Part of our Counseling and Preventative Medicine class requires us to complete a fun project: changing a "not-so-good" behavior for two weeks. The purpose of this project is to experience making a change. Often, providers tell their patients to "lose weight" or "stop smoking" but may not really understand what it is like to make a behavior change like that. Each of us selected a topic that we not only believed we could change in two weeks but also would better ourselves by changing it. For example, many students chose to exercise more and create a routine to follow. Some chose to change their dietary habits by either drinking more water or, like me, changing actual foods they are eating.
When I first selected my topic for this project I thought that it would be easy, follow the diet plan and in two weeks it would be changed. I know changes are difficult, but in the past, I have been able to change many things about myself. For example, I trained for a half-marathon and ran nearly every weekday during class time. Or maybe, I purchased a new water-pik flosser and now floss every day! However, this behavior change is much more difficult. For some reason changing my dietary habits is not like anything else I have tried before. My goal for this change is to limit my carb intake and force myself to try other protein-rich foods. (I may be able to feed all the pasta and bread I want into my 22 year old body now, but in ten years my body will not respond the same way and I will have to find better and healthier foods to fill my diet.) Needless to say, my behavior change project is extremely difficult for me and I have only been doing it for one week! One week! I am barely halfway through the project and I am already struggling.
Take away points:
I may be struggling, but now I understand what it means to "feed a craving" even if thats not related to food. Sometimes I find myself giving into my wants and binging on all the foods I can't have! After that, its hard to get back on the wagon and keep the plan going strong. I am learned the difference between a slip and a relapse and what I can do to prevent both of those things from happening. All in all, I think this is a great project and I almost wish that it was continued for more than just two weeks!
When I first selected my topic for this project I thought that it would be easy, follow the diet plan and in two weeks it would be changed. I know changes are difficult, but in the past, I have been able to change many things about myself. For example, I trained for a half-marathon and ran nearly every weekday during class time. Or maybe, I purchased a new water-pik flosser and now floss every day! However, this behavior change is much more difficult. For some reason changing my dietary habits is not like anything else I have tried before. My goal for this change is to limit my carb intake and force myself to try other protein-rich foods. (I may be able to feed all the pasta and bread I want into my 22 year old body now, but in ten years my body will not respond the same way and I will have to find better and healthier foods to fill my diet.) Needless to say, my behavior change project is extremely difficult for me and I have only been doing it for one week! One week! I am barely halfway through the project and I am already struggling.
Take away points:
I may be struggling, but now I understand what it means to "feed a craving" even if thats not related to food. Sometimes I find myself giving into my wants and binging on all the foods I can't have! After that, its hard to get back on the wagon and keep the plan going strong. I am learned the difference between a slip and a relapse and what I can do to prevent both of those things from happening. All in all, I think this is a great project and I almost wish that it was continued for more than just two weeks!