Very quick post. Hiked most of the day. 15 1/4 miles, 3150 feet elevation gain. It was 3/4 of a loop that I decided was just too long to do. My husband came to get me and took me to my car where I started. Needless to say I am going to have a couple of beers and we're going out to dinner. I have more than a couple extra calories to work with today.
Food planned and within calories yesterday and I'm sure today will be as well.
More tomorrow.
I'm not happy that some days I leave little time to check in here, as I enjoy reading about everyone's day. I had a heavier lunch (staff outing) and tried to balance with a light dinner and no snacking. Now with a cup of tea and will unplug and talk with DH, start the fire, turn the lights down and the music on and listen to the howling wind in the background. Halfway through the week and DH goes back on nights tomorrow.
Goal is to get back to more planning, allotting time to check in with personals and not getting sidetracked.
Back from the city- I am dead tired and going to bed. I did keep things sane with food but blew that when I ate a brownie tonight. Did I eat it slowly and mindfully? No. Did I enjoy it? No. Who bought the stupid brownies? Me-- in the guise of buying DH a treat- LOL at myself on that one.
I am determined that there will be no sugar in me until my birthday at the end of the month and then after that, not until Christmas Eve. I can do it if I stay focused.
Packing up for a hotel stay tomorrow night again. I have healthy food ready to go for tomorrow and a plan for Friday.
Can one maintain if one is not & has never been at goal?
My plan to maintain for a few months is not working as I have gained 2 to 5 lbs. The problem isn’t so much the bad stuff, as too much of the good stuff - the few ‘healthy’ almonds or walnuts morph into a small bowl. Back to portion control and paying more attention!
Curly – yes most of the time you do only see the best sides of people’s lives & it’s hard to remember everyone has miseries – often silent ones. FB reinforces this. Good for you to spot the potential downfall of it!
GJ – haven’t seen the news yet, hope things are quiet on your end; think last I heard the Grand Jury decision wasn’t expected til Friday? BTW, how did the allergy treatments work out or is it too soon to tell?
SB – Keeping lunch ‘ring-fenced’ – great expression! Kudos for visiting your troubled friend. Sounds draining indeed. I'm glad you answered about the electric heaters, I was curious about the wood heat.
BBE – only one book at the book sale? What – did you forget your wallet or something? Yeah, we’re like Silverbirch at those sales!
Karen – I found the pound you lost! It is very friendly and doesn’t seem to have anything better to do than to spend time with me. Good grief - a 3150 foot elevation gain? That is HUGE.
Lexxis – good luck with the Rest Project. You are so right about that.
Love2garden – ha! Getting in & out of car with winter gear does sound like a workout! Pecan pancakes – never had them but am getting obsessed with the idea!
Nationalparker – sad but sweet you found your mom’s pattern intended for you. I like your ‘need to bake to warm up the kitchen.” Yep, we’ve heard that one here!
Ceejay - credit for being MOSTLY on plan - especially while traveling!
Could NOT believe the Buffalo snow footage. My heart goes out to everyone suffering this artic blast. Stay warm and stay safe!!
I'm not sure if I'll have time to update in the morning so CREDIT for doing it now. I can report that I NO CHOICEd my way to a 100% on plan day.
Tomorrow, though, the plan for supper is "play it by ear." So, I'll just aim to keep everything light and veggie-centered.
Lunch is tricky, too. I'll be waiting on car service from 10am until whenever they are done. I'll bring a snack and remember that I did a hunger experiment where I skipped lunch recently. If lunch is 2 or 3 hours late it will be no big deal, especially since I'll eat a snack at noon.
WI: NA kg, Exercise: +35 695/1200 minutes for November, Food: 100% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Mountain_Mamma: The latest rumor I heard was Friday, too. Now I've heard it from two places, it must be true! I'll know if my allergy treatment is going well at the end of February when the maple and cedar trees get promiscuous.
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked twice despite the cold, CREDIT moi. During the evening walk I noticed that one of the grandest houses along my path had lights blazing in all rooms on all three floors. It looked so happy. Wonder if they really had that many folks about or if a kid was home alone who didn't know that lights could be turned off when not in use.
DW made a lamb stew using an Indonesian recipe with hand ground spices. Boy was it good. I ate modestly, CREDIT moi, for the selfish reason that there's another meal left. This stuff will reheat well.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for NO CHOICE. Hoping for tranquility your way.
CeeJay - Sharing your LOL at the Sabotaging Thought: This brownie is a tread for DH.
silverbirch – Yay for merino wool to get us through the winter. I do miss Shepherdess in Wyoming who raised Merino Sheep. [Thanks for the heating report. I share your love of a real fire.]
nationalparker – Shuddering at your "howling wind in the background." Kudos for balancing your heavier lunch.
Karen (karenrn) - 15 1/4 miles is so Kudos worthy. You're the Energizer Bunny out there.
curlypudge - Yep, I know that feeling of being pleased for the effort of braving the cold.
Mountain Mamma - Oh Yes, one can maintain at any point to reset and work up the energy to again cut back to a weight losing calorie count. Sorry, but I'm not the person qualified to help with the problem of "the few ‘healthy’ almonds or walnuts morph into a small bow." You might consider only buying them in the shell (I believe that it's Silverbirch who uses that strategy).
Readers -
Quote:
Day 27Master the Seven Questions Technique
. Over time, as you practice these ideas
again and again, you'll begin to automatically . . . . respond to your sabotaging thoughts, . . . . .even without Response Cards.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 199.
hi coaches!
this is my favorite time of the day, when i can check emails and drink coffee for 15 minutes, and everyone else has either gone or are quietly occupied with their own stuff. I do love the promise of an early morning with sunshine.
Until I get too preoccupied, notice the time and rush around madly getting ready. I need to work on balancing all that I guess!
Well, i did eat the dessert- like you Ceejay I was "sane" until after dinner, but at least the rest of the day wasn't too bad. I had coffee with a friend and avoided the sweets there. It was good to check in with her as she's going through a nasty divorce.
Also went to buy DH a birthday present, which is easy to do as he tends to hold on to his clothes for years - does that sound familiar Bill and he is easy to please.
Todays temptations include an ice cream cake at work which I will try to resist, even though i'm the one who has to cut and serve it!
My greatest sabotaging thought has already been mentioned:" I'll buy _________. I'll have one and DH can have the rest." Usually ends up DH eats one and I eat the rest. My response: "I will not buy these because I know that I will be the one that eats them and they don't really fit into MY plan."
Anyway, back at it after a 24 hr. turnaround over the hill. DH came back with me and took advantage of clear roads this am to return with our little car. We will keep it over there this winter. Food was more than usual but I did my best to track it. Credit. It was good to record the information….ended up only 100 cal over for the past two days.
I'm off to Denver for appts with mother. I am still "thinking through" our lunch choice. Credit for thinking it through.
curlypudge, balance is what I strive for. Sending support to resist ice cream cake.
BBE, lamb stew sounds great! Kudos for remembering to save enough for another meal!
gardenerjoy, yay for NO CHOICING to a 100% op day!
Mountain Mamma, I set my original goal high...just into "overweight" BMI. I choose to keep it there until I can master maintaining it. I currently bounce up and down in what Dr.Beck identifies as maintenance. We each choose our own path. For me, following Success Skills Sheets in the back of the green book and focusing on the "Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan", I choose to work on mastering a way of living (eating) which I can sustain in the long run. My greatest Beck successes: not eating while standing, not sampling at stores, weighing every day, finding exercises I can accomplish every day, and using Beck techniques to declutter/maintain my home environment. I do find coming from a very high weight that even when I am "maintaining" my weight that I am still restructuring my body in a healthy way.
CeeJay, kudos for evaluating your brownie and kudos for a continuing no sugar plan.
nationalparker, yay for that cup of tea and a crackling fire!
karenrn, astounded at your hike! Kudos for having those planned beers.
silverbirch, kudos for a successful visit with your friend and sticking with your food plan.
A good day for exercise. A poor day for food. Today started fairly badly with tension among the troops. We have several areas of stress bearing down on us at present. Today, the SO has gone off to a creditors’ meeting in London. One of his long-term clients has gone bust, with one of the SO’s larger invoices outstanding. The DB is a bit bored with school and has gone off school to some extent. He likes learning but school doesn’t come up with the goods for much of the time. So you can see that there was a potentially volatile mixture sloshing around the Birch household at 7.30am and it did go up. I lit the match, I’m sorry to say.
I made the DB’s lunch and mine so mine was easy and to hand when it was lunchtime. This is such a good thing to do. Credit! I’ve eaten more today because it’s been a weights day. Credit! Unfortunately, I have eaten too much more, in my view. It probably doesn’t add up to a row of beans, though, so that’s all right.
I’ve finally moved the bear’s breeches which makes me very happy. I’ve also repotted some daffodils for the spring. It’s still warm enough here to do this, both air and ground temperature. My feet were cold when I was sitting inside and I was starting to go into torpor so I made myself go out there. Credit! I should remember that even 10 or 15 minutes in the garden makes such a difference to the body and spirit.
Credit for asking the DB to take the bin down to the road, remembering that I hurt myself doing it last week.
WI: up 0.5lb. Exercise: YES - Flexibility + weights. Spontaneous exercise: YES - 1˝ hrs gardening. Written food plan: YES. Last night’s sleep: 7 marks out of 10. + 20 minutes this afternoon.
Karen, it's wonderful hearing you make the most of the hiking on your doorstep!
nationalparker, not getting sidetracked is well worth focusing on!
Ceejay, I would have bought the brownie too! And eaten it, probably. Next time you're tempted, just think of us all and don't do it! Debbie's response is very good; I must use it too. "I will not buy these because I know that I will be the one that eats them and they don't really fit into MY plan."
Glad you've got things sorted for the hotel.
Mountain Mamma, yes, I'm experienced in eating too much of the good stuff. Bill's right. Last year a friend gave me some hazelnuts (in the shell) from her grandparents' trees. I ate three at a time, enjoyed them enormously and they lasted for a long time. What is amazing is that I have unconsciously carried over this behaviour into shelled nuts. I choose three (or enough broken bits to make three), put them in a container and have them with an apple for my morning or afternoon snack. Credit! Shelling the nuts really worked for me (and I must go and buy some soon). It made it an event. Try it! If you haven't got a nut cracker invest in a good one that you enjoy using and isn't frustrating.
gardenerjoy, very glad you checked in. Today sounds busy for you.
Bill, credit for getting out of the house. Do you wear a hat and, if so, what kind? This year I am wearing my dad's old fleece one which can be worn high or low. I've decided that the black and grey faux fur hat I've got is now making me look old rather than chic. That may change as winter wears on!
curlypudge, may you be too busy cutting the cake and handing it round to remember to give yourself a slice!
Debbie, how do you track food when it's more than usual? Do you write it down, there and then? Or do you just remember? Do you use a notebook or a phone? If anyone else has anything to add, please do. I can feel it being an area I should look into.
I'm checking in before tea-time for a change. The SO made a beef casserole yesterday and there's enough for two of us tonight. I'm about to put it in the oven and we'll have it with rice and peas.
Stay warm, those of you in cold places. See you tomorrow.
Last edited by silverbirch; 11-20-2014 at 01:52 PM.
I am feeling fine today, but I think I wore myself out from yesterdays hike. We went out to dinner and shared chicken marsala. Then dh suggested dessert. I told him I'm trying to stay away from sweets so we shared a small mac and cheese for dessert. Not sore at all today, but not feeling like doing much either. I did get out and drove around doing errands this morning though. I think part of it is just being tired of having workmen around the house. The painters are still here and of course the fellow tiling the new shower. Next week no one will be here and then the bathroom folks are back for another week or so.
Nationalparker Yes I understand about jobs and benefits and I will admit the first job I took here was lower paying than the one I left, but then the job I had for 6 years before retiring was significantly better paying than what I left. Anyway it's just always good to consider the possibilities and not feel stuck. Of course it's easier for me to say now than it would have been a couple of months ago when the temps never got below 85, even at night.
Gardener Joy I need to follow your lead on the NO CHOICE. I'm feeling a bit tired and not even hungry, but like finding something good to munch on. Definitely not a reason to eat.
Bill That Indonesian lamb stew sounds delicious. Makes me think I should pull out the cookbooks and get inspired. I like to cook, but it takes so much more time to make a new recipe and so often I need to purchase new spices to go with it.
Curlypudge Good for you getting out in the cold to walk. Good luck on resisting the ice cream cake.
Lexxis Yes that buying a treat for DH is one I've done too many times too. The last one was Drumstick Ice creams. When I bought the box of 18 or so at Costco it was really not good. Poor guy hasn't had to many goodies for a while cause I am realizing my good intentions don't always work out so well.
Silverbirch Sorry for the tension in the Birch household. I just hate it when DH is crabby, it does rub off on me for sure and many times I have been the one to light the match as well.
Mountain Momma I don't want you to keep that pound of mine that you found, nor do I want it back. Send it on to one of the many in the world who could use a little extra.
Talking about the pleasure of a real fire:
When we had breakfast out yesterday, we were seated across from a roaring huge fire place and were reluctant to leave the restaurant. I miss our fire place, but the asthma problem gets worse when we have a fire. Oh, Well, ...
Wish I could wear wool!!! Untill I was near 50 I did so and was so comfortable. Suddenly from Spring to Fall my body changed and wool became something I couldn't tolerate. Shoveling snow, or watching outdoor sports was not nearly as comfortable after that. Never found anything as good as that wonderful wool.
Exercise both bike and weight lifting, Credit. Logging all food Credit (shock at the amount of calories in a single slice of pepperoni pizza.) Learning that I value health more than satisfying a desire. Credit.
Hello, all! Closing in on Friday and sometimes, I think Thursday is a favorite day because of the anticipation of only one more day to work and then the weekend Food has been okay today but scale was up 1.5 pounds from ticker... My goal of being under 163 by Saturday most likely won't be met. But I'll keep that goal for Thanksgiving week as well. Dinner was salad and chicken casserole (no idea to call WHAT I threw together but it was good and that sounds close enough...). DH and I have been eating just WAY too many treats/snacks - even small 30, 50, 70 calorie things that are adding up and continuing my routine of putting things in my mouth when I'm not hungry ... just presented with it and oh, okay. He's working nights now and I'm done with dinner. No snack needed later, and will look forward to and savor a cup of hot tea.
Confession - I've seen the commercial for Rally's garlic parmesan fries and mozz sticks. Clearly this is just a $2 fat fest. I am eating healthy and no need for this junk. I don't stop at Rally's. I can make my own light mozz. bites and do from time to time - very simply and I can track calories easily on those. Leaving my volunteering gig, I drove to Rally's. Got in the drive thru line TO ORDER THESE!! What the heck? I looked at the sign and now they have grilled cheese sticks - whoever heard of such? I came to my senses and pulled out of the line. I keep reworking that in my mind, thinking what a stupid move that was - why in the world did i want that, etc. Credit i guess for not getting it but demerit for wanting it.
Karen - I am mentally weighing the pros of good job, great benefits with quality of life in other things than work. I know we'll be putting thought into it and the timing of your note was good. I work at a company that is highly desired; I was happy to be hired when I was a while back, being the one selected out of close to 100 applicants for the position. Now it seems so distant... DH has been with his company for 26 years and is comfortable there, as well. Something will come to shake us loose from this, whether it's another horrid winter or who knows what (sorry so long)... AND LOVING the idea of mac and cheese for dessert!
Bill - I might have been visiting that house that was all lit up. DH is out and I notice that I have all living room lights on, one in the bedroom for one kitty snoozing there (well, for me putting things away more to the point), kitchen below cabinet lights on and ... hm. I'd better go turn things off. I like to have my home ALL lit up in the winter, or lit with only candles. In between is just wimpy. Credits (!!) for the cold walks.
LoveToGarden - KUDOS for the tracking... I slipped away from it before making it a habit and need to get back to it. Just bought two wool scarves and they are stinking here - so much so that I can't imagine wearing them and smelling that smell ... so will try to air them out bc I want their warmth. But if not - back to Vermont Country Store they go.
GardenerJoy - WAY to go on the NO CHOICE. I seem to have forgotten that one. We're hanging in with you awaiting the decision... thoughts are prayers are for peace, wisdom and compassion.
CurlyPudge - I'm with you on savoring the time I have to check in ... I want to allot more time for personals and not feel guilty about not including everyone!! I struggle with that.
CeeJay - I do that to my husband and sabotage him without thinking about it, but derail myself in the process!! Thanks for the eye-opener. How was this week for you? Sounds like it was a good, ontrack one!!
MountainMamma - I'm with you - I thought, let me maintain here for a few months after all the family stuff this summer. I returned home at 159/60 and now I'm up at 164. So much for this maintaining this go'round. I haven't been diligent but had better GET diligent and focused or I'll be entering 2015 even higher. If maintaining is hard, I'd just as soon work harder and lose ha ha
Silverbirch - My stomach rolls with mornings like you had today - hope you have a more settled one tomorrow. This weekend it's to get over freezing here and I have some nice pots that i need to clean out and store ... I brought home one of mom's plants - just a spider plant, but it's nice to have a living thing that was hers. It's going to winter over in my kitchen. Plants/pots are clustered in one area and it is just "there" - not attractive. Will work on that. I'd like a small norfolk pine in the kitchen for winter ...
Lexxiss - I learned a lot from your note - what you're doing to be successful and your tip to MMamma... Thank you for sharing those. You're such a trooper with your roads, the snow and the temps. I could hunker down and hide all winter if I could...avoiding all driving completely.
OneByOne - Hope you made it through the sale okay and look forward to hearing how it went. I'll go back and reread in case I missed it!!
Just checking in. Food on plan but the witching hour is upon us. No exercise as extremely long, stressful phone calls took up the planned time: for some companies, "Customer Service" is indeed an oxymoron.
Last edited by Mountain Mamma; 11-21-2014 at 12:00 PM.
Hi. You'll never believe the week I've had. I went to the workshop last weekend. It was great. I learned a lot, made 6 nice prints, felt fired up to get to it at home but it has to wait. Two or maybe three craft shows coming up. Two for sure. One new one added that is unclear if I can do it or not. Everyday this week I complete a few more parts of my display or my stock for this Saturday's show. My friend and I moved my mom to the new room one floor down, remaking the new room into as close a replica for the old room as possible. It took half of Monday and half of Tuesday. I saw her Wednesday and she knew she had moved and was feeling worried, stressed, unsure about everything...so, get this, while on my way to see her Wed I get a flurry of calls which I do not answer as I am driving and as soon as I walk into her building the nurse sees me and tells me the person on the phone is for me. My mother got the call that a room on our long term care list was available. We took the offer and tomorrow morning I am moving my mother one more time to what will probably be her last place of residence. I am so glad she is going there. More people, staff, activities, nice room, all good except my mom will be a wreck and will be terrified and/or resistant. I have no idea really what's in store. All I know is bring her clothes, bring her day to day stuff and be there before noon so she can have lunch there. I am totally stressed.
Foodwise, hanging onto no sugar, but had three heavy meals today and shoved chunks of cheese into my mouth while standing over the stove making my lunch this afternoon. I did that twice. And the urges to eat sugar are very very powerful this week. I am resisting. I'm just very stressed. I will not eat over whatever happens tomorrow. If tempted, I will check in here with my phone before I act on any sabotaging thought.
Thanks for reading. Cannot wait to get past all this hubbub.
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Had another Mandarine Orange for evening snack, CREDIT moi, ignoring the Sabotaging Thought that a handful of walnuts would help wash it down. A friend bought a package of Oreo Cookies from a vending machine and offered me two, "I can't eat all of these." I was shocked to be offered and more shocked that I declined. (I beat up on myself for the next half hour because they would have tasted so good.) In a major concession, I accepted that cotton turtle necks that have been washed weekly for a couple of years have done their duty and can be replaced. My clothes would last forever if they didn't go through the wash cycle.
Walked, CREDIT moi, past some furniture on the curb for the asking. I'm so drawn to the FREE, but had to remind myself that we're trying to get rid of stuff - not add stuff. I have friends who complained that their father left a full basement and full garage - all of junk. They had to go through every item before tossing it to determine that it wasn't where he hid things of value. I tried to think about saving my own kids from that fate by clearing all my junk now. But that felt so morbid that I moved on to something else. Maybe some day.
onebyone – "Hubbub" indeed. Kudos for continuing to produce your art despite whirlwinds about.
Debbie (Lexxiss) – Yep, Kudos indeed for "thinking through" in advance.
silverbirch – LOL at "starting to go into torpor" - such good strategy to go do something real even for fifteen minutes to feel human again. I wish you well in explosive family dynamics - sometimes it's as if the pot just needs to be stirred. [I wear a simple wool knit hat in winter - one that easily tucks into my coat pocket. When that's not sufficient, I raise the hood on my coat and I'm impervious to whatever nature throws my way.]
nationalparker – Super Kudos for getting out of the line at Rally's - even while part of your brain was drooling for that "$2 fat fest."
Karen (karenrn) - It's easy to be tired of workmen around the house, particularly when I remember that they're there because I'm paying them. Kudos for sanity when dining out with your DH.
curlypudge - Yay for 15 minutes without the demands of others.
Mountain Mamma - LOL that "Customer Service" is indeed an oxymoron.
love2garden - Good reminder for me this morning, "Learning that I value health more than satisfying a desire."
Readers -
Quote:
Day 27Master the Seven Questions Technique
what are you thinking?
If you continue to feel resistant about creating Response Cards, be sure to apply the Seven Question Technique to the sabotaging thoughts that are getting in your way.
Sabotaging Thought: This a lot of work. It might not even help. Helpful Response: That might be true, but I might as well do everything I can to lose weight. When I'm thinner, I'll be so glad I put in the hard work today.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), pg 202.
Thursday - Universal Children's Day
and he is easy to please.
time to recharge
