LOSING WEIGHT AND KEEPING IT OFF THE BEHAVIOR THERAPY WAY: DECISION, DEDICATION AND DISCIPLINE EQUAL A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

By Lawrence L. Beale and Tessie E. Beale

In a world where the global obesity epidemic continues to escalate, "Losing Weight and Keeping It Off the Behavior Therapy Way" emerges as a beacon of hope and practical guidance. Authored by Tessie and a seasoned expert, this book transcends traditional weight-lo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kindle Publisher Inc
• Release date: May 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869382658

Book preview

Losing Weight and Keeping It Off the Behavior Therapy Way

Decision, Dedication, and Discipline Equal a Healthy Lifestyle

Dr. Lawrence L. Beale

Tessie E. Beale

Copyright © 2024

by Lawrence L. Beale and Tessie E. Beale

All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer

This book provides information based on our longtime experiences and research about losing weight and is not an authoritative resource for losing weight. Rather, it is for information only. As authors, therefore, we deny any liability, loss, or risk that may occur because of the use and application of the contents of this book. We caution you to consult with your doctor before using any source for weight loss, including this book.

Dedication

We dedicate this book:

To our beloved children, Lawrence, Jr., John Wayne,

Shelia, Larry, and Earnest for making us

proud parents.

To our beloved pastor, Dr. Daniel L. Baltimore, for

his abundant love and unwavering support.

and

To our beloved Church (Mount Nebo Baptist Church) for

allowing us to be part of the membership and

for showering us with unfathomable love

and showing us immense honor.

Acknowledgment

No book is the product of one or more people as authors. In fact, all books are produced by many people, including family, friends, peers, publishers, and more. Hence, Tessie and I acknowledge the valuable support of the following people in the production of this book:

Mary Dean Butler, Evelyn C. Ellis, Dr. Charlome Pierce, Dr. Daniel L. Baltimore, and Kindle Publishers and its editor.

However, all errors in the book are to be attributed to us, not to them, because the final responsibility belongs to us.

Contents

Disclaimer

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Preface

Chapter 1 The State of Obesity

Worldwide Obesity

Obesity-Related Trends

Obesity-Related Trends by Countries

Obesity-Related Mitigation Efforts

Obesity in the United States

National Obesity Rates

State-Level Obesity Rates

Demographic Trends

Obesity-Related Policies and Programs

The Economics of What We Eat and Drink

Nutrition Assistance, Standards, and Education Programs

Community Policies and Programs

Healthcare Coverage and Programs

Takeaways

Chapter 2 Understanding Causes and Consequences of Overweight and Obesity

Causes of Obesity

Lack of Accessibility

Genetics

Medical Conditions

Food Addiction

Unmindful Eating

Unhealthy Eating Habits

Lack of Physical Activity

Consequences of Overweight and Obesity

Physical Health Issues

Mental and Emotional Health Issues

Takeaways

Chapter 3 Understanding Calories and  Physical Activities

Understanding Calories

Meaning of Calories

Daily Calorie Needs

Functions of Calories

Balancing Calorie Intake with Outgo

Counting Calories in Foods You Eat

Physical Activities

Types of Structured Physical Activity

Recommended Amounts of Physical Activity

Some Takeaways

Chapter 4 Understanding Nutrients

Meaning of Nutrients

Types of Nutrients

Macronutrients

Water

Carbohydrates

Protein

Fats

Micronutrients

Takeaways

Chapter 5 Understanding Nutrition and  Food Choice

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Guideline One

Guideline Two

Guideline Three

Guideline Four

Meal Planning with MyPlate

An Alternative to MyPlate

Breakfast Meals

Dinner Meals

Snacks

Takeaways

Chapter 6 Preparation for Your  Weight-Loss Journey

Step 1: Determine Your Weight Status

Step 2: Decide Whether to Take the Weight-Loss Journey

Step 3: Decide Your Weight-Loss Goal

Step 4: Assess Your Calorie Expenditure Level

Physical Activities Assessment Log

Step 5: Assess Your Eating Habits

Eating Habit Assessment Chart

Step 6: Commit Yourself to Healthy Eating

Commit to Cutting Sugary Foods

Commit to Cutting Saturated Fats

Commit to Cutting Sodium

Commit to Purchasing and Preparing Healthy Foods

Takeaways

Chapter 7 Losing Weight and Keeping it Off the Behavior Therapy Way

An Introduction to Behavior Therapy

What Is Behavior Therapy?

A brief History

Behavior Therapy Today

Behavior Change Contract

Goal

Sub-Goals

Action Steps

Feedback

Reinforcement

Signatures and date

An Alternative Contract

Takeaways

Chapter 8 Self-Disciplinary Measures

Aversion therapy

Thought Stopping

Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET)

What Is RET?

How Does RET Relate to Losing Weight?

Positive Thinking Techniques

Meaning of Positive Thinking

Positive Thinking as a Disciplinary Measure

Some Positive Thinking Techniques

Mindfulness

What is the meaning of mindfulness?

How Does Mindfulness Work?

Mindfulness-Exercises

Unstructured Mindful Exercises

Structured Mindful Exercises

Spiritual Meditation

An Explanation of Spiritual Medication

The Purpose of Spiritual Meditation

Keys to Successful Spiritual Meditation

Takeaways

Appendix

The Keys to My Spiritual Meditation Technique

Abbreviations

About The Authors

Preface

One of the greatest concerns we face in the world today is the obesity epidemic. For decades, the obesity rate has continued to rise, and if it continues at the present rate, most people in the world will be obese before mid-century. Enraptured or captivated by this obesity epidemic, my wife, Tessie, and I, wherever we go (to the mall, to the grocery store, or to restaurants), cannot help but focus on young people, especially young women, who are obese, morbidly obese, or super morbidly obese, and we sit and lament or grieve over the fact that, from our perspective, they are setting themselves up for a plethora of chronic illnesses and the possibility of premature death.

And we wonder if there is anything we can do about it.

When Tessie sees people acting or behaving inappropriately, improperly, or tactlessly, she has a habit of saying, When they know better, they will do better. Armed with this hypothesis or educated guess, we decided to write this book with the goal or purpose of providing information relative to losing weight and keeping it off with the hope that we can reach two or three persons at a time and free them from the grip of their monstrous poor eating habits and set them free to live a healthy lifestyle.

In pursuit of our goal, we began the book with what we termed the state of obesity as a means of shocking our readers to awake to the seriousness of obesity, and in chapter two, we focused on the causes and negative consequences of obesity as a means of drawing their attention to causes which they can mediate and the consequences which lead to severe health issues and even early death. In chapters three through five, we provided information to increase their understanding of calories, nutrients, and nutrition, as well as the USDA’s recommended amounts and their functions, with the hope that they will do a better job of managing or losing weight. In chapter six, we listed a six-step process for preparing to take a weight-loss journey. In chapter seven, we provided a behavior therapy technique for losing weight. In chapter eight, we provided several cognitive behavior techniques as disciplinary measures or methods for keeping weight-loss candidates on track for the rest of their lives.

About the writing of this book, I will say five things.

First, as the writer, I decided to depart from my tendency to write in the third person.

From the time I authored my doctoral dissertation, I have been writing in the third person because it is more objective than writing in the first and second person. In writing this book, I did not want to write altogether from an objective point of view because I wanted to include Tessie’s personal and professional experience and mine, as well as objective facts. As the writer, I wanted to talk directly to the reader, to use the second and third person, and to be able to say I, we, and you. In fact, I wanted to speak as a preacher, a teacher, and a counselor, talking directly to the reader.

Second, I did not want to write from a formal point of view, as I have been writing ever since I authored my dissertation. However, I could not write altogether from a non-formal point of view. So, as the writer, I sought to split the difference between the two points of view.

Third, I did not want to author a research paper or dissertation with direct and indirect quotes and documentation of sources. Rather, I wanted to be free to write from our understanding of facts in my form of writing and without footnotes. However, we did not avoid researching documents published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, we did not avoid writings published by health agencies such as the Mayo Clinic, Healthline, Very Well, Wed Med, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and the American Heart Association. In fact, those documents provided the statistics, recommendations, and functions of nutrition in relation to obesity. When we used these sources, I identified them internally, not as footnotes.

Fourth, we did not write this book as medical doctors or health professionals; rather, we wrote, as indicated above, from Tessie’s professional career and personal experiences and mine. We wrote it from the point of view of trained and caring servant leaders who lament the fact that so many people are, in a sense, digging their graves with a spoon. Additionally, we wrote it considering our own experience in losing weight and keeping it off and using our long lifespan—89 and 91 years of age—as examples of doing something right.

Finally, we authored this book for information only, not as an authoritative prescription for losing weight. In fact, we recommend that before taking any step in losing weight, you should talk with your doctor and follow his/her advice. Despite this disclaimer, we send forth this book with our hope and prayers that it will serve as a tool for motivating you who are obese to take some type of steps to lose weight and keep it off and, subsequently, begin to soothe our sorrows, lighten our lamentations, and lessen our silent tears.

Lawrence L. Beale

Tessie E. Beale

Chapter 1

The State of Obesity

The state of obesity is both alarming and hopeful. Built into the fabric of the world is the idea that no matter how dark the night, light comes in the morning. This idea is voiced over and over. For example, President Joe Biden said, Fear never builds the future, but hope does. Jamie McLeod-Skinner said, We are in a time of crisis, but we are also in a time of hope. And it is not passive hope. It is ‘let us get out there, roll up our sleeves, and get the job done.’ Martin Luther King said, We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. Likewise, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, We have always held to hope, to the belief, and to the conviction that there is a better life and a better world beyond the horizon. The status of obesity in the world is indeed frightening, but hope is on the horizon.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the World Obese Federation (WOF) reports show that overweight and obesity are a worldwide problem, including in the United States of America, and, at the same time, it shows hope.

So, our purpose in this chapter is to highlight the state of obesity in the world with the hope that it will motivate, stimulate, or prompt you to focus on your weight, and if you are obese, especially morbidly obese, you will take seriously the task of losing that excess weight and keeping it off. As we highlight the state of obesity in the world, we will focus on the situation globally in general and on the United States in particular, highlighting its alarming increase in numbers, the unequal environmental factors that help to fuel the increases, and the mitigation efforts being taken internationally and nationally.

Worldwide Obesity

We begin with the state of obesity in the world. Our first peek at overweight and obesity data and its mitigation factors discloses that the state of obesity globally is both alarming and hopeful. In the sense of alarm, the WHO describes it as an epidemic and later as a world pandemic because of its widespread occurrence. But in the sense of hope, countries around the world are developing programs, establishing policies, and providing funds to slow the rising rate of obesity.

Interestingly, earlier, the developed world viewed obesity as a problem of wealthy countries eating themselves into a state of ill-health with the abundance of processed foods, while poorer countries suffered from food insecurity, but now overweight and obesity are considered a world problem, affecting both rich and poor countries. This results from the fact that obesity is a growing problem among both rich and poor countries.

Before we dive into the ramifications of overweight and obesity, you need to better understand their definitions in general. What are overweight and obese? And how is each determined? Obesity means excessive fat accumulation that may impair your ability to live a healthy life. Technically, overweight and obesity are determined by your Body Mass Index (BMI), which is determined by your height and weight (see the Body Mass Index Table at the end of chapter six).

BMI is a basic way to determine your weight status. For adults, BMI is associated with various weight classifications. For example, if your BMI is below 18.5, you are considered underweight. If it is 18.5 and less than 25, you are normal weight. If it is 25 and less than 30, you are overweight.

If your BMI is 30 and above, you are obese. And if it is 40 and above, you are severely obese. BMI, then, defines overweight and obesity if you are an adult.

The table, however, is only a rough guide because it does not compare the same degree the fat in different people since it measures excess weight rather than fat, nor does it include age and sex. BMI is useful in measuring levels of body fat across populations, but it does not hold true for all individuals. For example, muscular individuals often have lower body fat than their BMI would suggest. Moreover, on the population level, the risk at different BMIs systematically varies by sex and race. For example, certain populations of Asian Americans have lower risks of cardiometabolic diseases at lower BMIs, and Black Americans have lower risks at higher BMIs.

For children, BMI is the percentile of their peer group and obtained from growth charts developed by the CDC using height and weight data from American children from 1963 to 1965 and from 1988 to 1994. For children two through nine years of age, below the fifth percentile means the child is underweight; from the fifth to less than 85th percentile means healthy weight; from the 85th to less than 95th percentile means overweight; and the 95th percentile and greater means obesity.

Obesity-Related Trends

Now that you know the meaning of overweight and obesity, we will now dive into the status of overweight and obesity from a global perspective.

Thus, we will begin with obesity-related trends. The data does indeed show that overweight and obesity are a growing problem facing the world. This is evident from data dating back to 1975 to 2023. A WHO factsheet reported that between 1975 and 2016, the worldwide prevalence of obesity tripled, and the WHO recognized it as one of the most important public health problems facing the world today. In 1975, around two