Good evening, y'all.

Freer, when I go to a restaurant, I ask for a to-go box to be brought when my meal is served. I immediately pack up half of it, then eat the rest. This lets me have a decent portion of the meal and not overeat. I find eating spontaneously to be a slippery slope to weight gain. There isn't much you can get at a taco restaurant that will contribute to weight loss. That's the price you pay, as Beck says many times. It takes planning for us to lose weight and maintain the loss.

Goodnuff, Welcome! I look forward to getting to know you.

Thanks to the rest of you for your insights and keeping me going on the straight and narrow.

I had an endoscopy yesterday (severe GERD) and I now have been diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus and they took several biopsies. This condition has no cure and is considered pre-cancerous, hence the biopsies. If everything comes back okay, I'll be scoped every 6 months to keep an eye on it. Meantime I'm on 2 Nexium twice a day to the get the GERD under control. Now I have to do some experimenting to incorporate new changes to my diet the doctor wants me to try. The hardest one will be giving up tomatoes, coffee and tea - also chocolate, carbonated beverages, and peppermint. It's going to be 7-10 days to get the biopsy back. I also have a mild case of gastritis but that will be easy to cure. The whole thing is a downer but I am not going to let it get me off track.

Have a good evening!

Quick check in:
RobinW: I love the term "sugar mask"-I really know what you mean!
shrinkin: Yowch on the arm pain thing-I am so sorry...so glad you have ways to adapt and make things less painful and still get a workout in!
BillBlueEyes: salivating at the thought of all those fruits!!! I love summer for that!!! I know the overbuying concept well-it is so easy to buy all that fresh stuff that is inexpensive at the farmer's market with great intentions-so hard to get it all into our bodies in time.
kkuhljeanie: funny that you say that about the comments about weight loss during a non losing time. I have gotten a few of those as well lately. When I have been on a losing streak in the past, I have gotten borderline obsessive on "who will notice the I have lost weight today?".....then, when nobody does, I get wiggy and wonder if I look fatter. Nobody would comment on my weight GAIN... I am trying to live in the current real world where people are very focused on noticing others' bodies and take a nice compliment but not depend on that stuff for my satisfaction or feeling of success in taking good care of myself. Sort of long winded but so clear to me-hopefully to you too. :)
Sue: is a granita a blended fruit drink? Great way to use up overripe fruit-I waste it too often. How would one make a compote RobinW? Great ideas!

Babysitter forgot about babysitting and was out of town today so no big bike ride for me today. :( I was seriously bummed out. We are packing though and had some good family time here-we leave the doggies with their former owners beginning tomorrow for our trip.

Wish me luck at the wedding. I do solemnly swear that I will eat sitting down and look over the spread before choosing a protein, a starch as many veggies and fruits as I can. Will have a bite of dd's cake....

Goodnight all!

Good morning everyone. I'm new to Beck, just on day 5 in the workbook. Actually I should be on 6 but I don't think I aced 5 so I want to do it again. I'm really having a challenging time with eating everything sitting down and focusing on my meal. I've been reading this thread for a few days now to figure out how you all work this into your Beck work.

A little about me - I've been successfully losing weight since last October. I think I've finally created some eating habits that I can live with. I also have become an exercise addict - something I never thought would happen! Now I'm at goal and I find I'm losing my focus when it comes to food. I'm slipping back into some of my old habits of compulsive, mindless eating. Thanks to LadybugNessa I heard about and began researching Beck. I think this is just what I'm looking for to make the changes I need to continue my healthier lifestyle. I'm terrified of sliding back to where I was.

Bil - I've been enjoying those lyrics :)

thanks for being here!

Sunday
 

Diet Coaches – Thanks for the good suggestions for dealing with too much fruit. Methinks I've spotted a problem here; even while I'm doing good stuff with not overeating, I also have to solve the over buying for a sane life. For example, I had my peanut butter, banana, and pecan sandwich on cranberry bread! That was one wonky sandwich, but the cranberry bread is a previous favorite for afternoon snack that has been replaced with pita bread that is better for dipping into hummus. But still bought a loaf of cranberry bread that is getting old, so had to eat some. I either have to control my buying or give up the notion everything that comes into the house must be consumed. Maybe Beck's next book will include an exercise for throwing away food from the refrigerator, LOL.

Yep, Sue (CoastalSue), CD#12 was Hang On Sloopy by The McCoys.

CD#13 of the 13 CD’s for $1: Sue (CoastalSue) - Ouch for "very poor sleep." Sorry, I'm not the go-to person for help in that area. Kudos for remaining basically on plan. Hope the air is remaining clear enough for your swimming.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Kudos for staying on plan. Ouch for abandoned by babysitter. Sending supportive thought for remembering your strategies for the wedding feast. Gotta love that visual image, "envisioning little angels on my shoulder.....to counter the sabotaging devil on my other shoulder." Hope you have a relaxing vacation.

Robin (RobinW) - Ouch for horrible sleep and feeling "wonky." (That phrase so clearly conveys the feeling, LOL.) Kudos for switching diets to get what you need.

Susan (QuilterInVA) - Big, BIG Kudos for "but I am not going to let it get me off track." Ouch for the diagnosis and the new eating restrictions. Sending all my best supportive thoughts as you face this.

freer - Kudos for being so aware of your eating and accurately recording it. It works for me to plan to eat more at an occasional restaurant meal than I do at home. I have this in my plan, just as Beck suggests. I allocate 25 to 50 percent extra for restaurant meals and events, and I allocate up to 100 percent extra for a once-a-year rare event. My take is that the Beck strategies plan for extras just to avoid the notion of deserved out of bounds eating events. "Spontaneity" is a mixed challenge, because life offers spontaneous eating opportunities every day, verily every hour. Beck strategies offer an earing plan to replace the notion of spontaneous food choices. A joyful and busy life is full of opportunities that require a change of plans, and for these we need to choose how to eat on plan in a different situation. If two tacos fit your eating plan, then you are right on target. If it didn't, then there's room for you to figure out what Taco Bell offers that does. My take is that to lose weight or maintain weight we have to spontaneously say NO CHOICE to many eating opportunities.

You sound like you're on the right track with your thinking about this stuff. Gook luck in working this out to fit your lifestyle.

M (goodnuff) – Yep, posting is such a great way to keep from stuffing it all. Great that you already have in your mind the link between eating and emotions. You can use some of the Beck strategies to work toward breaking that link.

CyndiM - Congrats for an admirable loss since October. Kudos for getting some eating habits and exercise in place. Glad you're starting Beck to get these strategies internalized. Your history is similar to mine; I lost my weight then found Beck as I was trying to find a way to be sure I had a new way of life. Looking forward to sharing your journed through the Beck Program days.


Readers – "You don’t know how to do all these things – or how to get yourself to continuously do these things – but you will." Beck, pg 24.

Good morning all,

Quilter thank you for the restaurant advice. I'd heard of your to go box technique before but just have not had the guts to actually do it. I also struggle with the fact that this is my one 'free' meal and so I 'should' be able to have all of it. I will keep your thoughts in mind. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You seem like a very disciplined person who will know to do what is right for your health. I envy that about you.

hbuchwald I love your comment about "who will notice my weight loss today." I have not yet lost enough to warrant that sort of comment but I have done that in the past. With your help, I can now recognize that as just another sabotaging thought. "Well if no one is noticing my weight loss I may as well just start eating again!"

CyndiM Welcome! I admire your weight loss, but most of all I admire the fact that you are recognizing old patterns returning. Very impressive. I hope that Beck will be just what you need.

Bill Thank you for those thoughts. I had to read this sentence several times:

Plan for extras just to avoid the notion of deserved out of bounds eating events.

That is my problem with my once a week off-plan meal. I see it as a deserved out of bounds event. I think I need to get to where it is more in this unknown grey area that would be considered a sort-of-off-plan meal where I eat a little more than normal (25%). This would take me out of my black and white I'm either on or I'm off my diet mentality. This will be much more of a challenge for me. Much to ponder!

Also, thank you for the thoughts on spontaneity. You are right. It is a slippery slope. One of the biggest parts of Beck is planning what you eat.

One way I could have handled that unplanned restaurant better would have been to say that I'll join you, but I'll eat my planned lunch at home.

Or, I could have ordered a salad and been able to eat there. In fact, while I was waiting for my food to be ready, I saw a couple of really healthy looking salads pass by me (this was not a Taco Bell). Imagine! There were thin people in that very restaurant making wise eating choices! That's how thin people do it!

While I've been off all summer, my first few weeks of Beck have been with little interference from spontaneity. With school starting soon, I can see that this challenge will present itself more and more so I need to flex that resistance muscle.

You guys are great. Have a wonderful day.

Welcome CyndiM
 

:welcome: CyndiM :welcome:

Welcome to the Beck Diet Solution Discussion Group, Support Group, Diet Coach Group.

And, in case you didn't get one of these back in October, :wel3fc:

Neat that you found out about Beck from LadybugNessa.

Good Morning :)

Quilter~ Im very sorry to hear that all this stuff is pre-cancerous, but Im thrilled that they are keeping a close eye on you.

hbuchwald~ Have fun at the wedding! Usually when I make a compote its with all the extra rhubarb I have in my garden. I mix about 1/2 rhubarb & 1/2 strawberries all chopped into a med/large pot. Filled pretty much to the top. Turn the stove burner on low, and let it start to cook down. I dont add any water at all. As it cooks down the water is released from the plant and you will find there is lots in your pot. I'll add splenda sometimes, or I'll take a packet of strawberry jello and toss that in...mix very well. Once its nice and cooked down the way I like it, I put it all into 2cup size ziploc storage containers and put them in the freezer. I love this stuff on toast or bagels :T Any other fruits you use, just peel the skins off first, fill your pot and cook it down. Its really super simple, and very tastey :D Peaches done this way with peach jello mixed thru is absolutely delicious!! I use the sugar free jello!

Yesterday while I was typing to you all, the folks that were going to come and weed our garden called, and said they would be here today instead. Its almost 10am and they arent here yet :( They are determined to get me out there arent they?!

Food wasnt very good yesterday, and the wine got a bit out of control :dizzy: But it was fun :lol:

Does anyone have a link to where I can find the Beck Tapes Ive seen some of you talk about?

Not alot of plans today, I'll climb up on the treadmill, and maybe get some backyard gardening done (that hasnt gotten away from me).

Have a great sunday everyone!

Good Afternoon!
 

I read and did up to day one in the workbook in late spring but because it's been a few months I'm going to start right from the beginning.
When it comes to choosing two diets I don't even know where to start. For me it has to be something realistic and attainable. I don't want want to eat pre-packeged foods for the rest of my life so I don't really want to lose weight that way. I can't afford Jenny Craig or LA Weight Loss anyway! The You on a Diet approach makes a lot of sense to me. Currently I'm a terrible eater 95% of the time, so there is a ton of room for improvement. What diets are you following? I am sooo open for suggestions.
M

Monday
 

Diet Coaches – Watched the Red Sox beat Oakland at Fenway Park. A fun day. Big news for me is that I ate NOTHING from the concessions. Had lunch before I left and had snacks and water in my back pack. CREDIT moi. That's a big deal for me because at the previous game in June I had a Fenway Frank, ice cream, peanuts, AND sugar infused pop corn. Ugh. Game was delayed to let a thunderstorm pass, but we were sufficiently hung over that we didn’t leave our seats. Got to see an amazing performance by the ground crew with their giant tarp and synchronized pulling by some 14 guys at once. The crowd was excited about cheering for our new player, Jason Bay, and was excited about a third win after a bad string of previous games.

Question for English Mavens: Does the sentence above correctly convey that a roof over hung our seats preventing us from getting wet?

OK, CD#13 was The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack.


Robin (RobinW) - Your weeders remind me of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, LOL. I laughed at that same comic strip year after year after year. Hope they show up since you worked to get a plan.

The audio CD of the book, The Beck Diet Solution, is available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking here. Do an Amazon search for "Judith Beck" and the CD is about the fifth choice. I don't know if there is a cassette tape version, if that's what you really meant.


freer - Big Kudos for confronting the "black and white mentality." And Kudos for devising an eating plan that allows for more calories when eating out. Your other ideas for dealing with spontaneous eating out sound like they'd work also. Good luck figuring this out for when school starts.

M (goodnuff) – Neat that you chose to get back into Beck. Kudos that you are aware that your diet choice must fit your real life situation and that you "don't want want to eat pre-packaged foods for the rest of my life." You on a Diet could work for you, as could many of the others. Most sane diets cover the issues of watching portion sizes, planned eating for meals, planned eating between meals, and a planned response to eating out and special events. My take is that Beck stresses that planning is key; removing ourselves from deciding what to eat at the moment seriously helps to make serving ourselves an unemotional task. Then eating what we served ourselves becomes a challenge that we can meet. You can succeed without the pay-per-visit plans if you actively choose to use this group as your diet coach and put some effort into posting. You're making a good start - keep going.

CyndiM – We cross posted yesterday when I was wrestling with a flaky Internet connection, so I'm not sure that you saw that I responded to you with the update to complete my posting. Yep, it's a big shock to confront sitting down to eat and focusing on eating. My experience with was that it did make a difference when I thought about my food and recognized what I was eating. That helped drive me to make better choices and helped me to recognize that I was sufficiently full.

Readers – "With the Beck Diet Solution, you’ll learn one new skill each day. ..." Beck, pg 24.

happy monday, everyone!

busy busy weekend for me...went to the ohio state fair, a cookout, ran 9 miles, planned how we're going to get through the next three weeks. i've got to pack up the entire house and we need to clean the other house (it's a MESS), and i've got two big cake orders. absolute insanity. my hope is that once we've crossed this bridge, things will really and truly settle down. my cake limit is 2-3 a month total, and so far have no orders beyond august. no more moving, no more nothing. we're not going to think about trying for #2 until after we're good and settled in a single house.

want to post three credits to moi from the weekend:
1. i was too busy this weekend to find the time to do my long run, and anyway it was far too hot and muggy. so i did it anyway, and i went to the gym and ran on a treadmill air conditioning. no excuses!
2. i went to a cookout and passed on all the chips and junk. i ate one hamburger, and had one small brownie. stayed well within my calories. go me.
3. i went to the freaking ohio state fair and had a plain grilled chicken breast on a bun, no chips or funnel cakes or fried snickers bars, just some strawberries off a strawberry shortcake for dessert. stayed well within my calories for the day. yay me!

fridge is now well-stocked with csa veggies, chicken and fish. we're still working our way through the pantry foods to pare down before the move, and it's a little tricky to do that and stay on plan, but we're making headway. also, weighed in yesterday and i'm down 2 lbs. i'll check again tomorrow but believe that i might be getting past that ugly 3 mth plateau. nice.

welcome all the new peeps! hope you find exactly what you need here!

getting slaughtered at work - wish i had more time (sigh) but i'm thinking about y'all!

cheers!

Good Morning!
kuhljeanie: Wow! what an inspiration to newbies. I was impressed at #1, sticking to your plan to run and finding a way to do it when it's hot and muggy but then you had to go and pass up food at a cookout and stay within calories at a State Fair. I've never heard of such a thing! Kudos!

CyindiM: Way to recognize that you need to stay on top of your weight loss to maintain it. I don't know about everyone else but I've been there, losing all that weight only to gain it plus some back. It makes me terribly sad to think about it and to watch it happen to other people. Congratulations on your weight loss and your maintenance.

I had a hike to the beach with my friend, my daughter and our dogs planned but my daughter sprained her ankle this weekend. Of course she was with her friends all weekend and just decides now to tell me. Trying to find some crutches for her but so far no luck. I figure if we can get crutches we can still go to the dog park which would still include a little walk. Was planning to get a little Beck reading in at the beach but I will find another time today to do that.

Hope everyone has a great day!
M

They came...they weeded!!!!Yah!!!!!!!! I have my front garden back :cb: :cb: It was well worth the trade off we did for it. I'll do the lettering for their truck probably this week.

....be back (its getting busy)

Checking in on Monday
 

Hi, coaches!

Well, a so-so weekend for me. Calories over plan both days, but only by about 300 calories each day. I made almost all healthy choices though (except for the two glasses of wine each day). Old me would have said:"See, I just cant do weekends on plan. I might as well give up (all or nothing thinking and negative fortune telling)." New Beck me says: "Credit for the Sue Antoinette approach to menu planning and having good food choices available (gave up the old idea that others would think negatively if I did not have some chips/ice cream/brownies, etc). Although I did not stay strictly on plan, I was not too far off and much better than if I weren't trying. If I keep trying new approaches to my thinking and actions, I will find one that works even better."

Downfalls this weekend: 1) Cheese and crackers at snack with inadequate restraint because of poor withstanding of hunger. [We returned from the water late afternoon and I was really hungry. Should have withstood the hunger and started cooking while others had cheese. Oh Well.] 2) Even though the menu was well planned, did not record my food until after I had eaten it (I ususally enter it as soon as planned.) So, had a little too much food, even though almost all healthy choices. Hmmm...that seems an easy one to address the next time. Yes, BBE, planning is the key.3) Failed to say "NO CHOICE" to that second glass of wine.

Right elbow back to normal, left elbow still with troubles. Physical therapy again this Thursday. Got in more than planned exercise over the weekend. We were in the water most of the time both days. Hard to really do my routine without full arm capability, but did enough work out that I am having mild quad/hamstring soreness, and I can feel it in my back muscles.

Goodnuff-Ouch for your daughter's ankle. Hope you can get the crutches quickly and salvage your plans. Medical supply shop should have them. I am going to look at You on a Diet. Don't know much about that. I am a calorie counter using www.fitday.com. My average target is 1200 calories (but I allow myself to be anywhere between 100-1400). It is not as hard as it may sound. I love the flexibility, and so far, it is working for me.
Kuhljeanie-Many credits to you!!:carrot: You are really humming along now! Hope the two pounds is real...but if tomorrow is a disappointment...you know it has got to be real soon!

BBE-What fun at Fenway! And you outdid yourself at staying on your plan. Kudos to you! Thanks for the Beck audio CD info. Wonder how many use it and the book. Is the CD an abbreviated version? Not an English Maven...but at first, I thought you were "hung over" and must have had some "real treats" in that back pack. :D

RobinW-Thanks for the advice on fruit compote. I have been struggling with fruit going bad...especially peaches. Glad the weeders made it and your garden is back! I am confident your diet change will work for you....or that you will keep switching to meet your goals.

freer-Credits to you for working on the thinking that is behind your actions. ["It is important for you to learn to recognize your unique sabotaging thoughts and to respond to them effectively." Beck, pg 192]. I think this is more important than being on plan for one day because changing thinking will impact behavior for many days into the future. For some spontaneity/flexibility, I have set my target as a range rather than an absolute. For me, I believe this is truer to my life reality and still reflects a healthy way to diet. It also allows me to avoid the failure mentality that totally derails good behavior. Although limiting spontaneity is best, I think we each have to figure out a way to deal with spontaneity because unplanned events happen.

CyndiM-:wave:Welcome to the Beck board. Kudos for working on maintenance just as much as losing. Hope you will share some of the things that worked for you.

hbuchwald-Best wishes for the wedding! Hope you have a great OP time!

QuilterinVA-Sorry to hear about the Barrett's esophagus. My mother has had that, and although it is a bother to deal with, it did not really change her quality of life (she is 82 now). Dietary restriction will be tough....but you have already proven you can do whatever it takes to be healthy. We will be routing for you!:cp: Big credits for not letting it get you off track!

coastalsue-I can identify with "enjoying some lovely wine". Glad you are back OP! Sorry to hear about the sleep disturbance. No good solution for you other than if it is chronic/life debilitating, talk to your phyisician. You could have a physical reason for poor sleep (sleep apnea, restless legs, etc). Sleep studies would determine whether this is true or not. What are granitas?

onebyone-hope the market went well this weekend. Aorry to hear that you missed your Nova Scotia vacation. Sounds like a serious "OH WELL" needed for that one.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Oh well... but not soon enough.
 

Well coaches I am :mad: at myself.

I should have said Oh well but I didn't. I ate for emotional reasons. I think unexpected aches and pains are a trigger for me. I think they trigger me emotionally and I eat to take those feelings away or to distract myself from the feelings I am having about a possibly hurt foot. The top of my right foot is sore again. I was massaging it last night and then it just started to burn. I iced it, elevated it, rested it, and it hurts today too. I see my trainer tomorrow morning for the first full workout she's put together for me (done at half speed she said) and now I have to wonder if my foot will be able to take it. On top of this I was seized by pessimism about my ability to make enough $ for school or, indeed, for my life as a whole. (I had a good Saturday then a Sunday that didn't cover expenses for the day and sewtme back for the weekend. One step forward &etc.) I am wondering if I should abandon altogether making art (feeling like a drama queen here. sorry) ... chicken and the egg ... do I feel bad because I hurt and I am cranky thinking of giving up art, or do I feel bad because I just ate a bag of chips and a bag of cookies and I, physically, feel cruddy and emotionally and mentally feel equally cruddy for my actions... what came first? The food or the feelings? The food keeps the negative feelings going I must say.

My binge is over. It stopped there.

Sorry I'm posting about this coaches. I hope someday I'll have some real progress to report. I suppose the best that I can find to say is that I am not bingeing now. It's passed. And I think I'll go up and ice my foot again. Will it to heal for tomorrow at 9am. I sometimes do something really "bad" or self-destructive when I am on the brink of major change. It's like a last gasp...you know the binge right before the diet begins. Actually that is where I am at exactly. I had in my head that after I meet with Nadine (my trainer) and get my complete workout under my belt, that I then had to start full force and get with the program, meaning track the food, do the exercise, and do everything perfectly and completely. Leave the past behind. Of course this is in addition to my already busy and demanding life, that I am also berating myself for not doing well enough. Coaches I really needed that vacation. I'm trying to wear my big girl panties, but feeling more like curling up in some corner and hiding. Not feeling grown up at all. *pout*

Okay. I'll snap out of it. Sorry for the self-indulgent emotional crap. It's why I post, to get it out and not be a reason to eat (even more) over it. Thanks for bearing with me.

Good evening all :wave:

I repeated Day 5 yesterday and stayed focused while eating. I'm still slipping on the eating while standing but do catch myself now, so improvement noted.
Today was the best day in several for me. I did have an extra healthy afternoon snack and that seemed to hold off the urge to binge. I'll try that again tomorrow. I hate the binge impulse and I hate being out of control. I really think Beck is what I need to move past this finally, so am going to keep working hard at it.

Bill - Thanks for the welcome and the feedback. I noticed that you mentioned too much fruit and I wonder about that myself. After being strictly South Beach for so many months I have been a bit of a piggy about fresh fruit. I haven't worried too much about it because I know that I won't do that when it's out of season but it does reinforce my tendency to eat more that I really need/want at any one time. hmmmm

Goodnuff - Yeah, I've done the lose and regain thing before. I actually celebrated a loss with a hot fudge sundae once. I really thought I could lose and then go back to eating the way I had been. This time I know better. I used South Beach primarily but added calorie counting, a focus on whole foods, watched the fat and fiber (less of the first, more of the second), logged absolutely everything I ate and drank, and built an exercise program. Guess it's my own hybrid program but it has worked well for me so far. Now I need to get my thinking in line!
Did you get your walk to the dog park in?

Thanks to everyone for the welcomes! I"m still reading and getting the hang of this but will have more to say later I'm sure!