The Beck Diet Solution was written by Dr. Judith Beck. Dr. Beck has used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on her patients and found they have been losing weight.
Dr. Beck’s father, Aaron, developed CBT in the 1960’s. This technique was designed to help dieters overcome the obstacles generally faced while trying to lose weight such as; yo-yo dieting, emotional eating, binging, and negative thinking.
Basics of The Beck Diet Solution
It is a day-by-day process that contains decision-making activities and practical exercises.
Dieters are assigned a new task everyday, which helps them build necessary psychological skills to face the challenges of dieting such as; cravings, overeating, stress, eating out, and vacations.
On the first day of the program you need to write down 15-20 reasons why you want to lose weight. This list is to be read everyday so you can maintain your focus. One day in every week can be set-aside for dieters to "take a breather". Great emphasis is put on preparation, and dieters do not actually start the diet plan until week 3 of the program.
Dr. Beck gives no diet or exercise guidelines, and states that any healthy diet will be beneficial, so long as dieters learn a different way of thinking about food and eating. Dieters can select any diet plan they like or they can create their own plan.
Beck suggests dieters set short-term goals and an initial goal of losing 5 pounds. She also recommends daily food journaling to keep track of progress.
The program does not focus on finding the emotional reasons for overeating, nor does it deal with psychological traumas, but it provides guidance to deal with practical issues such as; fear of hunger, eating out of boredom, etc.
Exercise Recommendations
Exercise is recommended, and dieters are advised to engage in both planned exercise and spontaneous exercise.
Pros
- Teaches dieters skills that will help with lifelong weight maintenance
- Can help dieters break the cycle of yo-yo dieting
- Examines the reasons why people overeat
- Helpful for dieters who overeat in response to stress
- Includes food journaling and regular weigh-ins, both can increase the chance of weight- loss success
- Encourages dieters to celebrate their success, no matter how small
- Contains a detailed 6-week plan
Cons
- Does not contain a diet plan or nutritional guidelines
- Does not teach dieters how to have a nutritionally balanced meal plan
- May not be suitable for dieters who do not feel that psychological factors can control their weight
Conclusions
This program can be very helpful for dieters who feel they are keeping themselves from losing weight, due to negative thoughts or detrimental habits surrounding their eating behaviors. This program focuses on the practical aspects of losing weight. |
