November 2007 The Beck Diet Solution
 

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 Behavior Therapy (CBT).

There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if we learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach.

This is a place to chat about our daily efforts and, for some of us, serves as an on-line diet coach.

The book, The Beck Diet Solution, is available on Amazon through the 3FC store:http://astore.amazon.com/3fatchionad...216363-1799918

Previous Beck threads on 3FC:

October 2007 October 2007 The Beck Diet Solution http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124433
September 2007 September 2007 The Beck Diet Solution http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121790
August 2007 The Beck Diet Solution August 2007 http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119430
July 2007 The Beck Diet Solution July 2007 http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116556
May 2007 (Original) The Beck Diet Solution - support group? http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112274

Completed Beck Program-day 16: Prevent Unplanned Eating
 

• Made a NO CHOICE response card.

• My eating rules:

o Eat a substantial amount of protein, vegetables, and fruit at every meal.
o Avoid processed foods and foods with added sugar
o When eating out, eat up to 25% more than I do at home. Weddings 50% more.
o Eat 3 or 4 snacks each day between my three meals.


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Completed Beck Program-day 16. 26 to go. Keep going!

Weekend for play
 

At FREE lunch yesterday, the chili was served as a cup size instead of the pint size I had planned. So, I went to Plan B and had one hot dog with it as well as a huge salad (a welcome surprise!). The hot dog served the part of me that doesn't want to permanently ban any specific food from my life, but to eat mindfully from a wide variety. I did, however, specifically pass on the cake, the popcorn, and the Pepsi.

That was a new experience for me because I've never had a single hot dog in my life. I've always had at least two. Even so, if I were more advanced in Intuitive Eating, I could have ditched the last half of the hot dog after I'd satisfied my desire to taste it. However, discarding food just because I don't need to eat it is still way way beyond my current spiritual development.

Got in a nice long walk after work. Made it to Whole Foods to get more roasted soy nuts for snacks and to the Indian foods store to get some Nan that DW likes.


Sue - LOL at you eating "completely alone in a barren room in order not to do old habits." :D

Your story of the potato chips certainly rings true for me. Such a good reminder of how a desire can turn into eating, even when you are actively working your Beck strategies. I don't have any wise advice for that situation, but perhaps DH could keep the bag tactfully placed out of your sight.

I admire your determination to be both your social self and a mindful eater. I'm convinced that there's a combination of the Beck strategies that's going to work for you. Good luck in your continued search.


Bethany - Hope you are having a relaxed and fun weekend.


Readers - May your weekend be filled with that activity you want.


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Completed Beck Program-day 16. 26 to go. Keep going!

Hi BillBlueEyes and everyone else

billBlueEyes nice start to this thread by explaining the focus of this place plus showing all the old months sites. Thanks for letting me quickly find the new thread. - I do not know how to start new thread, post pic ect.


My Dh loves hot dogs and we have found at Trader Joes 97% fat free ones by Hebrew National so they are only 40 cals a piece I think- He enjoys them and I find them ok and tend to eat a couple of them with no buns. sound like you did well at the lunch at work-yeah for them having a salad to fill in the hunger spots.

I have been pondering a possible behavorial way when dealing with becoming so filled with cravings when around some food without white knuckling it. It may be one of those slippery slopes but there is a rebelious kid in me when it comes to NO CHOICE sometimes. If I have gone through a number of strategies and still am craving possessed, I am working on taking a very small amount. chewing mindfully, savorying every bite and then let the rest go. May be a bit like you wishing you ate just eating half of hot dog. It is hugh step for me to stop when aroung processed foods. I did today around some coffee cake-enjoyed and quickly stopped and added the cals to preplanned food for the day. I knew there is a chance that 5-10 bites a day will add 400 cals. That is good thing to recording everything for me.

I used to be a smoker and sometimes it was the first puff that was the most important. The rest of cig was just habit.

Good new for me is that I have lost the extra lbs gained and went to a health fair in our community today and my blood sugars are excellent, and my blood pressure is way down-yeah to losing 55 lbs and exercising much more.

to getting and staying healthy

sue

Completed Beck Program-day 17: End Overeating
 

Successes:
• At dinner at home, I cut my serving of ham in half, put half in the fridge for my lunch the next day. That was easy. Ham wasn’t wasted. Ham was still mine.
• At dinner at home, I ate exactly one serving of dal (spicy lentil soup) even though it was VERY good and only a half serving was left in the pot. Easy enough. Leftover in the fridge for DW to grab for her lunch.

Challenges to do:
• Leave food on my plate to be wasted at a restaurant when it’s not practical to take a doggie bag. (I have a bonus allocation, per Beck, for restaurants that will accommodate, for example, a restaurant sized portion of grilled salmon, but will not accommodate that PLUS their serving size of crab stuffing AND appetizer AND bread dipped in olive oil.)
• Leave food on my plate to be wasted that isn’t on my eating plan (like mashed potatoes with rich gravy served at a friend’s house).
• Leave food on my plate at home that will be wasted (e.g. too little to save, not reheatable, or we can’t use before it spoils).
• Leave a portion of a steak.
• Leave a portion of an expensive dessert that came with the meal (e.g. at a banquet).

Help !!!!!!!!!!!
Has anybody left food on their plate at a restaurant that they would be willing to share? I could use some help on this one. It seems impossible to me. Perhaps some non-Beck person has a success with this.

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Completed Beck Program-day 17. 25 to go. Keep going!

Sunday Sunday
 

Saw "Donnie Darko" last night. Apparently I'm the only person on planet earth who wasn't already into the Donnie Darko cult. A good mind bender. Reminder of teenage angst.

Plan is to get to the gym today and to take a long walk including the farmer's market. Only a couple of weeks left for the farmer's market. It makes me miss the summer bounty. They'll have winter squash, apples, kale, and perhaps some remnant corn.


Sue - Thanks for the tip on Hebrew National hot dogs, I'll have to try those.

Congratulations on you coffee cake bite-and-stop, that's a big one. I'm sending you my best thoughts of support as you search for the right strategy for your cravings.

Big whooohooo for your blood sugars and blood pressure :carrot: Nice to see the payoff for your efforts to exercise and to lose the 55 pounds.


Bethany - Hope all is going well. May the sun shine on you when you're outdoors today.


Strangers in the night - May you have a peaceful and mindful Sunday.


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Completed Beck Program-day 17. 25 to go. Keep going!

Hello.

A quick note as we need to go shopping which for us is a 4 hr round trip just to get to the stores and return home. Add a couple hrs to actually shop.

billblueeye-I must thank you for continuing to post-having this site stay working has been so helpful for me-I live so rurally I just can't find much of a support system with in an hr drive. I feel so much better now that I am back in control of eating and putting much more healthy foods and amounts in my body. It is happier also as I have lost over 4 lbs quickly-I know much of water but still nice not to have that weight on my arthritic joints.

We will be eating at least lunch out and I will be pondering your challengs. I am even tying the inability to toss food when I am done with keeping alot of unused but "valuable" items in our home. I'd call us organized pack rats-yet our life would be so much easier-more space, easier to clean house and storage areas, easier to orgainze and find the stuff we do have and use regularly-not that hunting for where did we put it.

I know the depression has a hugh effect on my parents-whose families truly went without and even lost their home. Is there even a bit of trickle down fugility for us? Does even that free food ties into that must take advantage of that. Even my skinny Dh eats rather complusively then. We very rarely drink at a bar or even at a resturante. Why pay $9.00 for a glass of wine when we can get a bottle for that price at the grocery store.

Get back to you later

folks do join us in exchanging ideas,-you successes and challenges.

sue

ps what is danny darko? movie? We don't even newpaper delivery up here to I read that paper on line.

Bill & Sue: Things seem to be going well for both of you. It is great that you are meeting up to your challenges.

Re: Donnie Darko: What a fun movie. It is totally messed up. I really enjoyed it and my husband is a huge fan. It came out in 2001 and definitely has quite the cult following.

My absent weekend:
I fell off the wagon. I did really well Thursday and Friday during the day. (I even threw away half a serving of delicious chili when I realized that it was going to cause me to go way over calories for the day.) Then there was unpredictability. Which I apparently do not do so well with. As soon as I got home my husband and I hopped in the car and headed to his family's house. I hadn't eaten anything in awhile so when we stopped at the gas station I went inside to grab a healthy snack. I ended up with a bag of combos. I hadn't had them in a long time and they made me kind of nostalgic (weird, right?). So I justified the purchase by saying that I would eat a serving and then be done with them. Well, I am not ready for that yet. So I ate too many. We went out to dinner. I ordered chicken parmesan. I ate maybe a third of it and took the rest home. When I got home I decided I didn't like it very much so threw it out.
But something inside me was like screw Beck. lol. I can let lose a little today. (Did I mention I didn't read my response cards before dinner because we were around people?) It basically all added up to yesterday where I lived off of mini candy bars left over from Halloween and pizza. I am not proud of this, but it has made me realize a couple things:
1. I have to read my response cards. I am going to keep a hard copy at home on note cards and then put a copy of everything in my PDA so I don't have to feel self-conscious about pulling out a stack of index cards.
2. I have to post here and in the other groups that I frequent. It keeps me accountable.
3. I have to write down everything that I eat. If I don't I can conveniently forget the first five no-nos and follow them with another five.
4. I need to take a couple day and focus completely on Days 1-7 before I move on. Excitement can only carry you so far. I need to get those ideas stuck in my head before adding more to it.
5. I have to ask my husband to hide the candy from me. I cannot do just one. I know that if I completely refrain from something I will have fewer cravings for that something than I would if I had a single taste of it.

I am not proud of my weekend, but I am proud of myself for learning something from it. In the past I would have disappeared from this discussion because I am embarrassed and don't want to have to admit that I screwed up. So there's one success anyway. :)

Sorry for the novel. :o I just had to get it all out there.
I will be posting tomorrow. :yes:

Bethany

Hi guys,

good for you Bethany to exam it all-i so understand that feeling of screw any diet rules-I feel like I have a rebelious kid in me-too bad this kid has done such health damage in my body. It has been quite a process for me to change eating habits and even bigger to realize all the ways which "distract" me from heathy amounts of food. I have tons of set backs but over all i am thinner and healthier even tho i have a ways to go still. So glad you are posting.
Beck has these short chapters with some exercises and I went thur it with a couple of months-but now I am slowly repeating them and I working on dealing with cravings and desire for weeks and will be there for quite a while.
Like all of you ideas to focus on-One of the biggest helps for me in our very healthy food environment at home-honestly I can hear processed food call to me. I often can't go into fast food store-send DH in for me to get some low cal item. All of DH treats are hidden in the garage.
writing down eaten foods has really help me learn cal counts-and how to make choices-I do eat less trying to stay in a cal count.
I love your postive attitude-learning from our "slip ups" is a powerful tool for change.
take care
sue

Completed Beck Program-day 18: Change Your definition of Full
 

• Will carefully monitor eating to “normal fullness” at a potluck meeting tonight where I have a history of continuing to eat because we sit at the table with the food.

• Will carefully monitor “normal fullness” this Thanksgiving.

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Completed Beck Program-day 18. 24 to go. Keep going!

Summer might be over
 

Had to wear a jacket yesterday. Bought Brussels Sprouts at the farmers' market; there is no more corn. Summer might be over. There must be someday a level of spiritual enlightenment where I don't fight the passage of summer. I'm clearly not there now. :)

Bought a persimmon to try. Boy did it ever make my mouth feel weird. I wonder why people eat them.

Good leftovers are available for lunches this week: big batch of kale and collards (from DW's garden) with feta cheese, and a big batch of spaghetti with tomato sauce. Makes life easy.


Sue - You can read the Wikipedia description of Donnie Darko, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Darko#Plot, or here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/synopsis.
Bethany's description, "It is totally messed up." is as good as any. It's a cult thing, not something to put high on your list.

Tying clutter with tossing food is a new idea for me to ponder. You may have something there.

Good luck with your continued confrontation of the cravings, "I can hear processed food call to me". Beck is encouraging that our resistance muscle will get stronger.


Bethany - Re: "But something inside me was like screw Beck." My take is that your rebellious side shows your strength that will serve you well to keep to the healthy lifestyle that will contribute to feeling good about yourself and to losing weight. In one paragraph you covered almost all of Program-day 19 that I'm just reading. Maybe you're just a little ahead of yourself. :)

Your response to "falling off the wagon" is a great example for me. Most important, for me, is to see you keep a level headed positive attitude about yourself. That seems to be what Beck is always trying to get us to do, so that we have our full selves available to learn from our actions and to plan our next actions. You have my utmost respect for the way you're handling this situation.

We saw Donnie Darko as a play at the ART in Cambridge. It was creatively staged in one complex setting, 80 minutes without an intermission. It was compelling, and moving. We though we maybe, sorta understood because of good program notes, but had a more complex lack of understanding after reading the links above and watching the trailer. When DW and I discussed it you'd think we'd been to two different plays. If we see the movie will we understand?

Discarding the Chicken Parmesan wins the award for discarding restaurant food. :) I haven't done that yet. :(


Readers - May you be warm enough today to be comfortable, and comfortable enough with yourself to stay on program.


Help - What do you do with a persimmon?


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Completed Beck Program-day 18. 24 to go. Keep going!

Howdy,

BillblueEyes-Yesterday I also was saying good by to summer-we did have a great clear warm day but the days are so much short-just had the change in time so now the sun set even an hr earlier.

Persimmons- I have used in baking-sadly adding sugar as they are so tart-never have been able to eat plain-

Yesterday we ate out with family-+granchildren. It was at Chili"s -hugh glossy picture of food for the menu, portions which were so big, and each dish seemed to have ton of cal. The guiltess grilled started at 490 cal for fish and then went up. I decided on the salad and even the "grilled chicken on the salad was breaded. Dressing on the side BUT i forget to ask for low or no cal dressing. They may not have had it, but should have asked. The whole fast, busy, noisy place with tons of food about-seemed geared to create a want for a feeding frienzy with in me.

Question: Does any one know about packets of low cal dressing which I could keep in the car? Full fat dressing is cal killer. But I find salads with no dressing boring.

We got caught up with everything and each order our own thing-But often we do order and split one dinner or portion with an extra salad. In the beginnig we felt like we might look "cheap"-but we could have the correct amount and not worry about left over. I focus on the extra salad and DH order his desser and I would a very small portion of the dessert while the skinny guy could enjoy the extra cals. I know people who have had the stomach surgery who have a card which they can use to get the children portion due to small stomach. i guess eating half a meal is our way coping with me needing reduced cals.

Leaving or throwing out unhealthy foods in not a waste!-Sometime I feel like some food increase my addiction-kind of like is wrong of an alcoholic to throw out a beer? I am working on the idea that some food is not really food for me, but an addictive substance.

take care
sue

Sue: Have you considered using salsa on your salads instead of salad dressing? I think that most places would have it and it is definitely a healthier way to go than the full fat stuff. I've done this a few time and I enjoyed it.
As far as packets of salad dressing.. I have never seen them anywhere, but they must be for sale somewhere because fast food restaurants use them. I wonder if a place like Costco or Sam's Club would carry them.

Bill: Donnie Darko as a play would be pretty interesting. I'm not sure if seeing the movie would explain anything further. It really is a mind-bender. Regarding Persimmons: I know nothing about them. It makes me want to try new fruit though. I love trying new things.

My day has been fine. I was leaps and bounds better than I was over the weekend. I spent 8 hours with a candy dish on my desk. I have a couple pieces of hard candy and that is it.
I've got a tender arm because I got my flu shot today. I researched it because someone told me that everyone they know got sick after getting it. Since I work with so many high-risk people (I work at a mental health center and a lot of the people aren't in that great of physical health either) I decided that the benefits out-weigh the risks.

Talk to you all later. :)

Bethany

Sue: Check out http://www.minimus.biz/ for mini-salad dressings. :)

Completed Beck Program-day 19: Stop Fooling Yourself
 

From Beck:I’m doing well with many on this list, but need to focus on:

o I paid for it.
o It’ll go to waste.
o It’s just the crumbs.

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Completed Beck Program-day 19. 23 to go. Keep going!

Voting Tuesday
 

Get to vote this morning. City council and school board are being elected. If I'm in line at 6:50am there's no wait.

At a potluck last night, I ate on plan, avoided the desserts. :) Then, when cleaning up, snarfed down the last four cocktail shrimp rather than throw them away. Arrrrrrrrgh :mad: As Beck would say, I'm fooling myself. Done by a guy who just claimed to have completed program-day 19. Oh Well.


Sue - LOL at your description of Chilli's. That describes many of the chain restaurants - menus with killer pictures of food yelling "Eat me, eat me."

Perhaps you can invent a card for the rest of us, saying something like, "Doctor prescribes children's portion for Human Being eating mindfully." You could sell them on eBay to the zillion or so people on diets.


Bethany - Thanks for the link for mini portions. DW likes the individual mayonnaise packets so she can have tuna salad sandwiches when out hiking on hot summer days. Might also try Sue's idea of bringing my own single serving dressing when eating where my choices might be limited.

DD told me that the Donnie Darko movie "had been out forever," that she had the DVD and would lend it to me next time she comes over. So, I'll get to find out if it helps.

Flu shot for me, also, next week. I fit into the recommended group: seriously ill, chronically ill, hospitalized, infirm, insane, perverted, or over 50. Reminds me that until recently medical schools taught the course "Pregnancy and other Female Diseases." (Apparently, allowing more women into med schools fixed that one.)

Good news that you're back on track. Eight hours in front of a candy dish is more than I could do.


Readers - May you find one specific occasion today to Stop Fooling Yourself at some little eating opportunity.


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Completed Beck Program-day 19. 23 to go. Keep going!

Hi to everyone

Bethany thanks for the web site-planning on ordering some packets. Very impressed with coping with a candy dish for 8 hrs a day-can you get extra hazard pay for working near toxic but addicting stuff? Glad you feeling the success of being in control.
BillBlueEyes-thanks for the voting reminder -for us it is just a school board elections so that has not been much ads about and I forgot. Boy resisting those cute little low cal shrimps to be toss would have been a toughie for me also.

That Beck-the list is straight out of my brain-uuck Kind of scary to see all of my food "logic" look sooo stupid. My biggies are I'll eat less later, I AM celebrating or at least today has been so crummy I deserve some type of celebration. A hugh one- I am upset and I don't care. I think alot of my behaviors are an attempt to raise my dopamines-or at least have a sugar rush that can give a quick artificial shot of "feeling better" I am sure that any addictive behaviors have the root of a person trying to feel better about themselves.

Yep I need a card that read-Must have children size portions or soon will be unable to fit in your booth and can never return here again.
That one resturant has more people in it than if all the resturants in our area were filled -this includes a 20 miles stretch of highway 1. We do like our slower pace at times.

Had a very tough emotional day yesterday-the good news -really big for me is that I didn't use food or drink to change emotions. I have been reading about power of mediatation and looking at how we construct our own emotional response to life's challenges. So much of my reactions are based on ancient history-really not relevant now-but the feelings return as if the past and it's pain were today.

I have not be able to swim due a very annoying and long term sinus infection-That outdoor pool is such a cool temp when the days stay in the 50's. So i have started kind of silly exercise dvd. I am glad to be moving but it is so corny i hate it.

take care you two
Other folks please join us this changing eating habits is a tough but powerful process.
sue

Completed Beck Program-day 20: Get Back on Track
 

from Beck:
 
 
The business of feelings of failure for eating something off plan is the big one for me here.

If I counter that, then all of me is available to draw the line, eat normally, climb right back on my horse, and learn from my mistake.  

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Completed Beck Program-day 20. 22 to go. Keep going!

Wednesday is Humpday
 

Still smarting a bit about gobbling down those four last shrimp the other day. Four shrimp is small calories, not a problem, but it exposes my sabotaging thinking.

Sabotaging Thought: Discarding unneeded food is wasting , but eating unneeded food is not wasting.

Helpful Response: I can avoid wasting food by putting it in the gas tank of my car. [ /sarcasm] This will, of course, destroy the engine, but I can replace the car. I can't replace my body.

Just boggles my mind that I could NEVER put shrimp in my old worn out Volvo, but have no problem just dumping it down my throat.

Ate on plan yesterday. Dinner was pan grilled tilapia, Oyster Mushrooms, Buttercup Squash with Macintosh Apple, Brussels Sprouts, all but tilapia from the farmers’ markets. Honeydew melon for snack – good enough not great - the season is OVER, time to quit buying them.


Sue - LOL at your "Must have children size portions or soon will be unable to fit in your booth and can never return here again."

I hear your struggling with emotions. BIG congratulations for avoiding using food for instant comfort. When you note that the emotions are from the past, you remind me of a favorite Faulkner quote:
Bethany - Hope you are having a good day. I still shudder every time I think of facing a dish of candy for eight hours. :( I like the idea of demanding time and a half for facing a dish of hard candies, double time for facing a dish of dark chocolate. :)


Readers - May you stay the course. And when you falter, may you Draw a symbolic line and immediately get back on your horse.


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Completed Beck Program-day 20. 22 to go. Keep going!

Hi folks,

billblueEyes- remember your own posting about watching out for dealing on negative feelings of failures and the need to give yourself credit for stopping.

While remaining on my food plan- I am now reading working on a book dealing with using meditation to fight depression. He had a great story about a man who was to be served a great treat- an unusual fish which was a real delicacy- the man focused on every bit and found the meal unbelieveable good. Turned out he was not served the unusual fish but a more common type-but because he had been so mindful he enjoyed each bite unlike before when he would eat a meal mindlessly.
I have been focusing on being mindful and not ruminating about some emotional stuff. I have increased mindfulness in doing my handcrafts, chores and really been enjoy my food and wine. I actually can feel full on 500 cals or so for dinner. Really feel I am so obese due to stuffing myself to deal with negative feelings. We were rasied in an very anxious family with lots of stress-both of my older brothers are also over 300lb. Eating was an ok thing to do to calm oneself.

Right now my focus is doing the mindful activities in my current book-It is such an important tool for me that I feel I'll be so much will be better both emotional and health wise by paying attention-

We have had no company nor eaten out since Sunday-The diet has gone just great. I think we may have similair menusBillBlueEyes-the bulk of our veggies is from a local organic farm. Friday a couple should be up here for the 3 day weekend-Here is when the real challenge for me will start.

sue

Completed Beck Program-day 21: Get Ready to Weigh In
 

from Beck:• This is an easy step for me, since I’ve been recording my daily weight for two years now. I enter it into Excel which plots the graph. Looking at that graph is a great motivator.

• Beck, like many others, recommends tracking weekly weight, so I also estimate my weight each Sunday by eye balling the scale readings for the last week. I record and plot that separately. During my losing period, this weekly filtering of the weigh ins allowed me to see the steady lose within the wiggling numbers and isolated me from the negative feelings of seeing a gain during a week of on plan eating and exercising.

• After I my weight remained at 158 for several months, I assumed that to be my maintenance weight.

• My weight has been holding for eight months now cycling in a six pound range beneath my maintenance weight.

• I really like that, one more time, Beck emphasizes: Don’t blame, take action.  
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Completed Beck Program-day 21. 21 to go. Keep going!

Thursday before Thanksgiving
 

I didn’t get to walk at lunch yesterday and CRAVED not walking in the evening because I was leaving work late, it was dark due to recent fall back from daylight savings time, and I just didn’t feel like it. Then, drum roll, insight Aha !!! I recognized these as Sabotaging Thoughts.

After I labeled it, I knew what to do. Clicked into Helpful Responses: Went over my Advantages Card (from memory) as I drove home. Thought about previously being winded when taking the stairs. Thought about the negative feelings I’d have for wimping out with such lame excuses and the heroic feelings I'd have if I did walk after all this thinking about. Even had the thought that I would post my success to my on-line diet coaches. <Thank you diet coaches>.

So, committed seriously to at least a half walk, with strong intentions to do the whole thing.

Then went for a good hour long 4 mile walk on my favorite urban path.


I felt disappointment when the scale read 155 this morning – expecting no less than the 153 of the past four days – maybe 152 due to an on plan day. Good opportunity to practice today’s step Prepare to Weigh In, which, for me, means: Don’t get wrapped up in the short-term scale readings; take action on the trend. OK, self: Give yourself credit that the scale reads right in the 6 pound band it has for eight months; you're on track. Get over that addiction to seeing the weight drop off. That part is so over.

Remembered to update the duration of my maintenance from six to eight months in my 3FC user profile. I do admire the 3FC folks here with several years of maintenance.


Sue - Thanks for the reminder to avoid the negative thinking and to give myself credit. Went to my journal and did that.

Great to hear your continued efforts on mindful activities and using meditation as a response to emotions.

Good luck on your upcoming 3 day weekend. I'll be sending positive thoughts your way each day, thinking of you combining the social and mindful eating parts of yourself.



Bethany - [ font = diet coach] Check in, we miss you. [ /font] :)

Hope all is going well.



Good guys all - May your scale reading be pleasing this week, and may your response to it be without blame.


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Completed Beck Program-day 21. 21 to go. Keep going!

Hi everyone,

Billblueeyes- good to hear that you are mindful of your successes-envy you urban walks-At times walking and window shopping sounds like fun-plus you can it after dark-Those annoying scale days-Sometimes following the food plan is so easy other times I am so hunger/craving/lusting-then when I stay on the plan I want to lose 2-3 lbs just because it was so much hard work the days before. The lower blood pressure and sugar count was a great reminder of healthy success even if the scales are going down so slowly for me. I am rather anxious to get out of 300s. Think my age and slow mobility due to the arthritis really slows the loss.

I have done the quick fixes-optifast, atikin and always regained-Pleased that the 55 have stayed off and I am working on losing the next 5 lbs. I post my graph of weight loss on Fitday. It does help to see the past successes. The good new is that the line is NOt going up only down.

Got a call and definitely company is coming-thoughtfully they are bring food but much of the treats I will not be eating. Got plans for lots of salad to fill up on-
Sometimes I find limiting my food kind of boring-wanted to stop by a mexican food place and pick up something to go-knew I couldn't get any thing which I knew for sure would be about 350 cals for lunch- It is so hard to eat out I can never be sure of cal count and how much fat was used in preparing the dish. Just a bit of whining-thanks for reading. I guess I can use food for entertainment value-sort of amazing with many people in the world are underfed and I want my food to "fun", "easy" and "interesting". We are such a rich nation.
The weather is cold, foggy, and dreary and I think my mood is matching the outdoors. But a hugh success-I am eating according to plan(even if it is boring)!!!!!

Much success to all- hope the sun is shinning where you are
sue

Completed Beck Program-day 22: Say, Oh, Well, to Disappointment
 

from the Beck DIET Solution:This is absolutely one of my favorite Beck strategies. I just love it.
Perhaps Cognitive Behavior Therapy was really invented by Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young:

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Miso Rammen Soup
 

I ate well today including a meal sized bowl of miso rammen soup for dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I tipped the waitress more than 20% just because she was obese – as a small step to work on my own prejudice toward fat people (despite having been one most of my adult life).

Thank you Volumetrics people for reminding me how much soup makes me feel full.

Ate a Bosc Pear for evening snack. It was sweet and also crispy like an apple. The crispy was different than the smooth feel of the Bartlett Pears we usually eat. So this is a good reminder to keep exploring new foods.


"Hungry/craving/lusting" Sue - What a wonderful image you paint of yourself :D

Glad that the pounds continue to drop, even if slow for your wishes. Might be time for an Oh, Well .

Great idea to continue to fight boring in your food choices. Seems to me that one of the great ideas is to always choose food you really love. This requires exploring new foods to have healthy choices in the calorie range of your plan. Is Eating Well Magazine expanding your food choices?



Bethany - Did Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young disappear long long ago or have you heard their Love the One you're With. Just writing down the lyrics gave me an earworm that I'll have all day.

Hope all is going well.


Readers - May all your choices be on plan today. And may you Oh, Well the roads not taken.


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Happy Friday everyone,

Just loved the quote from that great song-heard the tune in my mind-I played great old classic rock and roll all day yesterday to change my mood-even DH said it made the day more fun.

Like hearing what thoughts work for you to "forgive " your self. For me the self judging between who I think I am and who I think I should be which causes a great deal of disappointment and guilt for me- This recrimination is often the basis for an deep low grade depression-I am really focusing on trying to determine what am i feeling so I can face that feeling-recgonize it is only a feeling and most likely not a realistic pic of who I am. I Am learning that eating is Not the solution to releasing a feeling and getting some new skills to get on with my day with calm Surprise, surprise I have lost 4 lbs.

BillBlueEyes-you are amazing -your weight loss, changes in eating, and focus to doing The beck book-feel your successes. Thank you so much for your continue posting-I thank you for being my diet coach.

I love the mag eating well, and in general enjoy cooking and doing new foods-There is bit of a spoiled girl who wants a maid and cook to come in and take care of me for a couple days every once awhile. We very rarely eat out-so few places and rather expensive. Any way had one of those whiney days yesterday-today back to being a domestic goddess again. Already got my cardo moving furniture vacuuming and getting ready for guests.

While I do post what I eat on Fitday- when we have company or visiting family it would be great to have some thing to record and calculate the cals of what I am eating or drinking on the spot. -something small and handheld so I could keep up with what I am consuming-sometimes I just do not preplan for the resturant, a treat or a drink-this would help me not to fall in to the what the heck you have blown it and continue on over eating. Recording the cals is a great clue for me stay within the cal count. Know of anything?

Bethany-hope you have a great weekend-

take care
sue

Completed Beck Program-day 23: Counter the Unfairness Syndrome
 

from the Beck DIET Solution: (Available thru the 3FC Store) http://astore.amazon.com/3fatchionad...216363-1799918
This appears in me as several sabotaging thoughts, for which I can think of helpful responses.

Sabotaging Thought: I should be able to eat like those people.
Helpful Response: My body stays healthy the way I eat.

Sabotaging Thought: I should be able to have Girl Scout Cookies because I like to support the girls selling the cookies and because I’ve always eaten a bag or two of the thin mints. It’s not fair to give that up.
Helpful Response: I can support the scouts by buying two bags and putting them out for the troops at work; they will disappear quickly. (Recall that DW has asked that I not bring any home for her because she likes them, would eat them, and doesn’t need them. And she has a pretty rational relationship with food.)
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Completed Beck Program-day 23. 19 to go. Keep going!

Welcome Weekend
 

I worked yesterday on getting my head back into wanting to do my gym routing. My friends at work who are into gym and have good muscles for their efforts, assure me that one MUST consume protein 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after weight training for it to have any value. Some people believe this, some don't. My DW, for example, thinks this is just another misguided male fantasy. But, couldn't hurt to try.

So, before gym I had a serving of soy nuts and immediately after had a protein smoothie with 18 grams of whey protein. Then spent the day just feeling my muscles repairing themselves. It worked in my head; knowing I was going to do this motivated my to workout to a good burn.

If it takes a white feather for me to fly, I'll use a white feather.


"Domestic Goddess" Sue - LOL at playing classic rock and roll all day. That's a classic Beck move to take a positive step to cause a change. < Taking notes for my use. > Your DH sounds like a good sport.

On the days that the maid and cook are taking care of you, might I suggest that you have the butler follow you around doing the fitday calculations. Certainly Queen Elizabeth II wouldn't carry her own PDA - why should you?

Hope your weekend with house guests goes well.


Bethany - Hope all is well in your world. Weekends are such a welcome time for outdoor activity, even if the snows are arriving in your area.



Readers - Should you feel the unfairness of your diet today, may you find a helpful response to get you head back to a grounded place before you respond by eating.

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I have to grab the first wait staff that passes and just hand them my plate before I have a chance to loose my resolve.

I have just discovered her book and yesterday I went out and bought the book and the workbook, however it looks like the books are pretty much the same. Will I miss anything if I return the more expensive hardcover (the first one) book and just keep the workbook?

WOW to Returned Restaurant Food
 

Welcome to the Beck thread, surrealchereal :)


That's a great way to pull it off not eating all the food served in a restaurant. :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Quote:

I have to grab the first wait staff that passes and just hand them my plate before I have a chance to loose my resolve.

I'll have to try that. No sitting and staring.

An earlier poster was satisfied with the workbook alone. They weren't interested in the discussion chapters, just wanted the exercises. If I can find that posting, I'll post a link back to it later.

I'm quit happy with the hard cover book alone. I really appreciate the initial four chapters that set the stage before the 42 program-days, and the final two chapters that cover the rest of life after the 42 program-days. I haven't read the workbook, but the main use that I assume it could have been for me was to replace a lot of time writing out checklists. However, I solved that problem instead by typing the final checklist once in Excel where I check it off each day.

Good luck in choosing.


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happy weekend to all,

Welcome-surrealchereal-while I find Beck at time hard to do, the book has given me real hope and ideas to cope wiith all of my addictive food behaviors. I actually got the the book first then the workbook in Oct I like and use them both. Can't advise about returning the text or not.

Interesting ideas about the unfairness of dieting. I view my bad eating habits as an handicap-but a "curable" handicap with correct behaviors. It really is or is not fair-it just is and the only way for me to deal with it is to be continuously vlgilant. There is nothing magical out there for me, but continuous alertness and stopping those "automatic " responses-like eating food while fixing food, eating just for taste when not even hungry and thousands more unhealthy habits. I love that Beck does not include a sense of morality-i have felt bad, ugly, weak, lacking morals for being fat. It is just a mess of very poor coping skills which does not help with dealing with emotion and has had me very unhealthy. I really do not complete a lesson and then have that behavior cured-rather I will conquer one thing, do a new lesson, forget what I learned 2 weeks ago and have to go back again to an earlier lesson. One of the great things about posting as you can hear how someone else is coping with a lesson.

glad you are focusing on the gym-who knows about the protein push before and after-try it out for time period and see if works for you.

too bad we always want something for our money-One rare occassions I have actually just given a donation to avoid the cookies/candy/ugly wrapping paper of a fund raiser. also giving them to troops at work is a great idea.

We are leaving to hear County Joe McDonald sing Woodie Guthrie for a fund raiser. set in fatasy of a prohibition era speakeasy.

sue

Completed Beck Program-day 24: Deal with Discouragement
 

from the Beck DIET Solution: (Available thru the 3FC Store) http://astore.amazon.com/3fatchionad...216363-1799918
Beck’s suggestion to reread my Advantages Response Card works for me.

It helps me counter discouragement knowing that my plan doesn’t absolutely eliminate any food, e.g. I can tell myself that I continue to eat dark chocolate, just less.

Same for oatmeal raisin cookies. I still eat an occasional homemade oatmeal raisin cookie, I just avoid the half bag serving of mediocre commercial packages of them.


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Preparing for Winter Sunday
 

Today's chores includes bringing the patio furniture into the basement. DW resists my insistence that it's too early to accept that winter is here.

I had a chance to work on my own fat prejudice last week. I was at an all day meeting where the largest person there snacked non stop the whole time. Initially I was really disgusted. Then I focused on why it annoyed me so, I had no stake in this person's diet, and it became clear to me that I was embarrassed because, in the past, that person would have been me. After seeing that, the person just became another participant in the meeting. Kinda striking, my disgust at them was just embarrassment at me.



Sue - Your phrase "continuously vigilant" will be my beckworm today.

If you come back and tell us which Woodie Guthrie songs you heard, some of us can wallow in our memories of the '60s. :) And others here can roll their eyes and wonder why people old enough to remember the '60s aren't just dead already and get on with it. :rolleyes:

I too like that Beck steers us away from a moral response to our eating. When I feel judgmental about food, I shut down my ability to think of helpful responses.


Bethany - Sending positive thoughts your way.


surrealchereal - Found the quote about the Beck workbook in the September thread:


Readers All - If you're feeling discouraged right now, may you find the path to Forget the long term and Focus on today.



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Hello all

BillBlueEyes, I find when I go to a restaurant, I eat half of my meal and then I throw a napkin on my plate, this works for me. When I see the napkin on my plate I know that I planned to end my meal at that point. Some of my friends ask for half of their meal packed up right away, but I don't feel comfortable with that, it takes away from my meal I am planning to enjoy. This was a huge NSV for me as I was brought up not to waste food. By leaving half of my meal I have mastered this. It was so difficult at first becasue of all the starving children in Africa my mom told me about growing up. Now it feels good. When I am at an event I don't know people at, there are always comments about me having such good self control. They don't realize I use my napkin as a trigger to say no more food. I hope I explained this. I know it may not work for everyone but it does for me. I was a true mindless eater and would eat and wonder how my food disappeared so quickly.
Good luck on your journey.
Ann

I would just push the napkin aside when no one was looking and start nibbling again. ;)
Thanks for your thoughts guys, I'm going to keep the book, I am a need to know kind of gal.

Completed Beck Program-day 25: Identify Sabotaging Thoughts
 

from the Beck DIET Solution: (Available on Amazon thru the 3FC Store) http://astore.amazon.com/3fatchionad...216363-1799918

My sabotaging thoughts:
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Vetrans Day Monday
 

It's a work day for me. I'm surrounded by a mixture of places operating on normal weekday schedule and holiday schedule. We won't get mail; trash is picked up. The gym is open on weekday schedule. The benefit of having to go to work is that I don't have to read the flyer's for the zillion sales going on today.

My eating was on plan yesterday, including a Korean dinner prepared by DS and his GF. The five dishes of condiments were not just tasty, they also provided strong flavors that helped to reach satisfaction without eating large quantities.

Was reminded that it's been years since we've had a shabu-shabu dinner - the Japanese hot pot where each person dips their food into a common bowl of heating broth in the middle of the table. As the dinner progresses, the broth evolves into a savory soup. Lots of eating time for a small amount of calories. The Volumetrics folks should be onto this.


surrealchereal - Thanks for the idea for handling restaurants:
Your technique neatly solves the problem by making the decision once and moving away from any further consideration.



Newlifestyle - Also thanks for the idea for handling restaurants:
I like the idea of designing a personal trigger to signal that I've already made the decision to stop eating - it seems like a Beck kind of Helpful Response, like brushing my teeth to signal I'm done eating for this evening.

Laughing my self silly at the response from surrealchereal: "I would just push the napkin aside when no one was looking and start nibbling again."

Also laughing at your "starving children in Africa" since my starving children were in "China". Wonder if each area of the world or each generation has its own location for starving children. Perhaps some graduate student who can't think of a theses topic can choose this and let us know.


Sue - Hope you had nice weather for your guests. We had a sunny, cold Sunday - perfect day for going to look at the ducks migrating through on their way to some dependable winter food. Canada Geese are still honking overhead as they fly south.


Bethany - Sending good thoughts.


Readers, Beck graduates, Beck subway alumni - Hope that each of your unique Sabotaging Thoughts has a unique Helpful Response.


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Hello all,

Great to have other folks posting-every idea is such a help in changing behaviors which are filled with sabotaging thoughts which "helps" us ignore a truly healthy respond to food.

I have never even thought of asking a waiter to remove my plate-but at home will put my dish in the sink to stop eating. Great idea-when out.

Well, I am the poster child for the sabotaging thought of GO ahead and eat it as it is a special occassion!!along with it is increditable delicious, I never make this, then add sugar and/or processed flour and I go down like an anchor into the sea of food. I get in a food stupor in which I can ignore all Beck Principals-The good news is that I am Back on program.

I had such a great time at the fund raiser-but ate and drank too much-
County Joe put on a great show focusing on the music of Woodie -very poignant. When he came back for an encore-he naturally did the "fixing to die rag". Still powerful.-just subsititue Iraq for Vietnam.

I look forward to the day when I can be remain viligant and still enjoy a celebration. this seems to the toughest situation for me. Again I am very glad that this did not turn into a "I can't diet" 6 month binge. My stupors only last 4-36 hrs versus for months. I think the Advantage card for losing weight is burned into my brain and my focus does return to how to lose the weight. At least I have stopped that self loathing that I am fat due to poor moral character and have some successful tool learned from the Beck Solution-Back to preplanning and recording.

We have no company planned for the rest 2007. Thanksgiving is with another couple- They also have health issues so we are planning a sugar free/low fat meal. mainly veggie and turkey meal. It will be great to celebrate with folks who do not want rich food as part of the party.

My one of my greatest times of vulnerability are social meals and gathering. I have my meals and house set up much like Beck recommends-set place to eat, no foods visiable or no treat foods even stored in the kitichen, learned to be much more mindful, put fork down between bites ect.

Once things are much more social-see alot of food about, feel encouraged by others to over eat, hearing them rave about the food, talking alot-lose mindfulness, eat any where or time, I feel so over whelmed that I stop hearing any sabotaging thoughts. It feel like I am "helpless" in stopping my behaviors. This has been compounded with 5 weekend in the last 7 with over night guests. I love guests but it is alot of work-cooking, cleaning and laundry- I get tired also.

Looking forward to being back in our routines again. BillBlueEyes- your meals sound so interesting-love big cities for the different types of ethnic foods available. Love going to San Francisco for the art, museums, food and great sights. Have a bearable working day. Sure sound like you have master the sabotaging idea of eating because you deserve a treat-working when other don't. I have sure used that alot in the past. Thinking that food can soothe the feeling of things being unfair. Life is one complex mystery-often unfair and wonderful.

best wishes to all
thanks for posting
sue

Well Bill you had me going until I hit these...

• I should have some of every item at a buffet.

And why is that? :)
Now my next comment will ruin this next situation if it happens again.

• When a vending machine accidentally gives me two items, it’s MANDATORY that I give one of them to someone else, because I didn't pay for two and if I eat both I am being dishonest, if I give one away I am encouraging good will in the Universe.

And we all know we can use all the good will we can get!:dizzy:

Why is it that because I made a cheesecake my sister thought was to die for I'm expected to bring it again this year? I was drooling on my keyboard just looking for the recipe...
Hmmm I wonder if she would accept a broccoli cheesecake instead? :devil:

La Boeheme Tuesday
 

Tonight we go to Boston to hear La Boheme - a great benefit of living near a city. Each time my heart hopes that Mimi will make it this time, perhaps a warm spell will hit Paris and she'll be alright. I raise my hopes so that I can feel the full pain of her dying.

Even though 3FC is a site for those of us who have make poor choices faced with the abundance of food, tonight I celebrate that the abundance of food is what allowed civilization to arise including the arts, and OPERA. And I will suffer for the poor Parisian students who were thin because they didn't have the money to buy food.


Sue - Loved your thought "Life is one complex mystery-often unfair and wonderful."

I'll think all day about Country Joe performing "Fixing to die rag". I hear Faulkner once again, "The past is never dead. It's not even past."

Just great that you're putting weight out of the moral character thinking. That seems to be a MAJOR Beck direction.


surrealchereal - You're right, this one ruins it for me:
How could I possibly deny the Universe, LOL. Or be a common crook.

Your broccoli cheesecake idea does indeed expose a demonic side :D What a great weapon to undermine the lures of over eating. You can teach us all to indulge in our little devil part. Perhaps we owe that to the Universe also. :)



Bethany - Hope you are reading these and staying the course.



Readers and Thinkers All - You might, of course, be sailing along without Sabotaging Thoughts, but, if your recognize any of these, or have your own unique ones, even if you're not into Beck, or even into sentences with too many commas, perhaps because you are sensitive to proper use of the English language, or even, shutter, teach English and are professionally appalled by its abuse, or, because you, yourself, are able to express a single thought without diverting into the irrelevant, please post just one of them to add to the collection here.

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Completed Beck Program-day 25. 17 to go. Keep going!