What Strategies Do You Use to Motivate Clients to Maintain a Healthy Diet Long-Term?
To help you motivate clients to maintain a healthy diet long-term, we asked nutritionists and medical directors this question for their best strategies. From understanding a client's true motivation to focusing on small, sustainable changes, here are the top eight strategies these experts shared to ensure lasting dietary habits.
- Understand Client's True Motivation
- Link Diet to Post-Operative Care
- Create a Future Self Vision
- Involve Clients in Meal Planning
- Recall Positive Feelings from Healthy Choices
- Make Healthy Eating Fun
- Eat the Colors of the Rainbow
- Focus on Small, Sustainable Changes
Understand Client's True Motivation
A healthy diet starts with a healthy intention. The intentionality component is the first criterion for making lasting change. If a person wants to lose weight, it may really be that they want more confidence in themselves. If another person wants to stop drinking alcohol, it may be because it's going to help their marriage. Some people want to change the entire family's diet because they see it is causing problems for their child who has an allergy. To create lasting change, it's important to understand what motivates a person to make that change. For the diet alone is just a method for the client to get the result that they want. A healthy diet is not usually the end goal but a means to an end. Step 1. Figure out that end.
The second component is education. As a nutritionist, you are both a culinarian and educator on top of being a health professional. If you don't feel educated enough on a certain topic, gluten-free diet for example, it is then your job to become educated or seek out help in someone you trust to then help your client. Most people feel that they are equipped to make their own food decisions, so by the time a client comes to you, it is your responsibility to give them the knowledge, education, and resources they need to achieve what they are intending to do. And sometimes, this has less to do with diet and more to do with self-esteem, mental health, or lifestyle. It's up to us, the professionals, to see that and help them in the areas where they lack. Step 2. Education - For yourself and for your client.
This combination of intention and education is where I have seen the most meaningful and long-lasting change in my clients.
Link Diet to Post-Operative Care
As a physician assistant, I'm often the one who first sees a patient post-procedure, and that puts me in a unique position to link their post-operative care to their past and future dietary choices, provided I couch the information in judgment-free ways.
All those machines and regimes that are put in place in-hospital are affected by lifestyle, and while there is no way to fully eliminate their need, the timeline of recovery can vary greatly. Blood pressure monitoring, for example, tends to remain in place longer for overweight individuals.
The idea that they might have to be hooked up to a device longer because of pre-existing conditions is a real eye-opener for patients. Suddenly, the consequences of unhealthy food are not some far-away idea, but unfolding around them. It's powerful motivation, especially since patients typically want to leave the hospital setting as quickly as possible, and brings what is usually a long-term goal into immediate focus.
Create a Future Self Vision
Motivation is huge when it comes to reaching long-term goals. But motivation can waver; it's rarely linear. One of the strategies I use with my clients is to have them create a 'future' version of themselves, the version who has reached her goals. Be very specific—what does she wear? How does she act? What does she not do? What does she eat? How does she feel?
Then, when they have a decision to make, I encourage them to 'vote' as their future self would. Would Future Mary eat the donut or not? That gives them the freedom to either eat the donut and enjoy it, or pass on it. One decision does not make or break their success, and it's important to remind clients of that fact.
Involve Clients in Meal Planning
A strategy I've found particularly effective for long-term dietary adherence is involving clients directly in the planning of their meal plans. Rather than simply providing them with a preset diet, I engage in a detailed discussion about their food preferences, lifestyle, and any dietary restrictions they may have. This collaboration helps create a customized eating plan that is tailored to their unique tastes and needs. When clients have a hand in designing their meal plan, they are more likely to feel a sense of ownership and commitment to following it. For example, if they love a particular type of cuisine or have specific dietary preferences, we integrate those into their plan while ensuring it remains balanced and nutritious.
Recall Positive Feelings from Healthy Choices
Here is my #1 strategy for successfully motivating folks: Ask them if they remember feeling different after consistent exercise or after making healthier food choices, or even if they feel different after going for one single walk or protecting their sleep. When they answer that they remember feeling better or feeling like they have more energy (which they will!), remind them that it is normal to have pauses in exercise routines or in putting our self-care first, but it is absolutely possible to resume or even start to make healthier choices by remembering THAT feeling (how good it feels after a walk, etc.) and try (all we can do is try) to tap into that feeling frequently. The memory of that feeling will resonate and motivate clients to stay in the moment with their exercise or with their nutrition goals. It is magic—try it for yourself!
Make Healthy Eating Fun
The best way to get someone to eat healthy is by making it fun. Make even the most challenging diet enjoyable, and a person is likely to stick to it.
I once had this client who struggled to maintain consistency in her diet. So, I came up with a weekly cooking challenge where she would try a new ingredient or recipe each week. We started with a 'veggie-of-the-week' challenge, which allowed her to experiment with different vegetables, including those she hadn't previously tried.
This approach worked magic as this client enjoyed the process of discovering new flavors. The key is to frame healthy eating as a fun experience, and even the most difficult clients will commit to it.
Eat the Colors of the Rainbow
One strategy I have used successfully to motivate clients to maintain a healthy diet long-term is to eat the colors of the rainbow every day. This is an easy visual and seems to be fun for many of my clients. I have even had competitions to submit a picture of their most colorful meal. By eating a wide variety of colors, you will get a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals. I also like this approach because I like to focus on positive changes and adding nutritious foods to the diet instead of taking foods away.
Focus on Small, Sustainable Changes
One effective strategy is to focus on small, sustainable changes rather than drastic overhauls. I once worked with a client who struggled with sticking to a healthy diet, so we started by gradually incorporating healthier versions of foods they already enjoyed. This approach made the transition feel less overwhelming and more manageable, which kept them motivated over the long-term. By celebrating these small wins and building on them, they were able to make lasting changes without feeling deprived.
