Session 1 Welcome!

This session will talk about:

How these groups will be run
What we are working towards, and what matters most to you
Setting some goals (including some food goals we can work towards)
Keeping track of how we are going

A Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. - Lao Tzu

What brought you here?

We all have slightly different reasons for choosing to attend the Be Well group today. Many of us are concerned about our physical health: we are often told that being overweight can cause problems such as heart disease, diabetes, joint problems, and so on.

Some might also be thinking about their mental health: the links between being overweight or obese and issues such as depression, anxiety or low self-esteem can be a worry to some people. Some people also are aware they might not be doing their best at work or at school, and be missing out on spending time with their loved ones or activities in the community. Maybe losing weight might make these issues better.

These are all good reasons. But are they your only reasons?

The Be Well programme isn’t just about losing weight for the sake of losing weight. We want people to feel like they are achieving other goals: doing things they have been missing out on, seeing people they haven’t seen, and adding richness to their life. We want people to start doing these things, without worrying about what number the scale says or what size they are.

Most people feel motivated to change if we are scared of something bad happening. And this works for a short amount of time. But we know that if people are changing their actions only because they’re running away from a bad outcome, this change doesn’t last long. People are much better at sticking to a new habit when it is tied with getting good outcomes. If we are changing our health habits in order to do more of what we want, and live a fuller and more meaningful life, we get things we want out of it and are more likely to keep going.

Divide this pie chart up based on what your lifestyle looks like now. How are you spending your time and energy? How balanced does it look?

What would your ideal life look like? What might you change, add in, reduce or remove altogether?

Nutrition Missions

When it comes to working towards good health & nutrition, there are some golden food rules that we encourage you to follow:

1. No sugary soft drinks, juice, flavored milk, sports or energy drinks

2. ‘Junk’ or treat foods – maximum 2 small serves per week

3. Only one planned takeaway meal per week if at all

4. Eat regular meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner

5. Eat at least ½ plate of vegies or salad each day

6. Snack only if hungry and choose healthy snacks

7. Keep a food, mood, activity diary

Keeping a Record

To know if we are improving, we need to know where we started and what we are doing. Keeping a record helps us stay on track with changes: it’s one of the things that most people who have successfully improved their health do. In particular, keeping records helps us:

1) Stay aware of what we are doing: we have to notice our actions before we can write them down

2) We can start seeing where things go well and where things go off track, so we know what to work on

3) We can see our progress and our improvements

How to Record – there are food monitoring logs in the appendices

Recording Tips

1. Keep your log in a place you can get to easily to fill it out, e.g. stuck on the fridge, in your bag or wallet, etc…

2. Be as accurate and as honest as possible. It can be hard sometimes to write it all down, especially if you feel embarrassed about what you might be eating. Remember this isn’t going to be shared with other people. This isn’t about focusing on what you have done in the past, but using the information to find the best place to start and change the future.

3. Remember to put in drinks as well as food (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Drinks can have a big effect on your health!

4. Some people prefer using an app on their phone: try Easy Diet Diary and then you can email your diet straight to the Dietitian.

5. Email to: NBMLHD-FamilymetabolicHealthService@health.nsw.gov.au

This can help us and help you see the differences in how you are eating at the beginning and at the end of the group.

Practice

Date	Time	What foods and drinks?	How much?	Comments

Where will you put your log?

_________________________________

Goal Setting

Having a clear goal gives us something to work with and plan around. For example, if my goal was only to “go travelling”, it’s hard to make this happen because I don’t know where I want to go, who with, what to do there, and other details. Instead, being specific about “going to Byron Bay for a week with my friend” lets me start taking action with booking accommodation, activities, and other things. Health goals work the same way.

Good goals are specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and time-based.

“I will take the dog for a walk for 20 minutes, 3 times next week” is a good goal because it is specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and time-based. If you picked that as a goal, it’s easy to start to plan how to make it happen.

What’s your nutrition goal?

Look over the nutrition non-negotiables, and pick 1 to turn into your goal for this week. You will also be doing your monitoring.

What’s your social goal?

Look back at your ideal life. Pick one thing that you would like to achieve that gets you closer to your ‘ideal life’ by the end of the next 8 weeks. Examples include: “Seeing a friend once a week for coffee”, “joining a book club or other group”, “picking up my guitar and trying to learn again”

Summary

By next week…

By next week, you will have…

Worked on your nutrition goal
Worked on your social goal
Completed the monitoring log on the next few pages