FAT LOSS – BEHAVIOURAL INFLUENCES: IMPLICATIONS
1. The purpose of counselling is to empower clients so that they can develop an awareness of their habits, prioritise those things to work on and be selective about those techniques most appropriate for the task.
2. Fat loss leaders need to develop a close liaison with professional psychologists for referring complex cases.
3. In dealing with habits, the first stage is to develop an awareness of the components of the habit.
4. There is a range of techniques for changing behavioural habit patterns including interrupting stimulus-response connections, changing the stimulus, reinforcement and self-monitoring. Not all techniques work for all people.
5. Negative thinking habits can be worked on using standard psychological techniques such as rational emotive therapy, positive thinking, etc.
6. Behaviour modification and cognitive therapy techniques need to be maintained over the long term and not just used in the initial stages of fat loss. This takes longer than most people anticipate and a realistic expectation is important.
7. It should be assumed that the majority, if not all, overfat problems require at least a modicum of change in habit patterns. The degree to which this is so and the types of approaches used to combat these will depend on the individual and the circumstances.
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