Behavior Change Strategies: Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Part 1

Changing ones lifestyle can be hard, and confusing sometimes. Especially when we are trying to change our food habits. If one grows up with unhealthy eating habits, it's very hard to suddenly wake up one day and try to reverse them. Everything around us is a temptation, from million dollar TV ads, to food in our houses.

As a Holistic Nutritionist Consultant the first thing I share with my clients is the importance of being mindful and aware of their daily behaviors. Because  a number of unconscious behavior patterns cause us to rebound on our health goals. This is so true for the over the road truck driver’s I consultant. Many want to eat healthy meals but find themselves rebounding to the fast processed foods of the truck stops. While obtaining my Nutritionist certification and degree we were  taught a simple strategy to help with behavior change. I share this tool with my clients to help them to become mindful of their automatic daily habits. 

Behavior change strategies can be addressed in terms of the ABC’s of behavior concept.  

The ABC”S Concept…

A: Antecedent (stimulus, cue, trigger)

B: Behavior (response, eating)

C: Consequence (punishment, rewards)

Let’s take a closer look at each of these components. 

A: Antecedent: is the time of day or the feeling of hunger in the stomach that stimulates the desire to eat. To address the antecedent you must become aware of behavior patterns in order to change it. So what you are looking for are the cues that trigger unconscious eating or consumption of large quantities of certain types of food. Let’s say your behavioral response is triggered by three different cues or (life events). 

Cue 1: When you see a cookie jar you are triggered to eat a snack.

Cue 2: During social gathering such as parties one might tend to eat cake or other sweets just because the food is presented.

Cue 3: When you are upset or emotional stressed out you may tend to eat to feel better.

Behavior change strategies dealing with antecedents can focus on avoiding the cues that trigger unhealthy eating or eating when not actually hungry…

The key is to learn how to be aware of the cues and then remove the negative behavior. For example, You notice you only eat cookies or want cookies when you see a cookie jar-this cue is telling you to be mindful of unhealthy behavior. In this case it would be to remove cookies from the house or altering the cue by keeping fruit in the place of the cookie jar-since the present of a cookie jar cause you to eat unhealthy. This behavior is for those who has not yet build up the willpower to say no to the sweets when trying to cope with a new diagnosis such as diabetes. Becoming aware of the triggers can help you gain strength to say no without having to remove the cookie jar. 

B: Behavior according to authors Kathleen D. Bauer and Doreen Liou is the actual act of eating. This may be (speed) actual act of eating, (physical) eating in one place, (emotional) do not clear your plate, (awareness) pay attention to eating, no TV or (attractiveness) pouring sparkling water in a wine glass with a slice of lemon. Last, behavior change strategies may focus on providing a substitute for eating such as (take a walk). 

C: Consequence: this can be in the form of positive reinforces or punishment such as a reward or losing a privilege. 

To sum this up I will reprint the example given in the text so you can better understand the ABC’s of behavior concept in a real life event that can be applied to your life. 

Taken from the Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills Development book written by authors Kathleen D. Bauer and Doreen Liou. 

Real Life Event 1

Negative Consequence

Juanita comes home from work hungry. She walks into the kitchen to fix dinner. There is a bag of her favorite potato chips on the counter (antecedent). Juanita tells herself she will eat just a few and opens the bag, leaving it on the counter as she prepares dinner. She ends up eating the whole bag of chips (behavior). When dinner is ready Juanita pics at her food because she is not hungry. She is frustrated because she knows a bag of potato chips is not nutritious and she is not getting enough vegetables and fiber in her diet (consequence). 

Real Life Event 2

Positive Consequence

Juanita comes home from work hungry. There are oranges and walking clothes and shoes prominently displayed on a chair in the kitchen (antecedent). Juanita eats the orange, change her clothes, and goes out for a half hour walk (behavior). When she returns Juanita is in good spirits, and she prepares dinner. She eats a healthy meal with whole grains and vegetables; she is content (consequence). 

Today identify the cue/triggers to specify the behavior and then describe the consequence. Is this a behavior that you would like to continue? If not, what goal can you set to reverse this behavior to manifest a positive consequence?

“Our lives are marked with a series of events, encounters, and turning points that in one way or another stamp our outlook and move us in a direction that shapes us into who we are today.”

 —Regie Routman

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XOXO