Weight Loss HabitsWhen it comes to weight loss, habits can make or break us. By nature, humans are creatures of habit. Habits help us to conserve energy by not having to think so intently about every little thing we do – if it’s a habit, we hardly have to focus on it at all. That makes our daily lives move along much more smoothly, since much of what we do are everyday tasks.

But when it comes to weight loss and other lifestyle improvements, habits can cause big problems for us. Like when we try to cut back on junk food but still find ourselves reaching for it a dozen times a day. Or when we try to force ourselves to stick to a new fitness plan and keep “forgetting” to lace up our running shoes and get to the gym.

The reason why forming new habits is usually hard is because we are trying to jar our brains out of a “rut”. We are thinking in a new way, and trying to act in a new way, and we feel out of sorts because of it.

As difficult as it may be, you can break unhealthy habits and form new ones more easily if you keep these three things in mind:

#1 – Awareness is vital

The very first crucial part of breaking a bad habit or forming a new, healthier one is to stay aware of what you are doing. That means noticing when you start reaching for a cookie when you’ve decided previously to cut down on sugar and fat. That means having the presence of mind to say “no thank you” to the super sized mocha caramel latte with double cream that your co-worker offers to buy you during lunch – even if you’ve said yes a thousand times before.

It does take a little practice, but developing awareness gets easier every day. Before long, you won’t be able to NOT notice when you’re tempted to go off-track. It jumps up like a big red flag and gets your attention.


#2 – You can’t do it in one day

Changing habits isn’t easy or quick – especially if you’re dealing with very old, ingrained habits that you’ve had for years. Rather than getting frustrated about it, keep reminding yourself that every day you work on improving your habits, the closer you get to forming new habits that will wipe out the old.

Before you know it, you will have created a weight loss habits of eating healthy, working out each day, and taking better care of yourself, and it won’t seem like so much work to keep it going.

#3 – It’s going to be uncomfortable at times

Many people give up on trying to improve their habits, simply because they can’t stand feeling uncomfortable. But discomfort is an unavoidable part of the process. When you try to change any habit, it’s going to be strange. You’re going to feel uncomfortable or tense or irritable for a little while. That’s normal.

But keep in mind one major thing: discomfort is just a feeling and it goes away after awhile. There are many positive ways to deal with feelings of discomfort, such as meditation to help soothe anxiety or stress, taking a nap if you need to “get away from the world” for awhile, exercising to burn off frustration, and so on.

These three points can make all the difference in the world in helping you to change your bad weight loss habits into positive ones and achieve healthy, lasting weight loss.

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