Slide Week 21: How Will I Know When I’m Done?
Past week review (no longer than 10 - 15 minutes). Part of your homework this past week was to practice the new imaging techniques, so let's take a few minutes to share some of our experiences.  Who used one of the imaging techniques? If no one volunteers immediately, you can list each technique and ask for a show of hands to see who used it.  Then, have the person share the circumstances, their feelings about it, how it worked out…and so on with the group.

The techniques were:  Mental Rehearsal, Presto Chango, Brainstorming, Centering, and Being Thin in Image and Reality. Another homework assignment was to practice techniques for increasing self esteem.  Did you find them useful?  Who'd like to share their experience or their thoughts on this? Handle this as you did the previous question.

The techniques were:

- Taking credit for your successes
- Thinking and saying positive things about yourself     
- Noticing that you are more open to trying and doing new things
- Using imaging to create new roles and trying them out
- Becoming more assertive by starting to make your needs and wants known and protecting yourself directly  
- Working on a new self image
- Dealing better with life's upsets

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? And then play the lesson. 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:
Let's start today by talking a little bit about body image, self image and self esteem. Let's review the definitions.  Who can give us the definition of:
 

"Body image?" (My mental perception of my body) How about “Self image?" (Who I think and experience myself to be) And "Self esteem?" (My current evaluation of myself)

Let people discuss the definitions and then read them, if necessary. Then read: These concepts really play into the basis of today's lesson which is all about how you feel about who you are right at this time.

And, in order to be able to judge that, you need to have developed what we referred to in an earlier lesson as an "internal locus of control."  Who remembers and can explain what having an "internal locus of control" means? Again, let people discuss and if no one gets it exactly right, you can read this:

Answer: Having an internal locus of control means developing an inner awareness and learning to attend to our inner experience so that we can come to depend upon what we know internally to be true.

Do you feel that you have or have begun to develop an internal locus of control?  Who can give us an example of how having an internal locus of control can help you in dealing with challenging situations or challenging people? If no one volunteers right away. Ask people to think about past experiences and how now, looking back, they realize how differently they might respond to a situation now. Ask for specific examples.

Pause for discussion. Anyone have another example to share? Discuss. Slide Discussion Point 2:
The subject of today's lesson was "How Will I Know When I'm Done?".  Remember, members of the lean and trim culture have a healthy self image they don't want to lose, so they don't gain weight.

So, let's spend the rest of our discussion time by going around the room to share our thoughts on determining how we'll know when we are done losing weight.  You may want to talk about what your goal is today (not necessarily just your weight goal) versus what it may have been when you first started the program and the reasons behind a change in your attitude. Again, this is one of those times when it is really important that as many group members as possible participate in this discussion.  Encourage every group member to speak up and talk about what they are feeling.

To get this discussion going, you may want to bring up the fact that the program is starting to wind to a close and elicit people's feelings about dealing with that.*

*(Please note: There have been a number of people who, not yet having reached their goal weight at the end of the program, have elected to start over again in a new group and found it very beneficial. If you have any people who ask about this, you can check with your program manager to see if there are any new groups starting in the near future and then let your people know at the next meeting.)  Slide Wrap-Up:
Today's lesson was really all about getting you to move away from your old attachment to a weight loss goal that is a simple number on the scale or a dress or waist size and move toward the recognition of a state of being where your self image is really positive and your self esteem is high.  This is the real goal that you want to attain.

And, it is not just a matter of how you look. It is really all about how you feel about yourself.  Feeling better about yourself – actually feeling good about yourself – is what we want to accomplish for you and what you are doing all this work for.  It's worth it.  YOU are worth it.

Please be sure to do the “How Will I Know When I'm Done?" exercise in your workbook that’s your homework for this week. Have fun with it, and I'll see you next week. Track Your Progress:
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