good evening coaches!
today i was woken by the sound of DD SCREAMING, i thought she had broken her leg or something! however she scuttled into our bedroom and screamed again, there's a mouse in the kitchen! So that got my heart racing, not a good way to wake up. She was right, i also saw it moving again, hopefully it was the same one and we don't have an infestation!

I had a check up today and discussed the fact that both times I have tried giving up sugar for awhile, within the last two years, i got odd stomach pains and had to take meds for a bit, to make my chemistry better i guess. Maybe i shouldn't go cold turkey on weaning off it, or maybe it is just a coincidence.
I passed up various treats today, credit, and got some exercise by washing the incredibly bad bathtub, credit.
Nationalparker- sorry to hear about your cat! Pets are such important parts of the family.
Lexiss~I will remain joyous for making positive changes in my own life which keep me healthy and emotionally responsible Great statement! I will adapt this one too. Sorry to hear of your family issues.

Welcome MarinMaven! and waving to all!

Danielle (MarinMaven)

And, on the occasion of your first post,

How did you find out about the books by Dr. Judith Beck?

And how did you find our Beck Forum here on 3 Fat Chicks?

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walk, CREDIT moi, included Dunkin' Donuts for bags of dark roast coffee. There's only one store that I know about that sells three one-pound bags of coffee for $19.99. I feel like it's almost free compared to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's - the other two places where I sometimes buy coffee. It was 15 degrees Fahrenheit cold. I had the hood up on my jacket over the knit wool hat. No one was out at the park I walked through - not even in the dog walk area.

Eating was close to plan, CREDIT moi. Dinner was a lamb stew from the Penzey's spice catalog. DW hand ground the Thai-style spices and simmered the stuff for 90 minutes. That's an hour and a half of the whole house smelling uber yummy. By 8 o'clock I was famished. By-the-by, consensus is that the cold didn't kill my propane grill; it was the high wind (thanks Joy (gardenerjoy)).


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Kudos for taking the time to make a Response Card. [Love the visual of your DH grilling with a head lamp.]

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Sending supportive thoughts for family dynamics. It is a challenge to let go of the behavior of those we love. Kudos for having a clear set of goals. [And thanks for the kind words.]

maryann - Now that sounds like one fine day.

nationalparker – Thinking of you and your beloved cat of 16+ years. Hope that you, and the other pets, will find your way forward. [LOL at having to weed from the winter's uneaten bird seeds.]

Karen (karenrn) - It's super to have a specific goal of 20 pounds to make your John Muir Trail hike easier. Consider making a movie of your journey - Wild is drawing large crowds around here. [I, too, am driven by the thought "who will have to go thru these things?" Stuff that merely serves my fantasies has to go before my kids have to wonder why it was saved.]

cathydoe - Yep, "I AM GOOD ENOUGH!" is now a fact! LOL at the packaging for your paper punch. Kudos for your "ratty paper" plan for drinking 8 glasses of water.

Danielle (MarinMaven) - Kudos for moving so fast in the Beck strategies: Two diet plans and this group for your Diet Coach/Buddy. Such an interesting tale that your diet plan "set off a binge/diet cycle". Kudos for recognizing that for what it was and choosing a different diet plan.

Ouch for those 27 pounds that crept back. Re-losing the same pounds is always a pain. BTDT. Glad that you've joined us.


Readers -

I remembered to take 3 deep breaths before I ate more often than I forgot yesterday!

WI: -0.3 kg , Exercise: +35 280/1200 minutes for January, Food: 90% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Welcome, MarinMaven!

Good Morning, Coaches.

Success skill three. And Here it is. I knew it was coming - my arch nemesis SITTING DOWN WHILE I EAT. I have studied the passage and underlined the part that says if there is no place to sit DON"T EAT! I know I will have to practice this a long time before it becomes natural. I also know it is critical to my success.

Weight two pounds below ticker. Advantage card "I will fit into my size 8's beautifully" is read and reaffirmed. At this current weight I have no work dress pants that will fit. I will rely on my dresses or nice jeans plus blazer.

MarinMaven: Another California girl is always welcome. My avatar is the Harbor Court Hotel near AT&T park.
BBE: It make me cold to just read walking in 15 degree weather and I am sitting next to a fire.
curleypudge: That is an interesting reaction for no sugar. It does verify what I have always believed. Eating is form of self-medicating - raise serontonin, help stomach pain, go to sleep, etc. . .

On other healthy steps: I will practice the piano this morning and see my counselor with DH to make a long term plan.

Scale down another pound to 166 - confirming choices I'm making, smaller portions, less snacking and that the road trip food was too high sodium, I'm sure But mentally it's giving me a bit of a break. Now feel like I must re-adjust my weekend goal even though there is limited time to reach it. Why cannot I just be happy that I'm making better choices and see where that leads me instead of resetting to be below 166 and then be disappointed if I don't reach it? ... Working on the mental aspect of goalsetting.

Maryann - Love the idea of wearing dresses. I'm too much of a weenie to wear them now as our temps are miserable - -24 with the wind chill... but you have me thinking of trying on a sweater dress I have and haven't worn in two years with tights and boots and seeing how that works, even for a night out with DH if not for work where I have a short walk from a parking garage to the office.

Bill - Credits to you to thoroughly appreciate what your wife cooks. That adds joy to the dinner for both, I'm sure. As the one who markets, preps, cooks and does most of the clean up despite working fulltime as well, I want to institute a bit of a change to this somehow this year. DH is always appreciative, but would like more input from him on menu and assist with the marketing. We'll see. He DOES handle EVERY car issue, which is a blessing.

CurlyPudge - Good luck with the mouse! I get worried when I see a field mouse here, but it's because I don't want my kitties to find it first. I have to corral it with a strainer and a piece of cardboard and then HATE HATE HATE to put it outside in the freezing weather. But, I do. We live next to a corn/soybean field depending on the year, and get a few mice in the house each year. I bought a live trap once for the garage but then woke up throughout the night to see if anything had been caught - I didn't want it stuck in there all night. What a bust - I lost so much sleep and no mice.

Goal for today - lunch was to be out with the office staff but I'm going to skip and eat my soup. Do not want to be talked into going. I struggle to order healthy at the place chosen - it's a notorious one for lack of healthy options. Schools are closed again today bc of the temps, so no volunteering gig.

Good morning coaches,

Just a quick stop to say food was within calories yesterday, credit. I'm not feeling so good and this bug has turned into a regular cold it seems. I won't hike until I feel better enough to be able to breath. Luckily it seems like my appetite has faded. My goals yesterday were to do the ironing and bath the dog, credit for that. I don't even have any goals for today except to make the dog food which must be done by afternoon.

Nationalparker I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. Take extra good care of yourself. I agree with Joy about it reawakening other recent losses so I hope you can take the time you need to work thru the grief.

More tomorrow when I hope I am feeling better. I'm so fortunate to be in very good health, thank goodness.

Good afternoon Coaches, Funny that I took so long to recognize that each of you are actually coaching me. I smile at that delicious thought.

Fork down during yesterday's lunch with DD (Thanks Gardenerjoy for suggestion) It did help slow my eating down, because usually when DD and I get together we are so delighted for the opportunity that I eat way too fast. So lucky that she is not only our daughter, but understands my thinking in such a remarkable way. Terribly proud of her and all she does in her very difficult profession with ones who can't take care of themselves.

Credit: Set aside desire to eat with other daughter and simply listened as she was so upset and down in the dumps, with time out to simply hold her as she sobbed. Relationship building is prime reason to live.

Corinna, you showed a colorful plate that was healthy. I've always loved to present a dinner that had lots and lots of color. My first year in college I lived in a boarding house that served ONLY brown and white food. Ugggg!

Shcirerf: Interesting that the 5,000IU Vit D3 helps your winter eczema. I take it, and mine is better this winter. However, I'm wondering about the way mine flares so terribly in summer because I'm a gardener who is outside very much almost every day, and should be getting plenty of natural Vit. D. Perhaps I'm simply one who needs more than average.

Mary Ann: your ideas to review 2014 and choose the positives is one I want to spend time with today. It was better than 2013 because of multiple healthy problems in family, but how else was 2014 a good year?

Andi: Only a few more days till the Buckeyes meet the Ducks. We'll certainly be watching TV in our part of USA. Beet Diana will also be watching and cheering.

Karenrn. From your name I'm guessing you are a nurse? Living in Arizona would be a challenge for my gardening love of Hosta and Rhododendrons. What are ways of enjoying plants outdoors?

Credit: being on Technical support help for a long call didn't not drive me to extra food. Credit: Gym time with dry clothes to change into before going out into 17 deg weather. Credit: Doing what was necessary while in the high wind and extreemly cold air in spite of wanting to go to warm chair with blanket.

Finishing what I begin is one of my carry over resolutions from prior year. Still needs work just as Dieting does.

Re-reading all posts from first of January has been helpful. Thanks Coaches.

My books came today!!

Hi All,
I have been feeling off the past few days, anxious, tense stomach. I have been under calories, credit, through my stomach can take some of the. Credit for that. No walking today with the cold out, but some steps going up and down the hallway. I did get some studio time today, and glued much of a house number down, credit.

Coaches

Still freezing here too, but warmer than yesterday. Stopped by my studio today and looked at the thermometer I have on the wall: 5C/40F. Cold. Would only get to 15C with the heaters. Oh well. Decided not to work in there today as I am living with my DH who has a nasty cold. Felt under the weather this morning so I opted not to stress my body out today with a lengthy session in an almost-cold studio.

Today I got the donation stuff on the porch for pick up but the pick up guy only took the clothing and not the other two items: an end table and a bathseat. I put them into the car for drop off at the Salvation army.*credit for gathering clothes to fill the garbage bag, moving stuff out of the house, not moving stuff back into the house.

I also ticked two other things off my to-do list. I closed the gym membership finally yesterday and I opened a savings account for myself today. I decided that at the end of the year I want to be able to pay myself a bonus the way DH gets one. I want to keep this a secret from DH so I can surprise him by just putting a big lump sum on some debt. I have financial targets, very modest, I want to reach every week. It's new behavior for me. Kind of exciting.

I have not begun the South Beach Diet in full yet. I am still in preparation mode. I have dropped the sugar from my diet though. Super challenged to pick it up again though. But I haven't. I am into the bread too much right now. That will have to change and it will.

The other part is to get active. I've pretty much ignored that stuff so I have to bring it back into full view and do something again exercise-wise. I will keep narrowing this all down until my plan is complete.

*credits for: decluttering, cleaning, re-organizing, posting, reading your posts, planning and following through, not panicking because I haven't started already... no. I'm working on it. That's good enough for today. *credit

nationalparker My condolences on the sudden loss of your cat. So very sorry. I know what that feels like. They are such good friends. *hugs* Know you did the right thing by your kitty.

Lexxiss Amidst the (serious) drama you remain calm and focused. Massive credit to you. You just cannot live someone's life for them. I do hope that having your sister around is a source of comfort and sharing for you. I also hope you can get to your hot springs!

Have a good night everyone.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – So much for complaining about 15 degrees Fahrenheit - yesterday was zero! Seriously cold for me. My walk, CREDIT moi, was to a meeting that was held nearby. I got to test wearing my down vest under my coat. It worked, but I don't think I would have been warm enough to spend the day climbing Mount Everest.

Food was OK. Dinner was a new squash soup. Soup feels right when it's this cold.


onebyone – Yep, Kudos for opening that savings account to be serious about your financial goals.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Three cheers for three deep breaths.

maryann - The part "DON'T EAT!" when there's no place to sit remains a major challenge for me. When I go to stand up events with meal-sized appetizers my brain gets confused.

nationalparker – Super Kudos for skipping an office lunch to avoid only bad food options.

Karen (karenrn) - Good grief! Bathing the dog was a BIG deal with our (late) 70 pound Australian Shepard. Kudos for tackling that when you've got a cold.

Margaret (Nuxmaga) - Yay for studio time when it's too cold for outdoors.

love2garden - Yep, we're your Coaches and you're one of ours. Kudos for getting out in that 17 degree Fahrenheit weather before chill factor is figured in.

cathydoe - Books arriving is just one of life's best moments.

Readers -

a quick wave today coaches. i resisted my co-workers leftover holiday chocolate, credit. still not up to where i have should be for planning good food choices, but maintaining awareness at times of what i am eating.
It is so cold, you just want to eat comfort foods and not exercise outdoors.
Feeling so crappy this am, DD kept us up late and then woke up us early with homework anxiety.
I have been feeling so positive so far this year so i guess i'm allowed one off day to feel bleagh!

TGIF!!

Good morning coaches,

This will be short since I still am not feeling so good. Food, okay, still no exercise and there won't be any today either. I don't feel decent until at least an hour after I wake up and take cold medication and cough syrup. This morning that was at 4:30 a.m. and then I went back to sleep for a couple of hours and I was so grateful for that.

Love2garden Some people actually garden here, but mine is limited to a few containers at certain times of the year and then they die from the heat. But I am up in Washington a bit each summer and my friend, Lynne, is glad for some help in the yard when I stay with her. Other than that I do enjoy seeing the cactus in bloom when I hike.

Bill We didn't used to bathe the dog since he goes to the groomers every 4 weeks, but he's older now and needs a bath more often. We just started using the laundry sink which makes it very easy and he doesn't seem to mind it. It's a good height for our backs and has a sprayer. Also he is just under 30 pounds. I hope to give him a bath every week.

I'm disappointed that I can't get out and hike since I have big hiking plans and will need to start a strengthening program. Luckily I have plenty of time. I don't get sick very often and I keep thinking it is better to just get well first.

I hope those of you in the really cold areas are doing okay.

Sad that I broke my daily exercise streak for 2015, but happy that I hit a new low for the year!

I completed 8 days of the Success Skills Sheet and printed more this morning. I'm still working on "I calmed down before I ate."

For the next week, if I don't get 100% On Plan (meaning, I followed my plan exactly as written), I'm going to fill out a Cheat Sheet. I haven't been because I don't think of it as cheating if I make a reasonable substitute. I'm fine with that way of thinking, but I really want seven days 100% OP before I start the second stage in the green book. The benefit I get from that is many fewer thoughts in a day about food. The Cheat Sheet will help me figure out whether the problem was in the planning or the implementation so I can start building a streak of 100%OP days.

WI: -0.25 kg (new low) , Exercise: +0 280/1200 minutes for January, Food: 100% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes