Describe how behavior and attitude modification might be useful in making different diet and exercise choices

Answer 1

Behavior-modification therapy provides ways to overcome barriers to making dietary changes and increasing physical activity. Behavior-modification therapy does more than help people decide which behaviors to change: it also teaches them how to change. Behavior and attitude are important supporting factors in achieving and maintaining appropriate body weight and composition. Changing the behaviors of overeating and under-exercising that lead to, and perpetuate, obesity requires time and effort. A person must commit to take action.
A person who is aware of all the behaviors that create a problem has a head start on developing a solution. First, the person needs to establish a baseline (a record of present eating and physical activity behaviors) against which to measure future progress. It is best to keep a diary that includes the time and place of meals and snacks, the type and amount of foods eaten, the persons present when food is eaten, and a description of the individual's feelings when eating. The diary should also record physical activities: the kind, the intensity level, the duration, and the person's feelings about them. These entries will help the individual identify possible behaviors to change. Many companies have developed weight-loss applications for smartphones and other mobile devices to help users manage their daily food and physical activity behaviors. Applications include diet analysis tools that can track eating habits, scanning devices that can quickly enter food data, customized activity and meal plans that can be sent to users, and support programs that deliver encouraging messages and helpful tips. Social media sites allow users to upload progress reports and receive texts. Using these applications can help a person become more aware of behaviors that lead to weight gains and losses.
Behavior modification strategies focus on learning desired eating and exercise behaviors and eliminating unwanted behaviors. With so many possible behavior changes, a person can feel overwhelmed. Start with small time-specific goals for each behavior—for example, "I'm going to take a 30-minute walk after dinner every evening" instead of "I'm going to run a marathon someday.". Practice desired behaviors until they become routine.
A paradox of making a change is that it takes belief in oneself and honoring of oneself to lay the foundation for changing that self. That is, self-acceptance predicts success, while self-loathing predicts failure. "Positive self-talk" is a concept worth cultivating—many people succeed because their mental dialogue supports, rather than degrades, their efforts. Negative thoughts ("I'm not getting thin anyway, so what is the use of continuing?") should be viewed in light of empirical evidence ("my starting weight: 174 pounds; today's weight: 163 pounds").
For many people, overeating and being overweight may have become an integral part of their identity. Changing diet and activity behaviors without attention to a person's self-concept invites failure. Many people overeat to cope with the stresses of life. To break out of that pattern, they must first identify the particular stressors that trigger their urges to overeat. Then, when faced with these situations, they must learn to practice problem-solving skills. When the problems that trigger the urge to overeat are dealt with in alternative ways, people may find that they eat less. The message is that sound emotional health supports the ability to take care of health in all ways—including nutrition, weight management, and fitness.