Beck Diet For Life/Solution – February 2019 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach
 

Welcome to the discussion group, support group, Diet Coach group, Diet Buddy group relating to the two books by Dr. Judith S. Beck:and the first bookThe Beck Diet Solution is a psychological program, not a food plan. It provides a step-by-step program to learn specific techniques to stay on our diet, lose weight, and maintain our weight loss for life. The program is based on Dr. Beck's clinical research in Cognitive Therapy (CT).

The Complete Beck Diet for Life expands the earlier work and includes a food plan with suggested menus. From the cover:This is a place to discuss the Beck strategies and our daily efforts, to receive and provide support, and, for some of us, is where we serve as on-line diet buddy (coach) to each other.

If you’ve arrived from a search engine, you've landed at the site of 3 Fat Chicks (3FC), a remarkable place for those interested in a healthy life style, including mindful eating, exercise, and weight loss. More about the site, including how to register so that you can post, can be found here.

The books are available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking their names above; buying through 3FC helps to cover the costs of running this site.

You can find the list of previous (or more current) monthly Beck threads here on 3 Fat Chicks via:

Friday - National Freedom Day - 13th amendment approved (1865)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - It's still cold. Not cold like Antarctica or Chicago, but still mighty cold. I failed to clear the windshield of one of our cars thinking that the light stuff would just blow away. Now it sits there to be done this morning. It's likely to be a scraping job. It'll be good exercise.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with the standard help of no obvious snacking food. We saw two results of the Government Shutdown. First is that some elephant seals at Point Reyes, California took over a beach that the rangers normally keep them from by waving tarps. Now, the rangers have returned to work facing 3000-8000 pound guys reluctant to be moved. The beach is closed until a solution is negotiated with the new residents, LOL. The second is that we received a voice mail message from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. We'd sent a small donation at the end of the year. With the shutdown, they hadn't deposited it. They asked us to cancel the check and write a new one. My bank charges $30 to cancel a check - almost the size of the contribution. We'll call back and negotiate that one. Not gonna let my bank make money on the shutdown.


maryann - In all the pictures of Daniel in the Lions' Den, there's a bright halo glowing over his head. Have you tried that? Might be the missing ingredient.

Karen (karenrn) - A five mile hike is a good exercise. Always Kudos for on plan.

Penny. - How did the 15-bean soup with tempeh turn out? Sounds appealing.

Readers -

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been missing. I went to see my folks again which was good but tiring. My mom continues to be stable but now she's on soft foods only due to her esophogus not moving foods down, which we discovered after a long trip to the ER in the brutally early hours of the am. My almost 88 year old dad continues to be an amazing caregiver. It's hard to be so far away during this time, but I can't go that often- I have a job, and a son, and a million things to attend to here, like the FAFSA which I still haven't finished.
My dad said my son called him during the middle of the day a few days ago- I said um, no he didn't, he's in school and then practice.(and I double checked with my son). I'm assuming it was a scammer although he didn't ask for money. My dad is very smart and knows not to give out any info,but it worries me because some day he might not realize that.We joked- maybe it was someone real who got the wrong grandpa!
I've caught up reading posts- thanks for the shout out Karen!- and will get back to posting probably every other day.
One good thing that's happened is- I have acquired an FWB (blush blush), someone I have known for years. Neither of us want a long term thing so its perfect for right now. We're going out to dinner tonight to celebrate the end of the shutdown (he works for the govt). I have looked at the menu and identified a good meal that isn't decadent.
Wave and thinking of you all!

I'll make a meal plan today for the next week or so, something I hope will get me more back on track. Going through the motions, even when the willingness isn't really there, makes a difference. It keeps things in check and it keeps the groove well-oiled so I can slip back into it. That was a pretty confused metaphor!

Happy February, everyone! Thanks, Bill, for keeping the clubhouse open.

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding.

My work played a mean trick. They called me off today, and then called this morning to call me back in after a sick call. I get to start late, so that's nice.

Karen, credit for the hike, as always. You're doing great! I hope your weigh-in is satisfactory.

Maryann, credit for being a kind teacher to the little lions. I'm sure the 40 minutes is exhausting.

Bill, lol at Antarctica and Chicago. The tempeh in the bean soup has been used the last several times to great success but the real happy change is using a can of tomato paste instead of diced. It thickens it up and the kids really did not like chunks of tomato in my old method.

Curly, that's good you got to be there with your parents for the ER fiasco. Congrats on the FWB situation. :)

Joy, credit for making a plan even if the motivation is mostly missing.

Good morning coaches,

Food is on plan and weight is stable. I actually had a lower reading a couple of days ago, but Friday is weigh in day and also the start of a new month. I've lost 5.8 pounds since 12/26. I'll take it. I have to be pretty diligent regarding choices, but I'm sure I could reduce portion sizes a bit. I'm certainly not stuffing myself though. I also took my measurements and there are small changes since 1/1. On today's plan I have 1/2 cup of ice cream and one shortbread cookie. I hope dh and his brother didn't already eat that. I did a 10 miles loop hike in the McDowell's this morning. It is one I do fairly often. It's over two passes, so that apple health ap says up 140 floors. Hopefully I'll be ready for my really tough hike in one week.

Penny That would be tough to be called off and then have to go in to work. Sounds like you had a good attitude about it though.
GardenerJoy Yep, the biggest thing is to never quit. Going through the motions certainly counts as not quitting.
Curlyjax I'm glad you have a new friend. It's even better than you've known him awhile. Enjoy yourself. It must be difficult to have your parents so far away. Mine were only a couple of hours away, but then they moved to be in my town. I was so grateful. My Dad wasn't crazy about the idea, but he was really quite ill and only lived another six months.
Bill Thanks for always keeping our thread in the right month and keeping us going.

Lunch break.

OP yesterday. I’m ready to look at my plan and change around choices to start losing a little faster.

Penny: I need to get a 15 bean recipe. I have read BBEs numerous time and always interested.

Karen: Five pounds is huge so close to goal. Congrats.

Curleyjax: What does FWB stand for? I feel pretty stupid I can’t figure it out,

Saturday - Groundhog Day (since 1887, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - On the trip to the supermarket I returned with only the items on my list. CREDIT moi because I passed by heaps of sugar-laced treats set out as "Game Day" items. The Super Bowl requires consumption of sugar, fats, and carbs in great abundance. Perhaps to honor the amount of food that must be consumed by 350 pound linemen on the field. The only avocados available were unattractively small. So, I even skipped those.

Evening event was watching a live performance of Shakespeare's Othello. Sure, I already knew the story: Desdemona is perfect; Iago is loathsome; Othello is naive. But it still hit me to the core that the stage ends up covered in bloody bodies. Hard to believe we're still watching a play written 400 years ago and I still walk out with all my emotions fired up. Iago chilled my blood with his subtle double-talk pretending to be loyal to Othello and Cassio while seeding the doubts that caused destruction. I'm still cringing. Need to get me to a good comedy, LOL.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Love the notion, "keeps the groove well-oiled so I can slip back into it."

maryann - Kudos for being open to change your plan.

Karen (karenrn) - This is one of the big strategies, "I'm certainly not stuffing myself though."

curlyjax - Just wonderful that your 88 year old dad carries that large a burden of your mother's support. Congrats to your dad for spotting the scammer.

Penny. - So interesting that your kids don't like the chunks of real tomatoes in a soup that I value as the very mark of homemade.

Readers -

Big question mark for tonight's supper which will fit around our chance to be with the great-nephew and great-niece so that their parents can have a night out. The plan for earlier in the day is set and healthy and I'm determined to follow it.

Also, I will walk outdoors, like I did yesterday. Such a relief to be back to normal temperatures. Tomorrow and Monday we're getting abnormal temperatures on the high side -- 60s. That's quite a leap from below zero a few days ago.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding.

Our firewood is running low and I have two cords getting delivered tomorrow. The kids are not happy about the job of loading it around back. Ha! I always enjoy the whole family chore.

Bill, credit for passing up all those game day snack displays at the store. I'm glad you enjoyed the Shakespeare.

Joy, excellent that your temps are feeling more comfortable. Enjoy the babysitting time.

Karen, 5.8 pounds for the month is great! Credit!

Maryann, the cold winter is a perfect time for bean soup. I've got it down to just a couple minutes of work to get it going in the crockpot.

Good morning coaches,

I ate a couple of off plan items yesterday. An extra protein bar in the afternoon and I added a piece of bread with supper. As for the bread, I should have planned it in the first place. They guys had pizza and I did some eating out of the fridge which included spinach, muchrooms and roast beef. I just decided to have an open faced sandwich instead of the plain roast beef. Weight it down a smidge this morning and the plan for the day is written. I am wondering what the heck we're going to do tomorrow though. I just hate bringing a bunch of snack food into the house, but bit is used to eating it and plenty of it. No wonder his weight is so high. Since he's here helping with a big project I don't feel like I should be worrying about what he is eating though. I'll figure it out. Today's exercise will just be housework. It seems I can't go on a hike and then feel like I want to get housework done when I get home. I think the last time I took a day off from hiking was 1/25, so I guess it's time.
Penny The firewood chore sounds like a full body workout.
GardenerJoy Those temps are crazy. I'm glad the crazy is getting warmer.
Bill I wish I could send you some of our avocados. They are big and the price is good too. We have even had programs on the news about how many avocados are coming in to the supermarkets.
Maryann I'm not as close to goal as my timeline would let you believe. I actually have 16 pounds to lose. I slowly gained and never adjusted. I'll announce when the timeline is true.
Waving to Curlyjax, Beth, and Onebyone.

Wow, I just lost a brilliant, long, in depth post of self awareness and wisdom. Serves me right for thinking too much of myself:) Suffice it to say I faced a strong compulsion to eat yesterday which was the first big challenge to my meal planning. I learned the following:

I can stop midday and make a plan if the day seems to be slipping off track.
I can split the meals I have planned which might mean I need more frequent, smaller portions to stay satisfied.
Friday afternoons are dangerous zones because I want to use food to relax from a hard week.
I can enlist DS and DH to help with food prep to stay out of the kitchen.

In the end I stayed OP and dropped a pound. I have adjusted my ticker again getting me within a pound of the 50s. A tricky night faces me with the Kings basketball game. We have club tickets which means free, small plate "all you can eat" delish buffet foods. I think I will handle it by eating my sweet treat before I go which is weighed and measured. Then I will plan to eat slowly with lots of veggies while paying attention to my "satisfied level" which is supposedly a 2 on the hunger scale.

Penny: You can have some of our wood. We grow walnuts and have wood stacked up in a pile bigger than a house.
Karen: It is hard to not judge other people's food consumption. It is as tricky as me watching other people drink alcohol since I have learned so many hard lessons with it. In AA we are taught the principle of attraction rather than promotion. As I eat in a healthier fashion, people around me tend to eat in a healthier fashion. Not always and not with everyone but someone is always watching.
BBE: I just can't watch the Superbowl this weekend. Football has lost me with the "big time wrestling" persona it has taken on. We are going to take the Sunday to drive up to Paradise, California to survey the progress made in rebuilding that poor town.

Wave to all.

Sunday - Super Bowl LIII at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (since 1967)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - We are, apparently, the only household on planet earth with only one television and no "record in the background" capability. That puts DW and I in conflict because the NFL refuses to guarantee that the Super Bowl will end by 9 P.M. when Victoria and Albert: The Wedding shows on PBS. DW is indifferent to the Super Bowl; she's quite content to read who won in tomorrow's newspaper. She is, however, hooked on Victorian life as depicted on TV. With great discussion and negotiation, I'll watch the Super Bowl to the end, then she'll watch the remainder of the hour of Victoria and Albert, and she'll later watch the beginning that she missed. Apparently shows about a queen are not like a murder mystery that need to be watched from the beginning to be understood - she already knows how it ends, LOL.

Eating was OK, CREDIT moi. It wasn't because I failed to forage around for a snack; there just wasn't anything there. Once again I take credit for the end result even though my brain was ready to go off-plan if something was to be found. My brain is not that good at following directions.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for time with the DGN and DGN (ambiguity resolution left to the reader). Normal temperatures will be well received here, also.

maryann - Congrats to your Kings for winning last night. Kudos for realizing that you can be flexible in your planning.

Karen (karenrn) - Congrats for getting through the pizza with stuff from your fridge. Good luck with today's snack foods.

Penny. - Neat that the whole family lines up to move the firewood. They'll remember this fondly, telling their kids how much work they were forced to do as kids.

Readers -

I had a nice meal out with my friend on Friday. I decided bread with cooked garlic cloves would be my “dessert,” and i thoroughly enjoyed it. I can only handle one glass of wine so no extra calories there. I can only see my male friend every other weekend since he shares custody of his teenaged daughter, and he is up for eating healthily, so that should help keep me on track.

Saturday I went to see the opera Carmen which was performed in NYC and streamed to movie theatres all over. I met up with a friend who just retired, and it was a wonderful performance. We both smuggled in some healthier snacks-as did many other folks, judging from various tote bags I saw. They don’t usually allow you to bring in such items, but maybe since this crowd was all grey or white haired, they waived the rule:)
Maryann- FWB is friends with “benefits” ie occasional sex. I can tell you’re happily married and no need to have knowledge of this! Good plan for the basketball game.
Bill-I laughed at the negotiations over the tv. I only have one also, but am fine with streaming things on laptop etc, so if DH were here i would let him use it too.
Karen- I think you’re allowed to take a day off from a hike! I know what you mean, housework after all that would be too much. Sounds like you are doing well with BIL visit, even with extra snacks around.
Gardenerjoy-we’re getting higher temps tomorrow too, I am psyched for it.
Penny- yay for crockpots, a fabulous invention! You guys eat a lot of beans- have you invested heavily in Beano or are your systems used to it:)

The DGN time was fun, except for that moment when I decided to demonstrate a somersault. The only reason that I'm pretty sure I didn't chip all my vertebrae is that I'm sure it would hurt worse than it does.

I followed my food plan and have another plan that i'm convinced that I can follow today. We're ignoring the national day of heavy snacking and will have a healthy homemade supper instead.