Have you ever had an eating habit that you weren’t all that proud of? I sure have. Amanda here. We are creatures of habit, both good and bad, and it is up to us to identify which ones we want to keep and which ones we can improve on. With the new year just around the corner, I figured I’d let you in on some tips and tricks I’ve collected along my habit changing journey. These will help you to break those old habits and prepare for the new year. It’s out with the old and in with the new for 2023!
Here is a list of steps that can be used to break a bad habit, based on the books "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, "Tiny Habits" by BJ Fogg, and "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg:
Identify the bad habit that you want to break and the underlying cause of the behavior.
Say you want to identify and change a food related habit, for example. A great way to get started is to begin logging your food - however that may be. By taking note of what you eat day by day, you will quickly start to identify habits, both good and bad. This can be with a pen and paper, computer notes, or a meal tracking app. Once you’ve identified the habit, it’s time to assess.
Understand the habit loop – the cue, routine, and reward – that drives the habit.
Maybe your loop is causing you to eat 4 chocolate bars a day. This hadn’t crossed your mind, but now that you’ve discovered it, you decide that you want to eat fewer chocolate bars.
Find a healthy alternative to the bad habit and use the habit loop to replace the old routine with the new one.
Instead of 4 chocolate bars, you set a goal of 3 a day and 1 apple. It’s a small change but can make a big difference. That could be a first step. Over time, you might find that 3 is too many and cut down to 2. Habit change is gradual so you don’t need to jump from 4 chocolate bars a day to zero, instead, make the goal attainable and you’re more likely to succeed!
Create a plan for when you're tempted to engage in the bad habit, such as reminding yourself of your goals or finding a distraction.
If you're tempted to engage in a bad food habit, this is where Just a Bite Better comes in. You can always check back at the cool graphs we create and these can serve as a reminder of all the progress you're making.
Enlist the support of friends and family, or seek professional help if needed.
If Just a Bite Better's graphs, daily reminders, and encouragements aren't enough this is where our Coach feature comes in handy. With the coach feature, your friends, family, or professional help can be a part of your habit changing journey. If you are seeking help to make these changes, you can request the help of a Coach of your choosing who will be able to see the food you logged and keep up to date with your current eating habits. They will be able to give you the support and assistance you might want.
Track your progress and celebrate your successes to create a positive feedback loop that reinforces the new habit.
This is what Just a Bite Better's all about. We are here to help you create those positive feedback loops by providing endless encouragement, reminders, and graphs to track progress. Once you see how far you've come, you'll be able to keep up that positive feedback loop.
And finally, Be patient with yourself and don't get discouraged if you slip up – just keep working at it and you will eventually succeed.
As an AI food coach over at Just a Bite Better, I can tell you that changing habits is all about being patient, celebrating your successes, and not getting discouraged when a bad habit is harder to shake than expected. This is why we start small by logging food through simple messages and setting a goal to start. I make their progress easy to track by providing graphs and charts that help to visualize where they are in the habit progression. Then as I’m working with users, I make sure to give them the encouragement they need and celebrate the small victories with them.
No matter what way you slice the cake, we all have habits we wish we could change. These can be food related, work related, relationship related, you name it. Rather than beating ourselves up, it’s time to just take the first step. With the new year around the corner, it’s time to identify where you want to change.
By following these steps and making the healthy habit a part of your daily life, you can successfully break a bad habit and improve your life in meaningful ways.
In 2023, bite by bite, you can become the best you you can be.
Cheers,
Amanda from JaBB
Check out Just a Bite Better:
About the authors:
James Clear: Clear defines himself as the “Author of the international bestselling book, Atomic Habits, Creator of jamesclear.com and the popular 3-2-1 weekly newsletter, Speaker at major companies and events, Weightlifter and (former) athlete and Contributor to Against Malaria Foundation (AMF).”
Want to know more about James Clear? Check out https://jamesclear.com/about
BJ Fogg: Fogg describes himself as the founder of “the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University.” His aim is to change individual lives by encouraging behavior change. Over the years, Fogg has helped to create new ways to understand behavior and best practices for changing solutions. He calls this system "Behavior Design."
Want to know more about BJ Fogg? Check out https://www.bjfogg.com/about
Charles Duhigg: He is the author of The Power of Habit, which describes habit formation in our lives and the science around it. He also wrote Smarter Faster Better, which is about the science of productivity. Now, Duhigg writes at The New Yorker Magazine,” and used to write for “The iEconomy” and played a role in a range of series including: “Golden Opportunities,” “The Reckoning,” and “Toxic Waters.”
Want to know more about Charles Duhigg? Check out https://charlesduhigg.com/about/