Fat Chance No-Going-Back Weight Loss Plan: Week 5

By: Jennifer Giralo

If you have been following the blog, welcome back! Thanks for your continued participation on my journey. If you haven’t been following the blog, I’ll give you a quick rundown so you can catch up with the group.
Eat like a slim person
Think like a slim person
Become a slim person

I've been enjoying jogging recently. It gives me more long-term satisfaction than food does when it comes to confidence and reward. I’ll be participating in the 9th Annual Pat’s Run for the Pat Tillman Foundation on April 20, 2013. It’s 4.2 miles, and I’m hoping to jog it in 45 minutes.

Week 5

Emotional triggers are unique reactions each of us individually experience due to our own past. Certain senses, whether it is smell, touch, sound, taste, or sight, can spark a strong reaction causing a variety of emotions ranging from anxiety to depression.

Our family never talked about emotional things. We were told to “rub some dirt on it.” How do I find out what my triggers are?

Sometimes our first instinct is to bury these feelings; however, in Week 5 of the Fat Chance lifestyle, we familiarize ourselves with these triggers (Week 5, Day 3). They are the key to our physical coping mechanisms, which sometimes involve food. The best way to figure out what your triggers are is to keep a journal. Every time your arousal peaks, your stress increases, your chest tightens, or depression hits, write down what you think might have caused it, or if there was no cause at all. The book suggests also writing down if you ate as a result and to write down how you felt after you ate.

The book discusses Cognitive Behavioral Theory in Week 5, which is an important tool in behavioral awareness. The author describes this plan in ways that are understandable and concise.

Cognitive Behavioral Who Ja-Ma What?

Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Week 5, Day 4) helps us understand that our emotions and the reactions we have to those emotions are controllable. Believing that emotions are out of our control is creating a truth that you use to surround yourself. With Cognitive Behavioral Theory, we learn that the thoughts and perceptions about ourselves can be a reoccurring detrimental lie that creates our worldview. Any negative thoughts about ourselves affects our actions and our confidence. By becoming aware of these negative thoughts, we can better learn to replace them with positive ones. Our actions and habits will follow accordingly. If we think we can’t eat like a slim person, then we will believe that this is a fact. Let’s replace this thought with the belief that we do have control over our emotions and behaviors.

This week’s concepts are important for bigger life changes as well. These concepts, like replacing negative thinking and becoming aware of our triggers, are significant in becoming a more well-rounded individual as far as relational communication and decision-making skills.

What are some ways we can apply Cognitive Behavioral Theory to other parts of our lives? Have you heard of this concept before?