Morning Coaches/Buddies!

Scale went down a pound today. Yay! I packed moderate portions to take with me to the tennis tournament, and it paid off. Good thing too - the food on offer at the stadium was, predictably, both unhealthy and expensive. Some good tennis on display, though, especially Safarova/Williams in the evening, which went to 3 sets.

Today: a playdate for my daughter and her best friend (a boy!) and some bean/kale saute. Should be a lovely low key day.

Sorry no time for personals today but I want to thank everyone for their wonderful support. Have a wonderful weekend!
Erika


Read ARC: yes
Sat down to eat: yes
Gave myself credit: yes
Walking: spontaneous
Qi Gong: no

Hi Coaches!

Yesterday was successful as I practiced my Beck skills alongside my Sane Food Diet. Breakfast was a green smoothie and I resisted Starbucks goodies while the others enjoyed. Lunch was a Ahi Sashimi Salad at the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. Dinner was at an upscale restaurant in a Hilton. I chose a shrimp pasta dish, proceeded to give away 2 giant shrimp and left some pasta. Dessert was one bite of moms birthday treat. I came home and had some sunchips (again) but portioned them and put them in a bowl. I'm up for another day of food challenges. My computer time is sparse...I'll be back home tomorrow night.

Good Morning Coaches: I enjoyed being back to work this week. I am so grateful to LIKE my job again. My MFA program this summer- meeting new people, listening to their lives and hardships - has given me a great perspective which was what I REALLY needed after 21 years of teaching. I have always loved my job but the liking was growing thin - if you know what I mean. A good example is understanding that all the writers in my MFA program (for creative writing) have to do all the work of Goddard AND their own paid writing gigs. I just have to do Goddard's and then GET to teach. As I have said many times recently, this whole year has been about changing me ( and not everyone else) to find peace. This has been a critical lesson for a food addict like myself. I am always the director - if only so and so would do that, then I wouldn't have to eat, if only this job would, if only this society would. The problem is me. The good news is - so is the solution.
OP yesterday except for peanut butter and banana (and a bite of anniversary ice cream) before body combat because DH wanted to go and then we have to jacuzzi and dinner would be too late. Adjusted dinner and this morning I am down .8 lbs I'vewritten down food for today; I've planned for an hour walk and general puttering. DS comes back today from Lego Robotic Camp and I plan to hug him for at least an hour. (He might have something to say about that.)
Tazzy: Welcome. I am a WW alum - My first meeting was 30 years ago when they made you eat liver once a week. This is the first food program to ever really work for me.
Tri Mommy: Nothing is more difficult then the wee hour feeding - or really more precious. Credit for no snacking.
Beverleyjoy: Credit for 7 days OP. That is a big deal.
BBE: I just spent 15 mins polishing my stainless steal fridge which constantly has finger prints on it. I miss my black frig.
Eusibius: Credit for a pound down and perseverance.
Lexxiss: Best Ahi salad I ever had was next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium - The Fish Hopper. It had papaya and mango. I can't believe I waste so many calories on crap food when something like that salad exists out in this world everyday.

My lunch plan disintegrated so I did something that I don't do any more -- ate carry-outs in the car. The thing is, I used to love doing that and I've really missed it. Obviously, it can no longer be a habit, but maybe one day a month or so it could be something I would enjoy. We'll see if doing it once makes me want it all the more or quiets that desire down for awhile.

So, credit for approaching it as an experiment. Credit for ordering a kid's meal (an OMG aside -- I estimate it was at least 700 calories, how can that be a meal targeted to the under 12 set?). Credit for leaving a little. Credit for skipping my afternoon snack, even though I did get hungry before supper. Credit for remembering that hunger is not an emergency.

WI: +0.3kgs, Exercise: +45 495/1300 minutes and 11/33 miles on treadmill for August, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: no

GD everyone!

Tazzy, missj, gardnerjoy,maryann and Trimommy I am actually very happy to see that you all planned a food that many may consider off plan but that you did so without guilt, remorse and/or all the negative feelings that are associated with "the forbidden". If some of you newer Beckies haven't gathered I have been of the mind that certain foods, when eaten in moderation, can be a part of our food plan.

Now, I qualify my comments by saying that doesn't mean I am talking about ordering a 21 oz beef steak followed by 1/2 lb full fat ice cream for dessert. I think we all know that just isn't in the cards any more; mostly because we don't desire to eat that way. I think maryann hit it on the head when she said it is about trusting. Granted, I know you were talking about your relationship but really isn't that what we are talking about here and why we are here: our former aberrant behavior and/or relationship with food. Ironically (or I think it is), the more I have learned to trust myself and others, the more relaxed I am around food. The more relaxed I am around food, the more I am able to not "use it, abuse it, deny it or punish myself" with it.

***The one thing I will always remember from Beck skills is that the confidence I had lost in myself has been reaffirmed. I now feel more and more confident in my ability to deal with life without the added buffer of excess food. I am even more forgiving of myself if I have a slip. I no longer expect to work a perfect food plan.

I am now beginning to look back for the past several months and view the Beck skills as teaching the behavior of sane eating until one day it becomes routine and like so many other skills we have learned in life (bicycle riding, swimming, surfing, etc.) we just release the "training wheels" and "go". Each and every time we share that "release" we have experienced, the more we have healed from our past eating behaviors and the closer we are to the "freedom" that does exist and awaits us-----the more we trust.

Yes, Bill, that was my all time favorite flavor of ice cream growing up. There was a mom n pop ice cream store called Klagge's. I know they hand mixed everything. Even my son, who only had it until we left there when he was 4, remembers this flavor. We did some googling and found several recipes for Blue Moon awhile ago and I did that the other night. I now know why I never really liked the taste of ice cream. I grew up on Klagge's and theirs was the very best. Their French vanilla was simply to die for. If Heaven were a flavor it would be one scoop of Blue Moon and one scoop of French vanilla (which was a deep beige cream colored) I have searched all brands everywhere and I have never tasted anything like that. So, the other night that lead me to some websites on ice cream makers. I have decided that I am going to buy a hand crank one from White Mountain; a premier ice cream maker company. I am going to make some of that decadent ice cream --you know the one with nearly 45% fat in it (because of the heavy cream). No, I won't be making it every weekend (I'd have to go to confession on that if I did) but with the winter holidays coming up, I would like to make for my guests pumpkin ice cream with maple and walnut topping.

Food is ,well, just food. We can make peace with it if we realize its place in life. It is not our "friend, lover, aspirin for a headache, fix leaky faucets, bring justice to an unjust world or hankies for the blues". It is just food. It never was anything else. We just forgot. That's all.

Stats for Day 5(yesterday)on BLC Buddy Challenge:

*put my interval walking on the treadmill up 5 minutes. I wasn't sure if I could do it but with some rockin' 60s music, I forged on. So, I did 15 minutes non-stop. It may not sound like much but a big deal for me since I have a pulled hamstring in my right leg and my left knee locks up mid-way through my walking.
*walked 1.5 miles (use pedometer for accuracy)
*2362 calories (262 over my high limit) but sodium was good --2084 mg. 37 grams of fiber.
*beans was my only vegetable today--I made red beans n rice with seasoned ground turkey (awesome!) and had a whole wheat bean muffin later.
*fresh fruit!! 1 c cantalope and 1 c sliced strawberries.
*log all my food-yesterday seemed all whole wheat grains and very little meat but it just fell into place that way.
*aware that the past couple of days, low on vegetables.
*I have had really good sleep for the past three weeks now. What a difference that makes during the day!

The only "emotional" challenge that I am and have been dealing with is chronic pain and unemployment. Since I have a college degree (1987) I don't qualify for any financial aid and I don't have the money to upgrade my job skills. I haven't ate over this "fact" but I haven't also been meticulous about getting my veg/fruits in as I know I "need to".

Today will be my rest day from any walking and/or weight exercises but there is still plenty of "stuff" to do around here. Now, my "personal" challenge is to "move on it".

P.S. Let's hear it for Weight Watchers; who blazed the trail before all the rest.

Love Pam

Hi Coaches

As part of my potter's guild membership I have to work in the Craft Gallery/Tea Room a certain number of times. For me, since I joined late in the year, I have had to do 2 shifts and I am doing both of them this weekend. I wanted to be in the craft gallery part but I'm in the tea room. I have to make and serve tea to whoever comes in. Boil water, put in tea bags, judge if I need a big teapot or small. The tea comes with 2 homemade scones, 1 (1/2" thick since I cut it) slice of zucchini bread, 2 pats/small containers of butter and two adorable small ceramic pots with a spoonful of orange marmalade in one pot and some kind of berry/grape jam in the other pot. Spoons and knives for the pots and the pats. Lots of dishes; lots of moving parts. Small price: $4. Labour intensive. Lots of washing up. I had 5 customers in total today in my 3 hour shift. Apparently it'll be busy tomorrow as on Sundays seniors are often brought there for afternoon tea.

It was good to be of service.

*credit for weighing in (-0.2lbs) = 278.9
hey I just whizzed past 279 But then I came home FAMISHED and had two helpings of pasta so we'll see where I am at tomorrow morning. Oh well. I resisted the scones and the zucchini bread all day. *credit for that as well.

Very tired now so I'll sign off... bye for now.

Hi Coaches,

It has been a busy day but overall pretty good. I stayed OP for my food, I'm going to a comedy club tonight and have already allotted the calories for the one soft drink I am going to have and will then move to water. I drink very little alcohol so that won't tempt me at all.

Credits for today: my Zumba class has started again and I'm so happy to be back out there sweating it up! Had a trip to Costco and bypassed all the sample stations (even the strawberry shortcake which I really love). Went to a new Bulk Barn store and noted the calories and serving size of the items I may decide to eat and keep on plan. My favorite ARC has become "I can eat whatever I want or I can be thin and fit. I cannot have both". I think of that phrase first when any situations arise. And the last credit so far is for picking fresh vegetables from my garden and enjoying them with dinner. Nothing like yellow beans, fresh dill and lettuce picked 30 minutes before eating them.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!

PS - Maryann - I remember the liver from WW too. I do like liver but eating it with bacon and onions was probably not what WW had in mind

Hi Coaches!

Yesterday was sane. *credit* I ordered the healthiest breakfast possible at our favorite family restaurant (rainbow trout). I passed one egg to DH and only ate 1/2 my trout. I did have several bites of mom's blue corn pancakes, which are a local treat. Lunch was just a snack and dinner was paella/salad at home...with a small serving of homemade (healthy dessert). For me, it doesn't get much better, especially on vacation. *credit* BDS. I really thought out every food choice I made. It's felt good (sane) to enjoy such a healthy vacation.

Hopefully back to normal postings by tomorrow afternoon after our return home.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Gazpacho on the patio for dinner, CREDIT moi. Never tire of that sentence. Made it to our little veggie patch after too long a delay and much rain. Ouch for cukes that burst out to the size of a small watermelon, LOL. Harvested enough luscious looking tomatoes for DW to declare it's tomato sandwich week.

Wanted to have some trail mix after my lunch since my standard carrots weren't readily available. Instead, CREDIT moi, I got the carrots, went down to the basement to wash them, and had them instead. I was in need of a little resistance muscle workout since it's been getting a tad flabby.


onebyone - Looking like you're here to stay. But don't get smug - your could get replaced by the 260's. A Starbucks barista would think 5 customers in 3 hours as a day off, LOL. Major Kudos for resisting the scones and the zucchini bread all day.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yep, Kudos for "ordering a kid's meal" - particularly if you didn't pretend that you were bringing it to a kid, LOL.

Erika (eusebius) - Yay for your DD being at an age when boy/girl friendships can flourish before the hormones set in. "Bean/kale saute"sounds good.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - Kudos for putting those sunchips in a bowl - it's eating from the bag that can do me in. And Kudos for giving away two giant shrimp - that's hard for me to even imagine.

maryann - Thanks for a sentence for me to ponder, " this whole year has been about changing me ( and not everyone else) to find peace." Neat that you can feel that you love your teaching.

Pam (pamatga) - Wonderful testimony to the Beck strategies, "I now feel more and more confident in my ability to deal with life without the added buffer of excess food." [Now I want me some Klagge's Blue Moon ice cream, LOL.]

Tazzy - Count me as someone who can appreciate "yellow beans, fresh dill and lettuce picked 30 minutes before eating them." Kudos for carefully planning your trip to the comedy club.

Readers -

Good Moring Coaches

*credit weighed in and saw (-0.2lbs) = 278.7lbs
Huh. Again, what I *thought* would happen, didn't. I would be wise to remember that the next time I think I can predict that I'd "wrecked everything" and that I am going to gain weight so whatever.

Back to the tea room today. The weather looks gloomy right now. I wonder how many people will stop by?

Otherwise, this is a real crunch week for me. I have a sculptural piece to make for Saturday. I haven't started yet. I am making the same type of thing that I made last year for the same festival so I know that it'll take 8hrs to make one figure and I have 2 to do. That's two days IF it works out right the first time. Sunday I have another art festival and I have started a few more paintings for that show but not progressed any further than the charcoal sketches on the canvas. And for today I need to go dig out some stuff I want to place into the craft gallery which is attached to the tea room where I'll be today. As a guild member I have the oportunity to show and sell my work there and I happen to be sharing the work duties today with the member who is in charge of accepting work into the gallery so I have to get that done today.

So my plan today foodwise is to have a good breakfast and avoid the scones and the bread again today.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

I had hoped for better scale results from a 100% on plan day. Oh well. I had fun writing yesterday, which, I suspect contributed to the 100% on plan. I'll try for that again today.

WI: +0.3kgs, Exercise: +45 540/1300 minutes and 11/33 miles for August, Food: 100%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Hi friends... yesterday was a good day! Seven friends and neighbors came over for the 'Garden Thin-out'. Folks came and worked hard helping to get the gardens looking great. Lots of digging & lots of friendship. Of course, we had a grand cookout too. I am so grateful for have wonderful friends who offered to come and help with this project. Some folks filled their car with many starts - I am glad of that, too.

The cookout was: Italian style chicken on the grill, my family's favorite brown rice, a platter of multicolored peppers/sliced tomatoes/fresh mozzarella (with a garlicy evoo drizzle on the side), garlic bread, and watermelon. I ate the chicken, rice, veggies, and watermelon. I am grateful for the willingness to plan and eat healthfully.

Today is rest and regular weekend things. Tonight we go to our favorite Chinese Restaurant for our cousin’s birthday celebration. I can get my favorite steamed Hong Kong Sea Bass. It is a healthy dinner. It will be a big group of 20 or more.

I am really liking the food tracker at Sparkpeople. I have tried them before and found it confusing and frustrating. However, it is going very well and gives my lots of information about the distribution of food components (calories, fats, salt, carbs, protein, fiber, calcium, etc) I find it to be helpful to know these. It’s a ‘fresh approach’ in the never ending ‘career’ of weight loss. The only downside is that the past days I have not written down my plan… it’s been in my head & I’ve considered my food tracker writing it down. Hello!! That’s backward Beck approach. It’s important to write down the plan!

I didn’t post yesterday - really busy and really tired in the evening. I want to commit to coming to touch base even on a tired/busy day - if only a sentence of two.

I have been weighing every day as Dr. Beck suggests - this was lovely when I quickly lost five pounds in 4 days - and then nothing for the next five days. I know it’s to become used to the daily fluctuations - I don’t know if that is possible. It makes me feel like I need to do ‘stuff’ to make the scale move. - extra fiber, diruetic tea,- this is unhealthy for me.

Billbe - well done on using that resistance muscle. Isn’t tomato season great?! Tomato sandwich sounds good. I really appreciated your Beck post today - such a good good reminder to slow down and the importance of making it a priority, too.

Lexxiss - credit for you making such a good choice at breakfast. You are right- it’s a little easier when NOT on a trip.

Tazzy - Credit for staying OP at the comedy and preplanning your strategy. Major kudo’s for passing up the samples! Everyone I know who does Zumba… loves it too. Glad you liked “The Help” too. Glad your goodie didn’t put you over for the day. I know what you mean.. it just feels better to have a goodie when it’s planned.

Onebyone - credit for passing up the zucinni bread and scones. I know that resisting something all day sometime ends up with me eating extra later, too. We are always working on the things… sigh.

Pam - You said: The one thing I will always remember from Beck skills is that the confidence I had lost in myself has been reaffirmed. That is a wonderful thing - it means so, so much. I agree - Beck helps us to forgive the past with food and concentrate on food sanity for today - and planning ahead for later. You said: ‘Food is ,well, just food. We can make peace with it if we realize its place in life. It is not our "friend, lover, aspirin for a headache, fix leaky faucets, bring justice to an unjust world or hankies for the blues". It is just food. It never was anything else. We just forgot. That's all. ‘ Very profound .. such a good reminder, thanks.

gardener joy - Sometimes you have to try it and see. It’s amazing that a kids meal is 700 calories. (I always remember you writing - don’t buy food from a place where you buy gas for your car.) Many good credits. - Kudo's for 100% on plan on Saturday.

Maryann - it is so nice that you are getting a needed resurgence of liking your work more. It’s always helpful when it happens. Kudo’s for planning and writing foods down.

Erika - YAY for a pound down. Good planning ahead for the tennis tourney. Yum.. Bean and kale sautee sounds good.

Trimommy - gotta love the dish soap technique! Major credit.

MissyJ - credit for mostly staying OP while in Chicago. It’s nice when you/we all can feel comfortable ordering healthy entrιe that aren’t always a salad. It’s nice to have it as a backup when there’s nothing else, too. Major credit for using your Beck techniques and response cards when faced with stress.

Have a great day.

Morning Coaches/Buddies!

The scale went up a bit today but I'm pretty sure that's from eating dinner late. At least it's not up as far as it was ...
Made a new dish last night - Mediterranean Kale & Bean Sautι ... super healthy and my daughter ate it, so that counts as a winner in my book.
Today I have a barbecue at a friend's house - he's a colleague of my husband's - and they have promised to provide veggie burgers, so my plan is to have a veggie burger with no bun, salad (bringing my own dressing) and one glass of wine. No dessert unless it's fruit straight up with no sugar.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - your Sane Food Diet sounds very ... uh ... sane Great adaptation to the demands of travel!
maryann - love your insight - "This whole year has been about changing me (and not everyone else) to find peace." This is key!!
gardenerjoy - credit for your carryout experiment - will be interested to hear whether it sparks cravings for more. I know what you mean about wanting better results for being 100% OP! I keep telling myself that my weight is actually none of my business ... just my behaviour.
pamatga - love your thoughts on the proper place of food in our lives. Credit for all your good healthy behaviours!!
onebyone - well done resisting those scones and zucchini bread. Don't know if I would have been able to, LOL
Tazzy - you're doing great! Where are you in Alberta?
BillBE - Tomato sandwich week sounds awesome. My daughter brought home a tomato from the neighbours' that was the size of a kiddie basketball ... we made salsa out of half of it.
Beverlyjoy - I am so with you on wanting to affect that scale number. I think maybe it's like trying to control the weather. Perhaps the body just needs to adjust to lower weights before it drops even more ...

Wishing everyone an OP Sunday!

Erika


Read ARC: yes
Sat down to eat: yes
Gave myself credit: yes
Walking: yes
Qi Gong: no (Need to get back to that!!)

Good MOrning Coaches: OP for most of the day. At about 4:00 I had a surge of BlUES. I really recognized it this time while it was happening. I ate to change the feeling but it was mostly healthy protein and then I was back on plan within 15 mins. Credit for getting better. It reminds me of the old story:
A man walks down the street and falls in a hole.
The man walks down the street and falls in the same hole.
The man walks down the street. Stops, looks at the hole and jumps in it.
The man walks down another street.

I think I am ready to walk down another street.

Pamatga: Credit for exercise even when it is uncomfortable. I am not one to endure being uncomfortable all that stoically. I am impressed when others do. It sets a good example for me.
onebyone: I am with you - there is no substitute for being of service. It is the best medicine.
MissyJ: I am a SoCAL girl who married a farmer girl up in Northern California. I never knew the delights of picking your own produce. At various times of the years (with no help from me) I pick pears, figs, rosemary, oranges - It is a blast.
BBE: I have also been trying to flex that Resistance muscle. I feel so much prouder of myself when my food is clean.
Lexxiss: Credit for food peace and feeling in control of your choices.
gardenerjoy: I was a little disappointed with my weigh in today as well. I have come to notice a pattern that every time I eat a veggie burger I gain a pound. HMMM but it could be similar to your green dinner so I will withhold judgment.
Beverleyjoy:What a terrific day with friends and family. Precious moments.
Eusibius: I have been putting a lot of emphasis on the little fluctuations of a daily weigh in. My new focus is to go back to treating it as info. I know going back to school when help me put the scale "in it's right place."

hey everyone, just a quick one tonight - I don't really know where to start... something triggered me this weekend and i ended up having a really bad weekend of binge eating / off-plan eating... all was ok until saturday evening, then at a BBQ with friends i just ate way too much which carried on into today... don't really know what to think... i'm annoyed with myself but don't want to get into a cycle of self-loathing

Inspired by Erika i'm going to start a detox tomorrow, and hopefully my head will be a bit clearer and i can try to think about why i went so awry...