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:

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Happy New Year to all who've moved forward from the Roman Calendar to the Julian Calendar and then accepted the changes of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. (Good grief! I must also acknowledge all of you who use the Chinese, Hebrew, Hindu, and Julian calendars for religious and social purposes.)

We drove the 'standard Sunday walk' in the single digit temperature, quite glad that we have a car to do so. With a few more layers, we could have walked. The battery of my beloved electric car isn't fond of the cold as evidenced by reduced mileage between charges. Like all batteries, it thrives on mild weather.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including a larger-than-necessary snack during Happy Hour as I caught up with a friend about the travails of being a parent of a college Freshman and then a Sophomore. Turns out that not every kid figures out how to break into the social scene that is assumed to magically fall down upon all who enter. By Sophomore year, the kid finally figured out to join an activity; friends developed quickly.



onebyone – Is this ever a good thought, "I'm going to have to work for the changes I want to see." [Thanks for the link about how birds stay warm. It's always amazing to be reminded that their problem is getting food - not fighting the cold.]

Joy (gardenerjoy) – It's definitely soup weather. I hate when I overreact to eating slightly less by later eating more.

silverbirch – Crumpets are just the best - they hold more butter than a sponge. No, they shouldn't be high on your list of daily foods. You sent me off to discover Hogmanay. Presumably, if I were in Scotland, I'd have another day to face celebratory foods.

maryann - The word 'renewal' feels so much more useful than 'resolution' - think I'll steal that one.

nationalparker – Yay for having a five-year-old to remind us that life is moving forward. Have a safe flight home tonight.

curlyjax - Yay for a bag with dinner all made. And Double Yay for it being from Wegmans - one really cool market. [I do like that a quilt can solve almost any bedroom temperature issue.]

Readers -

Happy New Year! I'm really excited about making healthy progress in 2018. I didn't do well in December, but I didn't lose the healthy habits that I re-started in the fall. So, I have high hopes that I can keep this going.

Today, I plan to not leave the house. We're expecting a high of 8. DH laughed at me because I put the hood of my hoodie up in the house. It's going to be a while before we get the house warm from last night.

Exercise will include some sort of workout video, whatever I'm in the mood for. Oh, I can dance with the bands while watching the Rose Bowl Parade.

Weigh-in: +0.6 kg, Exercise: +50, 1200/1200 minutes for December

maryann: Yes. I've been using canned tuna since I discovered that you can buy really good stuff. I get Henry & Lisa's Sashimi Grade tuna -- stocking up every couple of months or so when it goes on sale at Whole Foods. I like to have a bunch of it in the pantry since it makes a good emergency food, too.

nationalparker: Sounds like you've had a good trip with lots of fun memories -- like cake for a unicorn-lover.

onebyone: The notion that food is not entertainment was revelatory to me. One author I read advised "Make food boring." That was really helpful. I've got so many better forms of entertainment available to me these days -- including radio drama podcasts to listen to while I'm doing boring food prep chores.

BillBlueEyes: figuring what day it is gets complicated when we admit that it's all an invented construct that was invented multiple times. The Mayans had a cool way of looking at all of that. According to Wikpedia, there are still some communities that use it today.

Happy New Year! I realized today I don’t have a new calendar yet. Maybe I will scoot over to Barnes and Noble and get a half priced on. I like to get one of gardens, hopefully there will still be a decent selection.
I promised my kids I would ring in the new year with a special treat of pancakes (with chocolate chips even) for breakfast. I’m going to load mine up with fruit. Then tonight we’re having stirfry to start off the new year with some veggies. The evil Kahlua chocolates from Christmas are finally gone. There is still too much junk around but it is time to rein it in!

I am so glad to have this group and look forward to sharing our journeys in 2018!

For some reason, I checked our flight status before we drove to the airport...car was packed up and right before we said our goodbyes. Flight was delayed to where we'd miss our connecting flight, so I rebooked to leave out first flight in the morning. So need to be up in four hours or so. Ugh but thankful I checked. Allowed me an extra evening with my brother. And avoiding the -15 temps before wind chill.

Have gotten in a lot of reminiscing and general conversation with my DB. Treasured time. Ready to be home though now, to check on the pets. Luckily our petsitter could come another night. We'll be relieved to get home and make sure the pipes made it thru the night.

Food was excellent today. I need to set my plan in place for when I get home to not stress eat. Why stress eat when I get home? No idea but I do. I hate worrying About the next time I'll be able to visit my brother.

The world here is grinding into operation again. I have still to get my balance but I'm pleased that we'll be back to normal very soon.

Sleep did not come immediately last night (that's my usual m.o.) and then I worked out that the moon was very, very bright so I adjusted doors and curtains and conked out. I gather the SO was up in the night for a bit so all of this has conspired to making me feel less than alert.

You will appreciate this. The DB said that tea was 'all right'. When questioned as to what was wrong, he said there were not enough vegetables! What a good boy.

I hope to get to the office today. If I pull out the stops this week I might be able to get ahead to make space for a big project. It has yet to land but I think may be in a holding pattern somewhere, before touching down here.

But I would also like to do exercises and do something in the garden! I did some tidying up of a mixed hedge yesterday which should have been done in November but time got away from me. Holly, oak, hawthorn, Lonicera nitida, ivy, bramble, lilac. I pulled up a bay seedling as we don't need any more of that.

Full disclosure. I have had my normal breakfast + two crumpets. This tells me that all is not well in my world. I'm feeling pressurised. Being able to put words to this feels good. Credit.

nationalparker, safe travels. The pets will be pleased to see you.

curlyjax, hope you found a nice calendar. I use a 'More Time Moms' one, from Canada because it goes September - September and has big squares. I get the French one to keep everyone on their toes. You're right, this is a great group.

gardenerjoy, I don't have a hoodie but I sometimes pull a scarf over my head inside. Or a blanket, if things are really nippy. Movement helps, I find, so your dancing sounds like a good idea all round.

Bill, the 12 days of Christmas are still going on, of course. The kings don't arrive until the 6th and then there's galette des rois for lots of people. Re. Hogmanay, I think drink rather than food can be the issue here. If you overdo it, those two-day + hangovers are nasty. I didn't know that about all batteries and cold weather. I've recently been informed about old iPhones' batteries and cold weather. Last week the DB was out with a friend along a coastal path and night was falling. They wanted to let a parent know they were on their way but both their phones were dead. They had to ask a passerby if they could use her phone.

maryann, I posted that catastrophising link in the December thread so here it is again so you don't have to search.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Attended a terrific New Year's Gala Concert: Handel's Water Music and Gloria; and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. Then, after a roaring applause, they added the extra, Glitter and Be Gay from Leonard Bernstein's Candide. It was all beyond splendid. I've never heard that Bernstein piece in a concert - much less in a Baroque music concert with period instruments. I'm a huge fan of Water Music and easily picture myself as King George I barging down the Thames river with an orchestra on the barge beside playing that. If you had to live back then, being king was the way to go.

The best news is that there was FREE champagne and dark chocolates at intermission. 'FREE' is a tough obstacle for me. We'd just come from a party with laden tables from which I was welcome to take anything I wanted. But that doesn't register in my brain as FREE. That's an offering from a friend. 'FREE' is when, if I don't take it, it dissolves back into the masses. I knew this was coming; last year it was Hershey's dark chocolate squares. So, I planned to skip both. However, instead of Hershey's old standard squares, they offered Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles. I banged my head; I waffled; I tried to declare them "Rare and Unusual" - my goto declaration to make an exception. Then, in a moment of rational thought, I acknowledged that I can buy Lindt chocolates any day I want at every supermarket in town. So, I passed on it all. Even when my friend walked back from the table and offered me one. CREDIT moi for a good start to the New Year.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yep, hoodies inside are fashionably acceptable at this temperature. [Thanks for the reminder that the Mayan Calendar is also still active.]

silverbirch – Super Congrats for raising a DB who can say "not enough vegetables!" [I've know about King Cake from New Orleans way produced in quantity during Mardi Gras.]

nationalparker – Waving toward a Florida airport. Congrats for learning about the delay in time to convert it into another night with your DB instead of a cold night at the airport.

curlyjax - Love the thought of special pancakes for New Year's Day. Yay for the "evil Kahlua chocolates" being gone.

Readers -

I had a good start to the New Year -- a fun day of planning and an energetic viewing of the Rose Bowl Parade on TV. Food didn't go quite as planned but it stayed in separate eating occasions and the last-minute choices were reasonable.

Today includes errands, which can be a challenge for me, but I'll go before lunch and follow my "no eating in the car" rule -- which is somewhat easier when the car is below twenty degrees.

Weigh-in: NC kg, Exercise: +40, 40/1200 minutes for January

curlyjax: It's a relief to be reaching the end of eating just because it's the holidays.

nationalparker: I have problems controlling my eating after I get home from travel, too. I blamed jet lag when it was after European trips, but then I noticed I had problems when the time difference wasn't so great, too. I'll look forward to any solutions you discover!

silverbirch: I also have more on today than makes sense. It may all fit but only if I take a few minutes to carefully plan it this morning. I'll do that before breakfast so that the stress doesn't materialize in my food choices.

BillBlueEyes: What fun to go to a concert on New Year's Day! Thanks for the helpful reminder of what is truly rare and unusual -- being able to buy it in the supermarket doesn't qualify.

It's good to be home, no matter how much I love spending time with my brother. We got a couple of hours of sleep, and the alarm was set for 2:40 - and unlike Bill, we're not that early birds. On the road to the airport by 3 a.m., so we could gas up and then return the rental car. A slight issue with a late fee that I disputed (after all we paid for five days and was initially returning it 20 hours early), so the attendant cleared it. We'll see what the bill shows.

We had nothing for a quick prep when we got home, aside from a can of lentil soup, and that did not appeal to either of us, despite me buying it for a quick meal. So we stopped and each got a small sub sandwich for brunch, and I rationalized it by saying we'd been up for nine hours without something to eat. Well, actually now that I type that, I buy it.

Temps of -14 and -10 have resulted in ice a literal inch thick inside our sliding glass kitchen door with the bottom of the drapes stuck in it. That's moved up the priority list for this year's improvement. At least the thermal drapes have kept some of the cold from the room, even though it's come into the frame.

I think I'm going to try to stay off my elec devices after dinner this month, but wavering on whether that includes my kindle. I think I'm good with that, ONLY if I stick with reading my books, not surfing the internet. I find myself reading a bit, then thinking, what did the stock market do today? I'd better check that. Oh. Read a bit more, then think, what's the weather update? etc. I don't get in the relaxing time that I anticipate. Will also continue to try new recipes - my goal last year was one every other week and easily eclipsed that, finding many that remain in our meal rotation. The latest I'm planning to test is a lentil soup with pureed chickpeas, along with carrots and onions and garlic, etc. I imagine mine being so much better than the can, but we shall see. I have all but the green lentils and don't want to sub in the red ones.

Laundry has been chugging along, and I relaxed in a HOT bath as I took a vacation day from work to just "be".

The other family member with cancer landed in the ER yesterday after passing out a few times. He's recently split from his wife and is alone and now unable to provide the care he needs as he's so ill from the chemo. He will most likely move in with his daughter and her family. He's been hammered by the chemo - deafness (permanent), feeding tube, etc. How quickly lives change - two months ago he was fine.

Joy - I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't execute any good plan to not overeat when first returning home. I ate my sub, and then later followed it with a maple cream santa from Christmas that my sister sent and I LOVE. They're 110 calories and pure sugar and I hate to say how much I love them. She sent me four and I've eaten two - one on Christmas Day and one today. I'm enjoying a couple of episodes of Grantchester while alone - refreshing my memory with repeats before I start a new episode, in between emptying the suitcase and backpack, etc.

Bill - Your New Year's concert sounds just superb! Kudos for passing up the FREE truffles. I join you in the issue with free goodies. No issue with free samples but every issue with free items left at my work that I like. I brought home a small bag of Harry and David chocolate covered dried cherries. They're high calorie items, but such a treat. The challenge will be using them just as treats.

CurlyJax - Happy New Year and I hope the care for your DH continues to result in his improvement! My brother is in limbo between chemo and the decision of more chemo (which I suspect might be out), surgery or radiation. I want to know but I didn't want to bring it up while we were reminiscing so much. The time will come. How nice that you were provided dinner by a friend.

Maryann - I, too, am focusing on aspects of renewal in my life. Thank you for that. I do enjoy the looking forward vs. the wrapping up in my thoughts. January and February nights are often spent by candlelight and fire, trying to embrace the darkness and not bemoan it. Luckily for me, DH is a roll with the flow guy and is fine with that vs. fighting it.

Silverbirch - I read that the supermoon the 1st and the 2nd would be the brightest of the year this year. I didn't get to see it as we were socked in with clouds. I suspect we'll see it tonight, and with the snow on the ground, we'll be able to see like daylight. May I ask an ignorant question? What is the difference between a crumpet and an English muffin and do you just call them muffins? or are they the same? Kudos for your continued gardening. Envious of that!

OneByOne - Yay and kudos for the January work project. Hopefully you'll hear about your pay from last semester soon (unless I've missed that). Stay warm and credit for your stance vs. sugar. Stay strong!

Good Morning, Coaches.

Renewed my commitment to sound eating by eating all three meals and cutting fresh fruit up. One of my more insidious slides into bad habits begins with skipping a meal. With this new medication, that is not possible because I am constantly nauseous. So lots of water and another apple cut before I go with DH it counselor. I had breakfast with old friends. I told them my world has become an empty scape. My old habits that once served me are no longer helpful. I am keeping the rudiments of my healthy living - sound friendships, telling the truth, willing to try new and openminded about the person I am today. In AA we call this H.O.W. Honesty openminded and willing.

It will be interesting to see who the new "normal" Mary Ann is.

Thanks for the link, silverbirch.

A good day at the office yesterday. I've cleared my desk and am about to start on 'getting ahead' before a big project arrives (I hope). Feeling quietly accomplished! Food was not so good. I ended up with bad indigestion at the end of the day which I trace back to the crumpets for breakfast plus sandwiches for lunch. Time to go shopping, I suppose. I haven't been for some time and it's been lovely not to.

I plan exercise, shopping and time at the office today.

maryann, three meals and fresh fruit sounds excellent to me. Credit! I like apples and you've reminded me that there are some lovely ones in the kitchen. I'll join you and have one today with a few nuts as an afternoon snack. Thanks.

nationalparker, things sound cold there! I don't really know about 'English muffins', despite Wikipedia saying that "English muffins are sold in all British supermarkets and many bakeries and are referred to as simply 'Muffins'". I think I probably ignore them. I wonder if they're more popular in America than they are here. Crumpets are a griddle cake (so part of the domestic and rural heritage) and I think muffins are baked in the oven (so a more industrial, urban thing).

gardenerjoy, how did you get on with the errands yesterday? I'm going shopping today which I'm not looking forward to.

Bill, thanks for clarifying 'rare and unusual' even further. I tend to categorise supermarket food as something to avoid so that will help me! Yes, this is despite shopping in supermarkets and starting to investigate ready meals.

curlyjax, sending good wishes. Are your children back at school yet? My DB doesn't go back until Monday.

OK. Time for breakfast. Just the one course today. Hope your day goes well.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – So inspired that I skipped the Lindt Truffles on New Year's Day, that I paused when I found myself in the kitchen looking for a snack. I took a bowl of baby carrots, which I declare as OK anytime. CREDIT moi for skipping an opportunity to make myself feel like failing. After dinner snack was a California Navel Orange - it's the season to be incredibly good.

Not much happened outside; the temperature fell to zero degrees Fahrenheit. At this moment it's warmer: 14 degrees F. In the morning DD called me because her car wouldn't start. In her whole life she'd never encountered the notion of a battery that was just too cold to spring to life. Yep, I advised her, a simple jump-start would cure her problem. She did; it did; life moved on.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – LOL that "no eating in the car" is easier when the car is that cold.

maryann - Kudos for plugging forward to find the new "normal" Mary Ann.

silverbirch – 'Getting ahead' is such a good way to stay sane. I wish that I did it more often.

nationalparker – Welcome home. Kudos for disputing an unwarranted late fee before breakfast. Nine hours is a long time to go without eating.

Readers -

I followed my food plan as written. That feels like a victory, since it's been a while since I was 100% with that.

I completed my list yesterday, after some thoughtful organization so that things flowed well. I suspect that completing my list and following my food plan (written on the same sheet of paper) are related.

Today's challenge is another long to-do list with a couple of expected interruptions by others. One of them will be at some random time, so it's hard to control my sense of flow with that. I will try the same planning regime that I used yesterday since it worked so well. We'll see if it can handle a bit more distraction than I had yesterday.

Weigh-in: -0.15 kg, Exercise: +50, 90/1200 minutes for January

nationalparker: Welcome home!

maryann: good for you for talking things out with friends and being conscious of how (H.O.W.) change can work well for you.

silverbirch: I ended up running my errands quite late in the day, getting to the bank in the half-hour before it closed. That worked surprisingly well. I was ready for a break from the work things but it was well after my afternoon snack time that I often struggle with.

BillBlueEyes: The oranges are good here, too! Advising a jump-start that fixes the problem is a perfect dad and adult daughter moment. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Good Morning, Coaches.

Credit for following through on the planned counselor with DH. It is a long haul and I dislike the whole process. However, super grateful to have a mate willing to walk with me through this. The new amount of medication was making me sick so the shrink checked in and reduced the amount. This whole process has been humbling and eye opening. For today I will focus on the things I can control. I can track my food so that as I am constantly nibbling to avoid illness, the total calories will be reasonable. I have a planned exercise session and a hair appt. Super credit for not waiting around till I want to do these things. I will just do them. I am using the clock for help. I will put two hours in correcting. I don't have to finish, I just have to put two hours in. I will walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes in the gym. It can be at the lowest setting but it just has to be 45 mins. I can wait till noon to eat. It can be anything but I have to wait till noon. I find approaching tasks with no quality expectations only quantity allows me to begin. Then I usually do a pretty good job.

Weight is two pounds from ticker.

gardenerjoy: I often want a peak at your lists. They have nearly grown to magical proportions in my imagination.

Hi everyone!

It's good to see that there are still familiar names and faces!

I've gained all the weight I lost back (+ 10 pounds, which I swore I would never do). I'm at my all time highest ever weight.

We moved from Ohio to Chicago in the spring. A good chunk of our stuff is in storage, as we're living in temporary quarters with a plan to build a house, starting construction this spring.

I'm now 'bethturningaround' (on My Fitness Pal, too)

I haven't yet picked an approach. I'm starting calorie counting again and only eating sitting down. I have absolutely no idea where my Beck book is (meaning it's in a box in the storage area with all the other books and is totally inaccessible). In the interests of my health, though, I ordered the ebook from Amazon.

It's a hard journey, which has made it so hard to start again--but my health requires it.