Good Morning

Tera~ kudos for getting up bright and early to get your workout in.....your view sounds beautiful!!

shrinkin~ Thanks....I know its not "failure"....but its how it feels. kwim? But this is what I have to do to make time. Hm....too bad we couldnt hire someone to do our workouts for us!!

onebyone~ sounds like you had a good day yesterday. Kudos for having a cheat meal instead of a cheat day!!

Bill~ stuff gets cleaned out even in places which both of us are actively ignoring funny how that happens!! Im always amazed how long something will stay on the stairs before anyone takes it up Kudos for your walk before you class. Sounds like you are enjoying your class too, good for you!

The good news!! I got out of the shop by 1:30 did some shopping, enjoyed the sunshine during my little walk, then went home and chilled out for a while. Had a nice piece of salmon for supper, did a bit of christmas shopping after, watched some of the election results on CNN and was in bed by 10

Have a great day everyone!

struggling to stay awake this morning. like a fool, i spent half the night camped in front of CNN watching election results. once they'd made the call i thought, i should go to bed, but then they started talking about the candidates' speeches coming up, and the conversation in my head to watch sounded almost like one of those "i can eat this, because..." conversations. like, i SHOULD stay up (instead of going to bed like i'd planned) because it's a truly historical night, this has never happened before, etc. to be fair, it WAS a truly historical night in a lot of ways, and i'm glad i got to see it. but, yipes. met with the headhunter this morning and was definitely not as fresh as i would have liked. need to play with the resume AGAIN - first pass, too much detail. on the second, apparently not enough. fingers crossed that third time's the charm. the job sounds interesting - right up my alley, but i really like the people i'm working with now, still have a lot of questions. we'll see!

little squeezed for time today - would love to say hi individually but just swamped! have a great wednesday!

Diet Coaches - FREE ice cream at work as part of the United Way Campaign. It was scooped out by vice presidents - presumably to show that they are one of us. Thought about it. I don't eat ice cream for lunch. It's OK ice cream, but not to-die-for ice cream. To get a tiny portion just for the taste I'd have to negotiate with a vice president who had an agenda to be a likable person by serving huge portions. Then I had a clear thought: I didn't have to go at all, even though FREE. So, I didn't. CREDIT moi.

onebyone - Kudos for veggie day. Thanks for the review about W. That's on my list - but the list is long.

Jeanie (kuhljeanie) - Yep, "third time's the charm." Smart to do it several times to clear out the head enough to write the really good one.

Robin (RobinW) - Yeah for getting out of the shop at 1:30 and enjoying the sunshine. Do t-shirt sales drop during the winter? Do you just hibernate until it's warm enough to wear t-shirts in the Spring?

angelmomma210 - Waving. Sending supportive thoughts.

Readers -

good morning my coaches,

congratulations bill! that's a big one for you!

went to bed much earlier last night, without sleeping pills. wasn't tossing for hours, so i thought i did pretty well, but when i uploaded my monitor, discovered that i'd gotten less than 6 hours of sleep again. criminy. historically, exercise has been the key. apparently it's not enough anymore. i also made a list of all the things i'm worried about, which i think helped me fall asleep faster. the problem last night was regular wakings every hour or so(which i don't remember but must have done, because i'm feeling it now.) i'm going to keep at it for another week or two, and then i'm going to involve my doctor.

had a wonderful day calorie-wise. ate 1500, burned 2900. running doesn't hurt my back when i'm doing it, so it was probably something else (maybe yoga?) that tweaked the sciatica. will continue to exercise with attention.

hope everyone is well! it was awfully quiet around here yesterday...

Good Morning Coaches!



Credit moi for staying off the scale this morning. I really wanted to see my weight today. Didn't do it. I questioned why I was staying off the scale too... sure sign I am starting to struggle... so credit moi for not giving in.

&

I am facing a weird temptation. I am at home, missing my morning printmaking class so I can get the work done for my afternoon class (yes I am that behind) and the assignment is to make 5 photographs of an inanimate object in 5 different contexts using different light/angle etc. So I chose a fork. A fork is hard. So I have
1) a bunch of forks all piled up to show the "mass manufactured product" aspect of my fork.
2) I have an image of me using it to scramble eggs (tool to mix with).
3)I have one of a formal place setting. It's a utensil there-part of a group of dinnerware.
4) I need one with it spearing food, maybe a tomato, and feeding it to me
5) I got a package of pillsbury peanut butter cookies and I used it to make the pattern on the top of the cookies. Not sure if I will show the fork pressing into the raw cookie or just show all the cookies with the patterning left by the fork (object is here but in its absence--always a clever tactic for an art class). AND SO... there are now some baked peanut butter cookies (I am not a peanut butter cookie fan) so I am just telling you, my coaches, that I am packaging up these cookies and bringing them in to class. They spread out on the cookie sheet and attached to each other when I baked them so they aren't perfect looking but that's no reason not to get rid of them.

I was going to do "fork in the road" but not sure about that. It is a metaphor using the word fork but like "forked tongue" I am not sure it fits the criteria.

Anyway. My brain is tired. And if I can, I will list the things that are facing me this month: scholarship applications are due Nov 14th. Need to fill out forms and gather material to present to the jury. We have 4 scholarships, 3 of which are available only to third year diploma students. There are 6 of us graduating. 3 prizes. 6 students. And there is one other BIG prize of $2750 available to all students. I'm feeling very less-than with my work. Have seen what others are producing. Wish I had made that I say to myself... I did win a scholarship last year and would really like to add another one to my resume. A big one a small one I don't care.
Also have a presentation to a class on Nov 19th. All 6 handmade books due the end of the month. I have 1 completed.
Guess it's not that bad but the ceramic studio! Eeeps! The big kiln, that I am counting on, was showing FAIL on it's electronic box. Something bad happened a night ago in that kiln. I cannot afford to have that thing out of commission. with all the farting around that we had to do to figure out a firing schedule and method and all the big things that are being made and now all the demanding voices lookign for their work... well the crunch I expected is happening. The big kiln will fire 3x the amt of the small kiln... And I fear the small kiln will break down if it's pressed into constant production. Ah well. I can't fix a kiln. I can't make it fire faster. I can only do what I can do with what I have got. it isn't my fault the teachers are making their students make big things and not letting them know things take time to dry and time to fire and this is all adding up as there are a record number of students too. I asked Jim, the diploma teacher, to prioritize the work for me. Because if I have to pick and choose I have no clue who needs what when and will treat everything equally based on size mostly and I will fire the most that I can each time, leaving some of the really big things out. It's inefficient to fire say 6 tall things vs. 20 low small things. I am nothing if not practical.

Can you feel how frustrated I am getting? I am. It's happening. I need to let it go as it will push me toward the food for sure. Maybe should let it push me toward the mini-trampoline Bounce my frustration away... <--- that does look good doesn't it?! Yep.

Gotta go. Break is over.

Quick pass til later.

I didn't want to delay posting this update until I 'had time', but I really don't have time. I have to get the flowers I got mom into some water and have much homework after.

So, to make this quick...

OP Food (both days)
OP Supplements (both days)
at the health club (on Tuesday)

Voted early this year, so was able to relax a bit Tuesday, compared to others. Did stay up to see results, only about 30 min. past bedtime for me when McCain conceded, so not too terrible, but had trouble falling to sleep afterward, so woke up groggy anyway and generally grumpy most of the day.

I'm much better rested today. Gonna do much biology, and hopefully have time for personals after.

Love y'all!

Morning coaches,We are in the car half way to Nebraska. I'm trying to post this on treo.Yesterday was so- so. did not get calories recorded but most food choices OK. Got DH to stop at restaurant last night that I knew would have fish. CREDIT MOI. Caved in though and had small biscuit while waiting for food. oh well. did not overeat.This am a victory. At hotel breakfast in Iowa, ordered what appeared to be smallest breakfast. Got my usual egg substitute and sausage links...but standard order included bacon (gave some to Dh and left the rest), hash browns (left them all), biscuit (had one bite and left the rest). Also left about a third of the eggs. CREDIT MOI...but can I keep this up for the next 5 days on the road with all the festivities?exercise is off target. DH said he would be sure hotel had pool for me...well, last night motel had attached water park....sounds great...but they close early and don't open till 10...DH chagrined and now guilty for my missing my wed exercise which was to make up for missing tue exercise to go vote...oh well...but must to better than that on rest of tripSorry this is sloppy..but the tiny keyboard and screen are tough.will try to post back when I can...but plz send some positive vibes my way...facing some sabotaging threats

just a quickie things aren't so good, Im struggling with quite a few things and need to absorb Dr. Beck's book by osmosis!!! (think it will help if I put it under my pillow?) Im going home early and probably to bed.

Hello again everyone. Thank you all for the really warm welcomes!
Yesterday I picked up the BDS book at the library and have already started reading it.
Then today I got my Sensewear WMS mini! I can't wait to start using it tomorrow. So, since I haven't kept up with this board since my original post, I'm not going to try to reply to everyone's previous posts, but will try to jump right in from this point forward!

kuhljeanie Would you mind sending me an email so I can pick your brain about the Sensewear? BTW, thanks for inadvertently introducing me to the BDS!

Diet Coaches - Had an opportunity to overeat at an event catered by one of the city's favorite delicatessens last night. But didn't. Passed completely on the platters of yummy fresh cookies and brownies. CREDIT moi. I didn't have the urge to eat one; I had the urge to eat one of each. Or two, or so. Easier for me to just pass than to go there. Had an extra mini wrap of Greek salad and didn't eat the wrap. Good step. Had the hummus appetizer - that's good while ignoring that the pita chips were unusually crisp and generally crisp is achieved by calories. Oh Well. Didn't get in my walk due to schedule and rain. Oh Well.

onebyone - Ouch for frustration. Ouch for a balky kiln. Ouch for being forced to choose whose work to fire first. (LOL at the thought of onebyone being the Donald Trump of her university - "You're Fired!!!") Kudos for mushing forward.

Jeanie (kuhljeanie) - Kudos for "ate 1500, burned 2900." Yay for some sleep. Neat idea to make a list of the worries so free the mind.

Robin (RobinW) - Ouch for things on the mind. Kudos for stopping to post when struggling. Sending supportive thoughts to get back in stride.

shrinkin - hello to the road warrior posting from a tiny covert device while in transit who missed out on the chance to get her daily exercise by sliding down those long slides at a water park that wasn't open even though sliding down water slides although it's great fun isn't really much exercise but stayed on plan despite breakfast at a hotel that, like they all do, served only giant portions of whatever, who is somewhere in Nebraska for which Google declares a temperature at this moment of 30 degrees Fahrenheit which is below freezing even in Nebraska all of for which she deserves Kudos without punctuation

angelmomma210 - Waving. Sending supportive thoughts for the last day of the third week of your DH's nightmare.

Tera (twilit tera) - Yay for having to do some biology - now that sounds like fun. Kudos for continuing on plan, on plan, and on plan.

bennyhannahmama - Kudos for getting The Beck Diet Solution and your sensewear both. You're on your way.


Readers -

Diet Coaches Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this group and I love it! Not really sure who the "diet coaches" are (but I'm assuming when I went to PM Jeanie and it said until I have 10 posts I can only PM such as such, that the such and such people must be the coaches So, I woke up this morning and got my workout in- woo hoo! I've met my daily goal for exercise according to my new Sensewear WMS which currently is set for 30 minutes moderate activity and 15 minutes vigorous. I read some more of the book last night, and stopped reading as I got to the chapter about making sure you're ready to get started. I find myself doing/thinking 2 different ways. 1st is my more typical thought pattern of I'm about to start a "diet" and I should eat my last "x" before I start the "diet", etc. But I already find myself stopping those thoughts. I already find myself thinking, am I really hungry? Can I deal with the hunger for awhile? One of the things that has really stood out to me in the book so far is the part where she talks about having to follow all the guidelines and not justifying why I don't need to follow x,y or z. This is a HUGE one for me. I know in the past I've justified many things. She has alluded to being mindful of every bit and make sure you're sitting down when you eat. This makes me think that eating in front of the computer, tv or while reading is going to be a big no-no. I know in the past when I've tried following plans that set these guidelines I give up on this part fairly quickly (if I even try at all), justifying it by saying that there's no way I can follow that for life. The mere idea of sitting down at a table with nothing but a plate of food makes me want to crawl out of my skin. Why is that???? So, I've been mulling this over quite a bit. If I reallywant to lose this weight and stop struggling with this whole weight/body-image crap stuff, is it really so much to ask that I stop doing other things while eating? Doing I really want this or not? If I do, then I need to realize that I MUST follow all the guidelines. And as I typed that last sentence, my saboteur said, "You might be different though, you can probably do it while still eating in front of the computer." WTF??? Wow, that's frustrating. At least I heard it though! And at least I'm here writing about it and sharing it with all of you, which will hopefully keep my accountable.

BillCongratulations on passing on the cookies and other goodies-- that's awesome! You're already inspiring a newbie Oh and thanks for the suggestion on buying the book through this site to give credit here. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying the book, so I will do that. I need to wait until I have some more $ (since I blew it all on my Sensewear!), so for now I'll stick to the library book.

Everyone I'm so excited that I found this group. You guys seem like such a caring and supportive group and in addition active That's huge to me. So many times I've joined support groups before that only have a few posts a day. This is SO much more helpful to me. Looking forward to getting to know all of you.

Good Morning!

Bill~ HUGE Kudos for skipping the free icecream event!! Very cool I must say, you are getting very good at passing up the cookie trays too! T-shirt sales drop a bit, mind you I just finished about 500 t's(total) last week. We are getting more requests for long sleeve t's and Im waiting on an order from some high school seniors that want hoodies. Then its back to t-shirts for the holiday season....we sell lots of buffalo t's then. Go figure

kuhljeanie~ you sound like you have the same issue I have when I go to bed. Your brain wont quit! Then your brain wakes you up.......cuz it has more thinking to do. I need to do stuff that completely takes my mind off life before bed. Usually I'll read a novel, but when its really bad, I'll go boot up my daughters Sims game, and play that for an hour or so. Seems to clean out the old attic so I can get to sleep. If someone could invent an on/off button for our brains, I think they'd make a fortune!!

shrinkin~ to you on the road. Sending lots of good vibes to keep you on track while you are travelling.

Benny~ good to have you here!

Ok......did you all know that those cadbury chocolate mini eggs holiday edition are now out in the stores?!??? Who approved this??????????????? I didnt!!!!!! That's almost 2 full months of trying to ignore those evil little things! Crap!! Then before you know it, the easter ones will be on display calling my flipp'n name! Someone really needs to do something about those things, they are a menace to my diet! Thank heavens the 5lb bags havent showed up yet at sam's club

Well, Ive managed to get out of the shop early almost everyday. Today wont be the exception either....and Im taking ALL day off tomorrow Just the thought of it is very calming

Eating wasnt on plan, but its better today. Im having hip issues again (I cant figure this one out)

Its a beautiful day here today.....I plan to enjoy it!! Have a great day everyone!

So, I've continued to read the book and have now gotten to the first exercise, making my Advantage Response Card. I know this may seem silly, but I want to do this *right*- ykwim? So, I'm wondering what you all have done and what you do/don't like about it. I believe I have some index cards buried somewhere in boxes in my basement (still haven't fully unpacked from my move in March), but I rather not go digging for them (or to the store to buy more), if it's just as good to make a list on the computer and print it out on some cardstock. I would make them small enough to fit into my purse. I was also thinking laminating them and putting them on a ring might be a good idea. Also, I already have a journal (spiral bound notebook) that I use and take most places with me-- do you see any reason why I can't use that for my notebook? I rather not have 2 notebooks to worry about, but again want to do this *right*.

Thanks in advance,
Kim, who really needs to add a siggy, avatar, info., etc.!

first off, CONGRATULATIONS bennyhannahmama on your sensewear! i'm finding it invaluable, and last night spent about two hours crunching data to try and figure out why the weight was flying off in october, not so much in november. still haven't cracked that nut but am SO GRATEFUL to have such detailed and complete information. am comparing macronutrients, activity and sleep levels, etc. this is a great side benefit of logging every bite religiously! i have tons of baseline data to help figure out how to tweak my plan so it works best. suspect that i might be better served doing calorie cycling, but still not sure. this is a process, for sure! and also, CONGRATULATIONS bill for passing up "free" cookies etc.! i'm seeing a pattern here!

still tired, and today, cranky. yesterday the IT dept upgraded my laptop and software, and today i'm trying to put the pieces back together. missing applications, had to locate my outlook pst files and import, etc. it's been a mess. between all that i have actual WORK to do. and am having trouble installing the java that sensewear requires to use their webapp, so i haven't been able to upload or log online. this irritates the heck out of me. i've been writing everything down, but yuck. oh well. feeling overwhelmed getting both house and car ready for sale, and suspect that even the idea of changing jobs is stressing me out. spent some time on the phone last night with a friend of DH's who works at the prospective company. mixed reviews from him. i haven't even been asked to interview yet (although i expect to be) so i should probably just stop thinking about it for now. it's hard, though.

the sciatica is still giving me trouble, mostly first thing in the morning. the elliptical doesn't seem any better than running on the spine, so today, i'll go back to the treadmill. getting addicted to the damn thing.

onebyone, i was going to make a bad "fork" joke, but just don't have the heart. can't wait to see the pictures! you've got a lot in front of you - will tell you what i keep telling meeself: just put one foot in front of the other, and we'll get there. excellent work with the cookies!

hi robin! didn't know about the eggs - realized a great advantage of my plan while reading your post. i hardly ever go into grocery stores these days, and if i do, it's for a small number of very specific things (like apples, soda water, ingredients for DH and el nino). keeps me out of the bakery. sounds like a case for paul mckenna's "associate it with the grossest thing you can think of" technique from "i can make you thin." have you heard about/seen this? and if you find the shut-off-the-brain valve, PLEASE share!

shrinkin the nomadic: excellent work on typing in the car! there's a certain amount of planning to be off-plan that's sort of unavoidable when travelling, i think. just like not being able to truly control how food is cooked when other people are cooking it. you're doing a heck of a job of controlling the things that are under your control, and that's really the best you can do!

bennyhannahmama: will send my email to you shortly and am happy to answer questions! you can also post questions here: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146354 there are people on this thread who have put MAJOR time into geeking out on their sensewears.

happy weekend, y'all!

Benny~ I thought Id answer this now instead of waiting until tomorrow, and Ive forgotten about it.

Ive used index cards. I picked them up for 99cents. I like them, but they are a bit too big. I plan to redo my cards soon, and I'll cut them in half so they will fit in my wallet. I have them in their own little case, but it takes up too much room in my purse. I didnt go to the expense of laminating them, simply because I like to add little bits to the cards once in a while. I didnt want to feel like I was wasting money when I tossed a card.

It will be interested to hear what everyone else is doing too.