Beck Diet For Life/Solution – August 2023 – 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:

The Complete Beck Diet for Life
and the first book
The Beck DIET solution: train your brain to think like a thin person.

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:

List of Monthly Beck Threads for Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

Tuesday - English chemist Joseph Priestley isolates oxygen as a gas (1774)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – The SCAMmers almost got me. An ad showed up on Facebook from L. L. Bean for super prices from a warehouse sale. I followed all the pictures of L.L.Bean stores and merchandise. L.L.Bean to the core. At first I shopped only for a few things that my wardrobe could use to freshen up a bit, like Polo shirts. Amazing price for a pocket Polo, $5 for a normally $50 shirt. Feeling greedy I looked at their canvas sail bags that I absolute adore and use for shopping bags. Mine are showing wear from constant use. Only $6 instead of $35. Selected two. Pondered getting more since one can never have too many canvas bags. Selected shorts, khaki pants, new hiking boots, and a winter walking shoe. Finally got suspicious when the boots page declared that only 38 pair were left but they had them in my size - in fact in every size that I checked. Even though reluctant to face the truth I googled "LL Bean warehouse sale" to discover the obvious: If it's too good to be true then it probably is. The article that I found said that LL Bean was trying to get Facebook to take down the ad that was from Singapore SCAMers gathering credit card information. All the merchandise descriptions were copied from the legit LL Bean site. I dodged a bullet but got confronted that I have enough greed to overlook an obvious SCAM for a handful of minutes of the delirious high of a great bargain.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. We had the identical meal as the previous evening: pasta salad and deviled eggs. DW didn't want the deviled eggs sitting in the fridge for long. So summer good. Even though the heat wave had dropped so that we wore long-sleeved shirts.

Walked, CREDIT moi, around Mount Auburn Cemetery hoping to see some birds but distracted by their very old trees. Old trees are such splendor. DW can identify them by their leaves and bark; I can identify them by raising my binoculars and reading the labels attached by long screws in a manner that will last for a few years until the tree grows out three inches to try to enclose it. Hats off to the folks who have the job of tending acres of old trees, bushes, and a zillion different ground covers.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Hope you pulled your body together enough for a physical. Yep, the best part of someone else's kids, "and then send them home!"

Erika (eusebius) – Thanks for "No, thank you." is a complete sentence! Good to be reminded of that. Yay for Theo the training cat.

Silverbirch - It's a challenge to see one's own beloved home from the perspective of a potential buyer. I can imagine squeezing myself around a much-loved rosemary bush only thinking about how great it is to always have as much rosemary as needed. Congrats to your DD for already mastering the manual transmission start on a hill. Thanks for the suggestion of Thanksgiving Day presents - I could start a new tradition.

maryann - Would love to be a fly-on-the-wall when you take on AT&T. Love comparing them to timeshare salesmen - the lowest life form on earth.

curlyjax - That pop up shade tent is a gas - wish I'd had that back in the day for a touch of shade or privacy as needed. Interesting that the annoyance of boom boxes at the beach has gone away with ear buds. People watching is the best sport ever.

Readers -

Got off track yesterday with food at work when i sat down to chat with someone at lunch and ended up having angelfood cake and berries for dessert, then finished off the fudge in the fridge because why not. I was going to have a quick nap at home but was derailed by phone calls about my dad going to the ER for dizziness and low heart rate. He was much better after getting fluids by iv so its probably just dehydration, and hopefully he'll be released today. It's tricky managing this from afar but his helpers are great. Dinner was more pesto and chicken and a few tiny cookies. DS did not do the lawn yesterday which I'm a bit ticked about so hopefully he'll get it done today. I'm so ready to be done with yardwork.
Eusebius-glad you had a nice time with your friend. Yay for planning and seeing the results!
Maryann-I have a similar looking fridge and I do like all the shelves, plus extra freezer room. Sounds like you're spending your last days of summer well. Beach isn't as fun when there's arguing on the way home:)
Gardenerjoy- hope the dr appt went well, I bet you have the healthiest 61 year old lab results anyhow!
Bill-that is wild about the LL bean scam, goodness! Maybe that's why that's a dearth of workers, people have turned to scamming instead.
Silverbirch-I'm impressed on how much you're getting done with the house. A part of me feels like I will need to be retired in order to spend the time needed to weed out the house, but as that's 11 years from now its now practical as I would like to move in a few years. Yay for good driving lessons.

Day 30: Stay In Control When Eating Out
 

Hi folks! So happy to be starting a new month with all of you! I am so happy with how July went and your support and encouragement meant so much to me already. Thank you!!

Today's topic seems like a bit of a freebie for me ... this is exactly what I did on the weekend (twice actually) visiting friends in restaurants. This evening there is an executive meeting for Chorus Hamilton, the community choir I play for. It's at the conductor's house and he's ordering food. Nuh-uh, lol. He loves greasy stuff. I love him, he's a dear friend, but I'm not eating his food. I'm bringing my own dinner: Eggplant Parm Pasta Bowl - with little crispy nuggets of baked eggplant, lentils, and vegan parm. Woot!

Which means I have to batch cook today, but that's fine - got up early to give myself extra time to do so. Hoping I'm going to be super exhausted tonight and sleep soundly.

gardenerjoy - ugh! allergies are so frustrating. I'm sure you were still a very healthy patient overall though.

maryann - that is a super nice looking fridge you've got there. Brava for smoothies - I would like to reintroduce those soon myself. And kudos for on plan and sitting down, and limiting the cusswords with AT&T (that's a remarkable feat actually! LOL)

silverbirch - you are a decluttering boss! Good plan to protect your back by limiting your garden sessions. I am impressed by your DD learning stick shift. Never had much luck with that myself.

BillBlueEyes - OMG, I think an LL Bean scam would probably take me in, too. Brilliant ruse by those Singaporean swindlers. Kudos as always for your OP eating and your lovely walk in the cemetery.

curlyjax - hope your dad is ok!! I hear you on the yardwork. It seems never ending. Send DS over here when he's done at your house, lol.

Waving to all! Happy Tuesday and happy August!

Hello All,

Newbie to forum and just starting Beck's plan today. I'm looking forward to being part of the group. I had a break-through July losing weight, exercising consistently and feeling positive about losing weight. This hasn't been the case in a long time. I found a photo of myself and realized that I was in my late 30's at the time. I was about 30lb lighter and it showed! (I'm in my late 50s now) I realized I was "naturally" thin well into adult hood so I did some critical thinking about my old lifestyle, what changed, where I am now and how to get back. I joined MyFoodDiary in early July and started tracking my calories and nutrition. It reminded me that I don't nearly eat enough for Breakfast/Lunch and it leaves me weak, tired and unmotivated in the afternoon into the evening. Which almost always led to overindulging in junk food and wine. I'm generally not hungry in the morning and can't finish regular portions in the AM. So I decided to eat two breakfasts, a bit later of a lunch and an early dinner (so I could go to bed early to get-up early to cycle). My dinner meal was a big salad which left me full and I usually didn't have any cravings to fight. If I did, I was somehow quickly able to squash them - usually. I definitely had some slip-ups so was looking for some books for insight and found Beck. I'm not excited about recording planned menus but will trust the expert and the process, lol. I feel great about July and have given myself lots of CREDIT.
My August goals are to follow the Beck plan, cycle most mornings, do at least one 30min exercise dvd daily followed by a stretch dvd and lose a minimum of 1.5lbs a week.

Good Morning, Coaches.

Yesterday did not go as planned. A favorite cousin died of a massive heart attack while doing his treadmill exam at the heart doctor. He was 70, athletic, slim and full of life. Shocking. DH and I are really feeling ur mortality this morning.

I made a big miscalculation with my paychecks. Apparently I had opted into having 11 pay checks instead of 12. This is a teacher option. So I am not receiving an expected check. OK , I declare August a "low buy" month. In honor of that I reorganized my "gift closet." I put together some more gift baskets with shrink wrap. They look awesome ( if I do say so myself.) A wedding I will attend this Saturday has asked for cash for a honeymoon but I will give a very nice set of spa towels and niceties. It is what it is.

Still OP for non-UPF but I went down a rabbit hole with homemade cookie dough. Still it was a learning experience. I portioned it out and froze the 1/4 batch I made. I found I was able to stop and not have to throw it all away as I a would if it had been UPF. But no smoothie and no weight loss. Sigh. I take it as lessons learned. Today is day 16 of my 100 day challenge. I have learned so much and that is worth it as a NSV.

So for today, I will do yoga at 10:00, wait for the new frig., and eat that smoothie I promised myself yesterday.


Curly: Thank you for reminding to initiate the tried and true "No Sweets At Work" rule starting Thursday. I don't know what I would do if I had to face fully prepared lunches like you.
Erika: Credit for a successful July. I want to start seeing the weight loss you have experienced this August.
BBE: OMG. Thank you so much for retelling the SCAM story. I would never have thought that through.
Silverbirch: Credit for staying focused in the hurricane of to dos.

My blood pressure was high at the doctor's office, but I think it's because I wasn't thinking and had 5 or 6 cups of tea before I went. I woke up super-early and wasn't feeling well which tends to lead to lots of tea-drinking for the caffeine. The doctor wants me to check my pressures at home for a couple of months before we do anything else about it. If I'm right, I'll discover the limit on how much tea I should be drinking, which would be good information to know.

I feel worse today. I'm going to try hydration, including lots of herbal tea for the steaminess.

Exercise: 45, 1800/1800 minutes for July

maryann: So sorry for the loss of a favorite cousin, especially in such a shocking way. Sending warm virtual hugs.

Hello All,

Well I'm a newbie, today is my 1st day dieting with Beck (pink). I did a long post that somehow didn't get posted so I will keep this short. Had a successful July on both the food and exercise fronts. Did a lot of self reflection on how I got here vs. my old habits. I was "naturally" at a healthy and comfortable weight until my late 30s. I'm in my late 50s now. I started using MyFoodDiary to track my food in early July. A big break through was noting that I wasn't eating nearly enough calories in the 1st half of the day. I just can't finish a "normal" portioned breakfast so I have added a 2nd breakfast and it has made a huge impact! Crazy! I have more energy and motivation and therefore also started exercising regularly again. I'm also having a large salad as my last meal which leaves me full and usually keeps evening cravings away. I've also shortened my evenings so I can get up early to cycle so this is also helping with over indulging in the evenings - which was the majority of my problem along with not exercising regularly. Lots of the Beck plan resonates with me, although I'm so not excited about documenting what I plan to eat. But I will trust the expert and the process and do it.
August goals - follow Beck, do daily DVD workouts, do stretch DVD daily and cycle most days. Continue to track food in MFD and document my eating Plan daily. August weight goal is 1.5lbs a week which hopefully is attainable since I'm still relatively new on this journey.

And just like that, it’s August!
 

Bad news: woke at 0430. Report: drove around in the hinterland, searching for where the DD’s friends have moved to, and then test driving a car. Good news: fabulous views from high up and food good enough.

Bill, thank you for starting the new thread. Phew, that was a narrow escape from the scammers! Credit for another easy dinner and for your walk. I must get back into that.

curlyjax, sympathy about your dad and phone calls from afar. I hope he’s feeling a bit better now. And that you’ve managed to cram in sufficient sleep somehow.

eusebius, I like the sound of little crispy nuggets of baked eggplant. Credit for avoiding the conductor’s greasy food!

maryann, so sorry to hear about your beloved cousin. Such a terrible and unexpected shock. (You’re an experienced professional at low buy and frugal periods so I know you’ll get through this unexpected month without pay.)

gardenerjoy, the SO and I are taking blood pressure readings from time to time which are much better than those taken by health professionals. Good to have information. I love herbal tea. Current favourites are lemon & ginger (because it’s a bit cool and rainy here) and rooibos.

Good EARLY Morning, Coaches.

Joy and Silverbirch: I faced the same challenges as you both waking up way before I had plan. I started my day at 3:30 this morning. Insommia is thankfully only an annual occurrence two days before I go back to school. Sigh! I took the opportunity to open up the house in the 55 degree weather. I used my whole house fan. It feels wonderful in here.

Yesterday was a great learning day about the not letting better being the enemy of best.
1. I did yoga as promised but while watching a movie. Lesson is when I don't feel like it, I can still work toward goal in an innovative way.
2. I ate another serving of the frozen homemade cookie dough but I also had a smoothie. I learned that if the dessert is not bliss point manufactured, I can stop at one portion. I also drank my smoothie which left me full for the rest of the evening allowing for a drop in the scale.
3. I can be uncomfortable in m house with frig. workmen, a sponsee, and poor sleep and still not trash my efforts for the day. They became "opportunities for growth" rather than problems.

Today I will putter and enjoy my last day of summer. I was going to work outside but I have decided to do only frivolous things. I am going to take some of my chess lessons, watch reruns, search the internet for ways to organize my new side by side frig, and practice making sweet potato chips in the air-fryer. I will take a much needed nap. Maybe I'll do a little research on buying my future dream beach pied a terre.

Welcome MorningPerson Welcome
 

:welcome: MorningPerson :welcome:

And on the occasion of your first post, :wel3fc:

How did you find the books by Dr. Judith Beck?

And how did you find our forum her on 3FC?

Quick wave everyone. My dad is set to come home today so that's great, none the worse for wear. I'm telling everyone to push fluids as it sounds like he was dehydrated. I had the teeniest sore throat last night and was panicking, but both covid test last night and this morning are fine thankfully. I'm going on a trip on friday and do not want to get sick now!!
Food was so so -got in some healthy veggies but went overboard with some frozen yogurt stuff from emotional eating. DS mowed the lawn and we had a nice chat before he drove back to school.
Maryann- so sorry about your cousin.

Wednesday - Lewis Carroll publishes "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – This sleeping in late is new to me. It feels like I've missed the morning. Had a marvelous experience in a local park when a young group put on a two-hour performance that combined music from Nepal and Bluegrass folk music. Was just phenomenal. The two native Nepali had been making music all their lives: one on the Sarangi, a four-string instrument made from one solid piece of wood; and the other on tablas like we've seen before. Unbelievable professional performance provided FREE in the park. We got to chat with friends. We got to watch little kids dancing to the music under the watchful eyes of parents in the background adding to the fun. Just an amazing evening.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner eaten quickly before we left was tuna fish on a Brioche bun. I'm the maker of tuna fish in this family. Obvious ingredients are mayonnaise and pickle relish. Secret to its success is too much chopped red onion. Just love tuna fish with too much onion.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Ouch for caffeine driven blood pressure at the doctor's office.

Erika (eusebius) – Super Kudos for realizing that you can love someone dearly and not want to eat their choice of foods. Your dish sound yummy; be careful, you may convert some carnivores, LOL.

Silverbirch - Fun thought of driving through the hinterland when the views are fabulous. I take it you're making progress in the task of getting a car for your DD. I do like starting the monthly thread because it forces me to see that it's starting a new journey.

maryann - Sending supportive thoughts about the loss of your cousin. Just terrifying that it happened at the office of his cardiologist. I share that it makes me feel my mortality. Good to be reminded that when folks "ask" for cash it's just an ask; a gift is what we want to give at the moment.

curlyjax - Do hope some added fluid is all your dad needs. I suspect that this heat wave has caught a lot of folks not realizing that they have to drink extra fluids.

MorningPerson – Bon Voyage on your start of the journey into the Beck plan. It's dynamite that you already have clear goals for August - achievable sounding goals. It is a challenge to get ones food consumption distributed sufficiently to avoid dead spots when we feel like we're hungry enough to over eat. Glad that you've joined us. (I can see two posts from yesterday.)

Readers -

Day 31: Decide about Drinking
 

Hi folks, well this one is pretty easy as well. I have one glass of wine each night which I plan for the previous day. As I lose more, I am thinking about switching to a nonalcoholic wine to save calories; I’ve done some puttering on the net and it looks like there are some decent options out there to try.

Well it was a good thing I brought my own food with me last night because my buddy the conductor ordered fried chicken 😂 I actually felt great eating my home cooked meal while everyone else was pounding back chicken and fries, and macaroni salad. I do like a vegan chick”un” sandwich once in a while but the crispy eggplant bites were delicious!

Today I’m meeting with a graphic designer/occasional church choir member who wants to help with my little pie in the sky summer festival. I’m grateful that people want this to happen! We will see if we can get it off the ground.

maryann - I am so sorry to hear about your cousin; a tragic loss. Sending all the hugs!! I love yo “oh,well” approach to the missing paycheque. Cookie dough is so addictive!! Keep up the great non-UPF work!


gardenerjoy - hope you are feeling better today. It will be interesting to see how different amounts of tea affect your blood pressure.


silverbirch - hope you slept in a bit today! The adventure with DD sounds fun. Credit for “good enough” food!

curlyjax - so happy to hear that your dad is coming home!

BillBlueEyes - wow you just introduced me to a new instrument! That concert sounds so intriguing. I can totally see how sarangi and bluegrass would work together. Credit for on plan eating and enjoyment of tuna/red onion!

MorningPerson - I can’t see your posts for some reason but welcome and I hope you stick around!

waving to all! Happy Wednesday!

MorningPerson - My apologies; I just noticed that the algorithm had hidden your posts from everyone else (except me because I have moderator privileges) because you're new. Fixed that. You're now visible to yourself and the others.