Frustrated by today's bump up on the scale because I was so sure the number was going to be down today. I can't believe I still think like that! It's just data..it's just data...it's just data.

WI: +0.15 in kgs, Exercise: +50 375/1400 minutes for December, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

Thanks, Chickbury! Yes, gardenerjoy = WriterJoy (which happens to be my username at NaNoWrimo -- LOL!). My alcohol tip for the rare fine dining occasion is alcohol or dessert, not both. But that's not going to help for more frequent Mexican dinners. I would never have guessed 350 calories in a Margarita. Wow!
Congrats on the ticker!

Nature_girl: LOL at "this is a place I "defy" Beck." I think it's useful to defy in one or two places. I'm still reading when I eat even though I "should" eliminate the distraction. Breaking one rule helps me feel better about keeping others.

BillBlueEyes: thanks for the orange update! I'll buy oranges as soon as my current stash of honey crisp apples are gone.

Good day, all! Another dreary midwest wintry day here. I am SO governed by the sunshine - so feel a bit blah on the gray days.

Planned my meals for today and it feels good to get back into that routine. Dinner will be turkey tacos with plenty of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Lots to do this evening, so I hope my mind won't be on snacking.

Went through our work kitchen and a gorgeous cinnamon coffee cake is sitting there ... I hit the restroom and then suddenly remembered the NO CHOICE response, so went back through, made my cup of tea, and it wasn't tempting me at all. So credit on that. Beck is right in that the wavering thoughts about something are stressful in a way.

Saw a pound loss on the scale and am pleased, but will wait to see it a few days before accepting it.

I wanted to share this link - speaking of savoring food. This was written by a 3fc member last year but I reread it often as a reminder to savor what we have:

http://miriyummy.wordpress.com/2011/...ate-like-bread

Good morning coaches,

I had a good weekend with a friend of mine and came home to see a loss on the scale. This made me think about how I managed the weekend. I ate exactly what I wanted to eat. Ate when hungry, stopped when satisfied. Moved my body. Took time to get a massage, went for a mani/pedi, got a good night's sleep. It was a wonderfully refreshing mini-break for myself. I realized how much I still overeat due to stress. It's the whole reason for my overeating these days!

I just got back from a quick run to my son's place. I went there because a friend of his was supposed to meet with him this morning but my son wasn't answering the doorbell, the knocking, the phone. His friend came to my place wondering if my son was here. I called and called, then decided to go over and figure out what had happened. I was stressed! Turns out he had gone to bed quite late (GAMING!!!). So then I was angry!

As I drove home, I was considering stopping at Starbucks for a big cup of coffee with cream, maybe a breakfast sandwich, or even one of their egg salad sandwiches...I have already had a good breakfast and I am not hungry! But the stress set me off.

So glad I came here instead. I've decided I need to spend every weekend pampering myself some, and take extra care during the week so as not to let the stupid little daily stressors get the best of me. And I'm counting this as a good lesson.

Hope you all have a wonderful day! Thanks for listening!

Hi coaches/friends... finally, yesterday was an on plan day. Credit...YAY. We had a pasta dinner with all the trimmings. I had to pull all of my resistance techniques out of my hat to get through it. It was really tough.. but, I perservered.

Yesterday I wrote it all down, drank lots of water, did my exercises, always left a bite. Credit. I went to bed early.. just easier than facing any evening eating.

I've still got a cold, sinus, swollen glands... ready for them to get better.

Good news... I got my bloodwork back. Triglycerides were 443 - now 239. They need to get below 150. Cholesterol was 232 - now 182. That's in three months. I am pleased. Credit!!

I've been reshearsing for some programs this week.

gardenerjoy said: you sure have generous family and friends with all the goodies that float about in your realm. But such a challenge! And it seems like the tactics that worked for you last year or the year before aren't going to cut it this year. Do you have new ideas? Need us to help you brainstorm?
Well, new ideas - I don't know. Try to avoid situations, if possible. Get the goodies out of the house.... maybe in DH's trunk!! That would be different. LOL I have to decide whether I will make the traditional Christmas goodies that DH's mom made for years. It's a tradition. We can talk about that tonight. I could always tell folks that I am pre-diatbetic. It's not true. However, folks really respect you not wanting sweets for that rather than for losing weight/health. It's crazy. Does anyone have other idea? Thanks.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Another on plan eating day, CREDIT moi. Getting a string of these in a row here feels good. I skipped my morning snack just because I didn't feel like I needed it - which raises the question of when's the last time I really needed food, LOL. Today's the day I increment my monthly counters, CREDIT moi. I'm convinced that without the Beck strategies and 3FC I'd have become bored with this journey and regained all the weight by now.

Minimal exercise. Between the slow recovering cold and the rapid recovering broken leg, I find it easy to avoid going outside in the rain. I did make it to the library to return Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My take is that it's real literature: The characters were real; I cared about their circumstances; I debated their choices; The text was edited (as differs from Fifty Shades of ...). Worth the read.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Did you click your heels three times when saying "It's just data..it's just data...it's just data."

Beverlyjoy – Welcome on plan day with Kudos for "all of my resistance techniques out of my hat" to get there.

Georgia (geoblewis) – Wonderful two tales: a time of equanimity and a time of adult-child-caused stress. Kudos for choosing 3FC over Starbucks indulgence - we're fat free and gluten free, LOL.

nationalparker – Enormous Kudos for ignoring "a gorgeous cinnamon coffee cake." The bigger they are the more attractive they appear.

Readers -

Hi Coaches!

Checking in....weighed this morning, down from yesterday which was expected since I skipped dinner and instead rested a very sore knee. I don't know what I did to it but knew it needed to work today at work. credit for 12 hours of rest not usually seen by moi.

BBE, kudos on yet another month for your ticker! Stellar op!

Hey Everybody,

My wheels fell off after my 18-plus-work day on Saturday, but I'm back on the bike and forgiving myself. Credit! I ate a slow, sitting down, mindful breakfast this morning and I will try to make the time to plan and execute.

Looking forward to starting my diet tomorrow and planning my meals. Thanks for all the great support.

Until that time...

Checking in before my day gets going. Starting off on plan and focused is nice. Kitchen is clean, bed made and room tidied. I've got a meeting with a promising new client in a couple hours and I'm excited to work with them because it's another health food store, which seems to be turning into my niche. I like focusing on businesses that support my interests and goals.

Not exercising till the evening Pilates class, but I'll be busy all day. I need to make a decision on lunch or I'll be tempted to make a decision that doesn't support my goals. Hoping there will be good choices available to me today.

Have a lovely day, everyone!

Hello! I'm on Day 19 here and it's Stop Fooling Yourself. I think i skipped a day of reading but going slowly and reinforcing these thought processes is a good thing. A few of them hit home for me - It's free ... I'll make up for it by eating less later ... I'm celebrating, among others.

Feel rather virtuous having strung together several days on plan, rather than another Day 1 every few days. Hoping I can keep this up. Or rather, planning to keep this up!

Credit for tracking everything yesterday and allowing myself one cookie that I registered as 150 calories (baked for DH to take holiday treats in to work - yes, one of THOSE) ... and then put it in the recipe calculator and it was 115 calories. Finding the planning of dinner difficult - not sure why. I will plan that at lunch today, so i'm not tempted by the fridge.

Scale was still down that elusive pound, so i'm hopeful that it's going to hold a bit and trending down, vs. up. Exercise has been very intermittent - with darkness falling so early, I just want to curl up and become a hibernating bear. I have no excuse - we're members of a great (but MOBBED) gym, and live near a trail that we walk together some evenings when he's not working and I have a good treadmill that I used daily before I gained all this weight (see a connection? sheesh!) Need to get crackin' on that.

Hi coaches/friends - Yesterday was a healthy day... always grateful for that! I planned/measured/logged food, did my exericses, drank lots of water, always left a bite, got healthy food to keep in the house, & took several deep breathes before each meal or snack. Credits!

I went to bed early. Thus, no extra eating then. However, I woke up at 2am. I couldn't fall back to sleep right away. So I had some warm milk and chamomille tea. I finally fell back to sleep in the recliner. I am not concerned about that 'extra milk'.

Yesterday DH and I decided we weren't going to bake any of the traditional Christmas goodies (His mom's raisin & nut bread and butterscotch & sugar cookies) I was really excited. I figured I could make some hot cocoa mix and jar it up to give as a 'homemade' present. I don't think I'll be tempted to binge on it. BUT - today, DH changed his mind. So, we have to figure out plan B.

I am still dealing with feeling sick. At this point it's postnasal drip and few other things. Ready for it to be gone!

I am reshearsing alot today for my performances tomorrow.

I hope you are all having a nice day.

nationalparker - I agree with you... planning is so important. I think when we plan our whole days meals/snacks in advance, then we don't have the food thoughts spinning around in our brain.. saying..."What should I eat next?" Glad you have put some healthy days together! Credit.

geoblewish - glad to here you've started the day focused. It really helps. Hope your meetings go well.

bigcheifdavid - kind of exciting to actually doing the food part. Dr. Beck has a good way to get you/us ready for it. Credit for your slow mindful breakfast and hopping right back to healthy foods.

lexxiss/debbie - ouch, sorry to hear of your sore knee. Glad that it didn't cause any overeating. YAY

billbe - you pose the ultimate question: when's the last time I really needed food, LOL It's a big reason we are all here! Credit for your many on plan days! Congrats on another month of food sanity with Dr. Beck.

For two days, I've been following this plan: holiday stress = holiday treats. The problem with that math is that it doesn't add up to me weighing the same or less on January 1 as I did on November 1. I made some progress on that this month and now I've stalled. It's time to make it start moving in the right direction again.

Beverlyjoy: I think part of the solution for me is going to be to focus on the treats that are healthy and let the rest go. For me, pomegranates and oranges are a celebratory part of the season. So are soups made from butternut squash or sweet potatoes.

Coaches

I totally stress ate today. Got news that dh's father is in palliative care with pancreatic cancer. He is uncoscious.unable to speak. Dh wrotehiscfather iff 25 yrs ago. It is still his father. I would like to have a few words with that n
Man even though dh has decided against a bedside visit. He also says he won't be at the funeral this all remains to be seen.

I ate over the tension and the feelings toward my own absentee father: 36yrs since I saw him. Got a xmas card 33yrs ago. I will visit this summer. I have been planning this anyway. Don't want it under deathbed circumstances.

I ate an extra meal today. Had takeout for dinner. Ate the leftover choc chips from my potluck contribution last night. Didn't track or weigh. Did come here do have a plan for tomorrow. Did stop eating. Credits x 3.

All is well inspite ofthis... or rather not as bad as I feared. Sorry fot the typos. Using a tiny tablet. Argh.

Night everyone.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Boring, I did another day on plan, CREDIT moi. And that included skipping two snacks and having only my evening snack of a much anticipated California Navel Orange. I turned down an offered Two-Byte-Belgium-Chocolate Brownie from Whole Foods after dinner, CREDIT moi. It's so easy for me to just take one (it's only "two bytes") as a small diversion. It matters to my attitude to stay on my path. I'll see brownies again.

Exercise was an excursion to the bank - me and my cast walking slowly - CREDIT moi. I got the gold-toned dollar coins for our Christmas Stockings. It cracks me up. Ever since I substituted dollar coins for the gold-foil-wrapped milk chocolates that were always in the toes of the kids stockings (as they were in mine as a kid), they've come to anticipate the dollar coins. These are adult kids and five dollars doesn't buy much in their lives, but these are their Santa coins.


onebyone – Sending supportive thoughts for the rush of feelings about fathers and father-in-laws. Super Kudos for your own work at resolving your family ties. I hope you are able to help your DH find peace.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Yay for, "pomegranates and oranges are a celebratory part of the season" - like being reminded that my Oranges are a celebratory sweet. My reptilian brain thinks that baked confections are the only sweets.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Resting a knee is so smart - and so hard to squeeze into real life. Kudos for taking care of yourself.

Beverlyjoy – Good luck at your performances today! (I'd say "Break a leg" except I'm not using that phrase lately, LOL.) And good luck, also, finding your own path through the Christmas goodies. It's possible to plan to have just one of each even thought the feelings are to just gobble.

Georgia (geoblewis) – Yay for new clients to keep the system flowing. Kudos for planning lunch before you face the menu itself.

BigchiefDavid – Happy first day of your diet - joyful day it is. What diet are you doing? Eighteen hours is one long day.

nationalparker – I love the Fooling Yourself thoughts, "It's free ... I'll make up for it by eating less later ... I'm celebrating" - I cringe every time I read them since I've done (do) them all. Can't think of a better exercise than walking a trail with a soul mate.

Readers -

Checking in and am actually fairly proud of my day yesterday. I planned it out and enjoyed homemade pizza for dinner and i STILL came in a bit under my calorie allotment. There are few foods that I love more than pizza, and we have it rarely. Don't order it for delivery, no "fast food" pizza - it's usually homemade or from one of two good italian spots. (I will choose pizza over chocolate or cake or ... you name it!) I splurged and used hot turkey italian sausage, cooked and crumbled it and mozz/parm/romano and onions and ate until i wasn't hungry and left a square on my plate. That was the challenge to myself. DH kept saying, just enjoy it, don't deprive yourself, we don't have it often, etc. I know he means well, but I said I will have that particular slice today. I typically just make a nice cheese pizza, or one with peppers/onions, so we both enjoyed the treat of meat.

Glad that I counted everything and measured it all - that allowed me to not beat myself up for just thinking I was indulging when in fact, i was on track. Credit.

Today is "Get back on track" in the book for me - that's not really ever been a challenge of mine - i rarely have a BIG eating day - it's more like a bit more day after day after day after day. SO credit that I've been on track well, today makes a whopping week! I've got a ways to go to get where you are, Bill!

Today is lunch out with a friend, and I'm not sure where we're going ... usually I have a few places in mind that we can walk to but today I've worn boots that I don't want to be hoofing it around in. So we'll see but I'm committed to ordering wisely and leaving a bit. My plan is iffy today so need to be cognizant that dinner needs to be ON TRACK.

OneByOne - you have had such a tough time here lately. Having to find a new home for your fish/aquarium - that would have made me sad/lonely. And now to be facing such a challenge with your Dh's father. There are no easy answers, and for you, too, facing the situation with your own absentee father. Do you journal at all? Do you find comfort in getting things out on paper, even if never to be reread? Could you use that as an outlet in the evening? It's super hard to pass on the treats at this time of year, let alone be under all the personal stress on top of the regular holiday stress. Hang in there and good job on checking in and planning for today! Just wanted to pop in with that. How stressful.

Credit for weighing in even though I knew it would be up. Credit for weighing in every day this month! Credit for a written food plan for today.

WI: +0.2 in kgs, Exercise: +60 435/1400 minutes for December, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

onebyone: Sorry for the situation with your father-in-law and your own father. Grief issues, there, no matter --and because of-- the absentee status. Sounds like the kind of emotion that can flow into artwork. Although, not necessarily the kind of artwork that sells.

BillBlueEyes: LOL at real gold coins. One of the reasons that I can convince myself that an orange is just as much of a Christmas treat as higher-caloric items is because there was always one in the toe of the stocking. Also, nuts that you have to crack. Maybe I should get some of those....Cracking tends to slow down my nut consumption.