Happy Boxing Day to our friends in Canada, Australia, the UK, and where ever it is customary to give gifts the day after Christmas to the serfs on their estates.

I ate on plan for the BIG meal on Christmas Eve and for brunch and dinner on Christmas Day. I ate two partial homemade cookies but otherwise avoided the abundant temptations. My big achievement, however, was after Christmas Eve dinner, I had to carve the second large chicken for leftovers - it was a specially prepared chicken, brinned using fresh herbs for several hours before roasting. REALLY good. Well, I carved the whole bird without taking a single nibble. Not even that little nugget in the back that is SO delicious. That was a big one for me, since I normally carve after a meal in the one-for-the-plate-one-for-me style. CREDIT moi.


Sue (CoastalSue) - Hope you find your way home from visiting relatives with your weight unchanged.


CammieCam - Super! Tomorrow is leave for Paris day. So many streets to walk. Those tempting book and art vendors along the Seine. Well dressed Parisians bustling everywhere. People watching people watching.


Heidi (hbuchwald) - < waiting patiently for the check, LOL > Have a great ski trip. Remember that Black Diamonds on a ski slope are NOT a girl's best friend. What a great image; Beck is elbow pads for when we fall off our eating and exercising plans.


SuchAtwin - You've started something fun with your skate boarding thought.


Tam (tammay) - Welcome again. Looking forward to discussions on the early Program-Days; after completing the cycle with Day 42, it will be good to revisit the early stuff that could use some more practice.


Readers - Thank you all for your prompt remittance. Be advised that it has been decided that next Christmas will use the same list of gifts for the twelve days as this year. You may replenish your estates appropriately, remembering that the breeding cycle of calling birds is not rushed.


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Good morning all.
I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great boxing day. If you are out shopping you may get exercise in.....
Cammie, have a wonderful time in Paris.
Heidi, I hope skiing is a lot of fun for you. I also have a five year old, so he made Christmas such fun.
Maryblu, I do hope your holiday is going well.
CoastalSue, I hope your visit with family was enjoyable.
SuchATwin, I too can identify with the skateboarding. I need to live Beck to get those elbow and knee pads.
Tammy, I am looking forward to your take on Beck from the beginning. I really need to get back on track.
Bill, thanks for keeping this board going. You are truly an awesome leader. Way to go not eating half of the chicken you were putting away. That is great. I am not sure I would have been able to do it.
I have been sick over Christmas, I have this horrible cold I can't see to shake. All I want to do is sleep. I really haven't been eating much. I know I need to eat healthy things so that I get healthy again.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday and a happy new year.

Thanks to everyone who has been posting, it is helping me. I owe you all.

Oh yeah my check is in the mail tooo......

Take Care
Ann

We are... at least I am.

BillBlueEyes: kudos, for your victories over Christmas over-eating madness...particularly the triumph over the "Part that went over the fence last". That was my dad's favorite part--that and the back..where all the fat and flavor hangs out.

love to all....just want you to know; I am still "coasting".......and even maybe a little "sinking"...the fact that I have not gotten on the scale and have resumed old habits of not looking in the mirror....that is a clue.......but, be FORWARNED, I am back, after the first of the year...fully committed and into Beck's wisdom. I am thinking BillBE needs some back up singers, so to speak......love ya'll.

Good morning, all.

Ate on plan, did gym, and walked. CREDIT moi. Eating leftovers from Christmas Eve - still soooo good. DW gave away some of the platter of homemade cookies, one of those better gifts that made both parties very happy. DW made herself a Mango Lassi with the mango pulp I put in her Christmas stocking. She really likes them and didn't know that the pulp is sold in large cans at Indian food stores. It's essentially a mango smoothie made with mango, ff yogurt, milk, and a dash of ground cardamom. Now she can have them in the summer when fresh mango's aren't available.


Sue (CoastalSue) - Just waving, know you're still on your journeys.


MaryBlu - Keep the faith - there's a path back to the path

My father also ate the chicken back. I just assumed that it was because there was a big family going after one chicken so he just held back by eating the back. But I learned about those little juicy pieces only as an adult; no kid EVER got them, LOL. Until now, I also always assumed that he was the only father who did that.


Ann (Newlifestyle) - Ouch Sorry to hear about the horrible cold. I hope it compensates by leaving you a few permanent pounds down. < patiently waiting for the check >


Cammie (CammieCam) - Departure day. Have a wonderful trip!!!


Heidi (hbuchwald) - A week of skiing May you have fresh power every day and a warm fire every evening. < patiently waiting for the check >


Readers - The guilt season is over; it can be put it away with the tree and tinsel. Time to focus on the arriving New Year.


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Thank you so much Bill! I'm doing a little better, and despite a little worry over food, I'm still excited to be leaving today. It's not about the food really, it's about being someplace I've never been, and I LOVE to travel, so I'm very happy.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I made the card, Bill, and it will be with me in Paris. I'm actually bringing the Beck book with me as well to read on the plane, so I will be ready to incorporate the strategies when I return. Just a little valley right now, I think I'll make it through.

Bonne Année everyone! See you next week!

Hi BillBlue,
I have had the same sabataging thoughts of "it's childish to praise myself" but I wrote out a response card to remind myself that one of my issues with food goes back to being extremely self-critical and having been raised by extremely critical people who were constantly seeing everything bad I did rather than seeing the good I did and that since I'm not getting that kind of encouragement from outside it has to come from within. It's made it a lot easier to praise myself. I'm continuing to do that every day and I think it's helping. This is my third day of not binging and feeling physically good and in control. I haven't felt that way in months!

I don't mean to be critical of Beck (so you can see where the critical personality comes from here ). I do believe in much of what the book is saying and I feel like it's helping me make progress already even though I'm only on Week 2 in my reading.

I'm really glad I found a thread devoted to helping people who want to do the BDS, though. I'm looking forward in reading about everyone (though I'm still playing catch-up on the posts!)

Realistically, I probably won't finish the book for a while, though I'm starting to implement some of the tools.

Tam

Hi everyone,
I'm just curious - what diet are people doing? What's your first choice and what was your second? Are you having success with your first one and if not, did you have to move to your back up?

This is just out of curiosity, not necessarily to get ideas. I'm a vegetarian and I've chosen as my first diet a vegan low-fat diet (I've been trying to go vegan for a while now) based on the one given on the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine website (although I've modified it a bit by adding small amounts of olive oil and natural peanut butter).

My back up is totally different - a low carb (though not extremely low) high protein moderate fat vegetarian diet (meaning it includes dairy and eggs) although I'm thinking about changing that one. I've done lowcarbing in the past (not as a vegetarian, though) and it was great for weight loss. But I know this is about finding an eating plan that you can stick with for a long time and I'm not sure I could do that with a lowcarb plan.

What are you all doing?

Tam

Hello to you all.

Bill you are amazing how you can implement so many of the Beck concepts at an increditably difficult time-every possible sabotaging clue is present everywhere.all the time during this season. You are buddha of behavorial food changes. I on the other hand, have been one active suzie yo-yo. Having a great time but going up and down on the scales. Still I see growth over other years, much less treats, alcohol, bread and more focus on veggies and lean meats. I normally would have brought about 4 cartons of eggnog plus added the Brandy at home-this year it has one glass while decorating the tree. Plus as much as I hate to do I have weighed myself every day-does help curb the goodie train.

I have a similiar attitude to caloiric foods as our budget. Since retirement we have needed to be very frugal-not in debt but little cash left over for much play or toys-need to remain alert to unnecessary expenses-we have an adequate but very limited amount of money. That is now how I approach food-I need to consume an adequate but very limited amount. The holidays have been a fun spurge (both in spending and eating) but returning to normal is fine too.

SuchATwin-loved your posting about the family plane ride-The drama, anger and forgivness and great hope for the next year-It was wonderful ! The whole thing was like a page out my family gatherings.

CammieCam- have a great trip!!

Maryblue -under standing the coasting-like a yoyo-tried to see the latest Dylan move-something like I am not There. Just haven't had time and it is now schedule to leave tonight.

Ann- do get well soon-tough time of year to be ill.

Heidi-How glorious to be skiing a week-great scenery and exercising-hope you have a grand time.

Tam-You posted while I was doing mine-just short answer to your question about what diet. I have tried them all-but I am not a vegetarian-but not a big meat/ poutry eater. I find I like just counting cal and stay within a set amount. It is pain to learn the cal count of stuff, record it but in the long run I have the most flexiblity of foods to eat. I really miss a variety of foods-I figure the most critical for me to undertand for the rest of my life is portion control. For me is not what I am eating but how much of any one food is healthy for me and overall how much I should eat in any one day.

Should we all make a plan to do something in unision about Beck-We all start with a particuliar lesson and work on doing 1-2 a week? Maybe share our sabotating thoughts and have other help us re work the thought? I know Beck does it in days but I am a slow behavioral changer-heck I am over 60-got many years in those overeater brain groves. It takes me alot of focus to remain on the food plan of the day-that is each and every day!-add too much other stuff to the day and I lose that focus.

sue

Nothing much here. Another day spent ignoring the large plate of homemade cookies in our kitchen; they aren't a problem for me sitting there in a covered dish without some food pusher saying "You just HAVE to try one of these." I don't even think of them. They never cross my mind.DW consumes a few cookies, maybe some visitors over the weekend will consume the rest. I am using the banana bread for my snack with tea - fits my plan well.

Took a brisk walk in the rain after work to Staples to buy a 2008 weekly calendar for recording my gym workouts. There are a zillion different versions; I got one just like I filled out for 2007 - I have a complete record of the year, including the weeks where I didn't make 3 sessions. Both CREDIT moi and Oh Well.


Sue (CoastalSue) - You just crack me up: LOL at "active suzie yo-yo." and "I am a slow behavioral changer." Credit to you for the daily weigh ins and for avoiding the eggnog. It's nice to see the small, permanent changes you're making in your life. And what a good thought: I really like the notion of redoing the book from the beginning. And two Program-days per week instead of 7 per week would seem to fit well with the posting schedule of many folks. What are other people's thoughts? Would some one in the early part of the book volunteer to start?


MaryBlu - LOL at "I am still "coasting"". Hummmmm... does that mean that we have both CoastalSue and CoastingBlu?


tofulover – Waving. Where in the book are you now? Are you up for a review from the beginning?


SuchAtwin - How go the plans "to isolate the bad stuff in my son's minifridge"?


Ann (Newlifestyle) - Hope your cold is getting better.


Cammie (CammieCam) - It's about noon in Paris as I post. Am NOT thinking about you walking along the Left Bank. Am NOT thinking about you getting your weekly pass to the Louvre and other museums. Seeing the Eiffel Tower up close in person. Planning your restaurant for this evening. The constant sweet sound of French in your ears. Hope you tell all when you return.


Heidi (hbuchwald) - You're probably already in the ski lift line this morning so you'll get to break the fresh powder.


Tam (tammay) - Thanks for your thoughts about "it's childish to praise myself". Kudos to us both for working on it.

My diet plan is to continue what I've done for the 27 months of my journey: 3 meals and 3 snacks per day, whole foods, portion control with NO seconds, 25-50% extra for occasions and restaurants. DW makes a healthy dinner every evening so I only have to do portion control there. My second plan is to execute my first plan with tighter portion controls. I hope you post your vegan experience from time to time. I've been creeping closer to vegetarian, without serious thoughts to a full commitment, but vegan is still over the horizon for me.


Readers - If you have been looking for a good time to join the discussion, this quiet period as 2007 winds down would be a good time to just say "hello" to stick your toe in the water before we start the Beck Program-days from the beginning.

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My Diet Plan: Hands in lap until I pick up the mental utensil which works (when engaged) like a scanner. I like Sue's evaluation technique: to ask oneself what is adequate.
You all will no doubt start thinking of me as the drama queen because I seem to always be dealing with one. Day before yesterday my son, (the Asperger-autistic one), totaled his car a mere 3 months after he had another major accident. Yesterday was his dealing with it day which is a special place in **** where he tumbles until he(we) can find a way to drag ourselves back to a place of perspective. I mention this all to add to the credit I am about to give myself. You see, Mr. Skinny Man-Son bought himself two boxes of chocolate covered cherries which I rescued from his demolished car and delivered to the house with all his other "stuff". To recall Bill's missle crisis, I wanted one of those little covered cherries to explode in my mouth. I did not cave in! I used Becks number 8 card thingy which says "tolerate it" and told myself this crisis was mild compared to tension I had already dealt with that day. Also, to give myself a little more credit, I have been scanning the sidewalk ahead as much as possible to avoid the cracks that tend to throw me off my skateboard. When I see a scary place ahead I hop off and sneak by it.
Tammay: good for you for not binging for 3 days. No doubt your days had challenges of their own and you reigned supreme over them.
Bill: I agree that you are the Budda. Good for you everyday for all you do for yourself which affects your family and your friends here. Keep up the good work. By the way, the son took care of the temptations so no need to use the fridge. Besides, I just didn't provide many miracles for the palate for the family. I am trying to be my new best friend and they know there is a bakery right down the street.
Hello and best wishes to Maryblu, Tofulover, Ann, and the vacationers(Cammie and Heidi).

"I really like the notion of redoing the book from the beginning. And two Program-days per week instead of 7 per week would seem to fit well with the posting schedule of many folks. What are other people's thoughts? Would some one in the early part of the book volunteer to start?" BillBlueEyes

I wish I knew how to do those boxes, I really do, but I second the motion made by BBE, credit to CoastalSue for the idea.

I think 2/wk rather than 7 is much more "doable" and I volunteer to start. I am starting my MA online Jan. 16th, and do pledge to keep up, but it fits great for me to start things off Jan. 1.

So, if that is the consensus, I will do so. I will try to follow BillBlueEyes format, as we are all so familiar with it, and again, will wait for some feedback from all that that is the way to go.

I know we are all open to other ideas as well.

What say you all??
"

We're still eating leftovers from Christmas - still delicious. My big achievement was to throw out the leftover twice fried plantains from Christmas Eve dinner, which had been really yummy (the second frying absorbs even more oil) when they were served with fresh pico de gallo (long since gobbled up) and they weren't spoiled, they were just unnecessary, high calorie food that I didn't care to try to factor into my eating plan - normal activity for most sane managers of the food in the kitchen, but a BIG DEAL for me to toss food of any sort. CREDIT moi.

And CREDIT moi for finally ending that sentence, LOL.


MaryBlu - Yeah for you volunteering to take the first step into our next trip through Beck. Even while you're doing an MA online. Sounds like a fun but busy time for you. What field?

(QUOTE)When I change the ()s surrounding QUOTE to []s, this happens!(/QUOTE)
SuchAtwin - Double, triple credits to you for staying on track during the emotional events of your son's auto accident. So glad to hear that he wasn't hurt - was that a miracle or what? And thanks for the demo on how you used your Response Card: Tolerate It. What an example of using Beck strategies under pressure to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis Chocolate Covered Cherries (CMCCCC). JFK himself would be proud.

This is just the greatest notion, think I'll try to work that into my daily thinking (Beck should add it to her next revision):
Cammie (CammieCam) - Perhaps today Cammie will visit the tomb of Napoleon, desiring to understand the French, she might try to understand their deep reverence for Napoleon.


Readers - If you see a scary place ahead, you can hop off and sneak by it.

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Good morning all.
Bill wow way to go throwing food out. Yeah you....
I really like the idea of seeing a scary place ahead and hopping of and sneaking by it. I will definitely use that. It reminds me I had a friend that always told me that life was full of hurdles and the only choice was to jump over them. I asked why not go around them....I had stopped thinking about that until you mentioned sneaking by....Thank you.

Maryblu, thank you so much for volunteering to start Beck from the beginning. I feel I need someone else to lead my way at this time. I feel like a lemming right now. I am just going through the motions. Thank you.

Sue, how are you doing, I do hope that you are having an awesome day.

Cammie and Heidi, I do hope your vacations are going well.

Suchatwin, I enjoy your posts. You have a great sense of humour.

Tammay, I do hope today is going well for you.

Hello to everyone and thank you all for posting. I find I do get so much from this thread.

Take Care
Ann

HI,

So glad everyone is here-I really need this forum and will continue to need it through out 2008. I woul like to lose 100 lbs during 2008 but more likely with my age and poor mobility lose 75 lb-still it would be good. That said, I now must admit I have been acting on one of my most common, harmful sabatoging thoughts-The last "fun" meal syndrome-eat everything you want today because tomarrow-actually jan 1, you will be "suffering" with food deprivation and force to eat "small amounts of boring, healthy foods" I really overindulged yesterday and actually do not feel very good this morning-but feeling bloated and the sugar jitters alone isn't enough to make me stop over eating crap.

My goal is to write down everything I put into my mouth today. For me the first step to make my choices conscious again.

SuchAtwin- I have worked with students with Asperger-While a person can be so capable in many areas, there are things which are so difficult for a person with Asperger. You must work so hard at allowing him to be an adult while always being there to help him dealing with with things that create a crisis for him. You did incredibly well not to eat those chocolate in the car. Seeing the cracks and getting around them versus getting trip up by them is great image for me to look out for those scenes in which I get so upset or even dealing with foods I trip over.

Wise, Wise Bill-thanks for continuing to post and show that Beck is doable even during the feasting holidays. Your commmement is truly inspiring for a slacker like me. It is not that I don't know what to do, don't ever do it, it is that I do not continously do it-that is my problem-those wanton eating periods.

Maryblu-what is the area of focus for your MA? Glad you are game to re-do the book. I agree with your plan and will also post some of the chapters.

Happy New Years to all-I hope you folks are having fun and are doing well.

sue

DW came from her first session with a physical therapist and raised the possibility of buying an elliptical machine for our home so she can do physical therapy for her knee. For my use, I have mixed feelings. I enjoy walking to the gym and get motivation from the other people working out. She isn't so motivated by other people working out. For her, the issue is squeezing a therapy session and a shower into her schedule. Will be working this out over the next few weeks. I take physical therapy for her knee seriously; maybe we can buy the elliptical machine and I will just ignore it.

Facing three party eating situations over the next three days. Reminding myself that just because it's there, I don't have to eat it. Time to pull out:I have made a generous allocation for parties in my eating plan. The trick will be to use that and focus on not giving up control of my eating, but rather, as that CoastalSue mentioned, making my choices conscious.


Sue (CoastalSue) - Yeah, such a common and powerful Sabotaging Thought: "Eat everything you want today..." It's great to see you take the Helpful Response Action: "write down everything I put into my mouth today. For me the first step to make my choices conscious again.". You should have a great 2008.


Ann (Newlifestyle) - Enjoyed reading your memory of asking "why not go around them?" Another version of SuchATwin's notion "hop off and sneak by it."


Readers - May the exercise you do today feel especially rewarding.

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Completed Beck Program-day 42. You’ve Met your goal. Congratulations!