For example, if you walk for an hour, you’ll burn about 300 calories.  But you drink one can of pop and you’ve added about 150 calories.  One slice of pepperoni pizza is about 250 calories (and who eats just one slice?).  One plain donut has anywhere from 250 to 400 calories.  

I’ve played around with the idea of making behavior changes with the idea that change is very difficult if it’s painful.  Telling yourself you can’t have something (i.e. donuts) tends to be stressful.  Doing things that cause us stress do not become habit.  B. J. Fogg discusses this in his book, “Tiny Habits”.   We change by doing things that make us feel good, not by doing things that make us feel bad.  So, for myself, I decided it was time to take getting in shape seriously.  When I started thinking about the idea that I would never be able to out exercise a poor diet, I started looking at my diet to see where I could make painless changes and reduce calories.

One of the first things I noticed was that I drink a lot of milk and juice.  While this is certainly healthier than drinking pop, it has the same about of calories.  If I could switch to drinking water instead of milk and juice, I estimated that I could cut out about 700 calories a day easily.

Next I looked at my lunch time meals.  I had a bad habit of forgetting to take a lunch to work with me so would end up going out for a take out lunch.  Quite often pizza because it’s fast and convenient.  One slice of pepperoni pizza is about 250 calories each, and I never stop at just one.  Let’s say I would eat three slices (because it’s pizza and it’s there in front of me).  That’s 750 calories right there.  It’s exceedingly difficult to find takeout food that isn’t loaded with calories.  

On the other hand, if I bring a sandwich and an apple or veggies from home, that turns out to be about 475 calories.   On days, I can also keep dinner to about 500 calories, I’m now below the number of daily calories my body needs to maintain my current weight, which means I lose weight that day.  This also means my one-hour walk (burning about 300 calories) is really paying of in weight loss and muscle toning.

The key seems to be planning ahead so I have what I need to make a lunch at home, and making sure I create a habit of making the lunch and bringing it to work.  Losing a small amount of weight (i.e. a pound or two) in a couple of days proves to be a motivator to continue the practice.  The nice thing is that it doesn’t have to be painful. Quite often, just reading calories of something you’re about to eat can deter you from eating it.  For example, when I saw that there are 350 calories in a Hostess Ding Dong, I was able to immediately put it back on the shelf.  The thought of having to walk over an hour just to burn off calories that I would enjoy for only a  moment just wasn’t worth it.

Going back to the idea of making the process painless, I also began looking at recipes that actually tasted good that were low calorie.  This was mostly vegetables.  I wanted something I would enjoy whether I was dieting or not so I wouldn’t feel I was giving anything up.  I discovered I rather like broccoli and cauliflower  with cajun spices and soy sauce.  I could prepare this in large batches and refrigerate it in single serving containers.  So far, so good.

If you’re trying to get healthy, see if you can find ways to tweak what you’re doing.  You can find ways to cut out calories, find small ways to add movement or exercise to your day,  and start adding these up to big changes.  

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Many of us try to start a new habit for New’s Year’s resolutions. We resolve to exercise more, eat right, lose weight, and so on. Right about now is when most people abandon them. I’m probably one of the only successful people who have kept their resolution for years. About 25 years ago I made a New Year’s resolution to never bother making a New Year’s Resolution again. I’m happy to say I’ve kept it ever since.

Why Wait Until the New Year?

For me, starting a new habit at the beginning of the year puts a lot of pressure on one day. After all, every day can be the start of a new year so why cram it into just day out of 365? There is some research that supports the idea that if you want to start a new habit, or behavior, you need a cue, or a prompt to do the behavior.

While I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore, that doesn’t mean I don’t set goals to have better habits. So for me, one of the more recent habits I’ve started is drinking more water. Overall, water is better for me than the fruit juice I often drink and has fewer calories. I did the math and realized switching from juice to water saves me somewhere between 400 to 600 calories a day. Also, if I drink water more regularly, I’m likely to snack less because I’m not as hungry throughout the day. So what does having a cue or prompt have to do with drinking water? I’ll tell you.

In order to drink more water, I had to create a prompt to drink it. The first thing I did was pick up a clear glass pitcher, fill it with water, and put it in the refrigerator on the top shelf. Every time I open to fridge to get a drink of juice (because I’m thirsty), there’s the water staring me right in the face to remind me to drink it instead of the juice. However, I noticed I was still going too long without drinking water. Being dehydrated tends to make me lethargic, so I wanted to create a prompt to drink water more often.

My solution was simple. I started putting an empty glass on the kitchen counter where I have to look at it every time I walk into the kitchen. I see it and think, “what is that glass sitting there for?”. Then it dawns on me, “oh yeah, I’m trying to drink more water”. So I fill the glass and drink it down.

Here’s Another Idea

I do something similar with laundry. I want to start a new habit where I actually put my laundry away before it gets wrinkled. So, I started putting the laundry basket with the clean clothes on my bed. I made a game of sorts where every time I walk into the bedroom I have to put at least one thing away or hang it up. Once I grab one item I’m more than likely going to take care of two or three items. It’s not long before all the laundry is put away where it belongs.

In my Grand Rapids based counseling practice, I not only help you figure out what changes you want to make, I also help you figure out steps to make it happen. My primary focus is using Solution Focused Brief Therapy, but I like to supplement it with a behavioral approach. Teaching you how we adopt new behaviors and make them stick improves your chances of making lasting positive changes.

Gary Watson is a Solution Focused Therapist in Grand Rapids Michigan.  He provides counseling for couples, teenagers, and adults.  He can help with anxiety, depression, stress, college and work stress, relationship problems, and more.  For more information, please visit the website at www.turnaboutcounseling.com.

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