One step, instead of a leap, at a time

Lately, I’ve been helping quite a few people change the way they eat. Some seek out my help with the hope of eventual weight loss, while others are seeking out an increase in physical performance. Thing is, no matter what your reason for wanting to change, it always comes down to the same basic changes.

Before I got into nutritional coaching, I used to judge people for the way they ate. I would ask myself “don’t they know what that crap is doing to them?”. What I’ve learned is that most people do know. Well, they know that what they are eating isn’t necessarily healthy, not what specific damage it is doing to their bodies. The main reason most people that I’ve helped don’t eat healthier foods is that they don’t know what to eat instead. Most of these people were raised eating a certain way, they’ve always eaten that way. So though they may want to make a change, they don’t know how. I had a client tell me today “I even bothered to stop at a health food store but I had no idea what to buy, where to start, so I left.” And so, with my help, she is slowly learning what to buy, where to start, one step at a time.

Making big changes in your life can be very intimidating. If you focus on the final result, chances are you’ll never get there. Instead, break it down into smaller, manageable goals. When changing the way you eat, focus on changing one problem at a time, and don’t take on the next challenge until you’ve got the first one under control. Build up slowly, start with something small and work your way up to that one horrible thing that you just can’t go without. I laugh when TV weight loss shows will send a trainer or nutrition expert into someone’s home and have them throw out the entire contents in their fridge. How can you possibly ask someone to suddenly start eating salads for dinner when they were raised on fried chicken. They may last for a couple weeks, but no doubt a walk of shame to KFC isn’t too far down the road. If you really want to change, remember that this is a long term goal. Better to take the time and do it right than look for that quick fix and keep starting over after each failure.