News Taffy

My husband was discussing weight loss with a patient the other day and the patient commented that habits are hard to break. So true. Habits allow us to function on auto pilot. Habits are comforting. Habits may even be part of our family history, the way things have always been done. But that doesn’t mean habits are good and should be continued any longer.

One of the first steps to breaking a bad habit is to educate yourself. Once you realize why something is bad for you, like cigarettes, you have a reason to change. It is not enough to know that cigarettes are bad for you; find out exactly how it harms your body. Find out what the symptoms of cancer are and how it makes you feel. Then it may make you uncomfortable if you continue the bad habit despite your new knowledge. If you want to change, learn as much as you can about the subject. Find things you can do and how you should feel later with better habits.

Surround yourself with people who support your desire to change and who don’t share the bad habit. It’s hard to quit smoking if your best friend smokes for instance. Find a partner who wants to shed that bad habit as well and be accountable to each other. Look for a group such as Weight Watchers to join for support.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Some people are successful with rapid changes such as quitting smoking cold turkey. Most of us will be more successful with setting small goals. I quit drinking sodas by cutting back gradually over several months. If your goal is to eat more fruits and vegetables, try adding 1 a day for a week, then two the next week and so on. Don’t give up if you mess up one day or even one week. Refocus your efforts and get back on track.

Try keeping a diary or record of your progress. Studies have shown that people who keep a food diary are more successful at loosing weight. Keeping a chart on the wall of your weekly weight loss or days you exercised can be a huge motivator to do more. Find ways to distract yourself. Exercise while watching TV instead of eating for example.

Put some money away each time you reach a goal so you can have a reward at the end. Maybe you will buy new clothes when you’ve lost weight or if you give up cigarettes, the money you save can be used for a vacation. (Cigarette smokers spend between $1400 and $3000 a year, depending on where they live.)

Most of all, consider the impact your habit has on your loved ones. Will you be around to see your children graduate high school if you don’t loose weight or quit smoking? Is your habit directly harming your loved ones, as with second hand smoke? Will your family suffer financial hardship if your health problems become costly, or worse, you die? You owe it to your family to take care of yourself so you can be there for them.