Hello to my Forum, and welcome to all the new folks! Thanks for sharing your background. I second maryann's comment: You will find peace here.

Thanks to all for the supportive comments on my Off Plan Eating-On Plan Writing days. Getting back on track this weekend was harder than I thought it would be. Saturday was more Off-Plan eating, which I could feel bad about, but the DP and I had an amazing day. Part of the goodness of the day was the food we ate. Not necessarily "bad" food -- we shared everything, including one beer, and we made relatively healthy choices -- but just unplanned and spontaneous. Again, this is part of what made the day so special.

BUT, here's what really made the day so wonderful: We trekked out to San Pedro CA (our favorite beach spot in the LA area) and took a whale watching cruise about seven miles out into the Pacific. Now is the time of year that the gray whale is migrating off our coast (they come relatively close to shore, to avoid the Orca pods). It was freezing (okay, nothing like you snow-bound folks, but still cold), but delightful with the salt wind blowing in our faces, the calm but still powerful swells moving deep beneath us, the evening fog moving in . . . Just gorgeous. And we saw a gray whale giving birth to her calf! A very rare event, but amazing to see the roiling waves, then the calf emerge, and the mother whale pushing it to the surface over and over, teaching it how to come up for air. We felt so blessed.

If it makes any sense, I think the beauty and blessing of the day enabled me to get back on track yesterday, working out and catching up on tracking my food. So -- I think I'm trying to say that days like this are few and far between, so feeling bad about the eating just doesn't make sense. I didn't feel that the spontaneous eating was out of control.

As for the Cheeto challenge, I'm going to treat this as a CREDIT MOI. In doing our shopping for the week, the DP purchased TWO bags of cheetos. I tried to talk her out of it, being as direct as possible in saying, "I really don't want these things in the house." But, I also feel that I can't demand she bow to my every eating wish. So, I got angry (but kept it to myself). Then, I decided to make the best of it and turn this into a challenge: I will not have even ONE cheeto. I haven't ever cut anything completely. If I REALLY love something, I always put a little taste into my plan. But I realized: I really LOVE Thai food. I don't LOVE cheetos. So I can do this! And maybe I'll plan in some Thai food later this week, as a reward.

BBE, I would have a very tough time letting go of books with any kind of inscription. I too feel touched by fate when I purchase a book from the thrift store that has a personal note in it.

Other news: I've been solidly at 180 lbs this week. Looking forward to moving into the 170s this week! I KNOW I can, I KNOW I can!!!!!

Goals for the day:

* Deal with some bills

* Complete and mail fellowship application

* Complete and e-mail USC fellowship apps (might as well get it all out of the way!)

* Plan the rest of writing week

* Finish up laundry

* Work out

* Track eating

I’m having one of those frustrating mornings. DH needed my help, but everything we started wound up taking way more time than it should have and we weren’t even able to complete anything. I’m trying to avoid using food to deal with it.

I had a big cleaning day yesterday, leaving me exhausted. My old perfectionist voice was telling me that I really needed to get out for a run because it was (a) on my plan and (b) one of the last nice days we were going to have for awhile. I ignored that run or nothing voice, since I would have chosen nothing, and did yoga instead. Food was good and OP with lots of leftovers in the fridge for lunches.

Waving to everyone! I’ve got to get on with my day and hope I’m able to get something accomplished today.

Beverlyjoy I could not believe all the healthy choices you could pick. If you are staying at one of the resorts and using the dining plan, you can pick unwise choices, or wise choices. You can get pre packaged fruit, salad, carrots, celery, yogurt, apple sauce, grapes, banana's, apples, oranges etc for snacks. There are small salads you can get as a snack.
At all the parks and at downtown Disney you can use your meal plan, there was a lady in line ahead of me and when she ordered for quick service dining she told the cashier she had food concerns and they called over this person who helped her make choices. She said she was diabetic, after she had ordered she told me she either said she was diabetic or had a heart condition so they helped her pick healthy choices. She disclosed to me she was dieting. I am sure if she would have told the person that she still would have helped her to make wise choices. They are so helpful at Disney. There were many people with wheel chairs and scooters and they were allowed on the transportation first and on the rides they went to a different area and avoided all the lines. It didn't appear to be a big deal to the people waiting in line. I hope you have a fun time.

OP today. Thank Goodness. It feels good after a little messy yesterday. Beautiful day - sunny but cold - Not cold like BBE's world nor sunny like Seadwater's - but some pleasantness in the middle. I am anxious to see my destination - the promise land of goal. I keep telling myself it is at least a month off and stop looking ahead you will miss the journey. Then I tell myself, "'Journey, Schmourney'" I want to see the scale drop." So the No Choice for me today is One Day at a Time OP. I am a success for the moment.
ChefJoona: Congrats on using the scale for information. It is not an easy habit to develop.
Gardenerjoy: wishing the best for your area in terms of weather.
Newlifestyle: Welcome back. I write a weekly menu of 5 meals in no particular order. I have everything mostly prepped and waiting in the frig for the coming week. Ex. cooked chicken. All I have to do is mash the potatoes, put the split peas in the crockpot, or thaw the cooked beans. etc...
RubyJan: Enjoy your books.
MaryContrary: a helpful suggestion from Beck for me was having foods that I can't trust myself with safely in a paperbag stapled shut out of sight. I don't know why but somehow the closure thing is harder to break.
Shepardess: Congrats for checking in on what sounds like a rocky day. I hope all went well.

Relapse. Discomfort, swelling, congestion, exhaustion, frustration. Antibiotics, new antibiotics, ibuprofen, vicodan, (nasal spray, neti pot), constipation, diarrhea, yeast infection, stomach ache. Maybe another tooth pulled. No energy, exercise, crunchy foods, or plan. Back on the sofa with a quilt up to my chin.

We travelled today wanting to get over the divide before the big storm. We saw the ESPN vans hauling all the equipment away from the XGames. I'm glad it was a success and am more glad to have my cell phone and internet back. Kirks bags of chips blew up at 10,783 ft. I thought it was a tire, the engine backfiring or avalanche shooting. We had a great laugh when we figured it out. Now that's some pressure-fortunately they were in another bag or the pup would have had a free for all.
My goal for today was to walk into the house and take steps to get right back on track in this location.
Credits:
~preparing a healthy dinner (coconut/curry stuffed pumpkin) one of our own.
~putting on a walking video and getting a mile in even though I already exercised.
~drink water
~committed to planning for tomorrow after dinner.
~getting caught up here.

Credit to all of us, especially BBE, for participation in our monthly thread which is worthy of a mention by Dr Beck, thus directing new folks here.


BillBlueEyes, yes, decluttering is a credit, especially since it's how I stumbled across this forum-checking out one of the official decluttering threads. Love it…5# multiple times.

Andrea(masondixonmama), as you surmised, this IS a wonderful and supportive group. It's a big step you have taken; posting here for the first time. I understand "scared", but think it does get easier.

Kristin(eiscicle), thanks for trusting us and sharing your story. I think you should be really encouraged that you are here and taking action not to go back to your high weight. Take it one step at a time and find small success as you work to walk down this new path.

Ann(Newlifestyle), *credit* for jumping right back here upon returning from vacation.

Shepherdess, great that you worked around your cleaning yesterday and found a way to be satisfied with the results. I hope today got better!

MaryContrary,amazing story!! Thx for sharing your amazing weekend with us. *credit* for unplanned and spontaneous relatively healthy food choices!

Beverlyjoy, great preparation for your trip! I am confident that "you can manage". It sounds like a great card, too.

RubyJan, my first time, I took it slow, too. It really helped!

gardenerjoy, the storm is affecting us already. Stay warm. BTW-loved your recreation of a comfort food from your past.

ChefJoona, lol at missing posts. Great that you are altering your food plan after a week without a loss. Yay for decluttering!

Cheryl(seadwaters), I'm glad to hear your anti-inflammatory is helping. Yay for walking which leads to happy dogs AND coming up with a healthy plan for tomorrow.

maryann, great planning for February menus! My hat is tipped to you. credit for looking at Sunday unplanned eating even when it takes you back to chaotic and scary times.

CeeJay, I see you are continuing to read. I am so convinced that it helps. BTW-I'm counting down days until you are back to one job.

onebyone, I hope you are having some good results in Toronto by now.

FutureFitChick, hope your travelling went well.

Marci(madrikh), thanks for checking in and persisting even though you've had some difficult times.

Just a quick check in tonight- need to get off to bed asap.

Today was a mixed bag. I ate on plan until some unplanned cookies this afternoon. Oh well, moving beyond cookies.

Credit today for:
weighing in
doing weights
walking 30 mins with mom
packing lunch for tomorrow
planning food for tomorrow

Hope everyone here has a great week!!

Hello Coaches & Beckies

MaryContrary - Sounds like you had a wonderful day whale watching. I know you can get down to the 170s also. I had to cut kettle corn completely off. My husband would bring home popcorn knowing that I loved it, but I had decided to not buy it any more. I think he was trying to sabotage my efforts. Your reference to MarryAnn’s comment, “you will find peace here”, I am trying to take to heart. I am so embarrassed, because I have not posted since I think Friday. I had to take pain medication for two days and writing in a diary, and planning a day’s food plan was just not something I was able to concentrate on. The other days, I just want to think they never happened. I’ll just give myself credit for all the biking I did (stationary bike). Today, I went grocery shopping and bought the things I will need to have a successful week. I feel like I am back on track.

Masondixonmama – Welcome! Wow, I would love to go to one of Judith Becks seminars. Lucky you! Dr Becks’s comment that you mentioned “not to make any changes that we weren't prepared to make for life” really made me think. Does that mean we will always have to journal, and plan our meals for life?

Shepherdess – Yoga is good. You were able to give yourself credit for accomplishing that.

Naturegirl – Oh, I so hope you start feeling better soon. I felt your pain as I was reading your post.

Dear Coaches

It hit over 40C today so that was interesting. It is 8.15pm and it is still 35 and I haven't eaten yet. I am hoping there isn't power failure because of the excess usage of air con. GardenerJoy's story of the possibility of power failures and very low temperatures and ice and being snowed in for several days sounded a little less like the inconvenience of heat I am experiencing and quite a dangerous mix. North Queensland is being told to prepare for the possibility of 3 days without electricity, water, and all the other necessaries because of the cyclone that will hit tomorrow night. A scary range of weathers happening. My main danger here is if bush fires start because of the intense heat and dry weather

I had a plan and stuck to it, took the opportunity for incidental exercise by using the stairs a lot, weighed myself, checked in, and am generally trying to stay on track

stay safe Beckies

Please join us as this discussion continues on

Beck Diet For Life/Solution – February 2011 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

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

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