Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | REPORTING IN - Sand

I'm doing a behavior modification approach to lose weight. This approach is based on Stay Slim for Good by Zalman Amit and E. Ann Sutherland, copyright 1976. The idea is to control not what I eat but how I eat. There are 7 phases in the program and each phase has a specific behavior or behaviors to be learned. I learn the new behaviors for each phase and must do them successfully for 7 days. (If I fail one day, the 7 days start all over again.) Once I have 7 successful days at one phase, I move to the next phase and the new behaviors for that phase.

Success is measured by points. I get points for my mistakes so the fewer points the better. Based on the points, I get a "grade" of Excellent, Good, Fair, or Start Again.

I have now successfully completed seven days of Phase 1 (here); seven days of Phase 2 (here); and seven days of Phase 4 (here). (I skip Phase 3 (here)). I am now beginning Phase 5.

Phase 5 is "Learn To Eat Slowly". It has only one task. Here's how Stay Slim for Good describes this Phase:

Loading Your Fork

When you now eat a meal or snack that requires a fork or spoon, you can no longer reload that fork or spoon until you have completely swallowed your last mouthful. You must not pick up any more food until your mouth is empty. (If this is difficult to remember, the authors recommend actually putting the fork or spoon down after ever mouthful. This is my preference.)

Eating without a Fork or Spoon

If your meal or snack is something that you eat with your hands rather than with a fork or spoon - sandwiches, toast, hamburgers, etc. - you must now put the food down on your plate or napkin after each mouthful and pick it up again only when you have completely swallowed the mouthful.

This method of eating is often recommended in weight loss programs regardless of whether they are strictly behavior mod based or not. It can be summarized as: When there's food in your mouth there's nothing in your hand.

For each meal or snack where I don't pace my eating in this fashion, I score 10 points.

In addition, I must still do the recording tasks I learned in Phase 1 and continue to score any errors there; still do the eating time regulation tasks I learned in Phase 2 and score any errors there; and still do the awareness tasks I learned in Phase 4 and score any errors there. My total score each day is a combination of points from the Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 4, and Phase 5 tasks.

The scoring ranges for Phase 5 are:
0: Excellent !
1-26: Good

27-44: Fair

45+: Start Again

I'll post my score every day. If time permits, I'll also post what I actually ate for anyone who wants to use the Fitness Board to get ideas for meals and snacks.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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