Oh my goodness! I have never heard of the Shenpa. Or, even better, scratching the Shenpa. Wow. I can totally visualize this and that's powerful stuff for me.
A shenpa to me is like the abomnible snowman. Fuzzy, furry, shaggy, you want to touch it cause it looks so soft, meet with it cause it's so strange and different... very compelling... but look out! Big teeth, big mits to catch you with and hold onto you with. But you can just notice the Shenpa and sit with it, share the same space, breath the same air, and either you, or it, will wander off eventually. Peace in the Valley and all that.
Wow. This may really help me refrain from food. I may need to paint onto canvas the shenpa in my life. If I do I'll introduce you all to my shenpa.
I'm having a good run of busyness of late. I've pretty much ignored the food thing and as a result the scale is dropping. 258 this morning. No sign of TOM for me for months now. I am 44. Is this a thing you go to the Dr with? A friend suggested I was pregnant. No. More likely the physiology I was born with that brings the women in the family The Change at an early age. OR that I have been changing up my food, jumping around from this to that and back again, and my weight goes up and down and back again along that 10lb track over and over. Add to that the mountains of stress and busyness and worry that have ebbed and flowed and, well, this stuff does affect the body, not just the mind.
Guess it is time for a checkup. I'll call today.
Currently I am working on ceramic moose heads for a new exhibit of my work in a fantastic display case. I wanted an exhibit just to be in that display case! (I put a favorite up as my avatar: The Twins)
The show is called SPECIMENS and along with the 24 moose there will be a fictional index card, telling when the specimen was gathered and all known characteristics of the animal: age, height weight, age at death cause of death. I did a mini version of this show for my final ceramics class last year and dug them out and was told I'd need twice as many for that luscious space so I just completed the clay figures yesterday. I'm firing them this week and glaze firing them this week too. Exciting! AND I made a "bonus moose muse" for a poet friend as her birthday dovetails with DH's next week (he's turning the Big 4-0 she, 47 I believe) and now this muse figure has me wanting to make more of them. And suggestions for muses you'd like to see? Any kind of muse you'd want to have?
I sure hope it survives the first firing and then the glazing. I should make a "muse of successful ceramics" or some such thing. I may be onto something here...
Sales are still rough. It's just not a good season so far. And it rains every Sunday I am out selling! I'm getting used to it. My friend is on the hunt for a discarded bike for me to ride that I won't care if I wreck. I sat on mine and yes, it did go very low on the skinny racing tires. I will wait to ride it when I weigh less. I know there is a bike in my future. It's coming.
Will check in later for personals... have to dash and meet my shenpa on the public transit system
Have a good Tuesday Becksters!
Hello again! just popping in to say hey!
yes 4 kids, lol.. they have been out of school since may 23 and the summer is going great! i work full time from home so I see them all day long
well as you know I'm doing that No S diet plan and it's going well! not even feeling hungry between meals and the one plate (child size for me) fills me right up so I'm happy with that
well I'm gonna go check amazon.com and see if my book has shipped yet!
Good evening all.
Today was Day 9 - Choose an Exercise Plan. For me this was easy as the Body-for-Life plan is just as detailed with regard to exercise as it is for food. I am now lifting weights 3x a week and doing high-intensity interval cardio 3x a week, with 1 rest day. It is bracing but feels great!
How did all of you choose your plans? How are they working out for you?
Cardio today and a clean eating day. I am doing a lot of near-repetition of meals which makes everything easy and no-brainer-ish. It's fun when a Grand Slam tennis tournament is on that I can follow while exercising! Go Roger, make it 6 in a row!!
maryblu - what wonderful memories you have of Bear. Your new training sounds extremely interesting, lots of potential there ... CBT definitely has multiple applications!
coastalsue - it is great to be back hearing from all of you!! I am far from mastering the shenpa, but I do find that Eckhart Tolle's very practical techniques for sensing divine energy within oneself help me. I guess the ideal for me might be to realize that the craving is the shenpa and not my realized self ... so can I be the witness to the shenpa and not identify myself with it??
Bill - sorry to hear about your tree. Whenever I hear about giant trees with big personalities I am always reminded of Tolkien's Ents. Talk about doing things slowly and mindfully! LOL on the Eusebius Cracker-Dispensing Machine!
onebyone - I just love your description of the shenpa! It sounds like a particularly malignant kind of yeti! Maybe he's really cuddly once you get to know him, LOL!
Spryng - wow, you can work from home with 4 kids around??? that is incredible! What is your secret for keeping them out of your hair? LOL!! Glad to hear that your diet is going so well!
heidi - waving to you as well!!
OK all ... it's a VERY early morning for me tomorrow ... accompanying voice exams in the big city. So I will try to sleep, though a bit wired for some reason. OH WELL!
cheers
Erika
Diet Coaches – Did make it to the gym even with walking home in the rain. CREDIT moi. All this shenpa talk is helping me. I became more aware of the number of distractions that I yield to while trying to get something done. Today I'll try to focus on experiencing the desire to wander off and see if I can stand it down and then get back on track. A good goal for the day.
onebyone – LOL at your image of the shenpa - why am I not surprised that you own an idea by visualizing it. Congrats on the dropping weight. Ouch for the slow start on sales this season, but the rains have to slow down. We had a cloud burst yesterday that must have dumped a full inch in 20 minutes. The clouds were just done and let go.
Erika (eusebius) – Kudos for your rigorous exercise routine. Good luck on your voice exams today.
spryng - Kudos for barreling right along on your No S diet plan. I like your child plate strategy.
JennyG - Do buy the book so you can start out right away with making your Advantages Card. Are you already under way with a diet plan and an exercise plan?
Readers – "Cognitive Therapy helps you identify your sabotaging thinking and effectively respond to it, so you feel better and can behave in helpful." Beck, pg 20.
Yes, I am already eating healthy and going to the gym for cardio and strength training 4-6 days a week. I actually never heard of the Beck program before, I just happened to stumble across it last nite, I am stuck, I am slumping and I think I need a change, I have been with my dietition for 2 1/2 years and I think I just need something new to get my last 36lbs off of me!!! HELP! lol. I am going to go buy this book today!
once again, (yes - be SHOCKED...) i'm really, really tired. DH got in very late last night from a business trip, and i couldn't fall asleep until he was home. DS, however, didn't get the memo, and was up crying to be fed at 5:45. sigh.
hi sue, i wish i could spend 16 hours a day with el nino! i work full time, so the mornings and evenings are about it for now (except for the weekends, but those are usually so crazy busy i'm only half enjoying them.) we try very hard to make sure that for the most part he eats exactly what we eat, and we've been really surprised by what he likes. one night he ate an entire pile of pickled ginger, and he's been known to mow through grapefruit, asparagus, and spicy black bean soup. the only thing we really have to watch is the texture, since he's only got two teeth. once he can grind, there'll be no stopping him. so fortunately his food is more or less like my food, except that it's the full fat version (hoo boy can that kid eat cheese!) and usually sort of gummed up and slimy by the time he's worked his way through it.
onebyone, love that picturing a shenpa as a woolly mammoth! mine look more like an animate little collection of surgical staples, tightening up all my insides and sort of threading up my body to my mouth; which will either open for food, or to say something i'll feel stupid about later. for some reason that happens a lot when i'm with my husband's friends. they're really nice, but they've been a group since college and it brings up a bunch of old "not fitting in" stuff for me (although they couldn't be lovelier.) i always feel like a dork when i'm with them, like everything that comes out of my mouth makes me seem really uncool. i haven't felt uncool in almost 25 years...interesting, huh? that particular shenpa doesn't make me want to eat. it makes me want to get away - leave the party or dinner or whatever. much easier to identify than the ones that make me want to eat. i like bill's word to describe them - distractions. it makes so much sense!
erika, go on with your bad self! it feels so good to get in an exercise groove. there's something to be said for momentum...and hope you got to sleep at a decent hour! welcome jenny! and spryng, that's so nice that you get to stay home with your kids. how old are they? we're thinking about #2 - was it a huge transition from one?
DH's birthday today, so after work i'm picking up el nino and heading up to dayton to meet him for a dragon's game. hope it's not too late a night...tomorrow after work i've got groceries and need to start baking for a tasting next tuesday. wish me luck! this might be my first paying wedding gig. very exciting!
cheers~
Last edited by kuhljeanie; 06-25-2008 at 10:52 AM.
I was so excited when I checked the mail today, there was a book!! opened it up, tearing it open with my teeth! LOL!! but it wasn't the Beck one, darn it!! maybe it will be here tomorrow. No it was the book FATA$$ no more, how I ate cheeseburgers and fries and still lost weight. Real name of the book btw,lol.. well it's a good read but I think I'll stick with the No S diet, I'm loving it so far
But my day is going great! Work went by fast. I listen to audio books as I work and I've been totally engrossed in my new one. So that makes the day go by faster my two youngest go to daycare while I work, they are a handful, the other two (8,7) have plenty aroound the house to keep them busy so they don't distract me much. I just take breaks to check on them, make lunch etc but they mostly play outside which I can see from my home office window which is really nice
and kuhljeanie, yes it was a big difference from 1 baby to 2, but my two oldest are only 11 months apart so that makes a big difference,lol.. it was like having two infants. Moving from 2-3 was a breeze but 3-4 was a trial!!! didn't realize how hard it would be. but now that my baby is 2 it's much easier
Jenny, I hope you like it here! I just joined as well. I ordered my book off of amazon but am still waiting for it to get here in the mean time I'm doing my diet plan and getting to know these lovely ladies
Erika, so you just started the Beck plan 9 days ago? how are you liking it so far? I did body for life last year and it was really hard for me, I ended up selling it. It was too low carby and as I've said in previous posts those really mess my body up but I've seen great sucess in others!!
what weightloss plans is everyone else doing in accordance with beck and I saw she encourages us to have a backup weightloss plan as well, what is it if I may inquire?
Hi everyone,just checking in,Welcome JennyG and spryng!! Been busy with work and kids and everything.Tonight my son agreed to go to the Y with me for the first time since summer began so I will be getting my workout in.Good food day today and no sweets this afternoon at work,first time in a long time.Some co-workers work on crossword puzzles in our down time and I never liked them but about a week ago I started working on some.Today I worked on the puzzle in the afternoon when we were not busy instead of thinking about afternoon sweets.I am not so great at the puzzles yet but it kept my mind occupied.I get alot of fitness type magazines in the mail and I usually have one of those with me also.I read the magazines and cut out recipes or articles that interest me and then I have two binders.I put recipes I want to try in one and fitness tips,workouts,motivational pieces in the other binder to refer to.
I am searching now for a good set of overall exercises to do at home with 3-5 lb weights,fitness ball and ab roller.Need some strength training to do at home since I am never getting to the Y this summer.I have the bike and treadmill at home for cardio and the very cold pool in the yard.
kuhljeanie-I really is difficult to organize everything when working and having a family but it sounds like you are doing a GREAT JOB.I too am working 4-5 days a week and try to get some healthy foods into the kids and it is not easy.
eusebius-Sounds like you have this step[exercise plan] down.I was doing well with 3-4 day swimming laps before school got out and things got jumbled up.My son is my swim partner and he was practicing for the swim team and always wanted to go.Once we opened the pool at home he announced he was not joining the summer swim team because he wanted to stay home and play with his friends and swim team is a 5 day commitment.I would not force it on him but I still want to get there a few times a week.I have options at home too but I have been lazy.
coastalsue-Just Do It,get writing that journal and don't give yourself a choice.I mean that for myself too,I have not been journaling either.
BillBlue Eyes- "Any reasonable diet will work for you if you have the right mindset." Beck, pg 19. thanks for the reminder.I was thinking of an article I saved to figure the number of calories to maintain your current weight and then to lose weight.My calculations came to 3300 cal to maintain my weight.Do I really eat that many calories in a day? Bet I do due to the sweets.So even if I ate 2000 calories the formula says I will lose.Any resonable diet can be followed for 1500-2000 cal a day.
maryblu-Enjoy your nice weather,I remember you posting about so much ice and snow not long ago.
Hi everyone - just a quickie tonight as I was up at 5 and am melting away.
Today was Day 10 - Set a short-term weightloss goal. This one I like very much and still have my 5-lb weight tracker in my sig from last time. I know there is still part of my mind that isn't fully giving myself credit for these 5-pound increments but that's all part of the shenpa. ... those staple like creatures, Jean! Love it!
I was exhausted by the time I got home this afternoon but still pushed on and did an upper body workout. Now I'm dead and cranky but my arms are stronger LOL!
spryng, I have done Beck before at least in part but I decided to start up again along with BFL. I do include all my complex carbs though. If I start plateauing I may cut them back a bit, but so far I am having a whole grain with most meals. that is great that you have everythiing so well worked out with your kids!
hi wendy!! good to see you again!!
Welcome Jenny, my hometown is Saint John NB and I'm a Mount Allison grad. I love PEI!! I haven't been back there in so long that I have yet to drive on the Confederation Bridge! I am sure you're going to love the Beck program and all the fantastic people in this group. Congrats on your fantastic weight loss so far!
Bill - great job getting to the gym despite the rain! Facing down the shenpa is really such a great practice. But I'm not sure if I want to wave a red cloak at it, LOL! We are the yeti matadors of 3FC!!
OK, as you can see I've totally lost it now. Night all!
cheers
Erika
onebyone-i loved the moose-mooses and flamingos-long legged and awkward-just love them. wish I could see your show-great pic of the twins.
Sprying- you are amazing to work with 4 children. My diet of choice is counting cals-gives me the most flexibilty, really learning alot about different cals of the foods and more about portions as have been weighing/measuring my servings.
Eusebius-your exercise plan sounds great. I swim 3-5 days a week and keep meaning to add weight lifting-lent the DVD and need to get it back. I also use alot of repeat meals-especially breakfast and lunch and dinner is generally protein. a high fiber carbo and 2 veggies.(plus occassional yummy wine)
Welcome JennyG-you have a great weight loss-Bet Beck will be the tool to help get the rest off-lots of good ideas in the book-plus this site is great.
Kulhjeanie-Much good luck on your wedding order-. Heard the cost of baking has really gone up recently-keep the pics coming.
Wendylan-Well I finally starting writing food plans down and counting the cals-not fun but really not that hard. Have you and could you use a "noodle and those foam weights in the pool at home?-understand not wanting to drive as much (each trip to the pool runs me over $2.25 a trip in gas. Our gas in town is $4.75 a gal and has been that for over a month. know there are books and tapes for water areobics-good luck.
BillBlueEyes-thanks for the link to Pema-notice your fine computer skills in that you can put those two dots (umlouts-sp?) as needed in her last name. I'm still working at just getting pics up here. Sorry about the loss of the tree-it will take awhile to get adjusted to it's absent.
Well I have started making a daily menu and recording all that I eat. I have a sense of dread that soon I'll feel deprived and less sponataneous about food. That irrational force to overeat (harm my health) along with a mindless moments of eating followed by self anger at overeating. Been pondering the info in shenpa-It is very difficult for me to acknowledge/ to feel my internal tension-Often mis eating is driving by a sense of panic with a complusion to eat more or switch planned foods for caloric snacks. I did fine today but this reoccuring pattern does slow my loss down so much-just a matter of time when I start that crazed mind wrestling over food again.
Diet Coaches – Removing a large tree from a city lot changes the shading dramatically, as DW says, "alters the eco-system of the neighborhood." Just noting the places with direct sunlight that were previously shady. A period of mourning to process.
At a meeting of only four people, two boxes of Dunkin Donuts munchkins were prominently in the center of the table, brought by the leader with expectations of making us all more comfortable. I had one - the first in a looooong time. Oh Well. I regularly avoid pastries at meetings as I initially did these. But I guess some combination of the small setting, few people, or leader's expectations tipped me. Afterwards I concentrated on not having more, and didn't. CREDIT moi.
Did a long walk after work, stopping for 2 pints of blueberries at 2 for $3 - a super price. CREDIT moi. DW had earlier bought 2 pints, so we face 4 pints of blueberries for two people. Life is sweet.
Sue (CoastalSue) - Ouch for that "sense of dread." That's the kind of stuff that I hope to use the Beck strategies to fight. Kudos for getting that thought out in the open so it can be dealt with.
wendy (wendylan) - Big Kudos for substituting cross word puzzles for snacking; that's right on Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Jean (kuhljeanie) - LOL at el nino gummy up the cheese. Good luck with you wedding cake prospect.
Erika (eusebius) – Now that's a great image, "We are the yeti matadors of 3FC!!" Will work today at waving my red cape at the shenpa disguised as a charging woolly mammoth. [Looking for my LARGE red cape, LOL.]
spryng - My eating plan is my own simple design of what I figured I would like to eat for the rest of my life. I let my body choose the weight that matched that intake. Since I lost my weight before I discovered Beck, I had to add a second plan, so I chose calorie counting.
JennyG - Kudos for already eating healthy and seriously regular exercise. Beck should be a big help in getting unstuck.
Readers – ”Cognitive Therapy teaches people how to solve problems, and dieters can have lots of problems. For example, have you ever strayed from a diet for any of the following reasons:
• You finished all of the food on your plate but didn’t feel satisfied." Beck, pg 21.
What is the advantages cards? Should I start them right away? I bought the book but I am just starting into it....I think it may be the help I needed!!!!
still tired...but wanted to briefly check in and say hello. dh, ds and i went to a dayton dragon's game last night, and were asked to participate in the between-inning toddler race on the field. what fun! my guys are on the right, kid in blue. also managed to get my butt to the gym yesterday, against all odds. what an internal debate that was...yeti matador wins battle against shenpa staple monster! hiii-yaaa! i know i said it earlier this week, but man, i love you guys. what a great conversation!:
hi jenny, an advantage card is just a card where you've written the advantages of losing weight. it's a basic beck thing to do and to have, and you develop all kinds of cards to help remind yourself of what you need to do and why you want to do it. bill, wonderful work with the doughnuts! the first one is always the tastiest. the second and third ones, not so much. good luck with the berries. have you considered making a syrup or sauce with them? spryng, i'm calorie-counting with the dr. oz diet as backup. years ago i did the michael thurmond six week body makeover, which worked beautifully but turned me into a cranky, compulsive Dieter with a capital D. onebyone, can't wait to see all the mooses! your work is really fun. sue, i know where you're coming from. even though my eating is 85% on track, i haven't been doing the planning and checking off what i eat, and i'm not being honest about it with myself. i have this sort of rationale that says that i've been dieting so long, i don't need to do it anymore, i already know how to eat to lose weight. which is partially true - but i'm not losing weight, so really i just know how to maintain without a written plan. erika, fabulous kudo on the strength training. i'm going to exercise today with the idea that i'm training to battle my shenpa through not resisting the discomfort. nice!
have a great day - i'm taking tomorrow off for a me day. need to nap and get a pedicure and eat sushi. ahhhh. cheers!
Last edited by kuhljeanie; 06-26-2008 at 09:53 AM.
Tuesday & Shenpas!
just popping in to say hey! 
Welcome JennyG
welcome jenny! and spryng, that's so nice that you get to stay home with your kids. how old are they? we're thinking about #2 - was it a huge transition from one? 
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