Here are some general guidelines to introduce you to the course, especially for those of you who have not participated in conference calls or teleclasses before.
I’m Laurie Beebe, MS,RD,LD, your diet coach.
In a few days you’ll receive an email from me with the call in number for the conference call. A few minutes before it’s time for the call (8 pm Eastern time, 7 pm Central time on Sundays) just dial the number and you’ll be prompted to enter the access code, which I will also be sending you in an email. Momentarily after calling in, you’ll be connected to the conference line. If you are the first caller you'll hear some pleasant "hold" music. Just stay on the line and others will join shortly; Otherwise, there are others already on the line and you can just say “hi”!
Within a few minutes, all callers will be on the line and we will be speaking to each other just as if we were all in a room together. At first, I’m going to ask you to state your name before you speak (for example, “This is Sally, and I’d like to respond to your question about food cravings”.) In time we will recognize each other’s voices and get to know each other a bit. I don't want you to be concerned about privacy. We will only use first names and you can speak as much or as little as you like. Calls will be recorded and kept until the next week's call so you can listen to the group conversation if you miss a call one week. Only group members will have access to these recordings. (You will get directions in the email with the call-in instructions on how to listen to a recorded call.)
Calls will last approximately 50 minutes. You are free to stay on the line as long, or as short, as you like during the duration of the call.
Request # 1:
-While we are all on the call, we’ll be able to hear everyone’s background noises just as you do when you are on the phone with a friend. It will be very distracting if someone is washing dishes, someone else is driving, another person’s dogs are barking in the background, and yet another is having a side conversation. For your benefit, as well as everyone else’s, I will request you find a quiet place with no distractions and that you not perform other activities during these calls. If background noise is not preventable for some reason, there will be directions on how to mute your line so we cannot hear you. If your line is muted we will not be able to hear you until you take yourself off the “mute” function.
Request # 2:
-In order to be successful with this course you will have to be able to set aside at least 15 minutes a day to read the day’s lesson and complete the activities in the workbook. Additionally it will be extremely helpful if you can start keeping a food diary. Occasionally, people have trouble with this and if this is the case for you, it’s a topic we can bring up during the calls and on the chat board.
You may need to set aside additional time for exercise/activity and meal planning/shopping. If losing weight is not your priority now, and you don’t find the time to attend to the basic necessities of healthy eating, exercise and behavior change, this isn’t likely to work for you.
You know by now, there is no magic bullet! But taking the time NOW to focus on changing your thoughts and actions will save you all the time in the future (not to mention aggravation, trouble, money, etc)you would have to spend to go on another diet!
Our first call will be Sunday, April 7th at 8pm Eastern time, 7pm Central time. You will hopefully have the book by then, and we will be talking about chapters 1 through 4 (although you are certainly welcome to start on your own as soon as you like!). During the first session we will be getting comfortable with the teleclass environment, getting to know each other a bit (as much as you are comfortable with) and talking about what to expect. Chapters 1-4 cover information about the Beck Diet Solution and we’ll talk about that, as well as what to expect in the coming week. I’ve included a schedule below so you can follow along and be sure you come prepared to each call.
Week 1 Discuss Chaps 1-4; introduce chapter 5 April 7
Week 2 Discuss chapter 5; introduce chapter 6 April 14
Week 3 Discuss chapter 6 ; introduce chapter 7 April 21
Week 4 Discuss chapter 7; introduce chapter 8 April 28
Week 5 Discuss chapter 8; introduce chapter 9 May 5
Week 6 Discuss chapter 9; introduce chapter 10 May 12
Week 7 Discuss chap 10; introduce transition/questions May 19
Week 8 Discuss how transition is going and any difficulties May 26
As you’ll notice when you start the book, the diet doesn’t start Monday! You get some prep time and some planning to follow through with so when you start you are completely supported, prepared, and ready. I know some of you are already on a healthy weight loss plan, whether it’s Weight Watcher’s, your own comfortable meal and snack pattern, or another diet regimen. The specific regimen you choose is not relevant to this class. The Beck Diet Solution helps you stay on track and stop telling yourself that it’s okay to “cheat once in a while” or that it doesn’t matter if you indulge this once, or that trips/holidays/special occasions are made for being a glutton! (If you are looking for a healthy diet plan one I would suggest is the DASH diet plan (click on the word DASH for the entire booklet).
Request # 3:
Judith Beck, the book’s author, is experienced using Cognitive Behavioral Change therapy and that’s how this weight-loss solution works. So you will need to read along each day, follow her directions, and not vary from the course. If something doesn’t work for you, you may decide to drop it in the future, but for now Request #3 is that you follow her directions explicitly: If she says, ‘always sit down to eat’ (and she does), then always eat sitting down. When she says, ‘Make a list of reasons you want to lose weight’ then make the list. If you skip days, lessons, steps and activities, you aren’t getting the full benefit of her therapy, and that’s what you came here for.
A few notes about the chat board (this blogsite):
- The chat board is here for you to check the tasks for the week, ask each other for advice and support, discuss things you’re having trouble sticking with, boast about how great you’re doing, or make suggestions for others.
- All comments are moderated to exclude viruses and spam, so you won’t see what you wrote being posted right away (it will likely take a few hours).
- I will post here at least weekly, and if you've signed up for additional coaching packages, I'll be speaking with you in between calls for added support. If not, take advantage of coming here to communicate with your classmates, and I'll be there for you every Sunday on the calls for questions, support and discussions about the week!
Request # 4:
I ask that comments stay positive and helpful, and that questions posted are specific enough to answer (such as “does anyone have suggestions to help me remember to keep my food diary after lunch when I’m getting distracted by getting back to work?” as opposed to “this food diary is a pain!”).
This arena can be a great way to support each other in between calls, especially if you aren’t able to make it to a call-in session one week. Staying in touch and remaining accountable to each other will be very helpful for staying on task each day and each week. Some of you may rarely visit the chat board while others will like to post something each day. It’s up to you how often you like to post, read, or participate on the calls.
It will be helpful if you can let me know when you expect you will miss a call. This way we can get started as soon as everyone is on the line. If you post about your week on the chat board, you will become accountable to everyone else on the call and we will expect you :)
I look forward to coaching you all through this great plan, The Beck Diet Solution, which has helped so many people lose weight and keep it off for life!
If you have questions about this post, simply click on the word 'comment' or 'reply' below!
