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 (3FC), 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

spanky

And, in case you didn't get one of these some six years ago,

How did you learn about the books by Dr. Judith Beck?

And, how did you "stumble" onto this Beck Forum?

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Sorta standard day - nothing to report. Eating on plan (CREDIT moi) included dinner eaten inside with both green and white beans from our garden, Sun Gold cherry tomatoes from our garden on the salad, and broiled local Cod. This long, slow, drizzly rain is good for growing stuff, but dreary for humans.

Walk included passing Whole Foods and Trader Joe's without going inside where FREE samples would tempt, CREDIT moi. I half-heartedly looked through the new bin of used books at a Good Will rather grateful that nothing appealed since my to-be-read stack already overflows. I did have the random thought that decades of shuffling through used books and I've never seen one by Anais Nin. Perhaps no one ever parts with her books. Spent the rest of my walk trying to figure out if I believed that my brain had a secret list of all authors whose books I've seen at yard sales in order to be able to make that last statement. Walk ended because I reached home, fortunately, with question unresolved and head spinning.


onebyone – "Yowsa" indeed at that 150 peeking at you. That's one major medical screening. Five hours is a long time to be poked - hope you remember to bring a good book. Kudos for dealing with that list of calls to officials and authority figures. That's really moving forward.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – For some reason I've never thought to monitor if I'm hungry when I wake - neat idea. I have had to face that I was choosing my portion based on what DW had left in the dish after serving herself.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Used carpet is about the most unwieldy thing to maneuver that there is. Yep, the race continues, you're welcome back at any time, LOL.

Nature Girl – Yep, "Patience ... Onward" - obviously the right path but such a challenge. Kudos for surviving your 24 hour weekend and getting back on track. Sending supportive thoughts that the job with the salary you need will show up.

maryann - Kudos for remaining OP while foraging for food at Legoland for two days. I'm particularly impressed that you had an avocado in your pocket to add to the salad. Shopping therapy doesn't seem so expensive if you deduct the cost of two hours of a traditionalist therapist, LOL.

Ann (Newlifestyle) - It's a good thing (right?) to be too tired to eat all your allocated calories. Kudos for OP and tired both.

soonfit - One way to bound the time spent here is to limit personal responses. You might consider them only on weekends or you might try Joy (gardenerjoy)'s technique of limiting them to three. The daily reporting of your progress is the most important, so honor that first. [The difficulty of waking early is that it calls for going to bed early - which can be even more difficult for some folks.]

spanky - Kudos for making it through your first three days of Atkins Induction, but Major Kudos for "all my food and my plan ready for tomorrow" because planning is the foundation of Beck's strategies.

Yep, it's the Cognitive Boost that's the draw for most of us. I'm a fan of the strategies that help me fight the easy drift back into my old way of eating any time a desirable food appeared. Glad that you've joined us.


Readers -

Good morning Coaches
Happy August 1st. I can not believe how fast the summer is going.
I think I will walk to work today. It is about a 40 minute brisk walk. It will do me good.

Bill- Your dinner sounds delicious. I haven't eaten cod since I was a child living in British Colombia. My mother enjoyed fresh cod and didn't make it once we no longer live in BC. Funny how I never had it again. Something to ponder. I will have to try it.

onebyone – Wonderful pre weigh in. You will be in the 240's in no time. Wow that is a long medical screening. It looks very thorough. We could all use one of those.

Joy - I have never thought about whether I am hungry in the morning or not. Is there a reason you want to be hungry in the morning when you wake up?

Debbie – Credit to you for checking in, even when you are so busy. I look forward to your posts.

Nature Girl – I hope you get a job you like and the salary you need to receive.
It has been said, 'do what you love and the money will follow' - hard to do that when people are trying to make ends meet. Good luck.

maryann - yay for shopping therapy. Yay for making memories at legoland for your DS with his cousin.

soonfit - I too struggle with spending too much time on here that I don't have time for exercise. Now I am finding it easier. I think by not doing personals when I don't have time. The relaxation CD's were recommended by Elizabeth, she had mentioned that if any of us were interested in the name just pm her. I am very grateful she recommended them. I needed the relaxation CD.

Elizabeth....thank you again for suggesting a relaxation tape/cd. I finally am learning to relax and enjoy life once again. I can't believe what a difference it makes.

spanky - Welcome spanky. I look forward to getting to know you.

Well I need to pack my planned lunch and then off to work
Have a great day everyone.
Ann

Morning all! I cannot believe it's August already! Ok, hubby and I are focusing this week to stop eating when approaching full, so last night he was cutting grass and I was eating supper and was enjoying the food and I got to approaching full and had maybe 3 or 4 bites left and sat there and had an argument with myself about whether to eat the last few bites or not and said NO! I am no longer hungry and threw it in the trash!!! Progress. Also we bought a bag of chocolate chip cookies Sunday, had a few and the bag in in the pantry untouched since then, normally Iwould have eaten them all by now. So major credits!! Have a blessed day.Tammy

I super-sized my snacks for no good reason except that I have a problem on Tuesdays. I need to work on a better food plan and, even more, a better schedule. Or something.

Credit for overshooting my exercise goal for July with more mulch hauling and spreading.

Huge credit for successfully engaging in a bread fast for the month of July. I'm very much looking forward to baking my first loaf of bread today, on Loaf Mass, and to having a panini for supper. Aside from being more in touch with the season, the bread fast helped me break some bad habits and establish some new ones (bulgur wheat makes a very nice basis for lunch). I want to move forward with a great deal of appreciation and gratitude for bread, something that I consume in small portions with mindfulness.

WI: -0.3 kgs, Exercise: +60 1415/1400 minutes for July, Food: 80%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Welcome, spanky!

BillBlueEyes: I once owned Anais Nin's first journal volume and no longer do -- which means there was, one time, a book by Anais Nin in the Greater St. Louis Book Fair. I can't say I've ever seen another, though!

BillBlueEyes and Newlifestyle: The "hungry in the morning" idea came from Bob Greene's Best Life Diet book. He wants you to eat breakfast and his response to "I'm not hungry when I wake up" is "well, then, you obviously ate too much and/or too late the night before." It kind of stands to reason that one should be hungry after the longest break from eating that we take. Since I struggle, sometimes, with keeping my evening eating from drifting into overeating, I find this a useful strategy.

Starting Day One of Beck's Pink Book today. Ready for this 6 weeks adventure and then lather, rinse, repeat if I am going to get new ingrained thought processes.
Complete my Advantage Cards. Posted them in 2 places to have them accessible to read.

I lose and regain the same 20-25 lbs over and over. I am sick and tired of using food.

I am following a 1200 calories plan with 25 grams of fiber. Plan to exercise everyday minimum 30 mins. Weighing is on Friday with an accountability group.

Grateful to have an Online Beck Community to process the ups and downs with.
Commitment and change is inspiring to read throughout the years of Beck posts.

Hi Everyone,

l ended up having a really bad evening yesterday and it kind of overflowed into this morning. Got home to find Dexter had made a huge mess in his pen, got that cleaned and then DH called to say he was stuck in Charlotte because of weather in Washington and he would not be home last night. Got Dexter ready to go to puppy school and the automatic garage door wouldn't close, I expected to get to class late but we just made it. A huge thunderstorm rolled in just as class was ending with a lot of hail and by time I got home my garden was annihilated by it. And this morning the garage door would not close again and I closed my fingers in the car door. I guess this would be a good oppportunity to say Oh Well.

Day 1 of the BDS book and I made my new advantage cards. Sure is different from what I wrote down 1 year ago. I have not read the whole chapter yet but will do that at lunch time today.

Back to my desk for now.

NewLifestyle: Good for you, walking to work. Little actions add up to big results.
BBE: I have never read Nin. Can't add it to my list of 15 this semester though. At some point in my life I will do nothing but grow veggies and read.
Tazzy: Sunny thoughts for a better day today.
Helping Rachel: Welcome. There is peace with food to be found here. It has been a slow process but worth it for me.
gardenerjoy: Big Congrats on bread fast. Grains are my fundamental problem and all of my worse neurosis have grown up around it.

As for me. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Two years ago I started Beck. It has fundamentally changed how I eat. I have been over 200 pounds twice in my life. I have confidence and hope that I will never have to go back there again. As a present, I get to change my ticker down two pounds. Thanks to everybody for helping me continue on this path through your honesty and effort by participating on this site.

Hi Coaches

I'm really, REALLY, struggling with my 2nd painting for my show. Thankfully, (luckily) our set up has stretched to Friday morning so I have even more time to fret and get them right. I'm painting a cave diver. I look at the image and think "looks like clouds there" and then I think "looks like waves". The water/sky thought mess me up as I need to *feel* the thing I am painting and this clouds vs. waves thing is like night and day. Interesting. I'm sort of settling on "fog" as the solution: a watery cloud. The painting btw, since I have entertained this fog thought, has improved. So, there is hope or me and my artistic career. For today I do not have to throw in the towel and slash all my paintings in the studio in an artistic fit of rage as per some "Films of Temperamental Artistes".

*credit for weighing in and seeing (maybe I have a bit of that temperamentalness...) +3.1lbs for a weight of 253.8lbs. Sigh. Salt. water. gravity. Official weigh-in is tomorrow morning so OH WELL.

*credit for tracking and posting and being consistent in my plans/making plans

*credit for persistence and willingness to face myself in all areas

Back to work. Have a great day Coaches.

billblueeyes Sometimes I think you are a genius in your summations of the posts of others. You must write one wicked business report - or book review! I have never thought of my dentist as an authority figure DUH! Thanks for that.

maryann on 2lbs down and 2yrs here! Beck does make permanent shifts in our lives -- you've made so many more changes too beyond the weight as well. I'll give you a for all your accomplishments!

Tazzy I'm scared to go to my garden due to the heavy rain we got yesterday. I have seen that hail fall around here as well, but not yesterday. Sorry it hurt your garden. The good thing about having a bad day is it is OVER and we get to have another day which more than likely will be better. Kudos for starting Beck again as well and recognizing the changes you have already made from the first time you started Beck, to this time.

helping rachel Kudos to you too for beginning Beck once more. Those first weeks of Beck are so critical they are worth doing as many times as it takes. Beck can indeed stop the yoyo-ing. You're in the right place for sure.

gardenerjoy Congratulations on meeting your goals this past month. It was you that gave me the idea to forgo wheat for a while. Thanks for that! It's been a successful experiment for me. I think I could limit my wheat intake to twice a week and that would be optimal. Have you managed to get the exercise/food/writing back into place yet?

CatholicCajun Congrats on stopping when full. That's not very easy to do. It takes a lot of presence of mind so good job! I love August, but it's a bittersweet love affair as I know that every day this month brings me closer to the end of summer. Makes me realize I need to really enjoy these summery days.

newlifestyle I hope you had a very pleasant walk to work. Kudos for getting your exercise in! Do you walk by anything interesting? Are you in the city or the suburbs or the countryside?? Are there many routes you could take to work? Will you walk home too?

Ok back to it once more. Hope to update this post with another jpg of a finished painting in a few hours... Bye!

UPDATE! Success. Finally. At last. I've attached painting#2 called submerge. Starting #3 now. Even tougher. Of course.

Big credit for another "argument" won, this time not against myself but with a friend, and not really an argument, my friend called to bring chinese to work for lunch and I did not want chinese and she kept insisting so I said that I had not taken my fluid pill (no lie, I did forget) and after a few more whines she gave in and just came by for a visit and I had eaten lunch, so if she had brought stuff I had the excuse that I had already eaten. It is so hard to deal with food pushers and she is not as bad as others I've had to deal with.

Something new- Evening posting 101!

Still tweaking the plan to see what works. What hasn't been working is my planned exercise. I have done "zero" planned exercise this week. I get up and get dressed to exercise and never find the time. Tonight tennis was rained out, but oh well, there is always tomorrow....

credit:
*weighing this morning
*posting
*reading posts
*tweaking diet
*taking a walk
*planning snacks
*having a coffee instead of icecream while out w friends
*enjoying the coffee

Maryann: Happy Anniversery! Acquistion Therapy works for me also!
GardnerJoy: Thanks for the posting info
BBE: Thanks for confirming that the daily reporting of progress is the most important.

Good Night!

I'm back. Following some advice I saw here to just read the posts and log my day for a while as I acclimate.

Today I bought the book [pink one] and workbook as planned and am digesting the first 3 steps.

I made my ARC, I picked Diet 2 [Weight Watchers, but currently on Atkins Induction], and put a shocking pink "Sit Down" sign on my fridge. Despite my brief report here, I cleared the afternoon and evening and did every single recommended thing in the book for these 3 steps. When I get to work tomorrow I'll post the rest of the reminders as planned.

I notice this--I'm nearly unaware of any thoughts I have when I walk through the kitchenette at work and snag a donut. It seems like it's a "See it--EAT it" kind of knee jerk response. I never consciously think "Gee what a good looking donut, it's free, there's coffee, I'll take two!" Obviously something is going on in my mind--I am aware of the visual appeal of, say, the shine on the chocolate frosting--but that's about it. Like a trout to a lure! So this I need to become conscious of. I think the sitting down rule will also help.

I'm going to take a couple days with these 3 steps. So far I am OP today and have my meals and snacks lined up for tomorrow.

BBB--I was drawn to investigate this thread because I found gardenerjoy's post on her fiftieth birthday. I was reading the Goal postings for inspiration!

spanky

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Gym got done, CREDIT moi, with no more excitement than I dropped a weight on the floor. I didn't want to, but got stuck doing something I had just done two days ago - hope it was a fluke and that I'm not declining in two days time.

Eating had some on plan portions, CREDIT moi, and an excursion - Ouch. I attended a three hour BBQ picnic sponsored by my company. Things got confusing with rains starting and stopping and food being put out in stages when staff wasn't huddled inside. So a second plate was necessary, but I overloaded with pulled pork in a very sweet BBQ sauce. Good news was that I overloaded with skewers of grilled veggies instead of the rice dish, the rich salad dressing, or hot biscuits. I spent over an hour thinking about the huge dessert table. Then, still chatting with friends, skipped the brownies, big cookies, and cake to serve myself the strawberries that were meant to go with the shortcake and whipped cream. Some good, some bad.

onebyone – Kudos for persistence to complete submerge - It's so encouraging to me that you just don't give up.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Neat that you did Lammas Day - which I had never heard of before. Is your wheat fast now over?

maryann - Happy Second Anniversary on your Beck path. Yep, never have to go back there again. Love the definition of the good life, "nothing but grow veggies and read."

Tazzy - Ouch for Dexter acting like a puppy, then a really, really bad sequence of events to make Job wince. Kudos for keeping your wits and not waddling into food in an attempt to make it all go away.

Ann (Newlifestyle) - A forty minute walk to work carrying your planned lunch is a fine start to the day.

Rachel (helping rachel) – Welcome back into the monthly thread. Neat that you're starting the Pink book from scratch - it doesn't get old, and it's easy to mistakenly think we're doing it all right. Would you care to share some of your Advantages Card?

Tammy (CatholicCajun) – Super Kudos for leaving three or four bites - that's hard for me. And Yep, Kudos for standing down a well-intentioned food pusher.

soonfit - Kudos for these two
.....*having a coffee instead of icecream while out w friends
.....*enjoying the coffee
I love being reminded that it's important to also enjoy the coffee.

spanky - Dramatic to make a "shocking pink "Sit Down" sign on my fridge" - that'll get your attention. There are three folks posting who are starting the Pink book so there can be some fun feedback. Kudos for meals and snacks lined up for tomorrow.

Readers -

Hi Coaches!

I'm finding myself scattered and tired this morning. I'm also feeling grateful because I was intuitively reminded to get back to basics VIA Beck skills. I have written my lunch and dinner food plan and placed it on the counter next to the refrigerator. credit. I did not weigh this morning, but after rereading this I "just did it." credit. up .5. My current weight trend is "down". Gotta love that spontaneous exercise up and down those stairs.

Reading BBE's post this morning I could "feel" his moment, from my perspective. It felt like food clutter with stuff swirling around...trying to make sane decisions in the company of lots of people. For me, it's a bit chaotic. It's a major reason I enjoy eating at home these days. I really thrive on pre-planned OP living. It keeps me sane.

BBE, credit for making more good decisions than bad (in my opinion), especially when finally getting to the dessert table. Your description….so many foods I love to eat (overeat) but just know in my heart don't fit with the program anymore.

onebyone, I LOVE submerge!! It reminds me of DH freediving! credit for persisting with your tracking and posting while so busy creating your required paintings.

spanky, such an interesting observation regarding your lack of thought process regarding the donuts. credit. I think you will find as you progress with BDS that the "thought process" gets turned on, especially as you learn to eat sitting down.

soonfit, I smiled….I am still tweaking my plan to see what works. great list of credits!

CatholicCajun, I don't have many food pushers in my life and felt pain when I read of your friend and the chinese...ouch. credit for persistence on your part which resulted in your being able to eat your own lunch.

MaryAnn, Happy Anniversary and I wish you many more to come! Such a powerful reminder as to why we keep coming back, "It has fundamentally changed how I eat." That is a recipe for success!

Tazzy, wow! What a tough day you had and at the end I read, "Day 1 of the BDS book and I made my new advantage cards." Big Credit! Your success skills kept you on the right path during a very stressful time. How are your fingers doing?

Rachel, rinse, lather repeat...credit. I love the thought of a new ingrained thought process!

gardenerjoy, yay for exceeding exercise, for noticing the need for a better "Tuesday plan" and for entering August with a new appreciation for bread with associated mindfulness.

Ann(Newlifestyle), hope your walk was fulfilling. credit for "taking the time".

Ahh...spending some time reading/responding to posts has had a calming effect. I am off to continue my project.