Beck Discussion - Day 6

Day 6 - Find a Diet Coach She says this is a *MUST*. Do not make excuses.. find a diet coach. I have one.. she is on vacation right now. But I do think that us coming here is a "diet coach" because we can see what we ate and provide feedback to each other. However, it doesn't hurt to find a person to be accountable to. It can only HELP, not hurt. Do not feel dumb asking. I asked my friend Britt out of the blue one day, we hadn't spoken in a while.. she was more than willing and i ended up being hers in return. A diet coach can help you with the following: *Keep you motivated - just to keep you encouraged. Share you ARC's with them. They can remind you why this effort to be healthy is so worth it by going over your ARC's with you. (I hope you are reading your arc's at least twice a day!!!) *Will help to build your self confidence - A diet coach can counteract your self hopelessness.. your feelings of not being worth it or when you want to quit b/c u don't feel good about yourself. They will empower you to stay on track! *Help to solve your problems - two heads are always better than one. A diet coach can not only help you with your diet but help you sort out life's problems also. *Keep you accountable - knowing you have to report your progress.. see this is what we are doing right here december babies.. "accountability Monday" etc.. THIS IS CRUCIAL she says.. and she also capitalizes her statement. You need to be completely honest with your coach. You know u can be honest here.. being honest cleans your soul and we will not judge you b/c we are human we do make mistakes but we need to try to make those mistakes less often, learn from them and move on. *Help you take a more useful perspective - you have to think "what would my coach think of me?" when making bad decisions.. this will help you stay on track. They want you to succeed! Remember: your coach should be supportive, not jealous or condescending.. nonjudgemental and wants to see you succeed! Finding one.. she talks about using a close friend or family member.. however, remember what i said above. It must be the right fit, if you don't know anyone.. i mean anyone, then you better commit to coming on this board then.. if you don't pick a coach and u dont come here.. you have no support and that just isn't feasible with dr. becks program. Remember this! She talks about joining a group.. I have looked into possibly joining OA.. overeaters anonymous. But also, make sure you go to your local support group if you have one, there really is no excuse for you not to. Now that I am a support group leader of my own, I realize just how vital it is to attend this and be accountable. Also she wants u to have "weekly" meetings with your coach. Britt and I were either emailing or talking on the phone a minimum of once a week sometimes more.. it helped a lot. Talk about successes, struggles, things you have learned, things you could have done differently. Then touch base more often if you need it, say you stray off plan and you feel "vulnerable".. call your diet coach asap. Get back in the game. She also mentions how some people need daily interaction.. that would be me! I know for some of you its the same way.. thats why we come here each and everyday! She talks about the sabotaging thoughts u might have with finding a diet coach.. review these. Also, mark off your "to do" list. Next reading is Day 7 - Arrange your environment.. I am a big believer in this one! See you soon with the next reading! *hugs*

Finding a Diet Coach seems like a tall order with the busy lives that people have today. I like the idea of a support group setting, but as Beck points out it should be a positive environment; not a negativity-fest. Most WLS Support Groups meet monthly. They may not provide the level of Coaching, unless that is one of the components of the program... a few minutes reserved for members to mention upcoming events, which they could use some eating strategies to stay on their diet. It might get "old" in the group format fast, if a few people monopolize the session. By far, the best situation seems to be to have an "on call" coach for those emergency times... friend or fellow dieter. This person would deserve mutual attention and friendship; rather than being the "shoulder" when things go wrong. I would make the weekly calls or meeting more about strengthening the bond so that when I REALLY needed Coaching, the person would not feel burdened. OA sounds like a good program, but I wonder if the members would accept a WLS post-op easily or if they may initially have uncomfortable questions or comments.