by
Michael Hallinan
So
you're determined you're going to do something
about your weight. But what? Losing weight
is not in itself a behavior. Releasing fat
pounds is an outcome of many behaviors that
add up to consuming more calories than your
expending. (Yes, there's a genetic component
too, but you can't change that.)
The
good thing is that this gives you lots of
places to start moving toward your goal of
losing weight. The challenge is sorting through
them all and finding what will work best for
you. So here's the question: What are you
most ready to change?
Behavioral
researchers have identified five stages in
behavior change:
1.
Precontemplation: You're not even considering
it. No way you're gonna give up your pizza
and beer. Gym-going is not for you. Why walk
when you can ride?
2.
Contemplation: Well, maybe you could live
without pizza and beer *every* week. Gym is
out, but you always liked swimming, maybe
a pool. The walk in the park with your friend
was pleasant last weekend, maybe you could
do it again.
3.
Preparation: Next week you're going to skip
that pizza. You found out the local Y has
a pool and their family rates are affordable.
You talked to your friend about doing more
walks sometime.
4.
Action: Two weeks and no pizza. You joined
the Y and you've swum laps there a couple
times. You and your friend have gone walking
the past three Saturday mornings.
5.
Maintenance: The weekly pizza has been a thing
of the past for six months. Swimming is so
much a part of your daily routine that you
don't feel right if you skip it. Those Saturday
walks are don't-miss tradition.
In
fact, this readiness to change model is behavior-specific.
That is, you might be in the action stage
with the pizza but still in precontemplation
on that exercise stuff. You're not likely
to be very successful if you flog yourself
for not swimming laps every day, what you
want to do is move yourself to the next stage:
List the pros and cons of regular exercise
and guess what, you're thinking about it and
that means contemplation.
So
think about the behaviors you can change to
lose weight. What stage are you in for each
of those behaviors? In each case, what can
you do to move yourself to the next stage?
What are you most ready to change.
We
explore readiness to change in my free teleclass,
"The Real Skinny on Weight Loss: Don't
Diet, Do It." You can get details and
register at www.teleclassinternational.com/catalog.phtml?keywords=MH-RS
About
the author: Michael Hallinan overcame a lifelong
obesity, and the midlife discovery of health
and fitness so changed his life that he established
a coaching practice specializing in helping
others find their own healthy way to a healthy
weight. For more helpful tips, subscribe to
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and to subscribe see www.healthyweightcoaching.com/Ezine.htm
