Today I want to talk about habits.  Bad habits, good habits.  We all have them and we all need to work on some of them!  The good news is, is that we don't HAVE to have them! We can CHANGE our habits.

I want to talk about food and eating habits.....

You know, I don't like the idea of dieting. I really don't like the idea of diet plans.  It's not the food that is the problem, it's the habit that is the problem.

There are 2 causes for eating habits. physiological and psychological.

What do I  mean by physiological?   First off, when I mention that we lack "certain foods", I am referring to the 3 basic MACROS in our diets: protiens, fats and grains.. Sometimes we CRAVE these macros, or certain foods. Then, we end up overeating that specific type of food because we are LACKING the basic component (macro) of that specific food in our diet.  Are you eating enough protein or is your body crying out for some meat which leads us to that burger (then fries, etc, because it's there) Are you on a "low-carb" diet? Your body NEEDS that macro group, so even though you may have lost a few pounds by eliminating that macro, you will end up binging on it because your body NEEDS it to keep it running properly. Your body will not "shut up" if it is craving carbs or protein or whatever you are denying yourself.  If you SO restrict (creating deprivation) yourself, then your body will CRAVE it because it comes to a point that it HAS to have it to attain it's homeostasis, without that specific food our bodies are out of balance.

To make order out of chaos isn't so easy.  There are so many different diets out there, such as no carb, low carb, juicing, etc.   Well, stop that right now. Let's think about eating to LIVE and not living to eat!
****Let's break this down in a simple way...  each meal should incorporate protein, fats, grains (a nice way of saying carbs).  Maybe you are asking how much?  Don't obsess!  Look at your plate.. ask yourself  if you have each of the components, or macros.****

We also can overeat because of emotional needs.  It is important to listen to WHY you are overeating.  What were your feeling at the time of your binge?  Take a step back  and ask, "what am I going through in my life that caused this binge"?  If you break it down into WHY instead of punishing yourself and feeling awful, you may get a better grab on how to handle the situation next time.

Interestingly enough, the type of food you overeat may give us tips on WHY you overate. Overeating on sweets can indicate the need to comfort yourself from sadness. Overeating salty, snack foods can indicate the need to calm yourself from anxiety. If you overrate spicy foods, you may lack adventure and are bored!

How do you break a habit once you have recognized it?

I found this article on success.com and I like the way they broke it down:

1. You have to want them to go.

In truth, some people actually want their bad habits to stick around. So the first thing is to go deep into the recesses of your heart and ask, Do I really want to give this up?

You do? Good. Then on to the next step…

2. Make up a list of all of the reasons you want to quit your bad habits.

Make them positive. Make the list long. Start with the really powerful and dramatic if you need to. Now memorize them. Put them in your mind.

You are making connections between stopping the bad behavior with what good things you will get from doing so. If you want to lose weight, then picture yourself slim and looking good in those skinny jeans. If you want to stop smoking, picture your wife actually kissing you rather than sending you to the bathroom to brush your teeth.

3. Choose.

Once you have the information, this comes down to one thing: an act of the will. Choose to do it. Say to yourself throughout the day, I am choosing to…

Eisenhower rightly said, “The history of free men is written not by chance but by choice, their choice.” It is your choice. You can write your history.

4. Take action.

This is tricky because there are two philosophies about it.

One theory is that you must take massive action—you must go all or nothing. Using the weight loss example, this person would go spend $500 to join a gym, rework their schedule and hit the treadmill every day for a year. They will get rid of all fat in the house. They go all out—and that works for some.

Others would burn out on that, feel like failures and be worse off than before. They should start out slow, taking baby steps but working diligently toward a planned goal. This person would decide to start walking three days a week. They would decide to limit dessert to two nights a week, down from seven.

Either way is OK as long as you get to the goal eventually. Which one are you?

5. Tell somebody.

This is your accountability partner. Tell them your goal and tell them your plan. Write it down for them and have them ask you on regular intervals about your progress. This will prove invaluable.

6. Recover from failure.

Inevitably most people will have setbacks. The key is to have them be setbacks and not turnbacks. Pick yourself up and get going again.

Some people may want to lose 30 pounds and after losing 15, they eat a gallon of ice cream. Then they feel bad and give up. Don’t! Reset your goal for another two weeks and get going again. Chalk it up to experience! Say to yourself, Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.

7. Reward yourself.

You should regularly congratulate yourself by rewarding yourself with some gift. Start small with small victories and plan a big one when you are finally and for sure over the habit.

Is it that simple? Most of the time, no. Habits are hard to break. There are so many intangibles that it would be hard to cover them all. But this is a simple and workable plan that will help you make great strides if you just apply the principles.