Ideas For Modifying Behavior To Lead To Weight Loss
Researchers have found that behavior modification is one of the most effective ways to not only lose weight, but to keep it off and lead a healthier lifestyle.
In order to make modifications to your behavior, you need some knowledge of nutrition and exercise, a positive attitude, and the right motives, like better health, a desire for more energy, better self-esteem, and more. Having healthy motivations will increase your chances of success long term.
You’ll also need to be able to monitor yourself. Self-monitoring is key to behavior modification working. If you don’t realize you are doing something, it can be difficult to stop doing it or change your behavior in regards to that thing.
In this post, we’re going to cover some ideas of behaviors that could be modified to lead a healthier life or to lose weight:
Control Your Environment At Home
- Don’t eat unless you are sitting in the kitchen or dining room; no more snacking while watching tv, lounging, or in bed
- If you are not eating or preparing food, stay out of the kitchen. Spending time in the kitchen will only make you think about food and make you tempted to get something to eat, even if you don’t need it or aren’t actually hungry.
- Don’t buy tempting foods or keep them out of sight; this will make it easier to not be tempted by them
- Have healthy snacks at your disposal. When you are hungry and go to get something to eat, you should see a healthy option first, which will make it more likely that you select that healthy food as your snack.
Control Your Environment At Work
- Don’t eat at your desk or keep unhealthy snacks there
- If you know you need snacks during the day, bring healthy ones
- During your break(s), go for a walk.
- Don’t work through meals. Doing so may slow your metabolism and lead to overeating at your next meal.
- If food is available at work, plan ahead what you’ll eat, pick a healthy item, just nibble on something, or don’t eat anything.
Control Your Environment At Mealtimes
- Don’t put serving dishes on the table. Doing so will just tempt you to take more. Instead, keep the serving dishes on the counter, stove, or a side table. You also could put serving dishes on at the start of a meal, then immediately remove them once everyone has food.
- Fill half of your plate with vegetables.
- Use smaller plates, bowls and glasses; this will make your portions appear larger
- Be mindful of serving sizes and only take one serving.
- Politely refuse second helpings.
Food Management Throughout The Day
- Instead of eating, replace that with another activity.
- If you’re craving something, wait 20 minutes. Your craving may subside.
- Before eating, drink a large glass of water.
- Make sure you drink enough water throughout the day.
- Avoid high-calorie add-ons like coffee creamer, butter, mayonnaise, and salad dressings.
Behavior Modification When Shopping For Food
- Don’t shop hungry.
- Shop from a list and don’t buy anything not on it.
- If you must buy tempting foods, get the smaller package or find a low-calorie alternative.
- Don’t taste test.
- Read labels, comparing products to find the healthiest choices.
Behavior Modification For Food Preparation
- Chew gum when cooking.
- Don’t snack while cooking.
- If you have to taste test, use a quarter teaspoon.
- Fix only what you are going to eat, leaving yourself no chance for seconds.
- If you have prepared more food than you need, portion it and save it immediately, not waiting until the meal is over when you may be tempted to have seconds.
Behavior Modification For Eating
- Eat slowly.
- Cut food only as needed, not all at once.
- Take small bits and chew them well.
- Take short breaks to have a conversation or just reflect.
Behavior Modification For Eating Out and Social Eating
- Don’t arrive hungry. Eat something light before the meal.
- Try to fill up on low-calorie foods, such as vegetables and fruit, and eat smaller portions of the high-calorie foods.
- Limit alcoholic beverages.
- Don’t skip other meals and then eat a lot at the special event. This will slow your metabolism and lead to overeating.
At a restaurant
- Order a la carte.
- Order vegetables or a salad instead of bread.
- Share a dish or desert with someone instead of eating it yourself.
- Once you are full, stop eating. You can get a doggie or to-go bag if you don’t want to waste food.
- Order dressing on the side.
At a Friend’s House
- Bring something low calorie.
- Serve or ask for small portions.
- Try to stay away from the food or stay busy if you are near the food.
- Limit alcoholic beverages.
Behavior Modification For Weight Loss During The Holidays
- Keep those tempting foods out of sight.
- Decorate your house without using food. Examples include gingerbread houses, candy canes, popcorn strings, etc. at Christmas.
- Have low-calorie options for guests.
- Allow yourself a single planned treat each day.
- Don’t skip meals to save up for a special one. This will lower your metabolism and lead to overeating.
Make sure you exercise!
Exercising is an important aspect to changing your behavior and leading a healthier lifestyle.
Some things you’ll want to keep in mind include:
- Make exercise a priority and plan an activity for each day.
- Walk or ride a bike to work.
- Get an exercise buddy.
- Go for walks or work out during a work break.
- Park at the end of the parking lot or at the top of the parking ramp and walk to work.
- Always take the stairs all of the way or at least part of the way to your floor.
- If you sit at a desk all day, take frequent breaks to walk around.
- Do some exercises while sitting at your desk.
- On the weekends or during your days off, make sure you do something outside.
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