Real Life Nutrition

By David Grotto, RD, LDN

I struggle with the same old 10-20 pounds that come back to haunt me with each book I write. For me, it’s not a mystery. I sit on my butt writing about not sitting on your butt and how you should take better care of yourself, all the while foregoing exercise, sleep, and healthy eating. How can this be? I have a degree in nutrition and should know better. But I fall into the same trap as millions of Americans who, like me, lack the motivation (at the time) to do something about their lot until something triggers them to act. And fortunately for me, something eventually happens in my brain where I do snap out of it and get back to those healthy behaviors that returns my body into a former healthier state.

I see this erratic type of behavior in all kinds of people regardless of gender, education level or socio-economic status. I had always assumed that the more educated and aware someone is about their health the more likely they are to take better care of themselves, but this is not always the case. I have patients who could easily be honorary registered dietitians – they know calories inside and out, fiber, antioxidants, what a serving size is and exactly what to eat to make them healthier. So why don’t they do it? Simple…they either don’t think they have a problem or enough of a problem to warrant change or they have become so frustrated from previous attempts that they simply throw in the towel. Translated into three words? They lack motivation.

When I went to school to become a dietitian I learned about something called “stages of readiness”. Every person goes through these stages of readiness before ever making a change in behavior:

Precontemplation: This is the stage that you either are unaware, unable or unwilling to make a change in your life. “Unmotivated” is the imperative word here.

Contemplation: As the word implies, this is the stage that we might be aware that we have a behavior that we want to change and may start thinking we may want to change it…or not. “Ambivalent” is the imperative word here.

Preparation: Okay. You are officially a player. You’ve already decided that something has to change and are now weighing your options. “Actively planning” describes you to a tee here.

Action: The training wheels are off and dad has let go of the bicycle. You are now actively engaged in making a behavior change. You’ve transcended “Just Do It” to “That’s Right, I’m Doing It”.

Maintenance: Look at you! You’ve made the behavior change and are on the road to improving your health and are “taking names”. You’re in a groove and are making strides to keep the status quo.

What’s weird to me is that I think I’m seeing more people at this time of year in the “precontemplation” stage than ever before. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think so.

You’ve probably seen the reports, surveys and studies that suggest that many of us don’t think we have a behavior to change or if we do are unwilling or unable to change it. This bums me out. The essence of what I do is helping people make necessary changes to improve their health. I can’t do that if my patient doesn’t think they have a problem to be fixed in the first place or has the reached the level of frustration that they have already thrown in the towel.

It’s time to pull out the big guns. Next week I will feature my interview with leading health expert David Katz, MD, MPH to get his thoughts on this subject. I’ve put a few questions to him and will post his answers. But first, I’d like to put some questions to you, first! PLEASE grace me with your responses – I really do want to know what stage you are at in your quest for optimal health and what you foresee as roadblocks to success.

1.      Do you need to change a health behavior?

2.      Is “being aware” of a health challenge enough of a motivator for you to make changes in your life? If not, what triggers you to act?

3.      Do you feel like the cards are stacked against you? What blocks your way to successfully making change?

4.      Do you feel we’ve “thrown in the towel” as a nation?

See you in the comment section. Have a great week!