The Beck Diet Solution, Day 1: Record the advantages of losing weight

Today’s assignment is to list out, on a 3″x5″ card, all of the advantages of losing weight. This will be a tool for those times when it just doesn’t seem worth it and it’s so hard to stick with the diet. Having firm reasons in mind helps battle temptations and makes it possible to say, “Losing weight is much more important to me than the temporary pleasure of eating this food.”

So, why do I want to lose weight? Your reasons might be different, but here are some that resonate with me (and my rating of how important each one is to me):

• I’ll be more attractive to others, especially Daniel: important
• I’ll be able to keep up on the bike: very important
• I’ll get more compliments: somewhat important
• I’ll feel better, physically and mentally: important
• I’ll feel more in control: important
• I’ll prove I can achieve difficult goals: important
• Daniel will think I’m awesome : very important
• I’ll enjoy food in a healthy way: somewhat important
• I’ll make other women look like slackers in comparison : somewhat important

The next step is to actually write these reasons on my card in order of importance, and set up a reminder system that will ensure I look at the card at least twice a day. The author places great emphasis on actually doing this, rather than just thinking about it. After all, if you can’t do a simple exercise like this, you probably won’t do any of the hard work of weight loss.

I’ve made three copies: one to carry, one to post on the bathroom mirror, and one for my computer monitor. This will ensure I look at them many times a day, and I will commit to reading the one on my computer every time I check my email (that’s a lot!).

ShareThis