Slide Week 14: Just Desserts and Other Rewards

Past week review (no longer than 10 - 15 minutes).
You had some homework to do this past week – the “Focused” and "Shotgun" Weighing Exercises.  What would you say was the point of doing those exercises? Wait for people to give their responses. If no one comes up with the correct answer, you can read the following: One purpose of this lab work is to get to know how your weight varies over time, how it fluctuates daily so you will see that moderate weight swings are OK and normal and that your weight is not a flat line, but will “bobble” up and down a bit.

So, what are your "take-aways" from doing those exercises?  What have you learned? Were there any surprises? Pause for discussion. Based on what you learned in last week’s lesson, can you think of anything else that doing these exercises is meant to help you with? Again, let people give their answers and, if necessary, you can read this: These exercises help you to begin relying upon what you know to be the truth internally, rather than upon some external indicator. 
And, the more internal awareness you have, the better prepared you are to deal with any challenge that might arise.

After listening to last week's lesson and doing the homework, does anyone have any insights or thoughts they'd like to share with the group, especially about how you react when the scale doesn't match your expectations for the week? 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:
Today's lesson was titled “Just Desserts and Other Rewards.”  In the past, how has your family celebrated holidays or achievements?  Anyone…? Pause for discussion. How have you usually rewarded yourself when you got a new job or a promotion or when you attained a personal goal? Discuss. Rewarding yourself is important – and necessary.  So, any new thoughts on what you could do to celebrate in the future…something not so completely food-oriented? Anyone have some ideas? Pause for discussion. Who has a birthday or something else coming up that they’ll be celebrating? Let's work together to come up with some ideas and suggestions for our future rewards and celebrations. Discuss. Slide Discussion Point 2:
The lesson said that if our food urges are not lessening by this time, it may be that we have put them on a DRL reinforcement schedule.  So, first, let’s make sure we all understand what is meant by “reinforcement.”  Who remembers? If needed, read this: Reinforcement means that when the result of a behavior makes me feel better, the inclination to use that behavior gets stronger.  So, if I do something that makes me feel good, I'm likely to want to do it again.

The lesson also said that DRL is the strongest type of reinforcement there is.  Does anyone remember what "DRL" stands for…think "slot machines"…? Answer: DRL stands for Differential, Random, Low-frequency reinforcement.  That means that the reinforcement is supplied randomly and rarely, every now and then. Can you think of any situations where you now realize that, in the past, you put some of your food urges on a DRL reinforcement schedule? Who can share an example? If no one volunteers a personal, real life example, ask people to come up with some hypothetical examples. Slide Wrap-Up:
So, what does all of this really mean to us?  It means that the occasional snack in response to a food cue is the best and strongest way to keep that food cue alive.  Success in managing our weight depends upon our extinguishing – not strengthening – our old habitual food cues.

So, we need to become aware of how we are using food to reinforce thought, feeling and behavior patterns.  Once we recognize these patterns, we can change them.  And, we can change them.  YOU ARE ALREADY DOING IT!

Remember, this is an order week! It's important that you place your order for the next Program Segment – that is, for weeks 17 - 20 – right away. It's best to do it right after this meeting. If you can't do it immediately, be sure to get your order in within 3 days from right now to ensure you get your shakes on time.

Oh, and you’ll want to have a pen and paper handy next week. Enjoy your week! Track Your Progress:
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