[davidette]

Bill I don't suppose it would make any difference if you worked your elbow in the water? I know it is dramatically effective for recovering from injuries to weighbearing extremities but I don't know if it applies to the upper extremities. I've used foam barbells in the water and wow - my biceps were sore. I was also surprised to find a therapy pool incredibly effective.

I was gold by a geriontologist (old people specialist) that balance is one of the easiest things to "bring back" with practice. A local hospital had an article in the paper about how their therapy department was incorporating a Wii for that purpose. If you need further justification for getting one, maybe it'll take your mind off your snooty elbow!

kuhljeanie A former yoga teacher told the class, as she was going through a tough time, that she realized how many times a day she was "consoling" herself with the platitude "well, change is hard". She pointed out this thought certainly couldn't be making things any easier, and might even be increasing her depression. She decided to stop right herself every time and change the phrase to "change is good". Nothing stays the same forever so we might as well stop making it harder than it needs to be. That really struck a chord with me because I didn't even recognize how I was reinforcing the negative over and over in an attempt to console myself. I can usually get myself to at least change it to "change is inevitable". It's a process, for sure, and you will find a way to make peace with it.

lisamarie I owe everyone here for my newfound serenity about weigh ins; they've spent the last month listening to my whining and redirecting. I'd never have made it on my own. Hang in there and you'll reach a point where it's not so discouraging because you realize this is what you are going to do forever anyway. As onebyone pointed out, there's plenty of work to be done elsewhere!

Hurray for a warm weekend!

twilight Good point that our attitudes can change, we don't have to wait for society to change, although that needs to happen also. Have you consulted an exercise physiologist? I would think your doctor could refer you to one who might be able to help you with the catch22 of your injury. Kudos for not putting your Beck program on hold until you are 100% active.


cammiecam Welcome! I'm in the same situation; did well with the first book, drifted away, rebooting with the second book. I find the second book much easier to follow and it helped me make a fresh start and do things differently that I did not even recognize were real problems long term, like not spreading my calories throughout the day, and finding a diet coach. The support here has made a major difference! again to all.

ann 5 lb goal reached! I'm terrible at balance on the Wii too but I love that one where you roll the balls in the hole. You get better really quickly.

jenmusic cold; I agree zicam seemed to help me too. I fight planning the whole day in the morning but I'm realizing it is nice not to have to make any decisions the rest of the day. Of course I go around muttering "no choice, no choice" all day like a crazy person but people are getting used to it. I'm going to need a long time at this stage before I feel it's "safe" to be flexible, but it will come.

Warm spell coming through here, I'm actually looking forward to cleaning off the porch because I can (without freezing my ** off)!

Have a great weekend!

[CammieCam]

((((Bill))))!!! You remember me!!! Thank you so much for that, you have a great memory, that was over a year ago! I still dream about Paris and hope to return when the economy gets better. Well, anywhere in Europe really!

It's been rough for me since then, and I can't even pinpoint exactly what happened or why things got so difficult. All I know is that I'm back and really want to set a goal to get through the ENTIRE book this time around. Davidette thanks for your review of the current book, I think I will pick it up after all, it may be helpful in a fresh start as you are using it.

So! I'll start from the very beginning, a very good place to start. (I had The Sound of Music in my head just then... love that movie!) Anyway, day one is of course the Advantages Response Card. I still have my old ones and sort of cheated a little bit, and looked at them just to see what I had written down a year ago. My advantages are different this time around, well some of them are anyway. Some are still the same like confidence and self esteem. Not being depressed about my weight. It's interesting though that I wrote down some advantages that may or may not be abated with weight loss, such as an obsession over food. It's interesting though that what one might call an obsession is maybe just the FACT that people who struggle with their weight HAVE to think about food pretty much all the time, otherwise they will mindlessly eat and gain weight. It's kind of one of those things that once you realize it, it kinda makes you sad, perhaps you feel that it's unfair. But Beck also talks about that, those feelings of unfairness. What are you gonna do? This is reality. People who struggle with their weight MUST make a conscious effort to think about what they are eating. I just hope I can get to a place where food is a friend, and not something I feel like I'm constantly in a battle for control with. I think that's part of the reason this past year has been so difficult, I've been fighting with food. Ugh. But anyway, I've typed too much. Just wanted to check in for the day. Although this is day one for me, I do already know what comes next so my goals for today are to make healthy choices, and to eat everything sitting down, tasks that prove to be difficult for me on the weekends. Have a great day everyone!

[RobinW]

Good Morning <~~~~ need lots this morning

Its been strange at the shop. You could have danced naked in the shop last month and not a soul would have come in and interupted us. Seems like february hit, and everyone came out of hibernating! Its a good thing....the landlord likes getting his rent

I definitely need to deal with my clutter issues at the shop. My back is to my work table all day so its easy to ignore it. A good monday morning job since Im staying away all weekend.

Got my soup made last night for the week coming up(cabbage roll soup). Baked some meatballs and I'll probably put a pot of sauce on the stove to cook down today. Im fancying meatballs w/sauce and a salad on the side yup salad

I told hubby he's got 3 days next week to cook, and no they cant be "eat-out" nights!!

Im better prepared for the week coming up than I was for this past week.

Bill~ I had to laugh at "food porn" it sure was good, and I glad it helped you enjoy your oatmeal even more. Oh....another way to make your oatmeal a bit more decadent? Toss in a 1/2 cup of raspberries and 1/2 a capful of vanilla and your sweetener!! It tastes so illegal, but isnt ........if you are needing to add more oil to your diet, add a tbsp of cocount oil to this concoction. OMG!
Can you see me digging thru the snow to plant my seeds? If it made the snow melt faster I certainly would!


Tera & Cammie~ Welcome back!

All the new folks! &

I'll have more time for personals tomorrow. Have a great day everyone!

[twilit tera]

2x 3FC
Revised my ARC (the list is now more realistic and meaningful)
Added 2 new goals to list and deleted none
ate on plan (minus tracking), avoiding large amounts of fatty food friends like to feed me by bringing sushi and salad
OP Supplements

Can't do personals, cause Mom's on her way here to take me to the orthopedic shoe place to see what they think there of the orthotics I got from the doctor.

[onebyone]

Hello Dear Coaches

This is what I was working on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUEfOF4O2ZU. These are books I made for an apprenticeship from Sept to Dec last year. I decided to take a video of my book show, but I didn't think and turned the camera to see the whole thing better and some of the images are sideways () I forgot it wouldn't automatically re-orient the formatting... man. Anyway, take a look if you have a minute.

I've just spent a half an hour or so catching up on posts since I last checked in on Tuesday night. So many things. We're a Busy Bunch of Becksters.

Welcome back cammy-cam. I think I remember you as well. We can always start fresh and just aiming to do the book to the end is a very admirable goal. You'll get all you need and more by doing that for sure and checking in with your supportive diet coaches here. yay!

twilit tera... geez louise everytime I see on of those confetti throwing purple smiley faces you come to mind so I am glad you are back. I am very very happy to read that you are managing to continue with your studies. I am in the home stretch now. You just focus on the things you can do, physically and mentally, and do them often and well and slowly the rest will come. It has to. You know the hip bone is connected to the thigh bone is connected to the knee bone... your body will respond just give it what it needs and be kind to yourself. Are you able to do chair exercises? There are some for those who are wheel chair bound... maybe just some arm/upper body isolated movements will help you get weightloss started so your whole body can start to feel lighter. There is no arguing the fact that for all of us, less weight on our skeletal frames will make the stress on our joints much more manageable. Sorry to give you so much "advice". I don't mean to. I just really want you to progress forward in your recovery! You so deserve it and just for that you WILL have what you want... but you can't stop going for it if you want it. This, of course. all applies to me too...

Ronnie Hi! Welcome! I look forward to more posts from you and to your experience of doing Beck stuff. Some of her suggestions seem so easy and obvious but I found that they were hard and got under my skin and on my nerves! This program is all about the doing of it. Thanks for joining us.

The last three days were spent food poorly with energy output on overdrive and today I am back down to earth. Good. I didn't get to post here on Wednesday as I was up super early getting my stuff done that was leftover from Tues night to get my handmade book art exhibit ready for my show opening on thursday evening. So I went to class then spent a non-stop 5hr marathon of patching, painting, measuring, lining up my prints so they'd be straight, choosing, cleaning, arranging and putting up labels in the student gallery at school. That morning I left the house without having had breakfast (I ate a banana while rushing out the door and did this for the next two mornings too :P) grabbed a coffee at school break and a cookie and a handful of free jolly rancher hard candies when I waited to pick up my show invites and poster at the print shop over the noon hour) and these sustained me over the rest of the afternoon, popping one as I felt too hungry and then getting back to it. I got home completely worn out. and ate... what? I don't know as I didn't track a thing. Not for three days. I watched the scale though. It was 258, 259 and this morning 260. Oh well.

So it's back to tracking and weighing and measuring and trying to lower the fat percentages. I eat the most calories in fat, then carbs, then protein. it's no wonder my body is composed of mostly fat. It's what I eat. hello? Although, to be fair, (credit moi) I do eat a lot of fruit = carbs in a fitday pie chart and I cannot for the life of me accept that fruit carbs = bad and are to be avoided. I don't buy it.

We did manage to get our juicer yesterday. We have a rental car this weekend (and next!) and so we got the juicer which was a gift from DH's mom and now I am searching for recipes for it. I hope to always have a jug of veggie juice around. This seems like such an over-the-top kitchen gadget. I am hoping it helps me get more veggie vitamins into my daily life and along with the wii fit (which we will FINALLY pick up next weekend ) I have two new components towards health and changing my life-style.

So I am trying to cope with the new photos of me from the opening.*sigh* I look so FAT. I ma as wide from the side as I am from the front. Argh. I now have my aunt's "round, hard, and high" belly in the front. I remember this shape from my childhood when it was hers and not mine. *sigh* She was probably the age I am now too or close to it. *sigh* Argh. I need to change my body shape but sanely. It is VERY HARD to fight the fad diets and the thoughts of just not eating and the notions of paying some stupid diet corp. thousands of dollars to lead me down a path I cannot sustain on my own. I sure don't want to know that at a pound a week I will only be 20lbs lighter come graduation. I watched the Biggest Loser. I've seen people lose that in a week, two at the most... shouldn't I be able to have that too?

Uh. No. Credit moi that I do know this and I know that as much as I really really really want that I just have to accept where I am at and the rate that weightloss happens and be happy with my progress and my ability to keep on trying.

I'll be back later for personals. Need to tend to DH!

[twilit tera]

An interesting day today: just got my first pair of $530 shoes. The guy who was serving us compared the orthotic I got from the doctor to the custom orthotic inserts he was selling and the difference was quite visible - my sense of balance improved a lot!

Then he had me try the running shoes on with the custom orthotics and I felt even more improvement. I could put more weight on the right side for longer than I usually could! Discomfort did increase, but more gradually than in my old shoes or even with the inserts Dr. G (the orthopedic dr.) had given me. In fact, the level of pain was very similar to walking around in the pool. I felt less shock on each step and less pressure.

Our salesguy was a Physical Therapist as well, and he confirmed everything my PT had told me, about not pushing through the bursitis pain. He recommended doing however many of the stretching exercises I could within tolerable limits, and none of the strength exercises just yet.

I hope this works. We've spent so much money on this already (though sadly not as much as we would have spent to put me on my hubby's insurance). (Can I get an "Oh, well"?)

I have an observation. Last week, I was very depressed, especially during moments when I had overexerted and was in physical distress. I wept. Today, even though not much has changed in terms of my mobility, I feel much more in control (in particular over my eating) and this has given me a more positive attitude. So...

more self-control=happier

Goals for Tomorrow:

• New exercise strategy - in the morning, before i've done anything, stretch per PT instructions (Tuesdays and Thursdays, get in the Addison Fitness Center pool.)
• OP Food
• OP Supplements/Cleanse
• 2 hours in new shoes, on feet as able

And finally... personals

Thanks, Jen, for the encouragement. Another month and a half and my case will be considered "officially" chronic, according to one article I read. I'm blaming my Dad. (physically, I take after him quite a bit.)

About planning ahead of time, I'm not a big planner myself. I find that there are some compromises I can afford to make. For example, I can afford to not plan all the food I eat each day, as long as I plan for the week ahead to make sure healthy options are available and access to sabotaging choices limited. What I can't do is forgo tracking food as I'm eating it. If I try to wait til later to write it down, I'm much more likely to slip and then forget to track it at all. Writing it as I go forces me to face the choices I'm making.

for you getting activity and staying within your calorie budget!

Bill: for your NSV with the tire place! It's so nice when people notice weightloss. I don't know about you, but I fail to notice it myself. If it weren't for the scale telling me I was losing, and my clothes getting more roomy, I'd never know.

As for pool time, I am so fortunate to be a resident of Addison, TX. One of the social services provided here is access to a fully equipped gym, including an indoor lap pool. As soon as I discovered that, DH and I went down and signed ourselves up. A single $5 charge for the electronic membership card and we're lifetime members (until we move away). Although it would be nice to get into some deep water, I am NOT looking a gift horse in the mouth!!

Robin: OMG, ROFL! Your avatar image took me by complete surprise!! I really thought there was a broken image link there at first, but that kitty is adorable!!!

I feel you on the clutter - few things depress me more than a cluttered space.

Good luck on hubby cooking nights! My hubby likes to cook, which is both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because it can sometimes take a lot of pressure of me and a curse because he doesn't "do" vegetables.

onebyone: I've left my mark on this thread! the purple smiley faces are MINE!

Thank you for the advice, and the encouragement and just the... affection? Yes, that's a good word. Unfortunately, sitting up is as painful as standing - anything that compresses the thigh and hip bones. I tried some isolated arm movements this morning. I think if I can find a comfortable position that gives me a good range of movement, that might be an option. See above for more details on exercise.

This might take more time than I can afford to put off going back to work. Naturally, thoughts about "plan b" have surfaced. I have some contacts in the tech support industry who work from home. I may do that, and see if there are any volunteer opportunities for the Dallas Association for Parent Education that would be a good fit for me until I can move my teaching career forward. (From what I understand, tech support can be a lot like teaching 2nd graders. )

I enjoyed seeing your art show! It's too bad that the camera was, um... well, sideways, on some of the most interesting books. I've done a bit of home film editing. Would you like me to see if I can correct that for you?

for you accepting the reality about dieting and NOT succumbing to the temptation to put your body through one of those strenuous diets. I realize you don't need to hear it, but just as reinforcement - in the long run you'll put more distance between you and your goal of fit living. So again with the that I didn't have to tell you that.

Good evening all and take care!

[kuhljeanie]

hello my coaches,

cammie, welcome back! of course we remember you! i miss europe...if you make it back, kiss the continent for me.

still feeling blah but realized that i was getting a triple whammy with the arrival of TOM yesterday. didn't get much sleep because of the cramps, finally resorted to some old hydrocodone from a disk herniation that i didn't take (thought i'd want it for REAL pain - cramps - and was right!) and spent a lot of today in a prescription narcotic hangover haze. i did run this morning on my treadmill (that thing needs a name so i can refer to it more lovingly) and i bagged a dozen full BBQ pork meals, and 4 vindaloo chicken meals (details on my blog.) feeling good about that, and have decided that monday is the day i call bistro and part ways. i can use the money to pay my BIL to do the work on the cincinnati house. he's qualified and appreciative of the extra work, i'm happy to use a family member i trust so much, and DH and i are both relieved beyond measure that the house will actually get done so we'll be able to list it soon. not sure why i didn't think of it earlier, except that fear, stress, and not sleeping really do a number on my ability to think clearly. and i can't believe how many times i've had this particular insight. apparently, still not getting it!

welcome back tera! you've been missed! so lovely to see the purple people!

DH will be here soon, and we're going out to dinner. so looking forward to it...

[JenMusic]

Hi, all. Just popping on to check in for the day. My cold isn't terrible anymore, and I was able to be more on pace with my walking. I had the energy for an extra street, so that was nice!

Thanks for the thoughts and encouragment with planning. Tera, I think what you've said makes a lot of sense, and could be a good compromise for me - I do have an account at the DP, and have used it now for 2 whole days. Which is much more helpful than the "random scrap of paper" method I've used in the past!

I'm also here to announce to everyone (mostly myself) that the kitchen is closed for the night. My hunger has been fed - anything else is just a craving and can be denied. I need to make that announcement because it's feeling like a "snacky" night. Better go read some Advantages Cards!

[AnneWonders]

Coaches/Buddies It was a rough day with the kidlets here in the desert. They were both way way off. I got screamed, whined or cried at from 5 am when DD woke up to 5:15 p.m. when DH took them to Panda. I got a 20 minute break.

I went out to dinner with some friends tonight and made good choices. I ordered an unplanned desert, but picked the 240 cal one instead of the 1500 cal one, just because I thought I'd enjoy it. I'll do a Cheat Sheet tomorrow, because there was a sense of entitlement going on, having done an outstanding job on the dinner choice, and I need to think about that some more. For those who collect strategies, it was an Italian chain restaurant, so I knew my selection and the calories going in, I shaved calories from my snacks today to make sure it fit, and I ate some leftover lasagna for lunch (portion and calorie controlled) so I wouldn't feel too deprived picking a simple grilled selection with its vegetable instead of the pasta I'd normally love to order.

I also got some unplanned exercise today when I packed up both screaming children in the double jogging stroller for a 45 minute, 2.2 mile walk around the neighborhood. It got them quiet and got me breathing some fresh air. Where is that lazy bum Tooth Fairy anyway?? I'm ready to resort to bribery. I'm sure she needs the cash with her job.

During my 20 minutes today, I got that book review (Break Through Your Set Point) done and posted here.

And I think I might could possibly maybe be feeling a bit better. Bye bye cold.

JenMusic If it makes you feel any better, you can go scan the November and December thread for me whining about the planning thing too. I didn't think I needed it, and it turns out it has made a world of difference.

I think closing your kitchen is a good plan.

Tera Sorry, my rant was about Big Food and our sedentary culture and when I deleted it, I deleted the return character which would have made it obvious it wasn't about Cleanse at all. I know nothing at all about that, and hope it works out for you.

Lots of dancing purple about! Good to see. OMG on the $530 shoes! If they help you to move pain free though, they are worth it. I also think your more self control = happier observation is so true, for me too.

Bill No spare tire to go with that flat! DD and I played with the Wii Fit today some. It aged her up from 3 to 19 years old for her poor balance. I'm skeptical!! LOL. Anyway, it was a fun approach to the exercises I can almost never get myself to do. Thumbs up so far, even if I got clocked with a soccer shoe to the head a few times during the soccer challenge. I did make the tightrope walk though.

davidette Yeah, the balls in the hole was fun, until the edges went away, and I kept knocking my Mii over the edge. Yikes. At least I ranked amateur on that one (and the tightrope). I got whatever word they use for sucky (I forget) on the rest of them. Hope you are feeling better--you never actually said how you were doing!

cammiecam I think your observation on the obsession thing is interesting. Does it get better? Are we obsessed? A perennial topic over in maintainers. I was obsessed when I was morbidly obese and I'm obsessed now, but in a much healthier way. I figure it's a win! Sometimes the victory comes in changing my attitude to the thing, rather than the thing itself. I think starting with your old ARC is a fantastic place. It isn't like you are cheating or anything!

RobinW You have a naked dancing shop! Wow! That oughta wake up that nasty February. I slay me! Seriously, glad business is looking good.

Mmmm, meatballs! Love 'em. Fortunately I've found giant Costco bags of turkey meatballs, because I'd never make them myself, in either the healthy or unhealthy variety.

onebyone Seriously cool video. Even sideways. Glad you have a chance to take a breath now and get back on track. Be gentle with yourself in photos. You are looking at a gifted artist. What would you think if it was someone else in the picture? Easier said than done, for sure, but ponder it for a minute. You are doing a great job!

Jean I'm excited that you are stepping out on your own with your meals! You could open a business, you are so organized about it! Glad you got your run in even feeling blah. Did it help?

Have a good night everyone!

Anne

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - My goal was simply to pay respects to a deceased friend at his memorial service. Hadn't even considered that there would be a reception afterward. Duh! There usually is. So, once again, I met unplanned food. Actually did OK since I could chalk it up to afternoon snack. But I felt attacked by the array of goodies and in a quandary until it finally dawned on me that I could discard my paper plate and declare that I was done. So I did. It worked. CREDIT moi for recovery before I did something I'd regret.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Ouch for the blahs; sending supportive thoughts that you get your old self back real soon now. Your meals are making me drool.

Kudos for the clear thinking to use your BIL to help complete the Cincinnati house. Good moving forward stuff there.


Robin (RobinW) - Kudos for being "better prepared for the week coming up than I was for this past week." LOL at naked dancing at the sign shop - whoda thunk that's where the sixties were kept alive and well. However, I'm authorized to grant Kudos for the exercise, double for spontaneous exercise.

And TRIPLE Kudos for the salad. Is this a change in attitude?


onebyone - Thanks for the video of your show (I just rotated my laptop and did fine). Love your books; they particularly look great in such a spacious and gracious place. Looks like you had a whole room to yourself.

Neat that you have the juicer and (soon) the Wii to help come back to earth now that your "output on overdrive" period is taking a break. Kudos for your acceptance and for giving yourself credit for it.


Anne (wndranne) - Getting your two kids out in the stroller was a stroke of genius - or survival, LOL. Ouch for a rough day.

Reading your review reminds me that if we dawdle at a gained weight for six months, we allow a new set point from which loss is a bigger deal than if we correct for the weight gain immediately. At least that's my read via your review. Will add that thought to me reasons for vigilance.


Tera (twilit tera) - Kudos for pursuing your shoes to allow more mobility and exercise - good example for me in doing whatever is the necessary next step. Great news about your community pool. That's a heck of a good deal.

Cammie (CammieCam) - Kudos for reducing the overwhelming to specific tasks for the day, "my goals for today are to make healthy choices, and to eat everything sitting down." Yep, you can't do better than to start with your Advantages Response Cards.

Here's the reviews by Anne (WndrAnne) of The Beck Diet Solution and The Complete Beck Diet for Life. There are other neat reviews in that section when reading about books about is your want.


davidette - Yay for being warm enough to allow cleaning off the porch. Thanks for the thoughts about recovery for my "snooty elbow" - good ideas to consider.

And thanks for the reminder that "balance is one of the easiest things to "bring back" with practice." I'll chalk that up in my justifications for buying a Wii.


Jen (JenMusic) - "Kitchen is closed for the night." Now, that's a good idea. Glad that you're feeling less terrible.

Readers -

"tip: Buy a small counter, the kind people use to keep track of how much their groceries cost while they are shopping or golfers use to keep track of their strokes. Click it every time you deserve credit. Record the number of clicks at the end of the day in your Deit Notebook, under "Daily Credits." The Complete Beck Diet for Life, pg 67

[CammieCam]

Good morning everyone! I'll try to do personals later on tonight, I just got back from the gym and have so many things to do to today!

Yesterday was rough for me, I've found the evenings are when I am tempted the most by food... it's easier earlier in the day when I'm busy and running around, but as soon as I get a free moment and get bored.... then it's all over. I constantly struggle with not beating myself up for overeating but it's a hard habit to break.

In the meantime this is a new week and as always it's a chance to start again. My goals for today are to plan what I eat and NOT deviate from that. When I feel like I want to deviate from my eating plan, I will distract myself with something else, maybe even get on the treadmill or do my homework for class. I will also plan out a rough draft of my meals for the week. And I will not weigh myself until March 8th. The scale is bad. I shall put it away for one month.

Have a great day everyone! I wish you all much success on this journey! ((hugs))!!!

[twilit tera]

Credits for Saturday
OP Cleanse/Supplements
2x 3FC
Mostly OP Food. (Hubby came into the room with a joosy bacon cheeseburger, of which I begged the tiniest nibble from him.)

"Oh, well" still works. That was the strategy I used after taking that nibble and discovering that the burger was as tasty as it looked. But I had absolutely no hunger, having recently had a single-serving bag of popcorn. It's amazing how those two words have become my trigger for letting things go. They are like a big stop sign for my obsession gear. (Ok, that was a lousey metaphore )

And have I mentioned how much I LOVE THIS THREAD? You all talking about looking at your ARCs reminds me to look at mine. Since I'm now on the computer morning and night, I've put a shortcut to my ARC blog entry on my desktop.

Bill's "quote" signature is helpful too! I remember reading about the credit ticker idea in the book and wanting to get one right away, but I never did. I'd forgotten about it after a while and now I'm wondering how much else I've forgotten.

Hi, Jean! I've missed you too! Now that I'm back, I'm not even sure what kept me away so long. Must have been the self-pity. I was feeling sorry enough for myself that I didn't need sympathy from anyone else. Glad that's behind me.

I like your plan about pre-packaging your own meals. It sound like you have come a long way since you began with BMD. I also cook several meals at a time, but I prefer to use those reusable zip-loc plastic containers to freezer bags. That way I'm throwing less plastic away.

About knowing what stress and exhaustion do to your brain, that isn't going to mean that it won't do it again. That's one of those things that you can't solve just by understanding it.

Jen: Glad to hear you're feeling better! for you closing the kitchen! Good mental step to limiting night time snacking!

Anne: LOL on the rant confusion! No wonder I couldn't find your rant on cleansing! I did find other peoples' rants from few weeks ago, though, and there were some valid points... just none that apply to the system I'm using. FWIW, after one day I'm doing pretty well.

I'll just bet regarding Big Food and sedentariness... choir! In the congress simulation for Government class last semester, I submitted an amendment to the Federal Trade Commission Act that would restore their authority to act on their findings that ads targetting young children was an unfair business practice. I don't know how much info you have on this, but back in the 70's the FTC did a study of how young children react to advertisements and came to the conclusion that they typically weren't aware that they were advertisements and tended to take the messages at face value. But in 1980, Congress added very specific language to the FTC Act stating that they couldn't restrict advertisements on the basis that targetting children was unfair. Makes you go "Hmmmm."

"OMG" about the shoes is right! But they really do help. The orthotic insert relieves a lot of the pressure on my knee and hip joints and the gel pockets in the sole absorb shock when I step.

Thanks for the review on Breaking Through Your Set Point. I wonder if it's at my local library? I'm going to send the review link to my aunt!

Bill: for On the Spot strategy building! That is quite impressive! I usually have to learn from my mistakes and build strategies for nexttime I'm confronted with a situation.

Regarding "I just rotated my laptop and did fine"... why didn't I think of that? I was trying to rotate my head and it just wasn't quite working!

Cammie: Sorry to hear that it's rough going. One thing great thing about learning Beck strategies is that it gets easier over time. Trying to diet without them just gets harder over time.

Have you tried talking back to the critical voices in your head? That's a CBT technique I learned for raising self-esteem, before starting with Beck. First you identify the negative thoughts that you use to beat yourelf up with, you find the flaws in those thoughts (many of them are unrealistic when you examine them) and then you formulate responses which you practice. Then comes the tricky part - paying attention when those critical thoughts come up. If you can recognize when it happens, you can "talk back" using the responses you came up with earlier.

I find it's a lot easier to defend myself to the critical thoughts than it is to just tell myself to stop thinking that way.

for putting the scale away. It's just a tool and doesn't tell you all the truth about where you're at in your journey.

[RobinW]

Alright.....Im having troubles.

I am putting too much pressure on myself. I need to stop doing it. I also need to get my one day at a time thinking back.

I'll be working with the Beck workbook tonight...wish me personal peace everyone.

[twilit tera]

Goals for Tomorrow

• Stretching exercises as able
• 3 hours in new shoes (on feet as able)
• OP Food
• OP Supplements/Cleanse

Not much to report now. It's been a laid back day. I want hubby to move the xbox360 into the bedroom before I lose my mind.

Robin: My thoughts are with you. I hope you get swiftly back into the center.

[onebyone]

Good Evening Coaches

I way overate yesterday. Ended up at 3590 calories instead of my 2000 goal. There is a credit moi in here though as I did faithfully track it and not hide from myself. Today's count is 2248. Better. Not perfect but better. And the difference? Well yesterday I had forgotten about my problem summed up as "persist in victory" as in I am at most in danger of overindulging as a result of the stress relief after getting through some Big Deal Event. This week's episode: the art show. yes. And I just ate the way I would always eat, here and there, no accounting of it, reaching for whatever I want whenever. 40% fat 40% carb 20% protein. This is my most favorite breakdown of macronutrients. I am very very consistent with this. So today we did big groceries and now I am well prepared to eat on plan. I tossed out old food and cleaned the freezer. I am cooking something right now overnight in the crockpot to make sure I have food to choose from in the morning. It's all good. Credit moi. And I just did 15 minutes on the mini trampoline, credit moi plus we walked about 2 hours earlier today so that's just good too. I am drinking my water this evening, credit moi. So I keep trying... I keep trying... I keep trying.

twilit tera kudos for your plan for tomorrow and may you reach your goals.

RobinW Are you having an attack of expectations? As in I should be X by now? That pressure won't help you get there any faster. Methinks it falls under the category of sabotaging thoughts? maybe? Hang in there. You're doing very very well exactly where you are at today.

CammieCam Hi! Lots of credits to you for planning your week ahead. This is good stuff and a major key to being successful. Awesome.

Billblueeyes Sorry you had to say good bye to a friend. That's never easy. Good job on thinking straight and dumping the plate. No plate=nothing to put food on. Funerals really highlight the food=comforting your self/feelings connection for sure.

wndranne Good job with the restaurant dessert, and the planning ahead during the day to accommodate it. yes! As for photos and letting them wash over me like water off a duck's back, it's a really tricky thing right now. I am just so much bigger than everyone else. It's just true and yet I also think "and...so...so what?"

JenMusic Happy to read you got some walking in and did more than you expected. isn't that great when that happens? Credit to you for getting out there and doing that! Hope you had a good day today too.