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By Rich Simon It seems astonishing that even just two or three decades ago, parents not only pretty much knew what was expected of them to turn their offspring into civilized adults, but they could actually count on society to back them up. Even more astounding, kids seemed to understand this, too. Even if they rebelled against, yelled about, or sullenly resented how “unfair” adults were, they seemed to acknowledge adult authority and realize that they would just have to wait until they turned 18 to get for themselves the keys to the kingdom of grown-up independence. Almost inevitably, they slip back into old habits and ultimately gain back what they lost, or even more. What isn’t generally understood is that permanent weight loss requires permanent shifts in the way dieters think about food and eating. In this workshop, we’ll focus on helping clients understand the role of diet-sabotaging thoughts and beliefs--“Dieting is unfair,” “It’s OK if I have just a little bit of cake because. . . .”--and learn the cognitive skills needed to restructure their approach to eating. You’ll discover how to help clients recognize the need to make small but permanent changes in their eating behavior, set achievable goals of a sustainable life weight, learn skills to deal with hunger, cravings, and the desire to eat for emotional reasons, make their environment “diet friendly,” get back on track immediately when they make a mistake, and continually motivate themselves through their lifetime.
Judith Beck, Ph.D., is director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Her books include The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person and The Complete Beck Diet for Life.