Hello there coaches and friends,
Back from Disneyland...exhausted but had a fun time. I won't go again for a long time-going on rides is NOT like what it used to be....as far as my plan,I wrote everything down, walked a LOT, swam a bit and lived in the moment for most of the trip (eatingwise and otherwise).
I am so excited for my routine/structure to be back in place. I am seeing a nutritionist tomorrow and hope for ideas to tweak my eating plan.
Funny to read about Sue and Maryblu wanting less choice and that You on a Diet and other sources say to make breakie and lunch routine. I have been doing that for a LONG time and have always felt like I should vary things more. I saw we need to do what any of us feels we need to do. It really does make things easier to not have so many choices.
I have the rest of the week off from work! I have some appointments but also lots of down time to relax, get some things done around my house and to get some of my cards up on mirrors and other strategic places in my house as constant visual reminders!
CatR: I REALLy hope that you at least check in periodically. Everybody's lives are in different places and we all have different needs. We also have different limits to what we can do. Everyone understands that and it really would be a shame to not hear your voice at all. No pressure at all...just a reminder that this group doesn't have requirements about all posts needing to be deep and profound!
I will weigh in tomorrow.. I FEEL like I at least maintained even while on vacation... but we shall see what the scale says. I will be mentally prepared either way..I feel good about how I handled myself on the trip and enjoyed myself and that is that!
Diet Coaches - Did two long walks yesterday - felt really good. CREDIT moi. Walked past Whole Foods without going in to debate whether taking their samples would be in response to Hunger, Desire, or Craving. CREDIT moi. A pleasant, gentle day.
Sue (CoastalSue) - You make SlimFast sound like a reasonable plan for you now; a short stint could be just the thing to bring you to your desired twoderland. Good luck with your 3 day visitors, I'll be sending supporting thoughts your way. By-the-by, did your 3 year old escape into Jean's discussion? LOL.
MaryBlu - Good luck on your new automated eating plan - sounds like it is clear to you that it's what you need. Seems really smart to have a near term Advantage - your March presentation. I find it easier to be motivated by the near term.
Heidi (hbuchwald) - Kudos for your performance at Disneyland. How did your 5 year old DD respond to the place? Wondering what you mean by "going on rides is NOT like what it used to be." Kinda amazing that less choice seems to be the strategy of the day.
Jean (kuhljeanie) - Kudos for finding any sane path during your wonderfully insane 1st birthday party. And Kudos for getting rid of the tempting left overs. I am so touched by the "magical baby-related properties" of the cake that I doubt that even Beck herself could be so cold hearted as to generate a Helpful Response such as, "There are about 150 pounds of magical moments twixt birth and leaving for college; I'll learn to use the treadmill to celebrate the passages of life," LOL.
You seem to be doing a great job of remembering your Beck thinking. Will you make Fondant for the wedding cake? Isn't that difficult? Yes, I work cake into my plan on occasion. Fortunately, my Desire is satisfied with one bite, so my challenge is to avoid the remainder which is very difficult for me to throw away (i.e. I've not yet in my life ever tossed a dessert). If DW is nearby, she tolerates me taking one bite of her desserts - that works. Otherwise, I just work in the whole serving even though I know while I'm eating it that I don't need it.
Readers – "Instead of cheat, I’ve used the words unplanned eating and overeating. These terms are less negatively charged. … " Beck, pg 18.
Checking in,I have been so busy with work and kids.Had good day,took my lunch break to go over my cards and when I arrived home my son had a load of candy to sell.I let the kids pick one each and my husband had two,I however did not have any which is a huge accomplishment.I will be faced with this struggle for the next week or so.I think reading my cards helped alot to help me avoid this struggle.Told myself NO CHOICE.Second struggle,Mom invited us to dinner at last minute,always a big struggle there too.Ate one plate of food,refused dessert and then took the kids to Y and swam 44 laps.I give myself credit today,my weigh in is Thur. and hope to see a loss.I lost it for two whole days last week after I stayed the same last week after a 1 lb gain the week before.Some days just seem to flow easily in the right direction others are a struggle from the time I open my eyes,anyone else feel that? But I can remember not long ago every day being a complete struggle,progress.I will post more tommorrow thanks everyone wendy
Well Wendy I can really relate to those easier and harder days. After days, things are finally getting a bit easier for me as far a food lusting. I finally took off 5 lbs of water gain weight-That makes me feel better. Plus I have been swimming alot- daily for 30-1 hr of laps. Now i am getting a number of small spots of skin rashes-I hope I am not reacting to the pool chemicals-honestly there is always something that crops up when changing behaviors.
BillBlueEyes-I always savor those quiet pleasant days-I envy your walks. While the weight loss has increased my mobility- I have gotten a electric cart for those time when I am standing over 10 minutes. The cart has increase the range of activities we can do as a couples-long walk/rides, museums ect. But hiking and bike riding are really missed.
Heidi-Great to read your sense of success of the Disney Trip-keeping track and exercising-much credit. I often read you take very active trips-skiing with your family ect.-Sure beats sitting around and eating. Relax and enjoy the rest of your vacation. Does going to a nutritionist help?
I made a simple/low cal dinner and it was appreciated-our guests noticed both the weight loss and increased energy and less caloric foods about the kitchen. I did get ice cream which they promised they would all quickly finish up. I hope so.
Hi there everyone,
Things are okay here... I overplanned today so I am tres fatigue and plan to hit the hay after checking in.
Bill: my daughter did really well at DL... I used to LOVE rides-the turnier, joltier, faster, etc.. the better.. I now feel slightly if not full on nauseous after riding some rides and don't experience the sheer joy of roller coasters that I once had. Nice to learn this about myself I guess.
I experienced uplanned eating but am done with that. My stomach feels really sick. I really do find that when I focus on the SCALE I get back into old diet mentality. I want to get fully back on to my "food nourishes my body" mentality and "exercise gives me energy and strength" mentality.
Tomorrow is a hair appt and then I plan to relax a bit and get some meals planned so I can go to the store and cook up some good stuff to have in the fridge.
Hope everyone is hanging in there.. til tomorrow, Heidi
Hi there Sue,
I didn't see your post until after I posted.
I just checked in with the nutritionist-it was the first time I went. She is the one that taught a healthy cooking class that I enjoyed so much a few months ago. It helped me today to "tweak" some of my breakfasts. I am going to a (roughly..as much as possible) 20% fat, 30% protein and 50% carb ratio. My main change is breakfast. I usually eat a bowl of cereal with nonfat milk and a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter. I will not have that every day but will make veggie frittatas to keep in the freezer for during the week-I will have have 2 of them (made in muffin tins) with a piece of toast for one breakfast option and then another option is plain yogurt with either stivea or another sweetener that I she rec ommended that I cannot remember the name of right this second..then some kind of fruit and nut combo on top of that. The other big one is to decrease if not eliminate the artificial sweeteners in my diet. I drink diet pop (on average one per day) and have light yogurt during the week at lunchtime. It was a good session of brainstorming ideas to continue my healthy eating path and cooking on the weekend for easier workday meals path. ONe great idea (I thought anyway) was to roast a bunch of veggies to have in the fridge for during the week. I could make a soup later in the week if I want or put the veggies into an egg scramble the following weekend.
Diet Coaches - Watched the Lunar Eclipse last night. Tried to imagine myself an early man on the savanna of Africa trying to make sense of the moon turning dark, then red, then reappearing. Must have been a freightening experience.
Did my gym with enough vigor to justify racing home to consume a protein shake within 15 minutes (which Mens Health magazine says is the window available to feed muscle regrowth, or else the workout is wasted [sic]). CREDIT moi. Used my walk at lunch to buy oats to make granola for my breakfasts. It gives me a warm feeling to combine two tasks of my healthy lifestyle. The batch of granola I made over the weekend included 20% rolled barley; I don't taste much difference than all oats, so won't continue experimenting with it.
Sue (CoastalSue) - Kudos for serving a low cal dinner to your visitors; seems like you're making progress in the difficulty of keeping on track with house guests. And Kudos for the continued swimming; sounds like it helps your head as much as your body.
Heidi (hbuchwald) - Sounds like a really useful session with your nutritionist; that's really great - frequently I hear people complain that they just don't get anything from a nutritionist. That bunch of roasted veggies in the fridge sounds yummy. I could try that for the lunches I prepare for work.
Thanks for the clarification about Disneyland rides. I have that same problem. My childhood joy at rides has been replaced with a sensitivity to nausea, so, have to pass on most. Oh, Well.
wendy (wendylan) - Kudos for handling the candy and your mom's dinner. And Kudos for then swimming. Yep, I too find days that are a struggle and days that just sail along. You sound like you're responding with good strategies on your tough days.
Readers – "People who use them [the words unplanned eating and overeating] are able to take a more benign view and say, Okay, so I ate something I didn’t plan to eat or I ate more than I was supposed to. But they’re also able to then add, It was just a mistake, no big deal … I’ll get back on track for the rest of the day." Beck, pg 18.
Still struggling with my eating and exercise this week. I started thinking about all the deep, dark reasons I'm sabotaging myself, if I'm going through some Thing that I need to explore, and eventually just decided that last weekend knocked me on my butt and threw me off my schedule. I'm not any less busy but I didn't have that weekend time to do homework, meal planning, and laundry, so now I don't have meal plans, meals, homework done, or folded clothes. The general mess, combined with still being tired, and a kitchen that's still got lots of cake and pastries, and OF COURSE I'm having a tough time this week. Nothing deep or meaningful about it. I'm just overscheduled with no time to catch up.
So, for the next two days we'll do the best we can (me and DH) with what's in the fridge, and after my long run on Saturday I'll take an hour or two to plan the week, make my shopping list, and get cracking. It's going to feel like such a relief to look in the fridge and see 8 million little gladware containers with portioned meals, instead of cake, cheese danish and ham salad sandwiches!!! I'm also excited about possibly taking a nap this weekend, if the stars align.
Heidi, can I ask how much a nutritionist costs? Is it per session? I've been hearing about this idea of fast or slow oxidizers and letting your type determine if you do better on low carb or low fat. It would be nice to talk to someone knowledgeable about that - but my funds have been a bit depleted from buying new running shoes and sports bras (badly needed.)
Congratulations Wendy! That's tremendous (both the candy and your mom's house.) And yep, some days are just harder than others for me too. Which I agree is a HUGE improvement from pre-Beck days, when every day was a struggle. Now at least some of the time, I know why and what I can do about it. Although not always. YET.
Hi Bill, yes, I'll use fondant. I normally do. I make my own from marshmallows, and it's 100x better than store-bought or "real" glycerine-based fondant. I can roll it a lot thinner, too. My first post-Beck cake was a little tough, since I realized how much I was eating during the process (cake batter, licking icing off fingers, eating carving scraps.) I'm going to figure out how to work in an actual piece here and there. Thanks! I'll post pictures of one or two of the better ones. My son's birthday cake was lovely and I'm very proud of it.
Good evening all.I had my weigh in today and lost 2 pounds!I lost the one I gained two weeks ago and another.Core food plan seems to agree with me so far but it is alot of planning ahead.For my 10 pound goal I bought myself a food processor,I have alot of recipes to try that use it.I made some healthy cream of broccoli soup and salsa with it today.I got carried away with the salsa and kept adding ingredients and I have a huge bowl full.I swam Wed eve and again on Thur afternoon.Doing pretty well. By the way that darn candy is here and my husband is trying to give some to me,NO CHOICE!I am going to get to work on some beading while I watch TV,keeps my hands busy.
We are expecting anothersnowstorm and I have to work the next 3 days through it,hope I don't end up staying overtime.
kuhljeanie-Sounds like you have a great plan for the weekend getting organized and preparing for the week,it is so much easier when everything is ready.
BillBlueEyes-You are steady as a rock! Great job keeping up with your workouts and preparing for your meals.You cook quite alot also,it is so much better when you know what is in the food and you are prepared ahead of time.
hbuchwald-Sounds like a great appointment with the nutritionist and you are adjusting your diet just as CBT suggests.
coastalsue-Swimming up to 1 hr a day is a lot of laps,it feels so good to swim.Swimming is my favorite exercise[I think yours as well] and it helps the joints,burns calories and relieves stress.When I used to swim laps a few years ago I would swim between 60-70 laps and I would experience a kind of runners high.Kind of like I start to get tired but then I keep going and get a second wind and feel like I can swim forever.Have you experienced that?I have not reached that point recently though. I was able to have a nice relaxing swim this afternoon without the kids and then then hotub. Great job on serving a health conscious meal to your guests.
maryblu-Sounds like you have a solid plan for your meals and writing everything down and you are determined!
Well I must give my respect to all of you parents of young children- we have watched our 15 month grandchild and Dh and I are anxiously awaiting her bed time in 1 1/2 hrs. Plus last night we slept on the sofa versus our regular bed. Anyway really feeling our age inspite of her delightful personality but she goes continously and explores all. The parents so deserve the break but wow are we tried.
I think it might have been easier to cook than to watch the grandchild all day while the parents went sight seeing. Ate ok except had some ice cream for that pick up feeling.
Wendylan-yeah on the weight loss! I am starting to get addicted to swimming also. It is so rewarding when an exercise also begins calming me. We have a number of storming days ahead so don't know if I 'll be swimming or not for the next couple of days. .
KulhJeanie-glad you understand how getting exhausted can undermind us-One of my major reasons for poor eating is exhaustion-just when my body need the best energy source from food I eat crud.-not reasonable but my common pattern. Like today I got in the ice cream but I was soo tried-
Heidi-thanks for the info the nutritionist-I may give our local one a try. I could some more support.
BillBlueEyes-Cloud cover hid the eclipes from us. But did see a rainbow this moring-the kid in me still finds this a good omen. Is the protein shake the best idea when doing weights or should I even think about it after a hr swim?-the water does have alot of resistance.
Hi friends,
Help! I am snarfing on some chocolate right now. I had a GREAT plan today and ate my new breakfast #1 (yum!) and then got my hair done and planned to have a fish taco out but was at Trader Joe's (healthy/inexpensive grocery store) and got cheddar popcorn and ate the whole bag in the car! I ate a nice dinner and now taht dd is in bed, it is me and the chocolate. I feel sort of sick too. I am planning tomorrow's food and will plan in a milk chocolate bar full sized (thanks for the inspiration Judith Beck!) to get my sugar craving satisfied. What is going on? I will have to look at my calendar to see if there is a hormonal reason and/or journal to try and uncover an emotional reason.
The nutrionist is covered under my insurance so the original consult was 57 bucks and any follow ups will be 8.50. Without insurance, it would have been 125 for the first visit and 85 for follow ups. None of the ideas discussed there were earthshattering but it helped me to sit and talk with her about eating situations and get her ideas about them. She gave me lists of ideas for snacks and recipes to make and freeze that are kid friendly, et.c.. I really paid attention to the artificial sweetener issue... I bought some stevia today and some agave syrup to try with my yogurt and any other thing that needs sweetening. I bought veggies today to roast and have in the fridge. One phrase she said that I really liked was that "good food nourishes our bodies"... again, not something brand new but nice to hear and focus on.
Challenge tomorrow: going to the Harlem Globetrotters with friends and out to eat before hand. I don't know where we will go. Options I am thinking about: veggie burger with ketchup, tomato and lettuce only OR veggie rice bowl OR big salad with dressing on the side.
Bill-so great that you are walking so much and cooking such healthy and delicious food (and rebuilding your muscles after working out!).
sue: may you get a good nights sleep tonight-kids are so fun but so tiring. For me, it is getting MUCH easier as she gets older but still can be quite draining. It is really nice of you to take her overnight!
wendylan: the food processor as a reward-GENIOUS! The soup sounds so good-same with the salsa. Keep up your hard work!
kuhljeanie: Looking up the oxidizer thing... is that related to glycemic load? Yes, sometimes it is good to talk with someone who knows this stuff and is current. I am very lucky to have great insurance that covers it-it would probably be cost prohibitive for me if that weren't the case. Not sure that I need to go back but will keep the door open just in case. She was very interested in Beck Diet Solution and is going to check the book out from the library....
I am off to chug water and sleep with my Beck book under my pillow...
Diet Coaches - Walked in the cold yesterday, both at lunch and after work. CREDIT moi. DW bought some Florida strawberries, which were tasty enough to remind us that Spring will eventually come to the East Coast.
Sue (CoastalSue) - Kudos for your continued swimming and GD chasing - great exercises both. Re: Protein? Whether it's useful would be better answered by someone like Mel or Glory over in the exercise threads. One needs to budget about 200 calories for 20 grams of protein in a glass of milk. It works for me primarily because it serves as encouragement by stroking my fantasy that I'm building muscle. Eighteen year old bodies really know how to build muscle so rapidly that extra protein is required. I think the ability decreases sharply thereafter.
Heidi (hbuchwald) - Kudos for your continued energy working your plan. My empathy for getting snookered by the popcorn in Trader Joe's. My resistance seems to drop an order of magnitude as I walk through the exhilarating section of produce at Trader Joe's. I feel such a part of the healthy, whole foods life that the next items I encounter, however greasy or processed, just jump into my basket as if they were broccoli.
wendy (wendylan) - Great string of Kudos for Beck-worthy strategies: Kudos for beading, Kudos for a food processor as a reward, Kudos for swimming, and Kudos for the NO CHOICE to candy. What a great visual image: all the veggies scampering away to hide from Wendy at the food processor making mounds of healthy food, LOL.
Jean (kuhljeanie) - BIG Kudos for recognizing that you had to think about why you were off track. For me, that's the big step: recognizing that my current situation would benefit from some thinking. Only then do I have any hope of applying the Beck strategies. Good luck with your run on Saturday and your recovery plan. Your schedule continues to amaze me.
Readers – "The word cheat doesn’t appear again in this book outside of this box. I’ve omitted it intentionally because too many unsuccessful dieters have all-or-nothing thoughts about their eating: Either I’m perfect on this diet or I’ve cheated … if I’ve cheated, I’ve blown it – I may as well continue to cheat for the rest of the [day/week/month/year]." Beck, pg 18.
Terrible weather here - it took me two hours to complete what's normally a 30 minute drive from daycare home. El Nino screamed the entire way. Draining - but there's a little grace in it. The university was closed last night, and I'm working from home today. DH took the kid this morning so I pretty much have the whole day to take care of work and school - and if I play my cards right, I could theoretically do my grocery shopping on my lunch break, and be a little ahead for the weekend. Phew!
As far as off-plan eating and exhaustion go, it actually makes perfect sense biochemically. I understand that the body produces leptin while sleeping (leptin being an appetite regulator.) When you don't get enough sleep and don't produce enough leptin, you end up with too much ghrelin (opposite of leptin - makes you HUNGRY.) Which is why college students who stay up until 3:00 am can put away a whole pizza. Or I could anyway.
Turns out I'm also dealing with hormone-induced cravings this week. I was so freaking busy and tired, I missed some obvious signs. Now I understand why my mom says that menopause is a relief! Sorry if this is TMI - but man, given everything, I'm suprised I didn't do worse than I did. I'm thrilled I haven't gained this week. The good news is there's no more cheese Danish to tempt me. The bad news is that it's gone because I ate all that was left for dinner last night. And then some of the kid's Valentine's day candy. On the plus side, I unloaded the leftover buttercream icing to a nice lady at work who has no qualms about eating it straight from the container with a spoon. I'm not sure I could do that even in the throes of my worst PMS-induced binging - but hey, if it works for her, now I've got somewhere to take that stuff.
Bill, Wendy, Sue, Heidi, thanks for the support! I just have to suck it up until the second week of May, when I FINALLY get to walk for commencement. Seven damn years coming. No more degrees after this! (At least not while I'm working full time.) We're moving this summer and I'll have a much longer commute (45-60 minutes) but it'll seem like a breeze compared to this. Then one more round with a second baby (that's the plan, at least) and then in a few months we'll be sleeping again. Somedays I wish I was younger, but I made terrible choices for myself then!
Happy Friday,
Jean
Last edited by kuhljeanie; 02-22-2008 at 11:02 AM.
Hi all. Thought I'd say hi. I'm new to Beck (day 6), but not to dieting, exercise, and weight swings.
I'm 52 years old, currently 8 pounds below my absolute high weight, on South Beach, which I've had success with before, until I reverted to old habits and regained. I spend time on an SBD board, too (not here). I'm exercising at Curves, treadmill at home, and dog walks. Doing this with a friend, and DH, who is also heavy is exercising, gladly eating healthier meals, and he's very supportive.
A few days after getting back on track w/South Beach, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrallation (heart irregularity) on top of my high blood pressure (medicated) and high cholesterol (at the moment not medicated, pending a couple months of healthy eating and exercise).
So, right now, my committment to doing what I can to get heart healthy is very high.
I'm finding Beck very helpful and insightful. (as you can see I'm not doing it perfectly, since I'm already dieting....but I couldn't get myself to wait).
I've been lurking all week here, so I figured it was time to say hello. Looking forward to the support that's pretty clearly here, and to getting to know you all.
I got my test back today I've have Gallstones I'll speak with the surgon Monday.
This has been a bad week for me mentally. I've tried to focus on fitness because I do feel better and with TOM I'm a weriod with moods plus with all the other goodies that come along with it. This week the scale jumped up to 213.6 now I'm back down to 210.0 Which isn't offical til monday. I've munched on bagle chips waiting for the call from the doctor today. I was fooling myself that I wasn't worried maybe if I had faced I actully was a bit I wouldn't have done that. Now I need to figure out the damage. UGH I'm sorry for rambling. I feel bad for not posting suporting you guys. I think I need to restart Beck at least the 1st part. Actully I'm not really sure what is going on. Is it the gallstones, or getting close to that 200 mark? UGH
Wednesday. Hump day.
