Implementing a Health Behavior Change

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, incorporate more physical activity, or curious about a plant-based diet (PDB), moving towards a healthier lifestyle requires some sort of behavior change. For the purpose of this blog, I am focusing on the benefits of consuming a PBD as it relates to obesity. If you recall, a PBD is an eating pattern that emphasizes legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and discourages most (or all) animal products, such as eggs, beef, poultry, etc.¹ Therefore, the main goal of this behavior change is to alter the types of foods you are consuming, which then changes the overall nutritional profile of the foods you are consuming. Evidence shows that consuming a PBD is a viable option for the treatment and prevention of both overweight and obesity.^2-4 By consuming a more PBD, you will consume less saturated fat, cholesterol, antibiotics used in livestock during farming, and carnitine (a compound that increase inflammation) and more essential nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, zinc, and vitamins C, vitamin A, and fiber!^3,4

The best part is – you can personalize it! I am a big believer that small changes can lead to a big impact! Try consuming a PBD for 1 meal a week (e.g., Plant-Based Fridays) or even 1 meal/day (e.g., Plant-Based Breakfast). Implementing changes can be difficult, and I will be here to support you along the way by utilizing concepts of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT; also referred to as Social Learning Theory (SLT)).  SCT suggests that we have a framework for why we make and/or maintain health behaviors by studying how we learn.^5,6 SCT is composed of six factors^5,6:

• The knowledge of health risks/benefits;
• Perceived self-efficacy (i.e., your confidence);
• The expected costs and benefits;
•  Your health goals;
• Perceived facilities and social support; and
• The barriers to making changes

            In my opinion, perceived self-efficacy is absolutely necessary for any change to occur, not just weight loss. My opinions aside, research has shown a positive correlation (e.g., relationship) between SCI interventions and health behavior change in overweight and obese individuals.⁷

            Again, the goal is to implement a PBD to assist you to get healthy, improve your nutritional intake, and lose weight in the process. I am here to help facilitate this process by through education, inspiration, and demonstration that will increase your self-efficacy. Once you have the internal motivation and confidence, you will be able to implement a personalized PBD that tailored to your goals and lifestyle and lose weight!

Remember, change is a process, not an event!

You can do it!

Until next time…!

References:

1. McMacken M, Shah S. A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017 May; 14(5): 342–354. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.009.
2. Turner-McGrievy G, Mandes T, Crimarco A. A plant-based diet for overweight and obesity prevention and treatment. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):369-374. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.002.
3. Tuso PJ, Ismail MH, Ha BP, Bartolotto C. Nutritional update for physicians: Plant-based diets. The Permanente journal. 2013;17(2):61-66.  doi: 10.7812/TPP/12-085.
4. Hever J. Plant-based diets: A physician’s guide. The Permanente journal. 2016;20(3):15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27400178.
5. Carol Sokolik Sokolik, Doreen. Liou Liou, Bauer, Doreen, Kathleen D, Carol. Nutrition counseling and education skill development. Third edition ed. GB: Cengage Learning; 2016. 
6. Stacey F, James E, Chapman K, Courneya K, Lubans D. A systematic review and meta-analysis of social cognitive theory-based physical activity and/or nutrition behavior change interventions for cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2015;9(2):305-338. doi: 10.1007/s11764-014-0413-z.
7. Morgan PJ, Scott HA, Young MD, Plotnikoff RC, Collins CE, Callister R. Associations between program outcomes and adherence to social cognitive theory tasks: Process evaluation of the SHED-IT community weight loss trial for men. Int J Behav Nutr Phy. 2014;11(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s12966-014-0089-9.

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Did you find this information helpful to your weight loss journey?

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