Beck Diet For Life/Solution – December 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:

Sunday - Rosa Parks refuses to move to the back of a bus (1955 , Montgomery, Alabama)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Getting ready for some cold and some snow here. Found that the storm window in my office wasn't closed down in its winter position; apparently, I'd been enjoying the earlier unseasonably warm weather and just assumed that winter would never arrive. Well, it has.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including a third rendition of the Thanksgiving dinner. That's all done. There's only enough leftover turkey for a single luncheon sandwich. The cranberry relish remains my favorite item. Wish we'd make that all year round. It just tickles me that whole oranges are ground into the mix. It's hardly healthy - a bunch of sugar is added after all the healthy stuff.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for being the good aunt. Our DGD absolutely loves when her uncle reads to her.

maryann - Thanks for the reminder to be grateful for a job that's meaningful. That's a real privilege in life.

Karen (karenrn) - So glad that you avoided the flooded areas. The tragedy of a car swept away made headlines around here. Knives Out looks good.

curlyjax - I share your feeling of “big brother” - doesn't appeal to me. Good luck surviving Walmart.

Penny. - Breakfast for lunch works for me. Don't need extraneous 'rules' in life.

Readers -

I braved Walmart; it actually wasn’t too bad. I did a bunch of errands including buying my pre-surgery anti-bacterial wash, and got some stocking stuffers as well. We are getting a potentially big storm tonight/tomorrow so i’ll have to zip into the grocery store and see if there’s any food left:). I’ve been eating leftovers so am veggie deprived.
DD bought me a late B-day present of chocolate which was very nice of her, and just the right amount. I have nagged her a lot that she needs to get going back to school early to avoid the storm, hopefully she will take it seriously.
I need to get going- happy Sunday all! I can't believe its December 1 already!

I didn't quite meet my November exercise goal, but close enough to set the same one for December. The extra day will help!

I'd intended to do more cooking today, but we still have lots of food. We'll make fried rice for supper which will use up some of what's in the fridge.

Exercise: +30, 1155/1200 minutes for November

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight floated back down another smidge. Evenings are a mental battle, especially when the youngest needs help getting food.

Bill, thanks for starting the new month. May you win the bid for the last turkey sandwich.

Curly, you make me wonder if my family would miss vegetables if I cooked without for a while. My dh is not a vegetable lover. Safe travels for your daughter!

Joy, that five minutes of missed exercise is kinda killing me. :lol:

Maryann, yay for the 18 hours! I am trying to get a full week but keep blowing it.

Yesterday was OP thankfully. Credit for stationary bike and stretches.

I took a “before” picture on the WW site because I have joined a December challenge. Crazy to see myself in that way. I really forget I am a soon to be 56 year old. I don’t feel it. I set my goals as staying within my points allotment and exercising a certain amount. I’ll let the weight take care of itself.

I am trying a new stuffed peppers recipe in the pressure cooker. I will also make hummus for the school week.

Gardenerjoy: credit for using up the leftovers. The holidays messed up my shopping and I had to toss some food which I hate to do.

Curleyjax: credit for getting to do list items checked off.

BBE: Is there a Boston law against out of season cranberry relish :)? We here in California are more forward thinking.

Good morning coaches,

Quick check in here. On plan yesterday including a hike with Hiking Suzanne, weight up a smidge. This morning I've gone to the regular grocery store and Costco. A friend is coming over soon, so more later or tomorrow.

Karen

Yesterday I followed my food plan and today I’m on track to do it again.

I cannot figure out how to fix the broken printer, and I live in a small town where there are no repair facilities. The printer is kind of old so probably not worth sending it off even though it was expensive to start with. However, I still have over $600 worth of ink left, so DH talked me into buying a used printer (newer model though) that uses the same kind of ink.

Curlyjax - I keep wondering if my leg pain is being caused by needing a hip replacement. It feels like sciatica, but maybe it’s not.

This whole “big brother” thing freaks me out. I have even thought about giving up my CVS coupons for privacy, but I save so much. Goodness knows how much private info I’ve given away online because I want to look at certain websites. My DH is more privacy conscious than I am, he still has a flip phone.

Karen - have fun with your friend.

Penny - I have to be strict with myself at night. I just have to set that time that I'm going to quit eating and tell myself I can have whatever it is I want tomorrow. It usually works.

maryann - I understand about the pictures. When I look in the mirror I don’t feel I look old ... until I look at a picture. However, the same is true of me being fat. I don’t feel that fat when I look in a mirror ... until I look at a picture. Weird.

Bill - my DH misses snow. He has relatives in Minneapolis and keeps talking about going there for Christmas. I am happy to stay here where the weather is lovely in winter.

Monday - Enrico Fermi sets 1st self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction (1942, Chicago)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - There's snow outside. And it's cold. I'm a tad warmer in my office since I (rather late) closed the storm window. Did our standard Sunday walk with DW, CREDIT moi, despite the threats. "Weather reports say it won't start until 4pm" said the wife who trusts weather reports. She was right.

Dinner was omelettes, giving me, one more time, the opportunity to spell the word. Seems that the two spell checkers that I use don't agree. I'll stick with it that way. There's a long cold day ahead. Rain is predicted; it'll either wash all this away or saturate it so that it freezes into a cake of ice that lasts until spring. Perhaps I'm stuck talking about the weather since I don't want to mention that the New England Patriots lost their football game last night. So, let's talk about Jimmy Hoffa. Will the FBI make yet-another dig looking for him? Will he be holding the painting stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for consuming what's in the fridge. Fried Rice is a food that I have to work to stay with a bounded portion.

maryann - LOL at, "Boston law against out of season cranberry relish?" I presume that you don't grow cranberries in California, is that so?

Karen (karenrn) - Beware the samples at Costco!

curlyjax - Hope your DD took off for college before this stuff settled in. Congrats for raising a daughter who gives you a small amount of chocolates.

Penny. - Helping kids get food is always a mental battle. I can't believe that, as a grandfather, I still feel the need to finish off the DGD's uneaten food.

CJZee - I suspect that your DH misses snow - not snow combined with sleet and rain. Can't believe he still has a flip phone.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday food was on plan, lots of water, weight down a smidge and I'm hungry this morning. I think that's a good sign. My food plan is made for the day, I'm hiking Camelback with a friend this morning and I have some gals coming to my house for Mahjongg in the afternoon. We also have a new beverage fridge being delivered so I'll take Otis to doggie daycare after my hike so he isn't in the way and going crazy.

Bill There is a lot of snow in Arizona too but luckily not at my elevation. And yes that was a sad story about the children who were swept away in flood waters. You really cannot drive thru these flash flood areas, but people keep thinking they can. I make a cooked cranberry relish that keeps for months. I love it on turkey sandwiches all year long.
CJZee What a bummer to have so much ink left. I'm sure the quality of printer you need for your art isn't cheap either. Have you had an x-ray of your hip? It is very easy to tell if you are getting close to needing a replacement.
Maryann Good for you for taking the before photo. I'm right there with you about not feeling old and I'm 66. I hope I always feel like I want to keep moving and keep up to date, at least a bit, with what younger people are viewing, reading, computing, etc. I think my "new young friends" in my PNP group help.
Penny Yay for on plan food days.
GardenerJoy Fried rice sounds delicious. I might need some of that soon.
Curlyjax I hope dd made it back to school okay. The weather is just crazy in some places. There was a ton of snow at the Grand Canyon and lots of stranded people. Not long now and you will have a new hip and hopefully a recovery that is a breeze.

I hope you all have a good start to the week. I feel like mine might be a little crazy. I think I need to write a plan for when I'm going to do some things. I've really cut back this year as in I decorated minimally since we won't be home for Christmas and I think I may not send Christmas cards. Mainly I need to plan when I'll do the baking.

Snowy day here. Most of the schools are closed; my agency gives us 3 days of sick/snow days, so I am using one today, I don’t need any more problems before my surgery. My DD got back to college safely yesterday. We have heat and power so all is good. I do hope we don’t have a super snowy winter!! One more incentive to lose weight and get stronger so I can deal with this better next year when DS is at college (although my neighbors do help with the driveway which is awesome of them).
For those of you who write out what you’re going to eat, do you do it the night before, or a few days at a time? I need to get back to doing this; I know it won’t happen in the morning.
CJZee- I second Karen, xray will tell you quickly what’s going on. I didn’t believe the PT 2 years ago who said the pain was arthritis, but she was right. I suspect your DH doesn’t miss shoveling out:)
Karen- cutting back sounds like a good idea, this season is so hectic and you sound quite busy.

Back at school early this morning with anxiety that always comes with beginning again.

Curleyjax: I am just getting back to putting food into my calculator. But I have been making changes during day. Ultimately I would like to stop making changes. As Beck says, I am really just fooling myself when I do it.

Wave to all.

I've got a busy week with Wednesday and part of Thursday devoted to tending to MiL during and after her third of three procedures. She's been doing much better the last couple of weeks. But we think it may have been the anesthesia that put her on the downward spiral in the first place, so it's unfortunate that she has to do that again this week.

I have my food and day planned and I just need to get on with both of them, one foot in front of the other.

Exercise: +40, 40/1200 minutes for December

curlyjax: I plan my suppers for 4 to 7 days just before I go to the grocery store. Breakfast, lunch, and snack don't vary that much, but a little. I make those final decisions every morning as I think through things like whether I need to wash lettuce so I can have a salad at lunch and how early I need to start supper preparations.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is still coming down.

Yesterday was shopping and today is cooking. I'm looking forward to trying a chickpea stew. I've also got pasta, pancakes and pizza in the plan that I will need to leave mostly for the kids.

Curly, enjoy your extra day off!

Maryann, I hope the anxiety calms down quickly, and you are able to find non-food related tools to help.

Bill, credit for the walk. Breakfast for dinner is always good.

Karen, another busy day for you! Have a nice hike and game time.

CJZee, wouldn't that be a surprise if it has been your hip all this time? That is a bummer about the printer. Maybe you could sell the cartridges.

Joy, anasthesia and UTIs can really mess with the elderly.

On Wednesday afternoon (or maybe Thursday morning), I'm off for a week to visit my brother. It's a road trip, so we're going to visit several other people too, look at some hot tubs, go to a place that shreds documents (remember I'm cleaning out my old tax boxes) and visit some wetlands so I can go see birds like egrets and herons.

I've been aiming to get down to 219 or lower for the trip. It's taken me several months to lose this last set of 10 pounds (I think about weight loss in 10-pound increments so it's not so overwhelming). I think I can manage to squeak under that 220 barrier before I see him this weekend if I really stick to my plan. I know that sticking to the plan helps you continue to stick to the plan in the future. :)

You all have helped me so much.

Tuesday - Hungarian-American mathematician John von Neumann born (1903, Budapest)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercised was shoveling the snow with its accumulated water, CREDIT moi. Only shoveled for an hour, then took a break. It was hard work. My favorite snow shovel broke. When I turned it over it was clearly rusted through and through. If not then, it would have been soon. Presumably, the stores are selling out of shovels to the folks who wait until there's snow on the ground. Not the worst problem in the world; I have a collection of snow shovels in the basement. There's a light dusting on the sidewalks now so the process needs to be repeated.

Eating was OKish, CREDIT moi. Not much time to snack when there's work to be done. DW served dreamy white beans for dinner - our go-to cold weather dish. For lunch, I finished off the turkey, graciously splitting it with DW despite my desire to stack on an unreasonable amount just for myself.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Hospital drugs do seem to often be the source of issues. Glad your MIL seems better.

maryann - Welcome back to school for those difficult weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Karen (karenrn) - Yep, hunger is a good sign that you're not over eating.

curlyjax - I agree; shoveling snow is a good motivator to get physically in shape.

Penny. - I'm a fan of chickpeas so chickpea stew sounds terrific.

CJZee - Thanks for the reminder that sticking to the plan helps with . . . sticking to the plan.

Readers -

Most schools are cancelled today again although the storm seems to mostly over, i guess snowing a little bit for a few hours. DS is delighted, and since he’s a senior he won’t have to make up snow days at the end of the year either (their year ends earlier than everyone else). I’m letting him sleep in until I’m ready to shovel out:)
I did have some planned for dessert yesterday but I resisted getting into more. I bought some stocking stuffers earlier than usual since I won’t be able to later and its going to be hard to resist the chocolate but I must! I tried a bit of journaling last night and that helped with both loneliness and not eating more.
Gardenerjoy- I usually plan my dinners before shopping too, and as you say the lunch and breakfast don’t vary much. I do need to plan snacks better though, and think about the balance of starch/carbs during the day-and stay on plan.
Well, better get going and tackle the snow. I hope it isn't a super snowy winter!

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday was a great day and food was on plan. Weight is very slowly moving down. When I got to Camelback to meet my friends and hike we all thought, "What are we doing, we aren't in the mood." But we did it anyway and like always were glad we did. The added bonus was the Christmas tree at the top decorated with bird friendly ornaments. Today I'm going to hike Bell Pass and I have a hair appointment in the afternoon. I have a good novel I'm listening too that will get me exercising so that I can listen to it. It's from the library, so my time is not unlimited and I mostly only listen while exercising. My brother and sister in law are leaving this morning and I'll be heading to Tucson tomorrow to help my friend for a few days again.

Curlyjax I do a weekly plan (mostly) and then a daily plan that may change some from the weekly plan. I do mine in the morning only because I have the time then. On my plan I write down what I will eat each meal and snacks. If it isn't on the plan I don't eat it (except that once in awhile I do). While I'm doing my plan I assess the day before. In addition to the food, there are questions such: did I drink 64 oz of water, get at least 7 hours of sleep, pay attention to my hunger scale so that I didn't overeat. This month I am trying to be more mindful of my habit tracker so that I can see what percentage of time I am actually doing what I need to do and how it relates to my weight. It really only takes a few minutes each day. This week I didn't really complete a weekly plan because I'll be gone a few days. On those days I will write a daily plan, but dinner might say "Best choice and only eat until satisfied".
Bill That snow shoveling sounds like a lot of work. Be careful.
CJZee I think looking at weight loss in ten pound increments is a great idea. Have a great time on your road trip.
Penny Chickpea stew sounds good to me too. Weight coming down is such a good feeling.
GardenerJoy Sounds like a busy week. Yes, anesthesia can certainly cause some problems especially for older adults.
Maryann I hope your first day back to school after your long weekend was smoother than expected and anxiety resolved. I had some anxiety yesterday too. I was a little anxious about our hike even though I had done it only one week before and anxious about the gals coming in the afternoon. I hate that feeling.

I've already made my food plan for the day. Now I need to take a photo of it and an inspirational quote along with a green check mark to say I was on plan yesterday and text it to my PNP accountability group, which is the gals I meet with on Saturday morning. They have become friends I enjoy and working together to stay accountable and they have been an added bonus to being in this group. I guess it takes two villages and myself to keep me on track.

I'm going out to lunch with a friend at a black-owned, vegan friendly, bake shop that is quite famous around here: https://sweetartstl.com/ Somehow, this is the first time that I'm going.

It's taking some work to come up with a plan of what to eat there. I want the vegan burger. And I want a cupcake. But that's way too much bakery carb for me (I could skip the burger bun, I suppose, but that's not what I want). They have a special price on cupcakes today, so I'm going with alice.walker’s so fresh & so clean bowl for my main dish. And, I'll bring the cupcake home for an afternoon snack. I don't need it as part of lunch.

Exercise: +35, 75/1200 minutes for December

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding.

I successfully made pizza for the family and did not eat any. My chickpea stew is pretty good. Back to the yoga class today.

CJZee, the road trip sounds fun!

Bill, credit for the workout. It does sound like a strenuous task.

Karen, laughed at the "what are we even doing?" comment. Credit for pushing through it, and I love the decorated tree at the top.

Curly, do you get another day off from work then?

Joy, the bakery sounds great! It would be hard not to splurge, so good job planning ahead.

Even though I'm not super low carb (I was at one time), I do notice that when I keep the carbs down I'm not so hungry. I did pretty good today because of that, although I was again somewhat crazy trying to get ready for this trip. It's only going to be a week or so, but somehow DH always decides at the very last minute we have to finish up various projects we (he) have been avoiding for weeks. I usually go along with it because ... well, at least the projects are getting done, haha.

School week started well once the kids came. It always seems to be that way. I’m like a conductor with performance anxiety. I was observed by some new teachers today. I deliberately did some complicated discussion structures that really force the kids to think and talk. It takes a lot of time but the students have to really think instead of nod their head and say “I agree.” It went very well and the master teacher gave me a hug with a ton of positive feedback. Felt good.

I am on a Dec challenge in WW and have three great days.

Totally beat so I’ll sign off early. Looked through everyone’s post and proud we are all fighting the good fight.

Wednesday - Lakota Indian Chief Crazy Horse born (1849, Rapid City, SD)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - More shoveling for exercise, CREDIT moi - maybe another six inches. This was easier snow since we'd removed the water-soaked snow yesterday. Began the winter tradition of chatting with our neighbors that doesn't happen so often in the warm days when we all go about our business. I used another shovel from the basement in place of the one that I broke. I have that old-fashioned feeling in my gut that things should last forever.

Eating was OK, CREDIT moi. Dinner was salmon grilled outside after the snow was swiped from the grill. DW says that we need more propane so I'll add that to my to-do list that's getting a little crowded. Procrastination doesn't do much for whittling down the items that need to get done. Big deal was agreeing that the leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving should be given to the worms. I hate throwing away food, but stuffing is mostly cornbread - unneeded carbs.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Have to admit that I'm glad that your Sweetart bakery isn't nearby. I'm a sucker for the smells coming from a bakery.

maryann - So neat that you're able to get your kids to think. And then to talk in a room full of observing teachers. Kudos.

Karen (karenrn) - Love the notion of bird friendly ornaments on a tree atop Camelback. Someone had to carry that tree up there.

curlyjax - Glad that you DS enjoyed a day without school that doesn't need to be made up. Maybe someday we'll have schools that kids will miss if they can't go.

Penny. - Kudos for not eating pizza right in front of you. Homemade even.

CJZee - Yay for completing projects - however inconvenient the timetable.

Readers -

The roads were terrible in the morning yesterday but all went well. Time to get used to winter driving again! I did have a dessert at lunch but it was sort of planned, and nothing in the evening. I’m supposed to be picking up more at night in prep for my surgery but that doesn’t seem to be happening, I guess this weekend will be a whirlwind of activity.
My 70 year old neighbors called and offered to help during my recovery which is very sweet, they are the best! I am taking up people on their offers of food for sure, and hopefully some of my older friends can visit during the day since they are retired.
I just got sidetracked by watching on youtube “David Attenborough narrating clubbing in the wild”. It sounds exactly like him!
Karen- thanks for planning feedback!

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday was on plan and I did a moderate hike for exercise. Weight is down .2. It sure goes up more quickly than it comes down. It was so funny at my hair appointment. My hair dresser asked, "Where are my cookies?" I take some to her, but I don't bake this early. I reassured her that I would be bringing them on the 13th or 14th. I will admit I make some pretty darned good Christmas treats. This morning dh will take Otis to daycare and then I'll get packed and leave for Tucson. I won't get any specific exercise today, but we will go to the gym on Thursday and Friday. Last time I was there I lost weight, so I intend to do the same by eating small portions of healthy food.

Bill I hate the throw away food too, but I'd rather do that than keep something too long and get sick. With two people sometimes it just happens even with the best planning.
Maryann It sounds like you had a really good day at school and I'm sure the new teachers were really impressed. Good for you for being an inspiration for them.
CJZee I'm glad the projects are getting done and that you have patience with dh. Much better than the projects not getting done.
Penny Passing up pizza is admirable!
GardenerJoy How was lunch? I'm not usually a chocolate lover, but the brownies looked delicious.
Curlyjax I hope you don't have a super snowy winter too! I just checked the temperature for your area and it looks darned cold to me.

I may or may not be posting the next couple of days. If not have a great rest of the week.

The cupcake was good, but not nearly as good as the amazing salad that was served my entree! Here's something that I want to integrate into my identity: I am a person who appreciates salad more than dessert.

We're spending the night at MiL's house after her procedure today. Now that we know that anesthesia causes problems, we want her to have someone in the house for the first 24 hours. Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'll start of out-of-town, go to a matinee of Wicked, and book club that night. Food during this period is going to be tough. I'm bringing veggies, cabbage salad, and apples so that I have some things to help me make bad meals better.

Exercise: +30, 75/1200 minutes for December

maryann: I love your teaching style!

Good Morning Coaches.

Affirmation today is from gardenerjoy: I am a person who loves salad more than dessert.

I want to exercise like Karen and BBE - either shoveling six inches of snow or climbing mountains. Neither available in Central Valley this morning :(

Weight Three pounds below ticker which feels like momentum. I have a big weekend planned but I want to stay the course so I build resistance muscles today.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is down a smidge.

Have a great day, everyone!

Friday - Physicist and philosopher Werner Heisenberg born (1901, Würzburg, Germany)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was chase the (4 yo) DGD day, CREDIT moi. That included sledding in a local park down a wonderful hill that began steep, then flattened, then was steep before the runout. She loved it. Walked back up the hill a dozen times without complaint. DW felt pretty banged up when she went down on the thin plastic sled instead of the fat blown-up snow tube.

Dinner was a potluck before our reading group discussed Walden by Henry David Thoreau, a book that'd I'd avoided reading for years but finally succumbed to be able to discuss it. The secret to reading Walden is to skip the first chapter, Economy. The rest is the Thoreau one expected. I had to overcome my prejudice about a guy who declared he lived in the wilderness who walked a mile and a half to his mother's home regularly to do his laundry and for occasional meals. But, I only had one serving, CREDIT moi, but several oatmeal raisin cookies that had been baked by a friend who knew that I was a big fan.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - I, too, would like to achieve, "I am a person who appreciates salad more than dessert."

maryann - Our newspapers said that in Twin Peaks, California the snow was stacked three feet deep. Maybe they'd let you visit to help shovel, LOL.

Karen (karenrn) - A diet plan in one phrase, "eating small portions of healthy food."

curlyjax - Kudos for accepting help - sometimes difficult to do.

Penny. - A smidge is in the right direction.

Readers -

Ugh, didn’t do so well with sweets, I broke down and got into some holiday chocolate. It’s hard to hide it from myself:) Feeling so lazy/tired at night. Oh well, onwards.
Now that i’m walking around in between client appts, I need to find some kind of shoe-boot for the winter. I don’t like wearing boots all day, my feet get sweaty, and yet the sidewalks aren’t always cleared off enough for sneakers, esp. In the am.
Maryann: you are welcome to come shovel snow anytime!
Gardenerjoy- love your new identity idea.
Karen- have a great time in Tucson. I am very envious of your temps!
Penny- keep up the good work!
Bill-I haven’t read Walden either, thanks for the idea of skipping first chapter. Maybe when i’m retired I’ll get to it.

Good Morning,

Regarding my snow shoveling comment: I only want to shovel the picturesque snow that is light, fluffy and not blocking my way to important errands. I also only want the kind that requires about 20 mins of work :) certainly a California girl here.

Also, Curleyjax that ice is terrifying. Up in Tahoe several of my buddies and I have had bad slips with some having life changing breaks. Boots are so important. Good luck with the perfect model.

I feel really good about my food plan. I am four pounds down from ticker. I feel full. I need to do some exercise tonight to keep up with my goal but that is doable. I have concerns going into this weekend. It is a yearly overnight event of Xmas shopping and gabbing with college buddies. I will have lots of weekly points to spend. If I am strategic I know I can do this. I will focus on lots of fruits and veggies.

Played a neat “Spot the Spy” game to intro the McCarthy era. It really showed how suspicions without evidence harm everyone.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding.

Gentle yoga with my friend again today. After the novelty wore off with a couple of the classes, I feel like I have ADD and can't wait for the class to be over.

I made the planned banana oat pancakes for the kids last night and the recipe included directions for making them all at once in the oven. Just 15 minutes at 350, but they came out looking just like cookies. They look like cookies but feel soft and taste like a pancake.

Joy, I hope all went well with MIL.

Bill, the sledding sounds like great fun. Your wife's experience on the thin sled reminds me of the time I tried to slip n slide with the kids. Ouch.

Curly, that is wonderful the neibors are offering to help out. Good luck with your shoe shopping.

Maryann, your overnight plans with friends sounds so fun! Good job banking your points for it.

CJZee, safe travel and I hope all the projects were checked off the list.

Karen, have a nice time with your friend!

Friday - Everglades National Park in Florida dedicated (1947)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Finished the last day of the course I'm teaching. CREDIT moi for plodding along. There was much class discussion about whether we're headed toward a surveillance state or a benign state of transparency. Does seem to be clear that our old-fashioned notions of privacy are over. Just over. Like letting your kids go out and play in the neighborhood all day over.

Eating was OKish, CREDIT moi. It included a celebratory cookie with everyone at the end of class. Wasn't a surprise; I brought them. Dinner included spinach which I mention because it reminded me that I really like spinach. Excitement around here is conspiring with our DD to get the Christmas gift boots to the DGD IMMEDIATELY. Seems that her little feet took a growth spurt and waiting until Christmas Day might result in blisters from her current boots. She'll find a wrapped present at our house next Wednesday.


maryann - LOL at a California snow girl. The thin coat of fluffy stuff is fun. Neat that your find ways to get your kids to feel history.

curlyjax - Yep, good boots are the right way to go.

Penny. - It violates the rules for pancakes to be made in an oven - even if they taste like a pancake. Can imagine that slip-and-slide might be rough on the body.

Readers -

I called a friend of mine last night who just had a knee replacement, and got freaked out by how she’s in a lot of pain and feeling foggy. I’m starting to get nervous; I’m not very prepared in terms of food/dinners. Maybe we’ll be ordering take out a lot:) Plus what if a storm comes and i can’t get out for last minute shopping. What if something happens at the last minute and I can’t do the surgery on the date! Reality is hitting me.
Well, i’ll make a plan to do as much as possible this weekend. Including a trip to the library, I need books!
Penny- great idea to do pancakes all at once so no one has to wait.
Bill-I always forget how fast those kiddies grow! Christmas boots sound fun.
Maryann-Great job on 4 pounds down from ticker. The weekend sounds fun.

Good morning coaches,

I'm still in Tucson, but will be heading home this afternoon. Food has been on plan but exercise has been limited to doing the work we're doing. Not taking the time for the gym this visit since I am not here as long and everything seems to take longer than we wish. It is a good reminder to me that I don't want a bunch of stuff around. We have gotten rid of a bunch and I mean a bunch of tools for next to no money. There would probably be ways to make more from them, but people would have to come to her place which isn't really feasible.

Mainly I want to get on and reassure Curlyjax that from the people I know who have had hip replacements, the pain was not an issue. It is nothing like the pain of a knee replacement and can not even be compared. I'm sorry to say that for any of you who may be needing a knee replacement. My husband has had two hip replacements and I have three women friends who have had hip replacements. They were all glad they did it and mostly wished they had done it sooner. Of course it is normal to get nervous about surgery and being as prepared as possible is a good thing.

I'll post more once I'm home. Take care everybody.

MiL is doing well with recovery from anesthesia, so far.

The unexpected wrinkle was that she was told not to speak (even whisper) for a week. That's having implications that we're still figuring out. A major one is that the phone is now a useless tool for monitoring progress.

Today's challenge is that we have very little food in the house. That was deliberate since it didn't make much sense to buy food before an over night away from home. An added complexity is that I have a follow up appointment with the retinologist this morning, so my eyes will be dilated. My plan is to go to the grocery store late this afternoon when my eyes have recovered a bit and it will be safer to drive.

I cobbled together a lunch plan so that I don't have to shop this morning. My "salad" will be chopped broccoli and carrots tossed with a little dressing.

Exercise: +15, 175/1200 minutes for December

Good Morning, Coaches.

Weigh in day. It feels good to reset my numbers here. I met two out of three of my goals for Dec. WW "Up to the Challenge." I stayed within points and I met my fitness points. I did not stretch everyday. This week's goals are to stay within my points limit and to not weigh until Dec. 13. I need to train myself to trust the process.

I continue to have fun figuring out "bargain food menus for myself." Since I love a good deal I use 7 Tablespoons of Fairlife milk instead of 1/2 cup of skim milk milk because it saves a point and tastes the same with a little more protein. Some people would hate to be spending time like that but it is fun for me. Afterall, I don't do fantasy football or Facebook :) I need some mindless tasks after a day of trying to outsmart 16 year olds.

Yesterday we were looking at China's one child policy. I showed the trailer for "It's a Girl" which documents female infanticide in China and India. For the first time all year there was a crack in the bravado. "This is happening right now?" they asked. All the wars were a thing of the past but this is their generation. When I do retire, I will miss the challenge these kids provide.

Penny: I can't get oven pancakes out of my head. I want to try them. Now.
BBE: Kudos on the completion of your class. That is always a good feeling.
Gardenerjoy: Dealing with med issues is always draining. Credit for forging on.
Curleyjax: I always remember that the acronym for fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.
Karen: What great service you are to your friend. I am a natural tosser so it thrills me to think someone in Tucson is decluttering.

Good morning!

Yesterday was overbudget and weight is up again. The vegan fettucini alfredo got me! It was so good! Because the sauce is almost all cashews, it is quite filling so one small bowl was enough. Not too overboard, then.

I'll try and compensate for it today because I would really like an on plan week in the books.

Bill, congratulations on finishing the class!

Curly, pre-op jitters are the worst. I'm sure your son will be a big help.

Karen, I'm a tosser like Maryann and the tools my dh has in the garage is near hoarding level. I always think if something happened to him, I wouldn't have a clue about it all. I imagine the added stress is not worth trying for maximum profit.

Joy, time for grandma to start texting? No talking for a week sounds kind of nice at face value, but I'm sure it's going to be rough.

Maryann, congrats for meeting most of your goals and keeping with your points!

Saturday - Emperor Lo-Yang of China sees supernova - MSH15-52 (185 C.E.)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was walking to the subway to get to the evening's performance of Handel's Messiah. Would think that after seeing it dozens of times, it'd get old hat. Not so. Almost cried during "He was despised and rejected of men." Then the Hallelujah Chorus (about half the audience stood; a sometimes tradition). Then the trumpet solo where I was ready to sign up for whatever cause was being celebrated. Gotta remember, Handel took a full three weeks to write this in 1741. Without a computer or a copying machine.

Eating was OK, CREDIT moi. Our friend brought a chocolate mint to eat during intermission. I left it in DW's purse so that I wouldn't be tempted. Forgot about it. Felt good about that. Then, just before bed, DW came into my office and gave it me. Ouch. I ate it as if it was possible to be hungry at midnight instead of sleepy. Maybe I was trying to get over my uncalled-for funk that hit me when getting on the subway. While I was diligently Boston-style trading elbows with three teenage girls trying to jump in front of me, a middle-aged man (40's) said loudly, "Step aside for the old folks." Ouch! Admittedly, our friend has a full head of brilliant white hair. To compensate, best as I could, I gave my seat to a grateful woman once we got on. Can you image!


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Sounds good to me, "chopped broccoli and carrots tossed with a little dressing."

maryann - Always think of you while attending the Messiah. Think of you back there bellowing out the Chorus. Yay for finding mindless tasks after trying to match wits with sixteen year olds.

Karen (karenrn) - Yay for getting rid of "stuff" - even if not your own. It helps to strengthen your getting-rid-of-stuff muscle.

curlyjax - Ouch for the pain of trying to anticipate all negative possibilities. Perhaps you can start of list of all those folks who toss out, "Anything I can do, just call me" to match up with your to-do list: "Go to the library to pick up my books;" "Stop by Whole Foods for a tray of frozen Mac-and-Cheese;" "Come by and clean my house."

Penny. - I'm in for vegan fettucini alfredo that's mostly cashews. I'm in for sponges if covered with enough cashews, LOL.

Readers -

Did well yesterday focusing on the girls and fun while still tracking. Yeah me! I also got some shopping done. Not many people out which was interesting for a huge galleria. More of the same this morning.
We were going to cut down our tree up at Tahoe but the weather said “No.” Oh well.

Wave to all.