Create the Habits of Staying Lean and not Fat

This post originally appeared in Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits.

People want to lose weight really fast (myself included). We fantasize about having a flat stomach, a leaner body, in just weeks. Two weeks would be ideal.

Search for “weight loss” in Amazon and you’ll find books that will show you how to “lose weight fast” or in a certain number of weeks, like 8 weeks, 4 weeks, even 2 weeks.

Of course, that’s bunk.

Let’s take a closer look at what it would take to lose weight in 4 weeks:

• About 2/3 of American adults are overweight or obese, and have more than 20 lbs. to lose. If you’re trying to lose 20 lbs. in 4 weeks, that’s 5 lbs. a week. But for most people, it’s much better to lose 1-2 lbs. per week than 3-5 lbs.
• A big drop in weight (like 10 lbs. in the first two weeks) often happens if you drastically change your diet. Most of this is water weight — only a few of those 10 lbs. will be actual fat. This water weight is deceiving, because 1) it’s unsustainable, because after the first couple weeks you won’t lose much water weight and your rate of weight loss will drop to a more sustainable 1-2 lbs. per week, which will be disappointing if you hoped to keep losing weight that fast, and 2) the water weight comes back on really quickly if you change your diet back later.
• What you’re really doing is going on a short-term drastic diet (and probably some intense exercise) but in your mind, you’re only doing it for 4 weeks, and you think you just need to get through this short-term suffering in order to achieve the weight loss. This is wrong. You’ll lose weight, then go back to your old habits, and then gain the weight back and more.

So losing a lot of weight in 4 weeks is possible, but it’s more sustainable to lose it slowly, and to build long-term habits, and much of the weight you lose is water weight that will come right back on when you return to old habits.
And so, losing weight fast is a bad idea.
What’s a better way? Changing your actual eating and exercise habits, which is much harder than most people realize. Let’s take a look at me as a case study.

Leo’s 7-Year Weight Loss Story

Calling it my “weight loss story” is deceiving, because this story really isn’t about weight. It’s about changing old habits.
I started off about 60 lbs. heavier than I am now, and I had years of bad eating and exercise habits. I ate lots of meat, junk food, sweets, fast food, party food, and drank soda, beer, fatty coffee drinks and more. And I almost never did active stuff. But that’s just the start of my health habits, as it turns out.
Here’s what happened:

1. I started by quitting smoking. This taught me a lot about habits, and got the ball rolling down the road to becoming healthier.
2. I started running to relieve stress. If you relieve stress by smoking, drinking, or eating unhealthy food, you’ll need to find a healthier stress coping habit. Running became that habit for me, though now I have others: meditation, socializing in a healthy way, drinking tea, and various thinking habits.
3. I could barely run, and so I started small and progressed gradually.
4. I learned that quitting smoking and running made me feel healthy and great, but eating junk food made me feel worse. So I started trying to eat healthier food, which meant learning to eat vegetables. I didn’t like it much at first, but I learned to like veggies, and now I love them. This taught me that by gradually introducing healthy foods, I could train my tastebuds and learn to like things I didn’t like at first. I’ve now done this with dozens of foods.
5. I became vegetarian. This cut out a ton of unhealthy fatty meats that I was eating, and I ate more vegetables instead. I missed the meats at first, but soon learned that I didn’t need them anymore. I started losing a good amount of weight at this point — maybe 30 lbs. in my first year.
6. I ran a marathon. This took a year of building up my mileage. I was still overweight at this point, but definitely lighter.
7. I started eating fewer sweets. This is a weak point for me, as I love sweets and still indulge now and then. It’s been a long road of learning why I eat sweets, and eating other things instead (fruits, especially berries, and a little dark chocolate are my favorites — also some raisins or dried cranberries).
8. I learned to eat healthier snacks. Fruits and nuts, veggies and hummus, salads.
9. I started to learn other ways to be active, like riding bikes, swimming, playing sports, lifting weights. One at a time.
10. I learned that doing activities with others, like my wife, kids, sister, friends, was more fun and motivating. I learned about using challenges to keep myself motivated and to make active-ness more fun.
11. I developed social coping skills so I could be a vegetarian in the midst of meat eaters and unhealthy friends/relatives.
12. I learned to watch myself eating when I was eating socially. This is still something I’m working on, as it’s not a habit you face every day.
13. I learned to eat healthier at restaurants.
14. In the 2nd year of fitness, I did a couple of short triathlons (I was just a beginner really). In my 3rd year I did a couple more marathons.
15. I became vegan, gradually. I’ve only been 100% vegan for about 5 months now, but was 95% vegan for a couple years.
16. I learned to eat fewer processed grains, fewer convenience foods, less sugar.
17. Last year I finally dropped sugar from my coffee.
18. I started building a little muscle, slowly, in the last few years, through weights.
19. I backtracked a bunch of times, overeating during travel or social occasions, gaining fat. Then I’d set a little challenge for myself and lose fat again.

This is just the broad strokes overview, actually. Learning what habits I’d developed over the years was the big part, and then slowly changing them one by one, has been the main process. Again, I’ve backtracked a number of times, but watching myself do that has been a learning process, and learning to get back on track with healthy habits even after I slipped up has been a great skill to learn.
It hasn’t been a linear progression. I’ve gone up and down, learned a lot along the way, and am still changing my habits. Today I am happy with my body, and fairly lean for my age. I don’t look like an underwear model, but I don’t feel like I need to, and am really happy with my healthy habits. This is where I should be, and if I keep an eye on my habits, I’m likely to stay this way for years.

So You Want to Form Lean Habits

Give up the idea of quick weight loss, and focus on building sustainable habits. Yes, it will take longer, but it will also last longer. Yes, it will take some work, but it’s fun, and you learn a lot about yourself in the process.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Start with a really easy habit. Just a small step, like drinking more water or eating a fruit a day or going for a short walk (or walk/run if that’s too easy) or doing a few pushups. You’ll learn about forming habits as you do so.
• Stick with easy habits for awhile, and if you’re successful at them, then you can gradually progress. You’ll be amazed at how much you can progress — I couldn’t exercise for 10 minutes when I started, but in 2011 I completed the GoRuck Challenge, which was 13 hours of hard exercise.
• Watch yourself as you eat. Why are you eating? What need are you fulfilling? Can you find a healthier replacement habit?
• Change your tastebuds. Most people think things like, “I can’t give up meat” or “I hate vegetables” or “I could never give up ____” (cheese, sweets, chocolate, pizza, etc.). I’m not asking you to give it up, but if you really want to learn the habits of being lean, change your tastebuds to healthier things. Eat a vegetable every day — before long, you’ll like it. Try brown rice instead of white, or whole grains instead of white flour, or fruits instead of sweets, or tempeh instead of meat, or quinoa or kale or dark chocolate or chard. They’re all delicious, if you give them a chance.
• Make activity a social thing. Do something fun with other people. Join a running club. Walk with your spouse. Get your coworkers to join a challenge. Be accountable to each other.
• Sign up for a race or other fitness challenge.
• Learn to socialize without eating unhealthy things.
• Learn healthy strategies for when you go to a social gathering or restaurant or travel.
• When you fail, forgive yourself, and learn. Get better. Keep doing it.
• Be proud of little progress. Enjoy the journey. I mean every single step — don’t keep your eye on the end goal, but on where you are, and how amazing it is.

That should get you started. If you do those things for a few years, you’ll know what else you need to do by then.
Good luck, my friends. This journey might be longer than a sprint, but that’s what makes it worthwhile. If you set yourself down this path, you are one of the courageous, the joyous, the lucky.

SEE ALSO: Seven Little Known Tips for Getting in Shape

How To Stop Snoring? These Remedies Help You Sleep Better

If you’re one of the 45% of adults who snore sometimes, then listen up: Snoring is more than a nuisance to your bed partner. It’s also a threat to your health.

That’s because snoring can decrease both the quantity and quality of your sleep, and sleep deprivation has been linked to depression, memory problems, weight gain, heart disease, diabetes and even an increased risk of death. (If you’re one of the 75% of snorers with obstructive sleep apnea, your risk of heart disease is even higher!) Snoring can also cause tension and resentment between romantic partners, leading to a decrease in emotional and sexual intimacy.

Do I have your attention now? If you’re ready to stop snoring once and for all, read on to learn the common causes of snoring and how to address snoring in both the short and long term.

Causes of Snoring

The basic issue at the root of all snoring is an inability to freely move air through the nose and throat, which then vibrates the nearby tissues and causes that classic rattling sound. A broad range of factors can increase the chances that you’ll snore. Among the most common are:

• Pregnancy
• Allergies, congestion, or other nasal and sinus problems
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Consuming alcohol
• Drugs and medications (especially muscle relaxants)
• Aging
• Genetic factors

While you’ll need to work with a medical professional to determine the exact cause of your snoring, you won’t have any trouble diagnosing the symptoms. The main sign that you’re a snorer is the loud, rattling sound that we all know and don’t love. Other symptoms include experiencing a dry mouth or sore throat upon waking. If you have sleep apnea, you may even experience:

• Pauses in breathing (or choking) while you sleep
• Daytime fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Trouble concentrating

How to Stop Snoring: Short-Term Solutions

Want to decrease your chances of snoring tonight (and on a nightly basis)? Then implement some or all of these strategies every night.

1. Use a humidifier

Some folks may be more prone to snoring when the bedroom’s air is dry, because dry air can irritate (or even swell) nose and throat membranes. Using a humidifier will help maintain consistent moisture content in the air, which may relieve snoring brought on by dryness. On a similar note, be sure to stay hydrated.

2. Switch to a new sleep position

As anyone who sleeps beside a snorer can tell you, sleeping on the back can often ramp up snoring. The easy fix? Try training yourself to sleep on your side. If you find that you keep rolling onto your back, consider wedging a body pillow behind you or even attaching a tennis ball to the back of your sleep shirt. Bonus: Sleeping on your left side can bring additional health benefits.

3. Avoid alcohol before bed

This might be tough to implement if you’re a fan of hitting the bars on weekends, but eschewing alcohol for the four or five hours leading up to bedtime can help reduce your chances of snoring. It’s also a good idea to avoid taking muscle relaxants unless absolutely necessary; consult a medical professional if you feel that a given prescription is contributing to your snoring.

4. Try an oral appliance

Oral appliances (aka mouthpieces) are anti-snoring devices that—much like a retainer—are placed over the teeth during sleep. The concept behind the devices is that they’ll keep the user’s airway open, helping to ensure that breath moves freely through the nose and throat.

5. Open up your nasal passages

This can be a particularly effective way to stop snoring if you’re suffering from allergies or congestion. Try taking a hot shower before bed or using a neti pot, nasal strips, or a nasal spray in order to open the nasal passages and make it easier to breathe freely.

How to Stop Snoring: Long-Term Solutions

In addition to the short-term strategies outlined above, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce or eliminate snoring over the long term.

1. Keep your bedroom and bedding clean

Dust mites and other allergens (such as pollen, dust, or pet dander) can hide in unwashed bedding and provoke congestion, thereby increasing the chances that you’ll snore. Make sure to vacuum and dust your living space on a weekly basis, and wash your bedding (including your pillows) on a similar timetable. But go ahead and leave the bed unmade—research suggests that making the bed can actually provide safe harbor for dust mites.

2. Stop smoking

The smoke from cigarettes has been shown to irritate the throat and nasal passages, thereby provoking congestion and inhibiting air flow. Quit smoking, and you’ll breathe more easily through your nose and throat—making it less likely that you’ll snore.

3. Practice throat exercises

There’s some evidence that practicing mouth and throat exercises on a daily basis can strengthen muscles in the respiratory tract (meaning they’ll be less likely to collapse and constrict air flow while you’re sleeping).

If none of these short- or long-term solutions is doing the trick, then it’s time to consult a medical professional. A physician will be able to help you determine the root causes of your snoring, rule out more serious issues like sleep apnea, and identify additional avenues for treatment, such as surgery. Be persistent until you’ve found a solution that truly helps you stop snoring—your health and relationships will be better for it.

4. Exercise

Regular exercise tones muscles all over the body—including in the throat. That means that throat muscles are less likely to collapse, making it more likely that you’ll be able to breathe freely in your sleep. Exercise may also help with weight loss, thereby reducing snoring that stems from obesity.

 

Set a goal for yourself

To stay energetic, I'll build a habit to relieve fatigue at work by following these daily tips.

How to Stop Smoking: Simply Don’t Plan On It

We preach about planning at healthyandcooking.com. But Live Science said don’t plan to quit smoking. Research shows that snap decision to quit smoking is more effective than plan it:

… West’s research found that unplanned attempts to quit succeeded even after adjusting for study variables such as age, sex and socioeconomics. Quitting is not a cost-benefit game in the minds of smokers, he says. “It depends on how people feel and that is a whole different ballgame.”

West’s work suggests a tipping-point approach to anti-smoking campaigns. He says public health workers should capitalize on smokers’ latent desire to quit by putting the idea of quitting in their minds, raising smokers’ motivational tension momentarily to a level that can overcome their resistance to quitting and then lowering the barriers to action—such as helping them to think, “Why not quit?”…

The article focuses on cigarette and smoking habit, but not on the affects of planning on the action of quitting smoking (which I am more interested).

How to Quit Smoking the Smart Way — Use a Device!

I used to smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day. That was in my twenties. After sometime, for several years I’ve had smokers cough. My throat was sore all the time. It became ultra sensitive. Then I started to feel chest pains. That’s it, I told myself.

But, for many years, it remained a wish. Until I have seriously resolved to quit for good. I did it with a fervent prayer and pretty soon, I started the journey of quitting smoking altogether. I did it slowly. Reducing the sticks I enjoyed week per week. Then day by day. A pack, then 18 sticks, then 16 sticks, and so on. When I was down to 10 sticks, I would be stressed at work, and I would destroy everything I have worked hard for, for many weeks, ’cause I would be back to smoking more cigarettes again. I would start all over. So goes my story of kicking the smoking habit.

You’ll see what’s the finale of my story later. Meantime, I want to show you a device that could help you quit. It’s a spectacular device designed to assist you in your smoke quitting sojourn. It even has a smart name. It’s called QuitBit.

How does QuitBit work?

QuitBit is a Smart Lighter. It may look ordinary but it’s actually equipped with a mini LED display positioned on the upper portion of its body. Let me tell you about The LED display. It monitors the number of sticks you have lighted up. Another function it does (in an amazing way) is to track the elapsed time since your last stick. Checking this can be done at a glance. Just look at the display. It reports the details you need. Simple.

Self awareness is the main thrust of the device’s principle to help smokers quit. The manufacturers believe that throwing away the habit is a breeze when the smoke addict can harness the power of self-awareness. If a smoker can track his progress, he can ultimately quit the habit.

This Smart lighter lights up tobacco with an integrated electronic heating coil. The last phrase looks familiar because it is similar to the one used in car lighters. Probably you have even used one. The heating coil is also responsible in helping the intelligent lighter monitor the number of sticks you light up. It’s super smart, it can decipher if you are sharing cigarettes with friends, or just flicking them to keep your fingers busy when intense cravings of tobacco attacks you.

Wanna know more? Check Trying to Quit Smoking? There’s a Device for That…

by Daniel via Appcessories. Good for you, you have QuitBit to help you now. In my quitting days I only had myself, my wife, and God. So how did I quit? I did it with a strong determination, strong prayers, and faith in God.

What Happens To Your Body After You Quit Smoking?

Smoking is harmful to your health. You probably already know that.

But what you don’t know is that your body is designed to repair itself the moment you stop smoking. According to this infographic, even one day of kicking the habit can already lower your chances of heart disease.

That’s a big deal for smokers who are battling weight problems and anxiety issues.

Ultimately, the effects of smoking can only be felt after several years or decades. By the time people choose to stop, the damage would have already been done and it would’ve been too late.

But why wait that long to stop? Your body trying to repair itself is a sign that the emotional benefits of smoking is not worth the long term effects.

How has smoking affected your life? Are you currently trying to quit? Share your experience with us today.

Smoking Timeline [Infographic] | Daily Infographic

Hypnosis to Quit Smoking with Tim Thornton

One hundred years ago, hypnosis was viewed as a mental state imposed on an individual by another person who manipulated excessive control. This was known as the “Svengali” method. Fifty years ago, the average person thought hypnosis was a sort of magic act in which the person being hypnotized would act in a ridiculous manner. Today, hypnosis is used to help people deal with a range of health and behavioral problems.

What is hypnosis?

To date, scientists have been unable to explain exactly what hypnosis or hypnotherapy is. The description most often used goes something like this: It is a mental state characterized by relaxation and heightened imagination. Hypnosis is not sleeping as it has so widely been portrayed, but rather daydreaming in a fully conscious state. You are intensely focused on the subject at hand. When you are in a hypnotic state, the critical or conscious side of your brain has been shut off. You are then able to accept hypnotic suggestions as fact.

Will hypnosis help you quit smoking?

Hypnosis cannot make you do anything you don’t want to do. If you have a strong desire to give up smoking, but just can’t get through the quitting process, hypnosis could possibly be the tool you are looking for. The process of hypnosis can help you replace behaviors that trigger your desire to smoke and help to increase your will power.

Hypnosis can allow you to focus on the benefits you are gaining.

There are several ways to look for a qualified hypnotist. Start by asking friends and family. Talk to your primary care physician (PCP) and ask if they can recommend a hypnotist. View websites to find out more information about the hypnotist and all the services they offer. The hypnotist should be a certified hypnotherapist. Being a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NPL) practitioner is also important. Although each hypnotist has to start someplace, it is more beneficial to you to look for an experienced one.

Tim Thornton tells his personal story. He wants you to feel at ease with him. He has opened his doors to help you quit smoking. Thornton’s website is chock full of information. Answering your questions before you even voice them, he is straightforward with the answers. Informing potential clients about what to expect in the initial session helps to alleviate fears and nervousness.

Not only does Tim Thornton help someone to quit smoking, he is also qualified to help with weight loss, addictions, insomnia and phobias to name a few. His blog is informative and easy to read.

As a treatment method, hypnosis has had a somewhat controversial history. However, hypnosis has become more socially and medically acceptable since the 1950s. Today, hypnosis is used all throughout the field of medicine. Hypnosis got the blessing of Pope Pius XII in the 1950s, although he developed some new rules governing its usage. While the Catholic Church does not take hypnosis lightly, devout Catholics should still be able to benefit from hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis and Psychological Disorders

The popularity of hypnosis in modern times parallels the development of modern psychology in general. The twentieth century was a time of experimentation with new therapies, and hypnotherapy was part of that. Hypnosis itself may be as old as humanity, but using it in clinical settings is more emblematic of the twentieth century and beyond.

The popularity of hypnosis in modern times parallels the development of modern psychology in general. The twentieth century was a time of experimentation with new therapies, and hypnotherapy was part of that. Hypnosis itself may be as old as humanity, but using it in clinical settings is more emblematic of the twentieth century and beyond.