CHH_2020

June 10, 2020

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Prepare for Change Identify Your Motivation Set Goals Track Your Progress Arrange Your Environment Identify Barriers and Solutions Reward Your Change Support Yourself to Succeed

Contents

• You come home from a stressful day and the first thing you do is raid your kitchen. Consider a better way to combat stress: grab an apple or other healthy snack and go for a walk.

• You often skip breakfast and by the time you do get to eat, you are so hungry you tend to eat whatever is in sight. You may want to start eating breakfast to keep from making poor food choices later in the day.

Managing your weight may require modifying or eliminating long-time health habits and replacing them with new ones. These lifestyle changes can be challenging, so don’t try to change too many at once.

Changing Health Habits

For example:

• You park as close as you can to the entrance of your work. You can add more physical activity to your day by parking farther away.

There are many health reasons for losing weight. Research shows that moderate weight loss can help you achieve physical and mental health benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health benefits gained from physical activity and proper nutrition include:

Health Benefits of Weight Loss

• reduced risk of heart disease and stroke • decreased blood pressure • decreased total cholesterol • reduced risk of type 2 diabetes • improved lung function • improved sleep and less daytime sleepiness • reduced risk of arthritis • reduced risk of certain cancers • improved stress relief • increased energy • improved mental health and mood • increased chance of living longer

Determine what you need to do to prepare for action:

Consider if it is a good time to make a change. Are there major events or situations that would keep you from focusing on losing weight right now?

• Talk with a health care professional. Do you need to see a doctor, specialist, therapist, or fitness professional for information or recommendations before starting a weight loss program? For example, if you have a health condition like joint pain, you may want to talk with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

• Prepare yourself mentally. Having a positive attitude about making healthy changes improves your chance for success and makes the process easier.

Action: View Thinking for Successful Weight Loss to help you get in the right frame of mind.

Prepare for Change

What else do you need to put in place before or while you make this change?

• Build your support system. Enlist your family and friends for support. Consider if a group setting is right for you and if so, join a support group or gym.

Every person has his or her own reasons for wanting to lose weight. These reasons are based on two types of motivating factors:

Internal factors – reasons important to you personally. These are usually more permanent. For example, my mother is overweight and has diabetes. I don’t want to follow in her footsteps. People who have the most success at losing weight are motivated by internal factors.

Identify Your Motivation

Action: Determine your reasons for wanting to lose weight. Complete My Reasons to Reach a Healthy Weight.

Identifying your reasons for wanting to lose weight keeps you focused on your goal. Keep these important reasons in clear view as a constant reminder. For example, leave sticky notes around the house or tape a motivating picture to the refrigerator.

External factors – reasons made to please someone else or temporary situations. For example, my spouse wants me to lose weight or I am getting ready to go on vacation.

Set Goals

Setting goals is the foundation for reaching a healthy weight. It keeps you on track and increases your chance for success. Your weight loss goal is the outcome you want to achieve, but in order to reach that outcome you will need to change some behaviors. When working to lose weight and maintain weight loss, healthy eating and exercise are the two behaviors you need to focus on. It’s helpful to make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Action: Start setting your goals and complete My Weekly Goals. To see an example of a completed goal form, view My Weekly Goals – Example.

Set Weekly Behavior Goals

It is helpful to have both long-term and short-term goals. A long-term goal is the overall goal you want to achieve. Your short-term goals are the steps you take to reach it. The accomplishments of your short-term goals help keep you motivated.

Add a new goal, build on to an existing goal or repeat the same goal if you are not ready to move on. If you are achieving a goal on a consistent basis, it is time to challenge yourself with a new goal.

Tracking your daily food intake and exercise habits is one of the most important steps you can take to assist in your success. It is helpful to be as detailed as possible so you can identify eating triggers and patterns. Be honest with yourself and record everything you eat and drink, even if you overeat. Also, record your mood because you may find your emotions can impact your eating and exercise patterns.

Action: Choose from the Daily Food and Exercise Tracker or the Weekly Food and Exercise Tracker to start recording your food intake and exercise.

Track Your Progress

Arranging your environment means making small changes to your immediate surroundings to help you make healthier choices.

• Track your current food intake patterns. • Remove unhealthy foods from your home. • Schedule time for exercise in your calendar. • Replace sodas and other high-calorie beverages with water. • Plan your daily menus a week ahead of time. • Start a grocery list of some healthy foods you like. • Keep fresh fruits and vegetables in your house.

Arrange Your Environment

Here are some examples of ways to arrange your environment to help you start making changes to your old habits:

Establish a Partnership

While making changes to lose weight, you are likely to hit a few road blocks along the way. The best thing you can do is to plan ahead for these obstacles. Keep a journal to write down insights you gain when reviewing your food and exercise tracking forms. Look at your eating and exercise habits every day. Do you notice any negative patterns from day to day? Are they associated with specific moods or a certain time of day? Knowing what triggers poor eating and lack of exercise can help you plan for similar situations in the future.

Identify Barriers and Solutions

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Possible Food Obstacles We have the best intentions for eating healthy, but time restrictions, family obligations or other distractions can push us off track. Instead of being discouraged, try to make the best decision you can based on your situation.

Identify Barriers and Solutions

When you review your food intake, ask yourself these questions to determine if any are obstacles for you. Then come up with some solutions that may help you.

Action: Complete your own list with My Barriers and Solutions. For additional solution ideas, view Tips for Weight Management.

Adding exercise to your daily routine can be a challenge, especially if you are currently not exercising at all. It can also be difficult to keep exercise a priority when busy schedules and last-minute circumstances get in the way.

Possible Exercise Obstacles

It’s important to eat healthy and exercise daily, especially during stressful times. Uncontrolled stress can take its toll on your health by decreasing the effectiveness of your immune system and leaving you at risk for getting sick. Eating healthy and exercising can help reduce your stress and improve your response to stress.

Action: Read Tips for Stress Management for more ideas, and choose a few techniques you will start to use.

Stress Management

When you review your daily exercise, ask yourself these questions to determine if any are obstacles for you. Then, think about and record possible solutions that may help you.

Action: Complete your own list with My Barriers and Solutions.

Rewarding yourself is an important part of a successful plan. Without rewards you may not stay motivated to reach your goals.

It’s important to celebrate your success each step of the way. A rewarded behavior increases the likelihood that you will do the behavior again and again. Be proud of your accomplishments and enjoy the new you. You deserve it!

Reward Your Change

Choose a reward that has significant meaning to you. While you’re working toward a goal, the reward keeps you motivated, making it even more enjoyable when you’ve earned it!

The next time you reach or exceed a goal, such as following your meal plan or completing your exercise goal for the week, reward yourself. Here are some reward ideas:

• Sleep in. • Buy a new CD, DVD, magazine, or book. • Take a relaxing bath. • Treat yourself to a new article of clothing. • Read a good book or watch your favorite TV show. • Attend a movie, play, concert, or sporting event. • Pamper yourself with a massage, manicure or pedicure. • Play a round of golf with friends. • Take a scenic walk and watch the sunset. • Allow yourself personal time for hobbies or visiting with friends.

Support Yourself to Succeed

A good support system helps keep you motivated and working toward your goal. Choose people who are good listeners and a positive influence. Your support team can help provide positive feedback and encouragement, provide support during challenging times, be a partner in your weight loss, and help you stay on track. Ask for the type of support you need and let them know exactly how they can help.

• Don’t bring or offer sweets or other tempting foods, or use food to express affection. • Keep problem foods out of the house or hidden for their use only. • Center social get-togethers around activities instead of food. • Participate in exercise, shopping, cooking, education, or planning with you.

Here are some examples of what you might ask of your support team:

If asking for support is difficult for you, remember most people get enjoyment and satisfaction from helping others. Let your support team know they are a key part of your success with helping you achieve your weight loss goals.

Chronic Conditions

Don’t forget the most important support person – YOU! You have the power to do anything you set your mind to, so think positively and look inward for support. Use the following tips to help you stay on track.

1) Practice positive self-talk. When you find yourself making excuses and feeling discouraged, pick yourself up by replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones.

Support Yourself to Succeed

3) Compliment yourself daily. Give yourself a pat on the back for changing your unhealthy habits and practicing new ones.

• assertive • realistic • optimistic • proud

5) Manage your thinking. Improve your self-esteem by being:

4) Monitor your progress. Keep track of your food intake, amount of exercise and weight or inches lost. View any progress made as a step in the right direction.

2) Reward yourself. Treat yourself to activities you enjoy as you make progress.

7) List your priorities. Arrange your responsibilities to give your health and weight the attention needed to succeed.

6) Practice self-imagery. Picture yourself living an active lifestyle, see yourself managing food in a positive way and envision yourself being more slender, confident and content.

Changing Health Habits Summary

Changing health habits may be challenging but if you start with small, achievable steps you can succeed. You now have the skills proven to increase your chances for successful lifestyle change.

• Prepare before making a change. • Identify your important motivators. • Set weekly, achievable goals. • Track your progress. • Arrange your environment. • Identify solutions for obstacles. • Reward every achievement. • Support your efforts.

If you are ready to learn about healthy eating and nutrients, view the video, Healthy Eating – Understanding the Basics, in the next section of Healthy Weighs for Life.

The Next Step

Support Yourself to Succeed

NAVIGATION

Track Your Progress

Reward Your Change

Set Your Goals

Arrange Your Environment

Identify Barriers and Soutions

Introduction

Conclusion

This self-guided program allows you to work at your own pace. Click the arrow buttons that appear in the upper right-hand corner to move to the next or previous screens. You may also choose to move to different topic areas by clicking on a topic in the navigation bar located on the right. Within the action statements in this presentation, you will find reference to a handout, tool, link, or other web resource related to the program content in the Related Resources column of Changing Health Habits.

Getting Started