The ABC’s of Weight Control - Part 1
At some point in their lives, people who are overweight learned some eating behaviors that caused weight gain. For some, it was in childhood, when they were told to finish their plate (regardless of how full they were), or were punished or rewarded by food. For others, food became a way of dealing with stress, of avoiding or putting off difficult tasks or dealing with difficult people, or a way of comforting themselves in good and bad times.
If you accept that your habits or behaviors have contributed to weight gain, then it makes sense to use an approach that goes beyond just reducing calories to lose weight. To make permanent changes in your body weight, you must change the behaviors that caused the problem in the first place. Behavior modification is an approach that has been used very successfully to change life habits like smoking, overeating, stress management, and exercise. Over the past 35 years, much has been learned about how to apply behavior modification more successfully and it is now accepted as a very important part of a good weight control program.
The Basics of Changing Behaviors
Eating is a behavior, not a part of your personality. Many of you have identified yourselves as “emotional eaters”. Instead, think of eating as something you do, not something that you are.
You have learned to eat a certain way - you can “unlearn” those ways.
If you can observe and identify a behavior in yourself, you can change it.
The ABC’s
When you break down a behavior like overeating, behavior modification recognizes three parts: A = antecedent or the action, B = behavior of eating, and C = consequences. For example, the action of being in a certain place (the kitchen), or having certain feelings (boredom, anger, stress) cause B (eating). The C or consequence of A and B can be weight gain. For this week, I want to address the “A” and “B” parts of eating behaviors. The “C” part will be covered in the
next Weekly Focus message (Reward Yourself).Learning new ABC’s
Discovering you’re A’s (what causes overeating for you?) is a matter of observing your own behavior and writing it down. Instead of just writing down what you ate, you keep a record of events - time, place, people, and feelings in a journal or your day timer. Look at the patterns - are there people, places, or feelings that really lead you to overeat? Overeating is not a character flaw or simply the lack of will power - it is the result of circumstances and your reaction to them. If you can identify your most critical circumstances by taking the time to make these observations of yourself, you are in the first stages of changing your overeating behavior.If you are telling yourself “its too much trouble” or “I don’t have time for that”, than you need to assess your commitment to your weight goal. This is an important discovery process and can’t be ignored. Many of you already know what these circumstances are for you - you just need to develop a plan for changing your reaction to them!
There are several types of antecedents or triggers:
Sensory: these are things you see, smell, or taste that cause you to want to eat. Situations like having snacks in a bowl in the room, hearing someone talk about good tasting food, seeing a commercial about ice cream, or taking the first bite of a food you really like are very strong cues to eat more, regardless of hunger.
Physiologic: these are feelings your body produces when it needs or expects food. Headaches, stomach growling, fatigue, tension, feeling tired, salivating. These feelings of hunger can be triggered when real hunger may not be present.
Triggers(cont):
Social: others eating food, entertaining, and other social events that involve food are situations involving others that can cause some people to overeat.
Emotional: many negative feelings are strong cues to overeat. Depression, frustration, anger, boredom, loneliness, guilt, rebellion, and feelings of deprivation are some common feelings that lead to overeating.
Once you have identified some of your “A”s (actions/antecedents to overeating) you can make a plan to change your reaction to them. Below is a list of common situations or “triggers” that lead to overeating with some new choices to replace overeating.
A = Action/Antecedent
Coming home after work, tired, hungry, need to relax!
B = New Behavior
Do not let yourself be so hungry at the end of the day that you make bad eating decisions. Instead, pack an extra piece of fruit, some lowfat yogurt or other snack and eat it before you get home. When you walk through the door, you will not be as hungry, and you will be in a better position to find another way to relax before dinner instead of overeating.
A = Action/Antecedent
Sitting in front of the computer or t.v., time to grab a snack!
B= New Behavior
Separate your eating from any other activities. Eat at your dinner table only. Get some bottled water or other calorie free beverage and have that when you are watching TV. or working at your desk.
A = Action/Antecedent
Mood - something has made you frustrated, sad or lonely - time to grab some “comfort” food”!
B = New Behavior
Talk it out with a trusted friend or relative if that is possible at the time. If not, write it out! Keep a journal handy and take the time to write down your feelings, it will give you time to sort things out instead of eating. Getting a variety of support from others is important - sometimes it’s hard to do things by yourself. That is one reason we have a “diet pals” area in our member’s section. Sometimes just having someone to write to can give you a new perspective and some much needed understanding.
A= Action/Antecedent
Mood - you’re angry and feeling resentful - time to eat something to calm you down!
B = New Behavior
Sometimes when you are angry you aren’t able to express it to others (like when you’re angry with your boss). Eating seems like a harmless alternative, but it is destructive when it causes you to feel bad and gain weight. One of the best ways to “burn off steam” is to actually burn off calories by taking a walk, hitting a tennis ball against a wall, swimming, bicycling, going to the gym. By exercising, you are actually changing your body’s chemistry and it gives you a chance to get rid of the negative energy created by feelings of anger or resentment.
The focus on changing your reactions to situations, feelings, and people is a very important part of your success in the long term. Identify your triggers and practice these new behaviors - your efforts will be worth it!
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