[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Continued exploring the pressure cooker. I made thirty minute chicken noodle soup. The boys liked it. I thought it was okay. Certainly the benefits are the absence of preservatives (especially salt) which is a goal for DH. I struggle with addiction to the Campbells soup I ate as a kid. So many of the chemical foods still have their pull on me. I used them to comfort myself and want that same psychological reassurance from them today. Nope. Time for retraining.

Credit for tracking yesterday. Credit for bike and PT exercises.

Lunch is packed. Teachers' meeting all day Today on August 8 I declare the beginning of "no sweets at work." I remember in the beginning of my months long abstinence of sweets last year, I promised myself a sweet treat at home when I was about to eat one at school. Rarely did i eat it at home because by then the craving was gone. I will do the same today.

Happy Monday.

[nationalparker]

I'm not sure what it will take me to get on track and stay there. Is there one track? Why am I fighting it and setting myself up for failure over and over? Did I want it a lot more years ago? Is that why I set goals and reached them? Do I think it's just going to "happen" and I don't have to work for it? Do I think WW was the magic pill last time - when I went for a few weeks and then lost 50 pounds on my own, not going to meetings or logging in (pre website)? Will I need a major health scare to push me over the line? Will I hem and haw and just coast until next year and go to Italy fat? (Which I say I don't want to have happen...but not following up with action.) Frustrated. Today wasn't a bad food day, but not an active day. Every day doesn't have to be perfect, but every day should be a step forward to reaching a goal.

Not sure the point of this post - that I just need to suck it up and restart and stop skipping the dang steps in the pink book. I think, oh, I have my list already set. Oh, I have gone without meals. Oh, I have x, y, z and then I pick and choose what I do in those first two weeks setup and then think, why am I not "getting it"?

[Nature Girl]

Forget about teaching, just setting up my classroom may kill me—hired DD#3 to come down and do the heavy moving because of my foot. We did a ton of cleaning and have the furniture where it should be – tomorrow posters, word wall, etc. and another afternoon of getting materials set up and I may be ready for parent night! Lots of food credits: wrote down a plan this morning: wow!! Took a salad lunch with me. Bought two sweet ripe peaches on the way home instead of other junk. When a sudden charcoal shortage postponed our brats & grilled watermelon planned for last night, subbed in salmon burgers and baby potatoes instead of sending DH for fast food. Did the grilling today, after a $117 visit to the grocery store.
Exercise still limited to PT but I’ve been doing stretches faithfully, icing, and wearing the right shoes. Seeing progress, and much less pain.
Did my weekly weigh-in (I know, I know, not what Beck recommends) and I’m down one pound. Ok, fine. This means keep going, and redouble my efforts.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Worked with the painter and a plumber. CREDIT moi for recognizing that the closet flange situation was more convoluted than my skill level. I got my money's worth from a one hour plumbing visit when he explained the entire waste pipe setup, what was possible, what wasn't, and the exact instructions I was to give the floor guy this morning. He will order a special closet flange that I didn't know existed. Yay for experts.

DW was exhausted so I was designated to go shoot dinner. Found a super good Asian Snow Peas salad at Whole Foods to go with a standard rotisserie chicken. Mundane, but splendid on the patio where we gently enjoyed summer.


Nature Girl – Thanks for the reminder that teaching is a strenuous physical activity. Kudos for finding a solution to dinner without sending DH for fast food.

maryann - Kudos for the strategy to avoid eating a sweet treat at school. I enjoy soups with less salt once my taste gets shifted, but I, too, was raised on canned Campbell soups with mucho salt.

nationalparker – Sending supportive thoughts for a wave of conflicting questions. It's good to focus on how you want to feel on your trip to Italy.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Family Traps

Escape the Vegas Mind-Set Trap

. . .

• Recognize that eating freely while you're away doesn't feel good all the time - especially when you feel bloated or sluggish.

. . .

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 144

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Credits:
I was hungry twice yesterday. I mean really hungry. I was at school, but I stuck to my no sweets at work and survived for an hour and a half until I came home for lunch. Then at night I realized I had logged incorrectly and was over points so I skipped plan dinner. Stomach was empty enough so I didn't have problems taking my antibiotics AND I saw a drop back to ticker which has been weeks in coming. Good. Now I will do that all again today except not forget my lunch/snacks.

There has been a teacher strike brewing for six months. I have gone around and around with the executive union board to the point of being forced to write to the state board for protection against union leadership. I will not strike. I don't think other teachers realize what it means. I don't think other teachers realize how great a standard of living we have here. There are no safety issues and we had a ten percent raise two years ago and are being offered a 4% raise this year. It is all ego. This all makes me very hungry. Oh Well. I will continue to act as if all is well. I will be ready to teach the kids come Thursday.

nationalparker: I wish I had answers to all your questions. Vigilance with food is critical and yet illusive. We are productive, disciplined people in our lives yet simply saying "no choice" over 90% of the time (which is what it takes to lose) seems impossible. After years of posting, I have come to realized that I am not acting in isolation. Every time i step out the door I am faced with food companies that build addictive food (see my Campbell's soup post from yesterday), food pushers at my workplace, advertisers and restaurants. All of these forces hypnotize me into thinking it is normal to be overweight. I looked around my meeting at school and realized I was in the slimmer 30% of the teachers. That doesn't make my weight healthy. You know what you want. You have Italy ahead of you. You can do this. Even a 10% loss will make a huge difference.

BBE: Yeah for husbands who take meal duty. What a nice treat.

naturegirl: Amen, sister!

[gardenerjoy]

My focus on doing less of what does harm and more of what heals is really helping me make some better choices. Not perfect, but better. And, not just in food -- also in moving more and in changing the track of my thought train when it goes in unhelpful places.

nationalparker: I don't have any answers, but your thoughts about Italy reminded me of the Advantages card that gives me the most energy right now: "I want to feel skinny in Paris." I drew a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it so it really pops out at me.
And, I can add to maryann's point that 10% will make a difference. One of the reasons that I stated my Advantage that way is because I "feel skinny" much quicker than I think I will -- a 10% loss is a big deal. At your height and weight, it may not take even that much.

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Pretty good food day yesterday, credit. I've had a headache for a couple of days now, so exercise yesterday was just the vacuuming. I think my headache is from neck something or other. I may try to get a massage today. There is a lot of clicking going on. I'm sure it's just tight muscles from who knows what.

I'm not going to my Group Power class today because I think that would just aggravate my neck. I've got some errands to run and will basically take it easy until my headache subsides.

More tomorrow.

[nationalparker]

Hello, all. Thank you for not telling me to hush up and stop whining. I did day one of beck yesterday and day two today. I realized that rereading the cards will not do it for me. Then I just dial it in. I need to bring my mind around to why each day and rewrite my list for the day/moment/thought. It worked week this morning to keep my focus.

I read your notes and thought...I can't even lose 10 pounds...how can I ever lose 10 percent...17 pounds? I felt like a failure to start...but then thought just lose a pound and a pound and a pound...and don't worry about if I get there for Italy or day or a random Wednesday in as long as I stay focused. Thank you.

Tomorrow starts with a breakfast meeting at work, then another meeting immediately after.

Major computer issues at work today on mine alone...I started on plan. Ran home for lunch and apparently I didn't wash lettuce enough bc I was grinding on grit until it drove me crazy and I threw it out. Bothered me to do that but I couldn't handle the grinding grit on my molars.

Reading an old Agatha Christie that I know I read before but can't remember...ahh book lover's day. Didn't know that...yay! Off to bed.

[Nature Girl]

Packed my lunch today (credit) and stopped for coffee on the way out of town…realized I didn’t even look longingly at the scones & other treats when I picked up my decaf soy latte with no sugary flavors (credit! That’s a milestone!) Off to a good start until my world blew apart: My principal asked me (long story) to move from teaching Kindergarten to 2nd or 4th grade, 10 days before school starts!!!! After a long conversation with her, left the building headed home –no decision—just stunned. Met my BF (and fellow educator) to talk it over. Result: said no thank you, since my seniority gives me that option. Realized my lunch had been forgotten in the car and it was 2:45, so with no resistance left, ordered a comfort food lunch and devoured it. Only credit here is I didn’t continue the destruction with dessert, etc. etc. In fact I haven’t been hungry or eaten anything else since then (6 hours later), Of course my adrenaline and emotions let me sleep for about two of those hours. End result: “downtown” administration changed their minds and it was all a false alarm. Crazy.
I don't even know what else to say tonight.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The new vinyl is laid. After a little negotiation, we decided that replacing the upper quarter inch plywood layer would provide the best job. It's such a good feeling to see a weak spot in the house corrected.

A quick trip to Home Depot settled on the technique to properly install the medicine cabinet to meet electrical code. Exercise was fretting over all the small issues associated with getting a job done. I spent an hour trying to get Lowe's website to accept the MyLowes card that they had assigned to me when I ordered the under-sink cabinet. The site rejected every attempt to create an account without any explanation. The trying-to-be-helpful human who finally appeared after a long chain of menu selections suggested that I drive to Lowe's to see if a salesperson could register me at the store. Nope, it's a long drive. Ouch for helpful computer notions that don't quite work.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Loved being reminded, "Not perfect, but better."

Nature Girl – Good grief! There's such a difference between Kindergarten and 4th grade kids. Kudos for constraining your eating over the situation and for standing up for your rights.

maryann - Super Kudos for standing your ground to be allowed to teach, especially in the face of "This all makes me very hungry."

nationalparker – Ouch for back-to-back meetings - the very thing that always made me more aware that most meetings weren't useful. Yay for being able to reread a book.

Karen (karenrn) - Smart to get a massage to fight a neck issue.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Family Traps

Escape the Vegas Mind-Set Trap

. . .

• If there are certain foods you have historically allowed yourself to eat only on vacation, plan to have these foods periodically throughout the year. That will minimize the special aspect of that food so you won't feel pressured to overindulge "only on vacation."

. . .

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 145

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Well I didn't get a massage yesterday cause I felt slightly nauseated at times and it just didn't sound like a good combo. Headache/neckache is a bit better today. It seems they always last 3 days no matter what I do, so it should be gone by tomorrow morning. I've gotten up to do a little outdoor cleaning. The corner of a dust storm blew by yesterday afternoon. I got the lantern and things that were on the tables inside before the dust hit. They needed a good washing anyway. Now the tables are washed and once dry, I'll take the things back outside.

I'm going to the Y today to get on the elliptical. I'm listening to a good book so that helps. Other than that, no big plans. I did run a few errands yesterday even though I didn't feel great. And food yesterday was pretty good. Now if I can just keep that up. We leave for the wedding in CT in one week. I'm trying to stay focused to get a couple of pounds off before then. It won't be easy.

Bill Glad you're getting the home repair/renovation finished. Aren't they all more work than they should be, even when someone else is doing the work.

Nature Girl What a bummer of a day you had. Don't you just love being drug through a fire drill for no reason.

Nationalparker Why would we tell you to quit whining. I think it's what most of us think too, at least off and on. I try to remember that I have been successful in the past and can be again. I think one thing for me is that as I get older I don't let my gains get quite as out of control and I did earlier. Good thing cause weight loss isn't so quick either. Maybe you need to go on the Camino with me. I can't imagine walking 500 miles without losing some weight. The good part, or at least I hope, is that we can also eat some good food along The Way.

GardenerJoy I hope your change in focus is heading in the right direction. I need to consider how I am spending my time, too much wasted for sure.

Maryann Congratulations on the drop back to ticker.

[Lexxiss]

Hi Coaches!

I wanted to say hello. I read every day. This is the first time I have been on my computer (usually phone) since the last time I posted. Life is good. I continue to find just enough time to get almost everything accomplished. I am staying on track with food choices. My best decision lately has been to bring both my power smoothie and a jug of homemade (VitaMix) Apple water. I say water because it's not concentrated enough for juice. Two large apples in 1/2 gal. of water. It sustains me because work is too busy for a meal, but not for indiscriminate and ongoing snacking. (A bite here, a bite there). I modeled after MaryAnn and her no choice to sweets at work. I have gone 10 work days (3 weeks) without one single "bite" at work. Credit. I did wrap one donut in foil and bring it home yesterday. The less choices I give myself the easier it is for me to stay on track.

My latest _____ is that my mom turned 95 on the 1st and broke her wrist (in 2 places) falling last Saturday. She didn't tell anyone and just mentioned to me on Sunday evening that when my brother showed up (it's Family Reunion Week) that she would have him take her down for an exray. So, I have the rest of the week to take a breather as she will be with the entire family in Breckenridge at the get together in a large vacation home. We will all have time to observe what special needs she is going to have in the upcoming weeks.

It's time for me to go rest. I've been up since wee hours and made a trip to Denver to p/u my girlfriend. The Porsche's clutch went out this morning.

I believe most meals will be homemade for the next 4 days. I will make my morning smoothie and have the "apple water" available. It should make my other choices easier.

BBE, great job on the project!

A wave to all!

[nationalparker]

Not a perfect day, but a good day. That's all I'm asking and working for.

I lucked into a pair of free tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show so DH and I enjoyed that tonight. I'm waiting for his work clothes to finish in the washer do I can pop in the dryer and go to bed. Not organized enough to do earlier...

Tomorrow's goal...add in more water...and add in two more flights of stairs. Today I did 11. Each flight is minimum 24 stairs, so that was good for me to actually plan and do.

[Nature Girl]

Another day in the car to the big big city—this time with a grueling challenge: a new swim suit. Had a more substantial but healthy breakfast, not wanting to get hungry on the road. We had lunch at Panerra before we hit the stores, so that we didn’t melt down halfway through. Started with an awesome trip to a teacher store for bulletin board decor and found stuff with my current favorite kid’s book ---bought it all. Headed with fear and trepidation to the Swim Shop. Being 6’ tall makes suit shopping always an ordeal, since I am long past (never had!) a bikini body. Success!!!! And then the letdown when the tag said it was $172 – eek! Miracle: it’s half off ! So I got a coverup too  A couple more stops & a protein bar to keep me going for the trip home. Decent dinner. So, pretty good day, and although meals still weren’t planned, nothing I wasn’t happy about went in my mouth. Tomorrow I’m back to the classroom to continue being a Kindergarten teacher, and getting ready for the big day.
Maryann: good luck tomorrow, and have fun!
Karen: hope you are feeling better.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The trucking company called to say that the new toilet would be delivered today between 5 and 10 pm. That's the latest I've ever been asked to be available for a delivery. Seems like an imposition on the neighbors to have a ginormous truck come rattling down the street that late. LOL at the thought of them waking up to look out and see a toilet being dropped off a truck. Hoping that "curbside delivery" at least means walked up to the front porch. Looking forward to this.

Exercise was walking to the local hardware store to buy some more furniture slides. These are plastic bottom for carpeted floors and felt bottom for hardwood floors. I moved a bed that was so heavy that I could barely lift a single corner. When the skids were in place, I slid the bed to the center of the room with little effort.


Debbie (Lexxiss) – First time I've heard of "Apple water" - sounds like a neat compromise to get taste and avoid calories.

Nature Girl – Super Kudos for buying a bathing suit - a dreaded issue for my DW.

nationalparker – Cirque du Soleil is just the best. Great perspective, "Not a perfect day, but a good day. That's all I'm asking and working for"

Karen (karenrn) - Neat to have a good book to listen to while riding the elliptical.

Readers -

Chapter 6 Family Traps

Escape the Vegas Mind-Set Trap

. . .

• Consider how you want to feel when you get home: happy that you stayed in control or unhappy that you've gained too much weight? Picture how much effort you'll need to expend and how much time it will take to lose you vacation weight.

. . .

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 145