Micro-habits and weight loss: The only condition for continuous change

For decades, dieting has consistently disappointed us; weight loss remains elusive. Why then do we continue to believe in this method? Because we've been targeting the wrong thing! We've been criticizing specific dietary plans. Proponents of low-carb diets say low-fat diets are useless, proponents of low-fat diets say the Paleo diet is ineffective, and proponents of the Paleo diet say low-calorie diets are problematic. It's like a tennis racket with a hole; the ball flies through the hole, but we blame the racket for being disobedient. We should first find a good racket to play with, and then worry about the racket itself.

The problem with the entire weight loss industry isn't the various diet plans, but rather dieting as a method of weight loss. Many diet plans can be effective if we can stick to them, but you can't force yourself to stick to them "at all costs." We need smarter strategies for implementing weight loss plans, strategies that can infiltrate our habits and biological systems like a ninja. This raises another issue: traditional advice on habit formation is ineffective (we'll discuss this in detail in Chapter 2), so even if you can make weight loss a habit (which it isn't), the results won't be great.

What should we do then?

So, is the lesson we learn to avoid trying to lose weight? If you're thinking of losing weight through dieting, the answer is definitely no; you'd better not do it. Once you've tried one weight-loss diet, you don't need to try another. But *The Science of Weight Loss* isn't a book about dieting, so those disappointing data points about dieting are irrelevant. There's currently very little research on the impact of small, consistent, long-term changes on weight loss because this method isn't as widespread as dieting, but I did find a few significant studies in this area.

A small study compared three groups of participants and found that those who lost weight by making small changes lost more weight than the control group and the dieting group. However, the follow-up study only lasted three months, during which the first group did not regain their weight. If the follow-up period had been longer, the results would have been more convincing.

Another little-known but insightful study shows a linear relationship between diet consistency and weight loss success and stability. Researchers analyzed long-term weight loss success stories recorded in the National Weight Control Registry and found that "people who can stick to a diet seven days a week are 1.5 times more likely to keep their weight fluctuation within 5 pounds over a year than those who only stick to it five days a week."

Consistency is not only key to behavior change, but also evidence of it. People who force themselves to change their eating habits often slack off, giving themselves a few "cheat days" to eat whatever they want. Those who successfully change their behavior, however, use the power of habit to alter their intrinsic food preferences.

It's time to find a new approach, time to introduce the micro-habit strategy. We're going to use the world's most effective behavior change strategy to tackle one of the world's biggest challenges-this is the "marriage" we've always needed. This is a fundamentally different weight loss strategy, not because of different recommended foods (though I'll touch on that later), but because it changes your eating and exercise habits.

I'm almost certain that this will be the only book I write about weight loss, so I have no reason to deceive you with short-term results. I don't plan to write another book, "Super Detox Fruit and Vegetable Juice Upgrade: Guaranteed to Make You Slim in 14 Days" (unless I want to learn how to write parodies). My wish is to give you a method that can be used for a lifetime and is effective forever, allowing you to change your body and mind in a way that aligns with nature.

The relationship between micro-habits and weight loss

To successfully lose weight, you need a new set of habits. Your current and past habits have shaped your current weight, and a different set of habits will change your weight (ideally, make you lighter).

Micro-habits can help you form a powerful set of habits, laying the foundation for a healthy life in the future. I won't boast that once you change yourself using micro-habits, your weight will never rebound, because no one's weight only decreases and never increases. Similarly, no one can guarantee that their old habits will never recur, because even if you fall in love with green foods and become addicted to eating spinach, unhealthy foods will still taste delicious. Various weight loss strategies are like fortresses; no strategy can help you avoid setbacks and problems, but the micro-habit weight loss method is more robust, reliable, and lasting.

The only condition for achieving continuous change

To make change last, you only need to do one thing: stick with it. Micro-habits aim to help you do just that, making them the simplest, easiest, and most fundamental way to change behavior. Below are some changes I've made in my life using micro-habits (like writing, all of these habits have lasted for over two years now), showing you the powerful impact of micro-habits.

I've been going to the gym for over two years now, and I'm currently in peak physical condition.

I have written two worldwide best-selling books and hundreds of blog posts. I have been writing a blog post every week for two years without missing a single week.

I now read 12 to 20 books a year, whereas before I could only read one a year.

These are some of the changes I've made, and they're quite significant compared to the past. Below are some rather ridiculous methods I used to make these changes.

Fitness micro-habit: Do one push-up every day.

Writing micro-habit: Write 50 words every day.

Reading micro-habit: Read two pages of a book every day.