Beck Discussion: Chapter 5

Hey Gang! It's that time again! We are discussing chapter 5 today. The name of the chapter is Week 1 - Get Ready: Lay the Groundwork. She says she is going to teach us *how* to diet this time. We will be using cognitive therapy techniques to prepare our minds and our environments for dieting. She says that preparation is one of the most crucial components of dieting success. So we must "prepare" for whats ahead. Day 1 - Recored the Advantages of Losing Weight We are to make our first Response Card. This will be our essential tool to keep us from giving in to sabotaging thoughts. They will help motivate us daily so we can stick to our diets, apply good eating habits and deal with hunger, cravings, emotional eating and the ability to get back on board after a mistake. We will use them daily from now on as we try to achieve our goals then periodically as needed throughout your lifetime. (yes, LIFETIME lol) This card she says, could be the most important card we create. It will include a list of all the reasons we want/desire to stick to a healthy diet to either maintain or lose our weight. So go ahead, make your cards.. start listing all the advantages to losing weight if you haven't already. Make several copies of this card to keep in various "handy" places within your living space. Having these advantages listed she says will remind us why we are doing what we are doing and when we are tempted to eat something we shouldn't it will make dieting easier. So shall we share our Advantages Response Cards with each other? I would like to share mine. This one is the same card I developed for myself when I first read this book a few months ago. I refer to them, yes, but not often enough.. back to reading them daily. So here are mine: 1) To Keep Comorbidities Away 2) To Have the Freedom to Move Around Freely 3) To Not have Others Judge My Weight 4) To Feel Good in My Own Skin 5) To Stay off Obesity Related Rx Meds other than my Synthroid Medication 6) To Love My Clothes On Me Everyday 7) To Be Alive and Live Longer 8) To Be Able to Raise Children 9) Because I Did NOT take the Drastic Route of RNY Surgery to Remain Unhealthy 10) Be able to Exercise, Run, Play Sports. 11) To Be a WLS Role Model and Help Others 12) To Be *IN CONTROL* of My Own Health as Much as Possible. 13) To Be Less Critical of Myself and Gain More Confidence. She says as we lose weight other advantages will surface such as diminished cravings, being able to say no to something we shouldn't eat, feeling good with resistance, no further guilt from giving into cravings. She says it will become second nature to us (wouldn't that be nice?!) to say no to food thats difficult to resist (or in my case TOO much of it!) She wants us to imagine how wonderful this would be when it happens. Ok so make copies of your ARC's (advantage response cards) and place them in strategic places - she recommends your wallet, purse or pocket book as you will be reading these twice a day. I put mine on my refrigerator and our bathroom mirror. I also have a set in the car attached to my visor. She recommends having it "pop up" in other places like on your screen saver, popup messages for your computer, putting inside the cover of your diet notebook (i did do this one also). How you will read your ARC's: Read it twice a day at specific times - this time is up to you. Do it when it helps you the most, before meals, etc. Use it during difficult times when temptation is high and wanting to resist is low. Do more than just *read* it.. really understand why this is so important to you. If you are unable to remember to read your cards you need to find a way to remind yourself. Put a sticky note in places saying "read arc's today" or whatever works for you. Be sure you read your card twice a day, very important. She says you will try to talk yourself out of reading these.. do not do it. You may even have them memorized, that's ok.. take it out, read it over at least twice a day anyways. It won't hurt anything.. it can only help. Do NOT skip this step she says. You have to change the way you think if you want to lose weight permanently. You need to change the way you think about eating, dieting and yourself. We will be making cards at the end of each day to help us with each task she asks of us.. so make sure you have your index cards handy! We need to learn to handle sabotaging thoughts. These cards will help us to overcome our sabotaging thoughts, change our mindsets and do what we have been wanting to do.. overcome addiction with food and maintain or lose weight (where ever you are in the postop process). She then at the ends lists examples of sabotaging thoughts with the ARC's. She gives us ways to turn it around and make it more positive for ourselves. She also includes a "to-do list" at the end of each day, be sure to look at that and check it off. So what are your thoughts so far? liking the cards? It was weird at first t make these but it does make sense the further we go out, I promise. Would u like to share yours with the rest of the group? You don't have to but its nice to see if we are all kinda on the same page or not. Ok, next chapter is Day 2, see ya wednesday for that one! Hugs!

Hi.... Here to Share... Needed a bit of help to get started on the cards and used some of Beck's page 57 "given" examples... joy from shopping, sexual intimacy, less self-critical, not having others bug me about my weight. I added the following: 1) To enjoy exercise & lifting weights 2) To fit-in more with others (improve social skills) 3) To be an "average size" mom & wife 4) To be healthy It's a START! Ro

Here is my ARC: I like my body thinner. I'll feel better. I'll look better. I'll live longer. I won't feel so self conscious. I want to be a good example for Dr. Rawlins. I don't want to end up like Uncle Dick. When I eat right I have no migraines. I can wear cute clothes and shoes. When I resist temptation I am proud of myself. I want to act and think like a thin person. Gotta say i don't like the cards but I can see that it is just a sabotaging behaviour. I think having it printed out here will make it better....I should have just printed it out instead of writing on recipe cards. That is much more appealing. Seems like mine is only 'I, I, I' statements and should maybe be more like yours that are goals. This was a hard assignment.

Molly... Eating right = no migraines!!! Wow, Good for You!!! A little confused here... who is Uncle Dick? Can you share? I had "I" statements too... the printed card does sound a lot more appealing! Thanks for the good idea. Ro

Ok so very sorry I was MIA this week but life became nuts and because work was totally crazy I have gotten way behind with personal stuff like reading My Beck Dook but I will catch up this weekend> I did make my list for chapter 5, I will catch uo with day 2 and 3 and 4 this weekend sorry to get behind, Kelly 1. to stay away from chance of getting diabetes/ have better health 2. to be able to cuddle with my love and not feel like I overwhelm him with my body so what I am saying is to fit better with him. 3. to have cute clothes and feel great in them, look better 4. more confidence 5. to look at people when they talk to me and not always feel they are judging me because of weight 6. to be there for others and be helpful 7. to be able to move around with ease 8. to begin to jog like I have always wanted to 9. have better intamacy and feel embarassed in little or no clothes 10. to live longer 11. to be more outgoing 12. to like myself more