It is really hard to make successful changes to your nutrition habits & to create new routines!  That applies to just about anything, not just food…. Think about when you last changed jobs and had to learn a new process, new people, new structure.  Or what about learning how to cook?  Or drive a car?  It’s awkward…. to put it mildly!  Until I get into the swing of something new… I wish I had a fast forward button to get to the point where it feels natural!  So of course, that’s the same for starting a new activity or changing your nutrition habits.

When I started my current job, there were days I kept thinking I was in over my head and there was just SO MUCH to learn at once.  I was fortunate enough to have a really supportive group of people who were understanding and patient.  It made that awkward time a little easier to get through.

So what happens when you’re starting to create new food habits, and you’re surrounded by people who have the exact habits you’re hoping to change? … There’s that awkward feeling again!

As my own food habits have changed over the years, I’ve come across this more and more often.  I decline a cookie or the birthday cake or whatever-celebratory-food, and then comes the assault of questions:

“You don’t want a brownie?”                                                                                                “Why don’t you want a brownie?”                                                                                “Are you full?”                                                                                                                      “Are you on a diet?”                                                                                                                “Do you not like brownies?  There’s ice cream!”                                                           “What’s wrong?”

And if I reply with, “ok… just a small one….” then all the chaos I just stirred up in the dessert pot settles down, and life goes back to normal.  If I continue to decline, there are times I’ve felt like the host was disappointed and thought I wasn’t having a good time because I didn’t indulge in the foods offered.

Food tends to be the glue that holds events together, so I think we associate people eating with having a good time.  And that’s not wrong!  I love food!  We all love food!  But when we’re working toward making healthier food choices, sometimes the people around us aren’t as supportive as we need them to be.  I think that’s worth talking about because it can make a big impact on our motivation and success.

One of the things I suggest to make successful changes to your nutrition habits is to go out and make sure you do have a support group!  This can be as simple or as elaborate as you need it to be.  This is your journey, so you get to do it how you want it!  You  may be the kind of person who needs 1 close friend and you feel 100% supported.  Maybe you feel more supported in a group.  What about the kind of group?  Would you benefit from actually sitting down and talking face to face with others?  Or would you prefer to go online and do things a little more anonymous?  It’s okay if you don’t know the answer to any of these questions.  But I will give you some suggestions so you can figure out what path might work best for you.  In my blog about “how to lose weight“, I referenced two sites for keeping an online food diary: MyFitnessPal, & SparkPeople.  Both of those sites also have message boards & blogs so you can join in the virtual community for support.  If you prefer something in person, a quick Google search for “support groups in my area” will help you narrow down some choices.  You can fill in whatever type of group you are looking for such as “weight loss support group”, “food allergy support group”, “nutrition support group.”  Maybe you can even start your own if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for.  Have you talked to any of your family or friends about wanting to make some changes?  Sometimes you can find people who get motivated by your own excitement to make changes… and now you have a buddy to work with!

Whatever path you choose is great!  Just make sure you do have someone to talk to and share thoughts with.  Like I mentioned above, you may be surrounded by a lot of people who don’t understand the changes you’re trying to make.  Having a buddy to text or email in a tough situation is one of the most helpful ways to ensure you will be more successful!

The other side of that involves a little planning from you!    I am a big advocate for moderation.  There are definitely going to be events where you DO want to indulge in more than just the conversation.  So go for it… and enjoy yourself!  But plan on those days.  If I go to 5 birthday parties in 1 month, I’m not going to eat cake every time.  But I go to the fair once a year… and I get peanut butter fudge when I go.  I love it & I look forward to it every year.  I eat cookies & eggnog on Christmas.  Thanksgiving just isn’t complete without pie!  But meeting up with friends every weekend… ?  Instead of meeting for dinner, go bowling or go for a walk.  Going to a movie?  Go after dinner & skip the popcorn.  For my birthday I didn’t want the traditional cake & ice cream.  We had angel food cake & fresh strawberries instead!  (No regrets!  It was DELICIOUS!)

Speaking of moderation… that’s another key to being successful when you change your nutrition habits.  You have to define what moderation means.  It will be a little different for everyone.  I used the example above of celebrating 5 birthdays in 1 month.  At every party, what if you hear, “Just one piece of cake isn’t going to hurt….”?  Then it become 5 pieces of cake in 1 month!!  Is that a change from what you were doing before?  Or is that something you want to change for the future?  Define what your “moderation” is and then plan around it!  If you say you only want to eat sweets twice a month, plan for them and look forward to it!

Another way to stay successful is slowing down and giving yourself time to actually form the new habits you want.  I’ve mentioned in previous blogs that sometimes it’s most helpful to pick one or two things you want to change & just focus on that.  You may have a list of things you would like to try, but when you make too many changes at once, it’s overwhelming!  If you make just one goal & work on that until it becomes routine, then it just feels natural!  You don’t have to try to work on it anymore, you’re just doing it automatically.

When you’re choosing which goals to work on, it’s also very important to make them as specific as you can.  If your goal is “to cut down on soda”…. what is that really telling you?  Make it specific!  Maybe you drink a soda with every meal and one before bed.  An example of a specific goal would be, “I’m not going to drink soda for breakfast or before bed, only with lunch and dinner.  I’m going to have juice in the morning and water at night.”  If your goal is to “eat healthier”, maybe you could modify that to be: “I’m going to eat healthier by having vegetables with my meals & eating fruit for dessert instead of ice cream.”  Be specific!!  When you make a general or vague goal, you aren’t really telling yourself anything and you don’t have a way to get started.  Vague goals set people up to be unsuccessful from the start, so start strong and avoid that issue altogether!

So there you have it!  Support, planning, defining moderation, time, and specific goals….  Those are going to be your key players for being successful.  Change is hard, no matter what form it takes.  But you got this!  If you find other strategies that have worked well for you, please feel free to share and we can add on to the list!