Dr. Beck explains that our thoughts, particularly those sabotaging ones we have about our diets, aren't necessarily true but we believe them anyway because we're not thinking straight -- we're making "thinking mistakes".
She lists 9 common thinking mistakes, and I recognized myself in 7 of them:
- All or Nothing Thinking: You see things in only two categories when there's really a middle ground.
Example: Either I'm 100% successful or I'm a failure and may as well give up dieting. - Negative Fortune Telling: You predict the future negatively without considering other possible outcomes.
Example: Since I didn't lose weight this week, I'll never be able to lose weight. - Overly Positive Fortune Telling.
This has never been one of my problems. That glass is always half-empty. - Emotional Reasoning: You think your ideas must be true even though objective evidence says not.
Example: I feel like I just have to have something sweet right now. - Mind Reading.
I have enough trouble figuring out what's going on in my head without trying to figure out other people. - Self-Deluding Thinking: You rationalize by telling yourself things you don't really believe at other times.
Example: It won't matter if I give in to my cravings. - Unhelpful Rules: You mandate actions without taking circumstances into consideration. Example: I can't waste food.
- Justification: You link two unrelated concepts (to justify your eating).
Example: I deserve to eat this because I'm so stressed out. - Exaggerated Thinking: You make a situation seem greater or worse than it really is.
Example: I have no will power.
Honestly, these example thoughts from the book could be direct quotes from me. Before the Beck Diet Solution, this is exactly how I thought. Since my abrupt transformation on the program, I seem to be thinking straight for the first time in my life. But it's helpful to be aware of the pitfalls that could lie ahead.
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