State of Readiness

Contemplation
(The Why)
Preparation
(The Plan)
Action
(The Process)

Improving Your Eating Habits

  • Create a list of your eating habits
  • Highlight your bad habits
    • Eating too fast, always cleaning your plate, eating when not hungry, eating while standing up, skipping meals
  • Identify triggers that cause you to engage in those habits
    • Opening up the cabinet and seeing your favorite snack food, sitting at home watching television, before or after a stressful meeting or situation at work, feeling bored or tired and thinking food might offer a pick-me-up
  • Ask yourself:
    • Why do I do this?
    • Is there anything I can do to avoid the cue or situation?
    • Am I truly hungry or just tired, anxious, or feeling an emotion besides hunger?
  • Plan meals ahead of time and replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones

Weight Management Plan

  • Make a commitment
    • Sign a written contract committing to the process
      • Amount of weight you want to lose
      • The date you’d like to lose the weight by
      • Dietary changes to establish healthy eating habits
      • Plan for regular physical activity
  • Take stock of where you are
    • Writing down the reasons why you want to lose
    • Post these reasons where they serve as a daily reminder
    • Keep a “food diary” for a few days
      • Become more aware of what you are eating and when you are eating
    • Examine your current lifestyle
  • Set realistic, short-term goals
    • Two or three goals at a time
    • Specific and realistic
      • I will walk 15 minutes, 3 days a week for the first week
    • Forgiving (reward your efforts)
  • Identify resources for information and support
    • Request family member/friend support
  • Monitor your progress
    • When setbacks happen, get back on track as quickly as possible. Also take some time to think about what you would do differently if a similar situation happens
    • If you are consistently achieving a particular goal, add a new goal to help you continue on your pathway to success
    • Be proud of your progress, but use non-food rewards

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