The Beck Diet Solution: Day 1

Following the argument Pipoy and I had last Sunday afternoon, it led me to realize that I still am prone to slip off track and be tempted and forget some of the things I said. I guess I still am not strong enough... which is why I took out my book to learn new things.


The Beck Diet Solution by Judith S. Beck, Ph.D. is about dieting, but is not about special meal programs to help one lose weight. Rather, the book teaches people the cognitive way of dieting - training the brain to think like a thin person. I bought this book a month ago, and I was supposed to start with the program first day of this month, but I sort of forgot.

Anyway, I already read the first few chapters of the book the first few days since I bought it, so I went straight to Day One of the program.

Record the Advantages of Losing Weight


What I love about the book is that it allows you to be interactive. Pardon my handwriting - I often write as ugly as this whenever I scribble down thoughts. I won't disclose much about what was written in the book because I want you to go and find your own copy, but the purpose of recording the advantages of losing weight is so that you have something to remind you of the good things that come with losing weight, preventing you to make unnecessary actions such as eating impulsively or eating something that would sabotage your journey.

Being on this journey for months now, I can say that dieting is not much of a problem with me, but because I still need to work on how my thought works, doing this program is still beneficial.

So, why do I want to lose weight?
That's basically the first question to answer. There was a list to go over, so let me answer that quickly.

• Love life - more confidence in being with the significant other, no more paranoia about how people perceive us being together, less argument about self-pity and no more need to distance myself (like if the boyfriend wants to go here or do this) because I am ashamed of my body size and weight, more confidence in undressing in front of my partner, more willingness to "woohoo" with the lights on.
• Friendships / Social life - more time to be with friends, being able to do more things together, more confidence in having pictures taken together, giving people inspiration and the push for them to do lose weight as well.
• Energy level and participation in hobbies & recreational activities - being able to do things only "thin" people are confident in doing: sports and other outdoor activities, being able to sustain long hours of walking (when doing a photowalk) without bathing myself in sweat.
• Body / Health / Self-Image / Mental Outlook - one word: better.

There are so many advantages in losing weight, but what I wrote on my notebook were snippets of those advantages. Part of this exercise is not just to record, but to make Advantage Response Cards, which has to be read multiple times in a day. That being said, these advantages has to be written on index cards (or similar materials) and must be pinned on different locations so whenever one has a negative thought (like when the cupcakes are calling your name), one can consult to the ARCs to help remind you of the reasons why you're losing weight.

I don't have some index cards, so I just thought of using scrapbook cardstocks. I found an old double-sided cardstock (Around the Block) which was perfect for this exercise. On one side of the cardstock, I listed my own advantages and on the other side were the the words "You Look Awesome," just to help give me a much needed boost.

You can click on the middle picture to see the bigger version of it, but if you don't want to, I wrote...

• Improved Health. Normal BP/Cholesterol/Blood Sugar, less back pains.
• More Confidence. Buying and wearing clothes off the rack, no more need to hide under my shell.
• Better Life. Positive outlook, breaking free from the bullies, more happiness.
• Self Respect. Doing something life-changing, being an inspiration / role model, having a sense of self righteousness, doing more things (travel, sports, etc).

These are very general advantages, but me reading each one allows me to think deeper into it, inspiring me or motivating me to keep on losing weight.

I made three sets of the ARCs - one I placed inside my wallet, the other need my bed, and the last one near my netbook. My desk is where I spend most of my time, so seeing my ARC right away will help me be reminded of my goals before I even give in to the temptations in my head.

By the end of the exercise, Dr. Beck highlighted some words: "Once I continually remind myself of all the reasons I want to lose weight, dieting will be easier."

This may be centered on dieting, but I can also relate my ARC to exercise. Whenever I feel lazy to do my workout, I will consult my ARC to refresh my mindset. I committed myself to read my ARC upon waking up, at 10am (when I do first Hip Hop Abs workout) and 4pm (my second Hip Hop Abs workout).

So... what are your own advantages to losing weight?