[AZtricia]

OK, stinky day today. I think it is because I talked to my mom and since we are staying at her house for the convention...asked what we could bring (meals). She had basically forgotten, or thought it was later in the month and was obviously stressed. I know it is because they don't really clean unless company is coming, so it makes me feel guilty for visiting and making them work. And I feel guilty for not reminding her earlier so they had a whole 3-day weekend to clean. And I feel guilty for not just booking a hotel and leaving them alone. Plus this week will be extra prep work pre-making meals to take so that they don't have to feed my black-hole-stomach boys for the 7 meals we will be in town. Sigh! My kiddos are SO excited to see Grandma and stay at her house, and I'm just not!

I have written down all I've eaten, but still need to log it. And to top it off breakfast was a bit of a disaster and so for the first time since January, I missed my morning walk with pup.

Just feeling off today....but back on track tomorrow.

I am pleased that we received a bit more rain today. One more good rain and the baaa-ing frogs and jack-hammer toads will all congregate in drainage ponds to breed, keeping everyone in hearing distance awake all night and leaving behind fun tadpoles.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Did standard Sunday walk, CREDIT moi, then walked around town touring with visiting relatives. Always fun to see our own city from fresh eyes. We have little visible damage from Hurricane Arthur - just a bunch of needed rain.

Lunch was egg and eggplant on pita bread - apparently a student favorite but didn't rank that high to my tastes. Was a tad shocked to see three hard boiled eggs dropped into it. It was, however, my lifetime first eggplant sandwich so that Bucket List item is ticked.


onebyone – That's a bunch of books loaded into your phone. Hope your birthday party went well. Good luck with the start of your sister's visit.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Ouch for having to face a grumpy world that expects you to accommodate; Kudos for persevering.

Woodland - Kudos for doing you chores despite the bugs. Ouch for sweets sneaking into your life.

nationalparker – Terrific idea I'd never thought of - marking the cover of a magazine that a page is missing. I absolutely HATE getting vested in a read to find the last page torn out - happens often with airline magazines. Kudos for "eaten well today."

Tricia (AZtricia) - Kudos for facing the difficulties of being good guests when arriving with "black-hole-stomach boys." Difficulties seem to be the price of staying close to our families. Those frogs sure sounded like sheep to me. Yay for recognizing that tadpoles are a necessary part of the planet's life cycle.

May bee - Yep, "one foot after another" seems to be the way forward - Kudos for being on your path.

Readers -

day 19 Stop Fooling Yourself

Read the following list of self-deluding sabotaging thoughts and check off those that you've had in the past.

It's okay to eat this because ...

• it'll go to waste.
• I'll disappoint someone if I don't.
• everyone else is eating it.

. . .

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 162.

[GosfordGirl]

Coaches

A pretty crappy day. I had a good breakfast, took my lunch but ate one sandwich at a meeting (1/4) and another, and another, and another, and another later...

Not good - I don't eat sandwiches and too many carbs or bread. It is addictive and today showed that more so - what a surprise. I need to make an effort to get back on track after the last few weeks and will have another go tomorrow. My dinner is OK but still a bad day

Plan is gym tomorrow and work at home to get a subject prepared


Tricia - sorry for the stinky day - hope you feel less "off" tomorrow. Glad you have frogs bothering you

Nationalparker - a great deal of trust in a partner to let him cut your hair!

May Bee - great progress - one foot after another. Yes there are many forces of evil that try to push one off the path so credit for recognising them

Onebyone - Your list of books look terrific - almost tempted to get Art and Science of Low Carb living - but decided I am a compulsive book buyer and had it covered. I hope TOPS works for you.

Woodland - Ouch for 51% and credit for deciding you don't want to feel that way

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Lack of structure is my enemy. Not having the dogs has led to this so I know what you mean. Great decision making about the Thai restaurant.

BillBE - The park reading sounds very special. Huge credit for putting off your snack (which never eventuated)

Credits
- Checked in
- Ate on plan - NO
- Weighed myself
- Made a food plan for tomorrow
- Made a schedule for tomorrow

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

Back on track yesterday and am feeling grateful to be willing to work on the mindset that allows that. Credit. I did have to switch things a bit. I made a mistake at work and ended up with a ham/cheese omelet. I ate half at work, threw the other half away, and lightened my dinner. I've been reading "Foodist" and "Fatland" on my ipad. I'm reminded that the portions I thought were normal and I thought I should be able to eat were so blown out of proportion that I need to constantly strive for my "new normal". I'm also reminded that choosing healthy ingredients (less processed) make me feel better and when I feel better I am able to make better choices.
Dinner was a yummy salad from my garden with nuts and homemade balsamic dressing, a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and a sliced tomato with salt and pepper. Later I had my 2 slices of sprouted bread and resisted a planned banana because I still felt full. Credit.

Sending supportive thoughts to all......

I'm down to the 45 min call....I work early today. My smoothie is made but still need to get my planned exercise in.

[gardenerjoy]

I had some trouble over the weekend, but things improved yesterday. DH and I decided we both wanted to try to lose 10 pounds before our trip to England. A competition doesn't really work in our relationship, but we did decide it was a goal that we could work on together. I put a chart up in the wall in the closet -- we can move post-it note markers down to show our weight.

WI: -0.65 kg, Exercise: +40 270/1400 minutes for July, Food: 90% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

onebyone: love your gate!

BillBlueEyes: I've made an eggplant sandwich with roasted eggplant and tomato slices, pesto, and a bit of cheese. Egg and eggplant is new to me. I wonder how it would taste with a bit of cress?

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.
Yesterday in Beck Pink was find a diet coach. I am grateful that I have almost four years of working with blog. I have had so much peace and recovery just through my willingness to participate and listen to you smarties.

Day 7 is "arrange my environment." I feel I have had much success with this one. Rarely, do I let cr** into the house. My biggest failing is baking/cooking for "other events" and then eating the bounty. So for today, my baking license has been revoked. I will buy store bought if absolutely necessary.

Yesterday was a bucket list check off; I went on a five mile hike with DS and DH up in the Sierras. I was a backpacker in my previous life ( pre-marriage) The granite slabs and Alpine Lakes were my home. I was able to share that for the first time with my family. I must say, however, that my reputation as a mountain goat has taken been tarnished with the passing of 13 years. I was not quite as steady and am super sore this morning. The good news is this is just the beginning of hikes, packs and walks. DS has boyscouting badges to achieve and I have wrangled more families to invest in equipment and share the experience.

GosfordGirl: In terms of sitting when I eat, meal preparations are problematic - especially when I am cooking for the family. I feel I must taste for quality control. But I did forbid all extra tastes when I was testing for allergies for two months. It is possible. I have to remember that.

BBE: DS and I have been fondly remembering our time in Boston last year. We loved meeting you and your DW. We also loved the reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of Freedom Hall. Was that the building name? We did not miss the incredible heat.Tahoe was in the mild 80's.

Lexxiss: I think of the "sandwich" generation when you write - except you are between your mom and your husband. In any case, researchers talk about it as the most stressful place to be. Super credit for focusing on what what you can do for your own health and letting go of the rest. You always impress me.

Woodland: Your word "defeated" resonated with me today. I don't want to be defeated but circumstances either today. Actually, thinking about this just now, outside circumstances can't defeat me. It is my choice how I respond to them. So for today, I am going to do what you did - start new and focus on what is helpful - chores, Beck reading and planning my food environment. I know it is always the best solution to act my way into right thinking.

Onebyone: Thanks for the reminder of the War of Art. It is still on my list.

Maybee: You and I are both practicing sitting down while eating. Such an eye opening experience.

nationalparker: You are one brave lady to let DH at your head I have really enjoyed the indulgence of monthly cuts and bimonthly colors. I use to have it washed and blow dried each week but now with the short hair I can do it myself. I have been saving for things in other ways - cooking almost everything from scratch, regularly purging the house which always leads to donations and a feeling that I have some much stuff, I never need to shop.

AZTricia: Boy, do I share your experience of conflicted feelings that come with parents. DS loves to see them but I get completely off kilter - guilty for not being enough but also angry that I am not valuable or visble enough to be made truly welcome. Credit for your planning - a nightmare now but you will be glad for it when you are there.

Gardenerjoy: Ten pounds makes such a difference. It is an admirable goal.

[Woodland]

Hi Coaches,

I bounced back and was 100% on Sunday. Here is the list I'm currently working against:

Weigh myself
Review food and exercise plan
Check in with coaches
Read some Beck
Notice and counter sabotaging thoughts
Notice hunger levels
Follow food plan
Follow exercise plan
Add spontaneous exercise
Give credits
Write food and exercise plan for tomorrow

Tomorrow night will be an eating out situation, so today I will review that section of the Beck book.

-=-=-=-
BillBlueEyes: Interesting sandwich. Glad you were willing to try it.

maryann: Your hiking sounds strenuous! Credit for working so hard your muscles are a little sore today.

May bee: More power to you with reviewing your Beck skills. Response cards are so helpful.

onebyone: Good job with getting reading material on your phone. I love using the library to check out ebooks.

-=-=-

Have a great day everyone!

[onebyone]

Originally Posted by AZtricia

One more good rain and the baaa-ing frogs and jack-hammer toads will all congregate in drainage ponds to breed, keeping everyone in hearing distance awake all night and leaving behind fun tadpoles.

Wow. LOVED hearing the frogs! Thank you so much.

[nationalparker]

Am feeling hungrier and wanting to eat more than typical today, and instead of stressing and wondering what the heck is going on, I'm accepting that this will last just a few days and to choose wisely.

I love the bits of our lives that are shared on here - the weather/seasons, the baa-ing frogs (thank you for the link, AZTricia!), hikes, art, home projects, gardening goods, travels, family issues, challenges, etc. It brings home the fact that we are so much more than our weight. That does not define us, and while we struggle with aspects of it, we are all valued members of our families and communities.

Maryann - interesting on the tasting for quality control. I never have thought of tasting while cooking, even when winging something. Now I feel like a slacker. But it makes it much less challenging, I admit.

Trying two new recipes this evening and hoping they both turn out well. I have a lot of ingredients at the house and one project for me this evening is to make a menu that utilizes as much of this as possible before a main marketing trip again.

Activity continues to be an area I need to work on. I'm not going to beat myself up over it just yet, though.

[onebyone]

Coaches

Well my sister is somewhere in town. She called, more than once, she is not lost instewad the signs are wrong and the streets aren't marked well and the place is dumb and stupid but the fact that she has no GPS, no directions written down (she called and asked us to tell them to her so she could write them down) and no sense of direction, (when she called she was driving south not north) and that she slept like 4 hours, packed last night and travelled all day, well none of these are a factor. Except she is 4 for 4 for doing this all exactly the same way every time she comes here and then she spends the whole week here telling me how awful it is in Canada and here in particular while I grit my teeth. Argh.

I will be relieved to hear she has arrived at her hotel in one piece and I will be happy to see her but this is the stressful way she lives her life and wow I can barely take it.

After some calling around I have arranged 4 appointments for long term care places for us to see. I had a time conflict after one place called to re-schedule and then they called this morning to say I could come see it so I opted to go and when I was there I thought I should put my name on the waiting list to move there. it looked good. So far it would be choice #1 for me.

DH is sick. He came down wih a cold yesterday so I warned my sister who opted to extend her hotel stay a night. That's good cause she would get sick for sure and then we wouldn't be allowed into any health care facility plus with DH sick the clean up didn't happen as planned either.

Oh Coaches everything feels so tense right now. Will be glad to hear she's arrived at her hotel.

Bye for now.

Update: Sister arrived. I visited her at her hotel and will try the pool there this week (bonus moi!). All is well..,.,

[AZtricia]

Better today, OP and walked pup. Yesterday was not as bad as I feared before entering the data. Turns out I was still under my metabolic rate for calories, just not at a "loss level." Also, I mostly had fruit..OD-ed actually! Can't even eat fruit today because I had so much yesterday.

Thinking through my response to mom, and being healthier today. I asked her month's ago if we could stay there, or if we should get a hotel - she said stay. It is not my fault she forgot to put it on her calendar, and it is not my problem that she has a different level of clean for herself vs extended family. So today I've let it go and moved on. I was using a gift she gave to me for Christmas while making dinner, so I called and thanked her for it.

onebyone Wishing you the best in choosing a location for your mom and hope your sis arrives safely. So glad you enjoyed the frogs. The first time we heard them we could NOT figure out what the noise was until investigating with a flash light.

nationalparker Kudos for your healthy attitude toward your unusual hunger. I agree this is an awesome place, and I appreciate you and the others.

Woodland Wishing you the best in eating out. That is hard for me unless I can plan ahead. I did well choosing from an online menu, but not so well at a families home where food choices were out of my control (but not portions!).

maryann Picturing you on the slopes awesome! Yes family is difficult. I should be more thankful I wasn't my parent's favorite...he is in jail

gardenerjoy Wishing you the best in your cooperative weight loss goal with dh.

Debbie/Lexxiss I love reading about your successful navigation through healthy choices and adjustments to be balanced for the day. Kudos for your positive thinking!

Cheryl/GosfordGirl Wishing you a MUCH better day tomorrow. Kudos for a food/gym plan for tomorrow and for not being derailed by a bad day.

BillBlueEyes Ds has been asking me to cook eggplant again, don't think he'd go for your sandwich though! Glad you weathered the storm damage free. We had two short showers, but today's rain passed us by completely. Ripped out pages are awful!

[May bee]

Hi everyone,
I am feeling off key, I stuck to the plan as far as sitting while eating. Didn't make it to staying on plan but did cook chix after work so a little ahead for the rest of the week. Daughter's car died, mom needs to go to the doctor and the dog got tar all over her paws! Have a 10 hour day and need to juggle everyone's work and health schedule tomorrow as well as two events at work. Also need to figure what went wrong with daughter's financial aid.

But, reading your efforts to plan ahead while traveling and visiting inspired me to write down the easiest plan I could, corral some help with dinner and shift some appointments. Thanks, I was feeling kind of stupid posting "I messed up" but just reading everyone's post helped me rethink things.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – My job was to cut four foot lengths of chicken wire from a full roll - the kind of thing that could be done by a machine, LOL. Chicken wire makes little enclosures for small plants to give them a chance against voracious rabbits that will nibble anything green. Had to shop for a dishwasher at Home Depot. I so wish that I could email the model number of the one I have and get the identical one new.

It was a blah day for food and exercise. Dinner was spicy red beans made with a package of spices that I'd bought for stocking stuffers so long ago that neither of us remembered it. DW is my hero for digging through the pantry to get rid of stuff that I'm more likely to just keep pushing to the back.


onebyone – Emailing chicken soup to your DH to get over that cold. Hope your sister has found her way. It's a major challenge in life to avoid the pot holes created by those who live dramatically. Yay for access to a classy pool for a bit.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for being a closet weight loser. [Yep, cress would be a great addition to the egg/eggplant sandwich. Cress would probably be great in any sandwich, LOL.]

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Tossing half an ham/cheese omelet is Kudos worthy. Love that garden fresh lettuce.

Cheryl (GosfordGirl) – Those d*rn quarter sandwiches can sneak up more easily than whole ones. Hope today goes better. [Adding 'eventuated' to my first-time-heard-it-used-on-the-past-tense list - thanks.]

maryann - Kudos for achieving the physical condition for your five mile hike in the Sierras. Love being reminded of the Sierras; I still have a cherished small vial of "fool's gold" panned from a hike in them during a summer in San Francisco during my college years. [Fun to be reminded of the visit by you and your special DS to Faneuil Hall in Boston.]

Woodland - Always Kudos for "Notice and counter sabotaging thoughts." Good luck eating out today.

nationalparker – Love the notion of conjuring recipes to fit the ingredients remaining in the house. "I'm accepting ..." seems like the key to a lot of success.

Tricia (AZtricia) - Special Kudos for "I've let it go and moved on." [Amazing that you have a DS who asks for eggplant - never heard of that before.]

May bee - Ouch for a list of issues that would make Job wince. Kudos for "rethink things" and moving on.

Readers -

day 19 Stop Fooling Yourself

Read the following list of self-deluding sabotaging thoughts and check off those that you've had in the past.

It's okay to eat this because ...

• I'm celebrating.
• no one will see me eating it.
• it's just the crumbs.

. . .

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 162.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

Yesterday was OP, yet I did decide to have 1 egg on toast at work. I never know just how busy it will be or how much energy I'm going to expend. Yesterday was "busy". Today I'm already noticing just how important is my power of routine. We are having a new boiler system installed and last night our heater guy recommended a different spot than the old one which requires I do a major reorganize in the basement before I head to work. This morning I felt "tired" but recognize it more as mental than physical. I slowly but surely will get it all done before I leave but I have already set out my smoothie ingredients and have made my dinner plan. Credit. I believe I can get my home exercise in, too, and post with my coaches. Yay! I eliminate my "excuses" to stray off plan.

BBE, a belated kudos for finishing your fan and a hooray to DW for using up that spice in the back of the cupboard. Re: homeDepot…..I never realized just how many additional appliances they had online. I found better deals and a much larger selection online then took my product #'s to the store to order. I got what I wanted and saved $$, too.

onebyone, sending supportive thoughts as you deal with your sis and the major decision you need to make.

May bee, glad that your reading here helped you to write down the easiest plan you could and enlist some help. Credit. I've found that the Beck tools I've learned have given me the frame of mind to take control, as you did, instead of living in the "I messed up" mode. Keep working at it and it will get much easier!

Aztricia, what a great think through in response to your mom. Taking your responsibility and leaving the rest is so helpful. Credit.

nationalparker, love it, "I'm accepting that this will last just a few days and to choose wisely"! Yep, I always say, I need to make that better choice today.

Woodland, kudos for a list you can work from!

MaryAnn, yay for a day 7 that you've already had success with. I voluntarily turned in my baking license, too. It has become apparent to me, through self reflection, that I enjoy MY baking far more than others do and I am often the one eating more….and eating the leftovers. PS- you always impress me, too!

gardenerjoy, kudos for a plan with DH before your trip….informal enough that it can work, especially since your learned skills can help you focus on yourself while doing this.

Cheryl(GosfordGirl), hope you recovered from your sandwiches and got to the gym and your home work prepared.

OK, coaches, I'd better tackle that basement!

[onebyone]

Coaches

Today's events include: getting my sister's phone in good working order. Always difficult. Always a source of stress. Visiting my mom this afternoon maybe taking her out for coffee or something. Visiting our first scheduled long term care facility. This is the place closest to my mother's place and the one she would most likely get into ASAP which is what we want. I saw it last week but my sister and I will see it together this afternoon. After that, not sure what the plan is.

DH is still coughing a lot but he claims to be feeling better. I know that if he goes to work with his cough the way it is, they will send him home. And so, he will have the car. I am with my sibling for the duration today.

So we don't get super hungry, I am packing 2 protein bars in my purse. These were strictly for gym use only but this qualifies as an endurance event so I feel it is a good fair use of the energy they may provide.

My sister has re-gained her weight and so she is only interested in real food simply made. Great. That works for me.

Better get some breakfast happening. I need a good start even if I feel a tad queasy. Have a good day Coaches.