I wish I could say that my food has been on plan. I was planning on Impossible Burgers but we passed a new-to-us Thai restaurant in a part of town we're not in regularly, and after a few hours of walking around, we were both itching to try it. My meal was "ok" ... I ordered "hot" and it wasn't really hot at all, more of a mild/medium flavor. DH had a curry dish that he enjoyed. But he'll take the other half of mine for his lunch tomorrow, I hope. He likes it as spicy as I do but at least I was able to split in half. We were looking at Barnes & Noble and also DIck's Sporting Goods to use gift cards, and not finding something we must have, we decided to return in a few months and give it another go. Most of the books I see, I look for in the library, so my gift card, a special treat from my sister, was for unique magazines. I think with the June issues about to be stocked, they just had little that intrigued me. I did take a photo of a couple of needle felted critters in a "beginner's how to" periodical (link was just to a pinterest board with some) ... but I'm going to wait until I learn some of the things I have already on my to learn list (mosaics, watercolor, Roman architecture, haha) ... I would love to be a lifelong learner like many of you!

I seem to be petering out on my 50-day challenge the past two days, as I just pass the mid-point, so I'm going to journal and schedule in my activity as well as menu planning more in advance this week. That was our "lunch/dinner" so I could swing a bit more calories (not counting just aware). I feel like yesterday and today I didn't have any motivation to tackle anything big. Credit for still touching base with my challenge buddy and being accountable and recognizing that two days off won't derail me completely until I let it turn into more.

Six more work days, spread out over the next two weeks, and then DH is retired!

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Pain in the a** excitement was receiving an email that Amazon had delivered my packages. Immediately walked down stairs to the front porch. Saw the Amazon Truck pulling away. However, NO PACKAGES!!! Checked three houses up and down the street on both sides. Checked back door and around the corner behind the garden gate. The packages aren't there. Neat, I thought, I'll look at the photo that Amazon always posts with delivery. No such photo. My life is now dedicated to trying to blast past Amazon's happy, happy website to ask that the order be filled again - I still need the stuff. It's less than $50, but it's MY $50. I know, first world problem to be sure. But it was a deliberate false claim.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Super delightful dinner of baby back ribs, beef brisket, cornbread, slaw, and my green salad made with 100% from-our-garden lettuce. All so very good. It was entirely on plan because I planned it although I can't say it was the right amount of calories for me. The good news is that we weren't at a wedding or buffet dinner; what was on the plate was what was available - no seconds. Might be the only way that I'm safe around BBQ ribs. DW winced that her quest for minimizing sugar was set back by both the cornbread, the glaze on the ribs, and the BBQ sauce. Only the 'slaw' would be considered healthy food because it had little mayonnaise. (I don't know why the BBQ restaurant doesn't call it 'coleslaw' like we did when I was a kid.)


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Love the practical solution for too much tomato sauce. I need to go check out the 92nd Infantry Division.

maryann - Good luck for your week of "I might as well get all the miserable stuff in at once." It is neat that you have an upcoming trip for a goal.

nationalparker – It's terrific to have a list of new stuff that you want to learn. Congrats for being picky with your gift cards - make the stores produce something that you really want.

Karen (karenrn) - Sounds like a mixed up day. Hope you get a good nap to get it back in order.

curlyjax - Super neat to have a trip to Italy as a goal.

MrsCalypso - Yep, giving myself credit is the hardest of the Beck strategies for me. And, Yes, that's why I emphasize it so clearly - to make myself do it. I added the "moi" the first time I did it because it just stuck in my throat to just give myself credit so, for whatever reason, that helped and I've stuck with it. Kudos for identifying exaggerated feelings of failure so that you can confront them.

Readers -

Not much to report. I dropped by my widow friend briefly who is in the midst of cleaning out her mom's condo to sell it, and thus has a bunch of the stuff now at her house that is already overcrowded. I felt bad for her as she seems so overwhelmed. I hope she will let me help her once I have DD settled. I did leave feeling a little relived that I don't have quite as much stuff to deal with currently, nothing like perspective! I took a break from thinking about the big move, and watched some older episodes of Call the Midwife, which I love. I don't have any eating plan at all these days, but I'm trying not to overeat as it makes me sleepy, so I think that's helping.
Karen- that new youtube channel sounds interesting, I learn so much from this group!

CREDIT for writing down a healthy food plan yesterday that included one treat (an adult beverage) as a nod to the holiday. CREDIT for following that plan.

CREDIT for completing 60 minutes of exercise yesterday, passing my goal for the month with a day to spare. CREDIT for walking during my weekly call with my brother.

Exercise +60, 1505 /1500 minutes for May

MrsCalypso: I was also skeptical about giving credit, but it has been a game-changer for me. And, not just for weight loss but also for being kinder to myself, generally, which turns out to be a secret to happiness. This group helps a lot. I don't give myself credit aloud to anyone in my real life -- just to myself and to this group that completely understands why it's important. I had a lot of bingeing behaviors to break. At the beginning, I gave myself lots of CREDIT for things that I wanted to eat but didn't. That positive reinforcement was a big help.

Good morning, Coaches. So glad I found you here!

Today is Day 5: Eat Slowly and Mindfully

This is something I struggle with, but I also have some history of success with it. Lunch at work is a time when this is difficult.

I am a binge-type emotional eater. When I eat, I often am attempting to treat an emotional state by eating. The type of eating that I am drawn to for emotional regulation is fast and furious, not at all Slow and Mindful.

I see work as the place where eating slowly and mindfully may be the most challenging.

The prompts for today are:
When I feel like eating quickly, I will _____________. I think a good answer for me is "I will sit down and look at the food on my plate. I will check in with my emotional state and remind myself that food should be eaten slowly and in a calm, relaxed frame of mind."

To remind myself to eat slowly, I will___________. For me, "I will take the food in with all my senses, enjoying it fully, as part of the meal experience."

gardenerjoy and Bill , thanks for sharing your perspective with giving credit.
NP, what was your 50 day challenge?
karen, thanks for the youtube suggestion
maryann, what is your upcoming trip?

Good morning!

Still failing at clawing my way back on plan but MrsCalypso's reminders of Beck strategies is inspiring. I still have a couple cards in my phone's notes app to look at.

It seems like so long ago this group was talking about the Thursday Murder Mystery club book. I had requested it from the digital library and it finally came through, at the perfect time too. I just finished all the books I had been working through. It is a fun little read so far, and I'm enjoying it.

Maryann, sending you some last week of school energy wishes. You're on the home stretch!

Karen, you're so good about finding things to keep you motivated for healthy eating. I can't tell you the cloth tp is only for number 1 but I can tell you everything comes out clean with two washes and we all hate it when we have to use the paper stuff elsewhere. It spoils you after a while. lol

Nationalparker, you two love your Thai food! I've only had one place give me the actual hot spice request when I asked and it was intense! I'd always get the Tom Yum soup and be crying and snotting over my bowl, enjoying every minute.
That was a restaurant around the corner from my first apartment. Good times.

Curly, chatting outside in folding chairs is a great way to spend time with friends. I need to get back to that with two of my friends. We have a spot and would text "meet at the spot?" I've been waiting for it to warm up.

Bill, smart to pick up your bbq early. Your giving credit comment was beneficial to me too so thanks for that.

Joy, your comment about learning to give yourself credit was helpful to me a well. This group is good for inspiration, for sure. The turkey meatballs sound delicious.

MrsCalypso, you're doing great and I really appreciate the reminders of the Beck tools.

Have a great day, everyone!

Good morning coaches,


Even though yesterday's sleep and eating times were a little jumbled I feel great today. Food was on plan yesterday and I give myself credit for how well I've been following my plan, hiking and doing my plank and arm/shoulder exercises. I'm afraid even though I'm pretty close to my goal, my skin isn't great and aging is not for the faint of heart. My friend and I were talking this morning that we sure do wish we look as young as we feel. I guess I should be happy that I feel as good as I do. I got a great nights sleep and met my friend at 5 to hike this morning. I did the 7 1/2 mile hike and she opted for the shorter hike. It's still nice to meet someone at the trailhead just like meeting at the gym for an accountability partner. I started listening to The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis and it's good. I'll just putter around and do some things at home today cause tomorrow I'm heading towards Tucson for the day to visit two friends and then drive home in the afternoon.

Penny Sometimes it seems so easy to stay on the plan and I hear you about clawing back to getting on plan. It's all in the mental game for sure.

Mrs Calypso I guess I had better get out my Beck book again. You are reminding me that I am not paying attention to some of the things I used to.

GardenerJoy Congrats again on exceeding your exercise goal.

Curlyjax Nothing like a little perspective is right for sure. When I go to my cousins, I come home thinking I won't ever need to do a thing more about organizing, but then I realize I don't want our home to look like hers.

Bill Dang I have never had that happen with Amazon. I have had them deliver to the neighbor around the corner who has our same house number but we are on Street and she is on Way, but never just no package. I hope you get that sorted out soon. The ribs sound delicious.

Nationalparker Wow, only six more work days for dh until retirement. I hope it is a smooth transition and I hope the in laws house will be completed soon thereafter.

Maryann I'm sure your weight will be down whether you do the fast or not. We all know how it is when we overdo it for a few days. I hope the water shoes work for you. How is your toe doing?

Well time to jump in the shower and get on with the day.

Had a great catchup with my walking friend, just back from Arizona. We got out at 10 a.m. (her earliest) to walk and it was closing in on 90. Later I went to Lowe's and a local nursery to get some flowers for my back patio pots, running weeks behind of when I usually do it. But also I usually have to rush a few evenings to move everything into the garage to protect them from frost. A bit of sticker shock on the plants, so I am starting with many more six-pack plants and they'll just fill in over the next few weeks vs looking great from the start. I still have three long rectangular low pots that my mom brought back from Italy when we moved here and last year I planted those with all impatiens and put them under our white spruce on the little wall around the base and it was such a pretty pop of color. I'll do that again this year and bought plenty. I picked up a couple pink mandevilla off Lowe's clearance rack and planted them in pots by my back door and the sweat was dripping off me. I'll work on it more this evening as it hopefully gets back into low 80s.

Dinner will [finally] be the holiday weekend's Impossible burgers that I never made. I baked beans last night when it was cooler, so I can just reheat them to serve with cukes. I also have some cherries and grapes to put out.

Bill - Like Karen, I've had packages be misdelivered to my neighbor but never was it not delivered to anyone! I hope no one was following the truck and taking it. Any resolution? I do know I've been on amazon chat with a rep twice with superb results/satisfaction. But it was a task to figure out HOW to start a chat conversation. Good luck with that project.

Penny - You're right - we have been on a Thai kick. I know we both think eating out needs to be a treat, for both health and financial reasons. Though I probably will see if he wants to go out the night he is retired next week. I found I liked the follow-up to the Thursday Murder Club (The Man Who Died Twice) even more ... and then it tied in with a Colin Firth movie I just watched, Operation Mincemeat. The third in the series comes out in September and I'm looking forward to it. I'll probably remember it in February

Mrs. Calypso - I just thought I'd do a challenge to be more focused on nutrition and activity vs. Just going through the motions. I was going great but sidelined myself on the weekend. Then heard my challenge buddy faced the same issue. Regrouped and moving forward. Though I do like to beat myself up a bit, I've found it rarely helps. So I'll credit myself for the regroup.

Good evening, Coaches.

Just exhausted today. I put a lot into finals week for the kids. I try to give them the best shot at passing. I'll follow Mrs. Calypso's lead and give myself credit for schedule a one hour sick leave during the rally today. over 1,000 people in an auditorium all unmasked during the senior rally was my solution to avoiding a panic attack and testing negative when i leave for Canada next week. I had an extra adrenaline rush when I misplaced my school keys and wallet. Sheesh. i did get a mani/pedi to work on my still healing big toe. I also got a hair cut much needed. So now I am home, beat. I followed through with Day 1 fast and already feel better.

I had a rather upsetting text thread with all the ladies going to Canada. There had been increasing anxieties about testing and getting stuck in Canada. I finally understood it was ME a few of the retired folk were were worried about. The rest are working teachers. Nothing said directly of course. Wow. So i laid it out on the line. I work in a 1,000 plus school unmasked. I live in a 60,000 plus unmasked community. I attended a 17,000 concert of unmasked individuals in LA. and drove my 87 year old mother home. She requested it. All of this is following public mandates. I masked in the museums per request. I am willing to test as often as needed pre flight and post flight but I am unwilling to mask in the three bedroom air b n b rented if I test negative. Finally I was asked outright to mask a few days before I leave for Canada but I will be in MO in two family houses and am unwilling to mask in the houses of the friends. They are like minded in terms of masking protocol. After finally catching the drift I simply wrote back that everybody gets to have an opinion. I will respect the wishes of all. I booked my own lodgings - two at the airport and three days in old town Quebec. I assured everyone the situation is fine with no resentment and we would have plenty of time to visit while touring around. I requested no more back and forth until after school is finished. I total get people's opinions. I feel less like people get mine even though I follow every mandate requested of me including boosting. So there it is. I have done what I can. Ironically I was the originator of the trip and will be separated. This is a great opportunity for growth for me to learn o live and let live.

Thanks for listening. This kind of stuff makes me very hungry but I did not over indulge. So credit moi.

Wave to all.

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Beck Diet For Life/Solution – June 2022 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach

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