Changes Aren't Always Welcomed

You may think that by making positive health changes in your life that everyone would be happy for you. Frequently your changes in behavior may lead to some initial resistance and negativity. Studies indicate that people who alter their eating habits find the people close to them experience a whole variety of emotional reactions, including pessimism, guilt, and even anger. The behavior changes you chose to make may throw off the balance of the relationships and make them feel excluded. There are some ways to offset these problems by doing the following: 1) Prepare your family for the changes by sharing your plans, communicating your reasons, and working to address any issues arising from the changes, 2) Clarify why you are making the changes and indicate you don't have any expectation for anyone else to make changes--that is their decision to do. Make sure your attitude towards them is not one of superiority but of modeling, back off from sermonizing because you have "seen the light", 3) Figure out how to mitigate any stumbling blocks and come up with solutions together and create a win-win situation, and 4) Despite your needs for support, you may actually have to assist your friends and family to get through the initial difficulties of your changing your lifestyle. Because your closest relationships may not be available to support you at the start, it doesn't hurt to have another source for ongoing encouragement at the beginning. Don't hesitate to take advantage of on-line, community, or even commercial (i.e. Weight Watchers) resources to get started.