Three of our dieters – Roxanne, Charlotte, and Diana – had birthdays in the past 2 weeks, and they reported that this birthday was very different from previous ones. In the past all of our dieters have noted that they used their birthdays (and usually their friends and family’s birthdays, too!) as an excuse to overeat, telling themselves, “It’s ok to eat this because it’s a special occasion; I’m celebrating” (discussed on Day 19 of The Beck Diet Solution). This year, however, things were very different.
One of Roxanne’s friends thoughtfully baked her a cake, but knowing that Roxanne is trying to lose weight, she made a light angel food cake, using Splenda instead of sugar. Roxanne was touched by the gesture, but because she hadn’t planned to eat cake that day, she didn’t allow herself to use her birthday as an excuse to eat unplanned food. She took the cake home and enjoyed a piece the next day when she was able to work it into her plan. In spite of her birthday, Roxanne lost a pound this week.
Charlotte, a professor, had a similar experience. One of her students baked a cake and brought it in for her department to enjoy. Knowing that Charlotte was on a diet, the student made the cake healthier using applesauce instead of oil and left a section of it without icing. Because of this, Charlotte was able to take part in the birthday celebration and still lose weight this week.
Diana, too, had a lot of people who wanted to commemorate her birthday. However, she told everyone that she didn’t need a cake because she didn’t want to deal with having it around. But this doesn’t mean that her friends weren’t able to find other ways to celebrate her birthday. When she got home from work she found out that her coworkers had sent her a big bouquet of flowers – made out of fruit.
Our dieters this week handled their birthdays with ease and confidence. We’re so proud of them!