Welcome to the discussion group, support group, diet coach group, diet buddy group relating to the two books by Dr. Judith S. Beck:and the first bookThe 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 Therapy (CT).

The Complete Beck Diet for Life expands the earlier work and includes a food plan with suggested menus. From the cover: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 buddy (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 books are available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking their names above; buying through 3FC helps to cover the costs of running this site.

You can find the list of previous (or more current) monthly Beck threads here on 3 Fat Chicks via:

List of Monthly Beck Threads for Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Happy New Year!!! May it be on-plan for eating, on-plan for exercise, as well as prosperous and happy.

After singing Aude Lang Syne at midnight at the party - some folks even on key - we wandered home. Looking forward to a low key day. Temperature is above freezing and a long walk sounds attractive.

I did get in a walk yesterday, CREDIT moi, and some dancing. Eating wasn't best, maybe good enough, but spent too many hours standing with walking appetizers being offered by the hostess, a dear friend. Shrimp might have been the biggest I've ever been offered without a knife and fork, LOL. Will give myself CREDIT moi for the eating being bounded, and passing up bunches of foods that I could have gobbled. Some times I have to accept that merely avoiding the major over eating of festive occasions is a victory.


onebyone - Congrats on being aligned with your ticker and back in the seventies. Kudos for that clear kitchen table and a full recycle bin. I'm not even capable of thinking about jumping into water through a hole in the ice - <shudder>.

CeeJay - Nice: nine goals set, nine goals met by Saturday; Kudos - and Saturday isn't even over yet.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Can't imagine what the "small piano" was at your Charlie Chaplin concert. Sounds like a one-off harpsichord thingy. Kudos for "just decadent enough to be celebratory without going overboard."

Shepherdess - Honking Congratulations on the expected little shepherd or shepherdess. Such great news. Ouch for that awful drive in foul weather; I shudder just hearing the name Donner Pass - you'd think a more joyful name was possible.

Cheryl (Seadwaters) - Yep, it's fresh start time with a clean slate. We've finally caught us with your new year, LOL.

Debbie (Lexxiss) - LOL at "Some days I just don't know what's around the next corner" - BTDT. Kudos for having responses.

maryann - Such a powerful thought, "The true freedom has come with the increase peace I have experienced this year." Kudos that your plans including skiing and OP food; great start for the year.

Blue Daisy - Yay for conquering Google's Chrome and getting through to 3FC. Congrats for staying enough on plan through the holidays to maintain with a small loss.

Cindy (M0vingon) - Kudos for the steps on your Stage 1 checklist. Yep, it is overwhelming at the start. But Beck's list help to generate the feeling that it can be done one step at a time.

Don't fret using anyone else's format or doing personals; you can make changes when you're ready. The big deal is to post so you can feel yourself being accountable, just like you did.


Readers -

It's 2011 and the Beck Book is still not totally read and inwardly digested. It's time to begin a new way of life so here I am. I definitely need to improve my health and that will be this year's project.

I'm crediting myself for losing weight over the Christmas season and for avoiding too much temptation at all the social events. There's another one this afternoon but I am armed!

My old cones are a little big, but I'm still wearing them!

Hi Beckfolks! Happy New Year to you all. Here's wishing you a happy and healthy 2011.

I am so glad to be back home. My stepmom is doing well. The eye doctor said her vision is fine and that she is quite lucky to have this outcome considering the fall she took. Half of her face is all bruised. Bruises can heal.

I laughed and told DH I need a sugar detox. Seriously, I must admit I did some stress eating. Of course, it did not fix any of my stress. My head is hard. But, I am not running away.

Today we are going to our cousin's to watch some of the bowl games. I've made a nice veggie tray. DH got some shrimp. There will be some pork and saurkraut too. I am planning to take one plate of healthiest h'orderves and one plate of the meal. I will sit AWAY from the food table. That should help temptation.

Gotta go...DH needs me to stuff his deviled eggs.[/U][/U]

Happy New Year everyone! I’m looking forward to all the new possibilities 2011 holds.

I’ll be skipping the Resolution Run this morning and am a little bummed about it. I won’t get to defend last year’s win. But it’s cold, windy and the route is likely icy and I need to start being cautious. No more careless and stupid just to get a run in.

Yesterday was a good OP day. We stayed in and had a quiet dinner at home, so no party food to navigate. Our high was 3 yesterday and the wind was blowing with a lot of snow on the ground, so exercise was indoors with a jump rope. I don’t like it, but I did it anyways.

Maryann, congrats on a new year and a new low! It’s great that you’re starting out the New Year on such a positive note and are making plans to carry that success over into 2011!

Lexxis, great job putting your Beck skills to work and for cleaning out your fridge. Throwing food away isn’t easy to do.

Seadwaters, yay for taking the day to reflect over the past year and make an action plan for the year to come. It is a good sign that getting back on track is a relief!

Gardenerjoy, yikes for spending New Year’s eve holed up in the basement while tornadoes threaten overhead. This is some crazy weather. Wishing you the best!

M0vingon, great job tackling all those stage 1 skills. It is a bit overwhelming at first, but the good news is that if you stick with it, most of those skills become second nature. There are still challenges, but you don’t have to think so much about every single thing. Kudos for challenging old thinking.

BillBE, yay for above freezing temps making a walk look pleasant and yay for New Year’s Eve dancing for a little spontaneous exercise! Yikes for a bounty of appetizers constantly in sight at the party, but kudos for not going too crazy.

Ruthxxx, yay for a new year giving you a new start with Beck. Congrats on weight loss over Christmas! That must have been some serious temptation avoidance. You must have internalized more of that Beck book than you thought.

Hi 4xcharm! Are you new to Beck?

Beverlyjoy, I’m so glad that your mother is doing well. Ouch for the stress eating that it caused, but kudos for “not running away.” Yay for bringing healthy fare to your New Year’s festivities.

Happy New Year, everyone! It's so great seeing everyone here and feeling that wonderful, hopeful, and committed New Year energy.

I ate lunch in the basement while the squall line passed through, but I was sitting down! There are about two blocks of homes near us that were destroyed, but even the victims are claiming something of a New Year's Eve miracle that there were no major injuries or fatalities. There's an aerial photo of a basement, the house completely blown into splinters in the yard, that is a visual reminder of why we're told to go to the basement. We found out later in the evening that there was, in fact, a family with a baby in that basement. The house blew away from above them and they got hit by rain and some smaller bits of debris, but no injuries. Amazing.

Before all that excitement, I did manage an outdoor walk while the temperatures were in the sixties. The front came through last night and now we're at 25 degrees. Cold temps are more natural than tornadoes this time of year, so I'll be happy with that.

Our chicken marsala was yummy last night. DH also made french toast for breakfast using banana yeast bread that I made in the bread machine a few days ago. That was yummy, too!

I change my ticker on the 1st and it went down 2 pounds! That seemed unlikely at some points in the month, so I'm grateful.

WI: NC in kg, Exercise: +30* 865/1500 minutes for December, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

BillBlueEyes: yay for the walk and dancing and for the wisdom of accepting victory in the absence of overeating. Thanks for today's quote -- that came true for me in the last year and I remember it seeming an impossible dream the first time I read it.

Ruthxxx: glad to have you here! Love the notion of being armed for a social event!

Beverlyjoy: Happy New Year to you, too! Glad you're home safe and that your stepmom is doing well, considering.

Shepherdess: yay for doing it anyway on your indoor exercise.

BlueDaisy: glad you worked out the technology so that you can join us!

maryann: Yay for a good Old Year and good plans for the New!

seadwaters: relief is a great feeling to identify for the sensation of getting back on plan

CeeJay: yay for all of those DONEs! That list worked really well for you!

Lexxiss: hope you had a wonderfully peaceful pre-dawn New Year observance -- it sounds lovely.

M0vingon: there's no right way to post in the Beck thread! I post every day because it's something that really helps me stay on plan, but when I'm overwhelmed or busy, my posts are whatever little thing I can manage! Yay for all of your Stage 1 tasks. It does get easier, just like Beck promises.

2011

So, coaches, it's the brand new start of a brand new year. 2010 just flew by for me. I feel like I was only engaged in it a few times, a few of the highlight times, most of the time I was waiting for something to happen in the future aka wishing my life away.

Not the way to spend a whole year.

Using some of the questions posed by Seadwaters in her post

• What kind of year was it for your health and overall well-being? (... applause, sighs, groans?) I am up 9lbs over this time last year. I was 270.2 on Jan 1st 2010. Healthwise I have never felt worse. I have a sore right upper arm and shoulder, I huff and puff easily, my stamina is way way down, and I just feel like my tummy is always "out to here" you know? My mental and emotional health were constantly undersiege last year due to the on- going drama of DH's spectacular job successes. Moving/not moving/when/where/how/marriage/no marriage/art success/art quandaries/worst year ever selling things in the 19 years I have been selling things/my mom's Alzheimer's continued to worsen... Listing this stuff makes me THRILLED I am only 9lbs more than last year. That, dear firends, must surely be the influence of Beck. Really. I am quite capable of gaining 20-30-40lbs no sweat. Yes. In this way I actually feel hopeful. And give myself some applause.
  
• What were your successes?
  Sold my artwork to the city - continued to address food problems all year; I didn't give up - I coped - continued participation in art projects - taught art for the first time and was good at it too!
  
• Failures?
  A general lack of consistency on all fronts. I start well, get going, then abandon and start again.
  
• Unfinished business?
  Cleaning the house/decluttering/getting ready to move. Getting my taxes in order as I am behind behind behind. Making new advantage and response cards.
  
• New or on-going excuses?
  Ah excuses.
  Too tired.
  It doesn't matter.
  Don't know where to start.
  I can do it tomorrow.
  I told myself I'd do that ____(later) so it's okay not to do it now.
  I can't do it right (perfect).
  I want to do it all (when even a little bit is helpful done day after day after day) so I just don't start.
  Mostly though, this past year was about feeling overwhelmed,de-stablized, and worn out. I really allow my changing emotional state to rule my actions. I need to remember that "this too shall pass" and that means that perhaps if I do something when I feel like I don't want to, in the midst of doing it my feeling state will change--as it always does. This may be my #1 new response card.
  

Thanks seadwaters for the questions.

Billblueeyes I could just reach through this screen and you for posting this

Quote:
Begin a New Way of Life

Visualize a day in the future: You wake up feeling refreshed. You get on the scale. It shows you're down another pound! You feel great. You get dressed in new clothes because your old ones are now too big. Friends, family and coworkers have noticed the physical and psychological changes in you, and they often compliment you. You feel wonderful - you are energetic, and your health has improved.

Thank you.

shepherdess : So exciting to hear your baby news! Congratulations to you and your DH. My first thought was "oh that baby is so lucky to be born into that life with the sheep and the farm and the land..." You two just have so much good to offer a child. May you have the joyous problem free pregnancy you desire!

Beverlyjoy Very pleased to ready your Other Mom's eye is okay. Bruising will indeed clear up. Oh well to the sugar. Glad you have a good plan for the day.

4xcharmHappy New Year!

Ruthxxx Nice to see you again. We both feel the same way so I'm glad you're here. We can support each other as we welcome back our healthier selves during 2012.

Ceejay I loved watching you re-edit your to-do list to add DONE as you got through it bit by bit. And no sugar for 4 days and drinking your water and everything. KUDOS KUDOS KUDOS! That's exactly how we fight through this.

To everyone I missed HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Coaches/Buddies, Happy New Year! We celebrated at a friend’s home last night. It was wonderful seeing everyone and listening to 5 boys under the age of 6 and one lonely 4 year old girl playing last night. Such a joy and a beautiful way to bring in the new year. Personal achievement was saying NO CHOICE about 2nds on my breakfast muffin and to eating fast food instead of the meal I’d planned at home for lunch. Yippee!

Feeling much better physically too. I think it was the dramatic weather change/barometric pressure that knocked me out. It is ridiculous how much of an effect that can have on a person!

I am very grateful for all of the support and wisdom you all share. I sincerely thank you for this.

Today’s Essentials:
Weigh-in: no change
Read Advantage Cards two times: once so far today – it’s been a really long time since I read these and it was really “grounding” for me.
Read Response Cards at least two times: once so far today
Ate slowly, sitting down, noticing every bite: yes
Gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful eating behaviors: yes
Did spontaneous exercise: not yet
Did planned exercise: not yet
Wrote out food plan for tomorrow: yes
Tracked today’s food: yes
Left food on my plate: no
Ate only to normal fullness: no, did not do a very good job at checking in regarding this
Identified and responded to a self-deluding thought: yes


BeverlyJoy, really glad to hear about the positive improvement of your MIL. That is wonderful news. Great job for planning ahead for the bowl party.

BillBlueEyes, glad you got to enjoy a quiet gym yesterday for the last time in a few weeks. Too bad for the evil party spread. Great job on the party restraint eating!

BlueDaisy, really nice to meet you! Great job finding a way to get the technology to work for you. Congratulations on the weight loss. Every bit counts!

CeeJay, how did it feel to clean out all of that junk? Great job for being on plan!

GardenerJoy, your film sounds wonderful. Was the instrument possibly a celesta? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celesta It makes wonderful sounds. Your dinner last night sounds lovely! Really glad you are OK in spite of the nearby tornadoes. Congratulations at the -2 lbs for the month!

Lexxiss, great job throwing away food. That is a tough one for many of us. Thanks for the supportive message! I hope you had a wonderful NYE!

maryann, what joy was in your 12/31 post! Congratulations on your success from your hard work.

M0vinon, hugs to you for getting on plan. Try not to overwhelm yourself with doing everything all at once. I have tried to many times to change everything at once and end up giving up after two weeks. Beck to me is about changing habits for the rest of your life. Please post in whatever way works for you! Just glad you are here.

Onebyone, I hear your disappointment about the weather. All of our beautiful snow here melted in a single day. I was so sad seeing it go. Great job on decluttering in the kitchen. Having a clear kitchen table will be great to give you a place to make a habit of eating without distractions while sitting down. I am excited for you at the successes you had in 2010 in spite of all of the turmoil. Sticking to it is nothing to overlook. Great job for you.

Ruthxxx, nice to see you! Hope 2011 is wonderful for you and you are successful in moving toward all of your goals!

Seadwaters, thanks for the welcome back and the well-wishings for the new year. I truly hope this will be better for all of us. Great job for preparing for being on track and preparing for your birthday. I hope you are managing to stay dry during the rain we are hearing about. Great job for a new slate for the new year.

Shepherdess, I’m so excited to see your post and see that you reached your goal and are maintaining! That is fantastic. Sorry your holiday travel was so difficult and I’m really glad you are safely back home. Congratulations on your new addition. That is thrilling. I hope you’ll be able to get more help for the lambing season so you won’t be out in those conditions while pregnant. You are exactly right about being very conscientious about what you are putting in your body while pregnant and being careful about your weight gain. So much research is being done now about the importance of maternal health while children are in utero and the significant impact it has on the offspring’s lifelong health. Great job for you! Look forward to hearing more about the pregnancy! Great job for sticking to the exercise in spite of not being able to run.

Happy New Year! It's been a good day, so far. I did have a little slip up where I didn't use my Beck skills until after the fact, but did end up saying NO CHOICE to more. I had 2 homemade cookies sent to us from my Sis. I had made room for them in my plan but ate them, while agitated, and standing. I did enjoy them, despite the agitation but wished (after the fact) that I had followed Dr. Beck's suggestion and waited to eat until the agitation had passed. I wrote them down immediately and found that the act of logging them helped me to move on instead of having more. I did have a fantabulous first salad of the year for my lunch. Exercise was shoveling with a few spontaneous dance moves to the Rolling Stones who were blaring in an empty grocery store. I was glad that everyone else was home, but my Mom always has something on her list. I went ahead and bought black-eyed peas

BillBlueEyes, your evening sounded like lots of fun. I agree, some times the simple(complex) act of not overeating is a great victory! Thanks for your faithfulness to this great group. I've started today, following in my book with your daily post.

M0vingon, I think the others have chimed in to let you know that how you post and wnen you post is always just how it's supposed to be. I am relatively new to the group(I started my 6 weeks in March 10). At first, I felt just as you described, "overwhelmed". It does get easier, and I am really amazed how far I have come in these 10 months. You'll get to know everyone as time passes. We're all different, but I do personals as often as I can because I spend time reading posts, just as I would a class at school. The mind-typing connection helps me to absorb things. I have weeks where all I do is say hello (check in).

FutureFitChick, what a great evening spent with friends and their kids. Saying NO CHOICE to a second muffin AND fast food is Yippee!

onebyone, *credit* for such a heartfelt personal inventory. I came to the same conclusion as you, that Beck skills and your unending persistence were instrumental in the fact that you only gained 9 pounds. (I, too, could gain far more). One thing I seem to be absorbing since starting BDS is to use the 7 questions for issues, especially those concerning other people (ie: things out of my control). It seems to help detach the emotion from the eating.

gardenerjoy, congrats on your weightloss!

Shepherdess, sorry you miss the Resolution Run this year, but I'm sure you'll be back in the "running" next year! BTW-I was fascinated to hear that you won last year. I've been exercising in the house and you've got me thinking about trying a jump rope.

Beverlyjoy, *shaking my head*, when I read, "Of course, it did not fix any of my stress." I have been pondering this a lot in my own life….why when I get stressed and feel I need to eat is it my worst food instead of my best?? Perhaps 2011 will have an answer for both of us, as we learn more about ourselves via Beck.

4xcharm, Happy New Year!

Ruthxxx, it is helping….I'm glad I did the daily tasks for the 6 weeks to learn them and it does get easier. You could be through it by St. Patties! I'm starting over today!

DH just woke from his nap and is sitting next to me with his bag of goodies. I am so happy right now that I am full from eating my great salad. Sometimes it is easier, living with all the food, and sometimes it is harder. I'm glad it's easy today.

Happy New Year, my Beckmates.

Two bits of extraordinary news amongst all the really great tidbits from my coaches has caused me to shake out of my lethargy of just reading and not posting:

First, in the OMG catagory, Gardenerjoy, OMG. *that close to such destruction. A New Year's tornado is just *wrong. So glad all are safe.

Then, in the OGJ (Oh, great joy) category, Shepherdess, I am so happy for you and DH. Lucky little baby coming along, that is for sure. Congrats and hugs.

Big blizzard here X2 that derailed both NY Eve and tonight's plans, as all the roads leading to "my" band 60 miles away are closed. Double bad news, as this is their last night ever to play as "my" band. Two are breaking off for another band, so good news/bad news. Good news is they have rounded up two other extraordinarily talented band mates. Bad news is they are going to do 80s/90s stuff. *Yuk. Wasn't that disco *thang part of the 80s?? We shall see. I told Dave (lead guitar) I'd give them 5 or 6 nights to decide. He did say they are going to do alotta Journey covers, so not all bad.

Am looking forward to a great 2011 and hope that for all my Beckmates.

*Hugs, onebyone, this is *your year.

And Beverlyjoy, this is the year you get your foot fixed. Yay for that.

Ruthxxx, great kudos for keepin' on keepin' on.

Best to all.

Hi Coaches
HAPPY NEW YEAR again - at least I am in the right year now! And the sun has caught up with you today . I was going to post this last night in the new year but decided to switch off the computer and read.

2011 is an opportunity to re-story my life and begin a new narrative - that is what is exciting. I hope I can hang onto that feeling and belief. I have been thinking about what I need to let go of: as Mark’s Daily Apple puts it - “what’s done – the failings, the stumbles, the shame, the timidity, and insecurities that may have held you back – requires examining...from every angle, turning them inside out, and finding a healthy way to relegate – and release – them to the past”. I think that is probably an ongoing task, not a once a year thing.

I spent yesterday cleaning out, decluttering, and organising all the kitchen cupboards for easy access. Today my cold / flu is worse - sore throat, stuffy head, giddy etc. So I won’t continue with the declutter project but will rest and read. Maybe later I will get to my clothes and sort into groups: wear now; wear soon; wear much later; destroy. My wardrobe is chaos and I need to settle on a few things to wear that I don’t feel too bad in.

Sydney and the area around it are not really affected by all the heavy rain BTW - so the area I live in is still dry. There has been a lot of suffering in the north and south though

BillBlueEyes - Enjoy your low key day and I hope it stays fine enough to walk. Like Onebyone I appreciated today’s quote - it is a fine visualisation for new years day
BeverlyJoy - Glad you stepmom is on the mend and not permanently damaged. A good food plan for the day
CeeJay - So good to see you tick off all your goals one by one over the week and finish a day early. Hope the festivities went well last night
FutureFitChick - Credit for saying no to seconds - well done! You are doing well on today’s essentials
GardenerJoy - Ouch for spending the New Year in the basement and YAY for avoiding damage. Congratulations on the weight loss - you have achieved so much since I started posting here
Debbie R(Lexxiss) - 2 homemade cookies are challenging but as you say are better enjoyed and savoured while sitting. I am thinking about changing how and where I eat to get more mindful about it and you (and Beck) have just reinforced it for me. I hope today continues to be ‘easy’.
Cindy (MovingOn) - It can all seem pretty overwhelming but you just keep plugging away - you have made a great start and have quickly picked up on the main ideas in Beck. I like the idea of ‘rewiring old habits of behaviour and thought’ - just what it is all about
Onebyone - Glad you found the questions useful - I spent a lot of time yesterday going over them. I live your hopeful and positive spin on it. I need more of that as I can get very negative so I appreciated reading your approach
Ruthxxx - Great to see you back - and credit with losing weight over Christmas - well done
Shepherdess - I am really glad you are skipping the resolution run - credit for caution. I love looking at the weather in North America - such a wide variation in “winter” temperatures and precipitation. It sure is a big diverse place. We are big but nowhere near as diverse or liveable throughout. Yay for “don’t like it but did it anyways” - I need more of that

Credits
- Stayed within my food plan
- Measured all my food
- Logged food
- Developed food plan for tomorrow - more or less
- Sat down to eat - mostly
- Ate mindfully and enjoyed every bite - trying
- Recognised hunger / desire / craving
- I stopped eating when satisfied - not at lunch time
- Drank water - YES
- Checked in
- Weighed myself
- Read advantage cards
- Read response cards
- Read Beck
- Did planned exercise - not yet - plan some later
- Incidental exercise - except for cleaning which was strenuous

Have a great day

Day 5 on plan. No sugar. Went for a 30 minute walk with DH. Had a lovely fondue dinner (using broth not oil so no big deal), listened to some tunes and now about to watch a movie. Life is good.

Readjusted my weight and the number of smileys in my signature to reflect damage done in the recent months but am planning on getting my lost smileys back.

Hi Coaches,

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year !

Waving to all of you.

Your news bolsters me almost every day. Even though I have slowed down on posting, I am reading your news and being amazed at everyone's accomplishments. Beck continues to be the system that works for me, and all of you give me added strength to stay strong and live life on my terms.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - It was a calm and relaxing day. Took down the tree. Last year, after a zillion years of sweeping up tons of needles along the path of removing the tree, we invented the obvious: lay it on a tarp, and carry it out cradled in the tarp - no dropped needles. So, no dropped needles again this year. CREDIT moi for giving myself credit for doing the obvious - which I find hard to do around Beck strategies, so I'll practice and do it here.

Did gym, CREDIT moi, to which I walked wearing gym shorts and a sweatshirt - thank you Mother Nature for one more unseasonably warm day. To my surprise, it was almost deserted. I was sooooo prepared for the New Year's hoards, but they weren't there on day one.


maryblu - Ouch for a blizzard strong enough to shut down a corner of Minnesota. And Double Ouch for the audacity of "your" band to reconfigure without your consent. (Count me as glad that disco is gone.)

onebyone - Kudos for being able to list the profound challenges 2010 and then write, "I didn't give up - I coped - continued..." With the mind-boggling uncertainties of your next location settled, here's hoping that makes brain-room for you to concentrate on the current realities.

FutureFitChick - Can't think of a better affirmation that the New Year means changes than a posse of youngsters constantly moving and noisy. Lovely "NO CHOICE" on that muffin.

CeeJay - Yay for a fifth day without sugar. Drooling over the thought of a fondue dinner; haven't done that in years.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - That's some pretty awful off-season tornadoes. Glad you survived.

Shepherdess - Ouch for skipping Resolution Run, with Kudos for accepting reality. Shuddering at "Our high was 3."

Ruth (Ruthxxx) - Yay for the New Year with, "It's time to begin a new way of life so here I am." BIG Kudos for losing weight over the Christmas season.

Beverlyjoy - Ain't it so, "stress eating . . . did not fix any of my stress." Glad to hear that your stepmom is healing.

Cheryl (Seadwaters) - So well phrased, "to re-story my life and begin a new narrative."

Debbie (Lexxiss) - LOL at the vignette, "a few spontaneous dance moves to the Rolling Stones who were blaring in an empty grocery store."

Woodland - Yay that the Beck strategies continue to work for you.

4xcharm - LMAO at "My old cones . . ." Thanks for the laugh and for pointing me to my typo in the Beck quote. Feel free to grab a copy of one of Dr. Judith Beck's books and join us; we love spunky humor.

Readers -