Yesterday was OP, despite the steroids I'm on for the asthma. Today I feel a little rickety and not sure I'll stay OP so I'll likely be posting more than once today to stay focussed.
Friday weigh-in: up 1.5 pounds to 164. More distressingly, behaviors were not good on two weekdays this week and I was an idiot on Saturday. So I'm going way back to basics. My only goal for this week is to get in bed and listen to my sleep tape at 10:00. I don't even have to stay in bed but I do have to listen to the tape at 10.
G'night, all. I have 3 or 4 hours of mindless surfing to cram into the next 45 minutes.
Edited to ask: Can someone remind me of the name of the motivation app you (collective you) like? Thanks.
Good Morning, Coaches.
Took a nice shopping trip. I have been on a strict budget so it was a rare treat. I brought $100 in cash and thought there would be no way I could get the things I need. But The day was charmed - a pair of capri trouser jeans for work and two super light work sheets.( It is over 100 degrees here.) As I have refined my wardrobe, I now know exactly kind of shirt I will buy - no exceptions: 3/4 sleeve, soft fabric, colorful, easy care, fitted. I can't believe I found 2 perfect ones. All these clothes were at consignment shops and I only spent $45.00. Then a book on Northern California camping and the big steal of the day a $47.00 backpackers sleeping bag for my son. I thought I would have to shell out $200. It was an outlet return and a youth size. Oh, the final few dollars were spent on a planned visit to See's Candy.
The whole day followed Beck principles: The clothes are part of looking my best and giving me an incentive to maintain my weight loss. I do not want to grow out of my beautiful new wardrobe. The sleeping bag is a part of fully engaging in life while I am still losing weight. I was an avid backpacker before I had my son. He is getting a pack for his bday and we have three trips planned. The See's candy was a planned indulgence put into my WW calculator.
Weight is two pounds below ticker and I have completed a step class.
nationalparker: Credit for having the courage to find out exactly what is in the fast food we are eating. I have been shocked at the WW point value of foods. Unbelievable.
GosfordGirl: I've read the research about restricted days and I agree. It is hard to disagree with the findings.
BBE: I like Day 16 note: I would like to stop the mental dialogue regarding what I should eat as much as you want to stop the talk about coughing.
millie56: The book talks about retraining yourself to think of the scale as just information. The habits you are developing now will create lasting success.
AZTricia: I am the queen of slow weight loss - literally .5 pound a week but I must say it comes back on slowly as well - giving me time to adjust my food habits back to healthy.
Lexxiss: Super credit for taking a me day. It seems to be a rare thing. I my opinion, this site is for telling the truth and working within the principles of the Beck program to the degree is it possible on any given day. You are in the right place and I would miss you if you stopped posting.
nationalparker: Every vacation together is a good one in my opinion. The highs and the lows are what go into the memory bank.
Thank you for ideas for my posting and for kind thoughts. I will keep posting and will try with BBE's idea that I post my daily check in as first priority.
I don't have much time to myself, as primary caregiver for two, a sick pup, a job and newest, the day to day management of my mom's 8 rentals. I used to get up super early and have computer time but for the past year my DH hears me the moment I rise and follows me downstairs for the start of his day. Often, I'll have a moment , but have no internet service. (Which is happening right now.) It's now happening more and more that I'll walk in the door from work thinking I'm done for the day then I'll get a call from a tenant….the power is out, the plumbing has an issue, etc.
So I'm working on thinking through a new strategy for posting. Right now, I've decided, no internet, act as if there is. I'm typing on my "note" program. When I'm finished I'll see if I have enough of a connection to email it to myself where I can then copy/paste from my phone. Funny I hadn't thought about that before….for some reason my phone has better connection.
I am always beat at the end of the day and am not good at making a food plan the night before. I recognized this morning that I start thinking of my daily plan when I'm enjoying my coffee. Often I write it down and put it beside the fridge. I save it once it's done and I have pages to peruse through when I need a quick menu. Because we live in a small town and quality groceries are sparse (especially produce) I have gotten pretty good at shopping ahead and stocking up.
I most usually draw from a limited number of rotating menus for dinner, choices which work for both DH and I. I always have those ingredients on hand. I follow SouthBeachDiet but lean towards vegetarian so we do lots of beans/eggs/nuts. I don't do any dairy excepting cheese. I have a pressure cooker and cook/freeze beans, especially. While following SBD, I have turned towards intermittent fasting, especially on days I work at the restaurant. There is NEVER time to sit down for a meal during an 8-9 hour shift and when I do eat it is standing. I have developed a protocol for that which keeps my eating sane. My coworkers are constantly eating and I have to be very strong with resistance techniques at work. I will move donuts/cakes from community locations and will often ask if folks are "finished". Can I throw something away.
I got pretty keen on decluttering and have made incredible progress using Beck strategies. My sense is that the main reason I've managed so well with stress/eating is because I keep up in my home on a daily basis.
I am really interested in learning new things about nutrition/food. I've tweaked my choices healthier and healthier. I now only eat raw/organic nuts, which interestingly I don't have an overeating issue with, as I do with roasted/salted. Interesting.
I weigh myself every single day, acknowledge that I bounce around lots, and try to stay in a 5 pound maintenance range. I don't count calories. I am, however, a very strict label reader. I know what I'm eating and don't buy it if it's crazy calories.
My DH is skinny and eats all the time. It's my most difficult ongoing issue. We eat dinner then he snacks all night. My response has been to retire after dinner for reading while he watches tv. I bring my snack and enjoy my online books. I think it's been the answer to my hanging on to my lower weight this time around.
My other difficulty has been that I would purchase things for DH (I do all the shopping) then end up eating things that I just shouldn't be eating (even when planned). My solution has been not to buy them. Reality is he can drive to the store and get anything he wants at any time. Just because he doesn't doesn’t make it my responsibility to deliver. lol
So, a bit of self reflection, that I remind myself I am on the right track here. Today I made my plan while contemplating gardening. Salmon salad/green salad w/nuts for lunch. Black beans in pressure cooker now...dinner will be fried eggs/beans/veggies/toast. Afternoon snack was SF pudding and WW raisin bread, evening snack will be SF pudding and fruit.
By the way, I didn't share this earlier in the week. Monday morning when all the stuff was happening, including the travel over to our other house, I went upstairs and got my blood pressure monitor. I took my BP, which was totally normal. It was a quick moment of self care since my BP used to be sky high, even on meds. It was good for me to "check in" with myself. I needed to know that I wasn't taking on more than my body was able to handle.
gardenerjoy, belated happy birthday and super kudos on your incredible exercise streak.
maryann, thanks for sharing how self care in daily tasks actually aligns us with Beck principles.
BBE, got my bird book out. lol. A facebook friend who lives 20 m. SE saw an Ibis pair yesterday. I've never seen them here. So interesting. In Alaska I had a checklist of all the birds one could see in my locale and I checked them off. By leaving my book out I think I could find it very enjoyable to start recording here.
flnu, yay for getting back to basices!
6crowsgold, kudos for OP despite steroids!
nationalparker, take care of you and DH now and perhaps later you can do something for your brother....that's my suggestion. Please try not to feel guilty...your brother makes his own choices....just as I made the choice to be primary CG for my mom. I don't expect my siblings to do extra for me and DH and I have ways to get away for small moments in time.
Cheryl(GosfordGirl), hard to believe you are headed towards Winter with your weather. I'm just always so pleased to read your progress and remembering days past when you stopped posting and how I missed your insight I will take your advice and not fade away.
Credit OP eating yesterday my first day of calorie tracking and I stayed under my limit and so far today OP with program in place for this evenings events. We are going to be serving at a banquet for parents of disabled children Saturday night so just having a smallish portion of whatever they are serving will be OP for that meal. On the "create an exercise plan" and SO appreciate Beck's 5 minutes walking as I always have sabotaging thoughts - its just 5 minutes - but right now I can't walk more than that without my hip pain being disabling. So glad I have a doctor's appointment on Monday to see what can be done about the hip/low back pain that keeps me up through the night and makes movement painful. I still love my square dancing and refuse to give that up. I am looking into a heated indoor pool in the area where I would be able to exercise without it being weight bearing. Plan on checking it out later this evening if possible or tomorrow at the latest. Will talk to DH about him moving his warm water aerobic program to this location instead of where he currently attends (his program pool closes just when I am getting off work so not an option for me).
Big dinner tonight after very little throughout the day. Hope it balanced out a bit, and got in good fluids much of the day. Goal #1 for today and tomorrow. Scale has been bouncing around for me as well - I KNOW I didn't gain three pounds in two meals, so use that as a reminder to lower sodium in the next days.
Plans changed for this evening - now will enjoy a movie at home and save some money and maybe hit the cinema for a matinee tomorrow. Will plan to enjoy my last day here before heading home. This time I have a bit of concern as I'll be called on to inject subcutaneous fluids and help him with the cathether as well - different needs than last visit.
DH likes the idea of a relaxing vacation weekend wraparound and the more I think about it, the better it sounds ... I get completely recharged with the ocean - lived on the beach growing up in Italy and Spain, and until I moved here, I was always within a half-hour or so of the beach. Sun, sand, surf and seagulls are my 4S's of contentment. We'll see what he can work out with his vacation time. I'm anxious to book NOW - my personality.
101 F here today, the heat has arrived. Spent 2.5 hours at the end-of-year pool party and everyone is a bit toasted even with sunscreen. I didn't make a plan for dinner and the heat wiped me out, so we had pancakes which I made with extra egg whites for high protien. Amazingly still OP and balanced with 30% protein for the day.
Still need to get back on the exercise DVD, but next week is my crazy week, so worst case I'll plan to get back after memorial day.
nationalparker Love your 4S's hope you enjoy your movies.
millie56 Kudos for OP!
Lexxiss Thanks for sticking around. Glad your BP is good.
maryann Thanks for the encouragement. Awesome that your shopping had cool bargains!
gardenerjoy 300, wow! Good news that the path to you goal is clearer.
flnu Great job checking in after a hard week.
6crowsgold Hope you are feeling better!!
BillBlueEyes MMmmmm love fresh blueberries. Looking forward to peaches here too. Watermelon is good here now, apples are bad and scarce. Will update my avatar with pup tomorrow. He's gained and I've lost-we both look better!
Cheryl/GosfordGirl So glad you are OP and comfortable with it-awesome! Thanks for the encouragement.
I had a totally desk day and am "looking forward" to another one tomorrow - Sunday. I did some shopping on the way home from the dog park to get in provisions to keep me on track and I made a ham hock and veggie (no split peas or lentils) soup for emergencies when I got up for 5 minutes every half hour. Today has been on plan (except for the odd carrot eaten when slicing veggies) and it will hopefully stay that way. Having steak with veggies for dinner and it is all prepped ready to go but I will mark 4 more papers before I get it! My cold is improving - gone in fact - it is the aftermath that is annoying. Chronis sinus leading to cough blah blah - it will go
BillBE - where are the links to all those birds you mention - I will have to go look myself. Hopefully you are improving
6crowsgold - thinking of you and hope you are improving - steroids are difficult with appetite but really good with asthma
Flnu - I see onebyone has given you the name of the recording - you can download it as an MP3 and then load it on your device. I still listen to it and in fact bought his losing weight hypnotherapy recording and usually go to sleep to it. I have to say my sleep improves with low carb and intermittent fasting - other people say that having carbs just before bed is good. Hope you solve it for you
Hi Gardenerjoy - good to see you here. You are so consistent with your exercise. Hang in there with the logging - it might reveal a startling insight!
Maryann - a great shopping expedition - I hate shopping but it looks like you cracked it. I have been looking at the project 333 stuff as well and will have to think about minimal requirements, capsule wardrobes etc. Haven't got time for a while but I think it is important
Debbie (Lexxiss) - I see why you are so busy so thanks for the outline of what you spend your time doing. I couldn't rent my 1 house out without a property manager and given everything you seem to have to do they are cheap at the price for the peace of mind. I always remember that you put your plan on the fridge and that if you are in a hurry you can just recycle an earlier one - I want to get to that stage
Millie56 - I hope you get some relief for you hip and back pain - I have great sympathy and know that the weight doesn't help. Regarding recipes that you routinely make, you can go to websites like My Fitness Plan and go to the recipe section and enter a recipe - one ingredient at a time and plug in the number of serves that you usually get out of it and then you will get a macronutrient breakdown and the calories to enter into your log. It is very handy. I did it today for my soup and found that one serve has 220 calories - useful information
Nationalparker - hope you ger a vacation in
Tricia (in AZ) - way too hot for me - surprised you aren't horizontal from 2.5 hours in that! Well done with replanning on the move - sometimes a plan has to be renegotiated doesn't it. Remind me to stay away from Arizona - hot!
It is only from reading all your winter posts that I realise I have romanticized living in snow - I love the cold and the snow (from two 8 week stints in Stockholm at beginning of winter) but hadn't thought about the fact that you have to clear the paths and the footpaths and entrances to garages etc, and deal with frozen pipes and...! I don't think I would cope so feel far more respectful of what you deal with
Diet Coaches/Buddies – At the supermarket I fondled peaches with a sticker "U.S.A. / E.U." - a labeling I hadn't seen before - that made me so excited that local peaches were here already. But they were rock hard - as in SUPER rock hard. My brain kicked in to remind me that I've fallen for rock hard in previous years. They sit in my kitchen for a week until they finally become not-rock-hard but with mealy texture and no taste. Patience, patience, patience - the real peaches will get here. (Good grief! I just googled to learn that the E.U. doesn't stand for 'Etats Unis,' but for 'European Union.' Those peaches could have shipped from across the Atlantic! It's Georgia peaches that I'm waiting for. OK, to be specific: Georgia, U.S.A. not Georgia ex-Soviet Union aspirant to join the E.U.)
Little exercise. Eating on plan, CREDIT moi. I pondered an afternoon snack but easily recognized that I was feeling sorry for myself - not hunger. I did accept a FREE sample of New England clam chowder at the supermarket for a morning snack and had double sized fruit for evening snack. My definition of on-plan allows a bit of juggling. (Yesterday's warblers were: Cape May Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Wilson's Warbler.)
onebyone – Waving back - hope all goes well.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – 300 Kudos for your amazing string of exercise days. I'm inspired. That covers some bad weather days out your way. Love the optimism, "but I can see it from here."
Debbie (Lexxiss) – Congrats for earning that normal blood pressure reading. Interesting to note that you don't have an issue with raw/organic nuts that you have with roasted/salted. Kudos for finding mindful eating while super busy in a restaurant - that's a challenge that would be easy to Sabotaging Thought away from. [Ibis are just the most gorgeous birds. Gotta get to the shore and see me some. I have no idea what they're doing in the Rocky Mountains since we see them as shore birds here.]
Cheryl (GosfordGirl) – Yay for moving away from your cold and asthma. Kudos for two posts of on-plan days. LOL at "romanticized living in snow" - Yep, the good parts are to-die-for and the tough parts nearly achieve that.
maryann - What a super shopping day! I'm impressed, especially with that $47 sleeping bag - nobody gets a bargain that good. And Kudos for See's Candy on plan.
nationalparker – Love the vision of "Sun, sand, surf and seagulls." Ouch for the old bouncing scale - Kudos for recognizing it as sodium bounce.
Tricia (AZtricia) - Yikes for 101 F heat - but gotta remember that you guys keep it dry so that it's different than humid heat. Neat idea to use egg whites to stuff extra protein into your growing guys.
flnu - Ouch for distressing behavior with Kudos for the immediate response, "So I'm going way back to basics."
6crowsgold - Hope you burst out of that asthma bit. And hope that the steroids make you strong at the same time they're doing their other medical thing.
millie56 - Yay for your new journey into calorie tracking. I wish you well finding the right exercises with your hip issue.
Readers -
Quote:
day 16Prevent Unplanned Eating
Your written food plan will help you make your decision ahead of time - before you're confronted with uncomfortable cravings and tension. But it won't eliminate indecision. There will be times when you begin to argue with yourself. Perhaps you're at a party and want a glass of wine that's not on your plan. Perhaps a coworker asks you to try a brownie she baked. The triggers for eating are endless, but the solution is straightforward. Tell yourself that you don't have a choice. You made a plan, and you'll follow that plan - no ifs, ands or buts.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 149.
Today's plan is super easy because I did my cooking yesterday. We are starting to work on our rental renovation this morning. I'll have my smoothie before work, I'll have my banana at work, I'll have salmon salad after work, and will have beans and eggs and toast and salad for dinner.
I have my own version of Dr. Becks think thin lifetime plan. The idea for it came from her green book. For me it's a drawing of the big flower with lots of petals. In the center is balance. All the petals have some tasks that I do to stay on track. I'm going to commit to updating the tasks to fit my current situation. Credit.
Good day here today. OP. Ran. Felt good. Oh…and I listened to my sleep recording at 10 last night and unsurprisingly fell asleep. Plan is more of the same tonight. Now if I can keep the kids from getting me up at stupid o’clock, I'll be set.
Joy: 300 days! Well done. Very well done.
Maryann: Lots of credit in that posts. You are always so thoughtful.
Debbie R: Great post. Helpful to read your strategies. Is there any way to cut back on the number of figurative items on your plate? For me, that schedule would be overwhelming (and I’m not a slacker). The flower image is really nice; I may borrow that. If I may ask, how are losing and maintaining different for you? Or are they?
Millie: Loads of credit. The water exercise sounds like it would be perfect. Backup plans: How about a stationary bike? Do you have gym access? You could do upper body resistance stuff too. Resistance is where it’s at for the over 40 crowd (I don’t know how old you are). I definitely think exercise is not about burning calories but is far more important as an unmistakable assertion of your intention to live healthfully. Even if everything else falls off the rails, you can still do your five minutes. (I will tell you my knee definitely got better as I lost weight. I started out walking for weeks and weeks. Then jogging for up to two minutes at a time. 5 months later and I am running.)
Nationalparker: Your 4S’s sound beautiful. I hope you get them. My sleep recording is heavy on the seaside imagery so it’s become a very relaxing theme for me. I didn’t see my first ocean until I was in my 20s.
Onebyone: Thanks for the shout-out!
Tricia: Credit for cooking when tired even if it’s not what you intended to cook. And OP to boot! Sunshine is soooooo draining.
Cheryl: I’m enjoying your upbeat tone. Glad you made a good day. I was going to say “had a good day” but that’s too passive. You made it good. (I don’t have sleep issues. I have getting in bed issues. It’s entirely behavioral…stubbornness, procrastination, you-can’t-make-me, and a few other negative adjectives. But your well wishes are well received; I’m just frustrated with myself.)
BBE: Too bad about rock hard peaches. I’m laughing because I go through the same thing every year (when I lived in the States): PEACHES, PEACHES, PEACHES. And no thought after that.
Yesterday tracked and OP. Weight below ticker. Pilates planned.
I am enjoying the "fruits" of the huge grocery trip I made at the beginning of the month. It is wonderful to have several planned meals and I just have to pick one and prepare. Last night was hot so I pulled out a frozen casserole I had made a few weeks ago and used the microwave. ( I have made it nearly a religion to cook once - eat thrice.) Cut up six bell peppers (all that was left from the stock up I did at .50 a piece.) We ate some last night with dressing. Tonight we will have them with hummus.I will have snacks for the next few days, then sauté and freeze the bits left over for omelets. Beck talks a lot about the time and attention required to be successful with food. I have found this critical. Food is so easy to get these days, but the price is my health and my pocketbook. I want to save my money for the new water purifier. It is the final purchase for our big backpacking summer. I have one but it is twenty years old. Best to splurge for new technology.
Lexxiss: You intrigue me with the thought of your pressure cooker. I have always been too afraid to buy one but with the produce that is available down at the ranch, canning would make a lot of sense. Do you have a new one or a scary old one like my mom had?
AZTricia: Genius to add egg whites to pancakes. I will try that.
GosfordGirl: I think you have already shared what you teach. Sciences? One thing I don't miss about having my own classroom is the grading. That will change when I hop up to High SchoolEnglish in a few years.
BBE: I have said it before. I am unbelievable spoiled by living in California with the produce we get. No peaches here and there won't be until July but when they come, we buy them in bins and make peach ice cream.
flnu: Love "stupid o'clock." it took me a moment to get it.
We'll see what he can work out with his vacation time. I'm anxious to book NOW - my personality.
Saturday
