Thinking Thin

Training your brain to think like a thin person, and other psychological techniques for healthy weight loss.

Dr. Judith S. Beck PhD, is Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and author of The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Oxmoor House). See full bio

August 11, 2009

Sue: Part 7, Fear of Losing Control

Sue is still afraid that if she eats something wrong, she'll lose control and not be able to get back in control. We had the following discussion:

Sue: I'm just afraid that one false step will be the beginning of the end.

August 3, 2009

Sue: Part 6, Perseverance

Sue and I were talking about times in the past when she had started to gain weight. It appeared as though each time started with a small weight gain; then she started thinking that dieting was too hard, then she abandoned her plan. Read More

July 27, 2009

Sue: Part 5

I told Sue that it was great that she has become so much more aware of when she’s tempted to eat standing up. For example, this past week, unprompted by me, Sue made the decision not to eat at her kitchen counter. Read More

July 20, 2009

Bombarded by food?

A dieter emailed me about difficulties she had "arranging her environment," to keep tempting foods out of sight, out of mind, at home and in the workplace. She's a waitress and wanted to know if I had any extra advice for someone who can't help but be bombarded by the sight of delicious, fattening foods for several hours a day. Read More

July 13, 2009

Sue: Part 4

Sue is getting good at giving herself credit-saying "That's good!" every time she reads her list of advantages of weight loss, every time she stops herself from eating while standing, every time she chooses healthy food to eat. . . Read More

July 6, 2009

Sue: Part 3

Sue did a great job of reading her list of reasons to lose weight twice a day, every day this week. Doing so really prepared her for the tempting French fries on a communal serving plate at lunch with her coworkers. Read More

June 30, 2009

Sue: Part 2

Sue has a very demanding job. She can't predict when she'll have time to eat or what food will be served. We talked about the necessity of always bringing a back-up meal with her on workdays, something that won't spoil. If it turns out that the food that's served is healthy, she can save the back-up food for another day. Read More

June 23, 2009

Sue: Part 1

I started working with a new dieter today. Sue has already lost 50 pounds on her own. In fact, she has lost 50 pounds several times in her life-and always gained it back. She doesn't want that to happen this time. She's committed to learning the lifetime skills she'll need so that this time, she can be successful. Read More

June 16, 2009

Forget about Perfection

Many dieters have an interesting sabotaging thought: "Because I wasn't perfect on my diet just now (i.e., because I just cheated), I may as well give up (and start again tomorrow)." It's a cleverly hidden excuse. Read More

June 3, 2009

The “Right” Way to Weigh

People often ask me why I suggest that dieters (without eating disorders) weigh themselves daily, instead of weekly, monthly, or not at all. Here's why: Read More

Books by Dr. Judith Beck

The Complete Beck Diet for Life: The Five-Stage Program for Permanent Weight Loss

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Workbook: The 6-week Plan to Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

Diet Basics

Why do we wrestle with what we eat and how much we eat? Sometimes we eat the right foods in the right portions, and sometimes we eat the entire dinner table and all the wrong foods. Why is it so hard to eat healthfully? Whether you're trying to lose a few pounds or maintain a nutritious diet, you'll find answers to your questions here.

Go to the Diet Basics page for more on Diet including:

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