The Beck DIET

Solution Newsletter
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2010

A Letter from Dr. Judith Beck

Dear Friends,

Okay, it's 2010. Time to get serious about your health and lose weight for the last time. Do
you really want to find yourself in January 2011 heavier than is healthy for you?

If you don't, then you will need to tell yourself, every morning and every time you're
tempted to eat something you shouldn't, that it matters. Yes, it matters if you eat something you haven't
planned: having an extra potato chip, finishing the crumbs left in the bag of cookies, eating off your kids'
plates, or going beyond your limit at a party or restaurant. It matters if you grab food on the run instead of
sitting down and enjoying it properly, if you skip exercising, if you substitute a higher calorie meal because you
didn't make the time to go to the supermarket. EVERY TIME MATTERS. Every time you eat something you
shouldn't, you strengthen your giving in muscle, your tendency to give in--which makes it likely that the next
time, you'll give in and the time after that, and the time after that. Every time you stick to your plan, though,
you strengthen your resistance muscle, your tendency to resist food you hadn't planned to eat--which makes it
more likely that the next time, you'll resist and the time after that, and the time after that.

So every time matters. Don't fool yourself into thinking it doesn't. After all, how has allowing yourself to
make exceptions worked for you in the past? Just think, if you had never said to yourself, "It's okay. This one
time won't matter," you might not have a weight problem today.

Eventually, as I describe in The Complete Beck Diet for Life, it will be important for you to learn how to
make exceptions. But first you have to develop a powerful resistance muscle so when you do make exceptions,
they will be reasonable and will still allow you to lose weight or maintain your weight loss.

It’s 2010! If you’ve been struggling, it’s time for a fresh start. (Actually, you should make a fresh start any
moment you need to, throughout the year. There's never a good reason to wait another minute--if you do,
your giving in muscle will get stronger and stronger.) Go back to the beginning of the program and make sure
you have mastered every skill before you move on to the next one. Don't pick and choose. If you really want
permanent weight loss, there are no short cuts. But remind yourself--the rewards will be great!

I'm rooting for you!

Judith Beck

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 You Can Learn to Overcome Cravings
Dieters are often unsuccessful because they succumb to cravings (which they often mislabel as “hunger”).
When they have a desire to eat, their attention becomes fixated on obtaining the food they want. It can be diffi-
cult at first to learn how to pull your attention away from food and on to something else. But it is an essential
skill if you want to lose weight and keep it off.

Dieters need to prove to themselves, over and over and over again, two key truths:

♦ Cravings are mildly uncomfortable but certainly tolerable—especially compared to significant dis-
comfort, such as surgery or a broken limb.

♦ Cravings always go away—if you make the firm decision that you are not going to eat (until the next
planned meal or snack) and focus on something else.

Dieters tell me it is incredibly freeing once they discover that they can take control of their cravings in-
stead of being at their mercy. Here’s what you need to do:

♦ Motivate yourself every morning by reading a list of reasons you want to lose weight. You never
know whether cravings will arise on any given day, so you need to be prepared. Also read this list at
the first sign of a craving.

♦ Continually remind yourself:

• Cravings are temporary and tolerable.

• You can always plan to eat a food you crave the next day.
• You’ll feel badly if you give into a craving but terrific if you don’t.
• Giving in to cravings has never worked for you in the past.

♦ Use the techniques in the program I developed. Each book lists many techniques and initially, you
may need to engage in up to 5 activities or tasks before the craving goes away. OR just watch your
craving rise and peak and then subside without doing anything about them.

♦ Once a craving subsides, give yourself enormous credit. Emphasize to yourself that you tolerated the
craving, the discomfort was only mild, and that it went away.

I suggest to some dieters that they keep a 3X5 or business-sized card with them. On the card they write
the numbers 1 to 20. Every time they resist a craving, they circle a number. If they give in to a craving, they
throw the card out and start with a fresh one. Once they resist cravings 20 times in a row, they know for sure
that they never have to give into a craving—and they are liberated!

thebeckdiet@gmail.com.
What are some of your favorite techniques for overcoming cravings? Email me at thebeckdiet@gmail.com

Follow Us on Twitter Today! @thebeckdiet

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Continued on page 3
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 Be Alert for Obsessing
Laura, who has lost 30 pounds since I started working with her in September, related a situation to me
this week that's common to many dieters. Her plan is to allow herself one treat a day. Usually she has a
brownie or other sweet in the evening, and looks forward to it all day. Doing so allows her to easily turn
down unplanned sweets earlier in the day.

But recently we've worked on getting Laura to be a little more flexible in her eating. Her new guide-
line is that she can have an unplanned favorite food earlier in the day as long as she then skips her sweet at
night. This past weekend, Laura went to a luncheon at a friend's house. The friend had baked up a storm and
offered delicious looking desserts after lunch. Laura was in a quandry. Should she have one of the desserts or
not? Would she be sorry later? Would the dessert be as good as the brownie she had planned to have? What
if it turned out to be disappointing? Laura became preoccupied with the decision on and off for the next half
hour.

We discussed the importance of quickly making decisions such as this one, so Laura could take her fo-
cus off of food and onto fully engaging with other people at social gatherings. We also discussed how Laura
could take a bite of a dessert to see if she really wanted it. If not, she could take one less bite of her sweet at
night. (Laura didn't want to give herself permission to taste food without being accountable for it--she used to
fool herself into thinking that the calories in tastes didn't count.)

Although obsessing over what to eat arises only periodically with Laura, it arises daily (or several times
a day) with some dieters--especially dieters who try to get maximum satisfaction from their food. These diet-
ers can be plagued with indecision and can spend substantial amounts of time developing a food plan for the
day or for a meal. They need to change their standards. Instead of asking themselves, "What should I plan to
eat that will give me the most pleasure and satisfaction?" they need to ask, "What will be reasonably satisfy-
ing?" And they need to remind themselves that if what they choose is disappointing, they can always choose
something else at the next snack or meal.

Q and A
One dieter wrote me with a suggestion, that I explicitly warn people to avoid processed food. She
wrote, "II have known for a long time that if I am not eating right, nothing satisfies and nothing fills me up."
I think most successful dieters and maintainers have discovered exactly the same thing. While I would prefer
that people skip processed food, I also know that dieters need to find a way of eating that they can keep up
with for their whole life. That's why I wrote her the following response:

Nancy,

Thank you for your email. I think you probably read "The Beck Diet Solution." In "The Complete Beck Diet
for Life," I include a diet that encourages non-processed foods, though it doesn't outlaw them. I have found that
most people will eventually return to their favorite foods, so being a pragmatist, I have them do experiments to see
the effect of these less healthy foods on their levels of hunger, craving, motivation, and satisfaction. I also do en-
courage people to eat a moderate portion of one favorite food once a day, bringing in one single portion initially,
if they think they will be too tempted to stop when they should. I also caution that if it's a junk food, they may
need to eat it before bedtime--that way they can look forward to it all day, remind themselves when they are
tempted earlier in the day that they will have their favorite food later, and if the junk food leads to a craving,
they'll be in bed by the time it hits.
It sounds as if you've done so well and I hope you are back on track. You may need a blanket rule against
making cookies, for the short-run, at least. Best of luck!

Judith Beck
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 Letters From You . . .
Julie’s Story
Julie is a social worker who began dieting at age 19 and her weight continually went up and down.
When she was heavier, her family was unsupportive and, in fact, would call her names such as “the fridge/
double order” and “little chunker.” For the past 19 years, she was on “every diet under the sun.” She was an
"emotional eater" and spent years thinking that she needed to look a certain way, that she had to lose weight
to be happier, and that “no one would be attracted to me if I were fat.” She criticized herself when her weight
was up, telling herself that she looked "ugly and fat" when she looked in the mirror, feeling “complete
disapproval and sickness.”

Julie started her last diet on January 1, 2009 and lost 33 pounds. She even won the "Biggest Loser" at
her job! But then it was "MAINTENANCE TIME!!!” Julie picked up The Beck Diet Solution. A colleague
encouraged her to read it due to her emotional issues with weight, the number on the scale, and her head
games. She has been reading the book and she says:

“....it has made a HUGE difference... I have been paying attention to being mindful when eating, I have
actually been sitting down at almost all meals, I have been sticking to my food plan and only on very rare
occasions do I eat off the food plan, and I give myself credit when I don’t overeat or indulge. I have had
fewer cravings.... I have also learned to forgive myself for occasionally eating foods that are not on my plan
and I am able to move on. I am just grateful that I have read this book and now have more extensive
knowledge on how to redirect myself more constructively and stay on track. I have also recommended this
book to several others who I know struggle with “yo-yo dieting” and emotional eating.”

Julie is now beginning to read The Complete Beck Diet for Life. She occasionally struggles with the idea
of doing daily workouts and eating in a healthy way for the rest of her life. She reminds herself: “I love the
way I feel with having energy, feeling better active wise which is great for my kids, and the way my body is
shaping and forming, becoming more toned. I also love the way I look in my clothes for continuing to work
hard and stay in shape and on track. If I stop doing this I will make things so much harder for myself-
physically, emotionally, and just overall difficult. If I need a break I can cut down my workout from 5 days to
a few days a week and then pick up the pace again...Then I am able to stay on track. If I eat something not on
my plan I forgive myself and get back on track. I continue to have fewer cravings and when I do have other
food I try to keep it minimal. I remind myself to not give in to my “giving in muscle” and use my “resistance
muscle.”

Julie reports that “slowly this battle is turning more into a habit and I am getting much better and hope
to make this a life long pattern.” I think Julie will succeed. In the past, she was able to make changes in her
behavior, but only short-term ones. Now she is also making crucial changes in her thinking that will enable her
to make long-term changes and maintain her weight loss.

Do you have an inspiring Beck Diet Solution weight loss story you would like to share
with us?
We would love to hear from you!

Email us with your story (dietprogram@beckinstitute.org)—

Your questions and comments are welcome.

Email us at dietprogram@beckinstitute.org
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