Day 35: Commit to Change
Dr. Timothy Harlan, in his book, “Just Tell Me What To Eat,” mentioned the stages of change proposed by two researchers, J.O. Prochaska and C. C. DiClemente. When it comes to adhering to a new diet or changing one’s lifestyle, it doesn’t just happen easily.
The stages of change happen as follows:
1) Pre-contemplation
- you are not ready to make any changes at all. Your thought process right now may be, “Nah, it’s too much, and I don’t have the desire nor motivation to change. I think I’m pretty good at where I am.”
2) Contemplation
- you’ve thought about making some improvements. Your thought process right now is, “You know what, I can probably trim some more of this belly fat and reduce my risk for diabetes, with the bonus of looking better in my tankinis.”
3) Preparation
- you saw where you need to change and know exactly how much investment you’re willing to make. Your thought process: “I can start in July and invite my friends to attend a community cooking class. We can make it into a Saturday reunion event and hold each other accountable on which numbers we want to improve on--weight or waistline or LDL cholesterol levels.”
4) Action
- you wrote down your plan, registered for the cooking class, put it on your calendar, and invited your friends to join you.
5) Maintenance
- you record your numbers and vow to maintain your newly-adopted habit and even plan on improving some more.
6) Relapse
- you finish your challenge and go back to your old ways, and so the yo-yo happens.
So what stage are you right now in this 40-Day Challenge? Have the readings changed your mindset, motivated you to improve your eating habits, and even prepared you for the next steps?
What will help you this time? What more do you need to get motivated?
The stages of change happen as follows:
1) Pre-contemplation
- you are not ready to make any changes at all. Your thought process right now may be, “Nah, it’s too much, and I don’t have the desire nor motivation to change. I think I’m pretty good at where I am.”
2) Contemplation
- you’ve thought about making some improvements. Your thought process right now is, “You know what, I can probably trim some more of this belly fat and reduce my risk for diabetes, with the bonus of looking better in my tankinis.”
3) Preparation
- you saw where you need to change and know exactly how much investment you’re willing to make. Your thought process: “I can start in July and invite my friends to attend a community cooking class. We can make it into a Saturday reunion event and hold each other accountable on which numbers we want to improve on--weight or waistline or LDL cholesterol levels.”
4) Action
- you wrote down your plan, registered for the cooking class, put it on your calendar, and invited your friends to join you.
5) Maintenance
- you record your numbers and vow to maintain your newly-adopted habit and even plan on improving some more.
6) Relapse
- you finish your challenge and go back to your old ways, and so the yo-yo happens.
So what stage are you right now in this 40-Day Challenge? Have the readings changed your mindset, motivated you to improve your eating habits, and even prepared you for the next steps?
What will help you this time? What more do you need to get motivated?