Mastering good habits, breaking the bad ones and beating the yoyo in 5 steps
I’m going to own up to something that I’m not proud of. I’m a yoyo dieter.
But I’m ready to put a stop to it, so I’ll be exploring 5 ways to tackle yoyo dieting using habits!
My Yoyo diet
Sometimes I am the epitome of self-discipline. My resolve is an unstoppable force. Even the mighty glass of red can’t stop this jet to Healthy Hannah.
But one little bit of turbulence – a celebration, a take-away, an exception to the norm – and my jet becomes a badly made paper aeroplane; flimsy and fragile with a broken wing headed south to “what the hell”. And there I gorge until Monday comes around. Always Monday.
The guilt kicks in. And, the horrid, self-criticism.
“You fat idiot. If only you hadn’t had X then you wouldn’t have had… man, I can’t even keep track of everything you’ve had. You have no self-control, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Does this yoyo dieting sound familiar to you?
Between April and July I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in. The Mums’ Days Fit Club was going strong and I had some serious motivation (a looming photo shoot in a bikini as part of my Ambassadorship with Protest) but I felt good. Having that motivation helped but I also had momentum and a habit of exercise and eating right.
Then the photo shoot happened, the motivation moved on and the summer happened. I stopped everything, the pounds piled back on and I am soooo lazy.
So I just need to get back in that pre-summer zone, right? Do what I was doing?
Hmmm, easier said than done apparently. I’ve been trying and failing on a weekly basis.
How can it be so hard to do something that makes you look and feel good? Do I dislike myself so much?!
No is the answer to that. Do you agree?
We want to take care of ourselves. We want to eat right. We want to put our health and well-being at the top of our priorities!
…but being bad is so fun!
You only live once, right?!
That is the cruel thing about bad habits. In that moment your brain can come up with a million excuses as to why you should drink the wine (I keep coming back to wine because it is my vice that leads to all other vices).
“You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s sociable.”
“It’s just a glass…”
It is never just a glass in my case. It is never just a plate of Chinese or Indian takeaway. It is all the wine and the entire takeaway.
Do you have something like this where you can’t just stop at one?
Good Habits/Bad Habits
I am an avid reader of self-improvement style books, always on the lookout for the thing that will put a stop to my negative behaviour.
There are a few authors that I love and I’m a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin – she wrote the Happiness Project and hosts a weekly podcast with her sister called Happier… but it’s her book Better than Before that has really got me. This book is all about making your life easier and better through mastering habits.
Habits make life easier because we do them without even thinking. There’s no decision to be made, it’s just something you do every day. End of story.
The problem is that habits, as we know, can be good and bad. So while starting a good habit can be hard, breaking a bad one can take a lot of resolve! Habits are often triggered by the things we do in our day or week.
Tea = Biscuit.
Or in my case, Thursday = wine-o’clock – I’m off with Reuben on a Friday so it’s the start of my weekend.
So what can we do to kick these bad habits and start some new ones?
Here are 5 tips from Gretchen’s book for getting started…
End YoYo dieting: Mastering Good Habits
1) Tackle a few habits at a time
Trying to do everything at once is literally the highway to hell. It’s too hard to keep it up and you’re increasing your chances of a wobble becoming an earthquake.
Write down between 1 and 4 habits, good and bad, you want to deal with first. So for me it would be; good habits – exercise, healthy eating; and, bad habit – quitting the red wine.
2) Start small…
Or start big! The important thing is that you start.
Like starting a car, it takes a lot of energy to start a new habit, but once you’ve got going all you have to do is keep doing it!
3) Don’t break the chain (and Monitor)
Jerry Seinfeld writes jokes for 4 hours a day. Stephen King writes 2000 words a day, including Birthdays, holidays and Christmas. They don’t break the chain.
It’s also helpful to monitor what you are doing. Keep a food diary, take measurements, anything to help you keep track and see progress. The simplest way is to get a calendar, any one will do, and like the one below from Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist Journal, all you have to do is put a cross in the box and NOT break the chain!
4) Safeguard
While you’re starting your new habit you need to nurture it like a sapling. Get a fancy glass cloche and a couple of armed guards for extra measure.
This requires forward thinking and planning to be sure that if something unexpected (friends popping over with cake, etc. – not in my world but maybe yours!) or expected (holidays, a birthday bash or a Christmas party, to keep it topical) happens, you know how you’ll behave to protect your habit.
You also need to tackle those triggers. So for tea = biscuit, either have a new snack ready or ditch the tea for a bit! For my Thursday = Wine-O’Clock, I need to switch my routine around. For example, there’s a yoga class at my gym 8:15-9:15. That would get me out of the house, doing something positive and out of temptation’s way.
5) Kill your darling?
I asked before if you have a ‘thing’ that you can’t have just one of. Does the thought of never having it again fill you with fear and/or dread? Me too. But this might be just the thing you need to safeguard against!
Some people are able to have a little bit of chocolate or a single glass of wine and then merrily carry on with their day. These people will say ‘everything in moderation.’ That is perfectly acceptable if you’re able to moderate yourself.
Other people (like myself) are incapable of moderating certain things. Gretchen calls this type of person an Abstainer and for Abstainers it easier to just not have it [enter your vice here] at all.
But you may have to talk yourself around to that one!
Conclusion
I really want to take control of my actions, particularly as I’m getting older. I have a family to look after and they need me to be healthy and happy.
I have a few good habits to nurture and a couple of bad ones to stomp on but the key is to tackle a few at a time, get started, don’t break the chain and do some safe guarding.
The tips above are just a few of many covered by Gretchen Rubin’s in her book Better than Before, so I’d highly recommend a read.
I think the most pertinent for me is tackling ‘my darling’. The thought of never drinking again is utterly mind numbing, but it seems to yield a power over me that I don’t like and I know it is the root of all my bad habits. So, for those reasons it’s something I need to tackle. It is not necessary for a good time, I just need to grow up a bit and convince myself of that.
Hannah – wow! This post has seriously motivated me. Only this morning I was having a conversation with a friend about bad habits and the toll they can take on your health (mental and physical). I have no idea what exactly I want to begin doing – or stop, for that matter.
I quit meat over a year ago on animal-welfare grounds. I’ve let that slip for some unknown reason. Perhaps I shall return.
Thanks for writing this and for putting us onto Gretchen’s book.
Xx
This is me totally and utterly. I have dieted for over 18 years and am now trying to start all over again. I watched a great vlog from a US clean eating vlogger, who said ‘don’t reward yourself with food, you’re not a dog’! Also she said if you can eat something responsibly, don’t have it in your house. One last thing which I thought was great, she said with certain things, like biscuits for her, ‘one is too many and a thousand never enough’. Food for thought! 🙂 xxx
The idea of identifying bad habits and takling them one at a time is a good one. I dont think I have a ‘darling’ though, I just love food xx
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I too was in awesome shape earlier this year, then just lost all motivation and am now back where I started. I drink all the wine and eat all the takeaway too! Some great tips here Hannah, time to make some changes (again) I think x
I do find that I have to just eliminate certain things completely. If chocolate is in the house, I’ll eat it. If it isn’t I don’t haha. For me, the trick is finding healthier alternatives. Sounds like a really interesting book #thelist
I am such a yoyo dieter. It is hard when you have little ones and you are tired but it is no excuse. I love the don’t break the chain chart – I may even use it on my son and my thumb sucking habit xx #thelist
This is great! I’m a TERRIBLE yo yo’er so this is really helpful to me 😀 #thelist
Oh, it’s not easy! I had a period of time where I was eating so healthy & exercising but it’s tough to keep that going non-stop. I think you need a break or something nice now & then. It’s not easy to get the motivation to start up again. Great most, very thought provoking. Thank you for hosting! x
I think the “habit” mentality is both my biggest strength and my biggest weakness. I very easily become automated – i like routine. But as you say, if those habits are bad… well it’s not so great is it. Good luck with your new weight loss journey! maybe you can inspire me too 🙂 #TheList
Argh, it’s so bloomin’ hard isn’t it?! I’m so similar to you, in that it’s all or nothing for me. If I open a bottle of wine, I can’t just have one glass. If I have a piece of cake, then I’ll have another later. Why not right?!
But you’re spot on, it’s all about tackling those nasty habits. Little things which often go unnoticed.
Saying that, I also think we need to cut ourselves some serious slack too. Life is far too short to not enjoy a glass of wine or even a bottle!
And I’d rather be happy than have ‘ the perfect bod’ (whatever that is).
But if I am feeling rubbish and know I need to loose a little weight, I swear by my week / weekend rule. So Mon – Thurs, I do my best not to drink booze and I eat really healthily and then over the weekend, I drink and eat whatever I want. It always works and helps me keep some balance and my sanity 😉 x
P.S Thanks for the book recommendation! Love Gretchin’s books! x
This is excellent advice. I am using a calorie counting app at the moment and it is great for me to monitor what I am eating. I am taking small steps but know I am one chicken korma away from downfall. I have stopped taking sugar in my tea and trying to be sensible about it but it can be hard to self moderate. #thelist
Great post Hannah. I loved The Happiness Project and I’ve been interested to know what Gretchen Rubin had to say about habits so this is good to read. I like that kind of book and I had a look at the blurb for How to Steal Like An Artist too and that looks like my kind of self-help book as well! (By the way you looked amazing in your bikinis and I’m guessing it took a bit of dutch courage to press publish on that one too!). My sister gave alcohol up for a year this year – she only has a few weeks left to go but she thinks she will be able to take it or leave it after that. I think it’s given her a lot – better health, more control over her emotions, pride in what she has achieved. Good luck tackling your vice, I think mine would be croissants and pastries! Xx #thelist
I’m the same, totally a yoyo dieter. My problem is food revolves around my social life. Let’s go out for a meal, come over and let me put on a dinner party, haven’t seen you in ages, let’s have a drink (or 5) I’ve come to accept it a bit more because that brings me a lot of enjoyment to life. I try and keep a balance and just make sure I’m not always on the up. In saying that I am definitely in determination to lose mode now. Good luck! X
I tend to stay away from diets – I don’t over indulge in general. I just need more time to exercise but I try not to use that as an excuse and run up and down the stairs a bit more lol #TheList
Brilliant. Just the motivation I need. I had great eating habits before I got pregnant, which were killed off by morning sickness. Now the baby is over one, it’s definitely time to get back to eating better! #TheList
I have been yo-yoing since Marianna was born. I don’t really drink, but I do have a weakness for Jaffa Cakes! 🙂 #thelist
This so applies to me! But I really cannot imagine never having chocolate again – but perhaps I should set myself some rules of when I am allowed to eat it. #thelist
This sounds so much like me, I can never keep at diets for long and lack motivation but there are some great tips here and I’m definitely going to give it a go. #TheList
A really interesting post. I’ve never been a dieter, I just go through stints of eating healthier… Having more salads and less chocolate. I complete understand the out of sight out of mind, if I don’t buy chocolates can’t eat it!! I’d definitely struggle to replace the tea=biscuit and Thursday =wine o’clock …. But do manage if we don’t have any let, or I risk waking baby to get the biscuits!! (Hope you can link up to my #TheBabyFormula linky on Monday with this post 🙂 )
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