Scott Young made this guest “20 tricks to nuke a bad habit” post at the zenhabits web site. You will recognize some of the methods mentioned – these are what I have used to lose over 20 pounds in the last 7 months.
1. Commit for a Month. Thirty days is all you need to make a habit change permanent. Less time than that and the new alternative might not be hardwired into your brain. More time and any failures to last are usually a failure of strategy, not duration.
Amen brother, I’m a believer. This method has been the cornerstone of my weight loss success. Just do it for thirty days and see what happens. Its not like you are making a lifetime committment.
5. Write it Down . Winston Churchill once said, “Plans are useless, planning is invaluable.” Writing out any commitments you make will give you clarity both to what you desire and how you intend to do it.
Another amen. Writing your goals down on paper (or in this case, on the web) has the magical ability to help you accomplish what you want.
7. Tell a Friend . Get some leverage on yourself. Tell a friend your plan so you will be more likely to commit to the change.
Along the same lines as #5 above. “You” are the friend I am telling that I will weigh 155 lbs by 31 December 2007.
14. Stay Consistent . Try to keep as many aspects of your habit in control when conditioning to make the associations stronger. For the first month don’t just exercise a few times a week, but every day. Do things at the same time and in the same pattern to ensure your results stick.
My June goal of lifting weights twice a week suffered because there was too much time in between efforts. Even this months exercise goal (7 out of 8 days rowing 15km on the ergometer and the beginning and the end of the month) could be a problem.
15. Keep it Simple Stupid!. Habits should be one or two rules, not 20. If your plan looks like a User License Agreement from Microsoft, it’s probably too long. Keep changes simple so they will be easier to adhere to.
Yep.
There you have it, additional social proof that what I am doing to lose weight works.
[tags]weight loss[/tags]
