Develop a Reward System

One helpful component of any weight loss plan is a reward system. Aside from seeing the number on the scale go down and finding your clothes fitting better, intermittent rewards will help you continue the good behavior changes you're attempting while you're in between weigh-ins.

What makes a good reward? As you probably already know, food of any kind does not make the list! It should be something you will look forward to, something you wouldn't ordinarily buy or do, and something so desireable you will hop on the treadmill for it when you don't really feel like it.

Some examples would be a book, a magazine, a massage, an item of clothing or jewelry, a short trip or a special pamper time just for you (perhaps a bubble bath, or a deal where someone else cares for the kids or pets for part of the day).

What does not work is something like a manicure if you already get one every week--if you're going to get one anyway (and you know you will NOT pass it up if you don't perform your weekly planned actions) it's not going to serve its purpose.

That said, some people do benefit from negative consequences: For example setting the goal "I cannot have my weekly manicure unless I work out 4 days this week". Skipping something you really want one week could have you make certain to get your workout in next time!
One of my clients uses earrings for her negative consequence. It's very important to her to have earrings on every day, especially since her ears are pierced. If she goes over her planned calorie intake, she does not put earrings in the next day and it makes her absolutely cringe to leave the house! There's also the chance, since she is local, that she might run into ME, and if I see her without earrings on, I know what that means!

Other things that do not cost money include time surfing the internet, time spent with friends or family, rewards other people can give you (like a foot massage from your husband!) or a visit to the library to peruse this week's magazine issues.

Think of what rewards would work for you, and what actions it will take to earn them.
How often do you want to reward yourself? Each day? Each week? or after several weeks?
Is there something you want to save up for that you can earn daily or weekly (earning minutes or dollars for following through, and saving up for a larger reward after a period of time).


Here is one idea of a beautiful and helpful reward called "Count Me Healthy Jewelry" http://www.chelseacharles.com/howtouse.cfm

Please list your reward ideas in the comments section--this is always a challenge to come up with!!

How Positive are You?

Being positive can play a big role while you're trying to lose weight. It can be devastating to your progress if you only focus on the negatives. Common thoughts in the dieter's brain are things like, "I was so bad last night [because of my snacking]"; "I cheated"; "I'm a failure" and other similar ideas that fill the mind with self-doubt and even guilt.
That's one reason The Beck Diet Solution encourages you to focus on your successes! Give yourself credit! And why we start off each call with "What did you do well this week?" and "What do you deserve credit for?"

Focusing on the positive keeps you in a frame of mind that encourages you to move forward: Yes, recognize what you did and how you could do it differently (better) the next time; but then move on and don't dwell on it.

There's a book called "Positivity: The 3:1 ratio that can change your life". The theory is, the more positive thoughts you have, compared to your negative thoughts, the happier your life will be.

Here's the website http://positivityratio.com/ where you can take a quiz, and find out what your number is!

Feel free to comment on your score and to bring your results to our next call.

Are You Having Trouble Making New Habits?

I heard someone say the other day, "In order to get rid of bad habits, you have to replace them with good habits".
Learning something new doesn't come easy! When you feel like you'll never get into the routine of keeping a food diary, putting your fork down between bites, or passing the temptation of the cookie stores in the mall, try to remember other habits you've overcome in your life.

Maybe you quit smoking or stopped biting your nails. It was tough, but you've done it and now it's not a part of your life anymore!

Think of things you learned to do that seemed difficult at the time: Getting the hang of knitting or crocheting; learning to drive (how tough was that?!); playing tennis or some other activity that requires coordination. Things that are different for us do not come naturally.
Don't be discouraged if these new habits don't feel natural right away. With practice, they will!

One of my favorite examples of developing a habit is brushing your teeth. Remember when you were a kid or, even better, when your own kids were young. How tough was it to get them to brush their teeth! You had to remind them, coerce them, scold them, and finally, probably stand over them to be sure they weren't just wetting the toothbrush so you'd think they brushed their teeth! It was soooo easy for them to just go to bed (or off to school) and not give the toothbrush a thought.

Now, how does brushing your teeth fit into your life?

Do you have to set aside a planned time for it the night before? Put reminder post-it notes around the house? Mark it in your appointment book? The answer is most likely NO!
You probably have a time you brush your teeth  that fits into your morning routine, and a time in your bed-time routine as well. 
Do you ever think about it? 
Do you ever consider, "Hmm, I may not have time to brush my teeth this morning because I'm running late" or "I really want to sleep in a few more minutes--I'll just skip the toothbrushing thing this morning to get that extra shut-eye"!
Have you often skipped brushing your teeth in the evening? Maybe you just had a rough day and want to get in bed with a good book so you skip it? Again, I'll bet your answer is a loud NO!

One day, this is how exercise/food diary/fill in the healthy-activity here will fit into your life.

It will be something you do. Part of your routine. Something you don't think about whether to do or not!

Stick with the tough time of establishing a new habit; of making the right actions part of your daily routine. Some days you'll struggle and some days you'll forget.

But one day, 30 minutes of exercise, planning your meals ahead, keeping your food diary, and all these healthy habits will just become part of your routine. And then you won't ever have to go on a diet again!

Well, it's certainly worth a try!

This interesting article offers two ways researchers found people lost weight: one, the 'put your fork down between 
bites" we've gone over. The second, might be difficult to do in public!

Leave your comments below please ;)

(ps. One of the authors referenced in the paper published was Brian Wansink--I highly recommend his book called, "Why we eat more than we think we do" which reads like a series of short stories which are, in fact, his research projects. He has a test 'restaurant' where he sets up all sorts of experiments, including watching people rate their meal and wine much higher on a scale of 1-10 when the wine label looks classy and the menu items are given descriptive names; and one of my favorites, hooking up a bowl of soup (only one of the four at each booth) to a large reservoir under the table that keeps the bowl of soup bottomless.... one young man commented on "how filling" the soup was!

Here's the link to the original article)
Happy reading!

Don't "Should" on Yourself!

Think about how often you say "I should" (either aloud or to yourself) and what it means to you.
"Shoulds" come with obligation, duty, guilt, comparison.

If you are always telling yourself, "I should lose weight" then who are you doing it for?
How compelling has it been in the past to lose weight 'because you should'?

Wants are cravings and desires; they pull you towards them and are associated with positive action or reward when you do/get them.

Try changing your language, and see how your perspective changes when your brain hears something in a different way:

"I want to go for a walk"
"I want to eat a healthy meal (with fiber/vegetables that will keep me satisfied, that I will feel good about)"
"I want to keep my food log/do my workbook homework after dinner"

This week, try changing some "shoulds" to "wants" and notice how differently you react.

Feel free to leave comments here!

Do you find nutrition information confusing?

Many people are constantly baffled about what is considered "good for you" and how to compose a healthy diet. Part of the reason is that science is constantly providing new discoveries. To compound this issue is a more insidious one: Every time an article is published, someone grabs and runs with it, posting "dangers" or "must have's" across the internet and news stations. Every day you see some article announcing "the 5 foods you must eat every day" or "an element found in coconut water prevents cancer" or "a byproduct of diet soda causes cancer" or "orange juice linked to diabetes".

If you paid attention to all of these contradicting announcements you'd find little continuity as far as figuring out what to eat: in fact, there are probably numerous foods on both the "must have" lists as well as the "avoid this or die" lists.

So what's a person to do?
A news report citing one article is nothing to get alarmed about. For every study showing the ill-effects of too much fruit juice you can find several on the merits of a variety of fruits; for every claim of the downside of drinking milk you can find benefits of a healthy dose of calcium and vitamin D. And for every claim that organic is necessary you'll find evidence that the non-organic counterparts are no different.

Adequacy, balance, and variety still appear to be the keys to a healthy diet!
There is no one good food or bad food.
There is no one must-have or must-avoid.
The guidelines set forth by the USDA (my plate.gov) are still good guidelines, as are the recommendations of the American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, The American Diabetes Association and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: eat a variety of foods; limit fats and sweets; get plenty of fiber from whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.
None of these health organizations say nutrasweet causes cancer or you should be buying organic, or you must eat a tomato every day!

Here's an article by a reputable MD about the abundance of nutrition advisors who contribute to the confusion.

Feel free to post your comments!

Are You Giving Yourself Credit?

Remember how important it is to give yourself credit where credit is due!

Dieters often tend to beat themselves up for what they did wrong, or what they didn't do. That can lead to feeling badly about yourself, and sometimes that leads to either eating, or worse, abandoning the whole weight loss plan!

So remember to give yourself credit in some way--even if it's just posting it here-- for what you did right!

Did you get out for a walk today, even if it was shorter than you had planned?
Did you write down everything you ate, even if you ate more than you wanted?
Did you exercise two days this week instead of the four that you hoped you would get to?
Did you include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, even if you had cake too?

Let us know what you deserve credit for this week!
Establishing these new, healthy habits--even in small ways--will help you lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life. The good things you do are far too important to be ignored!

Find 30 minutes a day to exercise!

Can't find 30 minutes a day to exercise?

Watch this video. Prepare to change your perspective.

It's 20 minutes long, but on the bright side it's very entertaining.

So sit back and be prepared to take notes to jot down your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo


If you think you can't find 30 minutes a day for exercise, think again and think hard.

Feel free to comment below :)

Laurie

Why Do You Want To Lose Weight?

Hi All!

Part of your "homework" this week (chapter 4, page 33) is to list the advantages of losing weight for you.
What are some of your reasons to lose weight? These will have to end up being compelling reasons--something so compelling it makes you walk right by the Cinnabon store in the mall without even thinking of stopping!

One way to get to a "compelling" reason is to ask yourself why your initial reason is important to you: If you say, "for my health", ask yourself, 'Why is this important to me?'

Hopefully, you'll come up with an answer important enough to really motivate you to get out and exercise, or to pass on the rolls at dinner.

Some examples are: 

For my health: Why is this important? "I'm borderline diabetic and I don't want to have to take insulin".

I'll feel more confident: Why is this important? "I feel out of shape just walking up stairs and it's embarrassing when I'm with other people".

To feel good about myself: Why is this important? "I'm often embarrassed to go out in public or meet new people--I feel like they are looking at me and how overweight I am. I would love to feel proud and have people see what good shape I am in".

Make it something you can really picture. It might be something positive and rewarding, or it could be that you are avoiding something very unpleasant (one gentleman was tired of having to ask for a seatbelt extension when he traveled by plane). Some people like to picture themselves in a particular outfit or at an event.

Try to come up with 5 if you can.

Let the comments begin!

Laurie

Get Ready for Week #1

Hi!

By now you should have received your workbook as well as the call-in information. Remember to bookmark this site, as well as the email with the call-in numbers, because they won't be posted anywhere else.

When you have time, look through the first 4 chapters of the book so we can discuss them on the call. In these introductory chapters, Dr. Beck explains how you need to set yourself up for success even before you start your diet.

I know some of you have already started eating healthy and making time for exercise, and that's great! Even if you're humming along fine right now, following the Beck Diet Plan actions will assure you don't fall off the wagon when stressful times would ordinarily knock you right off your good intentions.

Monday isn't the first day of your diet, but Sunday is the first day of our LifeChanging! Weight Loss Series.
Welcome to our group :)

Feel free to post a brief introduction below in the comments section (click on "comment") and let us know which call you'll be on this week!

Our "thought for the week": Your goal is to lose weight. But before you get to a goal, you have to make a decision. What have you decided that will move you towards your goal? Once you've made your decision, you'll be able to set some actions; then progress will occur! Please share in the comments section :)

Laurie