Good morning fellow Beckers!!

I haven't posted in a while, I have been kind of busy, I've been checking it out the forum everyday though! Hmmm...a little recap of my week -(BTW today is my weigh in!!!) It went really good actually, I feel like I have more will power than I ever had before, I passed up Pizza last nite! Huge Credit MOI, because I love pizza and usually when its around I slip atleast a bite, I didn't even do that!! I exercised every day except Tuesday because I was working, which still includes walking back and forth all day, so technically I sort of exercised every day since last Saturday!! I didn't hit the gym though, I started jogging and fast pace walking at our local park, and yesterday I went for about 25 extra minutes than usual!!! Yay for me!
I also finished the Beck book, it is definitly not day 42 for me, but I have been "changing my ways of eating" since 2006 so half of the stuff I already know and the other half, I am glad to know and have it all written down on response cards, and when I get stuck, I shall just return to the pages and re-read a few!!
It is a beautiful day here on PEI, my relatives are home from Boston, so we are having a big family gathering tonite, meaning FOOD FOOD AND FOOD!!! So here is my thing - I know I will be tempted, because I already seen whats on the menu lol, so I go for one weigh in today, (with two of my friends, we put 5 bucks in the pot every Friday morning, and at the end of the summer whoever lost the most weight gets the money, a Biggest Loser thing must I say....but it seems to be keeping me motivated!) Also, tomorrow is my WW weigh in day, so I was going to do them both this morning while I was in town, but I think I will weight to do weight watchers weigh in tomorrow, therefore I am less likely to cheat this evening!! Good Idea, if I do say so myself!!
well, I should get going, hope everyone has a super sunny Friday!!!
I will fill you in with my results later! My fingers are crossed, I am hoping for a 2 pound lost, which will get me to my lowest yet! Wish me luck!

Hello coaches

Just a quick note to get my day off right. I am in to the school for work this morning and then back to pick up the rental car for this weekend's markets.
I've got chores that need to get done with the car today in order to complete stuff to sell this weekend. I hope things go well sales-wise. I'm aiming to be able to bank $300/month so we'll have enough to move away once school is done in the spring. I also need to keep paying credit cards down (200-300) and I'll have to pay tuition soon (1200)... supplies for school (unknown amount there!)... not sure what's a realistic expectation $-wise for me but I hope to top up reserves with 3 Arts in the Park coming up, all 2 weeks apart starting July 26th. I'm just putting it out there and hoping the universe hears my call.

Foodwise I am doing okay. I did have a onion rings last night at dinner out when I could have had salad. That wasn't the best choice. I also ate until I was way too full at lunch. I think writing about it the day before triggered me into wanting it the next day! I don't, and didn't, feel the pull to keep eating like that after I did it, an even while I did it I wasn't that into it. For these things I am grateful. No harm done. A 1.5 meal blip. I have been asking myself with every food choice: Is that helping me or hurting me to get to 140?
I sometimes know better, like the onion rings, but I also know I can keep going. Being 89% on track does not require me to go right off the rails!
Credit moi for knowing this today.

Gotta run. TGIF gang!

happy friday all!

bill and onebyone, muchos kudos to you both on your tremendous achievements in not using a vending machine to manage stress, and not going off the rails after some unplanned eating. it's uplifting to hear about, after all my slips and slurps.

one (1) credit moi for doing a headstand in yoga for the first time. it was interestingly scary to be upside down like that on my own steam. when i finally got my legs up, i realized that i had been thinking it would take a lot of upper body strength to maintain that position. it did take a lot to GET in that position, but maintaining it seems to be 10% keeping your shoulders away from your ears, and 85% balance. the other 5% is to keep at it even though it feels insane to be upside down. so there's some good body wisdom in this, huh. the muscle-through part of the job is planning meals and saying no choice and not giving in to cravings, and the balance part is those little wavers and corrections once you've gotten yourself in position. i'm still working my way into this posture, and i'm fighting it. don't want to be upside down! the reality is that that's the position i need to be in to get all those advantages i keep forcing myself to acknowledge. so. enough cowpoopie with thinking that if i exercise enough, i can eat whatever i want. first, i need to get into position. i can work on finding my balance once i get there. bill, wish i could take credit for "what gets measured, gets done" - but it's a catchphrase that's been around my group for a couple of years, usually applied to management dashboards, incentive compensation, and KPI/SLA (key performance indicators and service level agreement management) design. that, and "data is king." both true and applicable to beck and weight loss! a yeti matador meter (LOVE IT! ) - i think i've figured out how to get that mini-thrill thing for eating. how about a meal plan, where i can just check off that i've eaten the plan and nothing but the plan? wish i could take credit for that insight as well...

nice to hear from you, jenny! good luck with the family foodfest. you'll do great. heidi, i think i get what you're going after. it's a higher ratio of heidi to body, like a more intense concentration of youness? for me, i'm visualizing it as the actual me is inside a really well-fitting fatsuit. i've been wearing it almost my whole life, so it's understandable that i've mistaken it for me. but it's actually sitting on top of me, like coats of paint. not like an onion. if you keep peeling an onion, eventually, you get down to - nothing. this is more like jewelry that's gotten crusted up with a coat of rust that's been there so long, you could mistake it for a patina. but it's not. there's actually something much shinier underneath.

love to all on this beatiful summer day!

Hi all,

We are leaving to do a 2 day show to sell those birdhouses-Really understand your hopefulness onebyone for your upcoming shows-so many expenses and limited dinero to pay for them-did a show last week-just made gas and show entrance-this one we are hopeful for more-I think all the smoke and fires are making folks in our area very subdued and stopped some tourists from coming to our coastal area.

This will be a tough time to follow the food plan-think I'll work on the the no S plan that someone memtioned. Get back to you all next Monday

good luck

sue

Hi guys:
Coaches: today I'm focusing on the sitting and eating mindfully I was in pain yesterday and all the old habits came out to play. Today is a new day and I'm being mindful
JennyG I have always always wanted to go to PEI!! (Yes I love Anne Shirley!) Relax about tonight you're changing your life for you!!
one by good luck with your sales
Kuhl! Credit Vous!! great job!
Sue just make the best choices available! That's why you plan for life
I had PT today and got some exercises to do sitting while I'm infirmed
also going to look up seated aerobics on amazon and send one to my Moms house
Starting Ph 1 today and knock on wood so far so good. I'm ready to head back into the sunshine! bbl

Hi everyone-just flying by tonight-lots to do and it is HOT (for Seattle anyway...). We are LOVING it!!!

I did well again today eating on plan, getting some exercise and I even got a pedicure. Some friends took dd to a movie with their daughter..it was so nice and relaxing-I read People magazine and enjoyed the massaging chair while getting my well used feet pampered!

Just plugging along-my little visualization thing continues to speak to me-love kuhljeanie's version too.

Til tomorrow..

Greetings, yeti yogis and yoginis!!

Today is Day 26 and I believe I am supposed to be responding to my sabotaging thoughts. Fortunately, I haven't been having too many. The main one I have is specific to Body-for-Life, the program I'm following. I know that if I had gone back on Weight Watchers or Sonoma, I probably would have lost at least 8 pounds by now, if not more. Instead i've lost 2, though I know that reflects a 6-pound fat loss and a 4-pound muscle gain if the calipers are to be believed. This program is easy to follow and makes my body feel great, and I suspect it's actually healthier in the long run than some of the very-low-cal regimens, but it requires great patience. And so I just say to myself: Wait for week 12 before passing judgment; stay off the scale; and don't scratch the shenpa!

Kierie - wtg on your restraint in the grocery store! Kudos!

coastalsue - great job with your first full days on program! Love the insight about the way "poor me" feelings intersect with sugar rushes. It is so easy for me to get trapped in that cycle. Have a lovely and hopefully profitable weekend!

spryng - hope things are looking up for you today!

angelmomma - you seem really busy - hope you get a chance to relax.

SeaChild - *wave* Nice to meet you!

onebyone - kudos to you on the steady improvements to your diet! I had a feeling the visual arts weren''t that different from music in the unfairness factor, LOL. I would say 89% on track is pretty darn good, wouldn't you?

maryblu - Beckies are definitely the coolest. ITA!

heidi - well, your day yesterday really shows how this whole thing is about so much more than food. When we stop using food as an emotional panacea, it forces us to balance and review our entire lives!! And you have done this beautifully. What a terrific role model you are for your daughter!

Bill - Good thoughts to you for keeping on track despite the upcoming stress! All the kind words are true ... you really anchor this group in so many ways. LOL on the pecan turtles and the requirement to eat it with DW ... sometimes these rules just can't be broken!
Re the Yeti Matador Meter - outstanding!! Can we incorporate the retina scan from the chocolate-dispensing machine? Good grief, we will have a whole line of products before next thursday!!


jeanie - great job staying on plan while under pressure! and yes, this is the best group on 3FC by far, which is why it's the only one I post on! and you're a big part of that! Woah - you did a HEADSTAND? Colour me impressed! I have never been able to get past my mental blocks to do that. Inspiring!

Jenny - Lol that we are "Beckers" ... that makes me think of convenience stores, which are my bad food arch-nemesis!! Great job on passing up pizza - definitely a positive choice!

All right matadors, DH is about to finish bathtime with DD and I'll be putting her to bed. Free day tomorrow (BBQ at a friends) but I'll be trying to stay mindful and not go hog wild on the treats. Thanks all for your wise, supportive words that have kept me on track for nearly 4 weeks!

cheers
Erika

CREDIT MOI!
I switched to my second diet plan and feel more in control and it's only day 1.
I had PT today and My guy gave me some seat friendly exercises. I also just ordered a chair fitness DVD Chair Boxing POW! which should keep me engaged while my foot heals most of the instructors either looked like Dee Snyder or like the 80s exploded on the DVD
I made good mindful choices today even when I was out and about.
It was 4:46 and all of a sudden I was starving and in the drugstore with all the candy temptation. I ended up choosing an atkins bar with no sugar alcohols. I went to the park and had my snack
Tomorrow I'm goign to plan out my weeks food variable to if I'm goign to my Moms
she's on a healthy Woe so the only thing I'd have to put a lot of work towards is breakfast.
I'll be back in the AM Bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Kierie

Diet Coaches – Continuing with stress and continuing without eating my way through it. CREDIT moi. Am psyched about the progress organizing my papers. When DW asked me to find something from our spreadsheets for our 2001 income taxes my first feeling wasn't panic, but OK, I can do that. That's a big step forward for me. CREDIT moi.

Sue (CoastalSue) - Hope the tourists are drawn to your area to escape the air in theirs. Good luck with your weekend sales.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - LOL that the way to relax the head is to have your "well used feet pampered." Methinks you're on to something.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - WOW, (Kuhljeanie), you did a headstand, just MOM (əɪuɐəſɿɥɳʞ). Neat analogy to staying on plan. Presumably, we'll get so good at this that we won't feel upside down as often.

onebyone – Kudos for keeping the perspective that a blip is just a blip. And Kudos for 89% on plan; I agree with Erika (eusebius), that's pretty darn good. Hope sales are robust this weekend.

Erika (eusebius) – Congrats on both the loss and the muscle gain. Big Kudos for responding to the sabotaging thoughts about your Body for Life plan. Yep, slow and permanent is the way to go. Neat that you thought to combine the parts of our machines - you can be Vice President of Marketing to coordinate all our product, LOL.

JennyG - What a cool idea to delay your weigh in until after your family gathering with the "FOOD FOOD AND FOOD." Kudos for using strategies to help support healthy eating rather than just willpower - that's so Beck.

Kierie (KO) - Kudos for setting up your chair exercises before your foot surgery on Monday. You'll come out of this with a great upper body. And Kudos for making a preferred choice at the drugstore.


Readers – "… But when the going gets tough you abandoned these changes because you didn’t know how to talk back to such sabotaging thoughts as:

• Dieting is too hard. …" Beck, pg 23.

Hey Everyone!
Last nite went well, I ate my own healthy meal while the family pigged out!! haha. I lost 3.8 pounds this week!!! WOOOH for me!! I am at my all time lowest weight and only 8 more pounds til I am under 200!!!! I am so excited...what a motivator to keep going! Happy Weekend everyone!!

Checking in on the early side-we are having a lazy morning, staying in our jammies, sipping coffee (me) and vanilla milk (dd)... enjoying the sounds of the birdies outside and the sunlight coming in through the windows. Steelcut oats are bubbling away on the stove and doggies are crunching their kibble. I love summer! We have no plans today so will "take it as it comes"-I anticipate swimming to be on the agenda at some point!

I planned my food for today and am all set.

Erika: great work on staying with your program and looking at the big picture. It is so hard for most of us not to get all hung up on the numbers-your post really sent out the message that your body feels good!

KO: I "struggle" with making myself get on the treadmill-you are an exercise inspiration my friend-using an "arm bike"-WOW!!! You take those obstacles and laugh in their faces-mwaaahahahahhaaaa.

BBE: I love that feeling of being able to retrieve stuff. It really does give a person a good sense of having things in order when you can find such a specific item.

Jeanie: I cannot imagine doing a headstand..I tried to do a cartwheel a few years ago and "things are not what they used to be".

JennyG: YOu go! You are so close to "onederland"-keep on truckin'!!!

Hi Coaches

So today. Not too bad. The market was busy; sales so/so. I'm ready for more and better at tomorrow's market. I am so excited to learn that a fruit farmer from southern ontario (niagara falls area) has been given special permission and an open arms invitation to bring his fresh picked fruit to our fine Sunday farmer's market! Southern Ontario (we're eastern ontario) fruit: cherries, apricots, plums, grapes... yum! They join the market when they have fruit to harvest. Apparently they'll drive overnight to get to market Sunday morning, picking their fruit on Saturday. Farming is very hard.

As for the gym thing that had me knotted up, well she never called me! All that angst for nothing. Phooey. I have a YMCA membership that I just have never used. I even got a locker thinking that'd get me there. No. Crazy. Not sure what to do with that. I think I'm better off setting up the weight bench we have in the basement so it's convenient for me to use. But I'm still far from that I think.

what else? Not much. just checking in. It's super humid here and all I want to do is drink water so guess I'll go do that. Time to hit the hay I think..early start tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed there'll be no rain...

Will check in again tomorrow... All the best to those reading this oh and a special hello to coastal sue hope your show had a good Saturday and is ramping up for a better Sunday and that all those "I'll be back" folks do come back!

Diet Coaches – Rode my bike to the farmers' market as per my usual Saturday joy. Fresh picked cucumbers are so crisp. Blueberries from Massachusetts are even here now. DW picked Romaine Lettuce last night after dinner for my lunches this week. Summer abundance fills our fridge beyond being under control. DW just cleared out a huge bunch of broccoli and a head of bok choi that, apparently, I bought weeks ago and abandoned - lost behind all the other stuff we both keep buying. A whole watermelon has served our evening fruit needs this week. Appealing food choices greatly support staying on plan. For doing my footwork keeping us stocked, CREDIT moi.

MaryBlu - It's over. The last turtle nobly served its calling and my marriage remains in tact.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Fitting ode to lazy days of summer. What memories you are slipping into that kids brain for her to savor all her life.

onebyone – Great news that a local fruit farmer will be selling at your farmers' market on Sundays. Drooling here thinking of fresh Bing Cherries.

JennyG - Congrats on the 3.8 pounds lost. Super Big Kudos for thinking in advance about your family meal, for making an eating plan, and for following through with your plan. It doesn't get better than that. Yep, Onderland calls.

Readers – "… But when the going gets tough you abandoned these changes because you didn’t know how to talk back to such sabotaging thoughts as:

• I have to eat this, I have no self control. …" Beck, pg 23.

Good morning to all you matadors out there.

Day 27 (Master the Seven Question Technique) is going to take me a while. When running after a five-year-old you don't always have a lot of time to sit down and go through a bunch of questions ... stuff like NO CHOICE and GET BACK ON TRACK works better for me on the whole. Additionally, uppercase threats (LOL) seem to curb my tendency to overanalyze everything. But I can see the 7 questions coming in handy on certain occasions.

Well, another debauched free day. I really thought I was going to keep things under control, but we ended up going to a very depressing bbq (WHO invites their dunderheaded ex-boyfriend to a bbq? I mean really???) and then to the movies where popcorn abounded. (Kung Fu Panda - pretty funny actually.) I think that I don't have an OFF switch if I'm not using all the Beck principles every day. So my new plan is to actually plan my free days in advance and use NO CHOICE even on those days. Maybe one glass of wine and a small bag of chips, or something like that, and otherwise stick to the BFL principles which work so well. Sigh, back to square one, but i know the internal changes in my body are sticking.

Kierie - DVD Chair Boxing, way cool! Actually I am very glad you brought that up, because my mom broke her foot and is very frustrated about not being able to work out at Curves like she usually does. So something like that would definitely help her. Great job on your healthy planning!!

Bill - WTG on your decluttering efforts! What a great feeling to be able to locate records from years past with minimal work. Nice upside down font flipping, LOL, how many calories does that burn per hour? Great job on filling your fridge with seasonal yummies. gives me an idea for what to do with the fam today!

Jenny - Fantastic work, congrats on your weight loss!!

Heidi - I love lazy mornings! You guys are awesome. I think I want to set up a playdate with us and our DDs. Up for it?

onebyone - Glad to hear the market went OK ... here's hoping for even better results today. Niagara fruit is awesome ... I am so lucky to live where i can get it in the grocery store. Though I tend to prefer the fermented variety, LOL. Those gym people ... what are they thinking? Don't they want new customers?

coastalsue - Hope your trip is going well for you!

OK beckies, it's tabula rasa for me today ... back to clean eating and cardio. Should feel great! Have a great one all!

cheers
Erika

I am sorry that I have not been here for you all. Dh and I have been so busy the last few days because I leave for vacation next sunday on the 20th. We had alot to do this friday and saturday that I felt like my head was spinning. This week I have to clean the house cuz we will be having a pet/house sitter and besides this way I know that the house will be clean when I get back.
I have to pack and just make sure that I have everything. I do plan on taking the books with me. Don't know if I will get beyond day 8 this week...I am trying hard to work on day 8 but it has really been hard as I do not really have a routine at this time. I might wait until I get over at my brother and just read the book and then continue when I get home. I will be gone for 3 weeks and will be going to WI, In and MI. I fly on the 20th and visit my brother, then dh flies in and we go to IN to visit his family and then to MI to visit our dd...then we got back by my brothers and then fly back here to WA. What do you think about my just reading the book..do you think that that will be a good step.