Crush Your Health Goals in 2025: Behaviour Change Techniques for Weight Management Based on Evidence

Do a little dance if you’re ready for 2025 ??

And, keep on dancing if you’re READY to tackle your goals this year ????

I came across two studies today that made ME do a little happy dance (I’ll dive into those in a second)

A happy dance to celebrate that ? small goals make BIG waves ?

Because honestly, I am sick-and-tired of hearing the long laundry-list of things we “have to do” to be healthy (cut out carbs entirely, go to the gym X times per week, drink a daily shot of apple cider vinegar…)

Maybe you can resonate…

? You’re READY to make 2025 the year of supporting your health

? You aim to go to the gym a couple of times, return to normal eating habits, cut out alcohol and say “sayonara” to sweets

? It feels reasonable - nothing too wild or rigid

? The first week or two, things are going well and you feel GREAT

? A few weeks in, life somehow gets in the way, and you miss a few gym sessions, snack on a cookie, or enjoy a glass of wine…

? And, you feel like you’ve failed.

? The behaviours you wanted to set melt away, and you return to whatever you were doing before…

I see this all the time. And, it totally makes sense.

There are SO many steps that go into behaviour change…

—> Establish the behaviour you would like to set

—> Make a plan to complete that behaviour

—> Remember to do that behaviour in the moment

—> Reflect and build strategies to support yourself in doing the behaviour even when life gets in the way

—> Practice the behaviour consistently for it to become subconscious and “automatic”

Imagine doing that for FOUR NEW habits all at the same time (exercise routine, return to normal eating habits, cutting out alcohol and saying “sayonara” to sweets).

Not to mention, we eat multiple times per day, making any habit associated with eating even more susceptible to life’s daily curveballs.

The good news?

You can absolutely build all of these habits over time. It might just be a bit more “slow-and-steady” than you initially envisioned

(but, hey… I have a hunch you’d rather slow-and-steady-and-sustainable than quick-and-fast-and-unsustainable).

Here’s what the research says.

Direct quotes from Hill et al in 2012

• Compared with the control group, the group receiving the small-changes intervention reduced relative body mass index over time. The small-changes intervention involved increasing walking as measured by pedometers and making small changes in food intake such as eating breakfast or substituting foods/beverages with noncaloric sweeteners for those containing sugar.
• The main features of the small-change model that distinguish it from other models of behaviour change are that the starting point is a change from an individual’s baseline, that the individual is involved in setting his or her own goal versus being given a goal by the program, and that the changes required are small and manageable so that the individual does not feel restricted or overburdened.

Let's break this down

Long-term results appear to be supported when…

? YOU set your own first step/goals (rather than a plan telling you what to do)

? Changes are small and manageable (to build confidence and to avoid feeling restricted or overwhelmed)

And… Once you set that first small goal, Behaviour Change Techniques are helpful to keep the ball rolling.

Franz et al 2007 notes behaviour change techniques commonly used in successful weight management interventions...

? Self-monitoring

? Goal setting

? Stimulus control

? Reinforcement

? Cognitive change

? Problem-solving

? Stress management

? Social support

? Professional support

And, frankly, the vast majority of online plans use very few of these techniques…

?? Self-monitoring… forget it - just follow this plan without listening to YOUR cues

?? Goal setting… we’ll tell you what your goal “should be”

?? Reinforcement… that’s on you to do (if you don’t stick to the plan, it ain’t our fault)

?? Problem solving… no pain, no gain… just do it!

?? Stress management… we’ll add stress instead :)

?? Social support… “stand out from the crowd”

?? Professional support… available for the BIG BUCKS

?? Action-planning… you’re on your own for this one…

This is the problem I was begging to address.

I wanted to see these PROVEN behaviour techniques come together into one place for people to thrive.

A place where we…

? Reflect on our progress weekly

? Set small goals regularly (and come back to them to see how they are supporting or not supporting us)

? Work together to solve challenges and navigate barriers that pop up

? Learn stress-management techniques and practice implementing them

? Support each other in an online community - from anywhere, at anytime

? Access professional support (from myself and other professionals who pop in from time to time)

? Plan our week and build strategies that work for our lifestyle

? And, learn new skills (ie: cooking, meal prep, behaviour skills) to support us day-to-day.

So, I put together a community - the Always Nourished Community - that I am so proud of.

I’d LOVE to share this space with you and give you a tour to see if you think it can help you thrive on your journey.

?? On January 20th (7-8:30 pm EST), I’m inviting you to a FREE sneak peek of the Community - our first Always Nourished Community Kick-Off in 2025!

• You can save your spot here (and, if the time isn’t right, I’ll send all registrants the recording)

PLUS, because I want to make the community as accessible to you as possible, you’ll get $100 off the initiation fee when you sign up in January.

• If you’d like to read the community inclusions & sign up in January, you can join the Always Nourished Community here >>

Okay, I am SUPER excited to show you around and help you reach your goals in a positive, sustainable, and free-ing way in 2025.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out via Direct Message or email [email protected].

Let’s DO this thing!