It's been another good day and I've stuck to WS, well TS but with a slice of cheese
I think I'm going to do Beck day 27 again, with one of my other sabotaging thoughts, as I found yesterday really helpful.
So, my sabotaging thought is:
I can't control my eating if there is an open packet of biscuits / box of chocolates etc
1 - What kind of thinking error could I be making?
Exaggeration - I tell myself that I can't possibly control myself in that situation.
Also a little 'all or nothing' Once I've eaten the first biscuit / chocolate, I can sometimes convince myself, that given I've eaten one, it's no different whether I have 1 or 21, as I've blown the diet. (I think I'm getting a bit better at identifying this one and stopping earlier than I used to!)
2 - What evidence is there that this thought might not be true or not completely true?
Well, clearly I can control myself in a lot of situations, and in other areas of my life. I've had the control to lose 7 stone already, so I clearly can control what I put in my mouth. I am able to control myself when the packet of biscuits / box of chocolates is unopened / in the cupboard. There are lots of other occasions when I don't do things I want to do, or where I do things that I don't really want to do.
3 - What's an alternative explanation or another way of viewing this?
That I can control myself, but in the biscuit or chocolate situation I choose not to.
4 - What's the most realistic outcome?
When I tell myself 'NO CHOICE', mean it and believe it, then I can quite happily sit next to an open packet of biscuits without being tempted.
5 - What's the effect of believing this thought and what could be the effect of changing my thinking?
If I believe that I'm not in control, I can easily eat an awful lot of biscuits or chocolates, I will feel terrible afterwards for slowing down my weight loss, coming out of ketosis and I'll feel lethargic and sluggish. I'll also have to go through the few days of getting back into ketosis and probably set my diet back by a week. If I change my thinking and resist the call of biscuits and chocolates, I will get to the end of my weight loss journey quicker, and I will be better prepared for resisting the call of things like this once I'm back onto a more normal eating plan.
6 - What would I tell my friend if she were in this situation and had this thought?
I'd tell her that if she wanted to, of course she could control herself, that there is nothing magical about an open packet that means she has to break her plan and respond. I'd also tell her that I wouldn't want her to slow down her diet, and feel bad because of one or more biscuits or chocolates.
7 - What should I do?
Hmm, much like yesterday, Tell myself 'NO CHOICE', walk away from the biscuits / chocolates or put them out of sight, ask myself if I'm actually hungry, or whether a drink of water is what would actually help me feel better.
I think my short version for today is:
Yes, I can control myself if I want to. I will continue to choose 'NO CHOICE' when faced with the lure of biscuits and chocolates.
Wow, I feel quite relieved having written out that one today. I think I will print it out and reread it several times, but it does feel like it could be possible to resist these things that I've stumbled over so many times before this diet. It's one of my fears for when I reach my goal weight, how do I stop giving in to cravings that have got me into this mess in the first place. This is starting to feel like a way that I can rewire my brain to respond in a way that I choose and really want to, rather than just react in a self-destructive way.
Hmmmm, exciting