Behavior Changes That Can Help You Lose Weight

For many dieters, successful weight loss goes beyond cutting calories and exercising more. Behavior change may be the crucial ingredient.

Most people who have tried to lose weight have already figured this out: successful long-term weight loss goes way beyond dieting and exercise. Lasting changes usually involve permanent shifts in your behavior.

Behavior therapy offers ways to overcome common barriers that can prevent you from sticking to your diet and/or exercise plan. Follow these basic strategies if you’re trying to lose weight:

Set realistic goals. Always be realistic about how much weight you want to lose or how much you plan to exercise. Having goals that are too lofty may set you up for failure.

• Your goals need to be achievable. Start with something reasonable and specific, such as weight loss of 10 pounds in the next 2 months or exercising 3 days a week for 20 minutes.
• Write down goals so you can refer back to them for motivation.

Take small steps. Instead of radical dieting, take it slowly and work on one thing at a time.

• If you normally skip breakfast, make a pledge to eat something healthy in the morning 5 days a week. Make this your only goal until you have it down pat. Then move onto the next thing.

Trying to do too much at once can leave you feeling overwhelmed and more likely to abandon the effort altogether.

Practice environmental control. Forget willpower and take charge of your environment.

• Shop smarter. Keep high-fat, high-sugar foods to a minimum in your home. If you have other family members who like to indulge, remind them that switching out unhealthy foods with healthier options benefits everyone. Make the swaps gradually.
• Pass your favorite fast-food restaurant on your route to or from work? Pick another route.
• Tempted by sweets in the office break room? Keep healthy snacks at your desk.

Problem solve. Write down your obstacles to weight loss and take time to come up with reasonable solutions.

• Not enough time for breakfast? Get up 10 minutes earlier or pack a yogurt and banana to eat when you get to work.
• No place to get healthy lunch at your workplace? Pack your own and bring it with you.
• No time to exercise? Short bursts of exercise are as effective as long sessions. Squeezing in a brisk 10-minute walk 3 times a day may be easier than fitting in 30 minutes.

Be accountable. This can help keep you on track and give you much-needed support. Stay accountable to yourself by:

• Monitoring what you do. Gaining awareness of your habits and patterns can help you change them.
  • Monitor your weight daily or weekly.
  • Keep a detailed daily log of your food intake, hunger cues, and exercise patterns. Note time, place, and feelings.
• Group or other monitoring.
  • Join an online weight-loss community.
  • Join a local weight-loss support group.
  • Enlist a weight-loss or exercise buddy.
  • Have regular check-ins with your doctor and/or a nutritionist.

Restructure your thoughts. “Cognitive restructuring” requires you to identify and change negative thoughts and feelings related to weight. Don’t underestimate the power of the mind. Having a positive attitude can make a world of difference.

• Form a positive relationship with food. Food does not have to be the enemy. Instead, view it as something that nourishes your body.
• Avoid an “all or nothing” attitude. You don’t have to be perfect. Plan to eat well 90 percent of the time and allow for small indulgences. This will help keep you on track for the long term.
• Treat yourself well. Ignoring your own needs can cause stress and resentment, and eventually lead to overeating. If you work to feed your soul, you will be less likely to overfeed your body.
• Refrain from negative self-talk. Think about the mean things you say to yourself when you look in the mirror, take a shower, or get dressed in the morning. Would you say these things to a friend? Recognize that negative self-talk can send you on a downward spiral from which it is hard to recover.

Finally, work to get your stress under control. Stress can trigger poor eating patterns. Successful coping strategies may include relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, talk therapy, and massage

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