It’s no secret that obesity has become a big problem in America and beyond.
Every year, governments release statistics showing us that we are getting fatter and fatter.
The nightly news alerts us to the perils of obesity.
And it may be even worse for our kids.
So, What Do We Do?
Well, that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?
We all know what we should do.
Eat less and move more.
But knowing that and doing it are two different things.
How do we motivate people to actually do the things they need to do to lose weight, keep it off and live a healthy life?
The Current Approach
At the present time, we are still treating this problem as if there is a lack of information.
We run public service ads in an attempt to counteract ‘junk food’ brainwashing with healthy lifestyle brainwashing.
Politicians say the right words.
Governments are forcing restaurants to include calorie counts on their menus.
They have even gone a step further.
In Los Angeles, city council has banned any new fast food restaurants from opening in a low income area of the city.
But, will this work?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Here’s Why
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Trans-Theoretical Model of Change (TTM) explains why people succeed or fail at changing their behavior.
By identifying the five stages that people move through in their attempt to correct a variety of problem behaviors, psychologists are able to identify why some people can make successful lifestyle changes while others get stuck in self-destructive behavior patterns.
The five stages of change are:
- Pre-Contemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
- Pre-contemplation is the state of ‘no change’. You have no intention to change your behavior. In fact, at this stage, you may be completely unaware of any problem. According to Prochaska, Pre-contemplators are “often characterized as resistant or unmotivated and tend to avoid information, discussion, or thought with regard to the targeted health behavior”.
- Contemplation is the stage in which you become aware that there is a problem, and you are seriously thinking about overcoming it, but have not yet made a commitment to take action. Contemplators are “more aware of the benefits of changing, but remain keenly aware of the costs. As well, they are often seen as ambivalent to change or as procrastinators.”
- Preparation is the stage in which you are either intending to take action in the next 30 days or resume the actions that you had already begun, but had recently abandoned. This is the most common stage of the yo-yo dieter and exerciser. Psychologists view this as a transition stage.
- Action is the stage in which you have made changes to your behavior, experiences or environment in order to overcome their problems. The Action stage involves overt behavioral changes and requires considerable commitment of time and effort. After 6 months in the Action stage, you get to graduate to the Maintenance Stage.
- Maintenance is the stage in which you work to prevent relapse and hold on to the gains you achieved in the Action stage. This stage is indefinite, unless you fall off the wagon, and have to start over at the Preparation stage. According to Prochaska, Maintainers “report the highest levels of self-efficacy and are less frequently tempted to relapse”.
Conclusion
If we assume that most overweight people are stuck between the Contemplation and Action stages of change, what we really needs are techniques that can help people move from thinking and obsessing about their weight to actually doing something about it.
Tips that have worked for you or for someone you know.
I have my own bag of tricks that I use with my clients, but I would love to hear what has worked for you
Please leave your stories of success in the comment section below.
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Thanks.
12 Comments
August 27, 2008 at 8:25 pm
A little over 2 years ago I looked at my family portrait and was disgusted. I was sitting on the floor with my kids and saw my gut hanging over my belt. This is what motivated me to do something. I have now lost over 50 pounds and am training to run a half marathon.
Another motivator was reading other success stories in Men’s Health Magazine and online. Having someone else, like a spouse, sibling or friend, work out with you really boosts the motivation to keep at it. But they have to be committed too.
August 27, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Each individual has a different motivating factor. I set a plan, keep moving and stay consistent with my fitness routine.
I agree…ACTION!
Another fantastic post!
August 27, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Yup. We all know to eat less and move more but we all need motivation. I like to have a plan -for both eating and exercise. Depending on what triathlon/event I am training for, I tailor my workouts for that. I have found that when I have a race to train for, I am a lot more consistent with my workouts and eating habits because I don’t want to take last place!
August 27, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I learned about several other health behavior psychology theories in grad school… they are similar. Check out theory of planned behavior and theory of reasoned action. They basically say the likelihood a person will perform a behavior depends on their intention (did they pack a gym bag, sign up for yoga, make plans to exercise with a friend, grocery shop for healthy foods etc.), attitude toward behavior (do they like to eat healthy – do they like the way eating healthy and exercising makes them feel, would they rather surf the net or the tube?), perceived behavioral control (how much control they have over the behavior – I can’t work out because I have to walk the dog and cook dinner – it is what THEY perceive, not necessarily reality).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_planned_behavior
We use stages of change in nutrition counseling all the time – even asking people to tell us where they think they are and then we work with them to help move them along.
My own life experiences (with myself and family members with health behavior issues) tells me that you cannot motivate another person… or you can only do so much to support them and NOT sabotage them – which may be unintentional) But it gets to a point where the person has to want to change behaviors so bad that it becomes the priority and they have to be willing to work hard. Nothing comes easy… especially behavior change.
I think the best thing families can do is support the person and re-set the “norms”. If you normally order take out food several times a week, decrease it to one time. What would it take. Who cooks, shops etc. So working with the person on helping them overcome barriers is key.
Rebecca
August 28, 2008 at 4:05 am
For a long time I was stuck between the contemplation & action stages (usual lack of time, thus roller coster motivation, etc), then after moving to a place where I had a gym club at walking distance things have improved a lot. I am now on the maintenance stage as it is now easier for me to exercise on a regular basis: I don’t have to bother taking the car anymore and I feel happy going and coming back on foot; I’ve actually gained some time on my routines; working out on a more regular basis in addition to feeling happy to go for it (not a duty) made the results more visible, hence increasing the well being; my eating pattern has naturally improved; I feel more energetic and fitted with my clothes; I find it easier to burn the occasional little food excess and I’m more aware of what kind of “excess” I can allow myself; I have now reached the stage where I feel bad if I don’t have my regular work out shot.
To sum up, I have now entered the virtuous circle of good habits, that keeps me going.
August 28, 2008 at 5:59 am
OK I know that I need to loose weight. But WHY can healthy food not be cheap and easy. I mean why can’t there be chain stores where you can buy a $3 meal that is good, fast and good for you. The problem is access to cheap, easy to access healthy food. Fried food and other non healthy stuff is easy to get on every corner. They make it easy to get fat, why can’t a company make it easy to get healthy.
The best thing I have found is a grocery store called “Fresh and Easy” They opened not far from my house. They make high quality meals that are ready to eat, just heat. They are healthy and such, but they are not really cheap, and you still gotta take it home to heat it up.
Jason Dragon
http://blog.capitalactive.com/
August 28, 2008 at 9:02 am
I am in the action stage, trying and hoping to transition to maintenance in another couple of months. I spent years in pre-contemplation and contemplation, while my weight slowly crept up and lots of clothes stopped fitting.
What really motivates me right now is the desire to fit into a particular dress, by a particular date.
I have a few factors going for me now, which I blogged about here: http://poupee97.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/the-dieting-saga/
I also find that making a public announcement that I’m on a diet is a motivating factor to stick to it. That’s something I used to hate doing earlier, but then, none of my diets in the past eight or nine years have worked.
August 28, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Nice post. Trying to figure out how to motivate the un-motivated or not-as-motivated to change their lifestyle is something I think about daily. Your post coincides with a class I’m taking this semester: Health Communication. We talk about all those theories and models of change and I’m looking forward to it.
I get the grief people have about healthy food being too expensive, taking too long to prepare, etc. But I don’t get how these same people (the ones I have contact with, not trying to generalize everyone) have no problem paying 10 bucks or more for a movie or something else. I can easily make a healthy meal on 10 bucks or less, and have leftovers for the next day. It’s not all about convenience; I wish we could get over the convenience factor and pay more attention to the health factor. Life is about living healthy and getting the most out of our bodies, not living conveniently.
Rant over.
August 28, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Motivation definitely is the biggest obstacle for most people in the weight loss game. People need to want to make it happen for themselves. Today there is a dangerous attitude of “quick and easy” solutions whether it be for illness or losing weight. Those are only good for one thing, making money and not getting people lasting results. Then that just leaves people feeling worse in the end. People need to just focus on the day at hand, understand what it means to eat healthy (and be motivated to want to be healthy) and then just take a daily step every day somehow (hence why I started the whole daily rep challenge, to just get people going in a positive direction).
http://projectfit.org/daily100/
If you can motivate someone, they will get it done…..but they have to want to do it, you can’t force someone to good health since it is their choice….and they need to realize they do have 100% control and a choice on where they go in life.
Mike OD
August 28, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Great comments everybody,
Even with this small sample, I think it’s obvious that there are a wide variety of techniques that can be used to help someone stick to a fitness routine – appearance, living up to the expectations of a role model, shared experience of a workout partner, writing down a plan, a time sensitive goal – race, incorporating health into your day to day, accountability, etc…
And what works for one person may not work for another.
Thanks for the feedback
August 28, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Jason,
As the CEO of an investment company, I assume that you put in a LOT of hours at work.
This may explain your frustration with the lack of availability of healthy prepared meals.
I share your frustration.
But there are options.
Private chefs will prepare a weeks worth of healthy meals for a pretty competitive price. I have arranged for a discounted price based on the number of my clients that use the service.
Directory – http://www.pchefnet.com/
There are services that will deliver a days worth of healthy (http://www.inthezonedelivery.com/ is one) meals to your doorstep each morning.
And the big chain restaurants could probably offer healthier meals at a decent price, but the odds are, no one would buy them.
People aren’t getting fat eating steamed veg and grilled steaks.
August 28, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Excellent article, DR. I love the videos you’ve included (although truth be told I haven’t had time to watch all of them yet).
For me, my biggest weight loss success was many years ago when I successfully dropped around 70 lbs or so. I kept it off for about 5 years. My biggest motivation was the company I kept – I was at the time still living at home (I was in my teens), and my parents were also on the same program. So we all ate the same way, and had similar personal goals. Being surrounded by an environment of weight loss made a huge difference in my motivation.