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:
Saturday- Darwin and Wallace's papers on evolution read at the Linnean Society (1858)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner taken on the patio in perfect weather. We've got air quality warnings but the air isn't uncomfortably bad - mostly just enhanced sunsets. My lungs might have a different story if they could talk. Dinner was shrimp stir-fry based on a frozen package from Trader Joe's, supplemented by a wad of snow peas from our garden. Actually not a perfect idea because our garden snow peas were so crisp and delish that the ones from the frozen package were clearly wimpy. Without the contrast, we'd just eat away like children in Oliver Twist happy to be getting our gruel.
Accomplishment was completing the toilet fix for the downstairs toilet after the part arrived. Took me an unreasonably long time to figure out what the problem was; only five minutes to execute the fix with the part in hand. It just wasn't going to be a good idea for it not to be usable when the grands come over. When they have to go, they often mean RIGHT NOW.
Bureaucracy part of my brain got triggered when DW mentioned that she had to have her car inspected by the Mass Dept of Motor Vehicles this month. I wondered when my inspection was due - or past due. Good news, I've got the 31 days of July to get it done. Fortuitous discussion since I've been known to only remember when some bored police officer pulls me over to give me a ticket.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Those high temperatures are frightening, especially since they're predicted to drift eastward toward us on the East coast. Kudos for one more month of exercise goals met.
Silverbirch - Congrats for being able to focus on your exercise despite the issues on your plate. Do hope your SO's work situation resolves in an acceptable solution. And that your tummy gets back into the team spirit. Have no idea what to wish for you in the insurance arena. Perhaps that a wealthy buyer on a white horse wanders by determined to pay you a premium for your current place.
curlyjax - Congrats for acknowledging that you are doing harder exercise stuff in class than at the beginning. Foccacia garlic bread is too tempting to be in my sight; I love it. And Kudos for leaving some spaghetti on your plate; leaving food remains a tough one for me.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 7Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan Experiments to Vary the Think Thin Eating Plan
Learn to Change Your Plan in the Moment
Until now, you have followed your plan precisely, and if you've fully mastered the skill of sticking to it, and staying in control, you're probably ready to learn how to change it in the moment.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 176.
We left work a little early and I spent a little time at my local library which was a lovely thing to do on a hot summer day, then off to my personal trainer session. It was an hour to make up time missed, but we took it slow. My abs are killing me today but its a good feeling. I had a healthyish chicken wrap at home, then ate a ton of ice cream. Today I am resolved to have an ideal eating day! I was going to see fireworks with BFF but she bailed, so I decided to stay home and do some sorting. I finally sorted through the rest of DH's bureau and am tossing things like sympathy cards from his death. I am leaving his odd collections of odd things like old metal hooks etc until I can deal with it all -some of which was in his bureau because why not Also cleaned out the fridge and actually washed the containers used, so the kitchen is looking good this morning. I stayed up until 1 am watching a funny Australian detective show called Deadloch- I never stay up that late but I decided I'm doing a staycation so why not. I'm enjoying it but its not for everyone- raunchy and lots of swearing.
I think I may zip off to the farmers market in a minute, the delights of summer!
Bill-how lovely to eat outside even in the less than ideal air quality.I was actually emailed by the DMV when my car inspection was late, which is a new thing to me.
Gardenerjoy- gosh that is hot. We're getting 91 this week, ugh. Great idea to do a spreadsheet, you'll definitely get the big picture that way.
Silverbirch-it feels so good to lift higher weights doesn't it! Major credit indeed for 2 times a week. Good luck with SO's job, that is so stressful.
s
I got another unhappy number on the scale this morning, so I did what I said I was going to do and put the last two months of scale readings in a spreadsheet. As I suspected, the trend line tilts down. Yay!
I've got DOMS from Thursday's workout, which may account for the higher number all by itself. Another reason to just keep following my plan.
We had storm warnings last night after a day under a heat advisory. More unsettled weather predicted today. I just picked out a HIIT workout on YouTube to try this afternoon so I can look forward to an indoor workout.
I'm off to my usual Saturday activity. I hope everyone has a good weekend -- and a good long weekend for the USians among us.
Good Morning!
June was a rollercoaster ride for me. I have been to two funeral at two opposite ends of California for 90 plus friends' dads. The second lasted as long as an Indian wedding. Mom is safely on the mend from the hospital, Dad ( 92 and living alone at Pismo beach) is doing very well. My marriage is on a successful new journey and the separation is over but we are still in couples counseling. So there there is a lot of good news. The coast was beautiful and I got some paddleboarding in; I was of service and reconnected with good solid relationships; and I was able to visit the town I was born in - Malibu. Malibu is sadly a mess. The ultra- rich are intermingled with a nation of construction workers trying to rebuild from the fire that destroyed my own family home. It is no longer the middle class home I once knew.
The troublesome news is i am 184 which is 5 pounds into my red zone. Sheesh. I am going to take today to thoughtfully plan out a solution.
I have put BBE 's UFP book on hold but I will most like buy it. I know it is Bliss point foods that have been a major player.
I will bike with DH today.
Just for today, I will track my food in MFP. silverbirch: I missed the details but possible financial insecurity is never easy. curly: person trainer? impressive gardenerjoy: Here's to fighting the good fight against an unhappy number.
I woke at 3am, probably woken by the SO. I got up and read until 6am and then went back to bed, to sleep until 9am. Then I felt very slow and dopey until about midday. We’ve sorted out some priorities for the coming week and I’ve worked out how to get to the new house. My preferred choice would have been by train but there’s industrial action all week so I’ll drive, and possibly have a couple of days off at my sister’s on the way back north. They’re on holiday so it will be quiet and peaceful, with just the cat and we get on very well together. I’ve managed to cut some of the grass in the back garden today which is terrific. We’ve had rain and the grass is keen to get going again. I need to keep on top of it. Poached salmon for lunch (should have been tea but things have been a bit mixed up here), roast chicken for tea (again, a bit mixed up) so we’re really living the high life here in some ways. We do know this!
Have a lovely long weekend, Americans! Does it stretch as far as the 4th?
Bill, I’m not surprised that your snow peas are the pick of the bunch and that they showed up those frozen peas as also-rans. Credit for sorting out the loo before the two darlings burst into the house needing to GO NOW. Things will run much more smoothly. Re knights on white chargers bearing huge wodges of money: I do have some Premium Bonds so I might win a big prize on them in the next few days. ERNIE picks the numbers and I’m taking it as possible good luck that gardenerjoy may have seen one of the older ERNIE computers when she visited Bletchley Park. A big prize would be extremely good so fingers crossed. (I say this every month.)
curlyjax, your staycation sounds as though it’s going nicely. A cool library and a personal training session are a brilliant way to kick it off. Major credit for tossing things like the sympathy cards. Also for staying up late just because you wanted to!
gardenerjoy, thanks for mentioning DOMS and the link with weight. I’d forgotten that although I know that water is rushing to those areas and being held there.
maryann! Lovely to see you and to hear your good news. I’ve just looked on the map as my grasp of California is a bit vague. That’s a lot of distance you’ve travelled. Good luck with putting together a way out of the red zone.
Sunday- Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappear flying over the Pacific Ocean (1937)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner on the patio despite having to wear a shirt over our polo's for the slight chill. Entree was a new recipe - a variation of Philadelphia Pepper Steak with subtle ginger flavor and other spices served over rice. The pepper steak that is sold on subs has no subtlety and is usually smothered with American cheese to mask its basic good taste. This was enough better that the recipe will be added to the recipe box. The recipe didn't use "Philly" - perhaps to make it sound more classy, LOL. The published air quality index is slightly better. I do feel for the folks in Quebec who're getting the worst of the soot from the forest fires.
Am embarrassed to report that I FINALLY re-installed the kick plate on the dishwasher that I fixed a month or so ago. I wasn't in a hurry to put it back on because I wanted to be able to see that there were not even a few small drops leaking. That was the reason for not doing it immediately. After that, it just fell off the radar. I did need DW to be physically present because it required some heavy pushing that might need us both but mainly because I had to sprawl flat on the kitchen floor and needed someone to hand me the tool that I'd forgotten to bring down there with me. I can get up and down, but I do it with less glee each passing year. CREDIT moi for finishing the job (including putting away all the tools) and for admitting my snail's pace to completion.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Thanks for making me google that DOMS is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. I knew that; I look it up each time I encounter it. I do like the notion that when unhappy with numbers they should be beaten into a spreadsheet. Serves them right!
Silverbirch - Sounds good that you have some plans in hand for your next trip to the new house. It stings that your insurance company is part of the decision making team - like your MIL on your honeymoon. New to me to read about Premium Bonds - such a practical idea. And ERNIE, I'm in love with all of the ERNIE's. Hardly need another reason to want to visit Bletchley Park, but I'm adding ERNIE. Have a nice journey and visit with your sister.
maryann - That's a lot of traveling and funeraling. Such good news that both your parents are doing OK and that you and your DH are moving forward.
curlyjax - Sending supportive thoughts for cleaning out your DH's bureau - a heavy task, indeed. Neat that your abs felt your workout; must be doing something right. I think the name Deadloch is a gas. Had to look up that it's a made up name for a town in Tasmania.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 7Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan Experiments to Vary the Think Thin Eating Plan
Learn to Change Your Plan in the Moment
Let's say you planned to have the turkey sandwich you packed for lunch, but a coworker offers pizza. Before this point, you had to turn down your coworker because you hadn't planned in advance to have pizza. If you really wanted it, you would have had to wait until the next day.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 176.
I did go to the farmers market yesterday to buy a lovely bunch of wildflowers, plus cucumbers, lettuce, swiss chard, beets, dill and garlic scapes. I' was planning on cooking the beet greens and swiss chard but that didn't happen, so it needs to be done for dinner tonight. I'm not sure how exactly to use the scapes but I will google. I nobly walked by the wonderful bakery and goodies tables. Then home to do the dump, hang out with DD for a bit and then off to buy a battery operated hedge trimmer. I charged it up and felt like a Samurai warrior it works so great. It is a bit heavy so its a workout in itself; I had to stop multiple times, but that's okay. My property is so overgrown with bushes, plants etc its nice to finally do something about it. My reward was to watch 3 more episodes of Deadloch and I can't wait to see the finale which is coming out later this week.
Today I am going to a museum with a friend-it's free first Sunday- and we may get a bit of lunch after. It's supposed to thunderstorm later which will cut the outing short. I need to get groceries at some point and figure out how what else I can get done the next few days. I'm loving all this time off! I stayed OP yesterday and am going for another one today.
Maryann- so glad things are going well with DH. The personal trainer is part of my 10 week program which ends next week.
Gardenerjoy-yay indeed for the trend tilting down.
Silverbirch-So interesting about the premium bonds and ERNIE. Some people have a 4 day weekend and some don't, it depends on your workplace etc. The federal holiday is only celebrated on Tuesday so we still have mail etc on Monday. Nice to break up your journey at your sister's house with the cat for company.
Bill-It was hazy here from the fires, interesting you didn't have it. Your Philadelphia steak sounds fabulous!
Weight is down a pound and a half.That is most likely just getting off Bliss Point Foods (maybe I should call them UPF now.) All encompassing term. DH and I went on a very lengthy bike ride - part mountain, part paved. Dh does not want to do the mountain part again. That is fine. Truckee is the King of bike paths. Lots to choose from.
Today is pickleball and either paddle board or hiking. We have to stay around our house because the Fourth of July holiday (which is stretching to a week because it is on a Tuesday this year) has made the towns around Lake Tahoe complete madness. Contributing to the influx is 107 degree heat in the valleys. But our place has all the good stuff steps away without ever having to go to toward crowds. If we want to go to town we can bike ride.
Afternoon fun is seeing Indiana Jones.
Yesterday I took a page out of Joy's fantasy travel. My fantasy bucket list is to find a tiny place somewhere near the beach and fix it up so when I retire I can fly from Tahoe to the beach ( 8 hours from each other). I did find a 550 sq ft house in Fort Bragg on the spectacular Mendocino coastline. I could buy it myself . I went down a rabbit hole last night deciding how to sleep five ( girl's weekends) and furnish. Such fun. Of course it would take all of my 401K plus to get it. Also, It would not be my first choice because there is no airport there. Call the rabbit hole project my "summer reading."
A slow day with the focus on trying to keep the tummy under control. I think things are going quite well. The secret seems to be not eating very much, sitting down whilst eating (you may have heard of that one!) and letting my food go down in a very upright position. Plus breathing deeply to relax the diaphragm, and being very cautious about kneeling down and bending in half in the garden (I was caught out badly yesterday with this). I like to think that sauerkraut and yoghurt are helping too. Resting is no bad thing and I’ve got a busy week ahead of me. I wish I had more energy but that’s been around for a while and waking in the night doesn’t help.
Bill, credit for no daytime snacks and credit for getting that kick plate back in position. I’m laughing about my “insurance company as part of the decision making team - like your MIL on your honeymoon”. I really hope to get rid of them tomorrow until this time next month. Fingers crossed.
curlyjax, nice haul from the farmers’ market. We had rainbow chard tonight (cut up roughly and braised in the oven with butter - mainly because none of the electric cooker rings simmer nowadays). I love it. Good work with the hedge trimmer and having rests. Call it interval training!
maryann, having lots of bike paths sounds wonderful to me. You’ve got some nice things lined up for today.
We just got electric power back after a 16-hour outage, started by a storm that passed over at 12:30am. It's been a weird day. I spent a good chunk of it reading print books!
Monday - Full moon; Buck moon; supermoon (appears larger)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Achievement was to do another session going through 'stuff'. Made the decision to get rid of a bunch of shoes that I no longer wear. Set aside for Goodwill several pairs that were office dressy; I wore them to work on occasion just for variety. Several pair were casual that were old enough that their soles had hardened. I didn't know that even name brand casual shoes have a composite sole that gets hard. When hard, they're slippery - not a desirable state for a shoe. And a few other things. It goes slowly. DW was helping; she gets annoyed when I stop to read some papers. But my biggest challenge is unsorted papers that are a mix of too old to care and warranties and instructions for some item still in use that need to be labeled and put in a place where they can be found. I'm also a sucker for saving letters or notes written to me - especially from folks no longer alive. Did find the copies of passport applications from thirty years ago; easy to designate them for shredding.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was dahl that always makes me feel like a noble member of the planet since I'm not consuming excessive resources by eating red meat. Dahl tastes especially right on a chilly, rainy day.
Second achievement was making a phone call that I'd been putting off. Not a difficult call, just one that was easy to procrastinate.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Sixteen hours is a long power outage. Cheers for hard-copy books - what a clever invention!
Silverbirch - Yay for a tummy staying under control. Proper posture must be hard to think about when gardening is the real concern. Thanks for the reminder that sauerkraut and yoghurt are useful to the digestive track.
maryann - Such fun exercising adventures. Shudder to think of having to avoid 107 degree F temperatures. Love the notion of fantasy travel. Opportunities might arise if real estate prices go through some roller coaster times in the near future.
curlyjax - What a great bounty from the farmers' market - just like a Hallmark commercial. Let us know what you do with garlic scrapes; don't recall seeing them yet on Joy's plant list. And Kudos for your Samurai warrior work with your new hedge trimmer.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 7Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan Experiments to Vary the Think Thin Eating Plan
Learn to Change Your Plan in the Moment
Now, you can experiment: . . .
You can make your snacks optional and decide at the last minute whether to have one or add it to a later meal.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 176.
Yesterday I went to https://www.museumofrussianicons.org/ with a friend. It was one of the free museums on free first Sunday of the month, so a good deal. Afterwards we went to a nice local diner for eggs etc, and then browsed at a consignment shop for furniture, knickknacks etc. It was set in a beautiful old mill building so the whole experience was quite nice. Enjoyed a quick nap at home then the day deteriorated into a quarrel with DD. I spiraled into feeling sad about various things but I still managed to eat somewhat healthily and did not emotionally eat, credit moi.
The scale is the lowest its been in awhile this morning which could be water loss but i'll take it. I have my last Monday of the weight training class tonight but i don't know if i'll go as its supposed to thunderstorm, we'll see. I need to get groceries today and it would be good to do a bunch of paper sorting. I need to clear out a space in the basement to put everything i'm going to bring to savers, bring to the dump on weds etc. It becomes a matter of moving junk piles from one spot to the next as its over crowded everywhere.
Just got a call from my dad's place, sigh- personals tomorrow!
Our power went out at about 12:30am, early Sunday. By the time I was up and wondered "How long is food good in the fridge?" it was already past the correct answer of 4 hours. We reasoned that the CDC was probably overly cautious and that our fridge is really good and hadn't been opened, so I was out before 7am tracking down bags of ice.
We successfully got everything put in two large coolers that we used to use when we brought sodas to family gatherings. We did throw out a 1/4 lb of ground turkey, immediately. That was the only raw meat in the fridge, so mostly it meant that we didn't have to worry about how to keep raw meat from mixing up with everything else in the fridge.
A full freezer is fine for 48 hours, according to the CDC, so we just made sure not to open it. It was still a bit below freezing when the power came on.
Food was not Ideal, but not out-of-hand and I got a large drop on the scale this morning that I'm pleased about.
I started today with a long walk with a friend, which puts me on a great track for a good day today.
Exercise: 30, 90/1800 minutes for July
curlyjax: Yay for lower scale readings! Do you have plan for what's next with weight training? I'm implementing a weird plan of two weeks of one program followed by two weeks of a second. I start my first transition from one to the other today, so we'll see how weird this really feels in practice.
BillBlueEyes: Good for you for getting some things sorted and decisions made about what happens next.
silverbirch: I hope you continue to find things that work to keep your tummy functioning well for you.
maryann: I like your fantasy project. I'm amazed at how those can hit just the right spot at certain times. I've recently spent some time inventing a life for myself as a railfan (trainspotter to silverbirch) -- there's an apartment building in downtown St. Louis that repurposes the old Missouri & Pacific headquarters. It's within walking distance of the Amtrak station. So much fun to decorate the apartment in my mind, while also planning train trips around the country. Oh, and there's a whole novel idea in there, too, that I could work on during both the home times and travel times.
Lots of exercise adventure as planned. Played pickleball for 2 hours having found a couple of singles to join with. Super fun. Then I pumped up my SUP since the compressor doesn't do the job. Afterwards a long hike to the lake. I slept 12 hours last night so I guess exercise is the trick to a good night sleep.
Sometimes I wake up in the morning and get on a "to do" mission even before coffee. The burst of energy is usually incredibly productive and last about an hour and a half. I just go with it. I start "pulling a thread" on tangled problem of some sort and suddenly I have solved something significant. Today, it started with noticing I hadn't donated an old pressure cooker that was in my tiny kitchen up here at the lake. What else do I not need? How many spatulas does one need? How many sets of table cloths. Nutmeg grinder? " Have I used it within the last two years? " I ended up with a 3 square feet e of donations ready and clean kitchen drawers. Yeah!!! that is a big difference in a 1200 square foot cabin. No matter how the day progresses, I have a sense of accomplishment.
It is warm for up here 80s. I think I will stick to water exercise. SUP it is.
BBE: Excellent decluterring. LOL that you stop and read amidst the chaos. Very rocket- scientist like. Decluttering tip: all instructions are now online for everything so hard copies can be tossed.
Curley: That is great you weight is down. I would like to join you. i have lost 2 pounds up here so far and that included the day after a bunch of buttered popcorn to see Indiana Jones.
Joy: the trainspotting life sounds cool. I figured out how to decorate 1 bed/ 1 bath to nicely accommodate five sleeping. ( girl's weekend and such.) I LOVE looking for convertible furniture.
Beck Diet For Life/Solution – July 2023 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach
Saturday- Darwin and Wallace's papers on evolution read at the Linnean Society (1858)
Also cleaned out the fridge and actually washed the containers used, so the kitchen is looking good this morning. I stayed up until 1 am watching a funny Australian detective show called Deadloch- I never stay up that late but I decided I'm doing a staycation so why not. I'm enjoying it but its not for everyone- raunchy and lots of swearing. 
