The Beck Diet Solution, Day 12

Sorry for not updating the Beck Diet Solution... I got caught up reading books that I sort of forgot about this. :)


Anyway, Day 12 is about Practicing Hunger Tolerance.

One thing about us fat people... even if we starve ourselves, people around us still think we've spent our entire life eating. In one book I own, the author said that fat people sometimes eat less compared to skinny people (especially when they eat out) because fat people sort of feel guilty eating a lot.

Partly, it is true that fat people tend to have big appetites. I know I do. When my father was still alive, he would always tease me, "You must eat to live and not live to eat." As a way of defending myself, I'd always say it's much better to live to eat because food just taste good. Well, my father did want us his kids to have hearty appetites, because he experienced having very little to eat and he truly didn't like seeing his kids look skinny.

Even if I can eat like a truck driver, I can actually tolerate hunger. In college during enrollment day, I'd spend the entire day processing my papers without eating because if I do, I would lose my place in the line and it would mean waiting longer. When my sister and I trekked to Mt. Pinatubo, we only ate breakfast at 4-ish in the morning and the only food I ate after that was a can (the contents, of course) of Vienna Sausage for lunch. I really can tolerate hunger if I want to... actually, this has been something I was blogging about lately - not eating enough because I didn't have the appetite for it.

Anyway, the purpose of this topic is not to teach you to starve yourself. It simply aims for you to test your endurance because sometimes, we tend to give in to the slightest feeling (real or not) of hunger, craving, and desire. This exercise simply goes with the previous exercise... knowing when you are hungry. Of course, you are very much encouraged to eat the right amount of food at the right time.

The Beck Diet Solution: Day 11

Thursdays here on the blog is supposed to be about my "bookish thoughts," but because I realized I have stopped sharing the lessons from the Beck Diet Solution and would like to go back to it, I decided to create a little space in the blogosphere for my bookish thoughts. It's still not as ready as I want it to be, but feel free to hop on my newest blog.


For today, subject's about differentiating hunger from desire and cravings.

I admit, on days that I don't exercise, or during my couch potato days, my mind always tell me I want to eat, even if I just ate a few minutes ago. I guess "doing nothing" sort of allows the mind to think hunger thoughts.

In the book, Dr. Beck shared:

• You haven't eaten for many hours and really felt ravenous. That empty sensation in your stomach, often accompanied by stomach rumblings was hunger.
• You ate a big meal and yet you still wanted to continue to eat more. That was a desire.
• You had a very strong urge to eat, which was accompanied by a feeling of tension and an unpleasant yearning sensation in your mouth, throat, and body. That was a craving.

There was something in this lesson about having a hunger monitoring chart - checking how the stomach feels before, midway, immediately after, and 20 minutes after eating. Well, I guess I don't have to do that anymore because I have set myself to eat just the three main meals in the day, although I would say that even after eating my meal, I'd still feel "hungry," but then again, I am used to eating lots during meal time (I can eat like a truck driver), so adjusting the food intake is an everyday battle for me.

Sometimes I still give in to the desires - like when I go to the kitchen to have a glass of water and I'd see some food inside the fridge or see some packed snacks (junk or not) around, I oftentimes can't control the urge to eat some. I don't know if giving in to cravings and desires is a bad thing, but I guess I have to control it.

The Beck Diet Solution: Day 10

A few days ago, a childhood friend (who's a plus size like me since then) messaged me on Facebook asking if I wanted to join The Biggest Loser - Philippine Edition. I told her I want to, but me weighing 202lbs (yep I gained weight again), I don't think the show would consider me because the requirement is at least 200lbs for women. I am actually a big fan of the show, and I sure hoped to be a part of it (I remember watching The Biggest Loser Australia and told myself if the show comes to the Philippines, I'd audition but wasn't able to). Now, I don't think I can anymore.

Part of losing weight is for people to set goals, which is the topic of today's The Beck Diet Solution.


Ask anyone who want to lose weight about their "goal weight," they'd immediately tell you of their long term goal. I am (of course) like that, too, having to set my goal at 150lbs by May 2013... but I never really thought about setting a short term goal...something that is realistic to reach.

In the book, Dr. Beck says we should aim to lose 5lbs. She didn't say whether it is for the month, but she did say we should celebrate every 5lbs lost - not really by eating - but by rewarding ourselves with something good... like a massage, or maybe a tennis lesson.

Recalling my friend Nathalie's blog post, it was stated there that the healthy weight loss is at 1-2lbs per week, so I guess it is surely realistic to aim 5lbs per month.. but of course, if one loses more than that, then it a blessing to celebrate.

The Beck Diet Solution: Day 9

I have been a lazy blogger lately, I know... but I still haven't thrown in the towel yet. In fact, I am gathering all the motivation and inspiration I can get.

Before I move to Day 9 of The Beck Diet Solution, I would just like to update a little something about Day 6 - Finding a Diet Coach. I have said that Mr. Pipoy is no longer my Diet Coach, but the past few days has been awesome for me as the people I encounter with online are very supportive with my journey, and now I can name three people who are my diet coaches. They aren't real friends (yet) as they are people I meet online, but apart from the usual exchange of stories about different matters, these people would take the time to ask me how is my journey going... what I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I feel happy that even if one person stopped "caring" about how I am, there are still people who are supportive and caring.

So now... Day 9.

 

True, some people lose weight just by dieting, but regardless of our physical condition, I am sure you'll agree that we all need to exercise. Some exercise benefits printed on the book:

• Exercise helps you stick with your diet.
• Exercise might help control appetite.
• Exercise boosts mood and soothes stress.
• Exercise burns calories.
• Exercise preserves muscle tissue.
• Exercise builds confidence.
• Exercise makes you feel better physically.
• Exercise improves your health and helps prevent disease.

All the points raised above, I agree with. I felt I eat less whenever I exercise, I feel less sluggish, and I have more stamina to walk longer, even climb the stairs without panting that much. Exercise has to be a big part of my journey because I am a very big woman; if I just go for dieting, I'd sure have a lot of saggy skin. Well, I do exercise and I still have loose skin, what more if I don't?

Dr. Beck mentioned about two types of exercises: Spontaneous and Planned Excercises. Spontaneous Exercises as the word suggested are those we do spontaneously - like parking far from the entrance of the building so one can walk, or taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Planned Exercises are those we stick to like daily walks / jog / run or hiring a personal trainer.

Exercise surely is something we all should do, but not all of us have the privilege of time and some people have to consider factors - like taking care of kids or having physical limitations... but as what they say, "If there's a will, there's a way."

As for me, the spontaneous exercises I think I will do is to get up from my seat every hour to walk around the house and drink water or use the toilet and walking from the house to the market and back at home. My planned exercises are those listed on my exercise schedule.

One pal who works at the gym told me success in weight loss is 70% diet, but 30% still has a big share, so it shouldn't be taken for granted.

The Beck Diet Solution: A Look Back

I have said time and time again that I am not the typical bookworm, but the very few times I enter Booksale (a shop selling books at a bargain price), I always check their shelves for something I could buy to stimulate my brain.

Sometime before, I started including "The Beck Diet Solution" on my journey. As I re-enter the path to wellness, I want to go back to it, too, but before I continue with it, let me just take a look back and re-asses each of the lessons in the book.

Day 1: Record the Advantages of Losing Weight
Before, some of the reasons I listed for losing weight included Mr. Pipoy... but now that he is out of my life, I see no reason why I sure read the same ARCs. I need to create a new card, but right at this moment, the main motivation I am having is my cousin's upcoming wedding January next year. It will be a big celebration and I might be required to wear a dress, so I really have to lose weight so I won't feel bad about how I will carry my dress.

Day 2: Pick Two Reasonable Diets
I still am going to apply the my diet before - lessening the food intake and eating out. "No Diet B" for me, simply because I haven't found something that is flexible enough to jive with my lifestyle (I am a food blogger, too, by the way).

Day 3: Eat Sitting Down
I have to remind myself that meals should be eaten at the dinner table and not in front of the net book and / or TV. No free food sampling at the Supermarket as well.

Day 4: Give Yourself Credit
I used to have this can where I put money every time I give myself credit. With the money saved, I was able to buy some clothes, footwear, and some beauty products. Now that I am also working on building up my confidence, I accept the fact that my physical body needs some help from different products, and I plan to use the money I saved from the "Credit Account" to buy certain items in the future.

Day 5: Eat Slowly and Mindfully
Yes, I am a food blogger and during certain events, restaurants would serve different dishes that would make me want to taste it all. Striking balance is difficult, but the I have to tell myself to eat mindfully. If I want to taste all, I should just eat bite size portions. Chewing slowly will not only help with the digestion process, it would also make me feel as if I ate a lot of the food.

Day 6: Find a Diet Coach
Mr. Pipoy was my Diet Coach, but now that we aren't fitness buddies anymore, I don't have a diet coach, but I will just seek advices from my online friends.

Day 7: Arrange Your Environment
No major changes as to where we put food items in the house, but one change I applied was to de-clutter. Seeing the house clean sure really made me want to be at home more.

Day 8: Create Time and Energy
Yes, I know I really have to make time for exercises and not do it only when I have time. However, there might be days when I can't really apply this, especially during event days. I live way too far from the heart of the Metro and traveling would take a lot of time, so even if I want to exercise, I simply just can't. Good thing about this is that it's not everyday that I attend events, so yes, I can still create time and energy to do my exercises.

Next lesson will be shared tomorrow. :)

The Beck Diet Solution: Day 8

It was a month ago when I last updated "The Beck Diet Solution." Not that I got tired reading my ARCs and not that I got tired following what Dr. Beck shared; I simply just got lost in my way, but I didn't forget any of the lessons I have learned. Come to think of it, I recently just made a new set of ARCs, because I want it to be as much personal as possible. Last week, I focused on just following the first 7 lessons, so this week it's time to move forward.


When I lost the first 10lbs., nobody seemed to notice I lost weight, but when I finally lost 20lbs., people around me started noticing it. One time, when I updated a Facebook profile picture, our next door neighbor called on me and asked me a few questions. First question was, "How did you do it?" When I answered, "I walked every morning for more than an hour, did two Hip Hop Abs routines during weekdays, portioned my food intake." As soon as I was done answering her first question, she quickly made a follow up question, "Everyday?" Then her face turned sour. She said, "I guess I'd just have be overweight my whole life, I can't do what you're doing everyday."

This is the sad truth: many people want to lose weight, but don't want to devote time to it.

I was once like that, I admit. The thought of going through a video workout for 30 minutes felt I have been robbed of precious time I could use for other things, which turned out to be senseless (like playing a Facebook game or watching a YouTube video or "gossiping" through my Facebook Wall). When I finally got serious to lose the excess weight, I knew I will be sacrificing a lot, but it was a challenge I embraced. At first it was tough - breaking my usual cycle just to do my Hip Hop Abs routines, but I still did it... first 10 minutes sure were agonizing - I felt lazy, I wanted to turn the DVD off and just watch TV, but as I continue doing it time just went by so quick I was just surprised to see I was already done. After doing the routine, I always thank myself for not giving up and for making the day count. Now, I am applying the same principle. Think about it - we always put off for tomorrow when we can most certainly do it now. 30 minutes is just half an hour. You might miss your favorite TV show, you might not be able to harvest your crops on Farmville (if you still play it), but you will survive. And someday, you will just see the results.

Me? It took three months. 24lbs... and the rewards started pouring in.

Believe me, the day I fit into one of my sister's blouses, it felt like heaven. When I folded the clothes I needed to let go, I came into a realization - that it only took me 24lbs to start reaping the rewards... why didn't I do it then? True, three months may seem too long for most of us. All of us sure want to lose as much weight as fast as possible, and looking back, I realized three months went by so quickly!

Today Dr. Beck teaches us to create time and energy.

Like every goal we set ourselves to do, we have to put our time, effort, and energy for us to reach it. It is also true that all of us live a very busy life. I guess in a way I am lucky that I work at home and that I am still single (meaning: not yet married), but there are days I feel my day's work and house chores are eating my entire day. All of us have reasons to not fulfill our tasks for the day, but Dr. Beck says we just have to compromise:

• Set your priorities.
• Plan your meals ahead - maybe before you sleep, plan what food to cook for the next day, so you will not waste time walking around the market thinking what to buy.
• If you got kids who are old enough to help, you can ask them to do some chores so you will have extra time doing something for your fitness.
  
• Lessen TV / Internet time; lessen the time spent on other activities that are not that important.
• Multi task - if you're doing the laundry, you can insert some fitness activity while the machine washes / spin dry your clothes.
• Make fitness time one of your essential activities for the day.

Some of us don't like to plan. True, life is about being spontaneous, but then again if we must lose weight, we have to give up a little spontaneity, until we have developed a routine.

For this lesson, my biggest inspiration is my friend Rhona. She's not fat, but she looked a little chubby for her height. Now... she's a high school teacher and has to travel two hours just to get to the school from her place and another two hours (possibly more when the traffic is bad) to get home. She's at school the entire day, and coming home she needs to write on her Lesson Plan book, as well as check papers, which includes reading a lot of essays. On top of that, she is a daughter and a fiancee. She certainly has a lot of things going on that eats up her entire day, yet the day she got engaged, she enrolled herself in a gym and was able to devote a piece of her time everyday to do some workouts. I don't know how long she spends at the gym, but regardless of what and how she did it, the results speak for itself: she certainly looked stunning during her wedding day.

If she can do it, we all can do it.

I guess it's just a matter of commitment.

Easier said than done, but let's just do it anyway.

After all, it is for our own good. All to gain, nothing to lose.

...but excess pounds.

The Beck Diet Solution: Day 7

Let's continue with the Beck Diet Solution.


Like what was written on Day 6, you shouldn't tell people around you that you're dieting if you don't want to. It's true that some people - especially close friends and family members can tease you and try to sabotage your diet by asking you to eat something you're not supposed to when you tell them you're dieting, but looking at the other side of things, it's also great to tell people about your journey because you never know - some of them were just waiting for a companion. When I first traveled this journey in 2007, I told our neighbor Charmy about it and instead of teasing me, she actually supported me and even joined me in my morning walks. My brother sort of teased me at first... but when the family saw (this year) that I was so serious about this and that I am already reaping the success of traveling this journey, my brother is now the first to remind me that I needed to jot down my food intake, he now reminds me that the dish will have pork in it. Overall, telling people about my situation puts me in a much better position, because people are all rooting for my success. I guess it was like that - people will tease you to the point of testing your resistance to certain food... but once you're losing weight, they will be there to back you up.

Today, we will make changes around us. Food is often the biggest reason why people are overweight, so when the need to lose weight arises, dieters first change their eating habits. Dr. Beck shared tips about changing the environment around home:

• Remove your personal temptations. Check the cupboards, fridge and desk drawers. If you keep food items that you think will sabotage your diet, get rid of it - by either trashing it or giving it away. Yes, you used money to buy it and there are so many hungry people around the world... but think about this: would you rather waste the food in the trash can or in your body and health? If you can't bear the idea of trashing good food, then just give it away.
• Rearrange your dishes. As you know by now, small plates mean less food to eat, so replace the plates on your rack with smaller ones, or arrange plates from smallest to biggest, so that the small ones will be easier to reach.
• Consider others. If you share the house with other people - spouse, kids, co-workers, relatives... you might want to ask their help to your advantage: maybe ask them to keep their snack items in places you cannot see (either in their own rooms or maybe in a container at the topmost part of the cupboard). If you don't want to be super imposing, you can ask their help in a very nice way.
  

I do eat a lot during meals (before entering the journey), but I am not a "serial snacker," like my brother is. Here in our house, we have this containers where we put the snack items, and since these containers are on the floor and most have lids, I sometimes forget what was inside it. My brother has his own container inside his room - and when I started getting rid of softdrinks, he would drink his softdrinks inside his room (or when I wasn't around the dining room). Now that my control is much stronger, he drinks his softdrinks in front of me without worrying I'd take a sip.

I guess I am at the point in the journey that I am much stronger, but I still have so much to learn. I agree with the quote "Out of sight, out of mind," but if you're a parent who has kids who would love their fast food and snacks... you can make a compromise by treating them to a small pack of chips or a small bag of candies every weekends, or maybe encourage them to do good at school and if they get at least 5 stars, they can have the bag of chips. Win-win situation, eh?

For those who are working, changing the environment will be much difficult - because it would seem impossible to ask the admin to get rid or move the vendo machine... and it would seem awkward to ask co-workers to keep their snacks in their drawers and not place it on the table, but you can at least try. Worst case scenario - you have to work on your control; but if things go your way, the better. Don't be afraid to ask things... but of course, you have to be nice and not be so assertive and bossy.

Arranging the environment means compromise. There will be certain things you don't have control of, but always remember... you can control your emotions and perspective. Like what I shared with the "star system," you can also apply it to yourself - you can challenge yourself not to eat any cupcake from Mondays-Thursdays, and come Friday, treat yourself with one cupcake. I don't normally use food as a way of rewarding myself, but if that will get you to eat less, then go for it.

I work at home, so I can only make changes here at home. Aside from keeping certain food items in their own containers with lids (most aren't transparent), I arrange certain items by keeping the healthier options at sight and keep the unhealthy ones under.

This is a difficult task, I know... but just remember the key word: compromise.



ps - the paper bag in the picture contain a lot of snack items - mostly flour based (crackers, cupcakes, biscuits), but none tempts me because I am not into crackers and biscuits, and the idea of eating a small cupcake with 170 calories is enough to lose my interest in it, so even if it's open, I don't glance on it, really. These snack items we will give to kids of the Joy Foundation (I forgot the full name), because they always come here during the holidays.