Mini Habits for Weight Loss

Just finished a great book titled Mini Habits for Weight Loss by Stephen Guise and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a different take on weight loss.  I found it to be of great benefit and am already trying some of the things suggested in it.

He talks about the 3 macro nutrients of proteins, fats and carbs and how we used to demonize fats and now we demonize carbs.  According to him and several studies he cited though those aren't the problems.  Overly processed foods are where we're going wrong as a society and in other societies around the world that have followed in our fat footsteps.  There are good fats and bad fats and likewise with carbs.

Basically, if it comes in a package or a box, don't eat it.  Easier said than done, right?  That's where the strategy of mini habits come into play.  So often we go on these big diets and simply can't sustain them over the long haul.  It's because of our mindset.  There's a big difference between saying "I can't have something" versus "I don't eat something."  One is going to make you want to rebel and one is just part of your identity.

Almost all diets work in the short term but very few if any in the long term.  There's a very high rate of failure if you follow dieters over the long haul.  I'm a prime example.  My wife and I went on a weekday vegan diet last year and I lost a ton of weight only to regain it now that we're back home and eating meat again.

So now I'm trying this mini habit strategy.  The basic idea is to have a habit so small it's nearly impossible to fail even on a bad day.  Then when you have a good day you can do bonus reps for example.

My first mini habit is not eating past 7pm every night.  This helps me avoid snacking at night and gives my body a good 12 hours to digest and lower insulin.  Last night I ate at 8pm but didn't eat until 8am so I'm alright with it.  Maybe I should rephrase my mini habit as eating within a 12 hour window, not sure on that one.

I've also stopped drinking soda due to something I saw on YouTube and that this author mentions as well.  You want to try and eat mindfully.  Sounds new age I know but it works.  I drank a couple of sodas mindfully and all I could taste was the chemicals and think about what it was doing to my body.

This path will be slower than most but I think it will be better long term for my health rather than my weight yo yoing like it has in the past.