One of the hardest things in life is maintaining consistency in any “change” we attempt—especially when it comes to health, weight-loss (or maintenance), and nutrition, it seems to cause us more heartache and stress than it feels like it’s worth (hello yo-yo dieting and
chronic weight-cycling). Throw some unexpected chaos into the mix (like, say, a global pandemic) and there’s a sure recipe for setbacks and ambivalence (“why bother even trying”?). At the end of the day, though, no matter what’s going on in the world or in our lives, there’s a deeper issue regarding consistency and what makes it so difficult to stick to a “plan”. So today we’ll explore three reasons it’s hard to stay consistent and what we can do to combat it, creating a positive mindset that promotes sustainable change.
Reason #1: The All-Or-Nothing Mentality
The Problem: The all-or-nothing mentality is the one that gives up everything all at once (on Monday, of course) and is determined to follow a stringent list of rules for all time to come. “I’ll never eat XYZ again!” This mentality goes from zero activity to “I’m going to the gym for two hours at a time, seven days a week!” The all-or-nothing mentality practices drastic, overnight changes, the type that require a weekend of over-indulgence before that dreaded “Monday” comes. Rarely, if ever, does this type of strategy work for a lifetime. It might work for a few weeks or months, but after so much deprivation, the poor soul usually throws in the towel (typically starts off as a “cheat” meal here and there, then a week end of indulgence, then eventually the white flag of submission is raised). I’m not saying this strategy has never worked, but it’s not the best option for someone wanting to make lasting changes that don’t leave them miserable or feeling the need to avoid social situations involving food (“Oh, I can’t eat THAT”). Life is meant to be enjoyed, so why do we feel the need to torture ourselves?
What to do instead: Make small, sustainable changes that can be followed with full confidence (“I’m 100% certain I can adopt this habit every day with no struggle”). Stop thinking it’s all or nothing and start thinking about progressions. Progressive changes take a starting point and identifies steps to achieving the end goal. For example, if a person drinks two cans of soda a day, instead of swearing off all soda forever, switch one of the regular sodas to a diet soda. After a couple of weeks, switch the other regular to a diet soda. After another week or two, trade in the diet sodas for sparkling flavored water, and so on until eventually the sodas are replaced with something more nutritious like tea or water. Yes, doing things in stages will take longer, but It won’t feel like deprivation and it will be sustainable. And yes, one could certainly give up soda cold turkey, but again, we’re trying to create habits that are sustainable without feeling like it’s mental torture. Some of the habits we’re trying to replace may have been engrained in us, sometimes for years or decades, so trying to change such habits in an instant can be overwhelming and unrealistic (and why it seems like an impossible game of willpower).
The same concept applies to adding physical activity. Jumping “all-in” when currently at “zero” will be difficult to sustain over the long term. Studies have shown that as little as 10% effort can yield results, and if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us can contribute a 10% effort towards making a change. (Note: in some situations, going cold turkey may be warranted, like quitting alcohol or tobacco products. And sometimes we’re just ready for change and are willing to give up something so much so that it doesn’t feel like deprivation—we’re just done. Only you know how willing and able you are to make a sudden change—if making drastic changes hasn’t worked in the past, perhaps it’s time to try something different.)
Reason #2: Unrealistic Expectations
The Problem: Another roadblock to consistency is the often-unrealistic expectations we have regarding our ability to maintain new habits, as well as the type of results we’ll get from adopting those new habits. This is especially common for people seeking specific body composition goals like a “flat stomach” or “toned arms”. For example, if we think taking three-mile walks 4 or 5 times a week will yield “six-pack” abs, we might have an unrealistic expectation about the results we’ll get from an activity. Likewise, we make lofty goals with little idea of the type of effort it will take to achieve those goals (for example, the cost of getting extremely lean or “cut” is quite high, and not something easily achievable or realistic for many people). Also, if we set unrealistic goals to begin with, we won’t see the results we’re wanting (like getting on the scale after your first “healthy meal” or workout expecting to see a change) leading to discouragement, disappointment, and eventually abandonment of the goals all together. We can’t expect to go from zero activity to running a marathon in only four weeks. We can’t make goals like these and expect to accomplish them. If we’re able to set realistic, achievable, and sustainable goals using a progressive, step by step plan on how to get there, we’re much more likely to stay consistent and develop lifelong habits (why many people need the help of a coach—it can be difficult to know where to start or how to get from point A to point B). If we’ve started and abandoned a workout plan or diet several times over, we’ve likely set unrealistic expectations about the results we’d get in relation to the effort we were putting in, as well as trying to make too many changes too quickly.
What to do instead: Understand the habits and effort needed to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves and evaluate whether it’s realistic for our lifestyle. If we work full time, have a family and spouse vying for our time and attention, have after-school programs or other commitments pulling for our time, we shouldn’t expect to be able to participate in two hours of extreme activity every day, or grow our own garden and cook every meal from scratch. Our goals and plans to achieve those goals need to match our lifestyle. Additionally, understanding the work that goes into the body composition we’d like to have, whether that’s to lose “a few pounds” or get “ripped” for a body-building competition, requires an adjustment to our expectations, one that meets the reality of what we can do consistently. Maybe we can only commit to walking three times a week for thirty minutes at a time. That’s great (remember, even 10% effort can yield results) but we need to keep our expectations for the type of results we’ll achieve realistic. (If we’re struggling to understand why we’re not getting the results we’d expect, we might need the help of a coach.)
Reason #3: The One-Size-Fits-All Mentality
The Problem: This diet worked for Joe Smith, so it will work for us too. As simple a concept this is, it’s simply not scientifically accurate. Our bodies are unique, including our DNA and the way our genes react to stimuli (including that of the nutrients we absorb). Have you ever wondered why one person can drink five cups of coffee with little effect, while another can barely handle one cup without their heart feeling like it will blow out of their chest? Part of that has to do with our genes and how they respond to environment and nutrition (in this example, how the body responds to caffeine). Some people are allergic to dairy, others wheat. Allergies are due to an immune response which some people have, and others don’t. This is one of many reasons just because a “diet” worked for one person doesn’t mean it will work for someone else and why it seems like one diet “cured” someone’s diseases but the same diet didn’t do a thing for someone else with the same disease. We are all, quite literally, unique, from the way we look on the outside to the way our DNA is coded. So, if Aunt Marge touts the amazing benefits of some supplement she’s taking along with how great she feels after giving up bread, that’s awesome for her, but that doesn’t mean that will work for us. Likewise, what works for us might not be what’s best for our friends or coworkers (so we should be careful about preaching any diet to anyone, especially if we don’t understand their medical history). Not only do our genes play a role in how we respond to nutrients, but our social environment plays a role. Not everyone has a strong support system or the means to go “full organic”. Our lifestyles and preferences are just as unique as our genes and will affect our dietary choices.
What to do instead: Start with the basics. There’s no need to overcomplicate what is quite simple (though not necessarily easy). Rather than jumping into another extreme fad diet, we need to instead become more aware of the nutrients we’re giving our bodies. Before we make any changes to our habits we need to ask, “Can I do this for the rest of my life?” If not, we likely won’t be able to sustain the changes over a long period of time (think of our example of giving up soda). Another thing we need to ask ourselves is how we feel when we eat certain foods. Do we feel bloated or sluggish? Or maybe we feel energetic and appropriately fueled for activity. When we take note of how we feel after we eat, we can learn what our bodies need and want and how we can perform at our best. No matter what way of eating we land on, we should always keep in mind how our bodies are responding to it, and that it may differ from how other’s bodies will respond. As with any lifestyle adjustment we should evaluate its effectiveness by asking ourselves “how is this working?” If it’s not going well, we need to note what is and isn’t working, readjust, and move forward. Nutrition is not a belief system, it’s science. Our bodies are our own little beakers of experimentation which is exciting and scary at the same time. The good news is we have control over what we put in our mouths and how we choose to move our bodies, which offers us a great deal of freedom in discovering what “works”. We don’t have to follow someone else’s rules or worry what other’s think. What a relief!
We’ve all struggled with change at one time or another, understanding the reasons we’ve struggled and addressing them are the keys to combating our inconsistent behavior and making realistic changes that will last a lifetime.
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Rebecca was a Precision Nutrition Certified Nutrition Coach, an A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer, an A.C.E.Fitness Nutrition Specialist, an A.C.E. Sports Conditioning Specialist, and an A.C.E. Youth Fitness Specialist. She first earned her Personal Training certification with A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise) in 2002. She has been in and out of the "Health & Fitness" industry for nearly two decades. She also spent two years as a dietetic student at ASU & EMCC. She now blogs about her experiences with the health and fitness industry, eating disorders, lifestyle modification, weight loss, and nutrition for chronic disease, wellness, and longevity.
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