Building Skills and Confidence
You might be surprised what happens when you commit to a plan—and learn to believe in yourself
We're here to help
There’s a certain kind of thinking that’s important in weight management. It’s based on a 2-part concept developed by a psychologist at Stanford University known as self-efficacy. The first part states that a person’s chance of achieving a goal depends on having the skills necessary to make the desired changes. The second part states that a person needs to feel confident that these changes can happen.
Q and Me is a resource that can help you build your skills. We’ll give you tips on how you can develop some of these skills. As you try them, you can find out what works best for you. The skills can help you approach what you eat and how you stay physically active, and focus on changing your thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Seeing life in a positive way is a skill that you may need to improve.
Confidence is the second part of the picture. The goal is to stay confident and motivated so you can bounce back if you have a setback. Keep that confidence and you’ll have the strength to hang in there if things get tough. You may also be able to approach situations with a new sense of control.
One of the most important things you can do is have pep talks with yourself. What you say to yourself when you succeed can affect your future. What you tell yourself if you slip can be important to your success, too.
Practice can make perfect—as long as you're patient!
There are many keys to developing good habits that can become permanent. Practice is one of them. Eating and physical activity habits take years to develop; if you are making the changes you’d like to see become permanent, try to be patient. By the time a person turns 40, they’ve eaten at least 40,000 meals. That took lots of practice, so replacing old eating habits with new ones may take time.
Awareness is another key. Study your eating and physical activity habits and try to be aware of what drives you to eat and what causes you to be inactive. You may want to use our tips for changing these habits. Logging meals in a food planner and tracker can help you be more aware of the food and calories you consume. Your entries can help you and your healthcare provider discover cues to eating habits you didn’t notice before.