Katrina, MBT's are shoes--it is hard to expain. Someone asked about them and I started searching the internet to see what they were about. The more I read the more impressed I was. At about that time I was so worried that after finally making a committment to walking that I was going to have to decrease my miles because of my knees. They are expensive but I justified it by thinking of them as equipment. That could be a stretch but I am walking a lot and my knees are great. I really baby my knees. If there is any stain on them I back off and let them heal. I have had too many friends with knee problems for me to not take them seriously.

http://www.swissmasaius.com/

My husband also needs to lose weight. He is a lot like me in that he does great, actually he does perfect which is a nasty little word, and then he spirals and eats everything without any caution. I do that too. I am starting to believe is caused by two things. The primary reason is that we are making changes that are too extreme and unsustainable and secondly I believe we feel if we aren't doing it perfectly then there is not point to do it at all. It is so hard!!

Later everyone!

Gina

Gina

Hi everyone,

I also like the Beck book-I like that she asks questions-but I get to supply the answers that mean something to me. Too many books and "advisors" have been telling me what and how to do things. I have always had trouble with a 105 lb dietitain telling me how easy to lose weight and just enjoy my 1/2 cup of ice cream, then stop. I really have to purge the house of all high carb items which call to me. It is nice to have a book which focuses on slowly retraining my misguided approaches verus inferring I am being weak willed.
Right now I am struggling with writing down everything I am going to eat tomarrow. The house is really purged of all processed high carbo food. I plan and shop each monday. We only have fresh fruit, milk, vegs and protein-fish, beef and chicken. I find some nights I am just too tired to clean and prepares some of the veggies and salads, so I just use some low-fat, low-cal cal hot dogs, no bread and packaged carrots. (my husband love hotdogs, buns and chips so he is happy.) I am very good about recording all of my food eaten during the day and will stop eating if I have reached the cal count for the day, but some days I will trade one cookies for a piece of fruit, In many ways I feel that I am mastering complusive and mindless eating, yet not pre-recoding each day as she says is important. I hope I am not setting my self up. Is anyone else struggling with some of activities.? or have you solved the struggle?

I love books on tape, where are you down loading from? It sounds like some successful weight loss recently and we all working in balance of doing some exercise.
good luck to all
coastalsue

Good morning everyone!

Gina, thanks for the link and info! I don't have any problems with my joints or knees, but my husband really does. Those shoes look perfect for him. He has that problem where he walks on the sides of his feet, and a doctor told him once that he'll have to have knee replacement surgery on both knees by about age 40 or 50.

Sue, I didn't know we'd have to pre-record--that does sound hard! (I'm going a little slowly with the book.) It sounds like you are doing great, though. I know what you mean about preparation time and energy. I have tried to prepare extra servings each night that I do cook so I don't have to do it every night. I do think it's important to have a few healthy convenience foods on hand just in case, which it sounds like you have done. Low-fat hot dogs and carrots is a lot better than frozen pizza! I would say to be proud of all these wonderful changes you have already made, and maybe just try to improve one thing each day on the activities you have trouble with.

My husband downloads lectures and stories from NPR, but I don't know about books. i think NYC and San Francisco NPR stations offer free downloads.

Does anyone feel an extra push when you get close to a certain weight? I really want to be under 165, so I feel extra-inspired right now. The 10 lb markers are huge for me, too. I went to the store yesterday, and I really felt in control of myself and proud of the food I was buying. Anyone else feel that way? Oh, and today, I am wearing a certain pair of jeans for the first time since I quit nursing (I gained 10 lbs when I quit)! Not my pre-pregnancy jeans, but still a good feeling! They are a size 10, and all my other jeans I'm wearing right now are size 12! :D I think they will look better in another 5 lbs, though! (For those of you taller ladies, every 5 lbs makes a difference when you are short.)

Karina, you are doing so good. A perfect size 10! YEAH! You really sound like you are enjoying the journey. Sometimes I feel great when I buy healthy food and other times I just hope that it not another fresh produce that will just sit in the refrigerator getting old and later tossed. Right now I am feeling good about it.

I am getting my books on CD from the library. I take the cd's home and download (or upload) them into my IPOD. I only have one cd left on my story now and it is getting so good that I can't wait to walk! I don't allow my self to listen to the stories unless I am walking. I was late to work today because of it so I am going to have to be careful. I didn't mention that I "grounded" myself from books because after I started a book an earthquake couldn't get me to put my book down! I am seeing a little pattern here so I will have to be careful.

Last night I planned today's meals and today I only have to check it off. This is the first time I have done this. It is on day 14. I think it is a better tool than I anticipated. I haven't been good with a journal. Just a few minutes at night and it is done and I am organized.

Gina

hi guys,

karina, Congradulations!!!!! Nice success,I also get driven to lose a set amount-"just" a 5 lb goal is tough for me-I say 5 lbs, but my mind just focuses on getting under 300 lbs ASAP-defintely by Christmas. It is always great when eating appropriately is easier than the old hour by hour struggle not to over eat. Enjoy your drive-right now I feel the same way. Nice reward to to wear clothes you could not weeks ago.

thanks for the info on down loading. We have only had high speed for a couple of months, so learning all the possible stuff.

Gina, I admire you for recording your next day menu -I will give it a try tonight-I know i am riding the" I can do this high" -Maybe the pre-recording will help when I get "tired" of the restrictions.

thanks -I just thought of some value about pre-recording my food for the future, because I know that some crap will happen someday soon and then I'll want to do some major emotional eating. Maybe pre-recording would help. But it sure seems like another boring thing to do-another task along with the other new "ought to do's" exercising, mediating, measuring food amounts, recording eat food, ect. -but love losing 40lbs and feeling better.
we are all working hard for these changes. What fun, cheap non-food ways do you reward yourselves?
luck
sue

Hi everyone,
I've been putting off the "skip lunch" day, so today I'm going to try not to eat lunch, but I really think it's going to be challenging. At least it's not dinner--I don't think I could do that one! Any tips for how you got through the day? I'm at work, which I think is a good thing (if I was at home, I definitely couldn't resist). Still, I felt like I had to bring a smart ones lunch, just in case. Being afraid of hunger is one of my major problems.

I didn't have a fantastic day yesterday; all my meals were within my diet, but my DH and I both happened to take yesterday afternoon off, which never happens, and we decided to meet at a bar downtown that has a really nice deck out back. I planned to only have 1 drink, but ended up having 2. They were larger than pint size beers, so I don't even want to think about the calories! :o Oh well, I'll just have to try harder. At least we didn't blow the whole day with an unhealthy dinner, too.

Gina, normally the produce goes bad on me, too, but I'm really trying to be good about planning multiple meals with the same ingredients so they'll get used. It's worked so far, so I hope I can keep it up!

Sue, I can't remember, are you close to getting under 300 lbs? Instead of thinking of them as 5 lb "goals", maybe you could plot them out on a calendar to keep you on track for your goal of under 300 by Christmas? I am very impressed by what you've done--40lbs is a lot of weight to lose, and it shows that you made a real commitment and have been sticking with it! How long have you been on this diet? Is the Beck diet helping you with it?

As far as rewards go, I just buy myself something that I can afford but that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. For this first 5 lbs, I bought a cute pair of flip flops on sale at Macy's that are white and beaded. I had a very similar (much cheaper) pair from Target that I love, but the string holding beads broke. When (not if) I lose maybe another 10 lbs and can fit into all size 10s, I will buy a new pair of jeans. I will admit I have a shopping weakness. Since I have been overweight since age 7, it hasn't really been much of a problem because most clothes I've wanted haven't looked the way I wanted them to on me. I honestly don't know how people decide which clothes to buy when they look good in everything! It's a problem I hope to have someday in the not-too-distant future! :D

Anyway, other things besides clothes I would reward myself with might be an inexpensive earring/necklace set, manicure, good haircut, new makeup (it's fun getting your makeup done at the department store), and so on. It's fun to think about rewards; too bad the weight loss isn't quicker!

Tgif!
 

Hello Ladies!

Nice to see you Karina and Sue, and welcome back Gina (I read your posts when I first joined this group)! And "Hey, come back!" to all you other folks out there.

Sorry to be MIA for 2 days but I ended up staying in the town where I work overnight on Wednesday, and Motel 6 doesn't have wifi (or anything else for that matter). Thanks to all for the congratulations on my first mini-goal success. I think I'm going to just set one mini-goal a month for weight and, if I meet it, I will stand pat. I don't want to get too ambitious and then disappoint myself when water weight or whatever upsets the apple cart. I *am* buying myself a present though. I decided to do a new article of clothing for each goal met, so I'm going to buy a shirt from The Pyramid Collection catalog.

I listen to books on audio too! I download them from the local public library and listen to them in the car on my laptop. Right now I'm listening to
"The Night Spider" by John Lutz (about a creepy serial killer). On the treadmill I listen to disco. It's my guilty pleasure but I find it gets my fat butt moving like nothing else. Sometimes when the BeeGees are playing, I even wave my arm back and forth like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. :dizzy: Goofy, huh? But it makes it fun.

Gina, thanks for the link! I'm really looking hard at those MBTs. I wear Earth shoes almost all the time because I walk on the sides of my feet and the front. I used to lay in bed at night and feel my feet pulsating with the beat of my heart, they were so sore. But Earth shoes take the load and put it on my heels, so that doesn't happen anymore. But I still walk on the sides. My mom used to call me "cush-footed" (whatever that is). I wonder if MBTs will help. Tough to do aerobics in maybe, but I could walk in them.

Karina, congrats on getting into a smaller size jeans! It feels so great to put on something that wouldn't fit before. It's almost like magic how your body changed. I feel extra-inspired too when I'm near a goal but I've disappointed myself so many times, it's like I'm afraid to be too hopeful and too glad.

Sue, I like the Beck book because it makes me think about eating in a rational and organized way. And I've had your same experience with the nutritionists! I remember one gamine little nutritionist my doctor sent me to, she cheerfully pulling out measuring cups and spoons to show me what a serving size was so I could eat that much and "then you're done." I wanted to rip her perky little head off! There's so many more layers to our eating than naturally thin people will EVER understand. And this book helps us peel them back in a helpful, neutral way. I do journal and plan though. It's key for me, or I will eat what my tastebuds and my addicted mind tell me to--which is what got me fat!

Well, I've written a book here so I'll quit. I went to my Dad's birthday party last night. I ate one piece of cake and then quit. In fact, half the cake is in my kitchen right now. When hubby and son get another slice, it's going in the garbage. That's what the book and this group have done for me. THANKS TO ALL!

HI guys,

karina, a drink on a patio is soo good. Good for you for stopping at the drinks and returning to ok supper. In the old days, I was either on or OFF. Recently I have had time when I just indugled in the moment but now I can return to my eating program the next meal or at least next day, not the next month or year as in the past.

I reached my all time high of 380 lbs and now I am 338. I really want to be under 300 by xmas. I will try to just focus on being under 330 by the end of July. I did record my upcoming day's menu and it worked out fine. I just used the journal with fit day. I will do it again, glad to hear others appreciate the tool, I really thought I would dislike doing it.-too much like doing homework. thanks for encouragemet.

The no lunch day I picked was a very busy and I was working in the garage, and I was pressured to get some hand crafts done. When my mind and hands are doing stuff I really like, I can forget the food.-doing something else food is a reason for a break. I really do not panic about being hungry any more.

You met your goal and also throwing way the cake was great.:carrot: I sure find thin folks can forget about sweet treats in refrig or on the counter. If there is any sweetness in something I hearing calling to me, I fight not eating it all-I eat my portions immediately and then my husband"s part will just sit around and dry up because he forgot about it.

Plan to look up the info on the shoes, my feet kill me, the doc just oh, well you have nerve damage,-you are getting old and are sooo over weight.

thanks for listening. appreicate your struggles, solutions, and feedback.

success to all
sue

Day 26 for me: Recognizing Thinking Mistakes
 

Hi All,

My assignment today is one that will resonate with every overweight person: recognizing the thinking mistakes that sabotage our good diet plans. Like "all or nothing" thinking: just like you said, Sue, being On or OFF a diet. Haven't we all done that?! Karina beat it though, when she had the beers then got back on plan. After all, beer is a part of life, and we have to learn to deal with these temptations eventually. The other thinking mistake that I can really relate to is "overly positive fortune telling": I'll just eat one bite (yeah, right...) or I don't have to record and measure, I'll just eat what I think is less and I'll still lose weight (which has never, ever worked for me). And my other big one "but I have to keep junk food around for my family to eat"--like they'll all DIE if we don't have chips, cookies and the like. WOW, have I ever been guilty of some of these!

I think I'm lucky in that I've identified myself as a carb addict and realized that the source of my overeating is fueled by that addiction. Now that I cut out processed carbs, I still get overfull sometimes (got to reinforce Day 17)but I don't feel driven to eat more and more and more because of an insatiable craving. Moving from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of South Beach will bring more discoveries for me, I'm sure, as I add back in one new carb a week and then watch my body and mind's response to it. Dr. Beck's lessons are really helping with that.

Well, Ive lots to do today so I'm going to get on with life. The strawberry cake is going in the garbage when I clean the kitchen after brunch. But first I have to do my workout and then go to the store. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Keep on keepin' on!

L

Oh, one more thing...SUE!
 

380-338 = 42 lbs. That's over 10% of your body weight, you've lost! :D
YOU GO, GIRL! :hug:
:carrot:

Redoing Some Days
 

Instead of moving on, I'm going to concentrate on some old tasks for a while. Doing each step one day at a time has caused me to pretty much blow past things without perfecting them. For instance, day 12: I never skipped a meal to practice hunger tolerance. And day 13: overcoming cravings, I never came up with any alternatives. I still eat when I get a non-hunger craving--I just don't eat sweets anymore. And day 17: ending overeating. I overeat (by Dr. Beck's definition) almost every day. I never stop when I'm no longer hungry. I eat until the food is gone. Yes, I'm losing weight but I need to master these lessons or I'll be right back up the scale when the "diet" restrictions come off.

So I'm going to take a lesson from day 19 and stop fooling myself.

I hope this silence means you are all having a good weekend and will be back on Monday! :^: It feels kinda weird answering my own posts!

Hey ladies, I'm back!

The trip was sooo much fun. We did a lot of hiking and some biking. And a lot of eating. I actually did a lot better than I would have before starting TBDS, though. They had some great mexican restaurants and I had the best carne asada and strawberry margarita ever. I just kept trying to think about my advantages and other response cards. I was able to skip the huge free basket of chips and shared with my husband. I'm still at 180 so I didn't gain any weight which is great. I'd like to get to 179 by Friday (my birthday) and not gain anything back.

Do we think it's time to start a new thread? We're almost at 10 pages already!

Oh, and here's a picture of the happy family on our trip. Yes it is a silly self portrait :P

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../thefamily.jpg

HI folks,

love the pic and glad to hear that the vacation was soo much fun. your 63 lb lose is great. Bet it has made hiking and biking so much easier. I love those activities, but my 300+ has made both my joints and balance much more tricky. Congradulation on enjoying your vacation treats, not gaining and moving so much.

Lianne, I have to back over the book alot, this stuff is about changing some strong life time habits. While the "experts" are always say I must lose weight , they turn around and say I have little chance of keeping it off permanently. TBDS has really given me some hope.

Hey, any changes to improve our health is great. You have reduceed those addicting carbs. Some of the exercises are easy for me, other I just do but not really yet believe in them, and some I want to ignore( Can accidentally can forget steps some days.)
I really wined about recording the next day menu, and was not going to do it-the reponses here help me.

I figure if I can at least remain conscious of my eating that is hugh step for me. Basically food is my "drug" of choice, This 6 week program may take me 6 months for the real changes to be in daily effect. But I can say I am more positive and in control. I went to the father's day brunch with the plan to enjoy all but with moderation. I did do that. Now I can go back to my normal dinner.

thanks all for the acknowledging my weight loss, being so large, not one else has noticed it. Plus I lose from the top down, first my face, breasts, upper arms, forever for the stomach and hip to go down.

good luck
sue
don't know what another tread means and can I still find you guys?

Stacy and Sue, I am just so amazed and impressed at your weight loss. I wonder when you've lost that much weight, can you tell you're a lot lighter? I had lost all this weight before getting pregnant and then gained over 60lbs with my pregnancy, and I remember that one day, I realized my feet hurt, which they hadn't in a long time. And you know, my feet still hurt. I wonder if I lose another 10-20lbs if one day I'll realize they don't hurt anymore?

Sue, I think that remaining conscious of my eating is also the big thing for me. Great job on going to the brunch and not overeating! You know, people might have noticed your weight loss but be unsure about it and not want to ask. Or, it might have been slow enough that they are getting used to your changes. I have unfortunately bounced up and down with my weight my entire adult life. In the rarer times when I've lost some weight, I've noticed no one says anything until it is a very significant change. For me, it's usually a 20+lb loss, going from a size 12 to a size 8 before people say anything. That means going from the obese BMI to not even overweight--quite a difference, I think! Also, it seems like the the first people to notice are those who were around my original size. I wonder if people pay the most attention to those who are around their size? Anyway, I'm just rambling. I am sure that soon, you will be getting a lot of comments! I hope that when you hit your <300 goal, you buy a really nice outfit for Christmas that shows off all the work you've done!:D

Stacy, I love your vacation pic! Makes me want to go camping! But, not really with a 15-month old. ;)

Liannie, I'm also taking it very slow. I think it can only help to make sure all the steps are solid before moving on to new ones. Oh, by the way, the hunger tolerance day wasn't bad at all. I went for 12 hours between breakfast and dinner, and the worst hunger pains were around 10:30 and 11:30! I never got over a "2" in hunger after that--it was really amazing. Totally made me realize that I eat just because it's "time to eat" a lot. I kept really busy all day, which helped. I did end up eating more than usual at dinner, but not more than maybe 200 cals extra. You can do it!

Well, I didn't do so well this weekend. Totally forgot about reading the cards, and I blew it last night with dinner. Just ate wayyyy too much! :( I didn't exercise either. I do so much better during the week, when I have more of a set schedule. I will do my best to have a better week this week!

Good luck to all of you this week!

Redoing Day 11: Differentiate Hunger/Desire/Cravings
 

Good Monday Morning to All!

Interesting comments about when people notice weight loss! 2 of the heavier people I know have already commented that I look thinner and I've only lost like 6-1/2 pounds. It shows a little in my face (although noplace else yet.....sigh) so I can see where they might be able to tell. When I went from above 230 to 150 back in 1989, it took about 30 lbs. before anyone said anything. I was so good at covering my body with a lot of layered clothing, that nobody could tell right away. And I can tell a difference in how my body feels when my weight goes up and down. Being 51 years old now, lots of things hurt more when I go up the scale and they hurt less when I come back down. Some things always hurt (like my feet from my stand-up job and my lower back from all the driving I do) but it sure is nice when they hurt less!

My task today, as I repeat Day 11, is to become aware of the difference between (1) true stomach-rumbling hunger, (2) eating a meal but still wanting more a/k/a "desire", and (3) a strong urge to eat something accompanied by a yearning sensation in my body, which is craving. Dr. Beck says I should rate on a scale of 1-10 the strength of the actual physical hunger I am feeling before, during, right after and 20 minutes after eating. Before breakfast today, my hunger was about an 8. I was really empty and had just done a workout. Midway through eating, it was probably a 4 and immediately after it was about a 1. Trying to assess it right now, about 1/2 hour after the meal, I was just tempted to say it was still a 1. But I realize it isn't. I'm not really hungry anymore but guess I don't know what it feels like to be "okay" instead of "full" or "stuffed". I could eat more and I wouldn't mind eating more, but I don't need to eat more, and at this very second I don't want to eat more. That could change in 10 minutes though, right? That's how we all got fat. So that's what I'm going to work on today.

You ladies have a great day. Good luck with all of your diets. I'm just curious, are any of you posting at other diet subforum on 3FC as well as here? I spend a lot of time on the South Beach subforum and it gives me great support for staying on plan.

Have a good one!
L

Liannie, great points about recognizing your hunger levels. It is most difficult for me to tell the difference between mild hunger and desire also. That's great people are already starting to comment on your weight loss!

I forgot to mention earlier that today I am wearing a pair of pants I haven't worn since my first trimester of pregnancy! I tried them on a month ago and they were way too tight, although I did get them buttoned. I'm very excited about it (and of course want to try on all of my clothes now) and hope it means I'm down another pound or so, but I'm going to try to hold off on the scale for a few days. I don't think anyone else will notice my weight loss for a while, though...my weight loss happens all over, with my face last (we are a family of chubby faces lol).

HI everyone,

what fun to get into pants you had prevously couldn't. yeah..I am even finding some of the my pants looser. not ready to go down a size, but soon.

I also am finding dealing with hunger very important. I have learned to tolerate being hungry and it truly does come and go during the day and night. I used to use hunger to justifiy eating even after I had a ton of other foods to cope with emotional stuff. The counting of calories is making me select more nurtitious and less caloric foods. I had one cookie which was 65 cals-I ate is soo slowly and really thought this is not worth 65 cals. My true hunger is so messed up after years of obesity. If busy I can go most of the day without eating, I make myself eat to not to get too depleted. It is nighttime that hunger, reward, craving gets all confused. When my calorie alottment is met, I stop. I really don't feel full, but if I don't stop I will not lose weight.

By counting and recording the cals I know what a "normal" eater does eat, But it will be a long time before I trust myself eat in moderation intuitivley. I know that processed carbs, sugar ect make mefeel very hungry and crave more.

I really blew it yesterday-even after I wrote here, we went to see a play and then came home and had wine, wine, wine -But have been very on target today.

keep sharing, I find it all helpful and thoughtful.
sue

Still Doing Hunger v. Cravings v. Desire
 

Good Morning All,

Hi Stacy, and Welcome Back! Great job on a Vacation Without Weight Gain! That's a real accomplishment!
:carrot:
Karina, congrats on getting into the old pants! Isn't it a great feeling? The Incredible Shrinking Buttocks! :) Woohoo!

And I agree with you Sue, about counting and recording calories. It *does* make you a more thoughtful eater! There have been scientific studies that showed the simple act of keeping a food diary causes weight loss because you start thinking about it.

A couple days after one of my typical "eat whatever I want" weekends recently, I went back and put down everything I could remember into Fitday. Get this: 2951 calories on Saturday when I ate at home, and 4156 calories on Sunday when I went out for a wine-soaked dinner at a tapas restaurant with a couple of binge buddies. That's over 7000 calories in 2 days! And that was my normal eating pattern: 3-1/2 days worth of food crammed into 2 days with NO exercise to offset them. No wonder I'm fat! And this is how I ate day after day, then was surprised to find 30 lbs hanging off my haunches. Granted, the 4000 calorie day was an exception because we stayed at the restaurant talking and drinking sangria for like 3 hours--but that NEVER would have happened if I had been recording all along. I would not have allowed myself to eat that much if it had been mindful instead of mindless. So you're right on target there. I don't trust myself to eat intuitively in moderation either, not for a long time. Maybe never.

Anyway, yesterday's lesson went well. I noticed when I was hungry and definitely knew when I was craving or simply desiring more food. I think I'm going to do that lesson again today and tomorrow. I want to get it right before I go on to really tackle the cravings. Those evening cravings are so much my undoing! I caved in last night with half a protein bar and a big mug of herbal tea--much better than the ice cream I used to have--but I want to develop the skills I need to squelch them completely.

I hope you all have a great day!

And yes, I agree we need a new thread....Want to start one on July 1? (To someone who asked if they could find us. Yes, we'll be in the same place.)

L

Howdy,

Lianne, I have spent years having such binging events. I put on 180 lbs after started having wine with our meals. Just what I did not need-more late evening calories and less awareness of the volumn of food I am eating at night. Then our lot of activities were around fine wines, foods, and resturantes. Been slowly re-educating us. Luckly my husband has been supportive to increase of veggies and fruit and a big reduction of alcohol.

this changing of habits takes alot of committment. I know that genes do play a part-both of my older brothers are +300 lbs. My husband put on 25 extra lbs with the increase of food and alcohol. He has already lost about 15 lbs of the gain. I put on 180 and have lost 42.

mindfulliness is such tough thing for me in all areas of my life-my crazied mind wants to focus on many petty feeling or thoughts verus eating slowly, enjoying the moment and appreciating what I do have.

success to all
sue

Hi everyone,
Just checking in! I have a stress-filled 24 hours ahead of me, but I will try not to overeat. I am defending my dissertation tomorrow at 10, so hopefully I'll have my Ph.D. by this time tomorrow! I'm still finishing up my presentation slides, and then tonight my husband's work is throwing him a surprise going away party. I hope I'm not up really late practicing my talk because of it, but it's a really nice thing for him. We're eating at a restaurant tonight (big overeating trigger for me), but luckily it is seafood, so I think I'll be able to find some healthy choices. I'm on the day where we don't eat everything on our plates, so I think that will be helpful, too.

Sue, I completely agree with your post--I feel the same way. Daytime is not a problem for me, and I don't really mind being hungry even, but it's like a switch is turned on after dinner. I just want to eat, and I feel like I'm really hungry. there are some desserts in the volumetrics book I'm going to try, like grilled banana with a few chocolate chips melted into a slit in the banana. It says to include a little frozen yogurt, but I think just a chocolately banana would be yummy! There is also a recipe for a cup of strawberries...add a little sugar and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and chill for 1 hour. You can't taste the vinegar, but it makes the strawberries very sweet tasting. the whole cup has 55 calories.

Liannie, I will have to try that Fitday log. Good for you working on your evening cravings and changing them for the better. Maybe soon you can just switch to the herbal tea and leave it at that!

I'm nervous about the weigh-in tomorrow. I feel like the weekend and lack of exercise will equal no weight lost. We'll see, though...

Take care!

Sue, I also have a weakness for wine in the evening. I'm trying to cut back now, but it's not easy! After 9 months of pregnancy and 9 months of breastfeeding, I have been enjoying the spirits a little too much lately! I think it's in part because I want to start trying for another baby in October and know I won't be able to drink for a long time, but I also think it so quickly moves from 1 glass twice a week to 2 glasses several times a week. Just like food, it's something we really have to keep an eye on!

Karina, may I ask what you wrote your dissertation on? Good luck with the next 24 hours Dr. Karina ;) Myself I'm a lifelong student. Started out with Business, went to Graphic Arts, and now Kinesiology. I don't think think I'll ever make it to the doctorate level!

Lianne, I've done the same thing where I'll go back and record a "bad" day and think "oh my god, how is that possible?!" It's crazy to think that we ate like that every day before.

sue, I know what you mean about the cookie not being worth it. We have donut holes in the house all the time (for the dog's medication, he gets two a day with a liquid medicine shot in them...) and any time I'm tempted to put one in my mouth I have to think that it's one bite for 50 calories. Sooo not worth it.

Things are going pretty good for me. I've gotten up to day 26 but I'm going to go back and reread some of the book, make sure I'm still doing everything before I go any further. The scale also said 178 this morning! How crazy is that, 10 pounds gone in under a month!

Hi Guys,

karina-what a feat to being a doctoral candidate.-best wishes for your presentation.!!

Stacy all your hard work has paid off at the scales-yup 10 pound in a month is great. Glad things are going well for you.

Lianne-hang in there-it was brave of you to record food for the past week end. What activities work for you to ignore cravings?-

This has been a tough craving day for me-no reason for it other than it just is. Sometimes I tire of the routine of dieting-recording, measuring, prerecording, and eating non-sweet foods and forgoing other high cal but favorite foods. I have weathered it ok-could have done better, but could have been worse. I find dieting and making most of our food ( to control the fat)at time tiresome and boring.

thanks for letting me whine- There is the an over indulgent little girl who wants to take over while the older arthritic gal is working hard to keep her in check.-humm i really do sound crazy. I know I am lucky and why I am perserverating and whining about food is a mystery.

sue

Good Evening Ladies,

Just checking in for the evening and confessing to have binged on granola tonight. Not really "binged", like ate a gallon of it, but ate way more than I should have (which was NONE) and then didnt stop when I realized I was doing wrong. I just felt driven to keep eating, first plain, then with some sugar free pudding, then in a bowl with milk. I bought the granola to have in the morning as my first non Phase 1 South Beach food. Now I have heartburn and I dont want anymore. WHY DO I DO THIS?

Anyway, I guess we're all perseverating about food, Sue. It has taken over our lives now that we're trying to change our crazy relationships with it. And go ahead and whine, it IS a lot of work and recording and measuring and planning to do this. It gives me extra stress just keeping up with it all, as well as the other million things I have to do in a day. But "OH WELL", like Dr. Beck says. Let's just do it, right?

Hey Dr. Karina! Congrats on the PhD. What hard work! I hope you've gotten through everything with flying colors by the time we hear back from you.

Stacy, you go girl! 10 lbs in less than a month would have me throwing a party. I just bought my 5 lb. gift today. Are you going to buy yourself something special for this great accomplishment?

Well, I'd better go to bed. I have 12 hours shifts at work on Wed. and Thurs. of this week so I should try to bank some sleep.

Thanks for being there, ladies! I'll holler back at ya tomorrow.

L

Hi Folks, happy to join, haven't even read the thread yet. :-)

But I have a lot of exerience with CBT, and the work of Judith Beck's over many years, and just got the book last week, and am working through it. Its truly an amazing book.

I have made the commitment to work through the principles from book for the rest of 2007. Just keep going back and reviewing, and working it over and over. Anyway, things have started well.

I think its a great idea to have an Online Support Group for the Beck Diet Solution. Too bad we couldn't have our own Forum, so we could have different threads for each day and topic? That would be rule....

Ugh....just a quick pop in to share my revelations of the evenings. I'm soooo over sugar. My husband started working on my birthday cake and of course I started snacking on extra pieces and frosting. And I feel absolutely horrible. I got an almost instant headache and my stomach started hurting. We agreed that we'll be taking pictures and a forkful or two then throwing it it. It's the thought that counts right?

I guess I need to review some of the book huh. She gives us all these tools and we just ignore them. *Sigh*

ok, I read the thread.
I am part way through the Beck program already.

I just wanted to mention to everyone, that the CBT behind the Beck book is extremely powerful and well-tested. Its not some type of "folk-wisdom" or psychobabble. All of those exercises she is giving come from science based CBT research.

The challenge for folks is actually figuring out how to do it from a book. That is not easy. So if you can get with a real, trained CBT expert for a while, I would recommend that.
I have been fortunate enough to have done a lot of CBT work and training for many years, and I can see what Judith Beck is saying in this book.
She is really one of the worlds top experts in CBT, and trains professionals in CBT. Her technical books are excellent.

Anyway, in my view, pretty much everything we need is in that book. Except, as she says, for those with eating disorders. That level of difficulty needs some professional work. They do CBT for eating disorders. If you have something serious like that, please, get some pro help in person.

Anyway, as I said, I am going to do the Beck CBT diet thing for AT LEAST the rest of 2007. I copied the book for myself, and have a copy with me, so I can make notes.

I am also condensing all of the key info from the book onto a double-sided paper to keep in my wallet. That is going to be very cool, but will take a while.

The Beck Solution is extremely powerful stuff. The challenge is not having someone like Beck to lead a group in person, over a long period of time. But, she is doing some training now, so there will be people to go to at some point.

That being said, The Beck Institute does referrals, and if you could find a CBT therapist in your city, there is a good chance they could help us with the Beck Diet program. I am looking one up now,

Find a Certified Cognitive Therapist
http://www.academyofct.org/Library/C...?FolderID=1137

but unless you have good insurance, that stuff ain't cheap. But even 10 sessions in person makes all the difference.
Like I said, I am fortunate to have had a ton of CBT work over the years. It changed my life. I can say this, I know that this book has the tools to manage one's weight.

The challenge is getting ourselves to follow through on all the details. Its like CBT, truly, one needs to be trained in person first, to get the best results, and learn how to do it. I compare it to a musical instrument...is it a good idea to teach yourself the violin from a book?

Anyway, the Beck Diet book is probably the best book out there that gets into the psychology of all of it, and does it in a science based way.

I have read all of her "dads" books, Dr. Aaron Beck, and let me tell you something, that guy is one smart cookie. His technical books are terrific. Also his book The Integrative Power of Cognitive Therapy is great. (technical book). But he also has more basic books for the general reader.

ok...
I just wanted to put it out there that the Beck book is based on solid science, and literally hundreds of studies for CBT.
You will see the Beck Institute now do many studies on CBT for weight-loss, and they will improve the methods over time.

But seriously, there are about 100 fantastic tools in that book we can all use today.
The Anti-craving techniques are extremely powerful, but the catch is that its hard to learn that stuff from a book. I feel like I "get it" but I can see how others might not. But it takes time...and persistence. That is why I am giving it until the end of 2007, at least.

Just watch, in the next few years, everyone in the diet industry is going to steal the Beck CBT ideas for weightloss, and distort and wreck them in the process!
:-)
that's my "Fortune Telling" for the night. (page 195 in the book)

Hi everyone,
I passed! I'm now Dr. Karina! :D Thanks everyone for your encouragement.

Stacy, I agree it's hard to pick one subject when so many are interesting! My dissertation was on how work characteristics (like autonomy, amount of conflict, supervisory roles, etc.) impact women's lives. Anyway, I totally know what you're saying about our bodies accepting changes faster than we realize it...I ate what normally would have been a fairly filling meal of Indian food last night, but I didn't just feel full, I felt like my stomach was going to burst! I was so uncomfortable, it definitely made me realize it's just not healthy to eat like that.

Liannie, we all have our moments of weakness. It's just important that we don't let them get us down to the point where it turns into something worse! Sounds like you are getting back in control. Hang in there!

Sue, can you make multiple meals at once so you don't have to do it every day? Maybe make several on Sunday and freeze? I know everything is tedious now, but I think it will become a matter of routine after a while, something we don't have to think about. You know, Dr. Beck's comparison to brushing our teeth--we don't even think about it, just do it.

Welcome, CBT! I have found this support group to be very helpful, and I hope you do too!

As for me, I was down a pound on Wed., but I have done so poorly the past 2 days, I'm sure it's probably gone back up. I will say that I did not do as poorly as I would have before the diet, but I've got to get back in control. My portions were just too big. At least now I will have some time and energy to focus on doing this right!

Take care!

hi and any suggestions for first 2 weeks?
 

Hi,
In my desperate, funk last night, I somehow came across Beck's books, and I ordered the Diet Solution and one other of hers. I've been trying to get what was once a small amount of weight off for 10 years. Now I'm 180, and I'm OK, at 150ish, but my best weight is at 135-138.

I'm like that mythological character....the one who has to push the huge boulder up the hill, and then every night it rolls down, and he has to push it back up the hill the next day--for eternity.

I tried OA faithfully for 6 months + a million other things you don't even want to hear about. I KNOW how to eat, I know a couple of diets that work for me, it's mostly just getting past the first hump and then not letting my compulsive eating jump in again. And if I cheat, then I get back into not being able to move past the first hump again, and I waste months being there.

I know we all have unbelievable power and strength and light inside of us; it's just learning how to find that again.

Do you have suggestions for the next week while I'm waiting for the books? I wrote out the list of 8 things. I was already convinced about writing out my meal plan the night before and making sure I have the stuff ready. I like the idea of "no choice" as a mantra as far as not veering off of the plan. I can do all that. Any other things that have been super key for you? (I've read thru most of the thread....will read it one more time) I'm not in a place financially where I can find a counselor at the moment....

Thanks....
girliethin

:welcome: girlythin!

There's nothing really you have to do to "prepare." In fact you don't even start your food plan until two weeks into the program. She talks you through choosing plans and if you're already writing stuff out you're waaay ahead of program! My advice would be to just be concious of what you're eating and doing now so you an see how it changes as you start the program. You could also start thinking about the advantages or reasons for losing weight. That's I believe the first task in the book and gave me some trouble. Also, hang out and get to know us! We're a pretty active group so you'll always have someone to talk to!

HI folks,

welcome to join our discussion girlythin. CBT BDS I agree that there a sense of realness to the book versus the hype of many others-Core changes take a long time. Glad for both the book and this link.

Karina-Congradulation on being a PHD. that is terrific.

Liannie-hope your 12 hr shifts were not too bad-I have worked a 10 hr as a staffer in hospital- never 12 hrs.

thanks for the support as I go through this periodic temper tandrum about changing my eating habits. I can not decide if outside events make me crabby and self induglent or if may be the withdrawal from food addiction itself makes me crabby and discontent following a food plan. When I go through this angry, short temper period all I want to do is to use food to calm and reward. Like learning to being hunger, I am slowly learning that I can be crabby and not eat. I really am embarassed how irksome I feel the smallest problem can be. The whole things feels very childish, yet controlling of me for a couple of days. I now have finally stared to feel a much greater sense of internal calm. I know that steps in books will now be easier. even just reading the card on why I want to lose weight did helped with "mindless eating" Eating some of the old standard sized portions of treats of last year seems way too much and over indulgent.

I am still working on my schedule -my biggest problem is staying up too late at night. I love being alone and getting on the internet. -but makes for a groggy morning and not doing some meditation and getting swimming done timely.

good changes to all
sue

Welcome, girlythin!

2 sections/chapters have also been very important for me: I think the sections on recognizing hunger are key. when I want to eat something, I now stop and think, am I hungry or just wanting to eat? How hungry am I, really? Sometimes I really want just a little something at night, like last night, and I'm just sure I can't make it all evening. I'll say: my hunger is only about a 2-3 now, I'll wait an hour and see what happens. Usually, I don't end up eating. It's part of being aware of what I'm doing and what I truly need vs. want. I've also learned that being hungry isn't that big of a deal, and hunger passes quickly if you don't give in.

I also like one of the intro chapters that talks about fairness. when I see people eating things that I want to eat, like at a party, I feel like it's unfair and I want to eat it, too. Dr. Beck mentions that thin people do restrict their eating, I'm just not seeing them do it.

One other thing you could start on is not eating standing up. For me this is key...no more samples at Sam's Club, no more bites of my daughter's snacks/meals, etc. We easily forget to factor those little bites into our diets, and yet they can have big calorie counts!

Welcome girlythin and CBT!

It's great to have new friends here. The more energy we create for this task, the better for all of us.

As for suggestions on what to do while waiting for the book (I continued to eat like a trucker so don't follow my example!), I really like the one about eating sitting down. That is huge. The mindless munching gets us every time.

Also, I think if you start getting 8 glasses of water a daily and 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, then you will have a body that is fully hydrated and with enough fiber to be hungry on a reasonable basis. Once you've done that, you can start to watch for what are your true signals of hunger (not mistaken signals that really mean thirst or lack of intestinal fullness). If you rate your actual physical hunger on a scale of 0-10 when you find yourself wanting to eat, you might start to notice the difference between real "hungry-because-my-body-needs-food-to-live" or "hungry-because-my-mind-wants-fuel-for-its-addiction." That's my battle anyway.

But more from me later....I'm running out the door. Errands then work. I overslept!

L

Hello,

This is my first time posting here. I bought the Beck Diet Solution book two days ago! Stumbled upon it at Borders!! Since then, I have been looking for a message board to discuss it. I am thrilled about this book because I believe I have gained several pounds over the last two years due to emotional eating. Yes, I know how to lose weight, but I turn to food when I'm angry, offended, depressed, and bored. That is why I was so excited to find this book!!

Thanks
 

....for the warm welcome and for the suggestions to get me started.

I actually decided I couldn't wait for Amazon, so I went and bought it. The copies at my library were already reserved. (I'm rationalizing spending the $ in case you didn't catch that)

So far, wow. I'm starting to feel hopeful that this might be my answer, at long last. I have honestly felt at many, many times that losing was hopeless, so it feels great to have a glimmer of hope.

And I think the tools are great lifeskills to have.

And to think that, as said on page 13, that I
..can control my eating if I plan in advance and practice...

That will be a miracle.

Blessings,
girliethin...

Welcome Ava, and Good Saturday to you Girliethin!

Girlie, I also bought 2 copies of the book, one for me and one for my best friend. Maybe you can give the Amazon copy to a diet buddy when it comes. It's nice to have someone to do the steps along with you. This group gets a little quiet sometimes.

Ava, isn't it funny how we all seem to know "how to lose" weight? How we can summon up enough gumption to deprive ourselves for some specified period of weeks or months, only to gradually plump back up when we slide back into our old ways? That's why the book and this group are SO essential.

And, as the book says, getting over the "its not fair" mentality about "having to plan in advance and practice" when others can just go ambling along through life eating intuitively and be naturally thin--that's essential too. That is what I need to really get my mind around this time: the fact that I will need to be a mindful eater who plans and logs and counts calories the majority of days for the rest of my natural life. The fact that I can never go for an extended period eating whatever suits me because I'm just not made like that. That's not me. So "OH WELL", like the book says. I'm gonna live with it.

I'm really glad I found my way back to the South Beach way of eating again though too because I am a raging carb-aholic with uncontrollable cravings for more and more and more if I eat processed carbs. I hope you ladies find the key for yourselves too because that makes it so much easier.

Are you both starting on Day 1 now? Stop back by and post your reasons. It will help us all to restate them every now and then.

L

reasons
 

Hi Liannie,

I did days 1-3. I so get the raging carb thing. One great thing about having tried and failed many times is that I know what diets work best for my body. I had grown to believe that there is no one diet for everyone, too, so I was impressed when Dr. Beck also stated this. Never thought I'd hear a health practitioner say that! It's refreshing.

My advantages are long, but I ranked them, so if anyone gets bored, the most important are first.

1. It will feel great to be focused on my goal and achieving it. (I originally wrote this that I'll be out of the **** of the "I want to be thin/diet---eat/eat/eat---Oh, I don't want to be fat---eat/eat/eat" and of never being able to get off this track.)
2. I'll feel more in control.
3. I'll be in better health.
4. My body will feel better (I have wheat sensitivity, yet I still eat wheat b/c of my lack of willpower--this means really bad symptoms that I ignore b/c I want to eat what I want to eat)
5. I can live into my older years healthfully.
6. I'll have more energy for a fuller life.
7. I'll look better/prettier.
8. I'll feel powerful, competent, and proud of me.
9. I'll live longer.
10.I will feel comfortable in a sexual relationship.
11.I'll feel so proud to be in 8s or even 10s.
12.I'll look a lot younger.
13. I'll be able to focus on other goals.
14.I'll have more confidence.
15. I'll save A LOT of $.
16. I'll be able to bend down, twist, sit down, and move better.
17. I'll do more things, like go to the beach, wear a bathing suit, and jacuzzi at hotels.
18. I'll look great in my clothes.
19. I'll be happier when I look in the mirror.
20. I'll be more attractive to others.

Hi everyone,

Good to read your list of reasons,. I like the wording of the first one of feeling the success of focusing and achieving a goal. It is very postive versus beating myself up for past mistakes. I will get re-motivated-I am on a self created plateau. Last week I was fighting very strong emotional needs to over eat, now have just finished a very fun, over indulgent 4 day visit with friends. I am amazed how some times friends can kind of like be food pushers by bring "low" calorie candies and baked goods. Like most of us any processed carb is may be the one for me to start the next binge. The good new is that I did not gain, but really want to get losing again since I want to achieve a 150 lb total loss. Like you said Liannie, I don't want to return to the pattern of losing that gumption and put the 40 lbs loss back on. so it is back to the book and repeating the beginning chapters and doing the exercises and recording my food.

success to all
sue

Hi everyone,
Sorry I was MIA this weekend, just got busy and avoided the computer (I have to do all these revisions to my dissertation--yuck). Anyway, welcome Ava, and that's great news about your weightloss, CBT BDS! Don't get discouraged when your weight loss starts to slow down, as it probably will soon. that is the issue I'm dealing with right now.

Sue, I know how hard it is to turn stuff down when you have friends around and just want to have a good time. I think it's wonderful that you didn't gain any, and now you can go back to losing!

I didn't have a great weekend diet-wise (friends threw me a party for passing my defense, along with a cake--I had a piece but scraped the icing off). I was scared to weigh this morning, but my official weekly weigh-in isn't until Wednesday anyway. I am committed to refocusing this week. I planned my meals out for the week last night, and I already got my exercise in for the day this morning. I finally found out the date of my 10-year high school reunion...September 29. So, even though I'm trying to focus on every 5 lbs, I definitely have that in the back of my mind. In any other situation, I'd be fine with losing 5 lbs a month or even more slowly, but I really want to kick it in gear and lose closer to 10lbs a month over the next 3 months. That is on the high end of what you are supposed to lose on a diet (1-2 lbs a week), so what do you all think? Is this an okay goal?

Good Morning Everyone!

I'm rushing around and will post more later but I wanted to say hello to all and to acknowledge your posts. I kinda fell off the wagon yesterday but I'm back on today. I've been working so much, I haven't done the Beck exercises faithfully so this is a week of renewing all good new habits.

My new weigh-in day is Sunday, and I lost another lb. Six pounds since June 1. Not bad! :)

Happy Monday,
L