System thinking in a personal context to improve eating behaviors.

People can create positive environments so that their chances of relapse to poor habits are reduced and their likelihood of success is increased. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) suggests that this can be accomplished by making systemwide changes and deemphasizing personal effort. This article provides a 7-step approach to system thinking in a personal context. It offers a case study and other examples that show how to lose weight by making systemic changes in lifestyles. Learning about system thinking in a personal context also may help healthcare professionals understand the application of CQI within organizations.