How long for eating healthy to be a habit?

fishy145
fishy145 Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Today marks the one week mark of me eating healthy! And by heathy I mean no more chips, chocolate, baked goods, etc and tracking everything I eat.

I realize that I've got a ways to go, but I was wondering how long it took you guys after changing the way you eat for it to become a habit? And how long until the cravings to go away?

Replies

  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    I stopped cold turkey. I had my revelation on a Saturday. Went to the store on Sunday and completely changed.

    The cravings will never go away. Sugars release a chemical in your brain the triggers a reward feeling. You're always going to crave sweets. The issue lays in what you do with that feeling and those cravings. There are plenty of sugars in lower calories foods other sweets. And don't be afraid of Cheat Meals. You don't want to get too burnt out on "healthy foods". Don't go overboard and ruin everything, but don't be afraid to get your toes wet either.
  • jessdvr1
    jessdvr1 Posts: 7 Member
    I think it took me about a month - over 2 months in of barely any junk at all and i never crave it! Its amazing
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    I didn't change the way I eat. I changed how much I eat.

    Life happens - there will always be birthdays, holidays, and other occasions and I plan to enjoy them.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I still like everything I liked before, I just plan for it better.

    But I'd say it took about a month for it to feel routine to weigh my food and log my meals.
  • dlkfox
    dlkfox Posts: 463 Member
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    I didn't change the way I eat. I changed how much I eat.

    Life happens - there will always be birthdays, holidays, and other occasions and I plan to enjoy them.

    AMEN!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I'd say my eating habits have evolved, not changed, because I eat the same things as before. I haven't cut out anything, I just eat some things less frequently or in smaller amounts, and other things more often/regularly. Getting into tracking happened immediately. Cravings never go away, but they are manageable. Getting used to not being overweight - it's been two years and it still hasn't happened.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    I eat different stuff. Now I have much more vegetables, much less bread, and much less Frito-Lay products.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    3-4 weeks. By that time I'd forgotten what I was doing before.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
    I've been eating relatively healthy, but my eating habits have changed in the past 2.5-3 years of logging (it's not like I've been eating the way I currently am for 3 years, but instead I've made some gradual changes to reflect what keeps me the most satisfied and fits best into my lifestyle). I still eat pizza, albeit it might be something that is once every 3ish months. Chocolate (especially super dark chocolate or cocoa roasted nuts) is in my diary at least 4 days a week. Baked goods and chips don't appear as often (I simply don't find them worth the calories and don't really care for the taste), and 9 times out of 10 I will go for another option (fruit, vegetables, nuts, "healthy" food) instead of a cupcake.

    I'd say it probably took about 5-6 months for me to really start preferring the "healthier" stuff, and a lot of that was simply because the "healthier" stuff fit into my day better compared to a higher-calorie so-so-tasting "junkier" option.
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
    Several months before it seems better than the old way and a year or two to really get in the groove. It's a little like quitting smoking in that it's really hard at first, but then you're better off and happier the new way.
  • kendahlj
    kendahlj Posts: 243 Member
    Three weeks probably. But for me, three to four days. I craved something sweet after every meal, including breakfast. Now I get no cravings. If I want something sweet, it's a conscious decision and I usually just suck on a popsicle. One box will last a month. Good luck! You'll feel so much better not eating sugar...
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    I added one healthy thing (or subtracted one unhealthy thing) at a time, maybe one thing a week, and just kept building on it.
  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
    I don't think it's ever really a habit in the sense that you'll only want "healthy" food and never want anything that's not so healthy. Even the healthiest people still want cake or cookies or pizza or whatever else sometimes. BUT for me, it became easier and pretty normal after around 3 weeks. :smile:

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