"Session 8: Eating Behaviors"

here are many types of events, situations, times or feelings that trigger certain activities or behavior e.g. overeating. It is important to become more aware of such situations and take action to manage them more effectively or try to avoid them. Please click here first to review Program Expectations before jumping into Session 8. Use your browser's "Back" button to return to this spot.

Think about the common way you respond to the following situations:

EVENT	YOUR RESPONSE
The phone begins to ring.
You're driving and see a red light
You fill up the fifth number in a row on a BINGO card.
Your coworker brings a box of donuts to work.
Your 8-year-old makes her first batch of chocolate chip cookies.
You walk past a bake sale early in the afternoon and you didn't have lunch.
You see a juicy food commercial on TV.

A typical response may make life easier. However, at times these automatic responses or habits need to be changed, especially if they result in something undesirable such as weight gain. Frequently, your behavior is so automatic that you do not realize that a behavior pattern exists that needs to be changed. For this reason, examining a food record that documents events and feelings that surround episodes of overeating may help identify responses you could alter to avoid a lapse. That's why it is so important to keep recording information in your Daily Food and Activity Record.

The ABC approach to studying behavior helps you to better examine your lifestyle and identify trigger events, feelings and situations that may inadvertently lead you to overeat.

The ABC acronym stands for Antecedents, Behavior and Consequences. Trigger events might include travel, preparing or waiting for dinner, going to a party, bowling or going to the movies. Making continuous lifestyle change means that, on occasion, trouble spots that frequently repeat themselves must be analyzed and corrective actions taken. The ABC approach helps to guide your analysis. With it, you'll list situations, feelings and events that precluded or contributed to a lapse (antecedents), things that occurred during the lapse (behavior) and consequences of the lapse.

The following is an example: John is tired after a long day and has no plans for dinner. His son has a sporting activity at 6 pm and he passes a fast-food hamburger place on the way home. He stops and quickly orders and eats a double cheeseburger, fries and Coke. When he gets to the game, he wishes he had not eaten so much and feels guilty. The Antecedents were feeling tired, having no dinner planned and driving by the fast-food hamburger place. The Behavior during the meal was eating quickly and eating all the food. The Consequences were feeling uncomfortably full and guilty about the amount of calories and fat he ate.

The following charts list numerous behaviors that affect weight and are categorized as things done before you eat (antecedents), while your eat (behavior) and after you eat (consequences). Examine these lists and your past food records. Can you relate to any of these ABCs? Try to implement more of the "behaviors to do more often" actions.

ANTECEDENTS

A is for ANTECEDENTS: Events, feelings and situations that occur before eating that increase fat and/or calorie intake.

Behaviors to Do LESS Often	Behaviors to Do MORE Often
Don't plan meals; make grocery list randomly.	Plan meals; make list to fit.
Shop without a list & when hungry	Shop after eating, with a list.
Buy easily prepared/ready-to-eat high-calorie food.	Buy ready-to-eat foods low in fat and calories.
Don't prepare own lunch/snacks for work; rely on vending machines/eating out.	Prepare own lunches and snacks and research low-calorie restaurant options.
Don't plan what to order in advance when eating out.	Think about menu options beforehand; order a la cart.
Give self little time for meal preparation & eating; force to eat on the run.	Schedule time for meal preparation & to enjoy meals.
Have high-calorie foods visible & easily accessible.	Store high-calorie foods out of sight and fruits and vegetables in easy reach.
Don't anticipate difficult situations & don't plan how to deal with them.	Realize your "high-risk" situations; practice options.
Drink a lot of alcohol before meal.	Limit alcohol to fit meal plan.
Think of food plan as terrible, too hard or too much work.	Think food plan as wise, healthy and possible.
Think "I've got to lose 10 lbs this week."	Focus on eating healthy & exercise goals this week.

BEHAVIOR

B is for BEHAVIOR during eating that increases calorie intake.

Behaviors to Do LESS Often	Behaviors to Do MORE Often
Eat in a great variety of places (couch, car, bed, desk)	Confine eating to one place (table)
Eat quickly and without utensils	Eat slowly and with utensils. Put for down between bites.
Do many other things while eating (reading, watching TV, driving)	Only eat while eating. Pay attention to how your food tastes; enjoy it.
Eat when emotionally upset.	Relax before eating. Use other options to manage emotions.
Serve food "family style" at the table.	Serve portions before sitting. Plan an activity right after the meal.
Don't chew food well.	Chew food thoroughly. Take time to taste your food.
Don't eat breakfast.	Eat breakfast. Eat 3 meals a day.
Eat according to urges.	Eat according to time schedule.
Expect to be served; eat everything you are given.	Serve yourself. Leave something on your plate. You control the intake.
Think "I need… (sweets, chips, etc.)"	Think "They would taste good, but I could do without them."
Think "I blew it anyway" or "this is the weekend."	Think "I can get back on track now" and "weekends count too."
Eat only old favorites.	Experiment with new, healthy foods & recipes.

CONSEQUENCES

C is for CONSEQUENCES of overeating, which contribute to future lapses.

Behaviors to Do LESS Often	Behaviors to Do MORE Often
Feel terribly guilty for any slips.	Recognize slips & problem solve.
Conclude that changing is "hopeless."	Think "I can learn from slips and recover."
Only think about slips and not successes.	Recognize times you stay on plan & compliment and reward yourself.
Don't build in a reward plan.	Reward self for daily success.
Make reward too long to wait for or give it to self anyway.	Make reward frequent & only if you meet goals.
Think of how wonderful high-calorie food tasted.	Think of taste together with healthiness of food.
Avoid considering health penalty for high-fat or calorie food.	Remind yourself of benefits healthy foods give to your body.
Ignore progress or weigh yourself every day.	Graph progress weekly.

Click here for Additional Eating & Fitness Strategies. Use the "Back" button on your browser to return to this spot.

We hope that during this week while continuing to meet Program Expectations you will use the ABC approach to making behavior changes and incorporate the additional healthy eating and fitness strategies in your daily routine. Also, please be sure to maintain your Daily Food and Activity Record using the online calculators and blank forms available under Calorie Calculators on the top frame.