[BillBlueEyes]

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

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan with no snacks, CREDIT moi - until dinner. There I blew it. We attended a birthday party for a friend at a top notch restaurant. It was a lively table of 14 folks, ten I already knew. Conversation spanned the universe - interesting folks my friend had gathered. Got to catch up with a friend who now teaches about Urban Violence. Got to hug my friend who lost her husband just two months ago. Got to chat with the only person I know who'd worked his way up the medical administration ladder far enough that I think he could help our country unwind the health care system.

But did I ever get snookered ordering food. I had a dish that combined lobster, pea pod & purple cabbage pasta, sweetcorn mousseline, bacon lardons, oven roasted cherry tomatoes, fava beans, and peppers. Had to look up bacon lardons which are clearly the most caloric food that could be added to a dish. And they add heavenly flavor. I left some pasta on the plate - the only contribution to sane eating. But I did have bluefish pate for appetizer since I have a memory of having that a few decades ago as the best dish ever. Thought I'd done my worse and was one of the few who didn't order dessert. But wasn't done. After folks had eaten their desserts, a birthday cake previously ordered by the son of the guest of honor was ceremoniously delivered to the table and it was declared that we all wanted a tiny slice. It was declared that we'd have cake as a tribute. Wasn't that tiny. But was top-shelf cake with good icing. Again, I left a token amount of the icing on my plate as if that compensated for having dessert. This was the very circumstance that Dr. Beck warns about where we should plan to have some 20% extra calories. I might have made that without the appetizer and birthday cake. We need to get out more often so that a nice restaurant isn't such an unusual event that I lose my sense of needing boundaries. Back on track today.


Erika (eusebius) – Love hearing that you're marching forth with your web design business. Methinks that your personal site will be your best advertisement.

Silverbirch - Eight hours of sleep sounds like getting back to normal, especially since "I feel much more like myself." Even though I know simple astronomy, it always makes me happy when someone far away on the globe sees the same moon I'm seeing.

maryann - Certainly I'm waving toward Michigan today. Congrats for setting a specific retirement day (now only 481 days away). Kilimanjaro is a terrific goal. (I'll send you an email in 13 years to remind you, LOL.)

curlyjax - Kudos for resisting dessert; wish I'd done the same. Remembering your goals for losing weight is so Beck.

Readers -

Chapter 7 Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan

Decide When to Move into Maintenance

Many dieters never get to the 1,600-calorie level. They decide that the challenges involved with further restricting their eating are not worth the small amount of additional weight they might lose.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 182.

[curlyjax]

Quick wave to all. I ran a quick errand in the morning and felt so wiped out I ended up staying home again yesterday. I didn't sleep great but am determined to go in today. Personals tomorrow.

[eusebius]

Hi folks, happy September! Yesterday was very productive but I’m exhausted again. Sigh. Today I am meeting a former student for lunch (planned in advance but full of sodium, sigh) and going to a meeting at the university. I think after that I’m going to need to chill. I wish I was better at chilling!

maryann - loving your retirement plans. Kudos for bringing a healthy lunch to the airport! Safe travels!

silverbirch - very cool that you are getting closer to a normal routine!

BillBlueEyes - well, this is a classic case of “Oh, well”. Sounds like you enjoyed the occasion so it was probably worth the extra calories. You’re right - my personal site is basically a brochure for my work so I want to nail it!

curlyjax - I empathize with the struggle to find energy and sleep. Hope you are doing well today.

Waving to all! Happy Friday and happy new month!

[silverbirch]

Not too bad a night. The morning didn’t go to plan, with more tension (or was it excitement?) in it than I like. I decided to stay at home to try to disperse the adrenaline and to follow the plan. It did work to some extent. I packed more boxes and made some headway on a pile of paperwork which has built up and needs my attention. I must try to get out tomorrow. It’s a beautiful evening here.

Bill, thank you for starting the new thread. How lovely to meet up with your friends! And definitely give yourself credit for getting back on track today. Yes, maybe you need more practice at nice restaurants! And I do agree about seeing the same moon, even though we’re so far apart.

curlyjax, hope you managed at work today. The weekend beckons and you can rest up a bit more. Covid has such a long tail of recovery.

eusebius, chilling is so good. Perhaps you can improve with practice!

[gardenerjoy]

I took a walk a friend with a friend yesterday. We've been known to walk for two hours. I managed to make it one hour of walking and one of sitting on a bench in the shade overlooking the Grand Basin in Forest Park. I was still pretty beat after! That took me well past my exercise goal for August. CREDIT!

Today marks a new month and I'm using it as a reset. I'm committed to Ideal Food Days, weighing daily, and posting here daily. That, plus exercise, is generally enough to keep me feeling like the sort of person who is attentive to her good health and has the results to prove it.

Exercise: 75, 1440/1400 minutes for August

BillBlueEyes: That sounds like a special night!

curlyjax: Hope you have a good day today. Getting the energy back after COVID seems to be hit and miss and take longer than it seems like it should.

eusebius: Chilling is a skill set that I seem to be missing, too. Lately, podcasts and simple puzzle-based computer games have worked, but I always feel like I should be doing something slightly more productive like reading a book.

silverbirch: Good for you for consciously working at reducing adrenaline.

maryann: I hope the Michigan trip is going well.

[curlyjax]

I made it through the day at work, although I felt nauseous a few times which worries me a little; I do hope that won't be lingering. It's been 2 weeks and I'm ready to feel back to normal but it seems to be slow going. I spent the rest of the day in bed again. DS is zipping down today to return the car and mow the lawn or at least part of it which will be a big help. I've been eating a lot of carbs and need to get back to healthier eating, but that all takes a lot of energy to prep etc.
Gardenerjoy-what a pretty place to walk.
Eusebis-hope you got some chilling in
Silverbirch-yay for getting more paperwork done, that is always piling up here too.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Got my RSV vaccination (Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Arexvy). It's recommended for folks over 60 because the risks from the vaccine are less than the risks of serious lung disease and exacerbated heart disease. I qualified by age. Have no idea if I'm more at risk than anyone else, but I am sure that I don't want to get pneumonia.

Took a pleasant walk with DW, CREDIT moi, to a nearby Walgreens to get the shot. They allow booking a fifteen-minute slot online. We booked adjacent slots; they accepted us together; we sat in the only two chairs set out for such and got jabbed one after the other. The pharmacist suggested that we hang around for fifteen minutes in case we felt faint, but were free to shop the store. Fiddled about at the display of sunglasses that one merely wears over ones regular glasses - saves the cost of buying prescription sunglasses. I've been encouraged to wear sunglasses to protect aging eyes. I'll work on it; just never have liked wearing them. Have never lusted for the designer sunglasses to look tough or the mirrored ones to look like a menacing state trooper. Was annoyed at the displays of Halloween candy but glad that DW was there to keep me from looking to see which one was on sale.

Walked home past some beautifully tended garden yards. We were fawning over the most marvelous when its "mad gardener" happened to be leaving on her way to buy more plants. She gave us a five-minute tour. Complained about damage from rabbits - a common theme among gardeners around here.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Felt like recovery mode after the large dinner from the night before. The starch dish was frozen black beans with ham from so long ago neither of us is sure when. Once again, tomato salad was over the top delicious.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Your Grand Basin looks like a lovely place to rest and chat. Congrats, one more time, for meeting your monthly exercise goal. Love the thought, "keep me feeling like the sort of person who is attentive to her good health and has the results to prove it."

Erika (eusebius) – Lunch with a former student must be fun to hear how they're moving on. Do any of your students become professionals?

Silverbirch - Would expect you to be feeling the tension with so much in the air right now. Congrats for having adrenaline to throw against it.

maryann – Waving. Good luck to the Michigan Wolverines against the East Carolina Pirates today – especially if you’re at the game. (Note: That refers to a college football game. Since I'm typing, 'football' means 'American football', despite Michigan being quite close to Canada where 'football' can mean 'American football' or 'Canadian football' (French: football canadien), and sometimes to the sport we call 'soccer' despite it being called 'football' around the globe, but in Canada the official term is labdarúgás. All of this extracted from mother Google. YMMV)

curlyjax - May your energy quickly return to normal. A day of rest seems like a good idea.

Readers -

Chapter 7 Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan

Decide When to Move into Maintenance

Patti had reduced her weight to 155 pounds. She plateaued at the 2,000-calorie level and had remained there for several months. Although she wanted to lose more weight, she decided it wasn't worth it to further restrict her eating.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 183.

[eusebius]

Hi folks, man this is a slow journey. I’m being super consistent so I just need to continue but the results at this age are so gradual. Sigh. The happy scale graph is still green so I will have to be satisfied with that. I am proud that I did not miss a single workout in August and I definitely feel fitter.

I just have one student today so lots of unstructured time. I will practice and work on my current project for the website course. I am actually using this opportunity to finally make a personal music website which I have never done in all these years. Kind of fun.

silverbirch - you are just a packing machine! Well done. You’re right- practicing chilling is just like practicing anything else!

gardenerjoy - wow what a beautiful setting for a walk!! Congrats on exceeding your August exercise goal 🥳 and I admire your continued commitment to your health.

curlyjax - hoping your symptoms lessen and disappear. It is indeed a challenge to eat healthy when you’re not feeling your best! Good on DS for stepping up.

BillBlueEyes - good idea to get that shot. I have a couple pairs of those ridiculous sunglasses in my car - cheaper than buying prescription 🤣 An impromptu garden tour sounds lovely. Yes I have a few piano teachers and grad students among my alumni; not too many become performers but I think there are a couple of them that accompany sometimes. Pretty typical for a small school.

From a Canadian: what the heck is labdarugas? Lol

Waving to all! Happy long weekend Saturday!

[silverbirch]

I had a reasonable night’s sleep so I was able to get up and out of the door early. That meant I ran a few errands before too many people were out and about on a Saturday morning. I went for a little walk but ran out of energy or something. This afternoon I’ve done a bit of work in the garden but, again, I’ve run out of energy quite quickly, despite working in half hour bursts. And my back is a bit niggly. It’s how it is at the moment. I have every confidence that this will all go away as we iron out the challenges over the next few weeks.

I can reveal that “the beautiful game” or football (aka soccer in the US) is called labdarúgás in Hungarian. Watch out for Google and its little tricks! One of the best so far.

Bill, pneumonia is no joke and very good to have a vaccination against it. I wear sunglasses a lot to keep bits from irritating my eyes and I like to think that I look effortlessly cool, even when I’m wearing my rather old summer coat. I think I did have a mirrored pair when I was a teenager but now I’ve found other ways to be menacing … Just joking.

eusebius, indeed, it’s a slow journey but stick at it. The personal music website sounds good.

Wave to all!

[gardenerjoy]

It was a little hot for the planned walk today. Instead, I had a Jimmy Buffett dance party! That suited my mood.

I'm still finding that I don't have quite the energy that I expect. It's a walk or strength-training -- not both, right now. Evenings are devoted to supper preparation because there isn't energy for that plus anything else.

I'm reminding myself that I'll get there eventually. Patience and persistence work.

Exercise: 40, 40/1400 minutes for September

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walked a path around the Charles River in perfect summer weather, CREDIT moi. Racing shells were on the water perhaps getting ready for the Head of the Charles Regatta happening in about six weeks. Gotta love the long, slick shell bodies. Walked past several collegiate boat houses on the river's edge; it's considered prestigious around here. As if we were Cambridge or Oxford. Also saw a bunch of paddle boards with well-balanced folks standing as if it were a solid platform. They didn't move as fast as the kayaks with double-ended paddles. In an area near a kiddie water playground, families had set up expansive tables for events. One had white cloth tablecloths and matching white chairs spread over three tables. Looked like a wedding reception. Young couples on blankets oblivious to those of us walking past. Too many Canada geese with one sign describing them that contained the fact that each Canada goose produces 1.5 pounds of waste per day. That's a lot of goose poop.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner on the patio of pasta salad, deviled eggs, and my green salad. Perfect summer meal. Were entertained by a Northern Cardinal who was annoyed by our presence and by a couple of Mourning Doves who were oblivious - my candidate for most stupid bird in flight.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - A Jimmy Buffett dance party is a great idea. Do hope your energy returns.

Erika (eusebius) – Neat to think that the techniques you teach live on as your students take students. Kudos for not missing a single workout in August.

Silverbirch - You're getting enough exercise just chasing all life events up in the air. (OK, then, I'll just add Hungary to my bucket list to go see some labdarúgás there, LOL.)

maryann – Waving. Congrats on Michigan's 30-3 victory. Watched the highlight reel showing that the game started with a Michigan interception to get all the Wolverine fans' blood flowing.

curlyjax - Great that you got a full day working. At two weeks getting back to normal would be welcomed.

Readers -

Chapter 7 Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan

Decide When to Move into Maintenance

She had already lost 38 pounds, and she felt great. She had already experienced so many advantages of weight loss. She couldn't think of any real advantages she would reap if she lost another 5 pounds or so, but she could think of numerous disadvantages to restricting her eating below 2,000 calories. She decided to move on and enjoy the rest of her life.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 183.

[eusebius]

Hi folks, saw some downward movement on the scale finally. Could it be that not eating out had something to do with it? Who knows. All I can do is stay consistent. I had two glasses of wine yesterday and ate my snack late at night, so *shrug* I guess I just have to stick to my calories and trust the process.

A couple of quiet days now before the September craziness descends. I am very grateful for that. Getting some groceries delivered today and then batching tomorrow. Other than that, just the usual practicing and website stuff. Boring in a very good way.

silverbirch - I admire your positivity as you deal with energy challenges. Hope you feel more energetic and your back doesn’t give you problems.

gardenerjoy - very appropriate to have a Jimmy Buffett dance party! You are right - patience and persistence work. I am glad we are all here in this group to remind each other of these things.

BillBlueEyes - love your idyllic description of the scenes by the Charles River. Other than the murder chickens - oh, I mean Canada geese, lol. Sounds like a lovely alfresco dinner as well.

Waving to all! Happy Sunday!

[curlyjax]

Started off yesterday with some nausea but it finally went away. I'm switching to decafe for now,as I've read caffeine can exacerbate dizziness. Getting too hungry also seems to bring on the dizziness/nausea so I'm making sure I'm getting snacks in. DS did come and mow the majority of the back lawn and all of the front, so there's only a little left to do at some point. It was so long there are grass clumps all over, but that's supposed to be good for mulching the lawn or something. I managed to get to the dump, get groceries and make ravioli for dinner, which was way more than i've done thus far. My hip was killing me after all that and I finally took some tylenol for it, which I'm avoiding in case it sets off the dizzies again. I feel very old with all these ailments. I've always been blessed with good health so its a real wake up call to not take it for granted.
I'm continuing to take it easy this weekend with lots of bed rest but will start making some healthier foods.
Gardenerjoy-is your decreased energy leftover from covid, or something else?
Eusebius-yay for downward motion on the scale; it is indeed slow as we get older.
Bill-yes, I'm SO ready to get back to normal. I have fond memories of walking around the Charles River when I lived in Somerville.
Silverbirch-yay for a good night's sleep. Hope the energy does return soon; makes sense if you're feeling worn down by all that is going on in your life.

[maryann]

Afternoon, Coaches.

I am checking in from the hotel computer.

Tons of credits for this fabulous weekend. This trip was super expensive and we had just said goodbye to DS so I was doubting myself. But it was 100% worth it. I have never experienced 110000 people gather in a small town with one purpose - to cheer with like minded individuals. I think the game was a secondary thought. There was a sea of maize and blue. DH and I gave DS two tickets and told him to meat us at the stadium. We "prepartied" with no booze. We watched the drum corps, the cheerleadears and then the band, following all on the pilgrimage to the countries largest staiudm. DS show with a gal. Wow! his nerd-dom may be lifting. She was awesome a Detroit native, senior linguistics major, personable and fun. I did not drop grandchildren hints. His roommate joined us and we got to be the parents taking kids to a steak dinner. A bucket list item checked off.

I walked 2 miles to an AA meeting this morning. Beautiful town, great sobriety. I picked up a plant for a hostess gift. Friends of DS are inviting us to their house. On top of all that, we went to a live jazz show friday night and went shopping at my favorite small batch designer shop. I picked up a few items as always and felt good about how I looked in them.

Food Credits:
There were three menu items in a stadium for 100,00 people - hot dogs, fried chicken pizza, and
waffles. Not purses were allowed in so I reconciled myself to not eating. Then on a bathroom trip I found a tiny out of the way acai smoothie bowl with fresh fruit and granola. Ta- da. Ate all brought food and no airplane food. I stuck to meat and veggies at meals forgiving myself any sauce. I have eaten fruit and hard boiled eggs at every breakfast. I call it a huge win.

Computer is timing out. Great big wave to all. Forgive the spelling errors.