Changing your lifestyle – they don’t make a pill for that. Changing the way that you eat takes both physical and mental preparation, and just like quitting or changing any other habit you must be ready for it. But it will be worth it. Do you want to reduce your risks for diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, heart disease, dementia and more?
Making a lifestyle change, such as adopting a low-carb diet, involves five distinct stages: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance. These stages describe the psychological process individuals navigate when modifying behavior, requiring both physical and mental readiness for success. The "Making the Change" article notes that most successful self-changers typically go through these stages three or four times before achieving lasting change without relapse.
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There are 5 stages to quitting anything – Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance.
1) PRECONTEMPLATION STAGE – not yet ready to acknowledge there is a problem, much less a solution. Precontemplators usually show up in my office because of pressures from others… they are not ready.
2) CONTEMPLATION STAGE -ready to see something change. Contemplators acknowledge there is a problem and begin to think about a solution, but have trouble understanding the problem and it’s causes, and wonder about the possible solution. Many contemplators have nonspecific plans to take action in the near future. It is not uncommon for contemplators to tell themselves that “some day they are going to change”….they are not ready now, but can move into the preparation stage easily.
When contemplators transition to the preparation stage of change, their thinking is clearly marked by two changes. First, they begin to think more about the future than the past. The end of contemplation stage is a time of ANTICIPATION, ACTIVITY, ANXIETY, and EXCITEMENT.
3) PREPARATION STAGE Most people in the preparation stage have a plan to take action and are making the final adjustments before they begin to change their behavior. The may still have mixed feelings, and still need a little convincing…this is where most people are when they first come in to talk about lifestyle changes.
4) ACTION STAGE Stage where people modify their behavior and their surroundings, making the move for which they have been preparing. This stage requires the greatest commitment of time and energy. CHANGE IS MORE VISIBLE TO OTHERS.
5) MAINTENANCE STAGE Change never ends with action. Without a strong commitment to maintenance, there will surely be relapse, usually to precontemplation or contemplation stage.
MOST SUCCESSFUL SELF-CHANGERS GO THROUGH THE STAGES THREE OR FOUR TIMES BEFORE THEY MAKE IT THROUGH THE CYCLE OF CHANGE WITHOUT AT LEAST ONE SLIP. MOST WILL RETURN TO THE CONTEMPLATION STAGE OF CHANGE. SLIPS GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN (Stages of Change)
Changing to a low carb diet is just like any other lifestyle change. Carbs and sugar are addictive, easy, and what we are all used to. Just like when someone quits smoking or drinking alcohol, there will be significant cravings, as well as people around us who talk us into “being bad”. Surrounding yourself with other people who eat LCHF, cleaning out the pantry and buying easy snacks and foods to cook for meals, and always planning ahead of time so that you are not left without a good option is the way to succeed at this. easy snacks and foods to cook for meals, and always planning ahead so that you are not left without good options. And if you fall off the wagon, stand up and dust yourself off, and start once again down the path to optimum health without beating yourself up!
