Free Essay Dedicated to Changing Eating Habits

The technique used in the worksheet was set up in a way that clearly gave guidelines that would lead someone in the path to realizing the benefits and losses they would experience as a result of the change. Looking at the benefits that one would gain if they decided to change gave someone the motivation to overcome resistance to change. In this case, the partner I was interviewing was looking to change her eating habits, viewing this benefit was enough to reduce her resistance to change. The benefits that were listed also acted as a warning to show someone the goals that they need to achieve for instance in the case where the goal is to eat healthily. Some of the benefits would include better health, weight control and reduced risk of getting cancer. This benefits also act as goals that need to be achieved as they represent a future that is not pleasant. Another section of the M.I worksheet that reduced the resistance to change was the section that indicated the costs of resisting change. Realizing that having bad eating habits would lead to a lot of health complications reduces resistance to change. For instance, the interviewee realized that eating junk food leads to obesity which intern leads to heart complications (Natalie Butler, 2018). The thought that not changing would lead to health conditions that might lead to death is motivation enough to start the process of change.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Interviewing someone for change was an interesting experience as it gave me an insight on change. One of the things I learned about change is that people are always aware of the changes that they need to implement in order to move forward in their lives. However, the benefits of not changing always get the better of them as they seem more appealing than working on change. Another Thing that I learned about change is that people need a reason for the change in order to accept that it needs to happen. In the interview that I did, the needed change was a change in eating habits and the person involved was not compelled to change until they realized the consequences of the current eating habits. With this finding, I realized that the biggest motivation for change is the negativity that is attached to a habit. Hence if one plans to convince another to stop smoking or taking intoxicating substances, the best way to motivate the person is by stating the negative consequences of voiding change. Similarly, in organizations, the best way to convince employees to accept change would be by listing the adverse effects that the employees would experience if the change is accepted.

Below is a worksheet that was filled after an interview with a partner who planned to changed her eating habits.

Changing eating habits

Benefits

• Improved health.
• Reduced risk of acquiring cancer.
• Weight control.
• Money spent on junk food is saved.

Costs

• Difficulties in adjusting to different foods.
• Difficulties in adjusting to healthy eating routines (no random eating)

Not Changing eating habits

Benefits

• Enjoying sweet tasting food.
• Enjoy eating in favorite restaurants.
• Easily accessible food on vending machines and fast food restaurants.

Costs

• Risk of acquiring cancer.
• Risk of being obese.
• Wastage of a lot of money.

References

Cohen, M. (2018). 25 Totally Doable Ways to Eat Healthy All Year. Retrieved from https://www.self.com/story/20-ways-to-eat-healthier

Miller, W. (2009). Enhancing motivation for change in substance abuse treatment. Rockville, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

Natalie Butler, L. (2018). The top 10 benefits of eating healthy. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322268.php