Hello, such a centering group of posts to read. Thank you. Many of you are in a different place on your journey to the same goal. This is good for me to see.

I got moving. I made a food plan. I read my advantages. I restate my main advantage throughout the day. It is anchoring for me. I weighed myself.

I do have challenges recognizing fullness even 20 minutes after a meal. I need to revisit focus and calmness when I eat. I am a compulsive overeater and focus and calmness is key to managing this.

I am giving myself credit.

Have a good day everyone

Back to the gym and food on plan. But haven't eaten dinner yet, so the night is young. And the aroma of simmering food is killing me.

Gym more crowded today than New Year's Eve when I had it ALL to myself. How strange - I vacillated between feeling righteous working out the last day of the year vs. Loserville as obviously everyone else getting ready for a big night or had more important things to do. Note to self: get a life. No no what am I saying, DH & Guy Lombardo on New Years, who needs more.

Hikergirl - that 20 minutes rule (to feel full) is true, but it's so hard to wait sometimes, isn't it . . . sigh.

BBE, isn't it a little early for birds to be courting? I thought that was a spring event. Mixed feelings about seeing the holiday goodies go!

Gardenerjoy and love2 garden - great the scales are in your favor.

Curly - 'working on one dessert a day' - love it!

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walk, CREDIT moi, included returning a book to the library. Picked up some hints from the librarian about admissions to museums. Seems that when you pay up to 'support level' with a membership card, you get stickers on the back that grant free admissions to other museums around the country (e.g. ROAM). Also learned that our library has passes to many of the local museums.

Also spent an inordinate amount of time trying to replace some Glad containers (42 oz). All the stores sell Glad containers - or similar - but the size and shape being sold isn't the same as the stack in our kitchen cabinet. Several years ago we made the obvious decision to stock exactly two sizes of containers for leftovers. They fit in two neat stacks in a cabinet including the stacks of their lids. Any other size takes up mucho space and creates the problem of trying to find the matching lid. I may end up ordering online because the high shipping cost is offset by how much time I prowl around the city looking for these.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Little things like"like pulling out a 2nd container when the leftovers don't fit in the 1st" are so crucial. I've spent my life finishing off some food item that didn't fit in the container I'd started filling. Kudos for facing the obvious when that's what's required.

Susan (hikergirl) – Such a clear goal, "I need to revisit focus and calmness when I eat." So much food can go down when I'm paying no attention. Kudos for giving yourself credit.

curlypudge - Kudos for dumping those treats left over in your office. LOL at cleaning your house for a kid's visit in case the mother stops in.

Mountain Mamma - LOL at the difference in the gym crowd between the day before and after New Years Day. Kudos for doing your gym both times. [In the Northern Hemisphere, Peregrine Falcons lay eggs in February or March. So courting now is right on schedule.]

love2garden - Yep, the success skills sheet is from the Green Book. Ouch for the difficulty breathing in the cold air - hope that eases for you. And Kudos for eating sitting down - such an important skill.

Readers -

We begin the 16 hour drive home, barring traffic, today...rental company will cut no deal on a one way rental, so not paying another close to $600 to drop here
So dh and i will both drive tandem. That's a pain.

Will work to choose well, but my mind will want to treat me. I know this. So how do i handle it will be the question.

To the cemetery yesterday with my brother. Good to go with him and show him how to find their spot. Oddly enough, i have different first name and the person whose stone is at the end of their row has the same name, so it's an easy marker. Wreaths adorn each grave, as it's a National Cemetery. Moving. Glad i was able to get there again. The wreath i laid there a month ago on last visit still was soso looking, so it lasted a long while, with the inches of rain they've had.

Off to get moving and out the door here...good to see new and familiar faces and looking forward to your support and providing it when I'm back home!

Great weekend, everyone!

CREDIT for using a measuring cup, filling out my success skills sheet, and eating slowly. I took 3 deep breaths more frequently and earlier in my meal -- I still haven't remembered to do it before eating, but I'll get there.

Lots of spontaneous exercise cleaning up the cabin that we're resolved to sell in 2015.

WI: -0.1 kg, Exercise: +30 70/1200 minutes for January, Food: 100% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

love2garden: Yep, the Success Skills Sheet is a green book thing. The green book is a bit less structured and the sheet gives it some.

curlypudge: credit for the spontaneous exercise of house-cleaning!

hikergirl: working with you on focus and calmness

Mountain_Momma: a near-empty gym sounds like a great way to end the New Year!

BillBlueEyes: I think DH is about to buy lightbulbs on-line -- the huge selection at the hardware store yesterday still didn't have the exact one he wanted.

nationalparker: so weird that it's cheaper to drive a rental back to the starting place than leave it where it is. Hope you find a pleasant way to spend the driving alone time -- my favorite music played loud usually works for me.

We can make a difference in 2015. My body shall be changed to a smaller version by discipline of DIET and EXERCISE! How I've always hated the word "Diet" and refused to follow one.

Big change for me. I'm actually fully aware that I shall Diet in a healthy way for the rest of my life and I don't feel any panic. WOW! Huge change.

Curlypudge, isn't it a blessing when we think someone is coming and it spurs us to do what some people do on a regular basis - have the house company ready. I may actually move closer to that goal for at least the public rooms in 2015

Nationalparker: Prayers offered for safe travel on your very, very long drive today and tomorrow.

Gardenerjoy, I still have to master using a measuring cup with my meals. Next week, I'm overwhelmed with Beck's cards at this time. Thanks for explaination of Green Beck book.

Mountain Momma, Having the gym almost empty is my favorite, too. I also rarely go in the evening (driving after dark a problem here in Deer country.)

hikergirl, my trouble is similar to yours. I don't recognize when to stop eating, yet.

BBE: Thanks for note that your library has passes to some goodies. I'll check our's.

Credit: Breakfast healthy and satisfying. Credit: food logged and planned for day. Credit: Went to bed at reasonable hour and awoke feeling great at an earlier hour. More day to be active. Credit: All Beck cards read and ready to go to next chapter.

Since being on Facebook....I sure miss the ability on 3FC to "like" comments. Take note...my fake 3FC LIKE button was very busy today as I read everyone's comments.

Right now I feel very over whelmed by all the knowledge that is stimulating my brain! I must remember to take it slow and do it one day at a time. Although today I am doing one minute at a time...hoping for one hour at a time. CREDIT one minute vs. one second

Blessings to everyone.

Coaches

I'm feeling down these days. I often run out of juice in January. I think it's the lack of sun. My batteries need re-charging but I won't be feeling livelier until February. My best strategy is to make plans, put myself on a schedule, accomplish something. In short, get busy. Get on a good road.

And with that I am adjusting myself to get in line with a food plan specifically for weigh reduction. My goal, this year, is to accomplish some weight loss. Real losing of weight. I am feeling like I'd better wise up this year that I am pushing my health too far and too long and something's gonna give. Honestly, I am worried. So, in terms of Beck I will take credit for no sugar today. Credit. and for choosing a food plan. credit. and for checking in here with all of you and telling the truth of how things are with me. I won't stop trying but I really need to see some success.

Cannot tell you how glad I am the holidays are over. *credit for getting through it all.

Yesterday was great all day until bedtime - and couldn't pass the kitchen without a snack. Actually, several. Why? for strength to put on my pajamas? Walked today but only because dog insisted.

Just a thought for you about the January slump. I take 5000 IU of vitamin D3 through the winter months. I find it helps with that slumpy, I feel like a mole mood, I get during the winter months. It also keeps my eczema (sp?) under control during the winter. The eczema clears up on it's own during the summer, that's how I made the vitamin D connection.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Exercise was helping a friend install some kitchen cabinets, CREDIT moi. The lifting made up for the lack of aerobics. I learned that inexpensive cabinets are more difficult to install because attempts to shove them slightly simply distorts them - they don't become rigid until screwed to the wall and to each other. Hint: Install in a house with perfectly flat and orthogonal walls and floor. Second hint: When you discover such a house, submit it to the Smithsonian since it's one of a kind.

Food was on plan, CREDIT moi, simply because I was too busy to think about eating. I had to clear snow from my car to drive home in the evening. There's slush out there now. I think something cold is on its way.


onebyone – Ouch for the doldrums when the sun is scarce. This is the reminder that I need: "get busy."

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Kudos for making the decision to sell your cabin. It's easy to dawdle on the big decisions until we wish we'd done it sooner. Thanks for the reminder to use the strategy of taking three deep breaths.

nationalparker – Waving toward a highway between here and there. Hope that drive is going well with good music or an audio book. Strange indeed to be able to use your own first name to find your parents' lot.

janelle (shcirerf) - LOL at "feel like a mole mood" - I feel that way on foul days when I realize that I haven't left the house all day.

Mountain Mamma - Yay for the dog as trainer. LOL at "for strength to put on my pajamas?"

love2garden - Major vision, "Diet in a healthy way for the rest of my life" - Kudos. Yay for going to bed at a reasonable hour.

cathydoe - The key part, "I am doing" - the second, minute, hour, day intervals will come in their time.

Readers -

Hi coaches!

Out of sight but not out of mind. I continue to stay positive and be mindful of my food choices. I felt the possibility of a cold coming on so I indulged and spent two days getting some much-needed rest while taking lots of healthy remedies.

I'm back to my work routine and will continue to take extra rest.

As I was reminded of my success in 2014 making my own protein powder I pondered what one thing I might change for 2015. Then I was listening to a radio program where they suggested picking one word for 2015. I picked it. Water. I'm not always consistent with my water and this would be a great year to change that. Credit.

Welcome to our newcomers and to all our regulars!

The drive home is going slow. Food ok until ate DH's leftover biscuit. 200 cal of fat and carb that wasn't needed last night. Trip is taking HOURS longer than usual due to massive traffic and weather. I guess with the airline prices high as they were this season, everyone else decided driving with cheap gas was good, too.

Should get home tonight, about 6 hours additional.

Water. I like it. Good plan. Clear focus.

Gotta run

CREDIT for taking those three deep breaths closer and closer to the beginning of my meal. CREDIT for making good choices even when my day didn't work out as planned -- and writing those choices down on my food plan. CREDIT for walking on a rainy gray day and for reaching the 1/10th mark in my exercise, 1/10th of the way through the month.

WI: -0.65 kg (new low for 2015), Exercise: +50 120/1200 minutes for January, Food: 80% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

love2garden: I'm also grappling with the awareness that I will want a very structured way of eating for the rest of my life, probably even more structured than my initial weight loss -- because maintenance has proved to be quite tricky for me. Like you, I'm reaching a place of acceptance and it feels great!

cathydoe: I like your fake 3FC LIKE button!

onebyone: January is my time for planning and strategizing -- an effective way to get through the winter weather.

Mountain_Mamma: what will help you control the night-time snacking? At times, I've planned a snack at night, which curtailed the unplanned snacking. But, we eat pretty late, so, right now, I'm going with this response card: "Eating after supper negatively impacts my sleep and my schedule for the next day. It can start a cycle that will make my days worse not better. Have a nice cup of herbal tea instead."

BillBlueEyes: Cool to get exercise and help out a friend at the same time.

Lexxiss: Wishing you luck at fighting off the cold.

nationalparker: sending travel and traffic blessings your way!

Checking in, all! I seem to have lost about 7lbs since about November. I think that's when I last weighed myself (and I'm at home and my records are at work - long story to do with syncing). It can't all be connected to the flu. Credit, anyway.

I'm travelling around this week but will try to be mindful of what I'm doing.

Have a good week as we get into the New Year.