Behavior Change Summary

Behavior Change Summary

My overall behavior change was to eat healthy, balanced meals. In order to accomplish that, I set the long term goal of eating at least two balanced meals every day. Each meal would include the proper amounts of vegetables, fruits, proteins, grains and dairy. I set three short term goals: eat breakfast every day, drink at least sixty ounces of water every day, and limit myself to two snacks a day. As a type of motivation to achieve said goals, I had a reward for each goal I achieved. For instance, once I drank the amount of water I aimed for every day by September 5th, I would allow myself to drink one sugary beverage. The obstacles I predicted were very accurate, but there were a few challenges I did not anticipate.

If I did not have time to make a healthy meal, I would make sure to pre-prepare healthy options. For example, if I knew I was going to pack lunch in the morning, instead of taking a bowl of mac and cheese, I would make a salad the night before. Planning meals proved very helpful in maintaining my goals. Once I figured out what exactly I needed to complete the My Plate diagram, I arranged the meals I would eat that week in advance. My mother helped by buying foods that were healthy and matched my plans. A strategy I used if I did not plan the meal or refer to My Plate was to make sure at least half of the plate I had was made up of vegetables. My family helped in the ways they could. When I told my parents that I was trying to achieve my specific goal, they were very helpful with controlling our grocery shopping and checking nutrition labels.

I believe I achieved my goal of eating healthy, balanced meals. From the time I began this project to now, I have improved my overall habits of eating. Not eating breakfast was a huge problem in my daily routine. Setting that goal made it easier for me to accomplish this task because I was able to visualize it and put it in a time frame. I have eaten a balanced lunch and dinner almost every day since I set my goal; however, my breakfasts tend to be light. I was surprised by how writing down and assessing specific long and short term goals can really help me achieve