Day 10, Beck Diet Solution - Set A Reasonable Weight Loss Goal

Today, we take a stand against those Sabotaging Thoughts decreeing that we must get to our weight goal before the reunion/wedding/cruise/fill-in-the-blank-event-by-which-we-"MUST"-be-thin, lose 10 pounds per month, or otherwise lose weight fast; and if we fail to do so we deserve no credit. Au contraire, counters Beck. Indeed, as uninspiring as this is to hear, the slower we lose weight the better. That doesn’t mean we have to resign ourselves to losing no more than half a pound a week, every week. Assuredly there will be weeks like that, but Beck gives its stamp of approval to losing 1-2 pounds per week, a common weight loss benchmark.

Slow weight loss can be a difficult pill to swallow, especially with the unrealistic expectations perpetuated by other weight loss plans and society in general. This is especially evident in the scrutiny of pregnant women, especially celebrities. Some critics ridicule new mothers for not being back to bikini shape within 3 months of having a baby. Even some women jump on this judgmental bandwagon, flashing their six-packs and kids on social media and crowing “What’s your excuse?”

These societal factors can help fuel STs such as “I won’t be satisfied unless I get to my goal weight and I don’t deserve credit until then,” “If other women can lose 10 pounds or more per month I should be able to do it too,” or “Losing 1-2 pounds per week is much too slow.” Shut these STs down by saying

“Celebrating every loss along the way will boost my mood and confidence,”

“I will be most successful on my weight loss journey if I don’t compare myself to others”;

“How much will it matter a few years from now how long it took for me to get to goal? I want to stay at or near my goal for life, so I need to take my time and learn the skills which will enable me to do just that”;

Or other helpful responses (“HRs”).

What should be our initial weight loss goal then? Five pounds, unless our goal is less. We need to praise ourselves profusely for every loss, no matter how small, then be sure to reward ourselves when we attain each 5-pound loss. Treat yourself with a special non-food item, like a piece of pretty but affordable jewelry, knick-knack, massage, makeover, new clothes item, and so on. The bottom line is, if we accept the fact that we should focus on losing 5 pounds at a time, weight loss will be easier.

Comments

Pariah

so burnt out looking to socialize i take a few sips of the libation my senses heighten i just listen to the sounds of the room frenetic chatter all around me right next to me within inches of me the drink feels like my only friend that's how i know i'm going into a dark tunnel triggering all the worst in me people jabbering on like robots not talking to let people in but to keep people out like me how different this is from the days i wandered through Demarest Hall at Rutgers vibrations all around were pulling me in urging me to make merry with them with no alcohol in sight just love proliferating.... everyone was welcome everyone was celebrated and then there was tonight the chattering all around me me just sitting there invisible i tried to reach out tried to connect tried to feel like it felt when there was no barrier just acceptance no judgment but they turned away back to the safety of their own whatever that means so i put a stop to it i put my drink on the bar i walked...

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Inigo Montoya: Who are you? Man in Black: No one of consequence. Inigo Montoya: I must know... Man in Black: Get used to disappointment. Inigo Montoya: 'kay. The Princess Bride (20th Century Fox 1987) Just as Inigo shrugs off the disappointment of the Man in Black’s declining to reveal his identity and gets right back into the duel, so too must we shrug off those discouragements that go hand-in-hand with losing weight and keep truckin’ down the weight loss trail. It’ll go easier for us if we do. What if we just lay around bellyaching about how horrible it is that we can’t have that donut, can’t eat/drink exactly what everybody else does at parties, can’t just open the fridge and eat whenever we felt like it? How much would we really accomplish that way? Even if we do stick to our plans for a little while under that mindset, we’d be fighting an exhausting battle with ourselves every day and eventually give in. Even the patience an...

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