I'm home alone for the next few days which is a real luxury for me. Food was fine, exercise not so good and I got a lot of reading and throwing out accomplished. Today will be more of the same at home and I'll go to the office to knock some accounts on the head. I'll also do some easy exercises. The weather has changed and it's cool, rainy and windy here.

Beth, being distracted by a novel is a great thing to do. In fact, I see it as a positive choice!

karen, thanks for spelling out your food planning so you can also go to Crossfit. Those temperatures of yours are horrible and I can see you'll be happy to be somewhere else. It's been like that in parts of the UK for a few weeks now, although I think it's breaking this weekend.

ssbbg, the Bike Comfort Map sounds brilliant.

Bill, credit for flexibility and problem-solving yesterday. Great life skill.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Victory was leaving ALL of the potatoes on my plate at the Italian restaurant where I ordered Osso Buco with mixed veggies. The veggies were lathered in the sauce. Had no appetizers or dessert. As far as restaurant eating goes, this was a win for me, CREDIT moi. The English translation of the dish "Traditional Osso Buco" was "Osso Buco with mixed vegetables." This was great for those who already knew that Osso Buco was veal shank, LOL. Translation should only be done by someone who isn't a native speaker of the original language.

At the supermarket, I bought nothing that might later be tempting as a snack, CREDIT moi, a win only because I've been fighting snacks that are too large for a while now. Carnal pleasure of the day was taking a shower back at full force. DW and I both laughed at how we'd been slowly walking closer and closer to the shower head to get wet. Our water bill might go up since we had adapted to the low flow by taking longer showers. I have set back conservation by fixing it.


silverbirch – I, too, like the notion of some alone time to read. It does boggle my mind that you can use precious alone time to throwing stuff out. Congrats for having that skill.

Karen (karenrn) – I continue to be impressed that you're out walking Otis in temperatures that are driving us to stay inside. Your camping trip is sounding really neat.

Beth (bethturnaround) – That's some dedication to do yard work on a lot to get it to market. I suppose that's still what the realtors call "curb appeal" even if there's no house.

ssbbg – Had to look up "sharrow" since I didn't know the word even though the symbol is ubiquitous on the bike lanes around here. Love the notion of marking trails by scariness. Kudos for actively seeking distractions from eating.

Readers -

Quick wave coaches! The trees have been trimmed, the car headlight replaced, estimate for driveway received- I am on a roll with house stuff. Food isn't good again. Does Bailey's have the same health effects as red wine? Im meeting a friend for lunch today at b. good which has a very healthy menu so that will be one good meal.
Silverbirch- alone time is the best! I finally plowed thru some paperwork when I had some time and energy to myself.
KArenrn- I have relied too much on pizza myself recently to feed the hordes. Good for you for only one slice!!
Happy weekend! Here's to better choices!

All is well at casa Penny.

My weight has dropped 1/2 pound daily since coming home from vacation. It's nice to see some progress, which is around 8.something pounds for my 40+ days on plan so far.

I'm still reading my advantage list, eating slowly, sitting down, and keeping track, but I'm finished reading the two Beck diet books and have moved on to a fiction. Hopefully the drop in daily Beck reading will not weaken my resolve.

Nice day yesterday. Full set of exercises, not too much food (although probably not as good as it could have been). Today I'm going to drop things off at a charity shop and go to the office. It's pouring with rain and I remember that I don't have a summer coat with a hood.

Penny, reading advantages cards has dropped off my radar. Thanks for reminding me.

curlyjax, credit for being on a roll with the house stuff. It feels good, doesn't it?

Bill, funny about Osso Buco! Translation is an art and a science. It really does require a first language speaker. A Dutch newspaper commented that the Dutch version of the UK's Brexit White Paper executive summary reads like the manual of a cheap printer. Oh dear!

Have a good day, everyone.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Ordered three books for the (2.5 yo) DGD. It's just impossible to read a recommendation for a kids' book and not go to one of the several sites from which I can order it with just a couple of clicks. We take a shopping bag of books when we pick her up on Wednesdays. She gets thirty minutes of reading each way. This kid is not reading-deprived. Yet her granddad keeps buying new ones as if a deficit had to be countered. May all my vices have so few negatives.

Watched the DVD of A Wrinkle in Time. DW had been at a presentation about non-grass lawns at the library and came home with three choices from their "Best of" bin chosen with a full 15 seconds of thought. Despite Oprah Winfrey in the cast, I should have been suspicious with Disney the producer. There is nothing to recommend about it. Except that all pre-adolescent kids have a magic glow when they're behaving. But that one notion didn't justify two hours. I had evening snack of a California Navel Orange while watching; CREDIT moi for that one part.


silverbirch – Love that you consistently keep bringing stuff to the charity shop. [LOL at "like the manual of a cheap printer" - that's a sharp rebuke.]

maryann – Waving. Greatly alarmed by the fires in your part of the world. I do hope your family and your trees are safe.

curlyjax – Congrats for getting that kind of stuff done.

Penny. – Big Kudos for getting the Beck Strategies into your life. A touch of fiction is a good thing.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

It's kind of a cloudy humid day here today so it was only 85 degrees when I walked Otis. Since then I've gone to the Y for an hour on the elliptical and some strength training. I'm transitioning over to an elliptical that my husband uses that has a variable stride length and is more difficult. I was able to do 40 minutes on it today and actually could have done more, but finished out my hour on the easier one. I don't even try to hike in these temps anymore, even at 5 a.m. Hopefully the other exercise is keeping me in good enough shape for what I have planned on the way to Washington and in Washington. I have been a bit complacent with my food plan and intake. I think some of it is just plain boredom and too much time at home. With the combination of having Otis and the high temps I don't force myself to get out of the house to find things to do. There are things to do here, but I have not been very inspired. Thanks to whomever mentioned the advantages cards, I located my Beck book and my advantages cards and will start reading a chapter and my cards to keep myself better inspired. I want to lose a little weight before I leave on the 22nd, not gain weight.

Bill Lucky DGD with all the wonderful books and the reading you two supply for her. As far as A Wrinkle in Time . . I saw the previews at the theatre but it didn't appeal. Glad to hear I wasn't really off base.

Silverbirch The rain sounds just wonderful. There is lots of rain north of us but rarely do we get any even though it is supposed to be the monsoon season.

Penny Thanks for the reminder for the Advantages Cards. I had some trouble finding mine and that tells me something. I am going to read them and see if there are any new ideas I can add to them.

Curlyjax You are really on a roll with getting things done around the house. That must make you feel good.

Everybody have a good day. I'm going to read a chapter and review my Advantages Cards before I leave the office.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Standard Sunday walk with DW, CREDIT moi. Some of the flowers are beginning to wilt already even though it seems early in the season. Passed a curbside library where I was tempted to pick up a Hemingway novel until I reminded myself that all Hemingway novels were only one click away from my library and that my reading stack didn't have room for another book. Hemingway will be there when I need him. Perhaps I need to revisit Wuthering Heights: "I have just returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with." (Is it OK that Bronte just ended a sentence with a preposition?)

Good news is that it was a 100% on plan eating day, CREDIT moi. That included absolutely ZERO snacks at happy hour before walking home. I've come to drift into thinking that I need a nibble or so as sustenance for the walk as if I was planning my return from the North Pole where available calories spelled life-or-death. The only snack for the day was a measured bowl of Bing Cherries in the evening. Yay for cherry season.


silverbirch – Waving. Congrats that the Tour de France was won by Welsh Cyclist Geraint Thomas.

Karen (karenrn) – You're doing so great keeping up with your exercise in preparation for your trip.

Readers -

Credits:

• Just started the August threads over at the Chicks up for a Challenge section on 3FC
• Planned meals, including lunch out with a vegetarian friend, where I have lots of good options
• Determined to meet my exercise goal for July, 90 minutes away means 45 minutes today and 45 minutes tomorrow

That's enough to keep me in the swing of things.

Good afternoon coaches,

Rarely do I post a note so late in the day, but I wanted to get my Beck reading completed and make new Advantages cards before I posted. I was able to find my Response Cards, but I could not locate my Advantages Cards. I figured I have some new reasons I want to lose a few pounds which include making it easier to hike up high hills and to potentially make some exercises easier, such as pull ups. Honestly I think it's doubtful that I'll really every be able to do one, but I will keep working at it. I went to my Crossfit class this morning and although it was toasty, I did not die. Dh and I went to dinner with Hiking Suzanne and her dh last evening. They are here for just a few days and then back to their Park City home (so sad). I had a couple of beers which I planned to have and chose a Sashimi Ahi Tuna salad which was excellent and a great choice.
I am rereading the Green Book and trying to see my weight loss program as "new and fresh", instead of "old and boring". It just might work. I'm not going to do the specific exercises, but it does help to review the material.

GardenerJoy I don't think this is a great time to get started in the challenges since I'll be leaving for a stretch and have a little less control of my environment, but it sounds like a good idea for when I'm back.

Bill I have been loving the cherries this year. My WA girlfriend was unhappy to hear that we pay less for the WA cherries than she does. My challenge has been to limit my portion sizes.

Have a great day/evening all of you!

Hi everyone.

I'm struggling a bit--I am trying to figure out how I'm going to handle the 'one sweet means I want to binge on them'. I don't seem to have one cookie, or a single small serving of trail mix--I keep getting more. I don't know what I'm going to do, but rule 1 is going back to 'no snacks at home'. Trail mix is not okay.

Today has been OP--3 products and a balanced dinner. Meatloaf is a bit higher in carbs than some other proteins, but not outrageously so, and my carb with dinner was a measured portion of cherries. So, as long as I stay away from the sweets, I tend to do just fine.

For exercise, I'm not sure how to count it, but 3 hours Sunday and 1.5 hours today doing serious non-stop yard work. So whether we count minutes or not, my heart rate was definitely at the moderate range!

I see the doctor for weigh in and check in tomorrow. I am not looking forward to confessing that I'm struggling--but honesty is the best start towards recovery.

Things I need to improve on that I've stopped/am doing intermittently:

• Daily check-in here--I've gotten sloppy. This is more important, including personals, than other evening activities I've been doing
• Recording my weight everyday. Just taking it is not enough. I need to track it.
• Recording my food in MFP
• Planning meals that can be prepared quickly so that I'm not tempted to give up on cooking and go out
• Re-reading Beck
• Reading my cards and making new ones as needed

It's funny that exercise isn't my problem right now :-) and it's what I was struggling with for so long. I know it is possible to lose weight and keep it off. I feel so much better now than I did when I started. I'm struggling with "all in" vs "not in at all" and there's got to be some middle ground.

G'night all,

--Beth

Diet Coaches/Buddies – It was a good enough eating day, CREDIT moi. Only good enough because I had afternoon snacks of peanuts even though it clearly wasn't 'hunger' - more like seeking diversion instead of the task at hand. That task is that DW and I continue to gather the information required to make our new set of Estate Planning documents - a phrase that delights me since the word 'estate' in my mind is a grand affair appropriate for Downton Abbey. The great goal in life is to keep the revenuers from getting their hands on what's desired to be passed on to the kids. It hasn't yet become interesting to me like renovating a house becomes interesting despite the zillion small decisions to be made. The painful insight is that I need to get rid of my clutter while I'm still both mobile and mentally agile.

Dinner on the patio was, once again, at the garden of eden level of pleasant. It's just nice being outside without a pressing appointment to get done. DW was out on some early evening adventure so I read the entire Economist in one undisturbed sitting. I was reminded with a chuckle that the week we brought home our firstborn, I noticed that the weekly news magazine had arrived and the previous one hadn't been even opened. That was when I realized that I had been in a different world for a week and that my life would never be the same.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – This threat of the approach of August makes the summer seem transient. So much left to do.

Karen (karenrn) – Yay for seeking "new and fresh", instead of "old and boring". Drooling over your Sashimi Ahi Tuna salad.

Beth (bethturnaround) – Thanks for "Trail mix is not okay." All those condensed calories that allow a hike to continue aren't needed in my life.

Readers -

I’ve been struggling a few days yet again. I haven’t gotten into a regular exercise plan which I really need, to get stronger and be healthier. Credits for stretching every morning and some gentle stationary biking to help my hip but that is not enough. I’m going to a new chiropractor tomorrow to work on my hip, and I may need to go back to a new PT at some point as well. It’s challenging to work all of this my life with everything else but the more I neglect it the worse it gets, and I feel so old limping about.

And of course get back on track with food. I know things will be easier once DD goes to college but that is in a month, I can’t just let myself go that long!
I’ve been on the computer way too much in the evenings, putting off doing anything productive. I need someone to prod me into action since i’m not doing it myself.

Beth- I am there with you, I can’t do just one sweet, I just keep going! Maybe we can both get back on track together!
Karenrn- great idea for re-doing the Advantage cards. I have to get back into that too. trying to see my weight loss program as "new and fresh", instead of "old and boring".- made me laugh- yes!
Bill-yes, Estate planning does sound grand! On my list is finding a financial planner so I can figure out how things stand. Another “fun” task.

Credits:

• Exercising for 45 minutes yesterday, putting me 45 minutes away from my 1200 minute goal for July
• Planned meals, including two salads, one as a snack
• Weighed this morning (although, like bethturnaround, I didn't record it)

bethturnaround: I know the feeling of attempting to cope with foods that seem to be about quantity for me. I finally put potato chips (crisps for silverbirch) on a "no go" list in my head. I don't want one. One doesn't even taste good, just salty. But that fact doesn't keep me from wanting a bag full. Foods that are about quantity for me are always going to be problematic and, most of the time, I'm better off avoiding them all together.
Fortunately, I've found that I can be nuanced about that. I can handle an occasional scoop of ice cream in a cup without wanting to eat ice cream out of a carton (for whatever reason, I've never done that, so it's one treat that doesn't turn into a binge for me). Trail mix wouldn't work for me in the house, but I have made it work when traveling. Commercial baked goods don't work well for me at all. Homemade cookies, cakes, etc don't work either. But, I can usually handle homemade bread as a treat without going too overboard. This all seems idiosyncratic, but it helps me make it something other than "all or nothing." And, I get a kick out of exploring my own idiosyncrasies.

curlyjax: I've been having a recurring fantasy of a digital assistant to help prod me into being more productive. The currently available options aren't quite what I want, even though I'm convinced that the technology is capable of saying "Joy, you've been on Facebook for 10 minutes, how about working on *one of the things on my list*."

Good morning!

I've read all of your posts. CREDIT for labeling your struggles and making plans.

Gardenerjoy, congrats on making your exercise goal! I've been using the heat as an excuse not to take the dogs for a walk but I've got my bike ride planned for tomorrow.

Curly, fingers crossed the new chiropractor help the hip.

Karen, if you have a smart phone, digital reminders and notes easiliy accessible on the phone are so nice. It's also more covert. Heh!

Beth, try reading the mantra on Rational Recovery and changing the word alcohol to overeating. The website is super cheesy because it's from the 90s but it's free and, for some reason, totally snapped me back on plan this time. It's some pages of script you click through and read to yourself.

Bill, your post makes me wonder why I haven't been eating outside this year. I usually sit outside for breakfasts every morning until the hornets do their end of season food search and start pestering me. I should get back out there!


My days of eating continue to be on plan, today will be day 48. Weigh-ins daily and I'm down 10 and holding steady there for a couple days.