The simple ABC’s we all learned as children form the basis for one of the central theories of behavior change. The “A” symbolizes antecedents which are the factors preceding a behavior such as urges to eat a favorite food or some stress or lack of planning lead to the behavior symbolized by “B”. The “C” are the consequences of the behavior such as gaining weight which may occur at a much later time than the behavior and so not be connected by the individual to the behavior directly. For example, eating brownies every night after dinner may lead to weight gain over a matter of weeks or months before the behavior is connected to the consequence. One way to become aware of the ABC chain is to record urges and the behaviors resulting from them on a daily basis each week.

Categories: Nutrition