Slide Week 17: You Don’t Know Me: Looking Inward
Past week review (no longer than 10 - 15 minutes). Part of your homework was to complete the "What Have You Discovered So Far?" worksheet and then compare it to the worksheet that you completed at the end of Week 8.  The point of all this is to get you thinking about how you've been applying the information in the lessons to making changes in your life.

So, let's talk about what discoveries you've made and what changes you've made.  Who'd like to start us out? If no one volunteers, call on someone.  Again, think about selecting someone who has been relatively quiet in group.

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 another review lesson, but as it said, a review from a different perspective.  The lesson was all about YOU…about how YOU are using the information in the lessons to make the changes you want to make for yourself.

So, let's begin by sharing some of our answers to the questions asked in the lesson. Read each of the questions listed below and have one or two group members give their answers, along with some examples. If you don’t have any volunteers after reading a question, look around the room for group members indicating “Yes” nods or other kinds of nonverbal responses and call on them. The questions were:

- Do you understand the concept of behavior chains and how you can intervene in your own behavior chains to come to a new and better outcome?  Are you doing it?


- Have you discovered how you have been self medicating with food?


- Is assertiveness an issue for you?  If yes, are you using the 5-step “I,E,S,S,C” technique to help you become more assertive? Reminder: I,E,S,S,C technique: Identify what you want changed, Express how you feel about it, Specify what you’d like to see changed, Spell out the consequences if there is no change, Contract what each party will do. - Have you identified your supporters and saboteurs?  Have you figured out ways to deal with the saboteurs?


- Are you using fat as a protective covering in your life?  Are you changing that?  Have you identified any defense mechanisms or diversions that you’ve been using?


- Do you understand the realities of weight loss? Have you gotten into the habit of reading labels to know exactly what you are getting, and from what source?  Did you do the Rejecting Food Exercises?  If you didn’t, will you do them now?


- Have you identified your sources of stress and figured out whether they can be avoided or changed, or if you are contributing to them – or actually creating them?


- Have you come to recognize and accept that you are not your thoughts, and that thoughts are just behaviors?  Are you using interventions like thought stopping and re-framing?


- Do you also accept that, just as you are not your thoughts, you are also not your feelings, and that feelings are again just behaviors?  Are you recognizing any over-learned behaviors that you may have and resolving any resultant conflicts?


- Are you setting short term, achievable goals for yourself?  Have you been working on developing an “Internal Locus of Control?"


- Are you rewarding yourself for meeting your goals, but not using food as a reward?



Slide Discussion Point 2:
Does anyone remember what the lesson said was your real work in DA Lite?  It’s those three main questions you need to be able to answer…. Let people come up with their answers and, if no one gets it quite right, you can read this: OK, so we’re all very clear on this – the three questions are:

1. What purposes is food serving in my life?  How and when, under what circumstances am I self medicating with food?

2. What do I need to be doing differently?  What are workable, concrete, alternative ways to meet my needs?  What are my new “Better for Me Behaviors?”

3. Am I practicing these new approaches?  What am I doing to make these “Better for Me Behaviors” a part of my life, a natural part of who I am?


Think about your answers to these questions.  They are the basis for all the work that you are doing here. Discuss. Slide Wrap-Up:
Remember, this DA Lite course is based on the premise that the reason why it is so hard for us to lose weight and keep it off is because our overeating serves a purpose.  It's different for everyone, so you need to discover what that purpose is for you and what you need to do to make the changes in your life to get to be where you want to be weight-wise.  So, once again, you need to find your answers to these three questions:

1.  What purposes is food serving in my life?

2.  What do I need to be doing differently to meet my needs? And,

3.  Am I practicing these new approaches - my "Better for Me Behaviors?"

There is no specific homework assignment for this week because each of you will need to spend some time thinking, reflecting and figuring out for yourself where you are in this process and what you need to concentrate on for the remainder of the course.  Have a good - and thoughtful - week. Track Your Progress:
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