Behavior modification
Lifestyle-based weight problems may be manifested throughout a person’s life. Chronic obesity is often the result of unhealthy, and even dangerous, attitudes toward weight, diet and nutrition. The harmful habits individuals acquire over time are not a minor part of the overall picture: They eventually define both the person and the disease of obesity.
The seriousness of long-standing harmful behavior is evidenced best by the length of time involved in altering the unhealthy behavior an individual strongly wishes to change. A well-known axiom summarizes behavior modification regardless of its specific nature: 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.
The role of behavior modification in weight loss eModule
The following audio visual presentation focuses on the paramount importance of behavior modification to successful weight loss through the presentation of currently available clinical data.
Behavior modification 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
The first step most individuals will need to do when considering any weight loss program is to engage in an honest self-assessment. Questions such as, ‘how hard am I willing 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 or behavioral changes can only be effective if the person is honest and determined. Better self-assessment will translate into better self-management.
Reference
1. 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.