Support programs
Lifestyle-based weight problems can occur throughout a person’s life. Chronic obesity is often the result of an unhealthy relationship with food.
The length of time it takes to unlearn this behavior is also important to understand. As the well-known axiom states: it takes six months to develop a habit and a lifetime to unlearn.
The reverse is equally true: six months of healthy habit learning may result in a lifelong lifestyle change for better health.
Support programs and weight loss
As with many behavior-modifying programs, assuming personal responsibility — not for the crisis, but for the rescue — is the cornerstone of success in any intelligent and gradual weight loss program.1
One of the most important first steps is persuading patients to honestly assess their current weight status and its health implications. Questions such as, ‘how hard am I willing to work to get what I want?’ need to be asked before deciding which program will work best for them. A program that is firmly grounded in lifestyle change can only be effective if the person is honest and determined: better self-assessment translates into better self-management.
Reference
- National Institutes of Health. The practical guide: Identification, evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf. Accessed November 8, 2006.