Break a habit

‘Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.’ (Jim Ryuh)

I was surprisingly relieved to get a not-entirely surprising blood test result last year. It revealed that I was ‘prediabetic’ – that is, not actually diabetic, but heading in that direction. Relieved because it confirmed what I had already been wondering; relieved that I hadn’t (yet) crossed the diabetic threshold; and relieved because I knew it would take stark news like that to shake me up enough to break a habit. In the 6 months or so leading up to the test, I was increasingly aware of eating too many sweet foods – I mean, who can turn down a slice of chocolate cake from the fridge – but I wasn’t really doing anything to change it. A good friend was on a public health prediabetes programme and they inspired me to join a similar course. The next day, electronic weigh scales and a cookbook were delivered to my door.

I discovered through guided self-examination that I was eating too many foods with added sugar; too many carbohydrates that have a similar effect in the blood; too much fruit all at the same time; not enough protein; and not enough green stuff. Oh, and not enough full-fat Greek yoghurt (weird!). I wasn’t doing enough physical exercise and my sleep patterns were chaotic at best. Apart from that… So, knowing that I’m not great at doing anything in moderation, I made immediate and radical changes to my diet; started a regular routine of speed-walking using a simple tracking app; and made some – but not yet enough – changes to my sleep routine. With the support of a motivating weekly online weigh-in, I lost 6.5kg in 2 months – something I’d wanted to do for many years but had never quite managed it.

I’ve noticed again through this experience how psychological factors make such a difference and, therefore, how self-awareness is so important. For instance, I know that I find focus on goals and rewards (e.g. weight loss) helpful, to sustain a reason for persisting with a new habit when I’m tempted to compromise; I know I’m better at doing something wholeheartedly (some would say extreme) than in balance, so it made sense to replace all the food in my cupboards and fridge, rather than tell myself I could eat sweet stuff occasionally; I know that, when I slip up from time to time, I have to avoid falling into an ‘all is lost’ self-narrative, because that would provide me with a perfect (and pathetic) excuse to give up. So, that’s me. When have you broken an old habit and formed a new one? How did you do it?