Dr. Phil-Official Book Club Challenge Thread - Join Us

[MelanieC]

Ok,
I have officially been going through the steps of this book, and have completed my first key and ready to start on key #2. Join me in this challenge. I think that we can all continue to loose weight using our "programs", but that this will help to fix those underlying psychological problems that caused us to gain the weight, and keep us from keeping it off for a lifetime. If we don't reprogram the negative thoughts that we have, or the emotional eating that we due in response to stimuli then we will never feel in control of our lives.

This book has really made a lot of sense. You must do it in the order that he gives it. Don't jump ahead and read the entire book, or try jump to the "how to eat" part- this is a behavior that many overweight people have called instant gratification. Do yourself a favor and do what he asks, in order. If you are not ready to change yourself, or if you read it but say........I am not willing to change then you will not succeed. (example- I eat in front of the tv. I like it and it gives me a feeling of enjoyment. When I first read that he wants me to change that I said, but I am successful at loosing weight and don't need to change that. Well I do. What happens in a year when I am at goal, and I continue to watch tv and eat. My same emotional feelings will always be there. I just eat and I don't really enjoy, or feel my hunger being satisfied. It can backfire for me later, even if I succeed for a year.)

So if you are ready, to do what he says. Including the above example, simplifying your life, saying goodbye (temporarily) to friends who sabatoge your weight loss efforts, change jobs if it causes you to fail at your goal. He says that this is for your health, and you MUST make changes that will cause you not to support you being overweight.

Our programs will get rid of the weight, and this could cure us of the things that cause us to return to the cycle's that we have been going through for years.

We are lucky, we have each other (Thanks Katholyn)! We can do this, and hopefully this thread will help us all on this important part of our journey. Just think how lucky we are that we have this forum, and that we have learned so much already. We are ahead of the game. Imagine if we were trying to change our behavior, and learn how to loose weight at the same time.

Good luck everyone!

Melanie

 

[MelanieC]

I have completed the first key. Here are some of the activities and answers that I have done till now:

Getting Real about your weight:
Change can come in either of two important ways: Start behaving postively or stop hehaving negatively.
____________________________________
With specificity write what it is you hope to achieve (the number of pounds you want to loose or the desire to maintain your weight loss within a certain range once you have lost it):

Started 6/2/03 at 178.4
as of 9/10/03 already lost 26.8 pounds total.
As of 9/10/03 weight is 152 pounds.
Desired weight (personal 125) (WW's 131)
Pounds to loose (personal 27) (WW's 21)
Range I would like to maintain 120-130 pounds.
____________________________________

Time line - Loose 27 pounds in 14 weeks plus 4 weeks to recover for vacation = 18 weeks. That date is 1/12/04.
____________________________________
Describe waht you will do (the behaviors or actions you must commence, change, or stop in order to loose weight)
1. Stop eating out of stress or boredom
2. Try to make every bite count for nutrition
3. Stop eating as many processed, hydrogenated foods. Eat more natural or organic foods.
4. Stop eating sugary snacks, instead eat calcium rich, more nutritious snacks.
5. Get rid of clothes when I grow out of them.
6. Exercise regularly.
7. Use weight watcher points to keep my food intake in check.
8. Follow the 7 steps from this book and be honest during this journey.
___________________________________
When you loose weight, you want to feel (proud of your new shape, lighter, more energetic, free from obsessions over food or dieting, at a peace with your body and so forth).
I want to feel-
more energetic, sexy, free of the shame of being overweight, proud, satisfaction of achieving the loss and maintaing it. Feel like I am beautiful. Feel like a winner, feel happier and healthier.
__________________________________
I will take certain steps to reach my goal weight. These steps are as follows:
1. I will use the keys in this book and follow the action steps presented.
2. I will exercise 4-6 times per week.
3. I will work to make each bit I take the most nutricious.
4. Eliminate junk food from my diet.
5. Keep good foods at home and work.
6. Surround myself with people who keep me accountable.
7. I will weight and measure my food.
8. I will follow the Weight Watchers plan.
9. I will say thank you when someone compliments me or says I have lost a lot of weight.
10. I will productively and positively manage the stress in my life in order to stop overeating in response to stressful events.
11. I will learn to say no when people ask me to do things. - Do less volunteering so I will have time to take care of myself.
12. I will only eat at the kitchen table.
13. No soda, no caffeine (cant sleep when I do)
________________________________________
Create accountability-
1.Disboards 2. Disneygoof (PM Buddy) 3. Jen at work 4. Family 5. myself.


Key 1- Right Thinking
________________________________________
Readiness Profile-
Score was 18 - a score of 16-20 Zero hour - crucial moment when there is no turning back and it confronts you to the very core of your self respect.
________________________________________

Weight Locus of Control (WLOC)
Part A - Internal - score 20
Part B- External - Score 13
Part C- Chance - Score 5
I have mostly an internal WLOC, which means It is up to me. I have an averalge External WLOC which means that I sometimes blame external causes. I had a very low Chance WLOC.
__________________________________________

Internal Dialogue Audit- (your selftalk-private inner converstation)

Appearance- getting better, still some fat, clothes look better, smaller sizes

Body Shape-Most fat in hip, thighs and butt. Clothes look better, smaller sizes.

Your ability to mange your weight - I have broken through. I understand this is a liefstlyu change that must be done for life. I can never go back to how I behaved or ate. I get it now. I am still scared of wehn I go to Disney that I will never recover or that I will get to a certain weight and blow it.

Your exercise Leve- I am impressed that I have exercised for several weeks now. I like how I feel. I am also scared I could abandon it because I will get lazy again. I have always been lazy when it comes to exercise.

Your self control- I have lots of self control. More than I ever thought possible. I always had none until I started WW's. It gets easier after doing it for a while, and you get into the routine of doing it. The routine does'nt allow you to loose the self control. Its a good feeling. I do worry about loosing the self control.

Your general Health- I feel healthier today than I have in a long time. I feel good when I eat foods for nutrition versus for pleasure alone. I really think this health issue is looking up for me. I don't want to loose this feeling.

The above has a mostly internal locus of control.
___________________________________________
There is a table that you fill out that uses the above to tell if you have faulty thinking.

the type of negative self talk talk for: for each I wroet down a validty and right thinking.

Appearance - was labeling -
Body shape- Gut level reasoning
Ability to manage weight- Fortune telling
Exercise leve- Fortune telling
Self control- Fortune telling
General health- I had no negative self talking.
____________________________________
You also have to record instance of neagive self talk and use the 4 questions to test the validty - This will be a work in progress as I have negative self talks.
________________________

Key Two- Healing feelings

Are you an emotional eater?
My score was 44 - Serious trouble with emotional eating and reglardless of what else is working, you must get the self defeating nature of you emotions under control.

I tended to answer these question as I would have before starting with WW's. Even though I have overcome some of them, I think they are still there so I was honest as to how I was before ww's.
___________________________

Stress Audit
Mine was 120- but I listed the stress of conflict between you or your spouse. We have not had any major fights or arguments, but there are sometimes little things that don't last long. We get along so well though, so I don't know if it was a true stress.
I also listed overly demanding job responsibilities. It said to list anything you have had in the last twelve months. I have a low stess job, but I sometimes get really busy with several people that I work for coming at me in several directions. This is short lived and I really do have a good easy unstressful job with wondeful bosses. I also listed Big fmaily get together. My mom and aunt visted me, and I went to Vegas to visit my family. Neither were stressful though, except the stress of packing or getting the house ready to have company. I purchased a new car for dh so I listed that.
There was no place to list a husband going to war. Now of everything in the past 12 months that could have added stress to my life.......this was it. I would add this as second in my life as the most stressful events. There were 3 major stress events in my life. First was the murder of my brother and 3rd was 9-11.

Any score above 65 indicates that you are undergoing significant stress, and this may initiate bouts of overeating as well as disease causing changes in your biochemistry. You need support and must work toward acquiring some very specific tools of stress management.
___________________________________


This is as far as I got. Not sure if this will be helpful to list all of this, but I guess if we listen to how we each deal with things we may be able to learn. We also can probably benefit from being honest with ourselves and being accountable to our WISH friends.

I would love to hear how everyone else is doing. What are you learning? I have learned so far that by really going through these exercises that I am learning alot about myself. Some of it I had no idea that I was like this.

Melanie

 

[geetey]

Wow, Melanie! Thanks for sharing off of this info with us. It sounds like I really need to go out and get that book so I can join in this discussion!

Don't worry though - I will be back!

 

[faith]

Congratulations Melanie, you sound so determined to be successful! I did watch Dr. Phil's special last night, but was disappointed. I guess I had hoped for some miraculous "cure" for anyone overweight.
I have done well with just cutting back and eating healthier, but struggling this last year!
I don't think I will buy his book, but am going to watch his show this week about his health plan. Maybe there will be more motivation on that than I found on his 2 hour special.
Continued success on your weight loss.

 

[joats]

MelanieC:
My DH just got back from Walmart with Dr. Phil's book for me. I'm pretty much homebound with bronchitis so I have time to kill. I'm going to start reading shortly. I'll be sure to post again once I read through a portion of the book. But it sounds like you've made major headway!! WAY TO GO!!

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Wow!! Melanie, thanks for posting that. I have just begun the book, I really appreciate what you wrote, it gets me excited to look forward to learning about myself. The thing that I learned the most from the show was that I have to change my tv/eating habbits at night. I totally related to how you said that was what brought you comfort and enjoyment, that is how it is for me. I have to find a way around that. I think you are going to be way ahead of us in finding our way through Dr. Phil's keys, be patient with us, and thanks for starting this thread!

 

[lulu201]

Melanie, thanks for sharing your journey with us. I haven't read the book yet, but your insights are helpful. I know people have different opinions about Dr. Phil, but I think the more that we can learn about ourselves the better!

 

[FergieTCat]

I have become one of Dr. Phil's most ardent cheerleaders. In January, he had a show about addictions and said the words that changed my life "You are responsible for your own problems." By the end of the week, I joined Weight Watchers and the rest is (and will be) history.

I was frustrated that there were only little snippets of his advice here and there, and am thrilled that he finally wrote a book on the subject of weight loss. I have the book and can't wait to really read the whole thing (sorry, Dr. Phil, but I have to finish "The Da Vinci Code" first!!)

I think his advice makes perfect sense. I did manage to throw out some old clothes over the weekend. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done, but I burned my bridges behind me.

Did you watch the Dateline special on Friday? I wish I had known they were taping in South Street Seaport. I would have stopped by and found a way to talk to Dr. Phil. Probably better off that I didn't -- being led away by security can't be much fun!

 

[Mom2Princesses]

I am plowing through the Dr Phil book, have managed to make it to Key 4 in the past day or so. I actually am doing Atkins, but am really thinking about switching over--his plan would be good for the whole family--so I did a practice run today (actually had some healthy cereal today for the 1st time in over 2 months!). Anyways, I would like to join in here with my thoughts so far:

(1st, WTG Melanie--your journalling was inspiring AND helpful!)

Key 1 Right Thinking
Internal Score 19
External Score 12
Chance Score 7
1) I answered the questions about appearance, body shape, exercise etc. pretty positively, basically because I am already seeing improvement over the last few months--so that is a plus!
2) Faulty thinking problem areas: All or Nothing attitude; Catastrophizing; Self Downing; and the occasional Poor Me thinking. These are areas to eliminate/replace with the right thoughts, which I have written down.
3) Analyzing and Responding to my Self-Talk highlights:
-I need to take each day at a time, with each positive move forward I will see results. One negative move is not going to allow me to ruin the rest of that week, or day, or even hour!
-I need to prepare for the urge to snack when preparing meals so that I am not beating myself up later for having a "bite" here and a "bite" there.
-I am in control...PERIOD...it is always my choice to stay on track or to go off track.

Key 2 Healing Feelings
Emotional Eating Score 37
1) This is a hard key for me, mainly because I have gotten control mostly over the emotional eating over the last few months, yet I know my tendancy to emotionally eat before I started Atkins, so I was unsure how to answer the questions. I basically answered them as I would have if I had never started Atkins.
2) My biggest "emotional" eating problem is when I am bored more than when I am upset or angry about something. I DO ask myself before I go into the kitchen why am I going in here???? Still, I have some things to work on here, basically on the emotional closure--but that is another topic altogether!

Key 3 A No-Fail Environment
Personal Environment Audit 12
1) I have done a good job at keeping the REALLY tempting stuff out of my house, for me that means we have had no doughnuts, cake, pies, cookies etc since June.
2) I need to work on the somewhat tempting stuff, the stuff I want because I am making it for the rest of my family, like mashed potatoes, rice, breads etc. This is food that CAN be in the house, but I occasionally nibble on it when I am preparing--the "taste" tests, so to speak. I AM IN CONTROL, Key #1, I need to repeat that at the tough times.
3) I am shifting my entire family to the healthier choices--wheat breads, skim milk, healthier meats etc. I have discussed it over the last week and am doing it slowly, but surely!
4) I need to start planning for outings better, even if it means I eat before I leave for BBQs etc, I need to focus on the people, not the food!

Key 4 Mastery over Food & Impulse Eating
Behavioral Audit -9
1) I have identified 12 habits or eating problems that I find myself in, the largest being when I am "starving" because I either skipped a meal due to lack of hunger or have been too busy to eat.
2) I have figured out my payoffs for each of these 12 problems
3) I have written down 24 new habits to replace the old habits, to prevent me from eating out of boredom or when I am not truly hungry.

That is as far as I have gotten--I am starting Step 2 "Overcome Impulses and Urges" next.

The biggest thing I have learned so far--I AM IN CONTROL!!!!
Duh, why didn't I think of that 50 lbs ago???? LOL!

This book is really good, I feel like a knew this all, but never knew how to actually APPLY it! Now I do!

 

[MKbound]

Hi everyone. I too am jumping on the dr. Phil bandwagon. I have only just gotten through the introductory chapters, and have not yet started on the Keys. Took the readiness test and found that I am at "Zero Hour", so I guess I am ready to really make those changes. It sounds a bit daunting at first, but I am committed to changing my lifestyle to support a healthier, leaner me. Thank you for starting this thread.

Jennifer