Beck's Diet Solution, Running Again, FatSecret.com - Originally Posted 1/8/10

So I started getting serious about my health and fitness again after Christmas (once all the Christmas cookies were gone).  I've lost at least a pound this past week.  I probably could claim a higher loss but I know anything over that 1 pound is probably water, artificial, temporary.  So what gives?  Something is working, after all.

First, I'm running again.    I will have run about 28 miles in the past 2 1/2 weeks.  Not a lot but much more than the six weeks prior which was zero miles.  I also have been doing push ups, sit ups, stretches on off days.  It's amazing how your level of fitness can change in 6 weeks of inactivity.

Second, I'm tracking my food at www.fatsecret.com.  It's a clean site, no ads, and it has an iPhone app.   Very convenient.  Even more importantly, I'm keeping my calorie intake at a reasonable level.  Which brings me to my third change.

I've been reading two books by Dr. Judith Beck.  The first is the Beck Diet Solution and the second is the Complete Beck Diet for Life.  The primary difference between the two is that in her first book, she allows you to choose any diet but recommends a healthy, well-balanced one.  In the second book, she gives much more guidance on what makes up a healthy, well-balanced diet.  As for the rest of the content of the book?  The subtitle is "Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person."  That's the key.  

In her book, you look at your goals and your behavior and see if they are congruent.  My goal is to lose 10 lbs.  My behavior and thought process is "I deserve this cookie, it won't matter."  My behavior and my goals are incongruent.  Dr. Beck helps you change your thought process by replacing self-defeating thoughts with goal-affirming thoughts.  "This cookie might taste good now but I'm going to be upset with myself when I'm done.  I want to lose weight more than I want this cookie."  "Exercise is not an option.  If I want to be thin, I must exercise.  No Choice!"  She relates this behavior to "strengthening your resistance muscle" and "strengthening your give-in muscle."

She includes exercises to help you recognize hunger and be able to differentiate hunger from cravings or simple desire.  She includes an exercise to show you that hunger is not an emergency.  You will not die if you have to wait an hour or two for lunch. Hunger comes and goes and it's not life-threatening.  You can deal with it.

One thing I really noticed is that I wolf down my food.  I chew on one side and rarely does my food move across my mouth, across my tongue, allowing me to actually taste my food fully.  (When I remember) I am amazed by how much flavor I've been missing just through this habit.  I'm trying to each more consciously, tasting my food, enjoying my food, and becoming satisfied with my meal rather than looking for something else to eat when my plate is empty.