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Episode 2768:
Leo Babauta explores why drastic diet changes often fail, highlighting how overwhelming, unsustainable, and unappealing they can be. By making small, enjoyable changes gradually, you can establish a healthier lifestyle that feels normal and satisfying, rather than like a constant sacrifice.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://zenhabits.net/gradual-yum/
Quotes to ponder:
"You’re pushing out of your comfort zone, but not too much."
"One small change at a time means a dozen over a few months. That adds up to some amazing change over time."
"Imagine a life that includes healthy food that you’d really enjoy - but allows for other indulgences too."
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[00:00:00] This is Optimal Health Daily, A Gradual Approach to Healthy Eating by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net and I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host and narrator.
[00:00:10] Hey there, welcome back to another edition of Optimal Health Daily where I read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs online.
[00:00:18] Alright, and with that, let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life.
[00:00:26] A Gradual Approach to Healthy Eating by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net
[00:00:33] Many of us have tried various diets over the years with little success.
[00:00:37] I remember trying about half a dozen different diets when I was trying to lose weight and none of them stuck for more than a few weeks.
[00:00:45] Why is that? A few reasons.
[00:00:48] One, you're trying to change a lot of things at once, from learning new recipes to strategies for social situations to what to eat when you go out to what you should do when you're craving a snack and much more.
[00:01:01] Making that many changes at once is a sure recipe for failure.
[00:01:05] Two, you're making huge changes all of a sudden.
[00:01:09] If you shift from unhealthy eating to healthy eating in one day, it will seem like a drastic change and you won't be used to it at all.
[00:01:17] This is very difficult and if you're struggling with something difficult, you're probably not going to last more than a few weeks.
[00:01:25] Or three, you don't really like your life with this new diet.
[00:01:29] You like the idea of being leaner, but you don't like the diet and you miss your old food.
[00:01:34] So it feels like a sacrifice and you can only sacrifice for so long.
[00:01:39] That's a lot of powerful forces working against you and that's just the start.
[00:01:45] Having a spouse or friends who eat differently is difficult and so is being surrounded by unhealthy food at home and work.
[00:01:52] So what can we do?
[00:01:53] What worked for me is gradual change.
[00:01:56] Let's look at the why then the how.
[00:02:00] Why gradual change works.
[00:02:02] If you understand the reasons that people fail at trying to create a healthy lifestyle, then you can see why gradual is better.
[00:02:10] One, it's not overwhelming to start if you start small and only do one small change at a time.
[00:02:17] Two, with gradual change, you're not putting too much on your plate as you are with a huge change
[00:02:22] and so you're less likely to drop it as the weeks progress because you're too busy and have other things to focus on.
[00:02:29] Three, it's not an abrupt change, so it doesn't seem so difficult and it quickly starts to feel normal.
[00:02:35] You're pushing out of your comfort zone, but not too much.
[00:02:39] And four, you never really feel like you're sacrificing.
[00:02:43] Those are some good reasons. Let's do this.
[00:02:47] How to transition to amazingly healthy.
[00:02:51] Before we start the gradual process, it's a good idea to know where we're going generally.
[00:02:56] This won't be the exact place we end up because things will change along the way, including your taste buds.
[00:03:01] But let's take a big picture look at what we're doing first.
[00:03:05] A less helpful approach is to think of the perfectly healthy diet and say that's what you need to do.
[00:03:12] For example, if for some reason we said you should only eat protein and vegetables all day every day,
[00:03:18] then any deviation would feel like failure.
[00:03:21] And you might think that that's not a very fun life, so you wouldn't be likely to stick to it.
[00:03:26] Instead, try to imagine a life that includes healthy food that you'd really enjoy, but allows for other indulgences too.
[00:03:34] For some, that might mean you want a bagel and fruit for breakfast, then some healthier stuff for lunch and dinner like protein, veggies, quinoa or brown rice,
[00:03:43] maybe carrots and hummus for a snack, some green tea later in the afternoon, and finally, a martini after dinner.
[00:03:51] That's not 100% healthy, but it's pretty great.
[00:03:54] And it's a picture you'd enjoy, perhaps.
[00:03:57] For others, you might want a sweet in the afternoon or your tall latte in the morning or french fries at dinner with friends a few times a week.
[00:04:06] Those are all allowable in a healthy lifestyle, if most of the other things you eat are healthy.
[00:04:11] You want a picture of a healthy life that seems enjoyable to you.
[00:04:16] Next, pick one small healthy change and stick with it for a week.
[00:04:21] Get some accountability.
[00:04:22] Put a reminder on your fridge.
[00:04:25] Plan ahead of time.
[00:04:26] Do whatever it takes to make that small healthy change happen.
[00:04:30] If you are successful, pick another small change the next week and repeat that every week you were successful.
[00:04:36] What kind of small healthy changes can you pick each week?
[00:04:40] The list can be endless, but here are some examples.
[00:04:44] Eat a vegetable at dinner every day.
[00:04:46] Eat a vegetable at lunch every day.
[00:04:49] Eat a fruit for an afternoon snack.
[00:04:52] Have a fruit with breakfast.
[00:04:54] Cut back one alcoholic drink at night.
[00:04:58] Don't eat after 8pm.
[00:05:00] Cut back on the sugar you add to your coffee to a minimal amount.
[00:05:04] Have a whole grain like quinoa, brown rice and so on with dinner instead of a white starch.
[00:05:10] Have hummus or raw nuts instead of those chips you eat for a snack.
[00:05:15] Have berries instead of the sweets you eat for a snack.
[00:05:18] Learn three new recipes this week.
[00:05:20] Cook one night, then eat the leftovers the next and repeat.
[00:05:24] Eat at home most nights this week.
[00:05:27] Have yogurt with fruit or a tofu scramble with veggies for breakfast.
[00:05:32] You get the picture.
[00:05:33] If you don't like these changes, come up with some of your own.
[00:05:36] If these seem too difficult, make them easier.
[00:05:39] One small change at a time means a dozen over a few months.
[00:05:44] That adds up to some amazing change over time and it's change that's likely to last much longer.
[00:05:54] You just listened to the post titled,
[00:05:56] A Gradual Approach to Healthy Eating by Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net
[00:06:01] and I'll be right back with my commentary.
[00:06:03] While we can't control every aspect of our future health,
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[00:06:45] And the best part?
[00:06:47] Unlike your calendar age, this number could actually decrease with lifestyle changes.
[00:06:52] So advocate for your health today.
[00:06:55] Go to 23andMe.com slash OHD for your limited time offer.
[00:07:01] That's 23andMe.com slash OHD.
[00:07:07] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.
[00:07:09] All of the suggestions today's author, Leo, shared were great.
[00:07:13] And he's right.
[00:07:14] Small, gradual changes tend to feel much more manageable.
[00:07:17] Plus, with smaller changes, we're more likely to achieve small wins.
[00:07:22] And these small wins can help us stay motivated to keep going.
[00:07:26] And then we gradually build on those small wins to modify our goals.
[00:07:31] The one thing I would add to the suggestions Leo shared is this.
[00:07:35] Write down your goals.
[00:07:37] Even if the goal seems so small that we may not even feel it's worth writing down,
[00:07:42] still write it down.
[00:07:44] This is because researchers are finding that when we write down our goals,
[00:07:48] it tricks the brain into thinking those goals are somehow real.
[00:07:52] And researchers have found that writing down our goals increases the chances that we'll actually achieve them.
[00:07:59] All right, that'll do it for today.
[00:08:01] Thank you so much for being here every day.
[00:08:03] Thank you for sharing this show with someone.
[00:08:06] That's one of the best ways to keep this show going.
[00:08:08] I hope you have a great rest of your day.
[00:08:10] And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.
[00:08:13] All right.
[00:08:13] Let's just think of questions.
[00:08:13] let's leave it for one should, thanks.
[00:08:13] I'll see you back.
[00:08:13] Thank you.