By The benefits of behavioural activation in depressive disorders are well known. However, what benefits can it have in processes that involve the adoption of new healthy habits?
Behavioral activation is best known for use in certain mood disorders such as depression. However, this type of strategy aimed at increasing the repertoire of behaviors can have more uses. For example, in so-called psychonutrition, behavioral activation can be a valuable tool for achieving weight loss .
Both the psychologist and the nutritionist can play an equally important role in guiding the person to improve their BMI (body mass index). While it is true that acquiring new habits requires constant effort, behavioural activation can serve as a support tool.
Behavioral activation
Behavioral activation uses the context and experience of the individual to study the functions of his or her behavior in the present moment. In the context of initiating healthy habits that form a new lifestyle, such as, for example, a weight loss process, it can help the individual incorporate new ways of proceeding into his or her behavioral repertoire .
The basic structure of a behavioural activation programme is based on activation. Let’s consider that certain behaviours may not be motivating. However, the performance of these behaviours is necessary to achieve long-term results.
In other words, the performance of certain behaviors that bring a person closer to adopting the habits they need to achieve their goal may not be preceded by sufficient motivation . However, this motivation may come later, once the behavior has been performed.
In short, behavioral activation involves working from the “outside in” (seeking motivation not in doing it, but when it has been done), breaking down certain activities to increase the likelihood that certain behaviors will be established in the individual who is the agent of change.
How can a behavioral activation program be implemented in weight loss processes?
Self-recording is of vital importance to understand the lifestyle of individuals . It is also essential to collect other key data for the initiation of behavioral activation.
The presence of a nutritionist or nutrition technician is especially important, since the process of starting healthy habits and maintaining a healthy weight must also be left to the professional responsible for knowledge about nutrition.
An assessment of the skills of the change agent is also of special interest in shaping the first steps towards behaviours that bring them closer to their objectives. Once the individual’s competencies and skills are known, action can be taken.
To do this, small steps are set that bring the person closer to their goals, so that changes are implemented slowly but steadily. This prevents the person from feeling boredom and the feeling of lack of resources that promote stagnation in activation.
Benefits of behavioral activation in weight loss processes
I have previously broken down habits to be established into smaller challenges. Following precisely this thread, by dividing certain types of activities, the person has the opportunity to obtain the reinforcement that comes from fulfilling the subgoals or intermediate steps, while at the same time increasing the probability of establishing the habit.
Among the benefits of behavioral activation, the following could be highlighted:
- It provides the person with a sense of competence and ability to perform certain tasks that may be difficult at first.
- It increases a person’s motivation once the goal to be achieved has been achieved.
- It teaches other more complex skills or brings to light competencies that the person did not have at first.
- It works on thoughts and emotions as motivating or inhibiting elements of the target behavior, with the main focus being the execution of the behavior .
What activities can you increase or teach in a weight loss program?
We know that when a person decides to undergo a weight loss program or maintain a healthy weight, they often set unrealistic goals. For example, if a person does not usually exercise, running 20 kilometers on the day they want to start making it a routine will only make their body sore, which will be an obstacle to repeating it.
Furthermore, setting goals that are far removed from current reality can generate a feeling of discomfort and frustration . The person may think that they cannot or are not capable, when the problem lies only in the plan they have decided to follow.
Performing desired behaviors in a short time vs. realistic goals
Behavioral activation helps to acquire healthy habits. With this, the person who wants to change observes in themselves small modifications in their routine without their goals exceeding their capacity. This can be seen with the following examples:
- A person who is embarrassed to go to the gym because he doesn’t know what exercise routine to do. He thinks he only knows exercises to do for 20 minutes and at the same time these 20 minutes seem insufficient to achieve his goal. With behavioral activation he could start by doing exercises for those 20 minutes, to gradually expand them with new exercises . It is about doing, getting started, activation being what feeds or feeds back the motivation itself.
- Someone who decides to change their eating habits, but does not have the skills to cook. Behavioural activation could start with organising the shopping basket, avoiding a certain percentage of ultra-processed foods.
- A person who is interested in exercising outdoors, but is afraid that others might laugh at him or her for being clumsy. In this case, behavioral activation might be initiated by short walks .
If in these examples, the intended behavior were carried out directly (going to the gym for an hour, not eating ultra-processed foods and cooking, going for a run…), without intermediate behaviors and activation, it would most likely be carried out only once.
In short, behavioral activation not only helps certain activities to be carried out that were not done before, but it also establishes the desired behaviors in the long term.