Hi Coaches!

These past days have been so busy and I haven't found the proper alignment of all the "stars" to post. This is the busiest time at the ski resorts and when all of Denver is pouring in and out of the mountains the cell towers just can't accomodate lil' ol me wanting to get online before I leave or after I get home. Oh, Well...and apologies to all.

My intention to post is always present. That's a good thing. Credit moi. That intention to be connected my coaches does help me through each and every day. (I can read from odd places w/myIPhone) This morning I rose early and intended to sit downstairs w/my laptop. When I came back in from taking the pup out my DH was sitting in the living room w/coffee awaiting my return. As busy as our days are right now (and as well as we're getting along) I know that spending time with him is imperative…..so I plan for later

.....later came after I returned from my am visit to the project....now DH has returned from his shop and I need to go socialize. I have started some personals and my intention is to finish saying my hellos by day's end.

When I got to my cybernotebook this morning I reread what I had written months ago and it was nice to reflect on the time in between and how I have done just what I said I was going to do...alaBeck. It reminds me why I did not gain weight during these past 5 months.

Written in August.....
"When I commit 100% then the small amount of imperfection which slips in from time to time isn't a diet breaker. When I say this week doesn't matter because next week will be (calmer, less stressed, less busy, more focused....) then the backslide begins.
I am giving my 100% not to backslide....
I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE NOW that I function much better when my food is clean.
So, this next week, even though I'll be working like crazy I'm going to formulate a food plan for the entire time they are here and prep/cook/freeze/etc so I can stay within my food parameters, have food for us all and probably take meals to my mom. All the rest will fall where it is going to fall."

My task at the project today is to apply 3 coats of waterbased finish in a bedroom, which is finished otherwise. I originally considered taking this entire day off but my brain came up with an acceptable solution. It takes an hour to apply a coat w/4 hours inbetween. By day's end I will have one room finished AND I will have enjoyed free time at home, too. Beck skills working here, too!

I will be back today....I promise.

Hello coaches. Today's funny high point NQ item is 1 quart of 2% milk for 32 points. Unfortunately I won't be a genius today ( the score above A++) since I don't have any milk in the house. :dizzy: Puppy is still coughing but I'm hoping it is less, maybe wishful thinking... Made some lentil sprouts, took pup for a walk, recording food and (drum roll) lost the last pound to reach my 5 pound goal. Started a new goal in my diet power program for 10% as the five pound goals don't mean as much health wise. I will still focus on loosing the next 5 as a small goal though and set the calories to track at a healthy two pounds off per week.

MermaidAtSea My dh never needs to diet, so I understand what it is like to live with someone not dieting. Yesterday he ate like a dozen cookies after lunch, fortunately I was gone at my tea and didn't have to watch! I hope our boys inherited his metabolism and not mine. Great job resisting the fried chicken.

LoseToAll Sorry to hear about your FIL. Credit for the oh well and starting over, that is what really counts.

nationalparker Sorry about your snowy stress. I hate slippery roads! So glad you made it home safely and hope you had a relaxing day today. No cake yet as high NQ recommendation, but I will keep an eye out for that. :)

bethFromDayton Congrats for your strong resistance muscle while baking and sticking to your plan of only two cookies! You are stong and the point you've reached is such an encouragement to me. Sounds like you have a great party solution. Congrats on your happy scale #'s.

BillBlueEyes Hurray for 60, about 2 full months, or 16% of the year. Great job on another vegetarian day. We love okra, unfortunately the favorite was grandma's fried recipe which probably wasn't healthy! Hope your new snow thrower works great for you.

Lexxiss Glad you found time to check in. Great job spending time with DH, and kudos for the journal entry and refreshing your mind on where you want to be. Hope the bedroom project went well.

Thanks for your support, coaches! Have been keeping up with everything and am 2 pounds closer to my mini-goal weight! Feeling very encouraged. These behaviors are still things that I need to consciously remind myself of, but hopefully eventually they will become more automatic.

Credits:
Making food plan for tomorrow
Sticking to diet
Eating slowly
Sitting down to eat
Exercising
Stopping when no longer hungry

Hello coaches,

Home from holidays now. Sad to have left paradise but nice to be in my own space again.

Weighed in this morning. Was hoping for no gain but I am up .6kg. That is OK I think - though disappointed that it takes me back over the magic 93kg barrier.

Even before weigh in I was very conscious that the next couple of days will be a readjustment into the land of "on plan" eating and exercise. So I have committed to giving lots of time and energy to making that transition.

Credits for yesterday / this morning:

-listened to my body last night and had a tuna salad for dinner rather than the take-away we had planned for after a day of travelling (I feel compelled to add that there had been some giving in to the sabotaging "this is my last chance" thought during the day though!)

- I got on the scales this morning! And have posted about it!

I have decided to start tracking a streak again because it really helped before. This time I will track two "small" things that make it easier for everything else to fall into place - drinking enough water and going to bed on time. I have also decided to adopt a variation on Joy's "one line report card" to report on my progress each day. So here is yesterday's report card:
Food 100% OP? no; Health activities 100% OP? yes; Drank 2L water? no; Went to bed on time? no; Streak count: 0
Wow - that doesn't look so flash! Here's to a better report card tonight :-)

Maryann - being able to have just half a cup of your rabbit hole food is a huge achievement. Well done!

AZTricia - Joy's rule is that at special occasion meals - or meals out - you have EITHER an alcoholic drink or dessert, rather than both. It's a gem of a rule I reckon!

LoseToAll - sorry to hear about your FIL. It sounds like you have done very well in keeping on track at a time of such huge stress.

Nationalparker - that drive sounds just awful. I am very glad to live in a place that just gets uncomfortably hot!

Beth - it brought a great big smile to my face to read the enthusiasm and confidence you have in your party plan. So very far from "white knuckling"!

I got caught up while watching the "game". Pre-game I sent a message to my Pat's friend back East, "May the luckiest team win and no one get hurt...it "is" just a game. PS I'm not a huge fan but will be watching the SB this year. I had a planned portion of healthier chips, one banana and 3AcaiVitaminthingies. Progress, for sure, from the old days of game day food frenzies. Credit.

BBE, as always, thank you for your service here...posting everyday with quotes, education and humor. It really makes a difference in my life as I work to improve my ongoing relationship with food. BTW-I broke my streak of no samples atCostco. They were sampling slices of banana dipped in dark choc, frozen of course. I took one but didn't take the buy it bait. When I came back by later the gal said...you can have another one. I answered no thank you. (Bananas are better just the way they were made lol) Kudos for your ongoing streak. It's the prime example of how we can each choose our trouble spot and work on it viaBeck. I enjoyed your personal quote this morning...yes, God's in His heaven-All's right with the world.

Beth(fromDayton), Kudos for using your Beck success with sweets at work and coming up with a solution to the "Big Weekend Party problem". Wow! That is such a milestone when we can find resolve to an ongoing situation. (PS I have found a solution to the "Buffet with mom and DH problem", too.

AZtricia, I hope your pup recovers quickly. Kudos and congrats on your 5 pound goal.

nationalparker, I'm sorry you had a rough night, in more ways than one, but glad you returned home safely. I wanted to let you know I have really noticed that you are being more gentle with yourself as time goes on (if that is the right word) and it's really a step of progress. Kudos to you!

LoseToAll, I am sorry to hear of your FIL's stroke. It's such a difficult time for you. Sending you moral support and a cyber-hug. It's a big credit to check in after a "mess up" and to log your food and weigh even when you think it will be a disappointing outcome. I hope today has been better for you.

MermaidAtSea, my DH says he is on a seefood diet...he sees food he eats it. He is actually healthy yet underweight with an incredible metabolism. I have gotten used to it-but have also worked very hard to find strategies for myself.
~I'm the shopper and since he likes everything I purchase things he will eat that I don't like
~I suggest restaurants I've already researched and let him choose….he can go wild and I can enjoy an OP night out
~I've come up with a "buffet protocol" where he can gorge (sometimes 5 plates) and I can eat in moderation
~As you did, I sometimes just say no.
Credit to you for speaking up for yourself. I second BBE that I don't favor the "cheat" meal. Beck teaches us to plan for an off plan meal after we've thought it through.

MaryAnn, major kudos as you find your infatuation is over w/M&C. I have a healthy homemade WW pasta recipe but don't make it often. I surmise your DS wouldn't like it but I'm happy the rest of my family does. Amazing, isn't it how many veggies we are getting in our smoothies.

ForMyGirls, great that you find many credits even during the big family feast day. I enjoyed reading through your many credits. Thanks for posting them. Credit, too, for an after holiday plan and a new streak to keep track of!


Cheryl(seadwaters), major kudos for not choosing pizza as a reward for a disappointment on the scale. Everything else you did do was the better choice. Credit. I will mention that the 199/200 barrier was one of the most difficult times for me. I ate OP for weeks and would go up and down….and up and down. It was distressing. What is it? Don't have that answer yet persistence will be rewarded, and when you feel it's time you will visit your MD.

systemaddict, nice that you found Day 18 helpful. I like your food focus for the next week. Credit for setting that goal...I look forward to your progress.

LoseToAll, keep working on your eating while sitting. It does get easier. It's a big step of progress every time you notice. Credit. Your vegetarian day sounded great! Do you do that often?

My personals went back through the past few days of posts. :wave: to anyone who wasn't "there". A collective thanks to everyone who continues to post. Credit to us all!

Quick check in for yesterday
 

Last night I did a check in and credits and wrote personals to all. Cut and pasted it from notepad to the reply window and then...who knows :o I was uploading a large number of files to dropbox and got caught up in that and think I just forgot to submit!

Will try again tonight but just to say that I did walk on Sunday and weight was down yesterday by 2 pounds (and another 1 today) but who knows how long that will be the case. I didn't dive into a pizza yesterday - was wanting to use disappointment as an excuse to satisfy a craving. But I didn't - no choice - I am sticking to this diet just to see what happens after 30 days. I ate well and within calorie range so credit

Will check in later

Hi all,

Today was not an OP day--I did fine until we went out to dinner and even though I made some good choices and decisions, I still ate too much. And I split a one scoop sundae with DD and shouldn't have--if I hadn't, my tummy wouldn't be uncomfortably full right now!

I've got a plan for tomorrow (about to enter in MFP) and I'll find out tomorrow how many steps I take at work since it'll be my first workday with my FitBit. It'll also be my first kickboxing class--I've never done kickboxing but, as they say, in for a penny, in for a pound!

Hope it's a great start to everyone's week!

Strange day here - DH is now sick, but still set his alarm for 4:30 to see how he feels - go in or not. I hope not, in a way, so he can sleep the day away and hopefully sleep the sick out. That often works for me. Busy day of cheering on the Broncos (Sorry, Bill ... I felt bad for Brady, but not Belichick! I hope he's more likable up there.)

I ate most of my calories early in the day and wondered if I could skip dinner, but now I'm HUNGRY. Wll have something light, and call it a night.

I've mentioned that my sister is on WW and doing GREAT. But now she asks every few days how my weight loss is going, etc., and I feel like I'm a major failure vs. her 20+pounds down already. I keep telling myself I'm on the "Maryann" plan - a steady program that I will be able to maintain without a major challenge. Maryann - I hope you're okay with that; it's meant with solid admiration! It's hard to get the idea that my splurge last night will not amount to a few pounds' gain. Major credits for measuring and enjoying the mac/cheese and not going back for more. Or letting it call to you in other forms today.

AZTricia - YAY on five down! Have you thought of your reward?

Lexxiss - Thank you for your kind words. I know you must think me a weenie with the snow! :) I love it from inside, but this mayor is taking a bruising on the lack of plowing/pretreating/snow removal. Legislators were in town last week and hammered him, saying it was a disgrace. They seem to just keep waiting for it to warm up to melt it off the roads :(

ForMyGirls - Sorry the holiday is over, but sounds like it was a wonderful one - with great company, weather, food, and memories to look back on.

Will check in with more time tomorrow - have a great start to the day, all.

Diet Coaches (reading BillBE's post made me realise that the list is my diet as opposed to life coach - hence diet coaches not coaches - although I think the lines get blurred given the broad application of CBT)

Yesterday I found I hadn't reached my (fairly conservative) steps goal in the evening so I took the girls (dogs) on a walk to the post box and beyond - that covered the steps. Yesterday food was on plan even though I craved a pizza - I don't do pizza was the only response I could make. My weight this morning was down by about 3pounds from 2 days ago - who knows what is happening. Today not so good but within calories. I had a burger for lunch - planned as a treat on the last day of my annual leave - grass fed good meat - but I also had fries. An unbelievable carbohydrate load for both actually. I won't do that again. I also notice the last 2 days that I have been eating at the sink - only little things but mindless and has to stop

I took a long walk this morning that included both mystery routes - such a difference because while really humid (80%) it was cloudy which made it bearable to walk.

Credit for:
Walking 9,000 steps
Eating to calorie range and planning even if plan not the best!
Planning food for work tomorrow
Ticking chores off the list that were bothering me

BillBE - Credit for no free samples - so hard to resist - good anticipation. I had to go to Google twice - once for "When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you're coming" and then for "the snail's on the thorn". Thanks for expanding my horizons. What is a snow thrower?

ForMyGirls - your holiday sounds replenishing - glad you are dealing with the food challenges

Maryann - wish I could send you some rain but we seem to be a bit short of it. Your drought is significant. When I meet people who insist that we have always had 43/45/49 C degree days I have to move on. They don't get that it is not about the peaks and the troughs but about the baseline averages. Well done with keeping yourself to one dose of Kraft Mac and not going back down the rabbit hole - Credit!

Nationalparker - Ooh for the driving conditions - really challenging. I can understand the felt need for a treat - it didn't turn out too badly

AZtricia - kennel cough is annoying. Two of my dogs had it at once so it was fairly noticeable - I sent them to the dog rescue group to be desexed not realising that it was the one place they were guaranteed to get Kennel Cough even though immunised. Too high a dose to be avoidable. Credit for avoiding sugar at a ladies tea and staying on plan. Diet Power sounds like an interesting program indeed LOL! Huge congrats on reaching the 5 pound goal! Terrific

MermaidAtSea - great list of credits. Huge credit for saying no to fried chicken. Yay for 2 pounds closer to your mini-goal - that must feel great

LoseToAll - sending supportive thoughts for your FiL and the need for candy to deal with it - good list of credits.

BethFromDayton - Marathon baking - and not marathon eating - well done. Great restraint not to try one of everything - great credit! A good plan for next weekend. Ouch for eating too much - I did that at lunch - not comfortable at all

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Great thoughts from your diary. It is interesting to see the progress of your projects and your associated self-management. You are so right about the 199/200 barrier. Before I had back surgery I was down to 194 but have gone back up and keep bouncing around between 198 and 201. It is driving me nuts. Thanks for the encouragement and I am persisting.

Hello coaches,

Much nicer looking report card tonight :-)

Food 100% OP? yes ; Health activities 100% OP? yes ; Drank 2L water? yes ; Went to bed on time? yes ; Streak count: 1

Credits:
- doing everything I was meant to!
- checking that the slight adjustments I had made to my plan during the day allowed an evening hot chocolate BEFORE I made it

One of my ARCS is to be able to get a dress from a fabulous dress shop in town - I had reason to go in there today so spent some time amongst the frocks. It was very affirming and motivating to know that I am on my way to wearing one of them!

Lexxis - thanks for reposting your thoughts from a while ago about committing 100% meaning that the minor imperfections don't derail the diet. There was a bit of a discussion last month about the challenges of telling the difference between being kind to yourself when you aren't perfect and giving yourself too many free passes. Your comment felt to me like a really good resolution of that - aiming for 100% means when you fall a bit short you're still on track.

Does all this talk of "the game" mean it is Super Bowl weekend? When I spent a year living in California I arrived just before the Super Bowl. I remember laughing myself silly when I heard a radio ad for the Super Bowl which claimed that everyone would be "rootin' and tootin' for their favourite teams". Seadwaters can have a giggle with me and I'll leave the rest of you to make some guesses at what that means in Aussie lingo.

Glorious sunny morning here in my spot of the midwest - a nice change for the winter. A holiday for me (those our overseas friends, it's Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, and we actually get this one off for work with my job) and I'm definitely taking advantage of the day.

Woke up early when DH's alarm went off at 4:30 and he actually called in sick - very rare for him. Then neither of us could get back to sleep - he was hacking and coughing and plain miserable. He was sick about eight weeks ago, too. He typically gets the one winter cold/year, so I hope I can stave this one off, as well. Will get out and do the marketing at two or three spots, depending on how far I range from home. Trader Joe's is calling me, but not sure. I don't need that much from there.

I DO want to get some more plants in this front room that gets all my winter sunshine when it does shine. I have about 150 daffodil bulbs that I forgot to replant when I dug them out of one area and they're sprouting in the cold garage... I was going to put them in long planters and haul them in here, but now that my mom reminded me that most bulbs are toxic to cats and dogs, I need to rethink where I can do that.

Scale was 170.4 today after showing 169.8. Francesca, the tease of a scale. But considering the treat the other night, I wondered if it would jump up, or kinda kick my metabolism in gear a bit with more calories in one shot.

Have been seasonally reading a book called, "A Year of Little Things" 100 simple ways to be happy. Read the spring in spring, summer section in summer, etc. and yesterday remembered to get it out and enjoy flipping through the winter section. A good reminder to be mindful and present in so much of our days. I am going to write to my sister and see if she'd like to start a brief email exchange of a few things that enchanted her/me each day - much of her communication is "to do" listings. I have to run to the post office, to the bank, etc., but this would be nice for me to see what she does find joy in each day out there in Colorado. I know Pike's Peak will come into more than a few of them, and that's nice to picture. :)

ForMyGirls - the game we mentioned was the, basically, semifinals, before the Super Bowl. The two top teams in each of the two divisions squared off ... the Super Bowl will be in two weeks. I'll be home in Florida with the folks for that (as we've done without intention the past few years - flights are just affordable in February to Florida from here) and my mom is already looking forward to the tids and bits that we set out. I'm excited by that because she still isn't eating.

Beth - Major credits to you for finding and working the system you have employed for not testing what you bake/prep. It really interests me to see how varied all of our temptations/challenges are! Hope the kickboxing class leaves you feeling empowered and not too sore :)

Was OP yesterday despite a shaky start. Started reading a different diet book about carb cycling and will continue reading it today to see if it's hooey or anything valid... I'm not familiar with that, but need to check it out more. I'm wary of many that I'm not familiar with. So, streak is at 1, and I'll double that today :)

Good Morning, Coaches.

This morning, we pack up and leave the cabin. I had no plan yesterday. Never good. I just was in slump vacation mode. And yet when I think today about what I ate I am proud. There might have been a few more calories than my normal day but everything was healthy or rare and unusual - including "organic" bakery gluten free swiss chocolate dipped meringue cookies - of which I had two small.

I did not bring my scale so I don't know the outcome but I will weigh tomorrow. Food is planned for the day starting with a smoothie.

Nationalparker: So cool to have a plan named after me.I do feel that since my weight loss was so slow, I am much less apt to gain it all back. As evidenced by this weekend, how I eat now has become a subconscious choice.

Monday - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
 

(Appears that I wrote this post this morning then didn't hit [submit]. Duh!)

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked, CREDIT moi, even though DW refused to join me because the icy sidewalks were treacherous. It's hardly cardio exercise when I'm focused on staying upright but I guess it does exercise all the ancillary muscles used for balance, LOL.

Streaked to 61 by staying on plan with eating and snacks, CREDIT moi. Ignoring the array of foods spread out before me late morning when I'm having coffee with my group wasn't hard - despite some homemade baked goods. The evening was a challenge since we were going to an event that didn't start until 8pm but would have two tables of homemade wonderful that others would be gobbling all evening. I planned to have about half a normal dinner at home, then to eat the remaining half at the party and to have one treat of the dessert variety for my evening snack. The planning worked. I chose a single slice of orange including the peel - that had been soaked in something, possibly cooked, then dipped in dark chocolate. Super special! So glad I'd planned on only one because there was a platter of them. Easily stayed within my (generous) allowance for eating out; I give myself generous leeway because my real fear is letting go and eating like the old days. When I just plunge in, getting back on track is a challenge. So I'll do a separate CREDIT moi just for the party.


Debbie (Lexxiss) – Thanks for "When I commit 100% then the small amount of imperfection which slips in from time to time isn't a diet breaker." Good for me to be reminded that perfect isn't as important as avoiding the deep potholes. [Frozen chocolate covered banana would have been a challenge for me - even though, in actuality, they're not that good, LOL. I agree with you, bananas are just right as is.]

Cheryl (seadwaters) – Ouch for cut-and-paste lost to the ether. Kudos for thwarting the 'disappointment' Sabotaging Thought with the 'No Choice' Helpful Response. [Your question, "What is a snow thrower?" makes me cry. Yes, Virginia, in faraway lands where the phrase 'White Christmas' originated, the peasants must rid their walks and driveways of the stuff to function. They do so with one of these.]

maryann - Waving. My regrets that your 49'ers won't be joining the Patriots in the Super Bowl, which, to my dismay, the Patriots won't be joining either.

nationalparker – Love the "Maryann" plan. Hope your DH recovers. [Yep, we're Belichick fans around here - albeit disappointed ones at moment.]

Beth (bethFromDayton) – Ouch for "uncomfortably full" and Yay for commitment to kickboxing today.

ForMyGirls - Welcome home from paradise. Kudos for immediately getting into your rhythm with "listened to my body last night."

AZtricia - Congrats on that 5 pound goal. Do you have a reward? [I love fried okra from long ago.]

MermaidAtSea - Kudos for staying with "Stopping when no longer hungry" - one of the first of Beck's steps to master.

Readers -

Hi all,

I can report an OP day and the 41st day of recording everything.

My kickboxing class was good--I was able to keep up, at some level, but didn't get all of the sequences right. That's okay--I was moving.

Tomorrow has two lunch plans, and which one I end up with will depend on the weather, but both are OP. Dinner is up in the air--I'm meeting DS somewhere in between his home and mine--but he knows I'm watching what I eat and will choose well.

My biggest news is numeric--I had blood work done last week in preparation for my semiannual physician's visit. I got an email that the lab work was posted to MyChart on-line--and my numbers were amazingly improved from August (which was improved from last January). Instead of worrying about my doctor giving me a hard time, I know he'll be thrilled with the numbers--I certainly am! I've gone from "way high" to "low normal" on all my cholesterol numbers!

Bill, after my after-dinner treat when I started to think how good it tasted, I thought of what you'd said and concentrated on how much I'd enjoyed it, rather than looking to have more of it. And I was satisfied. Big credit to the power of cognitive behavior therapy (and to me for applying it).

Take care, all!

Hello coaches. Today was my first day since beginning to track that I've had over 2000 calories. The "budget" shows a much higher number for loosing 2 lbs a week, so we shall see. I'm going to try and not let it creep up higher for now. Walked today and met one of the personal trainers, who reminded me of the 3 free sessions...need to sign up. Credit for not eating extra meat as I de-boned the extra meat from dinner (yummy grilled steak from our grass fed cow!). Pup joined me to report to you from my lap, he is making it hard to type as he seems to think all my fingers need kisses! :lol: He is a little better but still coughing.

Food 100% OP? yes ; Health activities 100% OP? yes ; Drank water? yes ; need to read my ARC's!!! still having trouble remembering.

MermaidAtSea Hurray for 2 pounds closer and feeling encouraged. Great job on your Beck goals.

ForMyGirls Welcome home :) and great job recognizing the need to transition. Hurray for tuna, and posting, and starting a streak count! Thanks for Joy's rule. And credit for checking the hot chocolate first. Thanks for sharing your ARC about the dress shop, great idea.

Lexxiss Great game day food choices. I'd love to hear your buffet solution.

seadwaters credit for resisting pizza! And great job taking the dogs to get in your last steps. Strange with the scale numbers, must be a water thing to swing that much! Great job on the not fun chores.

bethFromDayton Hope you enjoyed kickboxing and have bounced back from the sundae....looks like kickboxing was good, hurray. And huge congrats on the good blood work :cp:

nationalparker Love your focus on steady / maintainable ...wise and you will be able to keep it off effortlessly. No, I've not decided yet on a reward. Hope your dh is feeling better and doesn't share with you. Fun thought to e-mail your sister about causes of joy. Fun to be able to double your streak so soon :)

maryann Great job for planning and the healthy smoothie. Your subconscious healthy choices are an encouragement to me.

BillBlueEyes Huge credit for pre-party planning that worked. Your dessert choice sounds delicious! No reward yet...