Thankfully my miserable cold lasted only about 24 hours. Friday I took it easy and stayed on or below plan …wasn’t very hungry or interested in eating. We had teriyaki again – seems like it’s once a week – I can split it in ½ and get two satisfying meals out of mine.
Today I went shopping – actually to take our vacuum cleaner for repair – and on the way I ordered fast food. I made good and bad choices – first stopping at DQ was not smart. Getting the 3 piece chicken strips was reasonable (instead of 4 or 6). Eating only six fries was smart, but getting the sundae was not. Amazingly, I didn’t finish the ice cream – good for me!
It’s interesting how full I was, when normally I would gobble down a much larger order. Same with those peanuts the other day – that much would never have made me feel full before. The funny thing about that is the huge amount (volume wise) of salad and vegetables I eat every day, especially at lunch. Nationalparker I printed out the chili recipe and made a shopping list. We’re going to friends’ house for dinner tomorrow so I’m planning this for Monday night. Maryann: hiking poles were my Christmas present! I’ve been convinced they will help me a lot, especially with my heel problems. Karenrn I’m glad to hear your endorsement!
*waving to Silverbirch! Happy New Year to you across the pond!*
Thank you, and the very same to you and everyone on this thread!
You know how one thing leads to another? In the autumn, I spent quite a few separate days in a small town with a long-established furniture shop, housed in a very interesting building. I went to look at the architecture and had a look around the shop. I saw the most wonderful display cabinet which I knew would solve the clothes problem in our tiny bedroom which got worse when the fitted wardrobe had to come out because of rotten joists. I bought the display cabinet and now I can see what clothes I have! I'm no longer using a big trunk and a wonderful mahogany drawer which used to be the bottom of the wardrobe - great pieces of furniture but hopeless for seeing whether there is anything suitable to wear.
This has meant a big change round which is still reverberating through the house. It's all very good news. Yesterday I threw out two baking trays for making mince pies. I'm very keen on my (newish) low carb/high fat/ way of eating and I'm not going to be making mince pies again. Nor am I going to be making jam or marmalade again so I'll be throwing out my empty glass jar collection. I'm getting rid of something every day, and I'm already someone who regularly edits her possessions. I keep thinking about an older lady I read about who said something like she only wanted to have a suitcase of possessions when she died. The DB says to me that such and such an item would surely bring more pleasure to someone else than us, and usually he's right.
And all this is having a quite a good effect on my eating. I weigh myself each day, do a good amount of exercise and (generally) eat OK but I must get back into writing down my weight, exercise and food plan for each day. It only takes a few moments and I think it does help.
Enough burbling from me. I'm a regular lurker and love learning from you all. Have a nice Sunday, everyone.
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, but including all three snacks. DW grilled the pork chops on the patio since all snow from a few days ago is melted. She's particularly fond of grilling outdoors because there are no grease spots to clean up over the stove.
Walk, CREDIT moi, included stopping to pick up a neighbor who is a partner in crime to visit an open house for a property just on the market. The interior is HUGE with elaborate molding in the living room that make me so jealous - the kind that meticulous carpenters did in 1910. We both found flaws to make us feel good about our own houses - especially useful since this one was priced way beyond our reach if we were in the market.
onebyone – Super Kudos for graciously accepting the bag of truffles and promptly disposing of them. It's hard to understand how someone can talk dieting and them immediately give a bag of treats.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Hope that ice isn't taking down tree limbs. Interesting that the first wandering off path leads to a desire to do more.
Nature Girl – Not finishing DQ ice cream is Kudos worthy.
maryann - Congrats for new exercise pants from the consignment store - you do so well from such places. [I learned a new transitive verb, "and frugalizing others."]
nationalparker – Kudos for being able to make biscotti and not gobble it all immediately. Would love to try spelt biscuits.
Karen (karenrn) - Kudos for the good walk in the Superstitions. Why Yes, this does seem important, "and probably not chewing on the folks we would visit either," LOL.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 9 Psychological Traps
Creating Escape Plans for Psychological Traps
Consider this sample escape plan as you create your own.
Escape Plan: Psychological Trap Situation #1: I feel so discouraged. It just feels like this whole week was so hard.
Sabotaging Thoughts: The week was hard.
Reminders: Actually, the whole week wasn't hard. It was hard for about 7 hours.
Strategies: Write down how important every advantage on my advantages list is to me. . . .
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. 195
We seem to have dodged the dire possibilities. We've got fairy-land decorated trees but only small limbs down and the power stayed on. My day's activities got canceled yesterday when the prediction was much worse, so I'm looking forward to another day of taking care of things and planning so that I don't feel overwhelmed next week.
Weigh-in: -0.65 kg
Exercise: +35, 59-/1200 minutes for January
Food: 100% on-plan
Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
I woke up thrilled this was not my last day of the weekend. Such a luxury. Baked the boys turkey bacon for high protein tortillas quesadillas and made enough bacon for Wed. and Thursday and Wed. again breakfast. I love the foodsaver that was my bday gift. We love bacon in this house but I hate the lingering smell of the prep. (I bake it in the oven.) Cooking a bunch for later meals is a big treat. So I have breakfasts and lunches done through Friday. Woohoo!!!
Credit for yesterday's walk. Tonite when the boys are at the King's game I am committed to stretches and two hours of school work. I am thinking of committing to Tuesday spin class Dh attends (5a.m.) and his Friday TRX class (also 5 a.m.) It depends if I have my school work under control. It has yet to be and I have been prepping mornings and afternoons. I am keeping an open mind. Funny that I began thinking of getting back to the gym because of my new exercise pants. Every action counts.
An speaking of little actions - a breakthrough with rice. I cooked half white rice and half brown in my little gem of a rice cooker. It worked beautifully. FMD program says brown rice but I can't give up my white. Yet I have bags of brown rice given to me from our coop since we grow rice. It has been a dilemma. I researched on the internet. I was assured I had to soak the brown first but NOPE!! The rice cooker is a great lesson in economics. Ten years ago I bought it for an absurd price of $184. It is a stainless steel Zoirushi and smaller than any other I have seen. People laughed at me spending that much. I can't calculate the amount of money saved from eating out and the number of pounds I didn't gain as a result. It cooks perfectly and keeps the rice warm for up to ten hours.
So huge credit for willingness to keep an open mind. I always looking for small ways to get healthier. I still haven't given up caffeine or some chocolate treats but I am moving toward decaffenating and have found chocolate morsels that are dairy, soy and gluten free. I eat an ounce with some almonds and chopped up dried dates and it is very filling ( as opposed to Sees candy 0 Every little bit counts.
Silverbirch: I get so inspired when I find another organizational hack. Love, love, love it. I ordered a travel size deodorant called Crystal (with an absurd shipping price.) I can't stand the cheap ones so I carried a regular size and mourned the space it took. This little guy allegedly last forever and takes one third of the space in my 1 quart travel bag. I am inordinately thrilled. I love being a natural editor of things. I am definitely someone who could shoot for the suitcase of stuff at the end. Not DH though.
gardenerjoy: In AA we have a saying that it is the first drink that gets you drunk. There is a comparison to the first compulsive bite I think.
BBE: I house shop on a regular basis. We chose to keep our small track home and purchase a vacation cabin in Tahoe rather than buy the biggest house on the block. I like that but it doesn't stop me from looking.
Hello! Putting in a good amount of time on food prep today - even things like pulling chicken from the carcass to more easily make the chicken tortilla soup later this week, etc. Made turkey Italian meatballs to be frozen, chicken and brown rice soup, cooked up the Italian hot turkey sausage for that veg soup and feel like I've done dishes four times Pulling meat off the bones is no temptation for me to nibble at all, but it is a huge exciting event for our pooch, who scores probably more than she should, but I think, "she's a carnivore ... it won't hurt her" ... scold me now, I know.
DH is napping and I've been plodding along in the kitchen. When he's back up, I think we'll run out to hopefully finish up his family's Christmas gifts because he put it off until our trip return since we knew we wouldn't see them before ... some was bought earlier but need to still tackle a great deal. He just will not do it on his own, which sounds mean of me, but I said I'll help but do not want to be out for hours. I always have a plan of where to go and what to get vs. browsing. Actually I thought we were going before he took a nap, so I had gotten ready. This will remind me of patience.
Holiday day for me but not for him tomorrow. I have a dr. appt. midmorning, so am thankful no weather issues for that. A windstorm has taken off the siding on our house near the peak - many rows of it, so we need to get that fixed. Now DH wants to price out getting it replaced with something more sturdy. Yesterday I was looking out the back window and noticed that the winds had blown our furnace vent off the roof! So with the icy morning, DH waited until this afternoon to get up on the roof
Weight jumped up again this morning - hoping that it drops with another week on plan and medications slowly leaving my body. Reminding me that I can only control what I can control and just be at peace with that.
Bill - The spelt biscuits were ehh ... so/so, I think ... the coconut oil added a different flavor. I might try them again with cinnamon as a breakfast bread and see how that rolls one weekend. the slightly sweet flavor just seemed a bit odd to me. I have a recipe for spelt sandwich bread that might get tackled this spring, but we just don't eat much bread at all now, that ... I think the effort will have us eat much more of it (which we don't need), or it'll get freezerburned, and be wasted. But of course, a recipe always tempts me!
Maryann - Good to read such a great post with future plans and current actions, all putting success within reach. I'm not sure WHY but the option of not going on the FMD 100% cold turkey didn't occur to us! I'm still longing for a pepsi max, but without caffeine and artificial sugars, it's a no go on my end because I think one will lead to a complete derail. Impressed that you can enjoy in small doses.
OneByOne - Sounds like you could have a good activity partner! Yay! Maybe the idea of someone else being on track got her wanting to get on track, too, and get those truffles out of her home.
I am reporting in to say the weekend was a lot tougher re: food planning/eating/stopping/choosing food than the whole week was. I strayed with a few items, not many. I over ate somewhat and then stopped. I did not have clear stopping and starting points with my meals which is part of this plan. Breakfast. stop. Lunch. stop. Supper. stop. I had nibbles in between. And I wasn't/didn't write things down as I ate them. I was kind of sort of "winging it"=never a good idea. And yes, the protein continues to be high with veggies far far behind. I need to make more of an effort and I do hope that what I did this weekend hasn't completely set me back. I felt all puffed up last night and it showed on the scale as it jumped the border into the 270's once more: 271.0
Overall I'd say the weekend was about 80% which is still not too bad, but there is room for improvement.
Tomorrow's weigh-in will be one official week on plan and hopefully I will get to change my ticker. We'll see.
This week will also be a much closer to normal week activity-wise. I will be at the guild tomorrow and then the next day head downtown to teach my class, plus my next print project is due soon: a 4" x 6" print to celebrate The Chinese Year of the Rooster. It is actually a Fire Rooster year. I'm in a new year's greeting card exchange so I have to mail these out soon. I have a title in mind for the print but it might be considered "rude". We'll see if some other title comes to mind. I am still at the carving the block stage but I am really pondering the colour. I need to make 30 of them, but they are small, but do I want to do two colours? or three colours? Just not sure. I can decide this later. If anyone reading this would like a Chinese New Year's card pm me! I'd be happy to send you one in the mail.
Monday - Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebrated (1929, Atlanta)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Standard Sunday walk, CREDIT moi, for the first time in weeks due to weather and schedule conflicts. I did get to pass two mini-libraries on the way where I didn't take any books. Spent some time helping DW work the installation of gates at the top of our stairs. Much to nobody's surprise, it's complicated because the walls and newel posts aren't plumb. Duh! We've known this for years but discover it anew as if the Victorians owned levels, LOL.
Eating was OK, CREDIT moi. I was thrown off by an evening meeting that went too long and I had to watch others nibbling away. I stopped short of all that I could grab - at least that much restraint.
onebyone – Yep, "winging it"=never a good idea - BTDT. Happy Year of the Fire Rooster.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for trees that stood up to the ice.
silverbirch – Wish you'd share the formula for how to do this, "I'm getting rid of something every day." Congrats for being able to remove a built in piece of furniture for a treasure that you found in a shop in a very interesting building.
maryann - Neat that new exercise pants lead to more gym. I've never heard of cooking white and brown rice at the same time.
nationalparker – That's a lot of wind to cause that much damage. Hope your DH doesn't get up on the roof while it's still icy. Kudos for being able to debone without nibbling.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 9 Psychological Traps
Creating Escape Plans for Psychological Traps
Consider this sample escape plan as you create your own.
Escape Plan: Psychological Trap Situation #1: I feel so discouraged. It just feels like this whole week was so hard. . . . Sabotaging Thoughts: It shouldn't be this hard.
Reminders: Dieting is supposed to get hard from time to time. It gets harder for everyone. Remember how hard it used to be? It's easier today than it was a year ago. And it will be a lot easier a year from today as long as I keep practicing my skills and don't give up.
Strategies: Read my advantages list 3 times throughout the day. . . .
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. 195
I'm more than half-way through my exercise goal for the month!
I never wrote a plan yesterday, but ate as if I had. Then, I forgot to weigh this morning. I'm getting the pieces in place again, today. When things are going well, I can get away with letting things flow for a day, but it's better if I keep my structures in place.
Weigh-in: NA
Exercise: +45, 625/1200 minutes for January
Food: NA on-plan
Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
onebyone: guessing on the 'rude' title. I'm pretty prudish, but can appreciate a rooster double entendre, if that's where you're going.
Credit for the stretching yesterday but I convinced myself I could do all the schoolwork today. Oh well. To be fair I did lots of other tasks including polishing two pairs of work shoes, taking a bag to the Goodwill, doing laundry and some generalized tidying up. Avoidance can have its spillover benefits.
I have promised myself an 8:00 a.m.start. Then I have a break with getting my hair done. Back to planning my AP 11th grade language comp class. Then off to Sacramento for physical therapy ( bleh! ) Afterwards, another hour and a half of correcting at a Starbucks. I have promised myself to go to at least one or two AA meetings out of town a month since I quit my small town home group. So I have checked out a meeting in Sac. This will get me back home by 9:30 and in bed. I have a luxury of no snow and ice in our winters. I would never dream of driving that late in the snow.
I have done so well getting off my anti anxiety meds. I was down to only one for the week but last night I invited two families to ski over the next few weekends up at the cabin. I immediately started to feel anxious. Here is the quandary: Do I not do something because it causes me to need an anxiety pill or do I use an anxiety pill to allow me to practice doing something so I get better? It is not like I am not trying to alleviate anxiety through other methods: I exercise, go to a counselor, meditate and pray, stay away from booze and other escapist behaviors, have a sponsor, on and on. However, there may be so much damage to my nervous system from the chaos I experienced as a child, that I need a little "help" to show up for a few seemingly simple tasks. Certainly the hormone therapy is working and the anxiety med is hopefully just transitional. Everything is done with a doctor's advice. Maybe I can let myself find more peace gradually. If I was diabetic, I wouldn't simply stop taking insulin.
What does all of this have to do with food? For years, I "solved" all this mess by isolating with food. But in the end I had nothing. I look at my life today and I have things I never dreamed of having - a wonderful son and husband; a challenging and important career, lifelong friends, a stronger relationship with God, a healthy weight. Answer: Don't run back to that path of self will. Take the next small indicated step. Don't use perfectionism to escape discipline. I am getting healthier everyday. Stay the course.
On and on this morning, I know. Sorry. But then I am trying to avoid schoolwork
It's been a semi lazy day today. I did get the bathrooms cleaned, and a trip to Costco and the grocery store and I guess I did some neatening up around here too. I didn't hike cause I knew it would be busy out there with the holiday. My plan is to go tomorrow morning right after my 7:30 PT appointment.
Food has been on plan today. Yesterday I made lemon bars with the lemons from the neighbors trees and ate a couple. I then gave a container to the neighbor who supplied the lemons, and sent the rest to work with dh. I had been thinking of making them for some time, they were really good, but very sweet. I don't think I'll need them again for a long time.
Oops time got away from me. I stepped away from here and now I need to get busy with dinner. More tomorrow.
When I have a random holiday day off, I think, "THIS is the retired life ..." and think, yes, I'm really looking forward to that day. In about 8-10 years if all goes well, enabling an early retirement. Dr. appt. this morning led to another one tomorrow for a scan. Fingers are crossed that it's just going to come to nothing. All food on plan today, and prepped for tomorrow. We've got enough of a variety of leftovers to just have those tomorrow for lunch as well as dinner, so will save a meal prep.
Five pounds up on the scale in five days. Steroid run is over now, but nervous about how that scale jumped...hoping it trends back down in the coming week or two. It did feel good to come away with a size 10 pair of work pants and a medium skirt. I am thankful for the ease of shopping - now if I'm not finding something that fits, it's because the 10s and 12s are sold. I have to keep this in mind so I don't revert back to earlier habits.
Quiet night in tonight, candles are lit and pets are seeking cozy company. It seems like it's near midnight with the early darkness.
Karen - Those lemon bars do sound delish. I love a good lemon bar. Now you have me thinking about them
Bill - UGH on non-straight walls, posts, etc. At least you have a reason with the age of your home. I get frustrated with a fairly recent home. Every time DH goes to fix something, he finds another way the builders cut corners... (we didn't buy new construction).
Maryann - Enjoy a shorter school week - hope you were able to tackle all of the schoolwork! This is a dumb question, but do they make/offer a smaller dose of your med that could help bridge these situations or it is what it is? You always seek good solutions now, it seems. Credit.
GardnerJoy - Kudos for your activity so well entrenched! Do you combine indoor and outdoor activity in the winter?
OneByOne - Congrats on a full week on plan! How does it feel to know you can do what you're setting out to do and taking your health in your hand? CREDIT! Here's to a great start to week two.
On plan yesterday – made lunch ‘out’ work with a cup of soup, ½ a small salad. Saved the rest of the salad for today’s lunch. On plan today too, probably because I a) planned and b) stayed busy. Cat to the vet, calling about bills, doing schoolwork, making lunches, and making dinner. I guess I did that yesterday, also, because my BFF and I quilted all day so little chance to nibble or develop cravings. Nationalparker: The black bean soup was amazing! But it was quite an adventure getting to the eating stage! I started out with no onion – what? My house with no onions at all??? So I rehydrated some dry onions, and sauted with most of the olive oil and some yellow pepper for better texture. Added cumin (any time there is chili powder, I usually add cumin) and a can of chopped chiles. Since I was making the chili lime sweet potatoes AND the cilantro lime rice, I used cider vinegar instead of lime in the soup. I got everything to the table and we were eating when I realized I hadn’t used the immersion blender! But we really enjoyed all three items, and saved half of the soup for later this week – I will blend that portion. And I made a grocery list that included ONIONS!!!
Diet Coaches/Buddies – I stayed on my path during a long evening meeting sitting around a coffee table with multiple snacks, CREDIT moi. I limited myself to cucumber slices with a dab of humus - mostly since the host had bothered to make them and was passing them around as if they'd better not be ignored, LOL.
Exercise was stomping about Toy-R-Us to return a gate that wasn't the right height for our location. We shudder at the plastic stuff being sold, but DW found the Play Doh and Crayons and grabbed them because it made her so happy to find something real. Doll houses started at $150. Methinks my DGD is going to use a cardboard box when visiting.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Thanks for "it's better if I keep my structures in place." It's also Anne Bronte's birthday (1820), but I've never read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - it's not even on a list.
Nature Girl – Kudos for quilting all day without nibbling.
maryann - Sending supportive thoughts for the tension between doing more with help vs. doing less. Kudos for creating a support team for your decision.
nationalparker – You do make a good life, "candles are lit and pets are seeking cozy company."
Karen (karenrn) - Around here, just don't get to write this, "with the lemons from the neighbors trees." Kudos for passing most of them along.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 9 Psychological Traps
Creating Escape Plans for Psychological Traps
Consider this sample escape plan as you create your own.
Escape Plan: Psychological Trap Situation #1: I feel so discouraged. It just feels like this whole week was so hard. . . . Sabotaging Thoughts: I can't keep it up.
Reminders: I'm just making an excuse because I don't feel like making the effort right now. I can, in fact, keep it up this moment.
Strategies: Count up how many hours were actually difficult this week and how many hours weren't. . . .
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. 195
Lots of work accomplished and that is a great feeling. DS was catching up on school in the same room ( near the fire) so I got a bonus of his company. Food OP but too much. Food planned. Exercise today is a must!
PT appt. says I'm getting healthier. Good news. Swung by REI to look at walking sticks for spring. THXS Karen.
Fingers crossed for nationalparker and test results.
BBE gave one of my favorite tips: Count how many hours you were on plan instead of the minutes you were off.
Nature GIrl: quilting is such a neat hobby. I envy you.
*waving to Silverbirch! Happy New Year to you across the pond!*
Sunday - Molasses floods streets (1919, Boston)
0 Every little bit counts. 
the weekend
