DAY 1: The ARC

The first step in the Beck Diet Solution is to write down the reasons you would like to lose weight.

Of course I already know all the reasons I would be happier if I lost weight. But, as Dr. Beck points out in the book, those reasons can be easy to forget or to consider unimportant, say, when I'm faced with a hunk of carrot raisin cake with oodles of cream cheese frosting. Just for example.

But once I write down my reasons, I'll review them twice a day and as necessary, such as when that carrot cake is all up in my face, screaming, "Eat Me!" With that much reinforcement, my motivation should remain strong!

Here now, for posterity (and accountability), are my reasons (in no particular order since they're all equally important to me):

• I'll be able to wear pretty clothes.
  
  I am a fashion junkie, and I've always been unhappy that I can't wear the gorgeous outfits I admire. If I lost weight, I could wear this or this or this, without feeling like a pig in pearls.
  
  
• I'll be more attractive.
  
  I don't look good weighed down by all this fat, and there are many, many, many, many books and studies that show attractive people get along better in this world. (Really, there are a lot!) Life is hard enough without stacking the deck against myself, so I want to lose weight and be more attractive in general.
  
  
• I'm more likely to be asked out on a date.
  
  And of course I'd like to be more attractive specifically, that is, to men I might want to date. If I lost weight, some men would stop thinking of me as "the funny one" or "the pretty girl's friend", and actually ask me out already!
  
  
• I'll look better in pictures.
  
  Photographs are an important documentation of our lives, but I've never liked documenting how big and unattractive I am, especially since I always seem bigger and more unattractive in 2D. I always wonder, as Chandler did, "So how many cameras are actually on you?!" But I wouldn't cringe over the idea of photographic evidence if I lost weight.
  
  
• I'll be happier when I look in the mirror.
  
  My body image and my actual body don't match, so catching sight of myself in a mirror is always a shock. True, I could work on having a more realistic body image, but wouldn't that be depressing! Instead, I can lose weight and be pleasantly surprised by what I see in the mirror, and then work on facing the nicer reality.
  
  
• I won't have as much pain, especially in my back.
  
  My back goes out on a regular basis, and it wouldn't if I weren't carrying so much weight. Oh, the things I could do with my life if I didn't have to waste time on visiting the chiropractor or lying around in traction!
  
  
• My body will be physically fit.
  
  I dream of climbing stairs without having to stop midway for a rest.
  I dream of running for my departure gate and actually making it in time.
  I dream of lifting a basket of laundry without effort.
  
  So many simple, everyday activities would be easier and quicker if I lost weight and got my body into shape.
  
  
• I'll increase my self-esteem.
  
  I just don't like how bad I look, how lazy I feel, how greedy I seem. I would like myself more and be a happier person if I improved myself by losing weight.
  
  
• I'll have accomplished something important.
  
  Too many of my accomplishments seem to be accidents of birth or fate or luck. I'd love to achieve something that was purely the result of my hard work and drive, and I know from past experience that losing weight would be a major accomplishment.
  
  
• I won't be embarrassed when I'm naked.
  
  This reason is related to the third, fifth, and seventh bullet points, but I feel strongly enough about it to make it a separate point. Whatever I might wear to give the illusion of an attractive, healthy body, I want to have the reality of an attractive, healthy body. So I need to lose weight to look good naked.
  
  
• I'll show I'm a changed person.
  
  Following this program will improve my inner beauty almost as much as my outer beauty, but it's the outside people see. I can't wait to show people the new me!

These 11 reasons are now written down on my Advantages Response Card (ARC). I have the main card that I will read before breakfast and after dinner each day, concentrating on why each reason is important to me.

As a reminder to read my ARC every day, I wrote out my reasons on Post-It notes and stuck them on my bathroom mirror. When I'm getting ready in the morning and preparing for bed at night, I'll be reminded to review my reasons for losing weight and strengthen my resolve.

But probably most importantly, I also have a backup system for emergency situations.

Using some old business cards, I wrote each reason on the back of one. Then I clipped them together and put them on my refrigerator door, at eye level. Now I can't open the door without reading one of my reasons. I did the same thing for the food cupboard, meaning I can't go after any food in my house without reading a reason I want to lose weight. Every day, I'll rotate the card so I'll have a fresh reminder to keep me motivated.

I'm on the way!