In the spirit of giving myself credit – one of the key strategies in The Beck Diet Solution – I want to start today’s post by acknowledging that I am really proud of myself for completing my first two weeks’ worth of tasks on the program, and for (re)starting my diet yesterday. Yay!
*pats self on back*
It wasn’t always easy… not because I didn’t want to do it, but because I’ve had a really busy couple of weeks and some days it’s been a challenge to fit the readings and tasks into my already-packed days.
But I did it, and I’m so very glad of it!
In case you missed it, my experience with Week 1 (Chapter 5 – Get Ready: Lay the Groundwork) is summarized in this post. Moving forward, Week 2 of the program covers Chapter 6, titled Get Set: Prepare to Diet.
The overall format of Week 2 is very similar to the previous chapter in that it includes tasks and strategies supported by practical examples, typical sabotaging thoughts and helpful responses, and tools such as Response Cards and a requirement to “Commit in Writing.” I mentioned in an earlier post that exercise was one of the topics covered this week – others included identifying and understanding the difference between hunger, desire, and cravings (something I definitely needed to learn!); practicing hunger tolerance by carrying out a one-day-only experiment of skipping lunch and tracking your level of discomfort throughout the day; and learning a number of anti-craving strategies, broken down into mindset techniques and behavioral techniques.
Where the first week of The Beck Diet Solution gave me my first taste of how life could change if I were to follow the program, Week 2 has been an incredible eye-opener. There is so much great, useful stuff in this chapter that I know I will return to many times in the days and weeks to come.
Some of the thoughts that stand out in my mind as I reflect on the past couple of weeks of working through The Beck Diet Solution:
- I’ve learned that when I eat slowly and concentrate on every bite, I can actually feel myself getting full before it’s too late and I’ve overeaten. No, seriously – I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before! I’m sure this is common knowledge for most of you, but as I tend to inhale my meals and am finished long before the rest of my fellow diners, the concept was revolutionary.
- Being hungry or feeling a craving is neither an emergency nor a cause for panic.
- Practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, but practice definitely makes easier.
- I am stronger than my cravings. When I deal with them in constructive ways instead of giving in to them, they will subside.
- I’m becoming more comfortable with and less rebellious about the idea of not giving myself a choice about certain things – or rather, making a choice ahead of time and then giving myself NO CHOICE about sticking to it.
Really, this is life-changing stuff.
So now that I’ve finished the first 14 days on the program, it’s time to start really putting these strategies to use.
Yesterday was my first day of dieting, and one of my tasks was to weigh myself and record my weight. I really wasn’t looking forward to doing this, as I knew by the feel of my clothing that I’d gained back a considerable amount of the weight I had lost over the past two years, and I prepared myself for the worst.
But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been (or even as it has been in the past). As of yesterday I had managed to keep off 31 lbs of the weight I’d lost… and that feels good. Even though I regret regaining some of the weight, I am relieved that I’m not starting back at Square One (or worse). So more cause for celebration!
It feels great to be on my way.
