I'm celebrating 5 lbs gone! I was beginning to think about dropping my calorie count down to the next level because my weight had held steady since I started following the diet just over two weeks ago. Then when I weighed myself on Thurs, I was 2 lbs lighter than the day before (5 lbs lighter since starting Beck). I thought maybe it was a weigh in fluke and wasn't quite ready to celebrate. But it has held pretty steady for 5 days now, only minor fluctuations up and down, and so I let myself celebrate. I didn't want to spend much money, but we have a nice second hand store in town and I bought a very cute skirt and blouse. DH and I have a confernce to go to in a few days and I needed something nice to wear. My normal workday attire of old jeans and sweatshirts just won't cut it.
It took me just over a month on Beck to lose 5 lbs. When I have dieted before, I've done it much quicker and I was a bit skeptical of the program I was on. The calorie count sounded too high, but I liked Beck's response to her client who had similar doubts. It was basically, "How were those diets working out for you." The client answered that she had lost quite a bit of weight. Then Beck asks, "Then what happened?" Of course, she had regained all the wieght. So here's to slow and steady and building lasting habits!
FutureFitChick, great job with the Mexican restaraunt! That endless bowl of chips and salsa has always been a disaster for me, so big kudos for not letting it derail you. And kudos for sensing your hunger level. The body mold is a great idea. I second BillBE, "Monster Kudos for your unemotional acceptance of your body as it is."
Nuxmaga, yay for getting rid of all of your Halloween candy! Kudos for coming in under calories, and good job stopping at half a roll and resisting "treat foraging." Best of luck on your show!
gardnerjoy, yay for avoiding the peanut testing and nibbling and kudos for putting the leftover peanuts back in the container instead of your mouth.
Maryblu, big credit for no regrets eating. Beefeater tomatoes sound wonderful, and yes, you definitely did earn it. Glad you had great fun with the "mean and stupid" beef cattle. You don't have to take back the mean, they are pretty mean.
Lady Windsong, thanks for that very cute story. What a great memory. Hate those tiny doubts, but you have a great strategy to overcome them. One little bit at a time.
BillBE, yay for standing on one foot and big credit for recognizing how far you have come. Loved your description of your climb up the mountain, and I would never disparage anyone's mountain!
Shepherdess ~ “I skipped last night’s dessert for this?” Excellent! You know now that not all foods are truly worth having! And KUDOS for stopping eating when you were comfortably full!!
FFChick ~ And KUDOS to you for stopping eating when you were full, AND for going home to prepare for the next day instead of going out to a movie!
As for the duct tape dress … I am very proud of you for not letting the shape get to you!
As for sprinkling some of my motivation cleaning dust to you… sorry! – but I used it all up in an intravenous drip of the stuff just to get myself moving, LOL!
Nuxmaga ~ WOO HOO! – you tracked your food and came in under calories, AND did 9200+ steps – That’s awesome!
gardenerjoy ~ I’m happy to see you surprised yourself by not eating anything until you sat down to dinner – see? You CAN do this! Kudos!!!!
Maryblu ~ congrats for all the work you did with the cattle! – that’s exercise right there, I know!
Lady Winsong ~ Yay for your commitment to read Chapter 1! It’s just an itty-bitty chapter! – you can do that!
Bill ~ Your walk sounds devine! And I bet it was so refreshing!
WOO HOO, KUDOS, YAYS and CREDITS TO ALL!
As for myself...first of all, I always keep my food diary handy. I write down everything I eat, when I eat it & what's going on in my head during that time. I don't track calories, however, because that's not the diet I'm doing.
I had Oatmeal again this morning for breakfast, it was yummy, and I sat down & ate slowly.
For today's lunch, I have tomato soup, which I like to put salsa in... it is SOOOO yummy! - if y'all haven't tried it, you should! It's healthy & low in calories! And just YUMMY!
...and in about 30 minutes, I will do my PLANNED exercise (walking) ... we're finally in the low 70's today so it will be a little chilly out by the river what with the windy winds & all, but that's how I like it! - perfect walking weather!!
Tonight for dinner - Spaghetti. Whole wheat pasta (soooo yummy!) low fat beef, Ragu Veggie sauce, and chopped up mushrooms.... with a salad on the side! - This is the FIRST TIME having spaghetti since I started BECKing. The hard part with me & spaghetti has ALWAYS been portion size. So I'll have to be extra careful tonight & have my salad first, and a SMALL plate for my spaghetti & really monitor my hunger gauge!
EVERYDAY'S A NEW DAY!
Last edited by Beach Patrol; 11-02-2009 at 11:20 AM.
cuppla clarifications, the value of maintenance, and thoughts about weight loss pace
Dear Beckies,
From my irrationally exuberant post last evening..just to answer some questions about terminology relating to raising grass fed beef--I did not know these terms either:
Taping means measuring girth and length to calculate the animal's weight, which informs pouring, the applying of a systemic insecticide to the backbone of the cow for lice control over winter. These are grass fed beef cattle for sure, but not strictly organic. The veggies grown on the farm are strictly organic, and I can attest to the fact that the grass fed beef indeed are; they do not get a kernel of corn, nor a single oat. The value, of course, is that grass fed beef do not pose the threat of E. coli contamination, and they are much more nutritious, including the fact that there are Omega 3s present in their flesh naturally. I will always be a passionate omnivore, but really shun "junk" red meat, "junk" chicken, i.e. cage raised, etc. There is just too much great vegetarian fare and Omega 30-rich seafood choices to do the low quality, carbon-scarring junk meat stuff.
As for the "mere" 5 pound per month weight loss, please, please, let's all remember ......5 pounds lost is 5 pounds lost..It is great success. Way to go, Sheperdess..way to go..with Beck, that is 5#s never to be regained. As I lost my (now) 90+ pounds, and have maintained 80 #s lost for 7 + years.......I lost ......I lost ...5 pounds per month...........steadily, consistently.......but.........5 pounds per month for over a year. You get to a point where you don't want to feel stuffed. It is not the norm; it is not comfortable, and you just don't do that anymore.
I am not sure what a binge is..I think we all think it is eating way beyond full..nothing satisfies, but even if I do want to and do eat more food from time to time than I need, it all evens out. If it were effortless, I would not be on 3fc..I would not need BillBE to lead us, and I would not need to check in..but please know, all, it is possible, and it is way, way, way worth it! It just drives me nuts I keep reading posts on 3fc..and NOT here on Beck's, but posts that say .."I will start"... and "Am I allowed"..and "I plan to lose X# of pounds by X date"..geez..we at Beck's know, just follow the Beck's guidelines......and success will follow! If we stop the madness, the "I will start"..and JUST DO IT..just do it..we will lose 5 pounds per month..whatever..consistently..and success will follow. We will be those selective few who have success and maintain it. We just will.
Last edited by maryblu; 11-03-2009 at 09:40 AM.
Reason: softened rhetoric
We had a nice weekend. Hung out on Saturday; on Sunday took my MIL for a ride in Acadia. She had visited when she was a WAV in Boston, but still was impressed by the beauty. We’ve had lobster 3 days in a row (lobster roll, lobster bisque and lobster cooked at home). Our local general store is selling live lobsters for $3.89 a pound. We’ll have whole lobsters 2x a week as long as that deal lasts! I saw my doc today and got an anti-anxiety pill today for the insomnia. Here’s to hoping I sleep like a log tonight!
*4 day report* WI-down .7 lbs. Read my cards, made a plan. Food – op (except +200 calories Saturday), Exercise – op, except for lazy Saturday (55m/0m/45m/30m).
Lady Windsong Good luck with the mindful eating!
Beach Patrol Kudos for logging your food! Portion control for food like spaghetti is one of my biggest challenges too. I haven’t heard a good way of doing it yet… Ouch for not losing weight yet – but the key with the Beck approach is moderation and consistency. Keep with it, and you will see the pounds drop off. And if you don’t then you can tweak your diet plan. Because there’s no tragedy if your current plan isn’t perfect; you can tweak it to make it better.
shepherdess My weight loss is never steady either. I tend to lose a big chunk, then it goes up for a week or two (or three) and then drops again. When it’s logged on a graph it’s clear that the direciton is steadily down. But from day to day, week to week, it’s just a mess. For me, it really is best to concentrate on NSVs, even though I’m emotionally tied to the number on the scale in the long-term. Great mini-goal reward!
Future Fit Chick Bravo for delayed gratification that pays off! And for reasonable choices at the Mexican restaurant. Thanks for the kind words about my MIL.
Bill Nice Sunday hike! And kudos for a great NSV, and for a treat-free Halloween.
gardenerjoy Great job changing old habits!
Margaret Great strategy for Halloween candy!
zanjabil :
Anne Congrats on the NSVs – smaller clothes are always rewarding. It’s good to see you and can’t wait until you are sufficiently engaged (or we are sufficiently engaging) for you join us every night again.
Robin I share your issues with (alcohol + me) --> eating + eating + eating. It’s actually one of the reasons I was attracted to the Beck approach. It gave me tools to deal with it. First, I needed to learn to drink less, but you seem to have that totally under control already. 1 box of wine isn’t bad at all. I had to use my response cards A LOT my first couple of months on the program. But I can attest the building the resistance muscle, saying ‘no choice’ and ‘not about me’ really does make dieting easier and easier. I wish you luck, and I know you can do it.
Ruthxxx Just wondering – are you having sabotaging thoughts that encourage you to avoid reading the book? If so, just open the book and read it for 5 minutes. You can always stop reading it you don’t find it interesting…
BillBlueEyes- credit to you for not buying or eating any Halloween stuff. This is my first year since I have been old enough to eat candy that I have not eaten any. Hurray for us. Also your granola recipe looks great.
Lady Windsong- loonies are Canadian $1 coins. I know what you mean about doubts, I am also trying to keep it at bay. I am also like you trying to live in the minute and not get to far ahead of myself.
wndranne- another Halloween resister.
FutureFitChick- thanks for the welcome. I totally agree with you that planning meals is one of the keys. I know as soon as I don't, I hit snags and end up eating things I don't want to be eating.
maryblu- what a wonderful experience you had with the cows!! And thank you for your words about just following the plan and that leading to success. I am trying to just do it and so far, so good.
Beach Patrol- credit for eating healthy when you did not want to!!! Your spaghetti dinner sounds great, know what you mean about pasta portions..smart to start with the salad.
Shepherdess-I know how you felt being disappointed with the cupcake. Now when I want a treat it has to be fabulous or else. Congratulations on the 5 lbs. and great that you got yourself an outfit.
Nuxmaga-looks like you had a great day yesterday.
gardenerjoy-Credit about the peanuts, they are pretty hard to resist.
The last 2 days for me have been --- a mess. We are having family crises on all fronts and before reading Beck, those type of problems would have sent me running for comfort food, and lots of it. I have been ploughing through by saying "I am doing this anyways." This being eating well and on plan, walking 2 times per day like I said I would, planning all meals ahead of time, and doing my weights. And it is working. No Choice. Even if everything else sucks right now.
I selected food off of a lite menu at a restaurant lunch today. I think that's a first -- possibly due to childhood trauma of watching my mother suffer through the Diet Plate of cottage cheese and fruit while I ate a delicious burger and fries. Fortunately, lite lunches have come a long way since then -- a grilled chicken breast with roasted tomato and pesto, brown rice, steamed veggies (mostly bok choy) and a lovely grilled lemon to squeeze over them all.
WI: -0.15kg (new low), Exercise: +50, 50/1300 minutes for November, Food: op, Read my Advantages and Responses:
maryblu: Your herding day sounds like a terrific experience. Thanks for the pep talk! Looks like I'm going to join the 5 pound a month club -- that's exactly what I lost in October.
LADY WINDSONG: Look at you! Already in Chapter 3!
BillBlueEyes: Yay for balance in all forms
FutureFitChick: Good job in preparing food in advance!
Shepherdess: Hooray for the 5 pounds! And good for you for celebrating. I found the slow and steady argument very convincing, too.
BeachPatrol: you are doing great with your eating and exercise! And I love your cheery messages to all of us. I don't track calories either -- it's working so far!
ChinaMaine: Hope you're soon happily sleeping!
CeeJay: Yay for the 10 pounds! That's terrific! So sorry you are dealing with multiple crises but huge kudos for doing it in a new way. You are inspiring!
got thru my first workshop! http://twitpic.com/o24zi Im enjoying my 2nd glass of wine...knowing that I havent had dinner. So eating a meal is ok this time.
Is it ok to say Im happy the picture was taken from the back of the room?
no exercise, Ive been concentrating on not tossing my cookies before this class, and trying to keep everything under control
Stress eating has been a major issue the last couple days. I have 2 more days to practice not stress eating before the next workshop.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - I was close enough, by volume, to eating on plan yesterday, CREDIT moi, but rather grazed my way though a pot luck dinner. We ate from tiny plates in the presence of the food - as if we were having tapas, LOL. So I went back for shrimp several times and with that excursion from my Beck strategies, just helped myself to a handful of roasted peanuts. Didn't need the peanuts - I have a jar in my pantry that I ignore without thinking about them - but once I've slightly drifted away from on-plan the next step is easier. Since this is a monthly affair as part of a volunteer group, I'll have many more opportunities to get this under control.
On my walk home after gym, CREDIT moi, I had this thought to walk through CVS Pharmacy to just look at the Halloween candy on sale. Good grief. I suppose that after decades of buying the half price stuff after each holiday, there are still neurons dedicated to grabbing my share.
maryblu - Yay for exuberance; I just love it, and irrational exuberance is my favorite kind. Thanks for the mini lesson on grass fed beef and for the phrase "junk" red meat, "junk" chicken. Good to be reminded that food is not a commodity.
Robin (RobinW) - Ouch for the stress before a presentation; BTDT. Kudos for marching forward with your new business venture. Thanks for the picture - the meeting looks well attended.
ChinaMaine - Good grief!! $3.89 per pound lobster. I bet you're having it twice per week. Hope that's just a temporary sale - hard to believe that the lobster fishermen are thriving when the retail price is that low. Love thinking about your drive through Acadia National Park - you've got one of the world's most beautiful spots there. Sending sleeping thoughts your way.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats on the new low scale reading. Drooling over your roasted tomato pesto; Yep, Kudos for ordering from the lite menu, particularly since you had to overwrite some childhood neurons to do it.
FutureFitChick - LOL at converting clouds into distant mountains. Kudos for planning and food prep in advance. My experience is that that stuff does take time; this mindful eating has a cost. It's clearly worth it to me, but acknowledging the cost makes it easier for me to schedule it in and, when required, to miss a movie or such every now and then.
Beach Patrol - hmmmm... tomato soup with salsa - gotta try that. Yay for oatmeal and Kudos for oatmeal slowly while sitting.
Shepherdess - Congrats on the lost five pounds. Kudos for giving yourself a reward of new duds - especially since you needed them. And Kudos for accepting the slow and steady notion.
LADY WINDSONG - Kudos for marching through the first three chapters of Beck. It's easy to believe that eating mindfully can bust a huge bunch of the overeating that contributes to carrying excess weight.
CeeJay - Ouch for the crises on all fronts. Sending supportive thoughts as you find your path through those. Big Kudos for staying on plan in the midst of it all, especially for your first Halloween ever without the candy.
Readers -
Quote:
day 6 Find a Diet Coach
Here's what your diet coach can do:
Keep you motivated. Your diet coach can encourage you by helping you remember why all of your efforts are worthwhile. Give him or her a copy of your Advantages Response Card. When you're on the verge of giving into a craving - when those sabotaging thoughts pop up - turn to your coach. If you start getting discouraged and want to throw in the towel, your coach (as keeper of your memories) can remind you that you don't usually feel that way and that most of the time you actually feel good about dieting.
I last posted in October and seems like lots has happened since then. It started when I was reading here on 3FC and I got a pop up ad for a place called the Bariatric Medical Institute here in the town I live in. I NEVER click on ads- way too internet savvy I am- but I had never heard of it before so click I did. Well turns out they are not a fly by night quack weightloss organization. I made an appointment and saw the Dr. and was told about all aspects of their program. As a participant you see the Dr, you see a dietician, you see a personal fitness trainer and are required to go to exercise classes 3x a week in-house, and you have access to a psychologist if you need that. The weightloss goals are 1-3lbs a week and the longterm goal is to keep the weight off aka maintenance. The Dr. told me they don't want repeat customers. So the program is a 22week program done in four phases. Plus an optional 1 yr of maintenance with continuing access to the professionals. I'm all about maintenance I DO NOT want to be facing doing
this yet again a year from now.
It's expensive but it means a real in your face committment on my part. I tend to always put my foodplan and my exercise and my planning on the backburner and I don't keep at it long enough to make it stick. With this program I'd really be in it and I need something like that. My sister has offered to pay for 1/2 of the program for me for my birthday and the cheque is in the mail as my birthday is tomorrow. November has traditionally been a very great month for me to start weightloss programs. And this year there is a calm space in my life to do this. I don't have the crazy craft show schedule or the crazy school deadlines. I can take the time to focus on me throughout the winter and with the team of weightloss professionals to keep me honest and on track until I get a program that is authentic to me I can have some success with this and then success will propel me forward.
The Dr. gave me a bloodtest requisition and it is very thorough. They'll be testing me for my metabolic rate by having me breathe into something. And then once they get the raw data from the blood test and the body tests (metabolic rate/physical strength & flexibilty) they start to craft a program to address me and only me. He said no food is off limits and they want me to like what I am doing inthe theory that if you like it you'll be more inclined to keep doing it.
What a novel sane approach.
Of course, I question the $ and why I need so much attention. Can't I just do this on my own? Maybe. But my long time history, 30+ years now, of battling my weight works on my mind against me. I think I would really benefit from the full frontal weight loss assault team beside me and you guys too! I'm back on Beck, Day One, as it'll probably be close to 2 weeks before I officially begin my new food plan anyway.
I can't see a down side to this plan. All I see is fuzzy hope.
Yesterday I recorded all of my food, and ate all of it while sitting. I need to improve eating without distraction, however. I also made my lunch for today (but am home with a bad cold, so I'll save it for tomorrow). I also read my Advantages card last night and this morning.
Today I read Day 8 out of The Beck DIET solution: train your brain to think like a thin person. This section discussed the importance of making time for your healthy lifestyle activities. I really thought this was wonderful and so practical. I don't think I have ever seen any other diet program address this before. Whenever I'd fall off track, I would feel like I was not dedicated enough/committed enough and i just needed to try harder. But, in reality, I wasn't setting aside the time to make these behaviors happen, forgetting that time is a limiting reagent. So, I thought this was really great information.
Beach Patrol, great job on tracking your food and planning your exercise. When I married my husband, he came with a spaghetti measurer that allows me to only cook the appropriate amount (it measures the diameter of the spaghetti). Maybe you could try that?
BillBlueEyes, I will have to remember your comment
Quote:
just helped myself to a handful of roasted peanuts. Didn't need the peanuts - I have a jar in my pantry that I ignore without thinking about them - but once I've slightly drifted away from on-plan the next step is easier.
This is so true. I have the ingredients to make nearly anything I want to at home. But, at the confluence of social factors, time, and unclear thinking, there I am with food in my mouth.
This was also really helpful to read (and funny).
Quote:
I had this thought to walk through CVS Pharmacy to just look at the Halloween candy on sale. Good grief. I suppose that after decades of buying the half price stuff after each holiday, there are still neurons dedicated to grabbing my share.
Yeah. That whole neuronal plasticity thing seems to happen really slowly in the midst of changing habits, doesn't it? Anyhow, credit to you for great realization about ingrained eating tendencies.
CeeJay, major congratulations to you on sticking with your program in the midst of chaos. That is so hard (and I am really far away from getting that down). Also, great job on the loss.
ChinaMaine, what is a WAV? I am soooo jealous of your lobster! I just keep thinking about it. I think it is like $14.99/lbs out here. Soooo jealous! I just have to keep telling myself that someday I will live where I can get fresh seafood! I hope your insomnia improves soon. That can be very exhausting. Credit to you for taking care of yourself to deal with it.
GardenerJoy, great job on healthy selections while eating out. That is such a great feeling when that is successful. Grilled lemon sounds intriguing.
Lady Windsong, great job on your commitment to reading and for getting your supplies ready for CREDITS!
Maryblu, I found your post very insightful. Thanks for sharing!
Onebyone, best of luck in your decision making. I found it appealing that they don't sell products and that you have unlimited access to the professional staff if you need. They appear well-credentialed and the program looks well-grounded in science. Can you ask your regular physician if they know of this clinic? Good luck!
RobinW, congratulations on the successful workshop and best wishes for you to keep on track!
Shepherdess, congratulations on the loss. I was really great to hear that you are accepting the slow gradual weight loss. I needed to hear that today too. Next time you are in your pantry or at the store, check out how heavy a 5# sack of flour is!
Have a great day!
Last edited by FutureFitChick; 11-03-2009 at 12:18 PM.
*4 day report* WI-down .7 lbs. Read my cards, made a plan. Food – op (except +200 calories Saturday), Exercise – op, except for lazy Saturday (55m/0m/45m/30m). 
If so, just open the book and read it for 5 minutes. You can always stop reading it you don’t find it interesting…
Tuesday
November is always good for me
