Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

This article is about the stages of change and how far along the stage you might be.

• Treatment Online – More than just a Resolution – by Lily Hung, PhD

Lily lists the stages of change as follows:

• Precontemplation: no change in one’s behavior is being considered.

• Contemplation: one becomes aware of a desire to change a particular behavior, i.e. making a New Year’s Resolution, but not taking any active steps.

• Preparation: there is not only a desire to change, but also evidence of commitment to make that change in the near future, such as not only making a Resolution, but taking a few active steps toward that goal.

• Action: the change in the criterion behavior actually occurs. Progressing through this stage may include intense effort to modify behavior itself as well as the environment in which the behavior occurs, and can last for a while.

• Maintenance: consists of ongoing change of behavior. However, this is that stage that most people are faced with relapse to a previous stage. Relapse can sometimes be fought by focusing on the benefits and gains from the change.

No matter where you are on the stages of change, it is possible to make lasting changes in your life. If you notice that you are in the Precontemplation or Contemplation stages, and notice that you are not willing to take the steps necessary to live a healthy lifestyle, don’t bother. Don’t say you’re going to go on a diet if you aren’t willing to do what needs to be done. You would spend your time much more wisely if you decide to eat whatever you want and just learn to love yourself as you are.

So, you looked at the New Year’s Resolutions from last year and you’re unhappy with the results? Steve Pavlina has the answer to help you stick to your resolutions for this year.

• Steve Pavlina – Be Patient With Yourself

He is talking about personal development in general, but this article is dead on as far as weight loss is concerned. It probably took you more than a year to get fat, so it will probably take more than a year to take off the weight and learn healthy habits.

Even if you’re working a great deal on your own personal growth, you may look back on yourself a year ago and think, “I didn’t get very far this year at all.” That’s OK. It doesn’t mean you failed. For most big changes, a year is too little time. Look back at yourself five or ten years ago. Notice any differences? Unless you’re a stick in the mud, they’ll be a lot more pronounced. You’ll have a better sense of what worked and what didn’t.

A general rule of thumb is that people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year, but they underestimate what they can accomplish in five years. I’ve found this to be fairly accurate.

When I look at myself back in January of 2001, I was just starting on this road to health. I had decided never to diet again and to love myself just the way I was. That idea was liberating to me, but I also gained a lot of weight because I had finally taken off the reigns of my eating. I was closer to loving myself than I had been for a long time, but I had no idea about what was healthy and what wasn’t. I believed every dieting hype that was out there.

Five years later, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I exercise regularly. I’m not at my goal weight yet, but I’m much further along than I ever thought I would be when I decided never to diet again and to just love my body the way it is.

If you have been beating yourself because you’re not where you wanted to be when January 2006 rolled around, take Steve Pavlina’s advice: be patient with yourself. This is a journey. You can travel it at whatever speed works best for you.

Because of the new year, we are getting a lot of new visitors right now, so I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Laura Moncur. I’m the primary writer for Starling Fitness. At times, Michael Moncur writes, but most of the time, it will be just you and me learning about fitness and health together.

I wrote about my weight loss story so far here:

• Starling Fitness » My Weight Loss Story So Far…

I wrote that last year and I was determined to get to goal by October, but I’m not there yet. Bingeing is a difficult problem to deal with and I am still fighting it every day. Some days are easier than others. When I can string a bunch of them together, I make real progress. That’s what this website is about: stringing enough good days together to make a healthy life.

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