The scale continues up and down the same pound for the last week+ and won't break into the next 10s. Ha! Come on!
Bill, the Shakespeare in the park sounds fun. We have done one a long time ago and found it difficult to hear the lines, but we were in the way back, arriving a bit late.
Maryann, I'm guessing OP means "on plan" and not "off plan" by the context. Am I right? I'm sorry about the anxiety and hope it calms down for you.
Curly, it sounds like you lost your dh recently? I imagine there are a lot of things partners do for eachother that we don't even realise until it's not there. Side note, I recently started using earplugs to fall asleep and it is helping so much!
Beth, congrats on getting below your current goal!
Went on a short hike yesterday. Even though I drank plenty of electrolyte fluids, I was still craving salt when I got home. I still feel a bit weird this morning. Still, it was a lot of fun. And I picked up one bag of trash on the inland part of the hike and one bag of fishing line/ fishing net/ hooks/ lures on the riverside part of the hike. So hopefully saved some wildlife from future troubles.
Had the jerk seasoned chicken yesterday. Thought it would be super hot, but it was surprisingly mild. I guess if I actually make the recipe I bought the spice for I will need to add more heat somehow. Today is still mindful eating as the main task. I have two flavors of chicken left, I think. And some repeats of what I've already had. I made two packets of each (except the jerk which I thought would be too hot), so I can compare my notes from the two tastings.
Penny- Good job eating on plan!
BillBlueEyes- Shakespeare in the park sounds like a lot of fun! Glad you were able to attend (and got some exercise in too). On an unrelated note- How do you pick your quote for the day?
Maryann- I hear you about the anxiety. I hope it subsides today. Enjoy your walk around the neighborhood.
I did better with a plan yesterday, but I ended up with an extra snack because I didn't work the timing out in a way that prevented hunger. I can write a better plan than that. CREDIT for writing a better plan this morning.
Weigh-in: N/A kgs, Exercise: +20, 440/1200 minutes for July
curlyjax: I love planning trips, even if I never take them. It's the most fun way to learn geography -- I wish they taught it that way in school. Trip-planning is such a great way to get out of ourselves for a bit and has been a major part of my healing every time that I've experienced grief as an adult.
I love Call the Midwife, too! I don't usually re-watch shows, but that one is particularly calming for me, so I make an exception. Speaking of trip-planning, I had a good time planning a day trip from London to Chatham Historic Dockyard where they do a lot of the filming for Call the Midwife: Chatham Historic Dockyard #BriFri #Itinerary ? Joy's Book Blog
The fact that I needed an afternoon nap probably means I'm not 100% better yet, but I also managed to take my 40 minute walk this morning :-) I also had two good talks with DS, who is 26 today. Seems impossible.
Weight: 174.6 Exercise for July: +40 80/300
I'll get up and walk again tomorrow--it does feel nice to be outside. i got rained on a bit this morning but it wasn't raining hard and I didn't want to let myself have an excuse to not walk :-).
It took me all day to force myself to do it (and required a ton of Word formatting because I'm like that) but I now have a shopping list for groceries for this week--and a meal plan for the week. I haven't started tracking everything I eat yet--not sure yet if I'm going to but I don't want to lose sight of what I eat, so perhaps that's the answer :-(. Tomorrow afternoon I'll go grocery shopping. I'm going to try a low-carb Big Mac cheeseburger salad recipe. Don't know if we'll like it but I saved it some time ago and now am going to try it.
Good day yesterday as we all worked on carving out a bit more space in the house. Food was a bit better. Today I must take the final steps in opening a new business account and pay a few bills. Not much else planned other than watering some plants this evening. Will do a few flexibility exercises in a moment.
B - muesli. L - salad. T - brisket somehow (SO cooking).
Beth, please send some rain over here. However little it will be welcome.
gardenerjoy, credit for planning.
ssbbg, credit for litter picking, especially that fishing stuff. I don't understand how people can leave it about.
Penny, good to see you here.
maryann, I like 'one day at a time' too. It's a cousin of 'be in the moment', I think.
curlyjax, some people I know use two alarms ...
Bil, Henry IV sounds good. What a laugh your DW is walking around with a bottle opener, just in case!
Sunday - The great Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn born (1606, Leiden)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Early morning bird walk, CREDIT moi, started with Cedar Waxwings - a good omen as these magnificent little guys aren't that common. A Green Heron was nearly invisible by the simple technique of standing perfectly still. We marched about seeing mostly the seasonal appropriate birds including a single Yellow Warbler even though we were sure there was a mate nearby.
Spent an inordinate amount of time trying to make my Amazon Fire TV Stick work. This is a device stuck into the back of the TV to play Amazon Prime movies from the wifi signal in the house. I bought it on a Black-Something sale several years ago, but never got around to trying it since DW and I watch so seldom that library DVDs serve our needs. After new batteries and much confusion, I concluded that the directional movement control of the remote simply didn't work. But my Prime account was ready. So I brought my laptop down to the living room coffee table and we sat together on the sofa and watched A Very English Scandal starring Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant is his usual superb. I don't know how much of the story is Amazon fiction and how much is the true adventures of Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party. My problem with work "based on ..." is that it sticks in my mind as if it was factual history with little chance of getting adjusted. My apologies to Jeremy Thorpe if I'm learning fantasy. It comes with subtitles for those of us who have difficulty understanding the language.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Neat idea to use trip planning to learn geography - that might have caught my interest in grammar school when I thought geography was boring.
silverbirch – Love that you keep marching forth with your new business.
maryann - Thanks for "This is just for today, it is not forever." Walking the neighborhood is just the best.
curlyjax - So many small changes to solve underneath the huge change of losing your DH. Perhaps a new alarm clock would help break the long tradition.
Beth (bethturnaround) – The mind boggles wondering what constitutes "low-carb Big Mac cheeseburger salad." Seems like multiple oxymorons there. Let us know how it turns out.
ssbbg - Congrats for picking up trash on a public trail. I was taught that by my friend in the Sierra Club many years ago; he'd bring a plastic bag with him on a hike and return to the trial-head with it full. I wish respect for public property was more ingrained in the folks in this country. {The selection for Readers comes paragraph-by-paragraph from the book noted. As shown, I'm currently doing the Pink Book. This may be our third pass through that book over the years. We've done the Green Book at least twice and the Blue Book once. I just type what Dr. Beck wrote.}
Penny. - Yep, scale jitters are annoying. Keep the faith - your body knows what food is being consumed.
Readers -
Quote:
day 10Set a Realistic Goal
Weight loss specialists agree that your goal should be to lose no more than 1 or 2 pounds a week. But it's fine if you lose only a half pound a week on average.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 114.
Last edited by BillBlueEyes; 07-15-2018 at 06:19 AM.
Reason: HTML just doing its own thing
Hello all!
I woke up super early this morning (5:30 AM) and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm planning on another hike today... I bought hiking boots last week and I feel I need to hike a ton to justify their outrageous price. They seem much nicer than my last pair of hiking boots, which were huge and heavy. These are pretty slim and light, so I guess technology has advanced in the last... 20 years? I've mostly lived in very flat places and walked on paved trails, so hiking boots were not a necessity. So my old boots lasted a very long time. Here is a bit hillier, and I was tired of rolling my ankles...
Still mindful eating today. I'm doing ok on this task. I'm usually able to focus for the first few bites before a book or the computer calls. Better than before, but not as good as I'd like.
Beth- I too am intrigued by a Big Mac salad. In my mind, I'm picturing ground beef crumbles spread over salad with grated cheese on top- like nachos, but with lettuce. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It is hard to come up with low-carb dishes that have a bunch of veggies.
BillBlueEyes- Thanks for the explanation of the quotes. I didn't realize it was the whole book, para by para. I assumed you were picking and choosing. That is a really nice refresher for everyone!
I had a fun time being chaperone yesterday to my DS and four of his friends, as they went kayaking/paddleboarding. We were in a small reservoir so they could just scoot off by themselves but couldn’t possibly get lost. They are a very nice bunch of kids and I enjoyed hearing some of their laughing from afar. I went kayaking too and got in a bit of walking - back and forth from the parking lot. I am so lucky to live so close to a small body of water; I should come after dinner and just sit, it is so peaceful there.
DD woke me up at 4:30 this am fretting about her feeding tube being loose. I really hope she can get it out this week but i’m not sure she is getting enough calories in to maintain her weight (does she listen to my ideas? Of course not!) At least I did get back to sleep after awhile.
Joy- great itinerary! I read your comments about Call the Midwife- I wish Chummy would come back too, she was definitely my favorite. Penny- yes, my DH died in January after struggling with cancer for almost 2 years. It’s been really hard for myself and my two teenagers, but we plod on.
An unplanned Sunday today, yay. Lots of exciting things to do like laundry and bills but that is fine with me!
Quick check in then. Credit on turning down cookies by telling myself I wouldn't see a drop in the scale if I accepted them. This morning, I had a one pound drop. Like Penny, I have been fighting the same pound for weeks. Moral of the story: To move from maintenance to weight loss, I need to do something different. As with Beth's experiments, I tried a new flax pancake recipe. It was filling and fine - certainly not a substitute for its flour-filled cousin, but new. For this to be a lifetime change, I need to find new.
I finished my work stretch on plan and tomorrow I pack for my vacation. Weight was up a pound today but I'm not worried because it's only been 10 days at this weight and I'm doing the 1200 cals and walks.
Mayann, good job talking yourself out of a cookie. The plateaus are frustrating for sure.
Curly, thanks for sharing what happened. The kayaking must have been a lot of fun and I hope the TF'ing tube is a thing of the past soon as planned.
Silver, you remind me I need to get out and water my plants. It's a hot out today!
My lazy "I'll rest a few more minutes" this morning turned into "sleep whole morning away". I did have a nice walk, though. I had to force myself to go but I remembered what you've said Joy--once I got started I was glad to be outside and moving. DD has asked if we can walk together tomorrow evening at a preserve I haven't been to since I was a child--we looked at the trail map on line and have a plan for tomorrow after she gets home from work.
I also had to force myself to go grocery shopping. This was my first "real" grocery trip since I went on the meal replacements in January. I've had a few short "get a few things" trips but not a "shop for the week" trip. (I seem to be going crazy with quotation marks today) By the time I finished shopping I was really hungry but I stayed to my list. Other than cherries (which fall under the on-list category of "fruit"), the only not-on-list thing I bought was stuffed mushrooms, which looked tasty. As treats go, stuffed mushrooms aren't out of line with my plan. I love cherries this time of year--and they'll be my carb for almost every dinner as long as they're in season.
Now that I'm eating food again there are more temptations--when all I was eating was meal replacements, it was either a product or not allowed. Now I have to get back in the habit of reading my cards and remembering that just because I am eating regular food one meal a day doesn't mean that I can eat all regular food. It doesn't help that my 'giving in muscle' got way too much exercise for the two weeks I was away. It keeps peeping up and suggesting it can have its way. No.
My weight is doing well--I'm updating my ticker to 174 today. Exercise for June: +40 120/300. I've drunk a ton of water today--I keep running out but keep refilling my water cup.
Penny: Have a great vacation--and good luck staying OP when traveling. Check in if you have time.
maryann: Big credit for turning down cookies. Wanting to see the scale change can be motivating.
curlyjax: I'm glad you had some time with your son and his friends--sounds like a lovely escape. Being out on the water sounds wonderful.
Joy: A friend of mine is a teacher--gifted education. One of her projects for her 4th/5th graders was for them to plan a trip. They each had a budget. Each student chose their own international destination and planned out how they'd get there, what they'd do there, where'd they stay, how to get around the location, and so on. Apparently all the kids loved doing it and they all have the travel bug now. (And their projects added to her bucket list)
ssbbg: How was your hike? Tell me about your hiking boots? I've been doing all my walking in sneakers but perhaps another pair of hiking boots is in my future?
BillBlueEyes: Thank you for reminding me to wish Rembrandt a happy birthday. It continues to amaze me how many birds you get to see while living in a city.
silverbirch: Credit for better food and for flexibility exercises!
G'night all!
--Beth
p.s. I'll report in on the Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad after I make it :-)
Monday - Manhattan Project successfully tested (1945, Alamogordo, New Mexico)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Standard Sunday walk, CREDIT moi, and then another walk to an afternoon gathering. Along the way I picked up a book for the DGD that looked fun. Maybe. It teaches "manners": Please, thank you, I'm sorry, ... . It's hard to know if a kid will enjoy a book that sounds like a lecture. The events of the book happen on successive days: Monday, Tuesday, ... . She might be ready to hear that days have an order and that there are only seven of them. Gardens along the way are lush but the flora is sometimes showing signs of end-of-season which is hard to be seeing here at the beginning of summer. It has to be beginning of summer because my summer-to-do list is barely started.
Had a visit with DS who had tales of renovating a bathroom and other parts of his house. I just cringe listening to the process of selecting tile, for example. I've had as many visits to tile stores as I need in this lifetime. I'm intimidated by thousands of choices. Eating was OK for the day. We planned watermelon for evening snack but it just never happened. Hard to believe that life can just barrel forward so that evening snack gets overlooked.
maryann - Kudos for talking yourself out of cookies by recognizing that you can't have cookies and a scale drop.
curlyjax - Love to hear about teen behavior at its best. Glad you did a bit of kayaking yourself.
Beth (bethturnaround) – Yep, cherries are just splendid right now. They're a challenge for me to limit because I never take a "serving" - I take from the bowl. I am suspicious that they contain calories despite being fruit.
ssbbg - Yay for modern hiking boots. I do admire the boots of the young bucks hauling packs up to the huts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They're HUGE and heavy. Yet the guys just casually pass us as they hike up delivering supplies. Neat idea to focus for a spell, then let the mind move to something else.
Penny. - Kudos for recognizing that "doing the 1200 cals and walks" is your contribution. Your body will take care of the weight loss - in its own good time.
Readers -
Quote:
day 10Set a Realistic Goal
what are you thinking? Do you still have a goal to reach a specific number on the scale one day? Are you hoping to lose weight very quickly? Read the following sabotaging thoughts and responses to help you commit to 5-pound incremental goals.
Sabotaging Thought: I won't be satisfied unless I get down to my "ideal" weight. I don't deserve credit until I get down to that weight. Helpful Response: I have to learn to be happy with smaller steps along the way. Celebrating 5-pound losses will boost my mood and confidence.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 114.
Good morning coaches,
I'm back from my trip to Sequoia and visiting my cousin. I brought a couple of extra pounds with me, but I know if I get right back on plan they'll be gone in a couple of days. It was beautiful in the mountains. My cousin's husband and I did one more strenuous hike, but I did a lot of waiting for him. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't go any faster without his heart pounding. I was a tad blunt . . . I said "Paul, it's cause you're out of shape. This is a pretty ambitious hike for someone who only does this once a year." We started at 6900 feet and climbed about 2500 feet. I also did a couple of hikes with my cousin, but they were much easier. One of the days it poured rain, but we had a cover over the picnic table, so we were able to stay dry. The biggest disappointment was that I didn't see a bear this year. The guys saw one when they went fishing though.
Today is Monday, so I've had a couple of better days on plan and today will be back to closely following. I have 5 weeks until I leave for a 5 week driving trip to California, then up to Washington and then thru Colorado on the way home. I want to get into the 130's before I leave here.
Bill I hear you about tile selection, etc. If I didn't have a designer to help with the kitchen selections, I would have lot my mind. Shopping is not my favorite thing to do by a long shot.
Beth You've done so well on your plan. Good luck on the transition to food and all that goes with it, such as shopping and cooking. I have also done some restrictive plans and they work, but I found it a little tricky when I was going back to food. I think Beck will be helpful for that.
Maryann I was sorry to hear you backed out of the Whitney hike. I totally get it though. Before I went to California, I was dead set that I would finish the John Muir Trail next year. After a good hike at elevation, I'm wondering if I have it in me. If I do, I will want to acclimate for a few days before starting out. At 64 and soon to be 65 (which I have a hard time believing), I know my window for that sort of thing is closing.
I'm going to eat breakfast and come back to this . . . or a new post. My computer is being slow and I want to fiddle with it.
Good Morning, Coaches.
Weight down .2. Small loss but it counts. I am a pound from ticker. Credit three timed meals and a walk on the treadmill.
I finished the 2016-2017 family scrapbook and uploaded it to the Apple website. It will come back a beautiful book. These little projects are so important for keeping OP. I have to have other things to think about and do between meals. Today I will start fussing around with 2018. Silverbirch and some of the rest of you have gardening. I have the ultimate black thumb. Projects also have to be far from the kitchen so cooking is out. I am going to work next on my drawing skills which I will use in my new position come fall.
BBE: You reminded me of a favorite book for DS. - Oops I Made a Mistake. On video we have a three year in the sink taking a bath. I dropped something into the water. DS says, "Mommy, you have to say 'Oops I made a mistake,' remember?" I thought what a great way to teach kids It is ok to not be perfect. I needed to give that book to some of my High School kids.
Karen: That is an ambitious hike with a 2500 ft elevation gain. My new goal is to finish Mt. Rose which summits at 10,700. I was a mile short last attempt. I was pleased to discover that the new model treadmill shows elevation gains. That makes it easier to judge progress.
Hike yesterday was good, but I had to cut it short because of the heat. It was really more of a walk than a hike because the trail was paved. Didn't pick up any trash ... this part of the trail was very close to the water, so the trash was in giant floating drifts on the river. I wasn't prepared to wade to get trash.
I was scouting this trail as a possible location to ride my bike, but the trail is multi-use and so narrow. And it runs parallel to a highway with no wall or divider. In the nicer sections of the trail there is ~20 ft of flat woodland as a buffer, but in other places, there is no buffer- maybe a foot of grass and then a drop to the highway. I can just see ending up on the highway if you blew a tire or something. I've never heard of it happening, but I've crashed my bike enough to know your path is unpredictable at that point. That makes me sound like a really incompetent rider, doesn't it? I used to commute to work by bike so I had a lot of opportunities to run into debris. I haven't ridden my bike outside since I moved here and it makes me sad.
I think tomorrow I will move on to the next day in the Beck Workbook. I'm not going to claim that I've mastered mindful eating, but I need to work on other skills also.
Beth- I will report on my hiking boots after the next hike. I have some weird bruising on my ankles which I think is because of my pants not the boots, so I need to do a hike with different pants before I blame the boots. I've just had a hard time finding hiking pants. All of my athletic wear is very tight fitting spandexy stuff (purchased for biking), so I did the hike in leggings.
Penny- Enjoy your vacation.
BillBlueEyes- What is the general rule about when to start new threads in this forum vs. keeping everything in the monthly thread? I found a peer-reviewed journal article that tested some Beck-like techniques vs. regular weight loss advice that I thought might be interesting to this group. I thought I might post a summary and a link once I had reviewed the article more thoroughly.
Last edited by ssbbg; 07-16-2018 at 10:23 AM.
Reason: incorrect punctuation
I imagine there are a lot of things partners do for eachother that we don't even realise until it's not there. Side note, I recently started using earplugs to fall asleep and it is helping so much! 
Sunday - The great Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn born (1606, Leiden)
They seem much nicer than my last pair of hiking boots, which were huge and heavy. These are pretty slim and light, so I guess technology has advanced in the last... 20 years? I've mostly lived in very flat places and walked on paved trails, so hiking boots were not a necessity. So my old boots lasted a very long time. Here is a bit hillier, and I was tired of rolling my ankles...
