kuhljeanie I think you'll find using a neti pot is not messy. I was taught years ago (before neti pots were readily available) by a yoga instructor to close off one nostril and "snort" up salt water cupped in the other palm. Then tilt your head to the closed-off side, release the closed nostril, and the solution runs out. Now THAT can be messy. But it can give you an idea of the effect without spending any $$.
onebyone Weekly art projects? What kind of projects do you do? I don't have a creative bone in my body, but I love making things (and subsequently torture all my friends and family with homemade gifts). I think so many of us neglect this very pleasurable part of our personality. My friends and I try to arrange a craft get together every few months, but it's hard to come up with something everyone can make in a few hours, with a range from supertalented to super klutzy. Looking for ideas to keep our hands and mouths busy!
Good planning on the movie/popcorn/diet coke dilemma. I keep telling myself not to tackle too much at once. Eliminating fake sugar and refined flour, not to mention switching from coffee to tea, are goals of mine but I know my odds of success are much greater if I just do one thing at a time. I like the idea of negotiating a deal with myself; for now, I "reserve the right" to eat "bad" things as long as I'm eating mindfully!
Sounds like you are making progess in all sorts of areas; decluttering (great idea about the give-away city web site; I need to find one locally = no guilt about throwing away something potentially useful) and also the community service. Very impressive! Another intriguing idea is your breakfast by candleight I'm going to try that since I am currently struggling with mindful eating. Sounds like a useful cue to focus on being peaceful and appreciative.
angelmommagood luck with the new med, glad the doctor had an option for you to try.
wndranne Congrats on skipping your evening snack, but even more so for stopping and tuning it with whether you are really hungry or not! I've forgotten how to do that. Thanks for the reminder that's what thin people do and where we are headed.
lilyGood luck getting to the gym, I've been postponing for days now. Amazing how creative I can be with excuses! I'm putting my goal in writing: I'll be there for class at 8 a.m. next Monday. Maybe we can push each other to follow through. I sure need a shove.
landlady6Congrats on eating mindfully! I've been playing with my daughter on her Wii Fit and found that I get a higher score when I don't look at the screen, just focus on the pose! Do you watch the screen during the pose?
I found an old bracelet I'm wearing to remind myself to "credit" every Beck skill I use during the day and plan on buying a charm for it at each 5 pound goal. I considered a pedicure as my reward; such a lucious indulgence! I love those "icy" masks. Then I imagined a bracelet full of charms and decided to go for it!
BillCilantro hummus? That sounds yummy. I was just having a discussion with my daughter on growing cilantro. I have never had any luck. And it's such a wonderful fresh herb. Maybe I'll figure it out this summer. Turnip slices? Kohlrabi? I'm getting lots of great ideas to "think outside the box".
Hearing everyone reporting on their exercise achievements is getting me psyched to get back to the gym after a 3 month hiatus. I let the business of the holidays, and my black/white thinking (I'm either at the gym 5 days a week or not at all), keep me away far too long. I don't know why is it so hard to see the GRAY in things but I do believe if I keep at CBT long enough I'll learn moderation.
Shoot, didn't get enough sleep last night, so I'm exhausted. Did go to a spin class last night and this morning. I guess I won't be full-on posting here again, just yet.
cheers davidette! that makes sense - i can try it (if/when i'm feeling adventurous.)
just a quick shout out to my brilliant coaches. first day of flying pig training, and i pushed way too hard. lungs had that crispy-almost-burnt feeling. know what i mean?
el nino has been a terror - last two days, both morning and night have involved at least one full-blown tantrum. always over something that seems absolutely minor (at least to me.) haven't seen this before from him. he's gotten upset, but not this degree of screaming, full-on pissed-off hissy fit over something like wanting cheese, but not getting the right kind (e.g. he wants mozzarella but all we have is edam.) i'm also having insomnia issues again. hope the running will help! cold is almost completely gone, and for that, i am grateful.
Coaches/Buddies I think I'm on a roll. I went to the gym today, and did the elliptical for 30 minutes. You guys know I'm not a gym person, right? 100% on plan with food, no coffee incidents even. I'm starting to have trouble getting myself to read my response cards, but I'm muscling through it because I know I need to do it longer to build the discipline for when I'm not so rolling.
Kids are back in school and things are returning to busy but normal. I got a couple new books to read. One is The Last Lecture which one of my friends is going on and on about, and the other is weight-loss related, The Instinct Diet. I finished The Tales of Beedle the Bard (fun) and am about 1/3 of the way through Inkheart. I really like to read. I'm scheduling a latte for tomorrow and am going to read and enjoy it at the coffee house near the kids' daycare for 30-45 minutes before I pick them up tomorrow.
Lily It is a busy thread and I don't think anybody does personals every day, except maybe our cybershepard. Do what you can; I often learn something just from other people talking about what is happening for them. Watch that rebound eating!
Heidi Feel tired, go to bed. Sounds like a great plan! 100% behind you on that. Hope you get your pedicure soon! My next 5 lb goal reward is a Sheryl Crow CD. I like CDs and almost never get them.
Bill Nicely done on the snacks. Raw turnips are awesome--my mother used to let me eat them when I was little.
Re: the Milky Way bulking up, LOL! Our galaxy is, hmm, very cluttered (with dust), and trying to see around it all to find everything has been challenging. I'm not surprised it is suddenly believed to be more massive. A few years ago, someone (I should know who but don't remember) found out it is interacting--eating small neighbors. And if the PI is going to use his own weight and stature as a point of comparison, he deserves what he gets.
onebyone Hope your trip to Costco was largely uneventful, and hope you enjoyed your coffee chat. Congrats on your on plan day! You should make a mental note (or a memory card) to remember how much better you are doing when you aren't letting yourself get to busy. The difference between now and a few weeks ago is striking. At least from here...
RobinW Hooray for sunshine! Spinach and brown rice. Sounds very healthy! I hope you enjoy it.
davidette I hope you get back to the gym. I'm a triathlete, and also have trouble with all or nothing when it comes to exercise. I did a major brainstorm a couple weeks ago, and am now implementing those strategies. I also made a Response Card that says something like "5 minutes of exercise is better than zero minutes of exercise." Hard to argue with that.
Kim glad you stopped in for a quickie!
Jeanie Marathon training (know that crispy feeling all too well) and terrible twos all at once. And like a day post-illness. Make sure to take some time to breathe!
Beckies, I did a review of CBDL here. Stop in and take a look--you could hear a pin drop over there. Makes me feel irrelevant. While you're at it check out this from a couple months ago.
Hi all!
quick shout out. It was a difficult day. I got derailed to start with by having cold Amaranth cereal with both dates and raisins. I got too hungry later since it was too sweet. It was an exhausting day, with air conditioner repair people in the morning, then a bone density test, and then schlepping to work at 2 in the afternoon. And cooking spaghetti and turkey meat sauce from the new WW materials at night. I went off plan a few times--not insanely, though. Someone-I think it was Robin-spoke about a controlled binge. That's what it was like. My (NYC) subway was not running on the way home, so I went to the railroad-Penn Station-and got a frozen yogurt before getting on the train. I threw half away. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and my new fresh start starts right NOW.
Quick flyby. Still doing well, although it is much more difficult to get the exercise in now that I am back at work. I have weighed in each day on the wiifit and did a few yoga poses yesterday morning-none today since we were reunning late. UGH. But am getting a few spontaneous bouts of exercise in and am eathing mindfully/catching myself and have stopped myself from eating ice cream this evening. NICE> Those cards really do help when I am in the right frame of mind and REALLY read them.
I had a scare this evening-I randomly called my mother who goes to bed early..I knew I was calling on the late side but rarely get much time to chat so went for it. HEr cleaning lady answered and said that my mom had gone to the hospital (cleaning lady was called to take care of mom's dogs) I put on my Nancy Drew hat since she called 911 by herself and was at the hospital by herself-there are a gazillion numbers for the hospital but I found the right one and tracked her down. They think that she has kidney stones.. in the scheme of things, this sounded like good news to me since, while painful, they are something that pass (literally..). Please send healing thoughts to her...it is really getting me that she is alone there in the emergency room.. at least she is morphined up so is more comfortable.. My family has been very healthy and , luckily/thankfully, have not had these types of scares so far. It has snapped me into "life is short, must show appreciation for the people in my life more frequently" mindset...
Anne-great summaries of both books-I am just beginning the second book but am also glad that I have both books even if there is redundancy...
Off to bed and an early wake up..keep on truckin' everyone! Oh-and I appreciate all of you and what you share with this group so ery much-thank you for sharing your journeys...." Goodnight.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Was particularly satisfied eating lentils with Swiss Chard for lunch since it came from the half that I froze when I made them some three weeks ago. Savored that I was harvesting the results of my planning. CREDIT moi.
maryblu - Waving. Thinking of you as I read about your [perhaps] Senator headed to Washington, and, just as you suggested here weeks ago, the lawsuits filed.
onebyone - Yay for choosing a movie to match your mood. And Yay for planning your shopping trip by making a list. Without a list, I'm a sucker for everything on sale, LOL.
Heidi (landlady6) - Sending healing thoughts for your mom; hope that it works out. Ouch that she's alone through this, I can imagine how that is painful for you. Congrats on making that inspired call when you did.
Robin (RobinW) - Big Kudos for chicken with lf cheese over baby spinach. Now that's getting inspired thinking into your menu. And Yay for physical vitamin D - the best kind.
Jean (kuhljeanie) - Kudos for pushing yourself training for the flying pig. Yay for the demise of the cold. Double Ouch for hissy fits by el nino.
Anne (wndranne) - Kudos that you "build the discipline for when I'm not so rolling." Good reminder for me there.
LOL that the dieting analogy of the Milky Way continues with "eating small neighbors." Would have to judge that to be on-plan eating, LOL.
Kim (bennyhannamama) - Kudos for two spinning classes. At my gym, the spinning classes are usually packed.
davidette - Yay for getting psyched up to get back to the gym - that's where the exercise is kept, LOL.
Lilly (lilyyoung) - Kudos for throwing away half a frozen yogurt; wish I could say I had ever done that. Ouch for the rough day, but Big Kudos for making the fresh start "right now."
Readers -
". . . The Beck Diet for Life program teaches you how to recognize these kind of thoughts, especially the sabotaging thoughts that encourage you to eat unplanned food. They often start with:
• Its OK to eat [this unplanned food] because ...
• It won't matter if I eat [this unplanned food] because ...
I am off to catch a ride in to work this morning and just wanted to let my coaches know I've been OP 100% and got my 15 minutes in yesterday (mini trampoline) and plan on doing the same today. I have a lunch and snacks packed in my spongebob lunchbox and have had breakfast and even have a coffee to go!
wndranneI'm a big reader too; what's The Instinct Diet about? I've spent so long (on a diet, off a diet) divorcing myself from any honest connection between what and when I eat and how I feel / what I need physically, I doubt I'm ready to go on instinct. But then that's part of the Beck plan, to get back to that awareness. Have you ever read anything by Michael Pollan? I recently read In Defense of Food; fascinating. I'm going to get to The Last Lecture one of these days; good for you for rejuvinating at the coffee house!
Thanks for the "5 minutes exercise" response card tip; you're right. I've been putting any exercise off until my set time to return, 8 a.m. Monday. An even better idea is to at least stretch for 5 minutes a day until then. I'm sure I'll be amazed at how much better that little bit makes me feel; which in turn will motivate me to follow through on Monday.
Great book reviews! I have both books and you gave me a better idea of what to expect as I progress in the newest. Excellent job of comparison.
lilyCongrats at throwing half your yogurt away! That "finish your food" mentality is tough to fight.
landlady Sorry about your mom; I'll be sending positive thoughts. I know it's hard not being there. My only sister lives out of state while I take care of my mom and sometimes I think it's harder on her.
I made some progress yesterday with "no distraction" mindful eating in moving from "this is torture" to "this is not so bad". I'm not going on to an actual diet until I'm more confident with the conscious eating / credit skills. I'm telling myself it's like listening to a song you like; you don't want the song to end, you just relax and enjoy the music. If I can apply that to eating mindfully, I'm home free.
hoo boy, am i SORE today. yay me for working that hard, and yay again for the workout i'm going to do later. not sure what it'll be exactly, but it won't be running, that's for sure.
right now, the food thing is feeling very easy. i'm enjoying that. every now and then i have this fantasy about doing something completely different (cakes full time, SAHM, i dunno, something else) and i have to remind myself that one of the wonderful things about my standard straight job is how easy it is to stay on plan when i'm here. i don't think i would have seen that as an advantage a year ago. i also distinctly recall a few months prior when i was buying lunch every day, and turning lunchtime into bingetime. feels peaceful.
el nino behaved himself beautifully this morning and last night. kudos to him! he's probably enjoying the return to his regular routine as well. i hugely appreciate that since DH has started taking graduate classes. not sure if he's going to finish his masters, but i'm thrilled that he's going beyond his daily grind.
go onebyone! and davidette, what a lovely way to think of a meal. i'll add: if you listen to a favorite song too much, it starts wearing on you and no longer has the same appeal. same with food. heidi, thinking about you and glad that things worked out just so you'd find out about your mom. bill, those sound like super-gratifying lentils and chard. can't imagine how wonderful i'll feel when i'm easily prepping all my bistro-style meals that i will be cooking myself. ah, the thrill of organization! what a high. lily, outstanding that you threw out the yogurt! BIG kudo and a shout back. anne, your coffeehouse reading sounds fabulous. i'm with you in spirit. i used to read constantly...might be worth making some time to start up again, huh? can't even remember what my last fun book was. waving at spinning kim!
Im not sure, but Im thinking maybe, just maybe my way of thinking in regards to food has changed. Ive basically stopped thinking about the things I cannot have and feeling resentment towards those feelings.
Ive been thinking alot about you Bill, and how you started out on your journey. I have been very good at getting the weight off, but keeping it off has been my issue. Knowing this means maintenance has always been a kind of scary thing for me.
Eating everyday the way Im suppose to is a preview of what eating will be like a year from now.....with all the extra poundage gone. It's not so bad.
You know what? I can do this
Bill~ Yah for frozen lunches!! I just brought the last of my nacho soup today and need to make a couple more batches of soup for work. I love that!! My very own grab and go in my own fridge.
Jean~ Kudos for feeling peaceful about food, and finding it easy right now. It puts more space in your brain for more important things.
Davidette~
Quote:
I made some progress yesterday with "no distraction" mindful eating in moving from "this is torture" to "this is not so bad". I'm not going on to an actual diet until I'm more confident with the conscious eating / credit skills. I'm telling myself it's like listening to a song you like; you don't want the song to end, you just relax and enjoy the music. If I can apply that to eating mindfully, I'm home free.
It sounds like you have the right attitude and you are on the right track! Kudos!
onebyone~ Kudos for your 15min on the trampoline!!!
Anne~ enjoy your quiet time at the coffee house!! Kudos for feeling the groove
I still need to get the christmas decorations down at the shop....that is on the agenda today. Valentines stuff was bought last night and is waiting to make their glittery appearance
Hey all...so farso good non the med. My heart rate is lower than normal which is good because that is what it is suppose to do. We will see about the rest.
Good news...dh is getting unemployment now...it was approved. Yeah. That is the first step...now for the work situation. Please have good day. I did stay on plan. Yeah for me.
Well I am home after a full day's work at the school. I did lots of tedious cleaning chores: wiping the dried clay from three containers packed full of tiny little tools, wiping the front and the back of hard boards that students make their projects on, topping off the "easy" containers of decorative materials, tossing out the old work that wasn't picked up two semesters ago.
Some things I wanted to do I couldn't because the clay dried out over the long xmas break we had. I still have plenty to do because the glazes are a nightmare. So is inventory. I have this to look forward to tomorrow, but it feels good to have done over 1/2 of the tedious things I needed to do. I'm in again tomorrow. And I have straightened out my tuition fee for this semester and can now get that going too.
CREDIT MOI for getting back to work at the school.
CREDIT MOI I did my 15 minutes of activity by walking out side over lunch in the driving snow. We had a major snowstorm today so the walking wasn't easy.All the better!
CREDIT MOI for packing my lunch and snacks and for eating it today.
CREDIT MOI for planning ahead yesterday to have the ingredients and recipe on hand for dinner tonight... and an on-going CREDIT MOI for keeping the kitchen area free of piles of stuff on the floor and the table as DH said, after dinner was done, "DO you want to eat at the table or in front of the TV?" "Table!" And we ate at the table and I lit a candle and it was good and as he unloaded the dishwasher I noted and mentioned that it was so great to be able to sit in the kitchen and chat while he did that, again, the table and cleaning!
So I am onplan foodwise and exercisewise. I am still a bit blue around the edges but it's winter and the bus strike and at least they are voting on it tomorrow. It was good to get in to work though, and in spite of my apprehension at getting so busy again, I will be glad to put my brain back to work.
angelmomma210 Very happy to read your heart meds are slowing your heart rate down and YAY for the unemployment. It is always a relief to have some money coming in. And a BIG YAY for staying on plan!
RobinW I know what you mean about the pondering on how BBE did his foodplan. I think it is brilliant and it's all about maintaining isn't it? I am not as certain that I can lose the weight as you are but I definitely know that the keeping it off is equally difficult but not if what you are doing now is what you will be doiong anyway. it makes so much sense. This really is the way I am also looking at things this time around. I am tweaking it with the foodplan but the types of food I am choosing and the things I am leaving behind will be a permanent shift. Not only can you do this, but you are doing this.
kuhljeanie Kudos on your workout and hurrah! for el nino being peaceful. You're doing really well
davidette I too think that's a beautiful comparison of mindful eating to a song you love. Both acts make you appreciate the moment. I often think of the place where the thing I am eating comes from. I especially like to think of the sunshine that went into my fruits and veggies. This always give me such a sense of wonder at how the heck does all this happen. The world and the things in it are unfathomable at times to me. It's good to really appreciate how truly fortunate we are.
You're doing really well. Kudos.
BillBlueEyes I'm going to be bringing some beef and barley soup for lunch tomorrow. I feel like you do:
Quote:
Savored that I was harvesting the results of my planning. CREDIT moi
And this made me laugh out loud
Quote:
LOL that the dieting analogy of the Milky Way continues with "eating small neighbors." Would have to judge that to be on-plan eating, LOL.
Funny.
landlady6 Oh I am SOOOO waiting for our wii fit! It's still in Toronto at BIL's house... happy to hear you are still using it. Kudos! And sorry to hear your mom is experiencing some stuff. Hope she's better soon.
lilyyoung Credit Vous for getting right back on the wagon when you only really had a toe dangling off near the wheel so-to-speak. There NO NEED EVER to jump off. You obviously know this. Yay! it's how we really get from here ( ) to there ) (
wndranne Thanks for reminding my of how much better I really am with some R & R. It's going to get busy but I don't have the pressure of my own business on me this coming semester at least not until the end of the semester. By then I'll be getting ready for whatever I am doing this summer/fall. I have no clue what that will be as I write this right now...
But yeah, I am going to guard my time much closer this semester. I am not letting go my hard-won weightloss or food sanity so easily ever again.
I'm also a big reader but I lean toward biographies. Over the xmas break I finished Steve Martin's Born Standing Up, and a local author's book called This Firefighter's Life by Jimmy Allen. I used to sell at art and craft shows with his wife Sharon Allen, so it's really interesting to read about someone you sort of know. Now I'm about 1/8th into the authorized biography of Neil Armstrong (it's really dense...love that) First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen and I am alternating this with about 7 volumes of Far Side comic book collections to chase the winter blues away.
Better go. Time's flying. Have a good evening gang!
Coaches/Buddies Yet another on plan day for me today, at least foodwise. I've had to rearrange some of my planned workouts, since I got really sore from lifting on whatever day it was, but I'm continuing to exercise daily. It feels great. Friday I'm starting on Stage 2 by hitting the calorie levels on the Beck 3 meal/3 snack schedule. My plan level is 2000 calories/day, but I've been really satisfied on 1800 this week, so I may go to the next level down. 1800 is appropriate for my target weight anyway. I'll think on it. Any opinions? FWIW, during the Big Loss I did 1500/day and was very comfortable at that level until I started training for my marathon. Sleep was OK last night, and tonight is DH's turn to get up with DS, so hopefully I'll be good tomorrow too.
I spent an hour at the cafe today with my fancy coffee and The Last Lecture. Such a sad situation, but I enjoyed the book, my relaxation time, and my latte.
Lily You sound very busy. Take a few deep breaths. Did you get hungry because of the sweetness, or because your morning calorie level was too low? Something to consider. I do so much better with a big breakfast and small supper myself.
Heidi Your mother's incident sounds scary. I'm not sure if I'm glad it was kidney stones or not; while they aren't (usually) serious, I've had a couple and can't remember when I've been in more pain. Best wishes that she feels better soon.
Bill You make me want to make myself a big batch of lentil soup. A real comfort food for me now, and so healthy. Even if I put a little sausage in it! Just a little. Really.
onebyone Glad you are on plan and prepped for the day!
davidette The premise behind The Instinct Diet is that there are 5 basic instincts that drive us to eat. The first and probably most obvious is hunger, but we are also driven to eat by availability, familiarity, variety, and calorie density. It is written by one of the "theys" as in "they say", Susan Roberts, a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University. The diet is supposed to work with these instincts and so be easy to follow. I'm hoping to get some tips and/or ideas. It is not an intuitive eating kind of thing. My intuitive eating got me to 289 pounds--better to use my brain than my "intuition." I'll let you know what I think. I tend to write detailed reviews, especially if I really like something, or was really disappointed.
Jeanie I hope you are a good sore, and not use-the-rails-in-the-wheelchair-stall sore! Glad el nino is behaving.
RobinW You are making some important discoveries about keeping weight off. I think you can do it, too!
Chris Glad to hear your med is working out and that your DH got his unemployment!
glad you stopped in for a quickie! 
Wednesday
My only sister lives out of state while I take care of my mom and sometimes I think it's harder on her. 
lily, outstanding that you threw out the yogurt! BIG kudo and a shout back. anne, your coffeehouse reading sounds fabulous. i'm with you in spirit. i used to read constantly...might be worth making some time to start up again, huh? can't even remember what my last fun book was. waving at spinning kim!
I just brought the last of my nacho soup today and need to make a couple more batches of soup for work. I love that!! My very own grab and go in my own fridge.
