Hi Coaches, I'm back!! I got the Beck book from the library in May and was gun ho for a short time then after I returned it let things slip. Had a knee injury at work in August and was told by the ortho surgeon to lose weight so re-joined FA. Got the Beck Diet book as an early Christmas present but didn't start it until after Christmas. Credit me - wrote my advantages response card and posted JUST SIT DOWN on the refrigerator. Although the FA food plan is my first diet I am struggling finding a second (or back-up diet) I want that one to include reasonable amounts of bread and pasta which are strickly forbidden on the food plan I am currently on. Have lost 16 lbs from Oct 4th until now. I want to continue to read and work the Beck Diet Solution as I know my thinking knocks me off any program over and over again. Glad to be back.

While I don't post here in this thread very often, I do follow daily! Bread and pasta, are not the enemy. Whole grain, and keep portion in mind. No food should ever be OFF limits, just eaten mindfully!

hi...I am hovering in the weeds. Found my advantage cards, response cards ...gosh, gosh, I am so disappointed in myself. I hope that I am able to move forward in a beck-like manner

Welcome back mille56 and HikerGirl!

Happy New Years Eve everyone!

Yesterday was a good food day, although I didn't have my planned lunch at work....it was just too busy. I must have had intuition as I brought an orange AND Granny Smith apple with me. They were both satisfying as I ran around like crazy. I had a light dinner and went to bed. Credit.

Today I travel and we have a food event tonight. I'm cooking a free range turkey today. I'm not going to put a super tight plan for tonight-just enjoy what I choose in moderation. Credit.

Take care everyone!

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Apparently it's museum week here. DW and I made it to the Alexander Calder exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum. I love his stuff - especially when the docent kept mentioning that he was a trained mechanical engineer. It's beyond my comprehension how a sculptor can 'release a figure' from marble so I'm happy to be looking at something whose construction I can understand even as I marvel.

Lunch at the museum was about right, CREDIT moi. We both had New England clam chowder as we rallied ourselves to take on the exhibit. It was crowded; seems that lots of folks use the week between Christmas and New Year to hit their favorite museums.


Debbie (Lexxiss) – Do hope that -9° is Celsius! Either way, that's a bid cold. We have to work pretty hard around here to get a bison patty.

silverbirch – Ouch for a serious dance with the flu. Hope you're able to use all the prone time to work on your stack of books. 'Avoirdupois' is less daunting than 'beer belly', LOL.

Susan (hikergirl) – Oh Yes, Today is the right day to begin to "move forward in a beck-like manner." Neat that you have your Advantages Card and Response Cards in place. Do you need to change any of them?

janelle (shcirerf) - Gotta love your Beck-like approach: "just eaten mindfully" and "Get your mind in gear and the body will follow!" Great to hear that you're a regular reader.

millie56 - Kudos for "posted JUST SIT DOWN on the refrigerator" - LOVE it! Congrats on those 16 pounds gone forever. Glad you've got your own copy of the Beck book (the pink book or the green book?).

Karen (karenrn) - Eight house guests for three nights sounds like a challenge. I hope they all like each other. I am so jealous that you're planning to hike the John Muir trail.

love2garden - Yep, Kudos for the gym workout. [Speaking of office FAX machine: It was considered OK to occasionally receive a personal FAX at work, so I told a doctor friend to FAX the map to me there. I didn't hurry to pick it up - just a trail map. Was I surprised to find he'd used his standard office cover sheet: WARNING - PRIVATE GYNECOLOGICAL INFORMATION for RECIPIENT ONLY. <blush>]

Readers -

hi coaches!
I have two days off in a row, so am hoping to start organizing my thoughts about.....organizing, and also make a list of healthy foods I really love so I reach for those. I think we have finally disposed of the cookies/candy!! We're not doing anything exciting tonight, just a nice dinner at home, so no major temptations, whew. I did my walk in the cold yesterday, credit, and am feeling actual mild hunger as I type this, so I guess I didn't eat too much last night!

Nationalparker- I often have several books going at once too! minimalist sounds interesting.
love2garden- how nice to have your daughter there! I spent a year living with my parents in my 20s and we all enjoyed it.
Mountainmama- I've had many slacker days recently too, I can relate! no worries, we will all get back on track.
Silverbirch-ooh, not a good time to be ill. hope you are doing better now.
Lexiss-bringing fruit in to work, a good idea. I tend to forget to do that somehow, need to reincorporate it. Its a good solution to the craving something sweet.
Karenrn- have fun with your house guests!
Bill-too funny story about your fax! I can scan and email documents from my computer, but even that is a challenge for me!
Millie56 and hikergirl- welcome back! Its a great time to reboot!

Happy New years eve all!

Hello! Walked all over exploring Savannah yesterday, ate very late lunch and dinner, but the choices and portions were ok. Credit. Our plans to ring in the new year tonight are to go the beach. If that doesn't pan out, well still hit the beach for me to enjoy the sun, sand, surf, shells, seagulls tomorrow. Not warm enough to bask in the sun, but nice enough to enjoy the views. I miss the ocean.

Want to hit our local family spot (where receptions following my folks' funerals were held) to visit them...an early dinner tonight looks like the one option.

Good to see more activity here! My personals will be MIA until I'm home, i think.

But Bill, that story of the fax is a riot.

Worried to see the scale reading following this holiday season...soon enough, i guess.

Good Morning, Coaches.

We packed up the last of the family yesterday. I happily say farewell to my 6th Christmas dinner. "4 pounds above ticker" worth of anxiety. I delayed our New Year's trip to Dillon's beach in order to relax, pack, shop, exercise. What actually happened was somebody stole my phone - literally took it out of my purse. I know this because it was immediately shut off. (A wonderful Sam's Club Manager helped me lock it down into Lost mode. ) Within an hour, I was notified it was turned back on briefly in another city.

Oh, the feelings. At 51, it seems to me I am irresponsible in continuing to be disappointed by my fellow man. Isn't maturity about accepting the human condition and not eating over it? Then there are the feelings about the wonderful manager who helped me and of my husband and son who comforted me and drove me an hour to get a new phone. There is also the disappointment in myself to continue to overschedule myself so that when routine occurrences like this happen, I am overwhelmed and in a puddle in front of See's Candy.

A healthy diet, a moderate schedule, planned exercise, prayer, and meditation all help me stay on track with my food goals. All these healthy practices are deposits in a "peace" savings account that I can draw from when stress happens. I am a little overdrawn right now.

So . . . . I logged in this morning. I am packing my scale to the beach as a reminder that everyday I am accountable. (I do not want to return an additional four pounds up.) I have packed healthy food. I have packed my iPod to walk the beautiful shore.

Best to all this New Year's Eve night.

weighed myself
made a food plan
read my thought for the day
read my advantage cards -- thank you BBE, I do need to revisit the advantages and responses.
read my response cards
now I will get on with my day and be accountable to myself and come back to this site in the evening

SMH--where has the Beck Diet for Life been all my life? According from what I have heard before, I guess I wasn't ready yet. All I can say is wow!! I'll be back...

Drive-by snacking

Dang. One step forward & two steps back. Yesterday, while heading into kitchen to check on dinner am ashamed to admit to a 'drive-by snacking' that involved 3 cookies.

MaryAnn "A healthy diet, a moderate schedule, planned exercise, prayer, and meditation all help me stay on track with my food goals. All these healthy practices are deposits in a "peace" savings account that I can draw from when stress happens. I am a little overdrawn right now."

How well you described what I need to say. Understand completely.

Bill, I understand you are a Mechanical Engineer or a Mechanical Designer, correct? For many years I worked for Engineers with husband and later Son also. Loved learning, but am glad I just assisted and didn't do that hard work.

So many posting here, 2015 should be interesting year. Heading to go to the Beck book and simply start it again.

Credit: Food logged and within reasonable range. Credit; Exercise at Gym.

Epic fail on my end today. Starting with a mediocre at BEST double scoop of ice cream midday. Then it just rolled out of control ... I wanted to post here to end 2014 because I'm not looking back tomorrow when I post. Positive moving forward, but disgusted with myself today.

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