[LuckyLadyBug]

Greetings to all lurkers and posters.
This is going to be a new thread topic focused on "studying" Dr Phils The Ultimate Weight Solution
We invite you to read the entire book or take it one chapter at a time, following the discussion within this thread.

Each Sunday we will start discussing a new chapter for that week.
This will be a 12 week program. We hope all of you join in every week.

If you just now found this site... be sure and go back and read all the threads for each previous chapter we did.
If you are joining us late... just go back and read each chapter and add your comments in that chapters thread. Be sure to let us know in the current thread so we can go back and read your comments.

It is recommended you have a pen, pencil and/or a colored highlighter with you as you read.
Mark every word, sentence, phrase or paragraph that hit home for YOU.
Read each chapter as if you are going to be tested .. (You're not going to be tested)
Then come to this thread and share what hit home for you... what you took away with you from that chapter and how you are incorporating it into YOUR life.
Feel free to post often ... you may get a dozen different topics you want to share per each chapter.

I know many can read the entire book in an evening... others will need a week... while some of us may need the entire 12 weeks. There are 12 chapters ... plus a few extra topics at the end. But the idea of this thread is to share what we learned from each chapter and learn from others insights.

You do not have to be a Dr. Phil fan... many here are not. BUT... let's face it... we can all learn something new that just might be what will make a difference.
Each Sunday anyone can feel free to copy and paste this introduction and then start the new study.
Be sure to title it Book Study /Chapter #/ date-date
We are looking forward to reading everyones input.

[Terri in MO]

Thanks Lucky!

I started reviewing the previous book club threads for the comments I made. It was very enlightening because I had already forgotten some of the stuff I had written.

From the first two chapters this is what I have been working on:

1. Believing that I WILL/AM behaving my way to success. It won't come any other way.

2. Recognizing and acknowledging that underlying doubts in my ability to follow through have kept me from achieving the success I wanted.

3. I don't HAVE to lose weight. But I have made the CHOICE to lose weight because I want to live a healthier life.

4. Recognizing and celebrating that I have made progress in being a healthier person.

5. I don't look in the mirror and hate my body. I have been working on having a healthier self-image. I've got some great muscles going! This is a biggie - but I told DH not so long ago that I no longer feel like my identity is about being a fat person. I don't even think of myself as a FAT person. I'm an active person doing lots of things who has changes to make - but its not about the fat.

I also found where I had written goals and what I will do to get there. One of those actions should have been to remember writing them!

I have to change my life to avoid inertness. I can be good at inert. I'm good at it even if I don't feel good about myself while doing it. So why would I do something I don't feel good about?

Being fat is a choice. Its a choice I've made for years. Now I choose to be healthy.

That get's me up to chap 3.

[LuckyLadyBug]

Great minds think alike - I only reviewed the first two chapters too.

But I do WANT to do something. I WANT to get this weight off so that I can feel better.

Making this a want to seems to make me feel less pressured and, therefore, less like giving up. A good thing.

When I choose my behavior and my thoughts, I choose the consequences that flow from those choices.

This is goes along with my first quote. I am constantly aware of what I am doing now. I have this in the forefront of my mind.

Maybe your weight problem is draining your life energy day by day, and making you feel miserable about yourself and your future."

I keep thinking about this and am taking steps to make a correction. Because of my fibro I have a fatigue problem anyway so I am researching vitamins to help improve my energy and starting (again) a weight lifting (probably at first with bands) plan.

Understand that it is not possible for you to be overweight unless you have generated and adopted a lifestyle to sustain it.

I am observing myself - watching for all the things AND thoughts that I have that sustain my weight. Then I work on correcting what I see.


That's it so far.

[Terri in MO]

I agree!!! I too feel like the pressure is off and that fear of failure is gone - especially if I jump on the scale and its gone up a bit. I just tell myself that I need to get busy and its no longer that feeling of utter disappointment. And I think that utter disappointment wasn't from the scale being up but from knowing deep down inside I had let myself down by not making choices that supported my goals.

I didn't get to Chap 3 yet. Maybe later tonight.

[LuckyLadyBug]

I feel stuck - no matter how much I read and re-read only one thing keeps BLARING in my head - "I need to require more of myself".

So, Terri, I thank you for suggesting this review so I would re-read this.

This is my mantra this week - "I need to require more of myself".

[Terri in MO]

I have been working on this; just haven't had much time to post.

Chap 3.
I am still at Zero Hour. The realization that I AM so sick of my habits and the pattern of living - the sabotage, the desperation for results, the disappointment, the guilt - that its do or die, so to speak.

Now I'm ready to start behaving my way to a healthier lifestyle.

Chap 4. Right Thinking

The thing that hit me in this chapter is "believe that you will succeed" and how much I have never believed that I would be successful. Always that self-doubt. Always the dialogue of why bother; haven't done it before, etc. I have really been working on my beliefs by opening my eyes to what I have done and being realistic about my behavior.

I like the discussion about personal truths. Same thing as self-esteem but doesn't it seem easier to be able to change your personal truth than to improve your self-esteem? This is another area that I have been working on - accepting how I've had such negative personal truths. That SELF-DOUBT has plagued me for years in so many areas.

Internal audit - I scored high on the internal weight locus of control. Which means that I do see myself as having responsibility for my condition and that it requires my action to improve. However, I have tended to blame myself too when the scale is up - coulda, woulda, shoulda. I almost scored high on the external WLOC - as I have tended to blame DH for side-tracking me over the years. He might be a bad influence at times; but he doesn't force the food in my mouth. I also tend to give credit of my success to "diets" - if someone asks how I lost weight, I would say WW or SBD....not that I had worked to lose the weight. Gave too much power to an eating plan.

I have also been working on how I feel about myself. I don't look in the mirror and cringe anymore. I accept what I see and I look for improvements. I accept my body will never be perfect. But I can, and AM, making it strong. I am worthy!

I also have been working on understanding and accepting that it is my choice. My choice to lose weight. My choice to exercise. My choice to eat healhty. Or my choice NOT to. I have to live with those choices. If I choose to let life stresses derail me from my efforts, then I have to understand that I chose to do that to myself - not anything else. That is a hard concept to swallow.

Having spent some time working on Key #1, I do feel the shift in my beliefs about myself and i feel a huge burden has been lifted. I no longer feel such disappointment when I get on the scale. I also don't feel that I need to pay anyone to weigh me in order to keep my focus. I also am not fighting the healthy things. I don't have all of the self-doubt gone because it covers many areas, but I feel like I've made big strides.

Chap 5 - Key Two

Emotional Audit - This used to be a big thing with me. I have made big strides in this area over the years. Boredom at home or anxiety at work still sneak up on me but its not nearly as controlling as it was.

I feel I have made a lot of progress in understanding about regaining control. I pray for strength and guidance when things get tough - I don't reach for the bag of cookies. That relieves the emotions more than food ever did.

His comment about the most important choice we have to make is what we do right now. The past is past - don't cry over it. The future isn't here - don't fret over it. The only time is now. That is so true and I've never thought of it that way.

MAKE THE CHOICE! Wow, is that a theme or what? But I like it and that has made a big difference in how I feel about myself and food.

to be continued.......

[ageoldie]

Okay, so I'm a little behind. I know I need to catch up, but at least I have STARTED chapter 8

[Terri in MO]

Finishing up my review of Chapter 5, 6 and 7

Its all about taking responsibility, making choices, believing in myself, making choices, and doing the things that will get me to my goal.

I have room for improvement when it comes to emotional eating and impulse behavior. I've made a lot of progress but they both make me fall on my face occassionally.

There are a few things we can do to make our environment no fail -

1. Do a little better about having the appropriate foods in the house - more consistently.
2. Eat on smaller plates
3. Don't take all the food to the table.
4. Don't make leftovers - because that makes it easier to overeat.
5. Slow down eating.
6. Pay attention to what I'm eating and when - don't do it unconsciously.
7. Ask myself what payoff I'm getting by making choices - and find a new way to get the payoff. Find alternatives!

Onward to Chap 8!