One of the most powerful motivations to change is the thought and belief that you can change. Many people believe that their eating habits are engraved in stone, and it is impossible to live a healthy eating lifestyle. Changing eating habits starts with changing thoughts and belief systems. It starts with believing that change is possible!

The Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) Model is a method used by therapists, psychologists, and clinicians to help people examine behaviors they want to change, the triggers behind those behaviors, and the impact of those behaviors on negative maladaptive patterns.

Antecedent

The antecedent, which means “something that comes before,” can be anything that triggers the given behavior. When it comes to disruptive food habits, this trigger could be driving by McDonald’s, going to work and seeing doughnuts, or opening up your fridge and seeing ice cream. The trigger initiates a behavior, usually without realizing it.

Our brains are designed to do activities autonomically, therefore conserving neural energy. This method works to our benefit most of the time, but it becomes a problem for bad habits when we can only detect the problem after eating that piece of cake when it is too late. How do you get around this? If you are attempting to trigger a positive outcome, you might manipulate the antecedent/s in the situation to promote desired behaviors instead.

Behavior

Behaviors can be classified as “positive,” “problematic,” or “pivotal.” Positive eating behaviors benefit the individual from a physical and mental health level. Good eating habits lead to lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, increased energy, and mood.

Problematic eating behaviors may cause distress after eating, stress, guilt, or even shame. Not only does it promote setbacks in personal training, but overall could lead to severely chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or obesity. A pivotal eating behavior could be attending a party where dessert is served, leading to problematic behaviors like excessive eating or potentially a domino effect leading individuals to eat even more unhealthy foods.

Consequence

The term “consequence” —or alternately, outcomes—can be positive or negative. The consequence of positive or negative eating behaviors impacts a person’s decision to continue or cease to engage in that behavior.

Why Use the ABC Model?

This model may work effectively for individuals looking for an affordable free method of helping them develop good eating habits by using psychology and not having to utilize a therapist or dietician. The model’s simplicity may offer insight into behaviors that might be confusing and provides opportunities to foster change by evaluating and shifting negative behaviors.

How to Collect ABC Data

To collect ABC eating data for yourself, you will need to record multiple behaviors over time regarding food. That is why it is crucial to monitor what times you eat, the food you eat for each meal, and your attitude after eating the food.

Write down what occurred leading up to the behavior (the antecedent) and what happened right after it (the consequence) for each food incident. Then write down specific details regarding the eating behavior.

Common Eating ABC Samples

After a few weeks of recording food activity, most people will begin to see a pattern. Most cravings occur at certain times for people during the day. Perhaps in the morning when they smell their roommates cooking bacon and pancakes.

Perhaps when they walk to work, they have to walk by multiple fast-food restaurants that could trigger them to crave unhealthy food during lunch. Sometimes it might be alarming to see the number of unhealthy foods eaten in a week. Although once aware, it will be essential to strategize how to change those behaviors. Meal planning may save the trouble of eating unhealthy foods, mainly when sticking to healthy meal plans. Knowing where the vending machines are could help you think of alternative routes to utilize so that you do not have to walk near those vending machines. It is essential to remove the trigger and replace it with a positive eating habit. Over time, due to neuroplasticity and newly learned behaviors, it might be easier to resist those negative healthy food patterns.