Habit Change With Baby Steps

Habit change can be frustrating, especially around weight loss. When we’ve done the same thing over and over it forms a strong mental and behavioral groove that can be hard to break out of. The more we do it, the more engrained it gets. So, how can we take this deep groove and turn it around?

We formed the groove by doing the same thing over and over. Therefore we can start a new habit and form a new groove. By doing this new behavior over and over, it gets more and more entrenched in the mind.  We start by doing it once. The next day we repeat this small step. Every day we repeat Eventually we can do it without thinking about it.There’s an old axiom for habit change that fits here. We start by doing the old habit unconsciously. Then we do it consciously. Then we do the new habit consciously. Eventually we can do the new habit unconsciously and automatically.

According to James Clear in Atomic Habits, it’s the small day-to-day changes that lead to big results, not the sudden big shifts that most people look for. “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over the months and years can be enormous.” (Atomic Habits, p.16).

I use this habit change approach with clients, especially regarding their weight. If someone loses half a pound a week, they tend to not think that it’s worth anything. I then remind them that if they continue at this rate, they will have lost 26 pounds in a year. But if they keep going with their old pattern, they will probably gain another five pounds in a year. Big difference!

What can you do to start making changes? Here are a few examples. You may want to choose one or more of them, or reading them will stimulate you to come up with your own interventions.

Some Small Steps…

1. Leave one bite of food on your plate.
2. Drink ½ glass of water more each week, until you have reached half your body weight in ounces a day.
3. Walk 3 minutes a week more than the previous week.
4. Skip one snack a day.
5. Substitute a glass of water for a sugary drink.
6. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier than your present time.
7. Substitute a piece of fresh fruit for a sugary dessert.
8. Add one more vegetable to your daily diet.
9. For one meal a day, make eating your sole activity.
10. Add a tablespoon of ground flax or hemp seeds to your daily diet.
11. Fill your plate half full with fruits and veggies, and half full with protein and starchy carbs.

Choose Your Baby Steps

Now’s the time to put the plan into action. You can choose one or two interventions from the list above, or make up (and write down) your own. It would be good to keep a journal and write down daily, or even weekly, what you are noticing. Remember that doing something every day is the most important part. To be successful, pick something that is doable and appealing for you.

For help figuring out your plan and to stay accountable, feel free to contact me.