How do you achieve lasting behavioral change?

A participant in our last 21-Day Metabolic Kick program was struggling to improve his A1C numbers, so we dug deeper into his plan to address this issue. In my 1 on 1 conversation with him, he was honest about some of his patterns of overeating keeping him stuck. 

Me: “What pattern might you want to set up for your life to not eat when you get home at night?”

Him: “Parking.”

Parking? Yes. Let me explain, because this might help you, too!

When he parks in the garage after work, he goes in the back door which leads to the kitchen. Out of habit he starts eating right when he gets home and then loses his focus.

We strategized a few hacks to get him closer toward his goal of improving his A1C numbers for the long-term.

1. We talked about intentionally walking through the front door instead of the back door by the kitchen.
2. He can change into his exercise clothes and go outside for a walk with his wife before he does anything else.
3. He can ask his family for help, too! His 21 and 15 year old kids can help redirect him if they see him hanging out in the kitchen too much.
4. He can identify his trigger foods and asks the family to help him by not having those foods so readily available around the house. 

Methodical behavior is the only one that ultimately lasts. The secret is to link that methodical behavior with an accountability partner of some sort – it might be your spouse or your dog. You have to commit that something as fickle as the weather isn’t going to stop you from achieving your long-term goal. In this case, the long-term goal was to improve his A1C.

What’s your long-term goal you’re focused on right now? What is one pattern you want to set up for your life to move you closer toward this goal?