christabelle66 Member

TrimRocker- I have had a hard time finding just the right tool to keep my Advantages and Response cards available on-line and on my smartphone, but finally decided to use Google docs and format them as a presentation-- one response per card. Not perfect but relatively versatile. I like the look of Trello but not…

There are a bunch of Beck fans on MFP. I have been using the strategies since May and feel like they have helped me a make a really positive step to climbing off the diet roller coaster.

Hi. I am a BIG Judith Beck fan and find that her ideas just make so much sense. I don't always implement them perfectly but it has made a big difference is how I perceive the journey and my optimism that I have that tools I need. Always happy to make new Beck Buddies.

This is a pretty geographically spread out group! Welcome.

I am also a big Beck Diet Solution fan. She is a big fan of a two week planning period before making any big changes in your life, changing your negative self-talk into more useful thoughts (it is based on cognitive behvioral therapy techniques) and setting small, attainable goals. It is about getting off the yoyo dietinf…

I am also a huge fan of Judith Beck and The Beck Diet Solution and the Diet Trap Situation.

I am a big Beck Diet Solution and The Diet Trap Solution fan. I don't have trouble losing weight in the short-term-- I can be very motivated and careful for about seven months and then I will become sabotaged by thoughts like "It's not fair that I can't eat like a "normal" person." So then I act out with food one time,…

There are many, many health issues that can cause fatigue-- anemia, thyroid problems, mononucleosis, lyme disease, pregnancy, sleep apnea, just to name a few. Definitely talk to your doctor about the fatigue.

I can only imagine what a difficult and stressful time this must be for you-- I was a single parent and know that even when you are a single parent by choice, it can be exhausting and overwhelming. My nearly 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with POTS a year and a half ago and I have an idea of the extra challenge this…

I am Christine and I live outside of Philadelphia. I have eaten a mostly vegan diet for the last 4 1/2 years. I changed my diet because of health, and concerns about the sustainability of factory farming and compassion. Although it took me a long time to commit to changing my diet, I had long been troubled about why we…

I am surgically hypothyroid and although I have to work hard to lose weight, it is not impossible, just slower. Are you taking your thyroid medication an hour before any other food or medications and/or four hours afterwards? are you taking other supplements (such or iron tablets) or eating foods (soy, raw cruciferous…

I think that many of us on MFP have experienced yo-yo dieting and many of us could also write books on nutrition and fitness. I often think that knowing what we should do-- and can often accomplish for 3 or 6 or 9 months-- is much, much easier than continuing to do it over a lifetime when faced with stress, the holidays,…

Perhaps there are some compromises that can be made-- your boyfriend doesn't have to share your health and fitness goals right now, but perhaps you can negotiate about concrete things that you feel could tempt or sabotage you. Perhaps junk food can be kept in its own cabinet, big rubbermaid bin or even the trunk of your…

DelCo, but work in Philly

I had an "aha" moment when introduced to the books by Judith Beck, especially The Beck Diet Solution and the Beck Diet Trap Solution. The books address our thought processes that end us up back where we started-- sedentary and regaining weight we worked so hard to lose. The books recommend skills to practice for two weeks…

Getting outdoors can be fabulous for your mood but the Leslie Sansone Walk at Home program is great for beginnings and is great to have around if the weather is too hot, too rainy, too snowy or too icy. Keep in mind whatever you do that that five minutes of moving is better than zero minutes of moving. Before you know it…

The single most helpful thing you can do is track EVERYTHING you eat and drink every day. If a food scale is something you can't afford right now, a set of good measuring cups and measuring spoons are a lot less expensive and very, very helpful. One of the best things about MFP is the enormous database of food-- even if…

Most of us are shocked when we start weighing and measuring our food-- we think that we know what 1/2 a cup of rice or an ounce of fish looks like but we are rarely that good at estimating. I think I lost my first five pounds just from tracking and really wrapping my mind around portion sizes. Getting healthy is a…

This is a lifelong journey-- its not going to matter in a few years how long it took, just that you got there. Congratulations on taking that first, hard step.

Just the act of logging EVERYTHING you eat and drink on a daily basis can be motivating-- I did that for just two weeks and then started making gradual but real changes to stay within my calorie goal for the day. You start thinking differently about the second glass of wine and that handful of potato chips when you know…

tmbush64-- so sorry about your loss! It is very brave to pick yourself up and decide to make yourself a priority. There is a great community here-- welcome aboard!

I have lost-- and regained-- a ton of weight in my lifetime. Like most of us on MFP, I know a whole lot about what I SHOULD be doing and yet I would slip and regain. I started recording on MFP about 75 days ago and am determined that I am getting off this crazy diet roller coaster and really prioritize my health. One thing…

It can be really challenging to make your own health a priority when you have got so much on your plate. As we know, getting healthy requires a certain a time commitment (even just recording daily on MFP takes time and energy) and it may be less overwhelming to start with small attainable goals to rebuild your confidence…

LouSchopfer-- thank you for sharing your story! It is full of hope and inspirational as well as a lot of practical advice. Nice shout out to for Penn Medicine-- I work in the Neurology Department.

I am 49 years old with a much thinner-- but not necessarily skinny-- husband. As he is six inched taller than I am, the fact that I weigh more than he does (by about 13 pounds), while eating a lot less, is kind of depressing. I highly recommend that you don't cut out foods that you love but start being really conscious…

Think of this is a lifelong journey to health-- you shouldn't think of this as "going on a diet" but as adopting a lifelong sustainable lifestyle. You need to find what works best for you. There are many inspiring people here , some of who started many times before it all came together for them. Celebrate small victories…

I had most of my thyroid removed 11 years ago and have been struggling with recurrent iron-deficiency anemia the last 2 1/2 years. These make weight gain really easy and weight loss challenging but I honestly think that the one thing that gets me in the most trouble is my own thought process. I have become a big fan of the…

I have not done the CHIP program but your post did encourage me to look it up. I eat about 90 to 95% vegan and the other 5 to 10% is very high quality dairy and eggs. My 90 year old mother in-law is completely baffled by my diet (and has been for the last 4 and a half years) but I try to keep it simple by saying I don't…

I am a 49 year old working mom from the Philadelphia area who would like to lose an additional 60 pounds. I could commit to being your Beck buddy until August 31st and probably beyond. I read The Beck Diet Solution, the Diet Trap Solution and the Complete Beck Diet for Life earlier this spring and started getting serious…

I think I could commit until August 31st. I am recovering from an insane week preparing for a conference for 230 people that we held yesterday. Now that my 10 and 12 hour work days are over for a while, I would like to shift my focus back to self-care. I am a big fan of creating Excel spreadsheets and storing them on…