Hi there. I lurk a lot, respond to posts occasionally, and often think of things I'd like to post, but typically just let them go before I say anything, but I wanted to talk about this. and I hope my rambling is coherent.
The latest science says that it takes 66 days to make a habit.
66 days ago, I had a blood test done that said my blood sugar was in the pre-diabetic range. I am 42 years old, 6'3", and I was 422 pounds that day. I've been working on my weight all year (down from 481 in December and 502 in the middle of last year) and that test result really got to me. My father is old and fat and can barely move because he's in such bad shape. Prior to this blood test, I'd never had a health metric out of line (other than my obviously high weight/BMI) and I've always let my binge eating disorder win the fight against my brain. So it was a good kick in the shorts to have something medically come back not right.
In those 66 days, I've made several changes. I cut most processed sugar out of my diet. I cut artificial sweeteners out as well. I've eaten bread 5 times in 66 days (this has been very hard!) I switched to brown rice and only a couple times a week. I'm being very conscious of my nutrient intake. And I've started consistently walking. I walked 75 miles in October, and I'm at 32 this month so far (tracked miles, I don't count my daily steps that I take while working.) I also track everything I eat in Lose It and I haven't missed a single thing, even if I wasn't proud of myself for eating it. I weigh everything so I know it is pretty accurate.
I've gone from 422 to 388 in 66 days. I average about a half pound a day loss. I added a gym routine on top of my 5x a week walk last week, and I hope to see that through for the next 60 days. I'm gearing up for the holidays by taking notes on how to eat at maintenance for a holiday and then get back on track the next day. Maintenance for me is about 3300 calories if I calculate it as sedentary, which I am other than my 7 hours a week of exercise. I can make that work. And I'm planning a 6 mile hike for that morning. I still need to go get my blood checked again, but I think I'll wait until the 120 day mark just to give my body some time to make adjustments.
So remember that it takes time and effort to make these changes, and it takes a couple of months to really set these changes in stone. There are 49 days left in the year. You could have a new habit by January 17th of next year. Get a head start on that New Year's resolution!
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