How long before you "form a habit"?

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bms34b
bms34b Posts: 401 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a self-labeled wagon-faller-offer. I did great three years ago, lost 35 pounds and was at my goal weight, then started lifting weights and was very satisfied in my progress.

Now, I am 10 pounds up and not anywhere near physically fit, and I'm starting to try harder to get habits going strong again. It's my 15th day in a row logging my food, and while I don't always stay within my calorie goals, I'm on here and I'm logging.

Looking into it, there is information claiming people form habits in 21 days all the way up to 66 days. How long has it taken you to feel like it's harder NOT to log calories than to log, or it's harder NOT to run, etc.?

Replies

  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    It depends on the habit. Logging and healthy eating have become second nature after about a month. Exercise I can get thrown off of fairly easily. I was walking at least 3 times a week for about 9 months but then the cold and snow hit. Walking outside was no longer safe. I really have been bad since mid January. I just got back out last weekend and am really feeling it. I need to go slow and work back up to where I was.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    For me, for things like logging or exercise or health stuff, I'd say it's 3 weeks of forcing myself to do something.. and I hate every minute of it.

    The next 2 weeks it's still reminding myself to do it... but I don't hate it anymore. Then after that, it's easier to do it than go back to not doing it. And I guess you'd call that a habit after 35 days/5 weeks for me.
  • niqu11
    niqu11 Posts: 84 Member
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    21 days is the figure always put out there. But... you have to fully commit to the 21 days and push yourself. It gets easier after the first 2 weeks, starts to feel like a normal part of life not a forced activity!
  • krennie8
    krennie8 Posts: 301 Member
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    For me, the 2nd week was the hardest by far. The fourth week was where I felt at ease, though now in the 5th week I'm feeling a bit of anxiety regarding everything. Honestly while I do think it gets easier, it will probably be a struggle for a long time. It's hard to change a lifetime of habit in a month or two.
  • fattybumclaire
    fattybumclaire Posts: 91 Member
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    I have been logging for 2 months now - starting to feel like a normal way of life but still having to make a conscious effort to exercise and NOT eat the kids leftovers etc. Hoping one day to be able to eat healthily and normally without logging but can't actually visualise it yet lol. I am still flabergasted at the amount of calories in some foods when I look them up - its gonna be a while till I instinctively know.
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 379 Member
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    I agree with many in that it depends on what it is that you are trying to make a habit. I have always heard six weeks. Of course that depends on whether you have succeeded at committing to the habit before. Thus, new habits may take longer to become a habit than a habit that you just fell off the wagon with, which is probably why I keep going back to smoking. Some habits, especially bad ones, are hard to break. That is because sometimes they are easier to keep. It is easier to sit on the couch than it is to exercise. It is easier to eat some heat-in-the-microwave process meal than make one from scratch. This is why changing eating and exercise habits are more difficult than other habits. You never hear someone who exercises say, "Gee, it is so hard for me to break my exercise habit."
  • player30
    player30 Posts: 65 Member
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    My thought is there are some other variables other than just time to form habits. Motivation and desire are two. When I began my 80# weight loss journey mid January, my first promise to myself was that I would not be hungry. That takes alot of pressure off of the diet aspect. But the changes I have made to date are moving in a positive way. i used to eat Wheaties 6 days a week & pancakes one; now I eat a higher protein breakfast 6 days a week and Wheaties one. By changing the macros of my diet, I am fuller longer and I really like keeping track of what's going into my body. I know I will have those embarassing food days, but as long as they are few & far between, that's okay. My motivation is to change the way I eat for the rest of my life(a long habit as opposed to a temporary one.

    I began excercising immediately. As a 56 y/o, my promise to myself there was that I would not kill myself trying to get fit. I had been basically been sitting in a chair for five years. I had never used an elliptical, and fell in love with it as well as the rowing machine. I hate the treadmill. And I like the weight machines. One day I might try weight lifting, but I am happy with my set up for now. I started slow, but if I ever said to myself, "I can't do X for Y minutes", I added 5 minutes to the workout. And I actually feel as though I have missed something if I don't workout. I know I need rest days, but I do not like them.

    I can't swear that any of this is habit yet, but I know I feel better with the easy changes I have made. My hope is instead of creating a habit, I am creating my lifestyle.

    Best wishes to you and be the best YOU!
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
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    Usually takes me a couple of weeks, on both the "diet" and exercise fronts.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    Traditional thinking goes with 14-21 days. YMMV
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    For me, honestly, it's more like a year. But now I really do find that tracking and exercising are habits, in that I actually don't feel "right" when I don't do them. I've done lots of activities for weeks and even months by forcing myself to do them, only to stop when my circumstances changed.

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