTDT. Both lunch and dinner in restaurants in the same day is a challenge.

Pam (pamatga) – Love your Sabotaging Thoughts, especially, "I'll make up for it by eating less later" - since I'm very familiar with that one. Kudos for the work that's taken you to your "parallel universe."

nationalparker – Yep, pizza is a huge draw; Kudos for stopping at only one slice with the second staring at you.

Beth (bethFromDayton) – "ONE plate of food-no seconds and no sweets" sounds like a great plan for a challenging company party. Yay for chocolates bought for someone else.

Jo (veganasaurusrex) – Kudos for attacking eating in the car - an optimum place for off-plan nibbling.

Lulu (LuLu01801) – Super Kudos for buying jammies and earrings with your "butts or booze" monies. Cream of wheat in pizza dough is a new one for me.

LoseToAll - Skipping a party is one good way to "skip the angst." That cashew/shrimp noodle salad sounds hard to resist.

Readers -

Lurker here. I do read this thread on a regular basis and enjoy it.

Anyway, just wanted to say to Lulu, a tip for icing the knee. Get a bottle of plain ole cheap white/clear thick, sticky corn syrup. Freeze it in zip lock baggie. Double bag, it's a mess if it leaks in the freezer.:mad: But, it's cold, does not get solid, stays more like a moldable gel. You can make any size bag to fit whatever you need to chill. :D I use a washrag or dish towel on my skin and then add the ice. You don't want the ice to have direct contact with your skin.

I learned this trick from my twin boys high school football coach.:D

Thanks for that advice, Janelle.
I will try that, for sure!!!

My 100%OP Day streak count is up to 2.

Today is already not going according to plan, but I think the food will stay on plan. I went to the grocery store before breakfast -- turns out that's a great time to go to the store on the day of a winter storm prediction -- the shelves are full and the aisles are (relatively) empty.

We had an event to go to this morning, but we're skipping it. We'd likely get home before the wintry mix, but DH isn't feeling well so we're staying home. I wrote a Plan A & Plan B down in case we went out to lunch -- I'm going to keep that in place. It wouldn't be the first time we skipped an event and went out to lunch after, anyway.

WI: -0.15kg, Exercise: +50 555/1400 minutes for December, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

nationalparker: woohoo on staring down that extra slice of pizza! You're awesome!

veganasaurusrex: cool for taking on "No eating in the car." That has worked wonders for me.

Welcome, shcirerf! Glad to have you! Feel free to de-lurk, any time.

For shciref and Lulu, I do something similar for icing injuries. Let's see if I can find the recipe...Here it is: http://www.realsimple.com/home-organ...0000000000264/ Once I figured out that worked for me in the ziploc bag, I bought a reusable ice bag and filled it with the same formula. I've never had to fill it again -- just keep refreezing it. With the rubbing alcohol in it, it stays moldable instead of freezing solid. It also stays colder longer than other ice bags. I've had enough injuries and muscle pains, that I actually find the cold a comfort, now. I know it's going to reduce the pain and the length of time that I'll be dealing with this injury. My brain associates the cold with speedy healing. I also use a towel or a layer of clothing between the bag and my skin.

Well, it's Day 4 and it's beautiful and chilly! Day 4 means it's also time to give myself credit which I am DREADFUL at. I fall into the trap of "I overate at that occasion so I may as well just keep going". I read my ARC twice yesterday and this morning today as scheduled. I haven't eaten in the car despite a few super inconvenient times (even just since yesterday!) that I wanted to. Last night was my partner's daughter's birthday party. I didn't go into it with a great plan but I stuck to just eating an appetizer because I realized I wasn't hungry for more food.

Credit is really tricky for me I think because I'm such a tangible rewards motivated person and it's nigh impossible for me to think of rewards that are reasonable and NOT food based. How do y'all reward yourselves as a way of giving credit?

LoseToAll Tasting while cooking is a big struggle for me and I remember it being a hindrance during my last big weight loss push. Not necessarily because of the calories but because I couldn't figure out how to deal with it. I think this time I'm going to decide there's a difference between tasting for flavors and "doneness" and between snacking on what I'm cooking and as long as it's the latter it's acceptable. But that seems like a wicked slippery slope. Looking forward to other's suggestions.

pamatga Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts that you struggle with because SO MANY of them represent what I struggle with on my journey. I really appreciate hearing that I'm not the only one.

LuLu01801 AMAZING on the smoking! Good on you lady! Email coming your way next.

nationalparker You've slayed the Pizza Monster! Excellent work. As someone who spends a lot of time working with families who are sponsored for the holidays (I spent last evening playing Santa and delivering gifts from amazing donors) I promise that all of them would have been very satisfied with your choice to do good for yourself as well as for them :)

bethFromDayton Yay on OP! Congrats!

seadwaters It's interesting to realize how many important functions sodium has in our body in terms of keeping us healthy and living. It's the major positive ion in our extracellular fluid that maintains the osmolarity of every single one of our cells - without it we couldn't live! (Someone just finished her anatomy and physiology final and is still excited about this stuff). I find that most interesting when juxtaposed with how problematic modern diets (like mine) have become when something so important is taken in such large quantities that it can be bad for us. But good on managing the restaurant beast!

BillBlueEyes Thanks for being such a wonderful role model. I admire you. I am so excited for the day when my food struggles are between tangerines and pineapple instead of between "a reasonable portion" and "eating everything I can get my hands on"

Thanks to everyone for advice on cooling things - I suffer from migranes so I'm always looking for better ways to get soothing cool on my forehead.

'Lo, Beckmates
 

I feel the need to rejoin this dear team, fellow Beckmates, if that is OK with all. I need to use CBT for its original purpose, which I can hardly believe myself. At a time that should be one of the happiest of my life, I find myself needing CBT and some communication with those who understand the methods of CBT. Where better to find that than here? I know it is the right solution for me. I hope it is OK with all of you; even though food is no longer my demon, I feel most comfortable here. It still amazes me that after 13 years of maintaining (and don't let my current ticker fool you; I spent the first 47 years of my life at a whopping 220#s) I have no fear of regaining the weight. None. It simply isn't going to happen. I have to tell you, the weight loss was more of a gift than anything else. I just got full. It's really weird, cuz I still do enjoy food, and window shop at parties, I just don't want that stuffed feeling.

Those of you who remember me know I am a lazy poster; I don't respond to each person every day, but try to offer a thought here or there if something rings a bell for me from someone's post. I am not a daily poster, either, and I so respect those of you who are so faithful. I am really pleased to see so many old friends from so many years ago. It really is remarkable. I have been looking at some of the other forums for people whose posts I enjoyed, especially the maintainers, and am sad to not be able to find them.

So, here goes:

Huge credit, moi. I gave myself a good swift kick in the pants, got fired up to join my Beckmates. Also credit for following my plan of clean eating, anti-inflamation eating. Just had a Clementine and an egg cooked in coconut oil. Have really been listening to my own advice about what is healthy eating and using food as intended, i.e. for nourishment. I am avoiding sugar for the poison that it is. My guru, Dr. Andrew Weil called it the biggest health problem in America. Wow.

BillBE your insertion today about exercise really spoke to me. Thanks for that.

Update for those who remember, BillBE and SilverBirch especially, I still have my raspberry eatin' dawg. I planted some blueberries this summer; I am thinking she needs an anti-oxidant boost. her reward for keeping the deer out of my yard and my hostas.

Stay warm, all.

Day 27 & 28: Master the 7 Question Technique/Weighing In
 

Day 27: Mastering the 7 Question Technique. I am also a recovering "living in my head" person (being over-analytical) so I am gingerly tip-toeing around this particular "technique" because if I over-analyze things it increases my anxiety which can trigger a mild panic attack which can paralyze me in doing just about anything. I do feel that it is important that we become conscious of our choices that we make in areas that we wish to improve on but following her 7 Question Technique would be opening up a Pandora's box for me at a time when I have spent years (decades) moving farther and farther away from OCD. I don't want to return back there and my "concern" is that I could or might if I did this.

However, my "calmer" version (at least to me it is) of this technique is I do a nightly "self-assessment" (Step 10) when I have added up all of the numbers for my food plan each day. I do it as objectively as I can. Just the facts, ma'am. I do my best to avoid judging myself or self-berating myself. I simply report what is the facts and then offer myself suggestions on what I could do better the next day.

I have saved all of my food plans for the past year. Since I have really struggled to not only stay on track but return to losing weight as I had done last spring, I decided just recently that I would revisit those and review some of those food plans to see what I was doing then as well as what problems that I was reporting to myself. It helped me to make some immediate changes in my food plan this past week.

As I have mentioned before that one of the former "addiction" behaviors that I have had was self-denial which then manifests itself as dishonesty both with myself and then with others that I report to. So, I had to change my ticker again. Right now, being honest has got to be paramount in this leg of my weight loss journey. I do think this is a temporary re-gain but even so I want to be honest about my struggles. I have been in the danger zones a couple of times earlier in this week, which I think is somewhat of a backlash of having such a good day last Friday night; which Dr. Beck discusses: the feeling that you made it through something tough so then you relax up a little. Ouch! I did Sunday and Monday. Too many calories and too much sodium. :?:

I have had to put some foods on "suspension" for an indefinite period. Pizza is the #1 offender for me for several reasons. Yes, I do have some excellent recipes for "healthy" pizza that I have made in the past but it just simply is a "trouble" area that I need to avoid.

Again, I weigh myself every day and record that as well so Day 28 I just skimmed through.

I credit myself for two nights in a row feeling like I wanted to eat something (the hunger was very mild -like a 1 or 2) but I didn't simply because I wanted to see if I could NOT do it instead of just doing it. Exercising my resistance muscle was relatively easy in both cases but still credit anyway.

Lulu Good Job on identifying your limits and deciding to tackle them. I have always said that I have a tri-core addiction: unhealthy relationships (abusive ones), compulsive spending and compulsive overeating.It always gets back to setting boundaries. Just when I think I am "done with one" it rears its ugly head :devil:and presents me with a set of new issues to resolve.

bethfromdayton: It sounds like you are really doing well. I think you just need to give yourself more credit and believe in yourself, IMHO, but then don't we all?;)

seadwaters: I admire how you handled yourself at the Asian restaurant. I used to allow myself meals at Asian restaurants and actually did well but then again that "just this once or this is a special occasion" started to creep back in so I stopped going to one of my favorite ones. Ironically, when I finally did decide to take the plunge again after an 8 month absence I discovered the restaurant had closed. I immediately assumed it was my fault: "if only I had gone more..." How silly of me! Still, that is the second Asian restaurant that I used to frequent to close in the past few years. I think the Universe might be trying to tell me something.;)

ForMyGirls: I am back to 3 points. It seems my longest streak thus far has been 6 OP days for both exercising and my food plan. Hopefully, that will change now that I have booted some former offenders to the curb. I give myself credit though for getting back on track asap.

BBE Great Job on your 23 day streak.

Janelle(shcirerf) aka regular lurker: Great Job on maintaining your weight loss for 2 years. Thanks for the tips on icing.

vegan...rex: Good Job on avoiding the temptations at the party. It is always hard when others eat differently to find something at all. I always remember my daughter (a vegan for 20+ years) who used to eat one thing sometimes at family gatherings decades ago (this was when she was 8 years old!) until she was old enough to bring her own food. She is very principled and strong willed but all in good things.

maryblu :welcome2: back! Yes, CBT can be used for anything really. We have the book "Mind Over Mood" which follows this principles that my DH used for depression. I hear, love and understand your sense of peace and freedom; having experienced that myself in other areas of my life. Nothing like it in the world!

Well, tomorrow we have another live musical concert that we are going to attend. I just wish it weren't going to be pouring down rain the whole day and night. Yes, it's not snow like the rest of the country but it sucks to be dodging puddles in the dark.:rain: Last year, I got double pneumonia from such an event attendance. :mad:

Take care, Pam :comp:

hello all my beck friends!
today makes 7 OP days in a row for me and I’m feeling groovy!!
last night was gym night, I had the trainer go easy on me . . . just a kick butt upper body workout.
I did the elliptical last night too but didn’t go fiercely like I usually do.
I woke up this morning and the knee felt good, but as I was walking during my commute to work, I could feel it buggin’ out again . . . even with the brace.
I don’t mean to keep complaining about this as the pain is minimal, but it’s just disruptive and it’s pissin’ me off!!
it’s gonna be soooooooooooooo hard not to dance tomorrow night at the big x-mas party, bumma.

I’m meeting a friend for a glass of wine tonight and looking forward to it.
he mentioned “getting apps” while we were there, but I replied “I will likely be all set with food but I’m really looking forward to a glass of wine”.
he replied “ok, I will eat before”.
HOW EASY WAS THAT TO GET OUT OF, HUH?
I want to eat when I get home as I have it all planned that I’m making the delish tofu and kale scramble that is sooo yummy!!
I don’t want to eat stupid appetizers at a bar anymore.

nationalparker, Nice job with the pizza showdown . . . YOU WON!!! You’re so close to the 160s you can taste it!!! It will be exciting to watch you hit that milestone.

beth, Congrats on the 100% OP day YAY YOU!!! Credit for keeping weight stable all this time, a major feat. By the way, I don’t know how to PM nor where to find it on here.

seadwaters, I hear ya about the carbs in fruit, but I still have all I want as I know it’s not fruit making me or keeping me fat. But I understand your goal and good for you for sticking with it. I guess there is some spontaneous eating that I feel is ok, as long as it’s fresh fruit or veggies (I follow WW plan where all fruit and veggies are free, zero points. But to combine WW with Beck plan, I do understand it should all be planned out, I’m not there yet but following the WW plan 100%).

ForMyGirls, 8 days in a row for you, YAY!!! So awesome to hear you didn’t blow off what you said you would do, even when it was 8:00 at night, major credit!!

Bill, You are on a roll!!! 23 days OP, going to the gym, credit galore. Your gift-giving arrangement with your wife sounds precious, it works for both of you so it works!!

shcirerf, Thanks again for the ice pack tip!! Appreciate it!!

gardenerjoy, We’ve got a storm coming here in Boston too. I have a fun x-mas party to go to tomorrow night and hoping the roads are ok to go, I was looking so forward to it. Thanks for your tip on the icepack as well, great idea!!

vegan, Got your email, hopefully I’ll get back to you tonight.

maryblu, Welcome back!! I don’t remember you but look forward to getting to know you. What is the original purpose of CBT that you are needing? I’m not clear on that. I love Dr. Weil, have several of his books, and love his roasted butternut squash soup recipe, it’s the BEST!!

pamatga, I have a tri-core addiction too . . . food, booze and butts. My relationships are healthy and I’m a frugal soul . . . for me, it’s all about the substances!! God bless me!! Enjoy the concert!!

Good Afternoon, Coaches.

I have been waiting for a quiet moment to check in because this is an important post. At Christmas, however, there is no quiet moment so here goes:

:dizzy: I have reached goal :dizzy:

After over three years of posting here and a lifetime of being overweight (including twice over 200 pounds), I can say I am a size of which I have dreamed. My advantage cards have come true. I weigh under 150 before I turn 50 in one week. I am a healthy wife and mother. I have found peace with food. More importantly, I feel free from the processed food addiction that has held my body hostage for years. I feel comfortable in my own skin. I have a beautiful new haircut and celebrated the big bday by becoming a redhead. I have donated the double digit work pants for single digits. I am not going back.

I could not have achieved this, I know, without posting here regularly. Thank you.

:yay:congratulations Maryann:yay:

What a rock star you are!

maryann: woohoo! Your post made me smile and cry at the same time. Love it. I'm so happy for you!

Veganasaurex - rewards wise I buy myself something small I am coveting (but really don't need so otherwise couldn't justify spending money on) each time I reach a 5kg mini goal. So far I've gotten a hatstand (which looks cool, but really hats can live in cupboards just fine), a holder for the front wheel of my bike when it is on an indoor trainer (sitting it on top of an old phone book did the job just as well but was pretty ugly) and a new wallet (old one was fine, but not nearly as pretty and much bulkier, which bugged me). I so know what you mean about the challenge of finding non food rewards. Another thought I had was cut flowers.

Pamatga - your comments about being over analytical really struck a chord. I was initially a bit hesitant about Beck because I had previously encountered CBT when seeking treatment for post-natal depression and found that it didn't work for me because it bought into my over analytical mind. (A natural tendency compounded by being professionally trained to look at situations from every possible angle and anticipate every possible disaster!) What worked for me in treating depression was mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy. Despite my initial concerns CBT is working well for me in this context - though I think mindfulness is actually playing a big part in how I am doing it. If you haven't yet encountered mindfulness you might find it helpful - given your comments about being a very analytical person. UPDATE: and now I have read the rest of your post and it occurs to me that you practice mindfulness exceptionally well already!

ForMyGirls. What do you mean by mindfulness???

Hey LoseToAll,

I will put a couple of web links for more info because how I describe mindfulness will probably not do it justice. It is pretty huge in the psychology world at the moment so you will probably come across heaps of info if you google mindfulness.

But for my take on it - it is about living in the moment - noticing and accepting what you are feeling, thinking and experiencing and accepting that, rather than struggling and arguing with it. So as an example I might notice that I am thinking "I really want that chocolate" and instead of saying "well you can't have it - but I really want it - but you can't have it" (and on and on in an endless loop) I just say "oh - there's that wanting chocolate feeling again". It is amazing how it disempowers thoughts and feelings to just acknowledge them.

I use it in lots of other spaces in my life too. In a work context there have been times when I have gotten through anxiety or feelings of overwhelm by stopping and noticing and saying to myself "oh - apparently I'm scared I won't be able to do this". I use it as a parent too - it helps me think about what my kids need from me because I can acknowledge my own feelings about a situation rather than just reacting to them - eg: if they are behaving badly in a public space I can notice that I am feeling embarrassed and then think about why they are behaving like that and talk to them rationally rather than just getting angry.

I should emphasise I am very far from perfect on all these fronts - but using mindfulness means I react in a constructive way to challenging situations far more often than I used to.

One of my "exercise and Wellbeing" tasks is a 10 minute mindfulness meditation 4 times a week. Ideally I would do it everyday, and sometimes do longer than 10 minutes but I've accepted that 4 times a week every week is better than a goal of everyday that doesn't get met! It is pretty much a guarantee that I start to go pear shaped if I haven't done any for 3 or 4 weeks.

So - the links -
- one is to "The Happiness Trap" - a book about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which is how I found my way into mindfulness;
- the second is to a Jon Kabat-Zinn website - he is one of the main proponents I know of and his guided meditations are my favourites