Slide Week 11: You are NOT Your Thoughts:
Managing Your Thoughts

Past week review (no longer than 10 - 15 minutes).
So, did anyone have a stressful week?  Do you think that stress is one of the factors contributing to your overeating in the past?

Did you find yourself reacting any differently after learning more about stress and how to identify and deal with it?  Who'd like to share their experiences? Discuss.
Now, before we go on to the lesson, does anyone have any other insights or interesting experiences that they think would be valuable to share with the group? What about any questions? Wait for any response/discussion. (Be sure not to let this run too long or get too far off topic.)


Then, play the lesson. (Next Slide )
 Slide After Audio Check-In:
What did you think of the lesson you just heard?
Anyone have any thoughts they'd like to share?
Questions? "Ah Ha Moments"? Give people a bit of time to flush out initial reactions before moving on to the next discussion point.
If there are no responses, simply move forward.
 Slide Discussion Point 1:
What did you think of the central message of this lesson: “You are not your thoughts and thoughts are behaviors that you can manage.”  Have you considered these ideas before?  What do you think about them? Anyone? Wait to see if you get any response.  If not, or if the response is negative about this concept, then continue with reading this: If you're resisting this idea that you can manage your thoughts, remember the "Yell Stop" technique.  Have you ever used it?  If you have – and there's a good chance that most of you have – right there is an example of you controlling your thought that you are tempted to eat.

So, who has used the "Yell Stop" technique?

Did it help you manage your thoughts? Discuss. Slide Discussion Point 2:
So, as you've likely already experienced, it's definitely in your favor to open up to the idea of learning to control your thoughts.

Can anyone give some other examples of ways in which they're learning to control their thoughts since they've been in DA Lite? Slide Discussion Point 3:
Controlling our thoughts has a lot to do with the idea of reframing.  Try to think of an example of a negative thought you had this week about your weight or your progress on the program.  Then work with the group to see how that thought could be reframed for a more positive outlook.  Who has an example they can share to start us off? If no one volunteers, you can call on someone who's been fairly negative in their comments about their progress (if you have someone like that in your group).

If that doesn't work, ask people to come up with some negative thoughts they were dealing with this week that don't necessarily have anything to do with weight issues.  Then, have the group work on reframing them.
 Slide Discussion Point 4:
The lesson mentioned three trouble areas typical to the overweight.  Does anyone remember what they are? If no one volunteers, you can read these trouble areas: - Choosing goals
- Accessing and judging progress
- Maintaining an internal environment 

Anyone have problems in one or more of these areas?  Let's talk about them and ways that we can address them.  Who'd like to start? Look for these thought management techniques to be mentioned in the discussion.  If no one brings them up, read them to the group as a reminder: - Being a realist
- Not being a perfectionist
- Choosing achievable steps toward a goal
- Being flexible
- Using relative terms
- Emphasizing successes
- Reframing
- Having patience
- Taking credit Slide Discussion Point 5:
The lesson referred to a “fat mentality.”  Who remembers the most prevalent example of a “fat mentality?” Answer is:  Black and white thinking. Can anyone name some other examples of “fat mentality” thinking? Make sure these examples get mentioned: The all or none problem
                                                                             Broad generalizations
                                                                             Tunnel vision
                                                                             Shrugging it off
                                                                             Mind reading
                                                                             Blowing it up
                                                                             Taking on the world

Be sure to bring up any that have not been mentioned by group members. Can anyone give an example of a time when you used "fat mentality" thinking? And, now, how you would reframe those thoughts?  Group – please help out with additional suggestions for reframing. Discuss. Slide Wrap-Up:
This idea is really important:  “You are not your thoughts.”  Don't be captured up in your thoughts and don't let them run your life.  What you think is truly under your control. 

Keep this idea in mind this week and practice using your intervention techniques.  Give yourself the positive experience of being in control. 

Enjoy your week. Track Your Progress:
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