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The Inner Diet

 

 

ITG is proud to offer The Inner Diet by Dr. John Sklare, Ed. D. The Inner Diet is a self-help, home-study program that addresses emotional eating and is comprised of the following four components:

  1. The Questionnaire focuses on your attitudes, feelings, and thoughts about a variety of topics related to dieting, weight control, and emotional eating. There are no right or wrong answers, only a personal and honest assessment of your feelings and opinions. Your responses to the questionnaire will identify how you score on the six Inner Diet issues.
  2. The Personal Profile is what makes this program so unique and meaningful. Depending on how you answer the questionnaire, you will receive a personalized profile which contains an explanation of each of the six issues, your score on each of those issues, and what those specific scores mean for you.
  3. The Inner Diet Activity Book was designed to provide you with the awareness, understanding, and direction that you need to make better decisions about the food you eat and the choices that you make. It will make you a more mindful eater by focusing your attention on those underlying thoughts and beliefs that trigger, motivate, or sustain emotional eating. Each section of the activity book helps you understand and address those issues.
  4. The Inner Diet Audio Support Center provides 1 hour and 46 minutes of audio support that both explain as well as walk you through the entire program step by step in order to help you get the most out of your Inner Diet Program.
    • Used by professionals since 1985
    • Based on real science: the 40-item questionnaire was the subject of a Doctoral Dissertation
    • Provides an “emotional X-ray” of sorts, identifying emotional eating triggers
    • Creates a comprehensive approach to weight loss
    • The Inner Diet gives you a program that addresses your emotional eating while the ITG Diet Plan addresses the nutritional needs of your body

 

You Can’t Change Your Weight…Until You Change Your Mind!®

 

The Six Inner Diet Scales

The Inner Diet Questionnaire contains 40 questions that measure where the client falls on the six emotional eating triggers measured by The Inner Diet.  The following information will help you to better understand exactly what these six issues are and how they interfere with the client’s ability to successfully manage their weight.

1. Commitment - This scale measures the amount of motivation and commitment that the client feels towards a long-term change in lifestyle. We have found that those who score high on Commitment tend to treat dieting and weight loss in very much the same way that they would treat a common cold.  A cold is normally treated by taking special care of yourself temporarily, by changing your diet and activity level until the cold has passed, only then to eagerly return to your old routine.  Clients who score high on Commitment bring that same attitude to weight control.  They see it as a temporary change in their eating habits (the result being short term success at best) instead of seeing weight control as a lifestyle commitment (the result being long term success).  Life style commitment directly leads to long term success!

2. Discomfort Level - This scale identifies just how uncomfortable weight control is for the client. There are two primary types of discomfort that clients feel while losing weight:

  • Physical Discomfort - This first type of discomfort is commonly referred to as “hunger pangs”. It is the physical reaction that the patient feels when they cut back on food intake.  All clients will experience physical discomfort to some degree however, for most, this is not a major problem and is an accepted side effect of weight loss.
  • Psychological Discomfort - This second type of discomfort is a very serious threat to the client’s success and this is the type of discomfort The Inner Diet identifies. I cannot impress upon you enough how difficult it is for the client to continue denying themselves their favorite foods while watching those around them eat whatever they like.  When a client scores high on this scale, Psychological/Emotional Discomfort is typically at the heart of the problem.
3. Inner Control - This scale measures how much control the client feels that they have over their weight and their eating. Simply put, clients who score high on this scale do not believe that they can succeed at dieting and weight loss.  They feel that they do not have the will power or the confidence that it takes to achieve long-term weight control.  These clients suffer from what we call in psychology “the self-fulfilling prophecy”.  What the self-fulfilling prophecy means, for clients who score high on this scale, is this - if you don’t believe that you can lose weight and keep it off, you most likely won’t!

4. Perfectionism - This scale identifies clients who bring an unrealistic attitude and mindset to weight control. Clients who score high on this scale demand the impossible of themselves, that is, to be perfect.  Their pattern is, when they vary even slightly (and they most certainly will), from their program, they abandon the whole program.  Since no one is perfect, this “throw the baby out with the bath water” mentality dooms these people to failure before they even begin.  Perfectionism in weight control is a built-in guarantee of failure!  Clients who score high on this scale need help in incorporating some reality and flexibility into their programs.

5. Secondary Gain - This scale identifies clients who have a reason not to lose weight. Those who score high on this scale see some advantage or benefit to remaining overweight.  The truth is that there are some clients who find some comfort or safety in remaining overweight.  As an example, psychologist have demonstrated time and time again that people who have been sexually abused as children, are often very uncomfortable with close, intimate relationships as adults.  They will often, consciously or unconsciously, use their weight as a way of keeping distance between themselves and others.  Therefore, being overweight, for these people, is necessary in order to keep them feeling safe and secure (the Secondary Gain).

6. Stress Eating - This scale identifies those clients who overeat due to stress. Clients who score high on this scale use eating as a way to reduce their tension and control their stress.  A bad day at work, an argument with a spouse or the simple tension that comes from the boredom of being stuck in the house all day can trigger this stress eating behavior.  The sad truth is, however, that eating in response to these situations almost always makes this person feel worse and, as a result, eat even more.  The end result is a client with a Stress Eating pattern that causes additional stress, extra tension and even more weight gain.

How To Get Started

  1. Inner Diet Access code and instructions will be sent to your email address on file by ITG on the next business day
  2. Use Access Code to complete questionnaire, read your Personal Profile, complete your Activity Book, and visit the Inner Diet Audio Support Center
  3.  Contact your coach to review your results