Welcome to The Beck DIET solution discussion group, support group, diet coach group relating to the book by Dr. Judith S. Beck:The Beck Diet Solution is a psychological program, not a food plan. It provides a step-by-step program to learn specific techniques to stay on our diet, lose weight, and maintain our weight loss for life. The program is based on Dr. Beck's clinical research in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).

There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if we learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach.

This is a place to discuss the Beck strategies and our daily efforts, to receive and provide support, and, for some of us, is where we serve as on-line diet coach to each other.

If you’ve arrived from a search engine, you’ve landed at the site of 3 fat chicks, a remarkable place for those interested in a healthy life style, including mindful eating, exercise, and weight loss. More about the site, including how to register so that you can post can be found here.

The book, The Beck Diet Solution, is available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking here.

Previous Beck threads on 3fatchicks.com:

The Beck Diet Solution – February 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – January 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – December 2007 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution - November 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - October 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - September 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - August 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - July 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - May/June 2007

Diet Coaches - Finished my third gym session of the week doing 3 sets of each routine (up from 2 sets). CREDIT moi. I felt chagrin when the young guy to my right was doing the same exercise with 60# barbells that I was doing with 40#. Was happily chanting, My body, my journey; My body, my journey... when I noticed the young guy to my left using 35#. Immediately felt sooooo smug, but of course that's lopsided; it's no more rational to gloat than it is to beat up on myself. Saying ten times, My body, my journey; My body, my journey ...

[Looking for someone to start the discussion for Program-day 13, Overcome Cravings]


Sue (CoastalSue) - Congrats on the additional pound and for the one third off milestone and Kudos for a restrained response to the treats. Sympathy for having to endure the fat prejudice of our society. Such a useful thought for me to ponder, "I now look at overeating as an unhealthy coping pattern that I am changing." It will help me to overcome my own fat prejudice (toward myself as well as others) if I can internalize that notion - its an unhealthy coping pattern.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Congrats on another pound lost, and Kudos for rewarding yourself for it. Methinks you're onto the key difference between a lifestyle change and a diet with, "truly wanting to eat the food that I make for myself." Do you have any suggestions for how to get into flylady for addressing my clutter issue? Should I start with one of her books?

wendy (wendylan) - Kudos for getting right back on track by rewriting your lost cards. Lentils are just about my favorite food. DW regularly makes three different recipes: a baked casserole, vegetable lentil soup, and the classic Indian Dahl (curried). I love all three, but Dahl makes me drool it's so yummy.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Powerful thought here: "It occurs to me that the healthy place between the extremes of diet perfection and out of control or mindless binging happens when we love ourselves regardless of our behavior." Thanks for this discussion. My great concern remains that I'll fail to meet my own "inhuman standards" and then try to avoid the pain of that by simply yielding all personal responsibility for my healthy journey. My best Beck defense is the Helpful Response: Believe It. I now have the skills to get back on track.

barbpos – Kudos for carefully planning for your two eating events. For me, my mind clicks into a different place when I hit a food event with a plan. When I'm unplanned, my mind seems to forget everything about my healthy journey; it so easily reverts to feeding frenzy thinking. Sending good thoughts for your cardiologist appointment.

onebyone – Kudos for the cleanup and rescuing the kitchen table. Kudos for not taking seconds, and Kudos for giving yourself credit. Kudos for making plans. WOW - You're on a roll here!


Readers – "To choose appropriate foods and to use appropriate eating behaviors consistently and permanently, you have to learn how to make permanent changes in your thinking. …" Beck, pg 19.

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

Welcome March... HIHO Spring! Hurry up already!

Okay, so today is Day 10, set achievable goals. I like this 5lb goal business. Oh! My brain just slipped into sabotage mode! I was typing that and a small voice said "5lbs. who cares? that's not enough." Sigh. I think I'll use this, gently --> (An aside here. Can a frying pan to the head EVER be gentle? I think not. Once my mother got so mad at my father she hurled a frozen turkey at him. I wasn't there when it happened. Holidays at home eh?)

Anyway, I digress. Five Pounds would be awesome! I can't think of a reward though. I am bad with rewards. I think it'll be a bracelet. That's mentioned in the book and I don't have one. I was using a necklace doubled up as a bracelet so maybe I'll do that. I'll look into a charm bracelet, get a charm for every 5lbs? That sounds good. Thanks Diet Coaches for helping me out.

I've already done a workout DVD. 1 mile WATP Power Walk. Couldn't go to the Y for water aerobics this morning. No class! (Can I call it Aquabics? When I first went to do those classes that's what they were called. I love that word. I'm just going to call it that.) I've had breakfast at my kitchen table, put on dinner in the crockpot and earned a kudos! I had water after working out and with breakfast (double kudos there) and during breakfast I had set out a pear for me to eat as "breakfast dessert" I found that I was too stuffed for that big pear and took a pear that was half its size instead. Wow. Guess that is progress. I noticed I was too full and I didn't just shove all that food in anyway. I made a choice based on feeling full. And I don't feel cheated from having the smaller version of what I thought I wanted. Wow.

Better go. The morning's slipping away.

Have a fantastic Saturday!

Quick hi to all,

Should be on a different site, doing on-line study of a different discipline. Just a thought or two..

onebyone: What a great idea of a charm bracelet with a charm for each 5#s. While pounds lost are very poor measure of our progress (are you there, friend CoastalSue?), tracking the pesky buggers is the easiest measure we have. (I could do a page on how my wt. is very much acceptable by all the charts, but the 12 #s of FAT I have gained are in evidence as ALL FAT, in all the ugliest places possible, but that is my @%$@^ deal)

It just strikes me as very Beck-like, and perhaps even a new tip she might like to incorporate in her bag of tools..it helps for so many reasons. Think about the rubber band on the wrist trick for quitting smoking...and the Beck Advantage Response cards......these charms would be constant Advantage reminders......and a constant mindless eating reminder.....these little charms could be whatever you need them to be that day.....a reminder to give yourself credit.....that little charm, and those little charms as they add up.....could literally be a reminder of whatever Beck tool we need for the moment! Wow!

Imagine getting up in the morning, putting on your bracelet, thinking about the step or the day you are on.......or what your plan is for eating in a social setting..it would be a very physcial reminder to be mindful ..

I think you are onto something big, and I hope you do it. I am not a bracelet, charm kinda girl, but I might like to "worry" a pair of earings...hmm

Challenge to all: We are on the overcoming cravings day.....think about using a charm bracelet (or something else very physical and "wearable") to stop and think about the craving, rate the discomfort, choose a Beck tool for resisting, and remember, you have the Advantage Cards reminder there, too......

We just need that tool, that reminder to stop the madness......break the signal of food cravings calling to us..That awareness that says "STOP!"..we don't have to be zombie and eat it before we evaluate the outcome of giving into the craving...before we have time to, as Beck says, "Imagine the aftermath of giving in."

That little charm bracelet could be very useful...hmmmmmm

Congrats, dear Sue, 70 #s in a nice "round number"...a milestone to be sure..I wish I were a physics whiz to tell you how much pressure that is off knees and joints, but maybe 14 little charms on a bracelet would serve as a constant reminder to give yourselft credit!

BillBE, it strikes me that you are more joyful, gleeful of the new -found health and rewards of a slim healthy self than you are annoyed by the fact that you (we all) will have to practice the Beck strategies for life. Give yourself credit for being a joyful human. ...I am picturing you with a charm bracelet.....hmmm.......seems rather, well..........charming!

Popping to say a quick hello to everyone.
I've been running around and I noticed I was popping food in my mouth once again. Just when I thought I had this part down. Well it be truthful I did let it slip with veggies while cooking friday. I think that may have sent this off. I know now I can't let even veggies past my lips while standing.

Better day for me today,ate within program,tried a few recipes and got my 44 laps in at the Y although my kids were not behaving there and kept fighting.I now have them on clean the house duty and I told them if they can't get along I will not bring them swimming next time.Still working on redoing my cards.I have started rereading the book and one thought that stuck my early on in the book was "THERE ARE NO LOST CAUSES", if we apply the principles we will suceed,it may be slow and not always easy but it will work.NONE OF US are lost causes!

At the risk of wearing out my welcome here and posting too much, I just have to write this out to you my Diet Coaches! I want to change this pattern so bad. I did great this morning and then this happened...

I have trouble most Saturday afternoons. I did it again today. I carry within me an attitude of feeling "entitled" to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, on the weekend, after "getting through the week" I tell myself. I guess I am using food as a reward here aren't I? Yep. Well this is what happened today. I'm going to type it out so I can figure it out. I did a dvd workout this morning. Ate breakfast. Did stuff, then decided to head over to the mall (a 15 minute walk) so before I left I made myself lunch, it was close to noon and then I went. I bought a set of 3lb weights that I wanted (part reward part incentive for me) and went looking for a buspass at the drugstore. I was frustrated that they'd sold out of buspasses so I went into the department store and bought what I needed there (rubbermaid bins) and at the cash I saw a deal on two chocolate bars for one price and so I bought two, telling myself this was okay "since I was using a credit card".
I decided on the spot that I would eat both at once.
So then I was carrying two rubbermaid bins, 2 chocolate bars and 6lbs of weights. I left the mall and headed to the bus stop to see if I could get a bus pass there. Another 10 minute walk at least. The bus stop store didn't take credit cards so I had to walk home. Now a 25 minute walk with the snow falling around me carrying the weights, the bins, the bars and me feeling really tired, worn out (I'd been walking around for over an hour total by now with the weights), frustrated and I had a sore tummy. I made it home, dropped my stuff, grabbed the bars, came to the couch and ate them.
To my credit I did sit down to eat. Does that count?
Then I felt bad that I'd eaten "something bad" so I had some more of the soup I'd made for lunch, as if to make the chocolate into a meal of some sort to make myself feel better about it (I really wasn't hungry by now. When I ate the chocolate I was hungry.) I stopped there with the food and just felt *bad*. DH came up from the basement and sat on the couch. He looked sleepy or something, not quite himself and I found myself pressing him to eat. In the end I got him to agree to have popcorn after we found a hockey game on tv, and then I did something I never do, I melted margarine to put over the microwave popcorn. It's like I wanted to make my food the absolute WORST it could be. Like "see? see how bad I am?" that kind of a feeling. Who the h*&% am I talking to anyway?? The popcorn tasted like crap. My stomach got sore all over again, and now I am here writing this to you. Dinner is coming up and I am planning a sane one. But really dear coaches, THIS is how I set back my weightloss.

It's not the end of the world I know that. And that I can recount it coherently means I am trying to deal with it and not just brush it under the carpet and deny my own behaviour. That's no good. But if you've got any wisdom for me I would love to hear it. That feeling of "defiance" the side of me needs to be channeled into something other than food. Those of you further down the BDS path, does this book give us tools to help with that? It must.

Happy Weekend to you all,

onebyone-you are writing my losing weight story-Why we do it to ourselves is a total mystery to me, this sabatoging pattern is one which I have had to cope with alot. My most successful days are those which I preplan what I am going to eat, write down when I eat the stuff and what cals are- keeping a running total for the day and now I include one treat for the day. Learn that from posting here from Heidi. I found those advantage cards very helpful-re read them alot-some times I could hear myself ask is this caloric stuff going to help reduce the pain in my knees. (mobility is my biggie to lose weight.) I have a long history of using food for coping-sense of reward for stressful time, soothing emotions. giving me "energy" when exhausted ect. Your awareness and then posting it is part of the changes, try keeping one of the most important reasons for you to loss weight in your mind, make a mantra out of it, try having a one planned treat each day. Yes I truly find Beck can help with long time core patterns! Someone here wrote here that other than hunger Food can not solve any other problems. I keep saying that over and over again during the day. You have a taken a hugh step in being aware of your patterns. How else can you reward yourself for a long hard week that will give you some sense of reward, luxury? You certainly deserve a reward while improving your healthy also.

Lost another lb yeah It is kind like a wave you mentioned Heidi. swam an hr today-all good. Now here is the scary part-tomarrow we leave the coast for 5 days-see family. friends, and take the train thru the Sierras to see the snow and spend 2 night in Reno. Reno NV- the sort of place which panders to cravngs and desire. So I guess I need to do Day 13 overcome cravings.

desire-Beck defines desire to eat as not being particulary hunger but eating because there is food around.
cravings is physiological and emotionally intense urge to eat.

Beck's advice
1. You have to stop giving in to them.
How-
1st you have to collect information using the craving rating chart. Noting time. discomfort scale, and duration.
then using any of the following anti-craving stratgies
1. label it
2 stand firm,
3 NO CHOICE
4. Imagine the aftermath of giving in, the short time of food pleasure and
long lingering feeling upset with yourself.
5. Remind yourself of why you want to lose weight.
Behavioral Techniques
1. Run away from the food
2. Drink water or low- cal drink
3. relax-breathing techniques
4. distraction-refocus your attention.

To limit my desire I must remember to get the togo box 1 st thing or just some how get my plate taken away as soon as I finish the appropriate amount of food.

cravings
My biggest downfall has been dealing with the idea of no choice-I seem to rebel when I tell myself a big NO-I know that this works for others. I understand that it should but I need to add the following steps. I think about what I hope the craving will do-give me a sense of reward, take away anger, ect. What problem am I using this food to solve? It is bit of the meditation technique that when one looks at the mind you understand how temporary each thought is, When I ignore my tension it grows when I stop and look at it-then it just starts fading away.

How does everyone else cope with cravings?

MaryBlu-pondering your idea of a braclet to remind one of fighting the cravings. I like it just haven't got the right thing for me to use.

BillBlueEyes-I have to fight the desire to compare my swimming with those in other lanes. I am a slow swimminer but I can run like heck in the water-almost can beat the swimmers doing long running strides in the water. I agee it is a bit of no no to compare but so easy to do. I know the focus should be enjoy and stop the judging but heck I have just started to work on curbing the judgemental Sue.

Heidi-big congradulation on your 45 lbs loss!!

A big wave to everyone-hope I get a chance to read the posting during my travels-likely to respond next Friday

sue

Hi friends,

I am LOVING the dark chocolate! I have had a little bit each night for a few nights now-YUM and satisfying! My challenge tomorrow is that I will be driving DD up to the ski hill (about 45 min drive in prime conditions), sitting in the lodge while she has a ski lesson for 2 hours and then driving home. We will eat breakfast before we leave, I will make a coffee for me to go and plan to drink another coffee up in the lodge. I am also bringing lunch and snacks. We are going with friends and so if the other mom brings something snacky that is appealing to me, I may feel tempted…but I am NOT going to indulge in anything that I didn’t bring besides coffee with nonfat milk in it. I think that I will be okay if I focus on the beverages. Water could do it but coffee is hot and that sounds more special somehow. Credit moi for the following: cooking breakfast frittata to put in the freezer for during the week, planned weekday dinners for the next week, getting lots of unplanned exercise in lately, planning what I will eat the night before and recording it in fitday.

BillBlueEyes: checkout the flylady website..it is not dot com but dot net. Way to go on those weights and for the reminder response of “my body, my journey”.

Onebyone: You are cruising! Way to pay attention to your hunger with the pear. Don’t worry about posting too much-this group serves us all and we all have different needs at different times. The book does deal with the general feeling of “it isn’t fair that I have to do xyz to lose weight/maintain”… She says to respond with “this is what I have to do in order to lose weight/maintain”. … Have you run into that pyramid picture symbolizing eating more after eating one thing “off plan”? It does help me sometimes to visualize that image since it spells out what we do when we choose to continue to eat (how the calories add up and really, the first item(s) weren’t THAT much of a ding in the plan in the overall scheme of things).

About your walking/candy bar/popcorn scenario: you did get some serious walking in-yes, it was stressful but it is still movement! Some people have tried planning in desired treats each day so that they don’t feel deprived. That whole experience sounded stressful which can be a trigger for lots of us to eat. Then, you were hungry and had two candy bars right there….Try to “stop right now and get back on your plan”…

Maryblu: I like that idea of having a bracelet to remind us of whatever we need (for now..cravings). I do struggle with having my cards out at work where others would see them, etc.. a bracelet or earrings or something (didn’t we talk about tattoos on the forehead at one point?) may be a good, and more subtle, reminder to myself.

Mesmerize: Hello!

Wendylan: love the reminder that none of us are lost causes! Amen!

Coastalsue: Have a wonderful trip to NV! I wish that we could put on “delicious food deflector suits” …. For times like that-traveling away from the comforts of the routine of home. I love that you can run faster than the fast swimmers in the pool even if we aren’t supposed to compare. 

Diet Coaches - Thanks for all the encouragement for my exercising. So many different muscles, so little time. Have to remember that it's a journey, not a race.

Tonight presents an opportunity to practice eating on plan at a fancy restaurant with both young adult kids and their SO's. Don't anticipate much difficulty with appetizer, entree, and drink; my eating plan includes generous headroom for my occasional fancy restaurant ventures. I do need to be prepared for gratuitous baskets of hot breads with dips and for killer dessert options. CREDIT moi for telling you guys in advance; this will help me to remember to remain responsible rather than mindlessly eating everything in sight trying to calm my reactions to the steep menu pricing.


Sue (CoastalSue) - Congrats for another pound (didn't this same thing just happen quite recently). Did you happen to notice that you're out of the tens into the single digits? You seem to be steadily inching toward twoderland. Cheers. Have a nice trip to NV.

Thanks for the Program-day 13 summary. The key part of that for me is: Identify it. Before I identify it, my hand gets soooo quickly to my mouth without my brain participating. The response that is easiest for me is the diversion - if I get into something else, it's easier to forget the craving.

MaryBlu - Great idea to have a covert physical reminder to stick to our plans. When I was losing, I kept a playing card in my pocket date book representing, from the 2 of clubs to the ace of spades, progress in losing my first 52 pounds. Worked for me. The masculine equivalent of a charm bracelet is a heavy gold bracelet that, to me, screams "Steal me" when riding the subway. I'll have to think of a current token.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Kudos for a freezer full of frittatas - sounds yummy. WOW, was conversion to a dark chocolate person quick; you restore my prejudice that all humans are born hard wired attracted to dark chocolate. Your eating plan for the ski trip today sounds classic Beck, well done. LOL at “delicious food deflector suits” - you'll be VERY rich when you market that one.

wendy (wendylan) - Kudos for staying on plan and BIG Kudos for 44 laps.

Mez (mezmerize) - Kudos for seeing clearly what you're doing. It is amazing that a small letting go of responsibility for staying on plan provides an opening for a larger diversion, per your thoughtful, "I know now I can't let even veggies past my lips while standing."

onebyone – Kudos for noticing that you were full. Kudos for acting on your feeling of fullness with the smaller pear.

What a graphic story wandering around with 6 lbs. of weights and two bins. May I suggest that you examine the level of your food plan for the day. Until the initial 42 days are completed, Beck would have us face each day (including weekends) with a written food plan and to use the NO CHOICE or Oh, Well Responses to stand down anything not on the plan. Without a firm plan, appealing foods on the weekend will seem, well ..., appealing and allow them to slip into our mouth escorted by an "entitled" Sabotaging Thought. Big Kudos for so clearly expressing just what you did. And Kudos for rapidly getting back on track. It would seem that a written food plan would give you just the advantage you need to see your feeling of "entitled" before it grabs you. Good luck - let us know how you do next Saturday.


Readers – "… With the comprehensive, step-by-step program in this book, you’ll be able to stay on your diet, lose weight, and maintain your weight loss for life." Beck, pg 19.

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

Good Morning Out There!

Thanks for the replies to my post of yesterday. Indeed I see that a Saturday afternoon will have to be dealt with more seriously for me.

And today is Sunday. A really really big kudos to me for doing this DVD workout called Ripped. It was generously given to me by a friend as she had two copies. I had never heard of it and the picture on the box looks intimidating and the word Ripped? Well, that's far far away, so I felt like "oh that's not for me that's for someone who's already almost fit/thin/you can see their muscles underneath their skin all over... ie. not me But this morning I woke up feeling crabby and I had carried those gosh darn wieghts with me yesterday and so I put the DVD in and I did it! I did the whole 55 minute workout and not totally like a maniac but moderating when needed. Wow. I don't feel crabby anymore. Kudos for my brain and its fantastic endorphins

maryblu I was put on blood pressure medication about a year ago and for the first few months I used to carry my pills around in my jeans pocket as a real reminder of what my eating has created in my life. I had the whole pill bottle and they would rattle and it really served as a reminder and an undeniable consequence of my eating behaviour. That action really did help to keep me focused on my food plan. I was reminded of that after I wrote about the charm bracelet. I may do both. I may NEED both!

mezmerize In the past I found myself binge eating on any food. For me the particular food is almost beside the point. I seem to trigger a behaviour and it just snowballs. Kudos for recognizing this and posting about it, and thanks for the reminder.

wendylan Yes, we aren't lost causes... far from it! Kudos on swimming so many laps!

coastalsue I am wishing I was going on train trip, though I definitely do not want to see any more snow! How to cope with cravings... for me it's the distraction method and the "get away from the food" strategies. If I see it I want it. Reminding myself I have food coming in x hours or telling myself I can have as much of x as I want tomorrow but just not today (the one day at a time method) will also work. Mostly it's best for me to take care of myself beforehand; don't get too tired, stressed or hungry. Workout, read positive things, write stuff... and I forget this all the time but I try to remember (I need this on a card) that each time I stay strong it makes it easier to face this same situation the next time. All the best to you and have a great time on your trip!

hbuchwald Wow. You have really planned ahead for the week. Love the frozen frittata idea. I think I may do that for myself today for the week.

BillBlueEyes Good job anticipating your restaurant challenges and planning for them. I love to try everything I've never had before so a restaurant can be tough for me in terms of choosing things. I had to laugh at stress eating due to high prices! If you end up running out of there because the bill is too high, or washing dishes to cover the cost, I guess that's unplanned exercise right? haha! Glass half full BillBlueEyes... glass half full.

HI coaches!
Ski slope challenge conquered! AND, a young couple sat right across from me as I was reading my book and set down the warm and HUGE cinnamon roll to eat and enjoy right in front of me. I was fighting salivating.... THEN, a group of teens sat at the end of the table with a huge pizza... I happily sipped my coffee and ate some trail mix that I brought adn was fine and dandy.

I did, however, dip into the goldfish crackers and some extra chocolate tonight. This is DIRECTLy related to my trying to piece together a big trip we will go on this summer. I was trying to fit too much into a trip back east. I have a family reunion in Rhode Island, a friend in Vermont and my grandma in Maryland (not going to family reunion)... I was looking into all options for trying to do all three with a young child in tow. NOT reasonable. My priorities are the reunion and my grandma. I REALLy wanted to see my friend and her home, etc.. too but it just cannot happen this time. I was getting seriously creative/stressed out exploring the options. LOTS of driving in rental cars and taking trains... ugh. I was thinking about the stress of the logistics of it all and of course it all costs money. I am DONE with food today and drinking water. I do feel horrible about eating though since I have been feeling sooo good lately. Making my plan for tomorrow and then to bed for me.

Happy week to everyone. Til tomorrow, Heidi

Diet Coaches - Thoroughly enjoyed dinner last night despite bumping up against my ceiling on acceptable eating at a celebration. I had my share of the three appetizers. I sampled all six entrees (love eating with family), and, although I nobly skipped ordering dessert (thanks onebyone for the helpful image of washing dishes to pay for the check), I proceeded to eat half of DW's Baked Alaska (never had it before) and some of DD's fancy pastry (she simple stops when she's had enough - that sorta makes me question paternity here). The closest thing I did to sane was to distribute very generous "tastes" of my Duck Shawarma with Cardamom Braised Leeks (another first for me).

CREDIT moi for a successful family celebration of three birthdays, including the first time DD brought this boyfriend to meet her family. Even though I reached full rather than Beck's goal of mildly full, CREDIT moi for avoiding stuffed and for holding on to feeling responsible despite some eating. So, I have no regrets, no urgency to get back on track - I feel like I'm still on track. I might try to eat a bit lightly over the next several days as this extravagance digests. Oh yes, it was my lifetime high restaurant bill; don't know if I'll ever become acclimated to the notion that it's my lot in life to spend that kind of money on dining, LOL.


Heidi (hbuchwald) - Kudos for your stellar performance at the ski lodge. Big Kudos for identifying the emotion behind the nibbles last night. Even though it sounds like you need less options for your summer trip rather than more, we can serve as free B&B for you and DD here in Boston if that helped make Vermont possible.

onebyone – Kudos for getting ripped and Kudos for setting your endorphins lose against the crabs, LOL.

Erika (eusebius) – Sending supporting thoughts for your Piano Concerto that is sometime this month.

Readers – “The Beck Diet Solution is based on the principles of Cognitive Therapy (also known as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, or CBT), the most highly researched and effective form of talk therapy in the world. …” Beck, pg 19.

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

Good Morning.

I am on Day 12:Prove you can tolerate hunger and cravings.

Hrmph. Don't want to do this today. Too late though. I already ate breakfast. No food now until dinner around 5:30 tonight. I have done this before, several times in fact, over the past month and now, when I am required to do it, I am fighting it. Go figure. Guess I don't like to be told what to do. Yeah. Big surprise there. I already had a sabotaging thought. I was eating leftovers for breakfast (planned last night to do this) and a small crumb of stuff was left on the serving plate. I knew I shouldn't eat standing up, but I picked it up with my fingers and shoved it into my mouth telling myself "oh this little bit won't hurt you." LIES LIES LIES. Won't hurt me? Here I am stewing over it. I can't afford the emotional cost of doing that kind of thing, even if the physical cost in terms of pounds gained is minimal.

I spent the weekend avoiding things I needed to do, not all but some. Today I feel scattered. I have photography class this afternoon. We have a live model and we each get 10-15minutes alone wiht the model to pose her and place her anywhere in the school and take her picture. Some of my classmates have scouted out the school for a good place for shots. I haven't but I do have an area in mind. I also have a customer coming to meet me at the school before class to buy a print of mine that was in the student Christmas art show. So that's some well-needed money in my pocket.
I feel rattled by things though. I am so forgetful these days. I think I'd better go make a list and get ready for school.

hbuchwald congrats for getting through the ski trip and staying on plan and good work at stopping your eating and noticing it was stress that you were trying to soothe and not a hungry tummy.

BillBlueEyes Great work dealing with the restaurant and stopping before you are overstuffed. I know that when I am out I often say/think I want "value for my money" and what I really mean is "I want to eat as much as I can get fast because I am paying for it". I often find it hard to be satisfied with "enough". I always want "more".

A good Monday to you all.

Diet Coaches - Dinner last night was my monthly potluck at a meeting for a volunteer activity. For a while now I've had these under control, but yesterday I overate - not stuffed, but beyond mildly full. It felt like a continuation from the celebratory dinner on the previous night. I have to get this under control, since dinner tonight is at a restaurant with a visiting friend.

Thanks onebyone for a clue as to what I was thinking at the expensive restaurant. I'm working on a response. Something like:Value for my money is simply not a higher goal than personal responsibility - it's useful to acknowledge, however, that it's a short term narcotic hit with very strong appeal.

Not exactly off topic, I try to imagine going on a one week cruise of the sort that is notorious for continuous delicious foods of epic serving sizes. I try to picture a week of joy that includes staying on plan amidst the abundance. It's hard for me to visualize doing it with joy instead of white knuckling, Beck mantra chanting tension. But when I reach my goal of thinking like a thin person, then such a cruise should be an eating joy. Don't think I'm there yet. Has anybody done a cruise (or a resort with prepaid meals) while eating on plan, with joy?


onebyone – Congrats on the print sale! I so appreciate your response to eating the leftover crumb: "I can't afford the emotional cost of doing that kind of thing, even if the physical cost in terms of pounds gained is minimal." I, too, can feel the emotional impact when I LIE to myself over a tiny item. And that emotional impact paves the way for further mindless actions that begin the slippery slope. I continue to dream that I can do the crumbs without repercussions. Maybe, maybe not - but certainly not when I make the effort to tell myself LIES while doing it.

Readers – “… A recent study in Sweden demonstrated the effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy for weight loss. People enrolled in the Cognitive Therapy program lost an average of 18 pounds over 10 weeks of treatment. …” Beck, pg 20.

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