Habits are formed by repeating actions over time. Forming new habits is difficult because transitioning away from old, comfortable habits causes anxiety. Our default eating habits, formed from psychological connections between cues and food, are hard to resist when stressed. Behavior modification aims to break these connections by identifying triggers for overeating and making a plan to avoid triggers or change routines. This includes eating slowly away from distractions, using smaller plates, and keeping healthy snacks available instead of leftovers.

3. Habits
 Are formed by repeating the action over time
 NEW HABITS ARE FORMED THE SAME WAY
 Starting new habits is difficult because the transition
is stressful.
WHEN WE RESIST AN OLD COMFORTABLE HABIT WE
WILL FEEL ANXIETY.
ANXIETY IS SCARY…
therefore we return to our comfort zone: food

4. Healthy way of coping with anxiety:
Relaxation and Deep Breathing

5. …YOU WILL FEEL A HEIGHTENED sense of anxiety
when you
cannot eat the foods you used to love or must stop after
just a couple of bites.

6. Our comfortable old eating habits are like DEFAULT SETTINGS.
When under stress, we often revert to that default setting of eating.
Our default setting are the HABITS we try hard to resist when on a diet
or between diets.
These default settings never go away but we can control them instead
of them controlling us.

7. Old Habits
 We default back to them because the psychological
connections are so strong

8. Gareth Roe

9. Do babies and toddlers wait for cues to eat?
Do they eat when they are hungry, bored, angry,
sad, receive comfort?
What do they do when they are full?
adults

10. Bottomless Soup Bowls

11. Behavior Modifications…
is based on the idea that powerful psychological
connections between certain cues and eating are
established over time.

12. Behavior Modification
 Step 1: Identify triggers, cues, emotions and situations that lead to eating by self-monitoring.
Emotional-Which ones cause you to eat? Boredom
Place-Office party?
Time: Late at night while watching television
Foods/Habitual-Watching television and eating nuts
 SELF - MONITORING
Key is to become aware of these triggers.
• Step 2: Make a plan to avoid trigger or situation.
When you begin to change these connects between cues and food they will lose
Some of their power over you.
You will control the situation rather than let the situation control you.

17. Behavior Modifications for Weight Loss
 Eat very slowly and place your eating utensils on the
plate between bites.
 Do not engage in other activities during mealtime.
 Eat only in the kitchen. Period.
 Stay out of the kitchen except when absolutely
necessary. Keep kitchen lights off.
 Use small plates, bowls, and utensils
 Do not keep leftover on the table that causes
additional nibbling after you finish.

18. Behavior Modification Con’t
 Keep food out of site as much as possible
 Do not leave bowls of small snacking foods on the
counter or table.
 Use these principles at work also.
 Bring healthy snacks and meals with you to work so you
will not be at the mercy of the cafeteria, fast food, or
vending machines.
 Do not eat lunch at your desk.
 At break time, avoid the break room where others may be
eating or where vending machines are located.

19. Behavior Modification Con’t
 Learn to change your routine.
 In the supermarket avoid the cracker, cookies, nuts
aisles that might be tempting.
• Play soothing music while eating.
• Try not to nibble while preparing foods-Common trap
• If munching while you cook is a problem for you, try
to prepare several meals at once to decrease the
amount of time you will be vulnerable.
• Keep healthy snacking alternatives available, such as
sugar-free hard candies, sugar-free popsicles, or sugar-free
flavored jello.

20. Behavior Modification Con’t
 Always keep a bottle of water with you.
 Always have an escape route.
 Monitor your progress by weighing weekly or every
other day.
 Be aware of visual cues for eating.
 When you have a craving, try waiting for 10 minutes
before you eat anything; overtime the craving will
lose their power over you.

21. “I always overeat
because it tastes so
good, and I don’t want
the food to go to waste.
“I can’t exercise
because I don’t have
time to go to the gym
Weight Loss
Roadblocks

22. Learn to cope with anxiety in a healthy way so you can
achieve your change goals.
Relaxation and deep breathing techniques
Youtube: Relaxation tape