Top 5 Tips for Establishing Healthy New Habits

Have you ever noticed that most day-to-day behaviors are actually habits? What we eat and drink, how we manage stress, what we do when we come home from work, when and what we do before we go to bed -- these, and many other behaviors, are well-established habits. Clearly, successful long-term weight management depends on establishing healthy habits. 


So, how long do you think it takes to establish a new habit? I've had many students in my online weight loss class tell me they think it'll take anywhere from seven to twenty-one days to change up their behavior permanently. Unfortunately, research begs to differ: Scientists have found that making new behavior a habit can take anywhere from four to six months. So, what can you do to encourage success as you establish new habits? Give these tips a try:


Donna's Top 5 Tips for Establishing Healthy Habits

1. Although it takes time to create change, it's easier to make change happen by starting with short-term goals. Depending on the goal, you may want to make your goal as short as one day, or as long as a week or two. As you're planning your goal...
2. Think back to times when you've tried to make change. What got in your way? Think ahead to challenges you may encounter, and plan ahead for those challenges. But don't make the challenges your focus...
3. Keep your focus on your goal. Falling short of your goal is nothing more than an obstacle. Don't dwell on it, or let it keep you from trying again. Learn from what happened, re-establish your goals based on your new self-knowledge, and then...
4. Celebrate all of your successes, no matter how small. Remember, change isn't easy. In fact, just being willing to change is a big step, one worthy of celebrating. Treat yourself to a little tangible non-food reward, tell a friend, or praise yourself. But don't stop at celebrating...
5. Plan ahead for establishing your next goal, and stick with this for at least six months. Put the day and time in your calendar, and keep your appointment with yourself. Because you're connecting many short-term goals together, following through is critical.

Don't be shy about using other skills and tools for establishing healthy new habits, like the power of positive self-talk and affirmations to reach your goals. At the end of the day, though, developing short-term goals, enjoying success, and gradually connecting one short-term goal to the next, until the behaviors are habits, is the path to creating lasting behavior change.

Beat Cravings! Change the Cognitive Distortions of Cravings

Have you noticed that weight management is usually easiest in the beginning? That can be the honeymoon effect: Although making change is challenging, it’s also exciting. It’s when people feel most hopeful and powerful. On top of the honeymoon effect, many people lose weight quickly in the first few months…only to see weight loss slow down, or even plateau. When weight loss slows or stops, it’s easy to feel frustrated with following through on healthy eating, physical activity, getting enough rest, adequate hydration, and managing stress. That frustration can turn into a lapse…and a lapse or two can all-too-easily turn into a relapse.

What can you do to prevent lapses, or keep a lapse from turning into a relapse? For many people, cravings are their downfall. Of course, the occasional craving isn’t much more than an annoyance, a speed bump on the road to weight management success. Cravings aren’t just frustrating, though. A craving can turn into a lapse, which can trigger a relapse.

So, how can you bust cravings? In “Lose Weight” we look at several strategies, including engaging in a nurturing activity, physical activity, and using affirmations. Today we’ll uncover a powerful new tool for your cravings-busting arsenal – the cognitive distortions underneath your cravings.

 Think back to the last time you had a craving. Do you remember what you were thinking as you were craving? Chances are it sounded like one of these cognitive distortions:

1. The craving is unbearable
2. The craving is too powerful
3. This craving will never stop
4. This craving is making me crazy

When you’re in the throes of a craving, any one of these thoughts may seem true – but, in fact, none of them are. Think back to that craving again. Even as you were thinking the craving was unbearable, you were, in fact, enduring the craving. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t unbearable. The same is true for each of the other cognitive distortions. You’ve already been resisting the craving, so it’s not that powerful. The craving may continue for a while, but eventually, it will stop. And while in the moment it does seem as though the craving is making you crazy, it can’t.

So, how can you bust cravings before you give in to them? The next time a craving starts to sing its siren song to you, change its tune! Here’s an example of how you can “answer” each of the cognitive distortions we looked at earlier:

1. I’ve been successful this long. I can put up with this craving a little longer.
2. As powerful as this craving is, I’ve been more powerful! I can continue to be powerful a little while longer.
3. Even though it seems like this craving will never stop, I know that’s not true. Nothing lasts forever – not even the most intense cravings. After all, never is a very long time!
4. It sure feels like this craving is making me crazy, but I know it actually can’t make me crazy.

When you have the option to nurture yourself, do some physical activity, or deal with the temptation directly (by walking away from temptation, putting away leftovers, giving food away, asking the server to remove it, etc.), I encourage you to do so. Sometimes, though, our thoughts are all that stand between us and giving in to a craving. In those cases, identifying the cognitive distortion behind a craving, and changing it into a positive thought, can give you the power you need to successfully bust the craving.

So, are you ready to put this tool to work? Think back to your last craving again, and come up with at least one or two counter-thoughts. Write them down, and put them where you’ll see them daily. Practice countering your cravings by saying your cravings-busters out loud at least once every day, for two weeks. If you can, post your cravings-busters where you can see them when your cravings are strongest.

Now it’s your turn! What situation or food creates cravings for you? How can you counter your cognitive distortions? Let us know how it goes as you experiment with finding and changing your cravings-related cognitive distortions! J

"I Want": The Power of Positive Self-Talk

Have you ever said to yourself, "I can do this!" I know I have. One of my running routes ends in a short-but-steep incline, and for years, I would think, or even say aloud, "I can do this! I can do this!" as I ran up the hill.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this kind of self-coaching, but even when I made it to the top of the hill, I didn't find my self-talk especially useful. It almost seemed as though my self-talk made the run more uncomfortable, rather than less.

We talked last week about using self-determination theory, which is based on the belief that people don't like to be told what to do. As I thought about how true that premise is, and my "I can do this!" mantra, it occurred to me that "I can do this!" focuses only on whether or not I can do something, not on my motivation for doing it. And, as I'm fond of telling my children, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!" Little wonder, then, that saying "I can do this!" wasn't all that motivating.

So, I changed up "I can do this!" for "I want this!" -- and the change was remarkable. I had no problem thinking of reasons I wanted to run up that hill, from "I want to build my glutes and hamstrings, so belly dance is easier!" to "I want to burn off all that fruitcake and eggnog I ate over the Christmas season!" to "I want to be healthy and fit!"

"I want" worked beautifully with physical activity, so I tried it out in other areas, too. I quickly discovered it's an easy way to counter negative self-talk. Here are some examples of ways you could use "I want" to motivate you:

• I don't feel like walking today...but I want to be healthy
• I hate drinking water! -- but I want to make sure I'm really hungry, not thirsty
• It's been a horrible day and I really deserve a treat...but I want to stay on track with healthy eating

Now it's your turn! Think about what you're finding most challenging as you follow through on your plans for a lifetime of health and happiness. Next, identify your negative thoughts. How can you change those negative thoughts that are holding you back into "I want" statements? Post below, and let us know what you experiment with, and how it goes! :)

New Year, New Motivation...New You!

Happy new year! Today we're going to take a fresh look at motivation. Motivation is often one of the first obstacles to successful weight loss, and it's something everyone wrangles with at least occasionally. So, let's see how we can punch up our motivation, and enjoy more weight management success!

There are many theories about how motivation works. One of these theories is self-determination theory (or SDT). Self-determination theory is based on the premise that people don't like to be told what to do. (I can relate -- can you?) According to Deci and Ryan (2008), the psychologists who developed self-determination theory, there are five different categories of motivation:

1. Intrinsic: You do something because you like it.
2. Integrated: You do something because it's who you are.
3. Identified: You do something because it helps you reach a goal.
4. Introjected: You do something because you think you should.
5. External: You do something in order to avoid punishment, or get a reward.

Are you wondering how self-determination theory can help you? Let's say your physical activity goal for cardio is to reach 10,000 steps a day on your pedometer. If your motivation is introjected, you'll probably think something like, "Well, I guess I should try to get in 10,000 steps today, because I guess it'll help me lose some weight."

Compare that to someone who's motivation is integrated, who might think, "I'm going to get at least 10,000 steps today, because that's just the kind of person I am!" If I were the gambling type, I'd put my money on the person whose motivation is integrated. Wouldn't you?

Once you identify your motivation, you can develop affirmations that encourage a shift in your motivation. For instance, if your motivation for physical activity is introjected ("I know I should exercise today, but I really don't want to"), you can use self-determination theory to make your thoughts more motivating. Here are some examples:

• You might choose a reward to motivate you (external motivation)
• You could say, "Being physically active helps me reach my weight management goals!" (identified motivation)
• You could say, "I'm going to be active today because I'm someone who exercises every day!" (integrated motivation)

So, here's your challenge for the week:

1. Find one aspect of weight management that's difficult for you.
2. Identify your SMART goal for that aspect of weight management. (Good thing you did this last week, right?)
3. Pay attention to your thoughts about your goal for three days. Write those thoughts down!
4. After three days, examine your thoughts and identify your motivations.
5. Challenge yourself to make your thoughts more motivating, using the self-determination theory categories.

One aspect of weight management that's challenging for me is getting enough rest. I don't need much sleep, but I need to be asleep no later than 11:30 PM. Since I get home from work around 9:30 PM several nights a week, following through on my sleep goals can be iffy. After observing my thoughts for a few days, I noticed they were usually along the lines of, "I really should stop puttering around on the computer and go to bed..."

When I challenged this thought with, "Yes, I should...because I'm the kind of person who makes sure I get enough rest, so I can get things done the next day!" I found it surprisingly easy to disconnect from the Internet and get in bed. And, when I woke up refreshed the next day -- and it really was easier to be the kind of person who gets things done -- following through on my new integrated motivation was easier still.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you use self-determination theory to master your thoughts and create your own motivating affirmations that not only help you be successful, but make the journey easier and more enjoyable. Keep us posted! :)

Affirmations: How Talking to Yourself Could Be Helpful to Your Health

Do you appreciate the power of your mind? Maybe you can't bend spoons or predict the future, but your thoughts are one of the most powerful weight management tools available.

Why? Because what we think matters. What we think influences how we feel and what we do. As the saying goes, Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. This is just as true for weight loss and weight maintenance as it is any other area of life.

So, how can you harness the power of your mind to help you reach and maintain your weight management goals? Try experimenting with affirmations. Affirmations are short, positive statements that give you the encouragement you need to stay on track with a particular goal. Some examples of affirmations include:

• "A little exercise is better than none at all."
• "The world is my gym!"
• "I eat healthy to nourish my body."
• "I love to drink water!"
• "I am learning to manage my stress without using food."

To make your affirmations really work for you, here a few tips:

• Affirmations are best when they're short, and they focus only on one goal at a time. That way, they're easier to remember!
• Focus on the positive as you develop your affirmations. Good phrases to use are "I will," "I can," "I like," and "I want." Avoid using won't, can't, don't, or shouldn't.
• Be aware of the power of words. If the mere word exercise makes you cringe, don't use it; call it activity, movement, "me time," or simply call your chosen activity by its name--yoga, power walking, kickboxing.
• Learn from others. One of the most powerful affirmations I've used was originally a comment posted by a student in my online weight loss class. "I love to drink water!"  

When you put SMART goals, reward plans, and affirmations together, the results can be remarkable. People do lose and maintain weight, but that becomes secondary to other, unexpected benefits: They see themselves as capable, find themselves enjoying the journey, and inspire others to join in with them in their healthy lifestyle changes. It may seem random at first glance, but it all makes sense: SMART goals provide a solid guideline for success. Reward plans make the journey pleasant. Thinking positively attracts others.

What do you think? Have you experimented with SMART goals, reward plans, or affirmations? Do you have questions about how to make these tools work for you? Let us know!