Roxanne, who was now reached maintenance, recognizes that she needs to use the skills she learned in The Beck Diet Solution for life. At our meeting yesterday, she told us about a women’s retreat she attended over the weekend in which all meals were served buffet-style. Unlike some buffets in which the food isn’t very good and quantity is valued over quality, Roxanne reported that this retreat is known for having excellent meals. So how did she tackle this situation?
Roxanne made it much easier by establishing certain rules for herself:
1) She started out each meal with a salad regardless of whatever higher-calorie appetizers her companions were eating
2) She did a complete survey of the buffet before deciding what to eat for her main course, chose whichever three things she wanted, and took one plate of food – no seconds.
3) She decided ahead of time that she would allow herself one desert one night, and the rest of the time would stick to fruit.
Following these rules made eating at the retreat a relaxing and enjoyable experience for Roxanne. She said that she didn’t struggle at all over the things she didn’t eat, and instead felt happy and in control, knowing that she would rather be thinner than eat out of hand (Day 33). Roxanne says that in the past, she undoubtedly would have gone for seconds at every meal and eaten desert every night just because it was there, even if it wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed. Because Roxanne has truly made these lifelong changes, her weight is remaining stable and she is confident that it will continue to do so.