Getting ready for a short trip threw me for a loop. It doesn't seem like it should, but it did. I suspect that I would do better with short trips if I accept that I find them almost as disruptive as much longer ones.

So, checking in to see if I can make the trip as healthy as possible. Here's the plan -- focus on veggies, my packed apples are the only snack, exercise every day. I'm on a daily exercise streak that's been going for over 20 months. This is not the time to break my streak.

On plan again - feels good. Worked from home but didn't prep any dinner during my lunch break, like I often do. I decided to just wing it and prepped quesadillas that were great - roasted jalapeno refried black beans, seasoned baked sweet potato cubes, salsa, white corn, onion and a sprinkling of cheese. I need to write that combo down on my menu plan master list. Snow this morning and again this evening, but not enough to stick around until tomorrow. We have tickets for a performance of Appoggiatura and I'm looking forward to it.

Bill - Glad the call was made, but frustrating that it didn't accomplish what you were needing. I'm the caller in our home ... DH will gripe about something but never call. After our internet bill jumped up $45 off a promotion plan, I called them on Saturday to ask if they'd put us back on that promotion, even though it expired. He walked back and forth behind me throughout the call, saying just go back to the basic if they won't, just this ...just that, etc. I was friendly and explained that I didn't want to pay any more for it, could we retain the promo, etc. Success - no issues at all. I felt like I saved us $1,000 (it did, over two years), but still ...

Joy - Safe travels - I love quick in/out trips because I don't like leaving our pets for long.

Silverbirch - Hopefully this flu disappears here soon and you're back to full strength. It'll take a while, though; it's knocked some family members out for several weeks. Even two young ones (30s) had a harder time rebounding than they expected.

Maryann - Glad you like your cut/color! Credit for the self-care on that and the time off wanted.

Beth - Your trip sounds so wonderful, especially as the midwest and east are getting pummeled with snow and winds. Savor the warmth of the sunshine on your skin. Ahhh.

Mary - Thanks for the reminder that I can put more into my cleaning and get more out of it! Hope your day was good and you didn't get too buried with the snow. I need to check on our Mass. trio's weather - you, Bill and CurlyJax. :)

CurlyJax - Hope you made it through OK! Keep taking care of you...

Thursday - International Women's Day (Recognized by the UN since 1911)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Chase the DGD day for exercise, CREDIT moi. This time she chose to be carried up to bed for her nap screaming in protest. In fact, she was ready for her nap; she just wanted to force us to make the decision. She laid down and went right to sleep. The predicted foul weather caused us to stay at her house instead of risking a late afternoon drive with her when heavy snow was predicted.

At their house, I had Internet problems using their WIFI connections. I tried everything. We took the DGD to a play space that has WIFI. Same problem there. Ooops . . . that suggests that I'm the problem. So I did the brilliant, technically difficult, challenging step of . . . restarting my computer. Problem solved! I hate when it's that easy and I sweat so hard before I do the obvious. Eating was on plan even with an afternoon snack. The snow that didn't accumulate yesterday appears to be on our walk right now. I've got to get out of here and do some shoveling.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Congrats on that 20-month exercise streak. I'm embarrassed that my suitcase for a short trip is about the same as for a long one. The one time, far away and long ago, that I spilled mustard on my tie during a business trip has meant that ever since then I've had backup clothes.

silverbirch – Yes, rest and let your body heal itself. Nothing feels better than a nap with no guilt feelings.

maryann - Congrats for making a decision about your hair color. It's a decision that I've never faced since gray hairs started appearing when I was fifteen. In high school, kids thought it neat.

nationalparker – Yay for working from home productively - even if you didn't do cooking prep during your lunch break. What does "a performance of Appoggiatura" mean?

Readers -

On plan for today - yesterday my husband took us to fast food for dinner so off-plan but didn't let it sabotage me into eating the rest of the night - was right back on track - credit me!! Exercise bike each morning have progressed from 5 minutes to 7 minutes even with my knees bothering me. Reading the intro of the Beck Book now on the characteristic of how thin people think - very interesting that I am highlighting and underlining very different things from the first time I went through the book. Wrote a new advantages card and am now reading both the new one I wrote this month and the old one from August 2016 when I first arrive at work and then again at 3:00 pm when I really want to grab unhealthy snack food (free for the taking at my work). Need to pick two diets (I like to call them food plans). Does anyone have any suggestions?? Curious what other peoples experience with various ways of eating and what has worked for them.

Thanks for being my diet coaches for today.

Hey everyone,

Real busy today at work and home cleaning up after the storm. I walked 10,500 steps today and got some good cardio in with shoveling. Shoveling that heavy snow made me realize I need to start lifting some weights. Getting weak.
Food was good. Had baby carrots with my turnips. Have come to realize I am not a fan of baby carrots anymore. Bought them on sale not worth it.

silverbirch the flu this year is brutal. I liked to make a pot of good old fashioned chicken soup when I feel like that.

maryann It's always a boast for our mood right after coloring your hair.

nationalparker lunch sounded delish.

beth I will be feeling the warm sunshine soon. It will be in the 70's I'll take it. sounds really nice where you are.

billblueeyes so frustrating making phone calls with no outcome. Love the story of your DGD fighting the sleep.

millie56 I use MFP and no white carb programs. No sugar either. They really effect me once I start eating them I am a eating machine. NO GOOD.

I am melting away....

Mary

Brief check in myself - the play, Appoggiatura, was superb. Now I want to return to Italy. (as always) ... but the longing is stronger now. On plan. Dinner in a super quick pinch was Trader Joe's chicken potstickers and I made homemade fried rice with peppers, onions, carrots, peas, corn, etc. I don't care for soy sauce so I hope it doesn't do a weight gain for just a tiny amount. Then DH didn't get home until the time we were supposed to be leaving, so I was in a frustrated tizzy. Getting to an event RIGHT THE MOMENT IT STARTS drives me absolutely buggy. I don't know what the solution is - drive separately? Then he's mad, not me? More tomorrow.

Just wanted to add, Mary, I'm the same way with baby carrots, but love regular carrots - raw and cooked. Maybe take the rest of them, toss in a smidge of olive oil and roast them. Takes away that bleachy taste. Luckily my DH likes them, so I cut my own carrot sticks and he takes the baby carrots to work for a snack.

Still in Ajijic
 

Had a nice day split between wandering through the small town, visiting with my dad, and getting a foot massage.

Food choice for my one meal was good today—fish and vegetables and less than one piece of bread. All of a sudden I was full so I stopped—although the last few bites of bread and fish called to me. But I was full so I stopped. Big credit there.

Have another relaxing day of wandering planned for tomorrow.

—Beth

Friday - Amistad slaves ruled free (1841, US Supreme Court)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – The snow that was predicted for the day before was waiting for me to shovel. CREDIT moi for some exercise. It was too wet to be usefully removed by the snow blower. The good news is that it was easily shovelable. My hard-copy newspapers arrived by 8:00 am - fairly amazing since I'd already received emails stating that the weather would force them to be delivered the next day. A day late newspaper is wimp.

Food was OK, CREDIT moi. Dinner was leftover chili; it's even better when reheated. The secret is lots of chili powder and lots of beef. DW uses a 13-bean mix that we like so there's an occasional large lima bean in the mix. Evening snack was half of a California Navel Orange while watching The Exonerated for my class on Problems in the Prosecution. It was six stories of miscarried justice that were eventually resolved. Twenty years is a long time to wait on death row for favorable resolution.


nationalparker – We're headed to a play tonight that explicitly warns that there'll be no late seating. It's 90 minutes without intermission and the play happens around the audience. Getting there "RIGHT THE MOMENT IT STARTS" isn't a good idea.

millie56 - Super Kudos for resisting falling off the deep end because of one fast-food dinner. And Kudos, again, for resisting FREE snack foods at work. That would be a challenge for me.

Beth (bethturnaround) – Kudos for stopping just because you detected that you were full. That's so Beck.

Mary (mam1958) - Yay for the cardio and resistance exercise from shoveling snow. I remain a fan of baby carrots - raw with lunch. DW only cooks with 'real' carrots.


Readers -

I'm a rather intermittent poster at the moment. I think it's because I'm dragging along at the tail-end of the flu and it doesn't want to give up. I have a nasty dry post-viral cough which is worse in the cold and damp, or when I'm talking or laughing. And I feel exhausted. One way and another, I haven't been right since the beginning of November.

Bill, a hot-water bottle is ideal for moulding around pain or when you're cold. Perhaps people with microwaves (we don't have one) heat those bags full of grain to do the same job.

mam1958, love chicken soup too. We had a good bean soup with leftover lamb and chicken scraps yesterday evening and I felt very much better. I think roast chicken might be on the cards for the weekend and that will lead to stock and then probably minestrone. Good food is medicine.

gardenerjoy, hope you're reading here and are OK.

I have been fighting harder than I think should be necessary for every 0.2 pound. (this is because "last time" it was about 2 pounds per week...so my thinking is expecting same result.) Three weeks on WW, 3.2 pounds down. Now I'll bump up a bit, then level off, and hopefully drop back down. That's the TRUE cycle of life, it seems. My life, anyway. :) Good healthy lunch and then ran an errand to an upscale market, and picked up more than I anticipated, so had to go back for a cart. Not a good sign. Stopped at the dessert/bakery for a treat for DH - he loves their tiramisu, so picked up an individual portion for him. I don't like it, so it's no temptation. The fresh fruit tart, however, was. I picked it up and planned to split it into two servings to enjoy this weekend. Got back to the office, stowed them in the fridge, and then got to thinking. That wasn't wise choice. So I thought some more and someone was having a rough day and I gave it to her (still in the container of course) and she was ecstatic. She asked how I knew these were her favorite dessert? Lucky guess. Sometimes I think it's pretty cool how things work out.

Bill - I can only imagine that a play that takes place around the audience would likely involve the last to be seated, as well. Looking forward to hearing how you enjoy it, though.

Mary - I'm using WW as my method at this point, but taking from the plan what makes sense and fits in with my desire for a nutritionally sound plan, not just fat-free or sugar laden options. I feel I must add that disclaimer.

Silverbirch - Boy, that flu really gripped onto you. Hopefully as the weather improves (?), you'll be able to shake the after-effects.

Joy and Beth - Hope your trips are going well! Kudos for passing on add'l bread when full - that is a very hard "skip" for me.

Millie - Great job in not following a fast-food meal with more! That's major credits there.

Last night in Ajijic
 

We wandered around a market today, had a 3 hour lunch with my dad (DH and dad took great advantage of the endless margaritas—I drank water) and DH and I each had a massage. (400 pesos for the two of us—roughly $22)

I’ve been weighing every morning and checking my sugar. Made medium decisions at dinner tonight—ate 2 onion rings I probably shouldn’t have and only ate 2 bites past when I should have stopped. I'm proud of how I’ve done this week—stayed with only one meal per day, kept up with my products, and drank lots of water. I stuck with my "no alcohol" pledge. (The no alcohol is part of the program commitment during the active weight loss phase). I’m down about 2 lbs since we left.

I feel pretty comfortable that I’ll be able to go back to all products starting Sunday. I’m not ready to slow down my results.

Back to the cold tomorrow!

Hey everyone,

Just have to say how glad I am that I found this thread and bought this book.
What a difference it is making for me. Since getting this book and following it I am down 10 pds. It feels so good. Eating is good exercise I have to start scheduling that in. Today I am making a cornbeef dinner since next weekend I will be away.

nationalparker thanks for the reminder to roast the veggies. I did and they were delish. Yeah for your 3.2 pds down. It's going in the right direction.

beth you are doing great on your vaca with staying on your program..Love messages. I wish they only cost 22 dollars here....

bill I miss getting a newspaper. Too many problems with the carrier. so cancelled it. But I will still buy a Herald once and a while gotta keep up with the sports news. I still like holding it in my hand. Your play sounded interesting.

silverbirch glad your feeling better nothing like good old soup when your sick.


I am melting away.....

Mary

Saturday - Great Jewish temple completed (515 BC, Jerusalem)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked, CREDIT moi, to the subway to see the world premiere of the play by Claudia Rankine, The White Card. It was a regularly scheduled play that thrust the discussion of racism to make everyone uncomfortable. It was followed by 'Act II' - a discussion by all of our feelings about the play. Having folks discuss racism in Boston in public is a first for me. By happenstance of the gods, I was seated next to one of the few black men in the audience - who happened to be a friend of mine. We'd never met each other's wives, so that happened. The white characters were a tad one dimensional, but the writing was exquisite. The young black female artist used subtle facial expressions to steal the show.

Eating wasn't so good, Ouch. I had a large morning snack which, for attempted compensation, I called lunch and had nothing else. Even if the calories were close to OK, the attitude wasn't. The snow still sits on the ground with none of the grey slush that appears after thawing starts. Looks idyllic winter. I'm ready for idyllic Spring. A relative in Missouri told me that his snow peas were already climbing. Don't know how Missouri get to skip winter.


silverbirch – Sure hope your flu thing comes to its conclusion soon. Congrats for living without a microwave. Ours is so old that it takes three minutes to do a two-minute job. My adult son ridicules us for this. We, however, just compensate. We never stand there waiting; we just return when the bell dings. He also once said that it's so old it's probably leaky, making me sterile. I managed to keep a straight face when he said that.

nationalparker – Kudos for giving away your fruit tart - especially since you found a person in need of a boost. Yep, that was pretty cool.

Beth (bethturnaround) – You deserve to be proud for staying to your plan in a vacation environment in Mexico. A bargain massage sounds wonderful.

Readers -

Hi everyone. We lost power weds night at midnight and it was finally restored friday sometime in the afternoon. I just couldn't deal with the freezing cold house (we lose heat when the power goes out) so i made a reservation in a hotel. My neighbors kindly snowblowed us out and the shoveling wasn't too bad, but I broke down sobbing, wanting my husband.

We have lost power for days before, but never in the winter. I was worried about the one bathroom pipes that are more exposed and have frozen before. Then yesterday morning before the power was restored i went home and discovered the furnace was dripping, due to the loss of power. Again i broke down. This is when you need your spouse to problem solve etc. He was always calm in this type of situation and knew more about the house than i do. I tried to turn off the water supply but it didn't seem to be turning off which isn't good. Something else i will have to deal with. The furnace guy came and put a cap on it (after two calls, the first guy just seemed to say wait it out and have water over the basement, not helpful).

So everything is back to normal and thank goodness no harm to us, house or cars, just food to throw away. But I sobbed and sobbed coming back to the house yesterday. Its getting harder now that reality is setting in, he isn't coming back.
I feel better today with the sun shining and after a good night sleep. The spring can't come soon enough.

thanks for letting me vent. I had a dream about resisting dessert- at least i'm doing it in my sleep!

Mary- great job on the 10 pounds!

Check in from the track meet. A long week. I had some standout resistance moments including today's California orange over candy at the snack center here.

Weight is one pound under ticker. It is my hope to lose one more before April to change my ticker down 2

Used some of the weekly bonus points today with some cinnamon roasted almonds and made homemade pizza for dinner tonight. DH wanted it and I felt I was more comfortable being in control of the meal, since tomorrow afternoon a new friend and I are going to a dinner theatre for Mamma Mia. Wanted to limit the indulgences this weekend. I walked part of the trail but was so cold - I cut it short. I should have worn my hat and scarf. Or should have gotten on the bike at home. It's been a super busy day - cleaning, errands and several hours of office work.

Helped DH with a tiny thing in the garage and feel like I got sawdust in my eye. It's really bothering me- nothing is working to clear it out. Driving me bonkers.

Scale nudged down a bit this morning but of course, with the extras today, that'll jump back up. I set myself up for disappointment ;) but I would rather have a bit more on a Saturday than a weekend when I'm so sedentary.

We're home!
 

We got home just in time to lose an hour. To make life interesting, power went out while we were gone so the iPhone couldn't talk to the garage door opener and I had to call DD to get our garage door code, which neither of us could remember.

I had a good food day today. I knew we'd be having dinner at the airport and was concerned about the possibility of getting a protein and vegetables without a bunch of added stuff, so I had my "real" meal at lunchtime and ate a bar at the airport. My concern was justified--I don't think Johnny Rocket was going to be on plan.

We did a bunch of walking around, enjoying the sun, then spent a couple of hours with my dad before we headed to the airport. Tomorrow will be laundry and organizing--but for now I'm headed to bed.

nationalparker: Credit for walking at all--especially in the cold.

curlyjax: I feel for you. It must be so hard.

Sunday
 

The sun's up and it could turn into a reasonable day. Lots to do - still clearing up after the snow. It'll be good for me to be outside.

Food - OK.

Precision Nutrition - getting a bit bored now as I either know/have done it all (:D - I know, what am I like?) or it's simply not possible for me (choose a new 'veggie' and see whether you like it - I've probably been through the veg in our supermarket about a million times).

Sunday - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley publishes Frankenstein (1818, Geneva)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Major accomplishment was writing five paragraphs that I have to present at a meeting today. CREDIT moi for doing what I had to do. Writing takes me longer than I think it should. In my next life, I'll major in English Literature and English Composition to become more fluent.

Eating was OK. Dinner was pumpkin soup served with Kale and cheese toast. Usually we each have one and a half slices; last night we had only one. "I calculated that I need to drop 100 calories a day to stay even," DW explained. "What about me?" "No comment." Oh Well; she's right. Dropping a few calories would be good for me also.


silverbirch – Love the thought of "choose a new 'veggie'" - perhaps there's a Chinese green thing that I can get from big Chinese supermarket in downtown Boston that we haven't had. Yay for sunshine.

maryann - Kudos for standing down the candy in favor of a California Orange.

nationalparker – Absolutely, "should have worn my hat and scarf" - it's still ten days until Spring! Hope you eye washes away that irritant.

curlyjax - Ouch for the loss of power just when you didn't need another stress. Kudos for taking care of yourself. I share your thought, "The spring can't come soon enough."

Beth (bethturnaround) – Welcome home. Congrats for knowing that it's Daylight Saving Time. Yay for having a DD who remembers the garage door code.

Mary (mam1958) - Congrats on those ten pounds gone forever. Thanks for the reminder about corned beef - a favorite of mine.

Readers -

Hi everyone!

No exercise today--haven't even left the house. But the laundry is done, the mail is mostly dealt with, and the toiletry travel kit is restocked and ready for our next trip.

Being back on product without a "real" meal hasn't been difficult today. I was concerned that eating real food again would be so compelling it'd be hard to go back to 5 meal replacements a day, but it just seemed straightforward.

One interesting thing I realized while I was in restaurants is that I can enjoy a good smell without having to eat it. That a good smell is its own pleasure--it doesn't require eating the food that smells so good. It makes sense--smell is a trigger for me, but just like I don't have to eat food that looks good, I don't have to eat food just because it smells good.

I'm working on separating "smells good" from "want". I'm hoping these months of meal replacements helps me get there, since DD's dinners often smell good--but it can be an observation rather than a behavior trigger.

--Beth

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Mamma Mia at our dinner theatre for the matinee. It was fun and lively with mostly superb voices. I did enjoy the lemon cake for dessert (out of the 5-6 choices) and savored every bite. I counted everything to the best of my ability and used most of my weekly bonus points today. Four more days to stretch out the few remaining, but I figure if they give them to you, you can use them if needed. I'd not dived into them much yet.

Finally found those golden nugget mandarins at the very expensive market. Nearly $1 apiece and not nearly the size of an orange. I LOVE them, though, and know I'll hit that store again in a week or so for more. My dinner tonight was stretched out and alone as DH fell asleep for hours today. I thought he was sick, but no.

Trying to get ahead for work tomorrow and have put in six hours already today split between morning and evening/night. I'm about to just call it quits and get back to it in the morning. Cold and windy here, no walk at all today - just to take the dog out. I should have just scooted out for a half hour if nothing more early today.

Bill - Missing your cheese toast, along with you. I planned on roasting broccoli for dinner tonight but tabling it to tomorrow night. I did NO meal prep this weekend. At least we have lunch options. If DH doesn't take the main course in there from Friday for his lunch, it'll be dinner as well. :)

Good Evening, Coaches.

Family day consisted of late mornings and hanging out until our usual "field trip" somewhere became impossible. We decided on movie afternoon watching Darkest Hour It is fun that DH lets DS and I fill him in on the history bits by pausing the moive. DS is so excited about all he is learning in school and I'm glad I remember things. We often have disagreements and then rush to our phones for confirmation. Then we will unpause and continue the movie. DH is a good sort. Not everybody would be willing to this structure. Enjoyed it so much watched Lincoln right afterwards. Both films are very emotional for me. Having a son at a near draftable age makes me shudder at the losses of both wars. Everyone should be reminded of the cost of our freedom. I am glad that active military are often showed such respect. i always cry every
time someone is introduced. It hasn't always been that way.

Yesterday's track meet ended and so did my plan. I woke up a pound above ticker no doubt from soy sauce at sushi. Today was back to plan, thankfully.

Welcome back to the country Beth. I can imagine it being difficult going back on products. Credit to you and nationalparker hanging with much more formal plans than mine.

Not looking forward to school. It is sad to me that work which was once beloved is now a distress. I know the shrink says the meds are in process and so are the feelings so I will act in faith that I will feel differently at some point. All I can do is what is before me. A good night sleep, an early school morning to prep, and taking my tennis shoes to walk the bleachers while DS practices are three things I can control.

Wave to all.

A mild, damp day here which will make everything grow.

I mended the wood shelter yesterday and it's now standing upright and looking neat. The appalling easterly winds of a few weeks ago (very unusual direction for winds here) blew it down, blocking the side passage to and from the shed where the SO's bike is, and the way to the bins. All is fine now and I can tell you all that buying an electric drill a few years ago was an excellent decision.

I'm planning on a full body workout shortly. Food has already gone off the rails which is interesting as it's only breakfast time. This is such odd behaviour for me that something major must be up. I'm not sure what though so I'll give that some thought. Perhaps it's that old combo of too much to do and extreme boredom.

maryann, hope you had a good night's sleep. It makes all the difference to me (and writing this, I realised that perhaps the bad night's sleep last night has contributed to my rather too large breakfast this morning).

nationalparker, do you cut up veg in advance and keep it in the fridge? Precision Nutrition seems to be keen on this and while I appreciate the early preparation I don't feel very keen on letting the cut edges of the veg dry out over a number of days. Anyone else?

beth, very interesting on distinguishing between 'smells good' and 'want'. Good luck! I have another category as well which is 'they want you to think it smells and tastes good but it actually doesn't'. I use this for shop-made food which I know will be disappointing or make me feel ill.

Bill, thanks for reminding me of Chinese supermarkets. We have one here so I'll have a look in there tomorrow. I'll also take a look at the frozen veg section in the supermarkets. Btw, I reckon writing here every day is good practice in manipulating the English language to express yourself.

curlyjax, so impressed you were able to resist a dessert in your sleep! (And vent as much as you like here. No power, cold and having to go to a hotel would try anyone, however resilient they were feeling.)

I'm going to have a cup of coffee now and then do the full body workout.

Monday - Hank Ketcham syndicates "Dennis the Menace" (1951, 16 newspapers)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – The meeting that I'd prepared for with much tension went well, with no tension, perhaps only because I'd prepared enough to eliminate those unnecessary projections onto which tension sticks. Or, perhaps, because there never would have been tension and I over prepared. It's easy to undermine success with the Sabotaging Thought that it could have been achieved at a lower cost. CREDIT moi for moving away from the self-criticism and just enjoying one more event in life.

At a potluck lunch, I ate exactly one plate, CREDIT moi. Got to chat with a high school senior headed off to college to study computer science. He was rather surprised that someone as old as me had made his living doing exactly that. Gotta love the enthusiasm and optimism of a guy who is facing going one direction or another and won't know which until mid-April when acceptances arrive. I had a much too large snack in the afternoon - maybe as a comedown from the morning. Howsomever, that's got to stop.


silverbirch – I recognize "that old combo of too much to do and extreme boredom." The only time that I read Time magazine during my college days was when I was overwhelmed with the amount of studying that I needed to do for final exams. Congrats for getting that wood shelter back in shape.

maryann - Conducting a family discussion while watching a movie is so amazing - Congrats to the whole family for being there.

nationalparker – Just googled to find out that Mamma Mia is based on music by ABBA - how cool is that! Neat that you're attracted to golden nugget mandarins rather than some unhealthy food item.

Beth (bethturnaround) – I am so impressed, "the toiletry travel kit is restocked and ready for our next trip" - Congrats for doing the kind of preparation that one reads about in books. Neat to distinguish "smells good" from "want".

Readers -

Hello!!!
 

I’m new here. I’ve done the Beck Diet Solution before in 2008 and had success. I’m back at it again and found this support group. Yay!!!

I had a kickin on-plan day today! Feels good to indulge and then be able to get back on track without skidding off the rails. I made fajitas for dinner with loads of peppers and onions and thinly sliced chicken with a spritz of lemon to add to the seasonings. Perfect! I had planned on leftovers but then remembered I had thawed chicken a while back that needed to be used up. Even able to work in a minitub of guac.

Credits for not overeating because our computer system (on deadline) shut down multiple times today. At 4:55 it shut down again, and I just packed up and left. So frustrating and knew I'd be working tonight as well.

Bill - Yes, Mamma Mia is jam packed with ABBA songs and the ensemble sang other ABBA songs not in the show and the audience sang and danced along. It was really fun. DH despises disco and 70s music that wasn't rock, but I love it :) Maybe I danced off a bit of the cake? haha ... wishful thinking.

Welcome, Orange123! Glad to have you join us! I think this is the most positive, supportive group of online folks! :)

Hi everyone!

DH and DD baked a lasagna tonight (a vegetarian one I had made and frozen some time ago). It smelled delicious. I basked in the smell but didn't have any. What was harder, actually, when we all ate together (me with my soup), were the Pillsbury crescent rolls. I wanted one. The only Beck thought I could come up with was "if I give in on this, what will I give in on next?" None of my response cards came to mind--but I thought about exercising my resistance muscle and prevailed!

nationalparker: Hurrah for a kick-*** OP day! I didn't have any chicken fajitas in Mexico. I ended up with fish several nights instead, on the theory that chicken fajitas are everywhere but there isn't much fresh fish in Chicago.

orange123: Welcome! (I'll leave it to Bill to do the official way-cool welcome)

BillBlueEyes: One plate at a potluck is true restraint! Credit!

silverbirch: You are so right about things that smell good but don't taste anywhere near as good. Popcorn is like that for me--but that didn't stop me from eating large quantities of it.

maryann: Your family movie watching sounds great. Soy sauce is sneaky stuff!

--Beth

Thanks!!!

Welcome orange123
 

:welcome: orange123 :welcome:

And, on the occasion of your first post on 3FC, :wel3fc:

How did you learn of the books by Dr. Judith Beck?

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

Tuesday - William Hershel discovers Uranus (1781, 7th planet from the sun)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Decided that the only way to limit eating the cookies was to put the remainder in the trash, CREDIT moi. The problem was that I'd bought them. At that point, I could have just added all the calories in the package to my weight. I was committed to eating them all. The only workable solution was to make them disappear. Normally, I take solace when I dump something in the compost bin for the worms. I wanted them gone NOW. So I took advantage of garbage pickup day and put them in the garbage bag before I took it to the curb when I went out to pick up my delivered newspaper. Wish I'd tossed them before eating as many as I did. Ouch!

It was a busy day with two classes and an evening meeting. The class on problems with the prosecution focused on the hysteria of Satanic ritual abuse of kids in daycare of the late 1980's and early 1990's. It's a very depressing read. It was dramatic demonstration of how easy it is to implant 'memory' into small children under the guise of 'recalled memories'. Sad period in the U.S. Justice System.


nationalparker – Ouch for computers that shut down as deadlines approach. Smart to plan to work later rather than eat about it. [Playing Dancing Queen as I type. I do need a shot of ABBA every now and then; thanks for triggering it.]

Beth (bethturnaround) – Kudos for using the strategy, "if I give in on this, what will I give in on next?" It's so neat that you savor the smell and don't have to indulge.

orange123 - Neat that you worked the Beck strategies some ten years ago. They're still good. Glad you've joined us.

Readers -

quick wave coaches- i cannot believe we are in the middle of another blizzard!! PRAYING we don't lose power/heat or have damage. At least i got my shower done and had my coffee!
Credit yesterday for going to water aerobics- which was so fun!! and i am not sore today thankfully as there is much shoveling to do. A bunch of us ladies aged 40-60 with a few young uns, marching around etc in the water to great music. I could barely hear the instrtuctor, but I figure just keep moving. I felt so great when it was done.
And credit for ignoring cookies and eating some healthy food instead- i am always so hungry after being in the water.
wave to all!

I came across the Beck Diet Solution book in a bookstore about 10 years ago. I did the 42 day program and got down to ideal weight. I maintained that weight for about 3years. Then, I had our DS and have been gradually gaining since that time.

I searched for Beck Diet support on google and found this website. I’m excited about starting the program again and devoting more of my time to self-care!!!

Hello coaches! On plan today - baked ziti for dinner with roasted broccoli and garlic. It seems to take forever to cut and slice up but roasts quickly.

How did you fare with the storm, Bill, CurlyJax and Mary? Did you keep power? Anyone else from the NE that I'm blanking on? (I'm sure as soon as I hit submit, I'll go ohhhhh shoot!)

Not much to report from here. I feel like it's just get up, get food ready, go to work, get home, get food ready. And it's only Tuesday evening. Hoping to cap this evening off with a hot bubble bath.

Hi everyone!

Today was official weigh-in and doctor's visit as well as my weekly class. The topic today was boosting metabolism--very interesting. We talked about how the body has to work harder to digest some foods than others and how one's metabolism stays higher even after exercise, not just during.

This is my 3rd day back on 5 products a day. It's going just fine. The doctor gave me the option of continuing with one meal a day but I don't want to do that just yet. I can stay on the 'full fast' for 26 weeks unless there's a medical reason to stop and at this point, that's what I'm intending to do.

nationalparker: Congrats for another on plan day! Happy soaking!

orange123: I'm glad you found us.

curlyjax: sounds like you had a lot of credits--water aerobics, eating choices (bad cookie)

BillBlueEyes: Credit for tossing the cookies. That's hard to do!

I'm off to go read some more of "Tribal Leadership" before bed!

--Beth

Wednesday - National Pi Day (since 1989, San Francisco Exploratorium)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Exercise was shoveling about 20 inches of snow, CREDIT moi. A friend of DW suggested that it would be best done in three stages. So, dutifully, we set out shoveling while snow was still falling; and then again; and then again. For reasons not clear, we just didn't bother starting the snow blower. After dark, one of the other owners needed help getting it going so that happened anyway. Our power stayed on the whole time even as I received an email from the power company saying that many had lost theirs.

Eating was OK, CREDIT moi. In the back of the pantry, DW found a package from IKEA of sauce for salmon. It was one year outdated; we haven't been to IKEA in years. Much to my surprise, she used it anyway. Good enough but great joy that one more item is gone from the pantry. Methinks that DW is less concerned with dying than she is of having our DD clean up the pantry clucking at items outdated.


nationalparker – Roasted broccoli is just the best. Hope your DH appreciates how much time you put into food prep.

curlyjax - Hope you survived our region's third Nor'easter. One weather map shows that you got more snow than we did. Kudos for doing your water aerobics. In my old gym, no one looked as happy as the ladies (always ladies) doing water aerobics.

Beth (bethturnaround) – Keep beating the drum for exercise; it's easy for me to get distracted from it. Kudos for making the decision to stick with your meal plan.

orange123 - Neat that you just discovered Beck's book in your book store. A young kid makes sane eating a challenge. Does that mean that your DS is about 7 now?

Readers -

So grateful!! didn't lose power or heat this time. We did get close to 2 feet of snow i think. thank goodness for DS who helped me shovel. I spent part of yesterday looking at battery operated snowblowers. We only have a four car driveway so not too big, and in a couple years DS will be in college, so it could be a good idea. We've never had a snowblower and I don't want to deal with a gas one.
They cancelled the water aerobics for tonight (many schools are delayed 2 hours ) so i will force myself to get some kind of exercise in. I did break down and bake pumpkin bread with chocolate chips but back to healthier eating today!

Welcome Orange123!

Good Morning, Coaches.

Lost post. Darn:

silverbirch: I swear by the special stay fresh container for fruit and veggies.

BBE: I wish class would spend equal time to what is right in the judicial system. We are so blessed in comparison to other countries. A student reported on the incredible corruption and inefficiency of India. She claimed it was holding India back from becoming a major world player. true enough.

A couple of good solid OP days behind me. Food logged. exercise last night although I was dead tired. Weight at ticker. I would like to get back to no sweets at work rule.

Welcome, organge123.

Wave to all.

Just having my lunch. It's a huge salad with lettuce, chicory (endive), grated carrot, salmon and cottage cheese. French dressing made by me yesterday.

I think I may have turned a corner as I woke yesterday to just a little bit more energy. Let's see. I'm certainly not counting my chickens before they're hatched.

Glad you snow-bound people have power. 2' is such a lot to deal with. Stay warm, have soup, put on another jumper. It will soon be spring. Ah! You're on summer time already over there, I think. The irony.

maryann, do you cut your F&V up before putting in the special container?

orange123, welcome to our corner. Looking forward to what you have to say.

Wave to everyone. Have to go as I'm at work and work beckons.

Well, DH is very late tonight, getting home from work. He does not like working overtime and a week ago a memo went out, saying before any overtime is worked for the week, there must be prior approval. He thought that might help him not have to work OT. Maybe it just means he'll work a half day on Friday, which he'd like. Red beans and rice with chicken andouille sausage for dinner. I had a veggie laden lunch so not worrying too much about adding much to this one-bowl dinner. Maybe French cut green beans with balsamic. This can keep on cooking lightly and just gets a bit softer, not dry, so that's good. Put the recipe in WW and have ample points for it today.

Bill - You Mass. folks just roll with those snow dumps ... here, even though we get snow, they'd not get out ahead of it and it'd stall our city bigtime. And with all of the semis driving through the city going crosscountry, there would be massive wrecks. it happens every single time, yet they never lower the speed limit or figure out how to not have them flip on the exit ramps every single week.

SilverBirch - I realize I never replied to your inquiry on cutting veg on the weekend. I only cut up carrots into sticks, and then store them in a container of water in the fridge. Then I grab a handful to go along with my lunch most days. Like you, I don't like veggies drying out. I use the green bags that are supposed to lengthen the time the food is fresh (and they really seem to work on the veggies I use them with). I should chop up several onions every weekend because I go through about 6 large onions every week. And our large are LARGE.

OneByOne - Are you still here and I'm just missing your checkins? How are you doing?

Maryann - How did your students handle the walkout today? And your school?

Everyone, thank you for the warm welcome!!!

Our DS is 4.5 yo. I'm working through the book again and am on Day#6, Find a Diet Coach. I've asked my partner, but would greatly appreciate your collective support as well.

My lifetime highest weight is 223.4 lbs reached 1/18. My goal is 130 lbs.