Lesson 6 - Behaviour change: your key to long-term weight loss - Theory

Mindful eating involves consciously perceiving the taste, smell, texture and appearance of food. The focus is on enjoying the moment and concentrating completely on the food without being distracted.

Mindful eating can lead to more conscious food intake by helping to reduce unconscious, emotional eating. By focusing on your body’s signals, you’re more likely to recognize when you’re full and prevent overeating. This conscious practice can also help improve your relationship with food and minimize stress-related eating.

• Sit down consciously, without distractions like TV or cell phone.
• Take your time with each meal instead of eating quickly and casually.
• Focus on the aromas, textures, and taste of the food.
• Chew consciously and enjoy every bite.
• Listen to your body and recognize the signals of satiety.

• Avoid multitasking while eating to focus completely on the food.
• Avoid distractions like eating in front of the TV to eat more consciously.
• Avoid eating hastily in order to recognize the signals of satiety in good time.

• Before eating, take deep breaths to center yourself.
• Put down utensils between bites to chew more consciously.
• Appreciate the origin and preparation of your food.
• Pause and check your satiety during the meal.

The practice of mindful eating requires practice and patience, but can contribute to a sustainable and conscious diet that supports the weight loss journey.

Self-reflection is the conscious examination and analysis of our own thoughts, feelings and behavior, especially in relation to our diet. This includes an honest examination of eating habits, triggers for overeating, and individual goals in the context of weight loss. Goal setting is the process of defining clear and achievable goals based on self-reflection.

Self-reflection allows for a deeper understanding of one’s eating habits, including the emotional and situational triggers for overeating. This awareness forms the basis for positive changes. Goal setting is crucial to setting clear targets for weight loss. By defining realistic and specific goals, the likelihood of successful weight loss increases.

• Keep a food diary: record what you eat, how you feel and the circumstances surrounding the meal. This helps identify patterns.
• Ask yourself about triggers: Identify emotional or situational reasons for overeating.
• Define clear goals: Set realistic, measurable goals based on self-reflection.

• Self-criticism without an approach to a solution: Avoid criticizing yourself without looking for solutions at the same time.
• Unrealistic goals: Set goals that are challenging but achievable. Unrealistic goals can be demotivating.

• Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
• Reward yourself for progress: Celebrate milestones to maintain motivation.
• Reflect regularly: Make time for regular self-reflection to make adjustments.

The combination of self-reflection and clear goals creates a conscious basis for weight loss and promotes sustainable changes in eating habits. By understanding yourself better and defining clear goals, you will lay the foundation for a successful path to achieving your weight goals.

Planning is the conscious determination of actions in advance, while preparation aims to ensure that the implementation of those plans goes smoothly. In the context of weight loss, this means planning and preparing meals and snacks in advance.

Through planning and preparation, you create an environment that supports mindful eating. By thinking about what you’re going to eat in advance, you’ll avoid impulsive eating and be prepared for unhealthy temptations. This makes it easier to stick to a healthy eating plan.

• Weekly Meal Planning: Take time to plan your meals for the week. Consider balance and diversity.
• Create a shopping list: Create a shopping list based on your meal plan. This reduces impulse purchases and helps choose healthy options.
• Prepare healthy snacks: Have pre-portioned healthy snacks on hand to avoid cravings.
• Meal Prep: Prepare meals in advance. This makes it easier for you to choose healthy options and minimizes the urge to choose unhealthy alternatives.

• Spontaneous decisions: Avoid starting the day without a plan, as this can lead to impulsive eating behavior.
• Be unprepared: Avoid being unprepared, especially if you are traveling for a long time. This can lead to unhealthy eating decisions.

• Photograph meals in advance: Visually record what you will eat to increase the likelihood of making healthy choices.
• Keep healthy options on hand: Make sure healthy foods are easily accessible for quick prep or grab-and-go.
• Themed Days: Consider themed meal planning days (e.g. Meatless Monday) for variety and fun.
• WOOP Method:
  • Desire (set weight loss goal):Define a clear and realistic desire for your weight loss goal. This could be, for example, reaching a certain weight, improving your fitness or developing healthy eating habits.
  • Result (Visualize Positive Result): Vividly visualize how your life will be positively impacted when you reach your weight loss goal. Imagine feeling more comfortable in your own body, having more energy and improving your health.
  • Obstacle (identification of obstacles): Consider what obstacles or challenges might arise on the path to your weight loss goal. This could be temptation, lack of time, emotional eating, or other factors.
  • Plan (develop overcoming plan): Develop concrete plans to overcome the identified obstacles. For example, if lack of time is an obstacle, you could develop plans for short, effective workouts or prepare healthy meals in advance to combat temptation.

Through conscious planning and preparation, you actively shape your eating environment to promote positive eating habits and support weight loss goals.

Cognitive behavioral techniques include strategies for changing thought and behavior patterns. They help identify negative self-talk and replace it with positive and constructive thoughts.

Negative thoughts and self-talk can significantly hinder progress toward weight loss. Cognitive behavioral techniques allow you to overcome these obstacles and promote a positive attitude, which is crucial for success.

• Identify negative self-talk: Pay attention when you have self-critical or demotivating thoughts.
• Replace with positive affirmations: Create positive phrases that emphasize your abilities and progress rather than focusing on shortcomings.
• Visualize success: Vividly imagine yourself achieving your goals. This promotes a positive mindset.

• Self-sabotage through negative self-talk: Avoid sabotaging yourself with negative thoughts. Recognize these patterns and work to change them.

• Daily Positive Thoughts: Set aside time daily to repeat positive thoughts and affirmations.
• Community Support: Share your goals and experiences with others to receive positive feedback.
• Reflect regularly: Check your thinking patterns regularly and adjust them if necessary.

The conscious use of cognitive behavioral techniques not only promotes weight loss, but also a positive relationship with food and self-perception. Integrate these techniques into your everyday life to create a foundation for long-term success and a balanced, healthy life.