Changing BEHAVIOR is the key to weight loss

Behavioral treatment has several distinguishing characteristics (13). First, it is goal directed. It specifies very clear goals in terms that can be easily measured. This is true whether the goal is walking four times per week, lengthening meal duration by 10 min, or decreasing the number of self-critical comments. Specific goals facilitate a clear assessment of success.

Second, treatment is process oriented. It is more than helping people to decide what to change (ie, eating, activity, and thinking habits); it is helping them identify how to change (8). Thus, once a goal is specified, patients are encouraged to examine factors that will facilitate or hinder goal achievement. In cases in which the desired behavior is not implemented, problem-solving skills are used to identify new strategies to overcome barriers. In this view, successful weight management is based on skills that can be learned and practiced, in the same manner that an individual can learn to play the piano through frequent practice. Skill power, not will power, is the key to success.

Third, the behavioral approach advocates small rather than large changes. This is based on the learning principle of successive approximation in which incremental steps are taken to achieve more distant goals. Making small changes gives patients successful experiences on which to build rather than attempting drastic changes that are typically short-lived.

The behavior change process is facilitated through the use of a variety of problem-solving tools. The behavior chain, an illustration that visually depicts the chain of events that lead to an unwanted behavior such as overeating, is one of the tools commonly used in treatment (Figure 1). By examining the cues and events that lead up to an overeating episode, one can identify areas in which modifications in behavior can be made to break the chain of events and prevent an overeating episode from occurring in the future. For example, if a patient has identified television watching as part of the sequence of events leading up to an overeating episode, limiting eating to a more appropriate location (ie, table in the kitchen or dining room) can be an effective strategy for weakening the association between eating and television watching. The more often the patient refrains from eating in front of the television, the less likely that television watching will automatically trigger eating.


http://www.ajcn.org/content/82/1/230S.full

I attribute much of the success of my clients to teaching them about behavioral changes and not just the workouts and nutrition. ANYONE can lose weight on a diet. Not everyone can successfully change behavior and that's why many regain weight after dieting.

A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I've seen the advice many times in different places/topics that the easiest way to remember something, is figure out how to incorporate it into what you already know.

This seems to encourage the fact that sometimes, you just can't really "learn" or in this case learn changes to behavior if you are doing too much as once. But do it in small bits. once that is learned because it is now practiced, move on to more knowledge of behavior to change.

So in your opinion, what is the low hanging fruit for behavior changes that is easy enough, but gives enough impact to realize, "I can make more, I should move forward", rather than trying for something too big, fail and forget, or trying too small, don't think you see a change, and say forget it?