The 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:
With The Complete Beck Diet for Life you'll discover the 5 stages of successful dieting and maintenance. You'll learn how to motivate yourself, give yourself credit for every change you make, create time and energy for dieting, and handle hunger and cravings. Dr. Beck eases you into changing one step at a time. You'll master one task before moving on to the next. And you'll learn techniques to deal with challenging situations, such as sticking with ou plan at celebrations and dealing with "food pushers." With Dr. Beck's skills, you'll achieve a lifetime of healthful eating and lifelong motivation.
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:
Monday - National Freedom Day - Celebrating Lincoln's signature (1985)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - The new tube on the snow blower doesn't hold air. What a bummer. We'll face a predicted eight inches with shovels. It's a several hour job - in warm weather - to remove the little tire and put in a new tube. In cold weather, it's near impossible. Have a great desire to eat about it. But, eating doesn't fix tires, LOL.
Got to visit with our DS and DIL in our kitchen for a cup of tea. It was too cold for them to take a walk. We distanced and kept our masks on except when actually sipping.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner included a "dessert" of two small oatmeal cherry cookies. We have a friend who bakes and sends over exactly four so we don't overeat. It's a wonderful treat. Naturally, I'd like six more to wash them down.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL at "Groundhog's Day Retreat." Gotta cut the dependence somehow.
maryann - Amazing that your DH finds your serving sizes too large; Maybe you're still serving as if your DS were home. We just read that a section of Highway 1 fell into the sea; that's really sad news for the zillion of us who've driven some stretch of it.
Karen (karenrn) - Eggs for dinner is just the best. We regularly have omelettes for dinner - didn't think to call it breakfast for dinner. My Congrats to your DH for doing planks; I HATE those.
curlyjax - Neat to have the time to clean up your house as you'd like to live in it. A different story: We have friends who just drove nine hours to pick up their daughter who was rattling around in a near-empty dorm taking all her classes on-line. Decided that there was more stimulus at home. So mom and dad got un-empty-nested.
Readers -
Quote:
Success Skill 1Motivate Yourself Daily
For many years, researchers at Brown University and elsewhere have been gathering records from people who have lost an average of 70 pounds and kept it off for an average of 6.5 years. They created the National Weight Control Registry, which now includes data from thousands of successful maintainers. Many of them had tried to lose weight a number of times before they finally reached their goal and stayed there. What made the difference? What helped them finally achieve lasting weight loss?
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 52.
I finally cleared out the livingroom except for one small pile, and it looks so wonderfully clean. I also got the bills done and mailed, and dropped off overdue library books. I did allow myself a caffe latte at Starbucks, partially to motivate myself to leave the house. I made some roasted chickpeas to snack on which i’ve been meaning to do forever. And watched the first two episodes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke so I could watch the third one on real tv on PBS. A satisfying day. I do seem to be talking to myself outloud to cheer myself on but that’s ok, I did some of that when the kids were here too Gardenerjoy-good idea to take a break from FB, it can be a real time waster. Maryann-I’m impressed you made a menu for the month and are only doing one big trip! I could probably figure out two weeks if I freeze some things. Karen-that’s great you guys can both exercise at the same time and keep each other going! Bill-oh geez, that would be tough on your friends! I’m so glad my kids colleges are close by, with the pandemic and everything. It’s a weird year to start college.
Happy February! I had a a great day yesterday. two hours of cross country put me over my goal for January. yeah! I made and ate ham and grilled cheese sandwiches with Dh. I NEVER eat those but boy were they good after skiing. We had a beautiful drive to my mom's where we helped her with her financials and DH did a trapeze act of replacing lightbulbs. I noticed I need to get her a new work mat for in front of her sink. Hers is a slippery cotton rug. That will not do.
I am glad it is a new short month.I feel it shortens the time when we have to endure the shutdown. Irrational, but still feels like progress. Our school board voted again to erase its last vote to open today. No kidding. Their new vote is to not be illegal. Sheesh. So at the very earliest, I have six weeks before anything changes - unless something changes again. But today I am optimistic that the kids and I can learn at least something and keep each other company through everything.
I will walk the bleachers at lunch and make a white bean soup for the rest of the week. For Frugal Feb I actually turned in the superbills for independent medical providers for last year so I can be reimbursed.
BBE: DH was a snow blowing fiend this weekend. It is enjoyable if you do it once or twice a year and the tires work! Curleyjax: Yeah for the living room being livable. The best thing is that it won't get cluttered again in a minute.
gardenerjoy and Karen: i also adventure without DH. He has workers to care for which he can't leave unless it is a very specific time of year - winter. I love beaches. He hates them. So I walk many beaches by myself.
I got my vaccine this morning and the second one is scheduled for 2/26 at 4:26 a.m. We drove over to the Cardinal's football stadium on the other side of the valley. It was very well organized, but the cars followed a path similar to a ride at Disneyland. The available times for the 2nd dose were between midnight and 5 a.m., so for me the nearer 5 a.m. the better. I was disappointed that dh couldn't get his vaccine. Apparently today is the first day they were giving dose 1 and dose 2 and didn't expect to have any extra. Hopefully by the time he's 65 next month things will have loosened up a bit and he can get his closer to home. Food was off plan yesterday and I spent some time trying to think about how I'm going to remember my why during the day and actually stick to what I plan. I'm going to attempt to start the day writing a journal page so that I'm more mindful about my goals and plans for each day. We'll see how it goes. I know one thing, it won't hurt to try.
GardenerJoy Enjoy your retreat and thinking time. Maryann The cross country skiing sounds like so much fun. Actually even just seeing the snow sounds delightful. Crulyjax It sounds like you had a very productive day. It's fun to really be able to see the difference from the work you have done. Bill That is such a bummer that the snow blower tire didn't hold air. You have your exercise cut out for you for sure. Take it easy or better yet hire a neighbor with a snow blower. That is really nice that the neighbor brings baked goodies, but not too many.
Well, I'm going to head out to walk with Otis now. I've got a couple of audiobooks that I need to get started on. Have a good start to our new month. I love that the first of the month starts on a Monday!
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Got my first COVID-19 vaccination and an appointment for the second in four weeks. Celebrating! The process was exceptionally well organized. I did have to fill out a form stating that I wasn't allergic to any of the components of the vaccine. There were a lot of components. I don't know of anything that I'm allergic to, so it was easy - don't know if everyone will find that part easy. We were ushered downstairs where two rooms had been cleared out. In the first we were jabbed. In the second, we had to sit in six-foot spaced chairs for 30 minutes to be sure that we didn't have a reaction. The nurses were joking around, showing memes of Bernie Sanders sitting in that very room waiting to be released, LOL. So glad to have started.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner of salmon grilled on the deck felt wonderfully normal.
Made my run to the supermarket to beat the predicted snow. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who knew about the prediction so the store was packed. I manically raced through. Was surprised that I didn't recognize any of the other shoppers; since I always go on Tuesday, I've gotten used to seeing the same folks each week. Seem odd to feel a connection with folks with whom I had no connection - except to pass in the aisles of the supermarket.
I have snow to shovel.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Great start to February.
maryann - Kudos for spotting the slippery cotton rug at your mom's house. Those are the things that catch us by surprise as we tend to lift our feet less high as we age.
Karen (karenrn) - Glad that you got your jab! Massachusetts is also using the Patriots football stadium, Gillette Stadium, as well as the Red Sox stadium, Fenway Park. Gillette is an hour's drive from Boston but has ample parking - tail-gate parties sized parking. Fenway has almost none; one gets there by subway - a contradiction for those who are avoiding the subway because they aren't vaccinated.
curlyjax - Yay for "A satisfying day." Sounds good.
Readers -
Quote:
Success Skill 1Motivate Yourself Daily
These successful maintainers consistently told researchers that their final weight-loss attempt was different because they had more powerful incentives to lose weight and never forgot what they were.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 52.
Boy, did we get snow, probably near 14 inches predicted. I'm a little concerned about my roof as I've had ice dams in the past-and of course I can't see it from my own house- but hopefully a lot has blown off as has my neighbors. It looks light and fluffy now and is predicted to rain later so i'm going to get to it quite soon.
Not much to report yesterday, I really didn't do anything other than work and then wasted a lot of time on the computer. Very bad eating, I found some gelato DD had left and ate it. NOW there shouldn't be anything tempting left in the house.
I'm really glad I don't have to go anywhere until the weekend really, and the power is on, hooray! Bill and Karen- so funny you both got your first shots yesterday! I'm so glad. Wow, I can't believe they give shots that late at night in AZ. Gardenerjoy-thinking time is so important and a great way to start the month. Maryann-yay for a great day. Glad you will be able to be home safely.
I seem to be getting up earlier and earlier. I was in the shower by 5:00 then out and prepping for the housecleaner. Lunch is packed and I am sipping a cup of coffee with an hour before I have to leave for school. That is nice.
Yesterday's frugal move was to use the website Cardcash to sell a Cabela's gift card that DH received from a company to which he gives business. It was $75.00 and I received a $56.00 dollar Amazon gift card. Better than acquiring more stuff that we wouldn't appreciate. ( Most farmers hunt or fish. I hike but have plenty of things already.) Gift cards really are a scam. I also continued the process of using up a four pound smoked ham for two people. I have now done a white bean and ham soup with several mason jars filled and frozen. I have a quiche to cook tonite snd a hambone waiting to be turned into split pea soup. Almost all will be frozen as well. The only thing not healthy in all this is really the salt. The ham is a FFA pig so it was lean and free range. At least I imagine it is healthier. At least I know it was loved. Credit for walking the bleachers at lunch.
curleyjax: Were you the one watching Unorthodox? I have watched three out of four and it is great. karen: Good Idea to think about my why. What do I really want with my food life and weight? The immediate answer is the health I am currently enjoying. All the clothes in my closet fit well. My husband is happy and I can do all the outdoor activities I desire. More importantly, I don't roam this world hunting for and then denying myself sugar in binge episodes. What do I want beyond this?
Thanks to karern for bringing up the why. It's helpful to think through that. The answers are generally the same, but the priorities change and I'm most motivated by the one that speaks to me the most in this moment. Right now, it's feeling strong and balanced in my body. That was better in September than it is now, so there's a goal to work toward. The focus, then, is on the yoga that works so well for that, for me. But, overeating would mess that all up, so sticking to the foods and food plan is also an element.
I woke up, did my journal page and met my friend to hike at 7 a.m. We had the most beautiful sunrise. We do have beautiful sunrises and sunsets here. We were on the sunrise trail and there were some clouds in the sky and it made the clouds look bright pink. I had a slightly sore arm at bedtime and it was a little more sore in the night so I took some Advil. That worked just great and it is only slightly sore now. I have a list of things to do today and I'm remembering that I like my life to be a bit more regimented than it has been lately. Somehow I have just let things change blaming everything on Covid. There are plenty of things I can continue to due with Covid, even though they may not be the same things as before.
Food was on plan yesterday and I have a good plan for today. I was going to have some leftovers for lunch but decided it doesn't seem appealing. Dh said he isn't interested either, so it will go in the trash, but that doesn't happen often. I don't have to be the trash.
GardenerJoy I think it is going to help me if I just be sure I think about my why each day. I feel great and physically I can do what I want, but I really want to get to a more attractive weight. Maryann I think I need to make some ham and bean soup and some split pea and ham soup. They both sound delicious and it won't be soup weather for long here. Sounds like you are where you want to be weight wise, sometimes it is just a reminder that we want to stay where we are. Curlyjax I bet your snow is beautiful. I want to go to Flagstaff and look at the snow, but I don't want to drive in it. Our vaccine center is open 24/7. We have another site that will soon be open 24/7, but they don't have enough vaccine yet. It sounds like things are starting to smooth out though. Bill I'm glad you got your jab too. There aren't so many benefits to being older, but this is one. How are you feeling today? Take it easy with the shoveling.
I think Otis may have had a mild seizure yesterday. I was in the office and he and his blanket fell off the couch and he was shaking. It wasn't like tonic/clonic movement, but more like shivers. His eyes were open. He didn't pee, so I know he didn't ever lose consciousness. Of course it was very upsetting. I called dh who came home immediately and I had called the vet right away too. The whole thing lasted a minute or two. Since he seemed no worse for the wear quite soon, we will just watch, but he does have a vet appointment next week and he'll have blood work to be sure that's okay. My husband has a seizure disorder that started out of the blue about 12 years ago. It only happened when he was sound asleep, but it was very frightening for me. Several 911 trips to the ER in the middle of the night. He is on two meds now and no further problems. They never did discover why, which is very common. The thing they rule out first is a brain tumor, so I was very glad it wasn't that. Just thought I'd let you know, because you all know how important Otis is. Of course not nearly as important as dh, but he has been fine for some years now.
Wednesday - Paleoanthropologist D. Black reports finding 'Homo erectus' (1928, China)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise, CREDIT moi, was shoveling the several inches of snow that stuck to the ground as rain slowly fell making it super heavy mush. Lots of work for each few feet cleared. Did it in chunks of slightly less than an hour. Then in for coffee to warm up.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was a new recipe that offered ras el hanout as an alternative to the paprika and cumin. The chicken dish was terrific; we'll now go hunt down the ras el hanout to try that version.
Good news is that I have no negative response to the COVID-19 vaccine of yesterday. Apparently, that suggests that I haven't caught COVID-19 before; those who've had it or had a previous vaccine have some major negative reactions. Expect to get those next month with my second jab.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yep, "overeating would mess that all up."
maryann - I agree that gift cards are a scam. I wonder how many are never cashed. Drooling at the thought of your split pea soup with a ham bone.
Karen (karenrn) - Sending supportive thoughts to poor Otis. Do hope it's a passing thing.
curlyjax - We got your predicted volume of falling water - but ours came mostly as rain. Hope you got yourself shoveled out.
Readers -
Quote:
Success Skill 1Motivate Yourself Daily
The incentives varied from dieter to dieter, but most centered on a health problem ("I want to lose weight to avoid a heart attack") or a social problem ("I'm recently divorced and want to feel confident about dating again"). They never lost sight of those reasons, even after they had reached their goals.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 52.
The snow was light and fluffy thank goodness. My neighbor ended up snow plowing the end of my driveway fortunately; he is so nice. I managed to get about a foot off the end of the roof with the roof rake-it was so hard to do, I ended up sobbing and feeling sorry for myself. I'm just too short and not strong enough. hopefully it won't get cold enough to freeze and then melt, which causes the ice dams. I think I do have the name now of someone who could help on the roof if we get a lot of snow again. I acknowledge that it would have been even harder if I I hadn't started lifting my puny weights last summer, so at least I have been doing something helpful for my body in that way. Karen- poor Otis! I hope he's okay, I'm glad you're seeing the vet soon.That sunrise sounds lovely. Gardenerjoy-strong and balanced is a good why for sure. Maryann- I've never heard of cardcash, good to know. I haven't watched unorthodox but it does look interesting. Bill-I've heard that about the second shot too, so I'm going to assume that I may feel lousy for 24 hours and make sure I have food etc in the house for it.
My why for today is: I don't like feeling helpless and weak, like I felt trying to shovel off the roof. I want to be strong. And I want to be able to wear cute little dresses and look good in them.
School yesterday was fine. I have been developing some new relationships in the new classes but I miss the old classes. That is the negative of a block schedule - if you have good classes you get rid of them mid year. Of course, the opposite is true if you have a crumby class. I must say, though, it has been rare to have a really crumby class. My world geo classes are watching Please Vote for Me about a third grade class practicing democracy in China. it is a riot. I promised my freshmen I would watch an anime series called Attack of Titan. Within the first two episode the parents had died and giant cannibals had trashed the city. The kids thought the show avante garde. I smiled secretly assuming Luke Skywalker and Mulan would come walking out in the next episode.
Food yesterday was heavy on legumes which is OP. No steps yesterday but I will make that up today as DH stays at the ranch overnight. Credit for setting an exercise goal that allows some breathing room so I don't have to break it.
Karen: Good thoughts for Otis. That must be have been scary.
gardenerjoy: I did my stretches last night and they make all the difference.
BBE: Good to know about the second shot. I will drive my Mom that day as well.
curleyjax: Glad you have the number for the roof guy. I am a big fan of having help lined up.
DH's biopsy results came back and he has prostate cancer. We have an appointment for February 11 to work out next steps. We're remarkably calm about the whole thing. I suppose there are several factors. We've had a long time to get used to the idea. I'm a 35-year cancer survivor. The doctor was reassuring in his prognosis even before the biopsy that a malignancy would be treatable, possibly curable.
Eating won't help. Good projects will help. And, we both have them. I was going to write that it is "fortunate" that we both have good projects, but that was largely by design. CREDIT for realizing what we would need and putting that in place.
Beck Diet For Life/Solution – February 2021 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach
Tuesday - Groundhog Day
