Bill,

Good for you for not eating the potato fries! Both you and your mulch pile will benefit!

coastalsue,

Hang in there, you're going to be under the 300 lb. mark in no time, probably within the next week. Sounds like you may be weighing every day. Everybody's weight fluctuates daily. Per the advice in the Beck book I try to weight myself just once a week, and on the same day of the week. I can't always resist seeing what the scale has to day, but it probably is good advice. Keeps us from beeing too focused on day-to-day results and reaching incorrect conclusions about the results of our efforts. Give yourself a big credit, you're doing great.

Hi Diet Coaches,

Lost another lb. this week and give myself credit for some good Beck behaviors. We have breakfast teams at church and our team cooks every 6 weeks. We have a set menu, which includes home made coffee cake with crumb topping. Well, I never go to breakfast intending to hands full of stray crumb topping, but I almost always end up doing it anyway. One of my assignments is to cut up the coffee cake and put it on trays. So, it's pretty hard to ignore.

And, I am not alone. The thinnest member of our team eats crumbs by the hand full. Today I practiced my Beck planning skills. I made a rule. No Choice, no eating crumb topping. I didn't eat a single bite! Yay me!

Even though I gave myself a "vacation" from dieting two days this week in honor of various birthday celebrations for my son (21 years old) I excercised restraint. Left food on my plate at restaurants. Actually took some home from one event and made two additional meals out of it.

I've been inspired by the suggestion to go back to day 1. I have been focusing randomly on the first 14 day skills, but I went back and reread day one. Although I've written down the reasons that I want to lose weight, and put them various places that I can see, I have never reviewed them each day as the book suggests. I am finding that reviewing the reasons each day is really POWERFUL. Helps get me to use the other skills more consistently.

to all of you. Bery busy stressful time at work and I am putting off working on a project that I must turn in tomorrow. The good thing about my procastinating today is that I so didn't want to face this project that I have procrastinated by taking a 20 minute walk, gardening for 2 hours until I had to quite due to heavy rain, and spending time on this message board. Now I guess I have to make a new rule -- no choice, no procrastinating until you finish your work project!

Hi coaches

My market weekend is over. I need to make quite a few pieces to replenish for next weekend. All good news.

I stuck to my foodplan for the day. Still no sugar. Credit moi. It wasn't a perfect food day as I had some fried food and some processed food, both of which I am trying to avoid but it's more a measure of how close to ideal am I getting? I'd say I was 75% today. Didn't eat inbetween and did have fresh fruit and veggies (salad). For the coming week I'd like to have a green vegetable everyday. I can go days wihtout seeing anything green. I'd like to work on changing that.

My tiredness is getting the best of me. Think I'll sign off for now.

HI Guys.

thanks for the support and advice-never had heard of a bariatric monitor (thanks Kulhjeanie) -will look that up on the internet. I think my slow losing may also be tied to my very poor mobilty-much damage has been done to the joints due to the weight and family history of alot arthritis. The last 3 weeks I have swam only a few times due the flu, sore back, hay fever and now the pressure to get over 80 birdhouses made and decorated by this friday. Thus I use the maintance figure for the very sedentary. We did play today-went to hear classical music, see friends and eat out. a food vacation but like you said Northwest with some limits-had a great day but actually will not mind to return to the modest and much veggie laden meals.

Northwest much credit for not crumbing when facing the all that cake.that was great!! nice loss also.

I need to rest so a big wave to everyone-congradulation Barbpos for beck and south beach successes, -until tomarrow

sue

Hi friends/coaches,
I am having a very hard time staying "on plan"... I am noticing the seriously negative effects of eating too much chocolate and not enough veggies... super grouchy spells toward dd and students, feeling "blechy" in general (physically and mentally), edgy and uncentered. ICK! So why do I indulge? What is the real benefit? Eating distracts me from having to decide what to do with my dog...I decided that I need to face the music, read the writing on the wall, etc.. I have pursued all treatment options that are reasonable to try and he is still declining overall. I have decided that to keep going like this is not serving him well -his life consists of sleeping, feeling crappy, not eating but being forcefed twice daily, receiving fluids (he does seem to like this though...) and not much else. It is grim. I am making an appt with my vet to euthanize on Sat. morning. If I cannot find a place for dd to go that morning, I will do it Friday eve. I am sooo sad about this but I know that I have given him the best shot I can...his eyes are looking much more tired now and he is digging in the backyard along the fence and laying in the hole-at least once per day. I freaked out the first time I saw him do that-he has NEVER done anything like that before and I thought that he was going to find a place to crawl into and die. He is keeping his head up but he is tired, I can tell. People have always said that they will tell us when the time is right-he is telling me now.

My goal right now is to find my calm self as often as possible during the day, to be in the present moment as much as possible. This frame of mind will help me do all tasks that I need to do including take care of myself during this REALLy hard time (my dog is a family member...)..

Please keep reminding me that this is a blip in the road and not me "going down" (weight managementwise)...the wagon is there right jeanie? This is life and I must manage what I have here with self care being high up ont he list when times are hard. Why do I do the exact opposite? UGH. At least I am acknowledging it right now and not just staying in that autopilot mode and eating EVERYTHYING constantly with a crazed look in my eyes thinking of what else I could eat. I am climbing a big mountain and my energy is waning at the moment but I will still be able to keep climbing hard again....

I missed Bill's response to the question about managing the 2 qts of veggies-is it decided the night before what veggies you will eat the following day? Is is 2 qts of fruits and veggies or just veggies? It sounds so nourishing (physically and all other ways) to so deliberately allot so many nutritious foods for yourself each day. I have always aimed for a certain number of veggies/fruits per day or, more frequently lately, just eaten "a goodly amount" for each meal... not so precise and ends up being not so much.

I continue to be in awe at the daily commitment to the details you attend to regarding managing your weight Bill. YOu are a testimonial to Beck strategies working....

Off to make something healthy to keep in the fridge this week (my calamata olive/sun dried tomato/feta pasta number...YUM!)...I also have the fixins for a light version of beer battered shrimp....some Israeli couscous in the fridge now -a mix from Trader Joes'-I love that place!!!

Til tomorrow...

Diet Coaches – A recent little success: Made a tuna fish sandwich using non-fat yogurt instead of mayonnaise; added lots of cumin - really yummy. CREDIT moi.

A recent little setback: At a reception yesterday, I avoided the two tables of first class pastries. CREDIT moi. I served myself from the platter of veggies and humus and baby arugula. CREDIT moi. But then I hit the paper thin Italian prosciutto and humus as if I had never eaten before. Was a bit of old time grazing. Then did a handful of strawberries, despite them being chocolate dipped strawberries. Then had a half dozen dried cherries - as if I'd never had dried cherries before. Put a little Gorgonzola on the cherries. WOW - that's the old me; didn't know it was so poised to jump out. Maybe I let my guard down because it was an eat-standing-up-from-tiny-plates affair and I was having a good time. Maybe because it wasn't lunch, wasn't dinner, and I didn't plan in advance how to handle the food because I didn't know what to expect. Maybe because the tickets were pricey and we were all dressed up like grown ups. Oh Well.

Sue (CoastalSue) - Whoa - 80 birdhouses is a lot. Good luck getting those all finished. Do hope you can steal time for one of your famous swims. Hoping for middling weather - good enough for you to swim but cool enough to discourage the masses.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Thanks for the update on Henry. Sending extra strong supporting thoughts as you face your obligation to Henry. I concur; he's sending you signals.

Re: my daily 2 quarts of veggies. I'm a morning person, so I just wash and throw them together before I go to work. Not much planning - some each of what I've purchased over the weekend just for my lunches. I leave the final cutting for when I'm eating - keep a sharp paring knife in my desk drawer just for that - in my belief that they taste freshest immediately after prep and because it keeps me from eating too rapidly.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Good luck with "day 5, eating slowly and consciously."

Barbara (barbpos) – Kudos for the 13 weeks on Beck and on plan with South Beach. Enjoy reading your successes - like the joy of buying clothes rather than the dread. It's sobering with all that working for you that Believe It remains a challenge. I, too, continue to work that one seriously. One encouragement from my experience: when I indulged at the reception yesterday, I never felt I was falling off the wagon; I felt I was doing something stupid.

onebyone – Congrats for selling your stock to depletion; you do seem to know your market. Kudos for eating a salad and for avoiding all the food temptations of your marketplace. Good luck with your plan for a green vegetable each day. You might consider different herbs and spices to find the way that makes them appealing to you. Many people avoid vegetables due to overcooked canned versions of their youth and college cafeterias.

northwest - BIG Kudos for keeping your hands out of the crumb topping; that took some moxie!!! Congrats on the additional pound lost. Sending special supportive thoughts from a semi-professional procrastinator. CREDIT moi for sending these right away instead of waiting until tomorrow, LOL.


Readers – "I now know:

• cravings always go away, and there are things I can do to make them go away faster. I don’t have to give in to them." From the Introduction, Beck, pg 13.

__________________
XXXXXXX 7 XXXXXXX 14 XXXXXXX 21 XXXXXXX 28 XXXXXXX 35 XXXXXXX 42
Completed Beck Program-day 42. You’ve met your goal. Congratulations!

hi all,

work is picking up so this will probably need to be shorter than i had the luxury of writing last week. day 5 is muy challenging! i share some of my mealtimes with el nino, and i find myself coming up with so many reasons i can't focus on my own food and eating when i eat with him. it's important to me that we share our meals, but next to impossible to take my time and eat consciously. he's just learning to drink from a regular cup and i need to hold it for him, which means paying attention since he can't say those words yet. i think the real issue is that i keep coming up with good, valid reasons for not doing it, instead of putting myself in problem-solving mode and coming up with ways to do it. i'm open to suggestions if anyone has them. have thought about switching off with dh but that doesn't work in the mornings because of our schedules. ideas? dinner at home is easier because we usually can't get it on the table until after el nino has gone to bed. lunch is usually not a problem - just have to work on not eating in front of the computer.

heidi, just wanted to let you know i'm thinking about you. this is a tough, tough thing and my heart so goes out to you. don't worry about your wagon! it's not going anywhere. do what you need to do to take care of yourself and let us know how we can help.

sue, a little more detail - there are a couple of monitors available - see www.sensewear.com or www.bodybugg.com. these can be pretty pricey - some bariatric doctors use them and you might be able to find one that won't require you to buy it. sometimes gyms have monitors that you breathe into also (although they're not as accurate as the monitors you wear all day. some bariatric clinics also have bariatric chambers, which are the gold standard in determining BMR - have no idea what that involves. let me know how it goes! bill, your integration of beck skills continues to inspire. mazel tov to barb, redballoon and northwest on your recent successes! wonderful! and mazel tov onebyone on your blowout this weekend. tremendous. it's great that you're more focused on what you're doing right (75%!) than on what didn't go perfectly. allow me to take a page from your book.

today's advantage: i'm lighter in spirit.

BBE - Sorry to hear about your little blip. I think that the parts of us that used to overeat and resist planning and exercise are still there.....we just have to keep using the Beck skills to keep them in the background, and have the healthier parts of ourselves in charge. Of course you know you're stronger than the urge to overeat...and holding on to what you've accomplished is way more important than anything you could possibly put in your mouth.

I'm still working on believe it. I also recognize that telling myself that it's going to get tough at some point and that I'll have to really fight to stay on track is a sabotaging thought. My current response to that is to say,

"It's possible that things will continue to go smoothly" I started with a more certain response and that just didn't work for me....because we don't know the future, and because it seemed kind of smug. But this version at least allows for the possibility of staying on track and it's a good counter for me to the sabotaging thought.

Hi everyone.. I've missed you all.

I ended up in the hospital for a few days. I had a few seizures. Everyone thinks they are a after chemo effect. I'm choosing to believe that. My other tests showed no brain tumor. So good news. Everyone that came to see me brought chocolate and coffee. One day I had 5 cups of coffee!! I had another little pity party and over indulged with sweets.

I am home today and up a couple of lbs. I did talk the hospital dietician. She suggested planning 4 meals for breakfast, 4 meals for lunch and 4 meals for supper as well as 100 calorie snacks. Each meal should be in the 500 calorie range and contain fruit,veg. and a protein choice. Snacks from my basket are fine. The daily calorie count has changed to 1600-1800 range daily. I am to write each meal onto a index card. Each day I choose one breakfast card, a lunch card and one supper card. These will total 1500 cals and I have 1 snack and of course my little glass of wine.

She thinks my brain is having trouble with planning and remembering if I have eaten meals or not. This is true I do forget. Today I will make out my meal cards. Isn't it interesting how "index" cards are playing a role in our lives??

I've read your posts. I'm sorry if my post is too much whining. My heart goes out to you all. Just knowing we are all heading towards health and balance in our lives gives me peace. My little path seems to take many twists and turns. It even disappears sometimes. I know eventually I will find it again and experience the joy of the journey. I love being a part of this group.

Find a smile and hello to all!!

Hello All

Just a short note as will be busy this evening. I have returned to program and eating appropriately-credit

Elkfordain-sorry about all the medical complications which hosptilized you recently-Friends who have had chemo really mention the side effects-Believe me you are NOT whinning-plus you are always so positive-like the index meal cards-I tend to do alot of repeat meals especially breakfast and lunch-dinner varies about what meat/chicken is on sale and which veggies in season. Thanks for posting it.

Barbpos-Like the idea that any thing we accomplish is more important than what we put in our mouths-good to hold to.Thanks

KulhJeanie-thanks for info the monitors-I think feeding the baby demands so much focus-can you have a just a token snack you eat with him and then finish the rest of your lunch after he is done? It seem both out infant granddaughter just need so much attention at all time when not asleep-may just working on the one meal when he is sleep is the best you can do for next number of months.

Redballoon-super to overcome a bad start to the dayIn the past one slip meant a 24 hr reprive on doing anything healthy for me-because then I would "perfect" tomarrow-too bad I had yrs of tomarrows before focusing on my health. Much Credit

BillBlueEyes-Rat to that sneaky food overindulgence-Parties with quality foods is one my top 3 lists to conquor-I know you are back on program again today-

Heidi-Henry is taking much of your thoughts, energy and when the time is right you will soon once again focus on your healthy eating patterns and make needed changes. Take care

sue

Well on to day 6 finding a diet coach,this group is mine ,thank you all! Do any of you also have another diet coach? I was out grocery shopping today and stocked up on healthy foods and we are preparing for a camping trip this Memorial weekend.
Big trigger to eat like there is no tommorrow,our camping trips.My brother owns 19 acres and we have our camper on it,he has his and my sisters family has the third camper.Very pretty land with a large creek running through,our campers are close enough to the water to hear the creek.Trouble is we all bring way too many snacks,junk food and things like smores, bacon and sausage ect that we don't usually eat.It is usually a 3 day feast with Mon being the biggest day when the rest of the family comes for a huge cookout.I do plan to bring some healthy items,I already bought lite turkey hotdogs,turkey burgers and I will bring lots of veggies and fruit especially watermelon.Trouble I have had in past is I bring some healthy items but they never get eaten even by me.Our camping does however give me the perfect opportunity for lots of extra exercise.We can go on hikes,do lots of grass cutting,raking,weeding and swim and play in the creek with the kids.We have a large dam we built and we will continue to work on the dam and water flow,we tried to move alot of rocks and formed a water ride for the kids to ride their rafts down.


coastalsue-Great job getting back on plan,I find it so hard to do,I still keep thinking I will start again the next day.I do swimming as my main exercise also because of my joints and arthritis in my neck and back.It just feels so much better after a swim!

elkfordian-Sorry to hear about your stay in the hospital,hope you are feeling better.Sounds like great advice from the dietician.

barbpos-I appreciate your comments about keep using the Beck Skills,I think sometimes I just have to keep going over and over till it sticks.Thats why I love the beck cds,I just keep listening and listening every day.

kuhljeanie-Can you feed the baby first and then relax and eat with your husband?It is hard with little ones to try to eat when you have to feed them.Is he at the age where he can eat first and then sit with a few cherrios while the rest of the family eats?Having your husband help out is a good idea also.

redballoon- I am with you I need to get serious and try my very best from now on! Good job turning your day around!

BillBlueEyes-As someone else just posted,I am also amazed by your 2 quarts of veggies.Do you eat it like a salad or just cut up veggies you snack on all day?After i read your post I decided to add some sugar snap peas to the garden.Bet you are already back on plan and going strong after the minor backslide.It reminds me of Beck saying to stray from our diet at times is normal.

hbuchwald-So sorry for you and your doggie.

onebyone-I like your statement about being 75% today,makes me think even if I am not perfect I still did well.I went back and found the picture with your pins,somehow missed it at first.They are lovely and lots of work,great job.

northwest-Great job on your weight loss and use of NO CHOICE!

thank you everyone for the suggestions on paying enough attention to both el nino and myself! mornings may just have to be what they are for a couple of months. i may just try and have a snack with him. he's at that stage where he likes to feed me too (sometimes "pretend") and i'll have a couple of cheerios or a bite or two of apple with him. that kid can EAT. tonight he put away half a turkey burger.

hi wendy - i tried to use dh as my coach, but he has a hard time getting his head around what i go through as a compulsive overeater. i used to have a roommate who would have been great. she lost 45 lbs over a year by doing it the right way, and she always understood what i was feeling, although she held me accountable. oh, well! i have you guys now. it's wonderful.

hi elkfordian! you call that a whine? you're kidding, right? whining's an art form, and sorry, sister, you ain't got it. seizures can be pretty scary (my father was epileptic) and i'm sending all the solidly healthy vibes i can to you!

hi redballoon! work sounds so miserable - is there any chance for escape to greener (and healthier) pastures? i had an awful job once that literally made me sick. life is so short...and meant to be enjoyed. can you get out of the toxic ick?

i'm going to take my "find a diet coach" day (done!) and turn it into "practice day 5 again" day. maybe there's some way of eating mindfully with el nino...will keep at it.

buenos noches!

very tired at this late hour, i might go to bed soon. it's almost 9:00!