Hello All,

Well really getting hunger at this lower cals-may start adding some cals to be at 1400 soon. I agree Onebyone-the body does need to be shaking up-Anyway finally going thru a losing time-YeahhI Can handle hunger but really getting so tired of it-Still plan not to eat sugar, white flour or alcohol for a while longer-Those are my major craving foods- I go back and forth from eating some moderation, going over board on them and abstaining from them completely.

Tomarrow will be harder as going to the wine country with such good wines and foods.-plus that mental attititude lurking of Oh Well it is a mothers day celebration. Plan to party on great fresh fruit dishes and salads.

Many of your are doing great on your exercising-more power to you all.

billblueyes-hope you have an unstressed weekend-glad that no choice attitude won out over the unhealthy treats

onebyone-want pics of your brooches-our first fair this summer will be in 2 weeks-They are trying a new one at a new location-keeping my fingers crossed for the best-love working on the bird houses and using recyled materials on them-fun to find and use the junk.

Robin-my illness also really helped my break the overeating pattern-would like to have just a touch of the flu when I start craving foods as found the illness such a turn off to eating. Feel very well soon!

Barbpos-really understand those sabatoging weekends-I really hear and do my no choice card while at home it is during celebrations and outings than I weaken. It just hard to figure out who to deal with addicting foods which surgar, white flour and alcohol can be to me-Like you I go back and forth on how.

Heidi-caring thoughts to you and your family.

sue

Diet Coaches – Another day at work where the thought kept coming back that a snack would reduce the stress. Actually catching up with the work reduces the stress, LOL. Another good gym session, CREDIT moi. Walked to the gym and back in the rain and I didn't melt. Eating on plan is soooo easy when there's a chunk of leftover broiled salmon for lunch. I am reminded of the old days when there were few leftovers because I just had enough seconds (and thirds) to solve the problem. CREDIT moi for catching on to the notion of eating a rational amount of food for a meal.

Sue (CoastalSue) - If my eyes are correct your ticker continues to tick a bit down; Congrats!! Stay on course during the wind country visit; you've been working so hard for this.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Right on for giving yourself credit for Becking down the liquorish; Double BIG Kudos. The Seattle Sounders soccer game sounds like fun; I've never been to a professional soccer game. Continue to send supportive thought for you and DD and Henry.

Barbara (barbpos) – Kudos for getting your bike tuned up; isn't it fun to get back on the old bikes. And Kudos for your double exercise day and for coming out on top of your hat trick weekend of eating events. You seem to be stably on your healthy lifestyle. (Yep, it looks a bit overcast as I type.)

onebyone – Congrats on the scale down 3. Kudos for reading your Advantages Card and getting back on track. LOL, would love to see your "odd ball design and the over the top whatever."

Robin (RobinW) - Ouch that you're still on The Stomach Flu Diet. Kudos that you rescheduled your appointment with your trainer and are getting back into life with your walk. Hope this ugh stuff passes.


Readers – “… This preparation teaches them exactly what to do when dieting gets hard." From the Introduction, Beck, pg 12.

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Completed Beck Program-day 42. You’ve met your goal. Congratulations!

Good Morning

Hubby took me for dinner last night, and I didnt practise leaving food on my plate, or taking any home. I should have, because after reading Bill's post, I realized that I had more than enough to fill me up, then have enough for lunch today. I need to practise asking for a take-away box as soon as the food is brought to the table. Then putting 1/2 the serving in that box!!!

Really though, it is the only full meal Ive had in about a week. Today has to be 100% back on track, or my jean wearing event will only be a one day event

I am going to get out today again and walk a bit. The sunshine is calling me!

Have a great weekend everyone, and a Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there.

Happy Saturday everyone...

Today my friend and I decided to walk to a garage sale. We managed to walk by the bake sale table but had a good sniff at the lunch counter. I headed over to the book and music section. I could hardly believe what I found there. THE BECK DIET SOLUTION on CD'S!! It was tagged for $2.00 but I gave the church $5.00.

I have to confess I have a bit of guilt buying books and music at garage sales. My brother and sister-in-law are both artists. They have made me very aware of copy-right issues and the need for artists, authors etc to be paid for their work. However I think Judith would probably be ok with this since I did buy her book at market cost.

I don't know much about the "Secret" or laws of attraction. I don't worship any particular deity. But I do believe in Karma. I think this was a positive affirmation to stay on this journey.

I really appreciate that you share your struggles in such a candid manner. You are teaching me that there is no "failure" with this program. It would be rare to "unlearn" the program. When we are done with our detours we can simply get back on the path and continue to move forward.

Oh yeah.. I weighed in this morning and I am down 5 lbs

Now I must go and listen to my cds.. Let's all have a great week !!

Hello all,

Just a short note as arrived home rather late.

We had a great day in the wine country-weather perfect. we have had 40MPH winds gusts for the last week and they are expected for two more days so was great to be in warm sunny non windy weather. Food went so-so so hard to get low cal food in places. Did have a spinach salad and and 2 scallops for lunch, dinner was 2 small fish tocos, one cosco hot dog-minus a bun but no alcohol or sugar or breads-so hope by limiting the amounts I didn't do alot of damage to the plan to get under 300 with in the week. Great fun looking at wonderful botiques of high price luxury items-then did the real shopping at cosco and TJs-much different atmospheres.

TJ was a bit of work not to get some of the old types of supplies-cookies for the trip home, dark chocolate, wine, beer nuts ect. We did good though-lots of veggies got in the cart-those baby carrots are an easy snack. Really thought of the concepts of Beck about the brain getting program to repeat patterns-never get the dark chocolate at our local store but right away wanted it at TJ-

Redballoon-wonderful to hear your being much more compassionate to your self-It is a practice I work on in order to stop my brain from getting too hard and down on myself and then puff I am depressed again. The Beck plan has helped me lose weight and see what damage sabatoging thoughts can do in other areas of my life.

Billblueeyes- Agree that Salmon is super-what is going to happen to it? They have closed all the commerical and sport salmon fishing in our area- one is so tough on folks in this area economically plus it is statement of the horrible state the fish is in.. Glad your Beck brain won over the cravings!! Thanks for noticing the loss-I am 300.4 as of this morning and really want to get under that really soon. Hope my odd eating today doesn't do too much damage-but it was a first for me to go by about 30 wineries and not stop and taste. It was a good Beck exercise that I did do successfully.

Elkfordian-glad you got the CD on Beck-I bet the orginally buyer paid full price and Beck got her roalities and now things are just being recyled and the church is helped out. Better to stay in circulation than sitting in a book shelve unread. Great loss that 5 LBs!!

Heidi-loved the statement of it feels good to take care of me. I still am bombbarded with loud demanding cravings and food lustings which so insistent but after I do eat healthy then a quiet little voice goes "that feels good". Want that voice to get louder and more frequent.

Robin -glad you are doing so much better-I have used the that trick to getting my take home carton when my meal arrive and put half in there right away. also DH and I are sharing meals now-then get and extra salad. Eating out is just tough to eat a healthy meal -cooked in little fat and serve in appropriate portion. Good luck in solving this situation,

sue

Hi coaches!
We ended up having dinner at my dad's house and we brought 2 of dds friends (sisters) instead of dad's gfriend adn dd coming. we had a blast and my dad served turkey burgers with whole grain buns and loads of veggies with sweet potato baked fries. YUM! I had a nonfat mocha at the game while the girlies munched down kettle corn. We had a really fun time and I stayed on plan.

Today was a good day with doggie too-he was a little bit more alert than he has been-just enjoying him and pampering him a bit. I cleaned the whole house since a dd's teacher's daughter offered to take her to a bday party that they both were invited to. That was a HUGE gift for me... I had no interest in attending the party and had so much to do. I cleaned and relaxed a bit. I felt refueled, energized and happy to be fully present with those three little girls and my dad-what a difference from the times that it feels like I am drained and have a million things to do and fighting thinking about the things I could/should be doing when doing something that is supposed to be fun.

Tomorrow is mom's day and I turned down a brunch invite with friends. I really don't want to be tempted with all that mediocre food and saw the friends today... My brother will be in town for a few days interviewing for a position here-he and his fam live in Denver..we will eat dinner at my dad's tomorrow night-always can depend on healthy delicious food at my dad's!

Not much else to report. Happy Mother's Day to everyone...dd has been telling me for the last week how excited she is to see how I am going to feel when I see my gift from her. She can barely stand waiting...she says that she is going to wake me up "super super early" to give it to me. I told her that my gift is that I get to be her mom-it is TRUE! I am also going to call my mom tomorrow morning and tell her how much I appreciate now her dealing wtih three kids for so long... I was in full charge of three kids for a few hours and, even feeling great and having fun, it was tiring!!! Enjoy your day tomorrow everyone.

Diet Coaches – Happy Mother's Day to all the moms !

Took three bike rides yesterday to different stores and local events; great fun. I'm getting back in the swing of things. Went to a different Ethiopian restaurant last night. Was surprised at the volume of food served on the combo platter for two. Really good stuff. And the Injera bread was made with 100% teff flour (a grain indigeous to Ethiopia); the other Ethiopian restaurant serves Injera cut with white flour to be more palatable to Americans. Ate more than mildly full, but not terribly concerned since a lot of it was vegetables and lentils. Had the odd thought of it being difficult to leave food on the plate from a region of the world where there is so much hunger. Now that's a new Sabotaging Thought for me.

Sue (CoastalSue) - Kudos for taking a fun trip and staying on plan, including going "by about 30 wineries." I share your concern that the salmon population is down 92% off California !!! Having similar problems on Stellwagen Bank off the Massachusetts coast.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Wow, your Sounders game sounds like a blast. Kudos for staying on plan with such excitement - as well as three highly charged little girls. And Kudos for getting yourself "refueled, energized and happy to be fully present." I just love it when you remind me how to be mindful. Nice to hear that Henry had a good day - continuing to send healing and supportive thoughts.

Robin (RobinW) - Great to hear you're well enough to go out for dinner, and even more, "The sunshine is calling me!"

Lori (elkfordian) - Congrats on the 5 pounds. Kudos that you "managed to walk by the bake sale table." Beck's CD's for $2 - what a delight!!! Interesting thought about royalties. I haven't worried about buying second hand items, but I am sensitive to not buying remaindered books by writers that I know - they get no royalties. My favorite is to buy a book directly from an author at full price - now that's the best contribution.

redballoon - Kudos for your positive thinking as expressed in such thoughtful posts. I was particularly moved by, "I am allowing for the gentler, more peaceful and loving part of me to surface." It shows in your writings. Thanks for the tips for breaking out of the stress at work; I tend to forget to do the very things that will help.

Readers – "The Beck Diet Solution prepares you in the same way. …" From the Introduction, Beck, pg 12.

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Monthly Anniversary:
2 yrs 8 months on healthy journey.
14 months at maintenance weight of 158.
9 months on 3FC.
8 months posting on Beck threads.

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Completed Beck Program-day 42. You’ve met your goal. Congratulations!

Hi everyone,I just wanted to say I am doing bad! bad! bad! I feel like such a failure.Doesn't seem to matter what diet plan I try I am just stubbornly refusing to follow it. I start each day with good intentions and they just fall to wasteside and I am off eating well everything bad! I have been reading my cards and listening to my cds but then I just start thinking it will never work and go back to the same old behaviors.Very frustrated!

Good evening coaches.

I had a very busy weekend. Both farmers' markets are now underway. I had two very early mornings, getting up at 5:30 am and two late nights leading into those early mornings so I am fried. The weather this weekend was perfect so many folks took the time to visit the markets I had good sales both days. Funny comments. One guy told me I was deeply influenced by Gary Larson. Another said I was the "Rodrigues of Ottawa" (blue dog artist). This year's painting teacher was by with his wife and they both bought pins from me and he said "Let's take a look at your paintings and critique them" "No!" I yelled and tried to cover them with my hands. It was just funny and he said "I know you have your crazy art here." It was all very positive. But the comment that got under my skin was this one. A young man, with the most perfect goatee I have ever seen (neat, longish-2" below his chin and cut perfectly even and straight along the bottom. reminded me of a scottie dog!) neat clean tshirt and jeans, stood looking at my work for about 5 minutes. A long time. He looked at me and said "You're on to something here. The pins aren't my thing but they are great and your paintings are really good. If you don't succeed it's not because of your product but because of your marketing." And then he walked away. What? Hey! Come back... what should I do? How can I do it better? I just make things I can't do the marketing too... Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other. It's the kind of comment someone in my family would make... you just sort of feel bad but can't pipooint why. Anyway that was my weekend.
Foodwise OMG not good. Not good at all. Time to get serious again. really serious. I have got to change this and I will. I need to re-read that book and really work it. Tomorrow I am out to buy a bicycle helmet and to try to put air in my tires and take that bike out for a spin if my tires are okay. And that's that for today.

BillBlueEyes Congratulations on your anniversaries. What really strikes me is you know exactly how long you've been "working the problem". It means to me that you respect and honour those accomplishments and I feel like I am missing that somehow. I easily dismiss my steps forward, my weightloss success, I guess cause I have gone up and down for decades so I don't feel they are any different from anything else before. This has got to change. It implies with every down I expect an up and so far I am getting exactly what I believe (of course this is how everything works isn't it?). I need to do some extra work around this. Maybe I'll do as ladybugnessa did and email Dr. Beck on this see if I get an answer from the good Doctor herself. So, thanks for triggering this insight for me. And... kudos for the bike rides. Can you ride to work? Lots of people around here do that. We have a great bike path system.

hbuchwald Glad you had a good day yesterday and I hope today went well too!

coastalsue I may do a week like you just had. No sugar or bread. Right now that feels right to me. Thanks for the example of succeeding with this. it makes me feel I can do it too.

redballoon Your Steve Austin re-write for me made me laugh out loud. Thanks so much for that! I am going to print it out.

elkfordian Those Beck CD's were a real find! It is incredible considering all the stuff you could see and come across at a garage sale and there they were. Wow. That'll give your Beck program a boost no doubt!

RobinW Congrats on the jeans and I hope you were feeling better today and even better tomorrow.

wendylan I know how you feel. I keep falling off the wagon too and re-gaining my weight. HOWEVER this is no reason to stop. Things do change and for me I will continue to gain weight, and THAT will be the change I see if I don't become active in my life with this. I have to keep trying--I have no choice on that. Good use of a Beck strategy here I think. You did do one thing, you posted here so you do want this. I am not going to focus on the long term right now. I need to focus from meal to meal for a while. You know when/how you fall apart, so you need to find a strategy for those situations. As your diet coaches we are here to help you. Someone said: I count on that. You can too.

hi wendy,

do not despair! i'm in the same boat - my "giving in muscle" has gotten the best workout of its life the last three weeks. onebeone, kidslibrarylady and i are all starting over with day 1. for me that day is tomorrow. i'm doing it for real - not going to start dieting until i've finished the first two weeks again. what about trying that? doesn't sound like dieting is working for you, so maybe you could put it aside for a few days and get the head part straightened out. doesn't that sound more appealing than beating yourself up?

hey everyone, i'm back. go me. ran my race, got my masters. had my birthday. (thanks redballoon! i got some goodlooking menfolk, don't i?) i was really expecting to feel relieved, glad, excited, and instead i feel let down, a little like i did after my wedding. the big days came and went and now the craziness is over, and i feel sad. something to meditate on there. this is why i pick up so many commitments and run myself ragged. i guess i'm a little afraid of being bored or let down by normal, everyday life. it seems so appealing when i'm in the middle of my jeanstorm, but now that the storm has passed, i can feel myself looking for the next big thing. traditionally that would be losing weight, but i'm realizing that looking at my weight as an exciting short-term project is part of my ongoing weight problem, but maybe also part of some bigger issue in avoiding being in the present. all my chronic overachieving has a ramification - i'm always thinking about some point in the future when i've accomplished whatever it is and i finally - what? feel good about myself? get some kind of recognition that will finally be enough? i need to think more on this one. i've crammed a lot into just a few decades, and for the most part it's felt very hectic and not nice, although i've got an impressive CV. i've been very driven and it's taken a toll. what would it feel like to just be? and be happy with it? i don't know what that feels like.

back to day one. thanks for listening, coaches! (i also must regretfully fire my fabulous DH as a coach. he has no idea, and like bill i would bore him to tears with my calorie stuff. plus he's not very good at keeping me accountable. he's very sweet but he cuts me waaay too much slack.)

Hi all- tomorrow is my day. This weekend we were out of town with family, not a good time to re-start my efforts. I am starting, as others, on day one but am doing my 'diet' which amounts to calorie-counting starting tomorrow as well. I am just madness without it. (My 15 month-old has decided to wake up again so I have to cut this short. She clearly doesn't understand the concept of mothers day. I do look forward to being another voice of encouragement to others on this board.)

Kuhljeanie-- I went through a depression (and I am, thankfully, not prone) after I got my Masters. It felt like a let-down somehow. You may be onto something with avoiding being present by doing too many things. We owe it to ourselves and our wee ones to make the effort to be present!! That being said, congratulations on all your recent successes. You are a talented woman!

Evening,

Happy mother's day to all

Since we celebrate the day yesterday today we worked hard and long on the birdhouses. I get so tired by the end of the day that I need to chop and dice all the dinner stuff prior to starting work-too tired to make a salad so just threw alot of veggies into a curry sauce with some bean and low cal sausage-ok but a bit ho hum.

Hey this is hard stuff and easy to go on and off following the food plan -I understand starting over and over-But it is worth it as eventually you lose some weight and get healthier. This program not only helps one to lose weight but even more importantly helps me to learn to cope with stress without food- While I often misstep-The only possible solution to get healthier is to get back on the plan and do the exercises and fight those sabatoging thoughts. Congradulation to you guys to return and re-do the steps

I used to eat all the time for any reason-with beck I kept working one "reason" after another to master-got 3 Biggies left-1. intense stress-2-Partying with certain old wine/food buddies. 3. Depressed moods. This stuff is pretty ingrained and is taking awhile to master the skills to undo the "giving in muscle'-but firmly believe that will change also.

Kulhjeanie-Some powerul question you were asking about your involvement in so many projects at once--I personally find transitions difficult no matter how I look forward to the change-would be exhausted at the end of the school year yet not know how to relax and do other things during the first 3 weeks of summer. Structure keeps me disciplined.-work to met deadlines and other's expectation of me. anyway thanks for your posting got me thinking.

onebyone-sounds like good feed back on your showing/sales-Saw Rodriques work at New Orleans, been to showing of Larson's work-your stuff sounds great.!!Marketing is such an art and takes time to learn what chances to take. There are fairs in the San Francisco area that sound great-but I'm not ready to spend $600 entrance fee-maybe later. Our kids are trying to get us to start a web site-everything in time.
PS still enjoying having no sugar, alcohol and white flour-go for it-when the time is right.

wendylan-after I was beating myself up for overeating the other day, my skinny friend said- oh well there is always tomarrow.-so simple- no lecture, analyzing, no guilty-just start over again tomarrow. Envy that eating for her is so uncomplicated.

Heidi what a wonderful day and hearing your successes and enjoyment of your activities-even the opportunity to clean the house-glad things are calmer for you. YOU are heck of a great mom to your DH.

BillBlueeyes-you deserve a hugh congradulation for all those successful statistics. What an achievement-thanks for sharing. Your sabatoging thought reminded me of my mom's prompt to eat up because there are starving children in China-That never really made sense to me but I ate up any way. I actually don't think I ever need any encouragement to eat. But we are a very rich but wasteful culture. This was done long before any food reaches our plates.-At least composting that lettuce I didn't use soon enough helps me a bit. Thanks for your daily support


sue

Happy Belated Mothers Day to all...

I have no children and have so much respect for mothers. Perhaps there should be a Aunties Day. I can't wait to fill our travel trailer with nieces and nephews and hit the road. One of my summer traditions is to have "holiday" parties with the kids. We have celebrated Christmas in August and have even made up holidays like Harry Potter Day. There are always gifts and cakes involved.

I think Spring is the ultimate "do over" season. Our gardens have another chance to bloom. Our planet seems to renew itself. The sun hangs around longer and we can shake off the dark days of winter. The seasons change and the cycle goes on.

Perhaps we can embrace this season of change for our bodies as well. We can learn from our past behaviors and let them slip away like the dark winter days. Now is time to clean our windows and let the sun shine in. Each day is a opportunity to eat well and live well. Take a moment to rest and feel the sun on your face. Of course it will rain occasionally. We will slip along the way. We can stomp in the puddles and keep on walking down the path. Be well my friends...