Ever thought that the reason you’re overweight is because you think like an overweight person, and that the route to thinness is to think ‘thin’?
That’s precisely what Judith S Beck, Ph.D, teaches through this six week weight loss program: The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person. Incidentally, Dr. Beck is the daughter of Dr. Aaron Beck, who perfected Cognitive Behavior Therapy and taught people how to get over depression by changing the way they think!
The Beck Diet: an overview
Millions of people all over the world lose their battle with the bulge because they obsess about food. Even diet plans are all about food. They teach them to count calories, choose this food over that and avoid eating things they love.
But the Beck Diet uses Cognitive Therapy to change thought patterns that lead to binging and overeating.
The diet plan does not start off with what to eat and when to eat. Instead, it talks about how lean people think. It’s not that lean people do not eat. They eat as much as they want but they have an inner awareness of how much food they must consume. Incessant munching is not their way. More importantly, lean people do not feel entitled to eat. This is the basic premise of the book. The rest of the book teaches you how to develop the same attitude.
In the first two weeks of the plan, there is no dieting involved. Instead, the author teaches you to strengthen your ‘resistance muscles’ (the muscles you use to say ‘no’ to unwanted food) by weakening the ‘giving-in muscle’ (the muscle that is too weak to resist your cravings). Some of the methods include writing cards that remind you of why you want to lose weight and motivational statements that help you avert temptation. In short, the book aims to make you stronger – and slimmer – from within.
The diet plan begins by week 3 and most of the activities are designed to help overcome the self sabotaging habits of dieters. Checklists, to-dos, explanations and strategies help deal with negative behavior. You are even allowed to take a break one day in the week. Everything to help you stay on course!
The book assesses the significance of exercise and it agrees that exercise is important. However, no particular form of exercise is discussed.
The Beck diet review
This is one of those pioneering books that actually make a lot of difference simply because it attacks the problem at its roots. Its biggest strength is that it takes you through one winning habit after another until it equips you with everything you need to lose weight permanently. Since the book is based on personal experiences and research, it presents rock solid strategies that may be implemented by anyone. That said, the book is full of activities. Therefore, followers must be motivated and totally committed to achieving their goals.
Beck Diet Solution Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Very much doable
- A psychological program that helps change mindset
- Can help accomplish permanent weight loss
- No calorie counting
- Motivational and inspiring
- Very thorough and teaches winning strategies step by step
- Emphasizes the importance of exercise
Cons:
- No comprehensive diet program
- No specific exercise plan
The Beck diet plan is not a diet plan in totality. Instead, it is a strategy that equips you to avert self sabotaging habits that lead to failed diets and yo-yo dieting. It is highly effective as it can teach you to lose weight and keep it off permanently.
