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 youve 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 - Domestication of the horse in Eurasian steppes (4000 BC, central Ukraine)
Diet Coaches/Buddies The bank delivered; an enthusiastic banker met as promptly at 4 pm to notarize our form. Fell into a delightful worm hole when I asked how to pronounce his name. "It's Turkish," he said with pride, "I was there just last week." And then regaled us with the history of Turkey, the Turkish people, the archeological site Gφbekli Tepe which he was delighted that we both knew about. Then the food, the culture, the city to visit when we get there. When I told him that it was definitely on our bucket list, but I'd pretend that I was going to Constantinople, he then gave me the history of names that preceded Istanbul, assuring me that some form of Constantine had been used the longest. Super fun verbal tour of Turkey until our half-hour time slot was over. What a surprise.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with more snacks than needed. Dinner was inside since the morning rain and lingering chill made patio dining less desirable. Dinner conversation avoided the headline news by discussing
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Good to hear that you writing is moving along. I don't know if Dostoevsky had a life outside of writing. Maybe a writer must choose one or the other.
Silverbirch - I love it when a car comes back to life with the simple addition of a new battery. Congrats for keeping your food under control as you wander the countryside solving problems.
maryann Ouch that your job of teaching requires security to let a kid know that boundaries are real. Amazing that his mother supported the suspension. I frequently read that the parents object to the teacher's implication that their little darling was a problem.
curlyjax - Wish you a safe journey as you drive to see your dad. Popcorn and gum sound like good car treats.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 1The Key to Success
How Cognitive Therapy Works
Are You Like Sue?
Sue's story is typical of the dieters I work with now and have worked with over the years. It can be your story as well.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 22.
At this moment in my life I feel like I am in the middle of a Frogger video game - dodging recalcitrant youth, the black dog, and Rees peanut butter cups. I was successful on all accounts yesterday. At the senior assembly, I was given an award by the kids with a cup of candy. On the way back to myself I threw the candies like rose petals at the graduating seniors. Credit me. I had a good time with all the kids yesterday as I finished my second to last Friday.
I felt very health minded as I made myself a little spinach salad with some chicken along with a low carb quesadilla. Excellent. I have also had about 200 calories of Amish popcorn for the second day in a row. I think it is a healthy addition. I spray it with Pam and add salt. Yoga was a few stretches in front of the tv. Good enough. I tracked everything in Lark which told me next month i will qualify for the free fitbit. That is fun.
Joy: My friend is a retired teacher who won a publishing contest through Haymarket. She is on her second book. She went to a "writing conference" in Berkeley that turned out to be a kind of time share pitch for fledgling authors. Pay 10,000 and you will publish your first book. https://www.planetsark.com/wildlyins...ritersretreat/. Crazy. Silverbirch: I am actually kind of fascinated by a half washed car. Enjoy the S. house. Did anything come of the last house tour? BBE: Turkey ironically is not on my travel list. The human misery right now with the influx of refugees is just to heartbreaking. My neice is from Turkey and she is very proud of her country and speaks with the same enthusiasm as you notary.
Quick post to say I've arrived at the S house to find that May has been going on here and the garden has been going full pelt. Lots to do here as well.
Bill, great to hear about Turkey so unexpectedly. It's so polite to ask how to say someone's name and then enthusiasm just bubbles up. Wonderful. I like solving problems but recently there's been too much to handle sensibly.
maryann, so helpful to hear you say 'good enough' about a few yoga stretches. The half-washed car is because we didn't want to wash the car ourselves outside the house (running out of energy and time very fast, no supplies etc), the local drive-through car washes seem to have closed, I didn't want all the palaver of a hand wash. That left one run-down jet wash place. The card payment option was broken. I only had enough cash for 3 minutes, it was the end of a long, fairly demanding day so I made the best choice possible. I think it was 'cold pre-wash' which meant I could blast off some of the algae but only about half of it. The rest can wait until next time. 'Good enough' you might say! I've parked the car 'good side out' which worked well as a neighbour talked to me about how clean it looked! I think it might work as a short, filmed in black and white, part of a gritty or probably a comedy series. ETA: I've had an acceptable offer on the house but I'm not going firm until this weekend's viewings have happened. We might get the asking price or I might decide to go with this offer. I'm taking a few days to mull it over.
Waving to everyone!
Last edited by silverbirch; 06-01-2024 at 05:30 PM.
I did pretty much everything wrong yesterday -- wrong foods at the wrong times and no cardio. And, I saw a drop on the scale this morning. Ha! I'm going to assume that the only lesson to draw from that is my body is not a machine.
I'm celebrating that I met my exercise goal in May!
Exercise: 20, 1800/1800 minutes for May
70% of Ideal Food Day
BillBlueEyes: I've noticed that writing advice books by men encourage the writer to choose writing or life. Presumably, with the assumption that someone else will cook, clean, and raise children. Similar books by women are more realistic and useful in that regard -- I suspect regardless of the gender of the writer since housewives are hard to come by these days and many couples can't afford that lifestyle, anyway.
Sunday - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953, Westminster Abbey, London)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Both UPS and FedEx made deliveries. DW now has a fine net hoodie that can fend off mosquitos while she's in the gardens near woods. And we have a supplemental patio table so that all eight of us can fit. Neither item was available other than online; my shop local desire had to be put aside.
Exercise was hauling stuff from the basement that has finally been declared fit to be marked FREE on the curb. We've kept some cane-seated hardwood chairs handed down from DW's family for years in our basement to someday fix. Even if we recaned the seats, they're uncomfortable old chairs. In perfect condition, I wouldn't bring them home from a yard sale. No one else wants old wooden furniture either. One can always hope that there's a kid starting woodworking who'll want them.
The small bicycle went quickly. Both granddaughters have outgrown it. With a little TLC it'll be a gem.
Attempting again a link I posted yesterday that disappeared. My faith in primatekind was restored by
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats for avoiding the conclusion that going off plan leads to scale drop. Sobering observation about the different view of the life of a writer from the point of view of male and female describers.
Silverbirch - An O'Henry short story to be sure, The Mystery of the Half Washed Automobile. Terrific news that there's an acceptable offer on the table for your N house. May the weekend produce an even better one.
maryann – Beautiful image of you tossing candies like rose petals to the graduating seniors. Congrats for keeping your head in the midst of so much happening.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 1The Key to Success
How Cognitive Therapy Works
Are You Like Sue?
Quote:
Whether you're depressed or content,
a stay-at-home or working parent, a binge eater or
social eater, a dieting novice or dieting pro, the Beck Diet Solution can help you.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 22.
Many great victories yesterday:
1. I cleaned out 25% of my office filing cabinet.
2. Yoga
3. I did not eat the appetizer at dinner with friends.
4. I did not eat dessert at dinner with friends.
The last two successes came from promising myself I would buy myself a treat the next day if I still wanted something. Today, I don't feel like a treat. I feel like I want to continue my success.
Ingoing through medical folder, I discovered my weight at 40, 50 and now 60. Then I looked up the average weight gain for a woman during that time. I regret to say I am average. I told myself at 50 it wouldn't happen to me. Sigh!! At at least now have context. At least my gain is not tragic. It is average and I am not alone. So no dramatic solutions are needed. Also, when I lose the weight I well be well above average. That is always a nice way to think about things.
BBE: Loved the primate video. It only strengthened my belief that parents need to step back and let kids be kids,. Joy: My mom always says, "The scale owes you." Silverbirch: Great car wash story. Isn't that just how the day goes sometimes. I wonder my will or God's will?
I followed the plan more closely than the day before and the scale ticked up, even with a 45-minute walk including three hills. I'll think more about this when I'm done with my sprint of 2000-word days because I suspect that it may be impacted by the pressure and the amount of time that I spend at my desk.
I finished my wordcount for today. That's good because the next challenge is a birthday party for a 4-year-old. I offered to bring a salad and was turned down. Maybe that means we're not expected to stay for supper. The family tradition is that there's always a meal, but this party is planned by an in-law, so maybe she expects that everyone leaves at 5pm after a 3pm party. Not unreasonable.
That's making it hard for me to plan, so I just ate a giant salad. If nothing else good happens in the day, at least I know I got my veggies.
The other big unknown is who is showing up after all the family drama and what those interactions will be like. My plan is to sit on the floor and play with the people who are under age 10.
Exercise: 70, 70/1800 minutes for June
80% of Ideal Food Day
I weighed myself this morning and Im the same weight as when I left here. Interesting information, I suppose. Today was a recovery day. Ive done a bit of gardening which has been nice.
Sleep - more than eight hours which I needed badly.
Food - quite good. Possibly too much. Ill move back to eating from a small plate in the evening. Lunch needs attention. Also breakfast. Ive no idea why bread or toast has moved into breakfast but its not a good idea for me.
Exercise - morning exercises and gardening.
Bill, thank you for introducing me to O. Henry. The originator of the term banana republic and what a life! Credit for passing on the bike and the furniture from the basement. I can tell you that there are quite a lot of uncomfortable wooden chairs in the world. In fact, Im sitting on a 1940s one at present. This one and its friends have to go when we have something else to sit on here. The fine net hoodie sounds an excellent garment. Mosquitoes and other biting insects really know how to spoil things.
maryann, I want to continue my success is a great thought. Credit.
gardenerjoy, terrific plan for the birthday party. And all the yoga and everything means that sitting on the floor will be a cinch for you. Keeping out of the way of family drama is yet another sound reason for exercise!
Diet Coaches/Buddies Curb news: our old patio umbrella was taken; training wheels for a bike went. The unloved old wooden strait-backed chairs didn't. We'll let the whole thing sit for a week before we are forced to accept that they are now scrap.
Excitement was a walk, CREDIT moi, to the playground with the (4 yo) DFGD. She immediately became best friends with three other girls who, together, scooped wood chips into a climbing block until it was full. Then carefully lifted the block to leave an impressive pile. Then dove into the chips which spread them back for walking on. Such energy. Couldn't believe the amount of work done.
Back at our house, three of us played with a set of blocks designed for multiple people to try to stack atop each other without collapse. The blocks are shaped differently enough for the game to be a challenge. DS told DFGD that he played with those very blocks when he was a kid. That seemed to go over her head. I quickly calculated that that meant they were 40 years old. She added rules without explanation: my red block couldn't go there; a block couldn't be the same color as the previous; knock it down and start over if it isn't looking pretty. On the knock it down part, I glance at my DS who is smirking knowing that I'm thinking that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He was the master of knocking down block structures.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with unnecessary snacks. Dinner on the patio was Dahl, spinach, and toasted baguette coins. So much to talk about after a DFGD visit. She's a different kid each time.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Terrific plan to play the role of beloved Aunt who gives up the adult interaction to play with the kiddies. Best "Fly on the wall" plan ever.
Silverbirch - Good news that, despite all your adventures up North and in between, your S house scale weighs you the same. Easy to imagine that your gardens are in need of some attention.
maryann Just the best to enjoy dinner with friends without indulging in the appetizer or dessert.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 1The Key to SuccessHow Cognitive Therapy Works
No Lost Causes
The Beck Diet Solution is based on the same plan that I use with my patients who want to lose weight.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 22.
Another OP successful day. It has now been two days without dessert. Excellent and the scale ticked down. OK. So that works. I went to the gym and the cold plunge. I had fruit and popcorn for snack. All those seem to be sold strategies. I ate a grown up dinner of a little pasta and a lot of broccoli. Those all seem to be winning strategies.
I am trying an Iraq War Escape Room Activity today with the kids. Wish me luck. I can't quite remember how to run it. Last official week. I want to be the kind of person who takes challenges until the end.
BBE: DS was a wood chip salesmen in his youth. Playing store was his favorite. Joy: I have been doing the "5 mins every hour" at the computer stand up desk. 6 breaks is 30 mins. Silverbirch: My Lark program says sleep is critical to weight loss.
The party went fine yesterday. I sat on the floor and bonded with the two-year-old. She was afraid of the new bouncy house that the older children enjoyed in the background. With a bunch of patience and a willingness to sit on the grass as well as the floor, I helped her get used to the idea and, eventually, she enjoyed bouncing, too.
Everyone was on their best behavior.
Supper was pizza. Fortunately, I have a plan for that and I was able to implement it -- one slice plus salad.
I ignored the cupcakes that the children were hovering around. There was talk of selecting cupcakes that were lacking in child fingerprints. Children can be gross and that stopped any desire that I had in that direction.
We were the last to leave, which surprised me, but we had family drama to discuss and that was able to happen when everyone else was gone. We stayed so long that one of the kids asked if we were staying for a sleepover!
Exercise: 50, 120/1800 minutes for June
90% of Ideal Food Day
Quick post to say that food was better today! And I'm going to accept the better offer for the N house in the morning. It's a reasonable amount in today's market and the potential buyers are a young local couple. (Remembering maryann's student's Samoan / Hawaii language story, this sale will support the Welsh language whereas a sale to a second home or airbnb buyer would do the opposite.) Hoping for better sleep tonight after better food, good progress in the garden and an end in sight to the two house challenge.
Last edited by silverbirch; 06-04-2024 at 01:06 AM.
Tuesday-New England planters in Nova Scotia claim land taken from the Acadians (1760)
Diet Coaches/Buddies Curb news, again: some items were put out with the trash accepting that we can't spend the rest of our days trying to find someone to love our old stuff. If we do this often enough perhaps we'll develop the hard edge to do it easily and often. Maybe I can find a CB therapist who specializes in helping die-hards part with their old possessions.
Major accomplishment was renewing my Real ID Driver's License - the kind with a gold star that can be used to board air flights. I had followed their instructions and went with my passport, current driver's license, utility bill, and IRS SSA-1099 form to establish social security number. With several backups in case any of those weren't accepted. Their web site lied; if you already have a Real ID Driver's License, it's the only thing you need. "Yeah, we get a lot of complaints from people who gather all that stuff and it isn't needed. I don't know why the web site isn't changed." Grrrrr! I got a new photo - still look like a gray-haired man. Was sent away with a paper copy of the new license that can be used until the little plastic one shows up in three weeks. I'm good to go.
It was so easy because I made an appointment at a AAA office eight miles west of here with ample parking. Best of all, AAA doesn't overbook so there was no waiting. At the Mass Registry of Motor Vehicles (the dreaded RMV) an appointment only determines which line you sit in to wait. The RMVs are always crowded, unpleasant, and filled with folks quite annoyed that they have lives to lead instead of waiting in line. It's the best use of AAA we ever get.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with limited extra snacks. Dinner was a meatless hamburger on a Brioche bun with a slice of tomato, grilled onion, and fresh garden lettuce. Felt like I was living the American dream.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Amazing success to give your two-year-old niece enough safety to get into the bouncy house. My congrats to the parents who raised their kids with enough truth-telling to ask if you were staying for a sleep over.
Silverbirch - Super news that you're willing to accept the offer; even better that it's to a couple who will respect the Welsh neighborhood. Easy to imagine the benefits of simplifying your life to only one house.
maryann Two days without dessert is moving forward. Love the image of your DS selling you woodchips.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 1The Key to Success
How Cognitive Therapy Works
No Lost Causes
It works, regardless of your unique psychological makeup, lifestyle, and family circumstances. Whether you're depressed or content, a stay-at-home or working parent, a binge-eater or social eater, a dieting novice or dieting pro, this program can help you.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 23.
Yesterday was OP. No Dessert. No Exercise. I take it as a win.
The process of emptying out the last of my classsroom is nearly done. The file cabinet is the last big hurdle. Credit for me taking pictures and listing items in emails to staff. I sent things off with my aid, If anything was not taken I loaded into the goodwill boxes and dropped them off after school. Nothing unnecessary else is brought home.
I have one file box I am allowing myself to keep in case I agree to take a few class down the road. This includes teaching writing in the community. other than that, It is all going.
That is all the good news. The bad news is I am having sporadic panic attacks ( low key, heart pounding) Just emotions from the goodbyes, a few letters and gifts. It is good to have emotions. Slow but sure. Went to bed to watch Columbo last night and tonite I will go to an AA meeting.
Silverbirch: Congrats on Offer. BBE: Your story reminds me when I tried to get my 98 year old grandmother on a plane. She hadn't had a driver's license in 30 years nor a passport. They gave her a pat down. wow.