Changing attitude

There are several stages that are reached when attempting to make lifestyle changes. These stages are pre-contemplation, contemplation, action and maintenance.

Pre-contemplation is the stage where the change first enters your mind. Do I want/need to

lose weight? At this stage you begin to think that you should make a lifestyle change, but have no immediate plans to do so. This stage can be short or it can last for years. Some of us never make it past this stage.

In the contemplation stage, you begin to set weight loss goals and devise strategies to reach your goals. This stage can again be short or can drag on for years. Many people move back and forth between this stage and the pre-contemplation stage or between this stage and the next stage – action. This stage is a critical stage because the choices made here will have a direct influence on the success or failure of the weight loss program. If you choose to take the “easy way” of starvation diets, diet drugs or weird food combinations, in over 90 percent of the cases you are dooming yourself to failure.

The action stage is where the lifestyle change begins. This is where you put the choices made in the contemplation stage to work. If you made the proper choices and set clear weight loss goals, you will begin to eat a healthy and varied diet, and you will begin a sensible exercise program.

In the maintenance stage, your lifestyle change is no longer a change. It is now your new lifestyle. You are feeling better and looking better. You no longer look at your diet as a diet. It is simply the way you eat and fuel your body. Exercise has become a part of your everyday life.