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Small Changes Programme

12 Week weight management programme

Detail of the course:

The Intervention lasts for twelve weeks, beginning with data collection which includes the following measurements:

  • fasted blood glucose
  • cholesterol
  • triglycerides
  • girth measurements
  • profile of mood states
  • dietary inventories
  • physical activity and energy expenditure
  • height and weight

Demographic data are also collected and an interview conducted to highlight people's previous attempts to lose weight and their 'weight management history.

The focus of the course:

Training and Education, Self-awareness and Goal setting:

The course involves participants working as a group for the twelve weeks with two facilitators and is subdivided into three sections: training and education around food, physical activity, nutrition and cooking skills.  Self-awareness is developed in all these areas.  Goal setting, for example: participants take on small changes each week; these changes need to be realistic and measurable.  When the subject says: "I am going to walk for an hour each morning every day of the week" the facilitator is likely to ask "how many times a week do you do this currently?" and when the participant answers "none" the facilitator replies: "do you think this is feasible?"

 

Below is a brief run down of the content of each of the sessions:

Week One
  • Welcome and introductions
  • Overview of behavioural change programme
  • Activity One: favourite food
  • Activity Two: cloud exercise (how does the person feel re: weight situation, confidence etc) give out  Pedometers
  • Make goal for the week

Week Two

  • Refresher
  • Feedback on pedometers
  • Eating and lifestyle change (goal) feedback
  • Activity One: Food tasting
  • Activity Two: food labelling
  • Fluid
  • Make goal for the week
Week Three
  • Cook and Eat Session
  • Goal achievement feedback
  • Problem solving
  • Make goal for the week
Week Four
  • Pedometer and goal feedback
  • Activity One: Physical Activity
  • Activity Two: cloud exercise
  • Make goal for the week
Week Five
  • Goal achievement feedback
  • Activity One: Portion sizes
  • Make goal for the week
Week Six
  • Pedometer and goal feedback
  • Activity One: Alcohol
  • Activity: stimulus control
  • Barriers and solutions
  • Make goal for the week
Week Seven
  • Feedback
  • Food tasting
  • Activity: food preparation skills
  • Make goal for the week
Week Eight
  • Feedback
  • Activity: relapse managementd
  • developing support mechanisms
  • Make goal for the week

 
Week Nine
  • Feedback
  • Activity: your family
  • Make goal for the week
Week Ten
  • Feedback
  • Activity: recipe adaptation
  • Make goal for the week
Week Eleven
  • Feedback
  • Activity: mood and food
  • Make goal for the week
Week Twelve
  • Feedback
  • Activity: monitoring yourself
  • Evaluation

 

Self monitoring:

"the power of writing things down and doing a food diary really amazed me of how much impact it made to me seeing what I had eaten from looking at what I had written down on paper"

Physical well-being:

"a lot of us have watched our cholesterol drop down which I think was a very serious health issue so that has been really good and very remarkable"
Goal achievement:
"I think that was is (particularly) good about the intervention (is) that you are only changing something small and therefore it seems all of sudden manageable"
The facilitation:
"I feel the whole environment which Jean and Trevor have created here has been amazing"
How the programme works
"It is not a specific plan which has been made up for everybody, it's your own plan you make up"
"the fact that you are in control and can choose our small changes, you choose what you are going to eat and I think that makes a big difference so therefore you feel more in control of what you are doing"
On the increase in knowledge and skills
"learning what it is and what all these other things are is remarkable and very useful"