Breaking Through: Overcoming Barriers to Embrace Nutritional Change

It can be hard to stick with some of the changes you made in the long term, especially when previous habits might return for a variety of reasons. But do not despair! It’s not about whether or not you stayed on the road the whole time, but staying focused on getting back on the road. 

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Step 1: Identify your barriers to making nutritional changes

• Write the barriers you face down in a notebook

• Example: got into the habit of going out to eat multiple times per week for lunch

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Step 2: Envision what it would look like to climb over these barriers

• Write a description of how you can overcome these challenges, even at an incremental pace

• Example: start meal planning/prepping on a weekly basis on the weekend

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Step 3: Identify the solution to the barriers you face

• What steps can you realistically take to overcome these barriers

• Example: Pick 3-4 recipes per week with similar ingredients; prepare recipes on Sunday evening and pack for the week

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Step 4: Take action on the barriers

• Now’s the time to take action. Be sure to note in your notebook what did and didn’t work, and stick with what did work.

• Example: Picking recipes and meal prep worked, but based on amount of leftovers, only 2-3 recipes were needed

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Step 5: Be consistent with the action you’ve

• Now that you’ve acted, keep it up!

• Example: continue routine including meal planning and prep; set reminders in calendar on Sundays to perform the prep